QW 12-8-11

I do not believe that a narrative can be an argument although I do believe that it can be used to process and support an argument. For example, in this case Tans narrative basically illustrated an example for the purpose that even through adversity success can be obtained. So basically stories and narratives are simply first hand examples that support an argument. If one were to analyze this on a credibility argument, the author does not provide enough evidence for me to assume that her claim is correct. Therefore this does not make a successful argument.

QW 12-6-11

My initial reaction was kind of agreeing with her but as I read more, there are some very irrational statements. I believe that in general she is claiming that the government is dropping the ball and becoming irrational. Atwood explains that her point in valid by personifying the government. She does this by explaining her positive relationship with the government. After this, she explains how the government has changed. She does seem to exaggerate when giving key reasons when she says, "You're gutting the Constitution." She also is lacking in any sense of credibility by not citing any facts. She also uses the either-or fallacy as she says that either we stop spending or we turn into the USSR.

QW 11-29-11

The Greek phalanx was effective in the defensive position where it could be unstoppable in the right atmosphere. The three main points are : It didn’t allow the enemy to get in close combat unless the formation broke, The armor was tough and nearly impenetrable and the shield was large and used to protect much of the body, and The formation didn’t leaves open gaps for penetration.

Ad hominem: I will give forth the opposing arguments and explain why they are not credible.

Stereotypes: I will prevent saying all or none type statements.

Faulty Sampling: I use many examples and not just one example to create a depth to my argument.

Sweeping Generalizations: I qualified my argument in the thesis and throughout the paper.

Either or Fallacy: In the thesis, I made sure to add that "in the right environment" to make sure that I am not saying that they are always unstoppable.

Post hoc: I will make sure not to assume that just because the Greeks used the Phalanx formation in a battle that they won, that that is the reason they won the battle.

QW 11-22-11

The reading focused about the logical aspect of argument and how important it is. It sounds very simple but it is very necessary and a lot of people don't seem to understand that. It reminds me that you should not just state something for the sake of stating something because it needs to be elaborated on to support and strengthen the argument. It will be necessary to elaborate because the chances of the audience actually taking the inductive "leap of faith" are slim if I don't create a strong logical argument. Obviously the credibility and the emotional appeal are extremely important as well but with my topic I am leaning toward relies mostly on a logical argument.

QW 11-17-11

1. In what major ways do bands rely on products?

2. What is one pop culture person or thing that endorses a product?

3. How has the band-brand relationship changed in recent years?

QW 11-17-11

I didnt read the article. Will be up shortly

food

I will bring a bag of chips.

QW 11-10-11

Why do you think that there was such a dispute between disco and rock?

What is the main "battle" in modern music?

How does this relate to the modern day issue of conflicts starting by minor differences?

Creative Commons Post

Creative Commons is a site to help people be creative and knowledgeable about rules and copyright and licenses to the world. Anyone who want to share and use ideas that are not their own but still want to maintain a level of honesty and integrity.

QW 11-3-11

The author of "Bad Associations" reflects on his own personal experiences with computers and how she has not had much good luck with them. I have had similar experiences with computers but i differ from him in my overall thought of computers. In general I think of them as a good thing that can be used as a useful tool. I cannot say that I am computer literate but I somewhat know my way around the computer. The problem is that it takes me usually four or five times longer to do things than most people when it pertains to technology. This will prove to be a problem with the following remix project.

QW 11-1-11

I always have liked doing revisions...well at least more the actually writing the paper. I like it because I can just feel my grade rising. Anyway, I have consistently had issues with finding the right transitional word to use in my essay. It is nice that he gave a nice easy list for us to choose from. I think that transitional words are really what make or break a paper because without the "correct" word, you just can't get the same meaning across. Plus it adds nice variation to the piece. I am very glad that we are done with the book, because that means that I will get to read those extremely interesting essays on the proper way a frog will digest a fly which of course has the amazing language that makes me feel inferior to the writer!

QW 10-20-11

In chapter four one of the first things Ballenger mentions as a problem while doing research is running into conflicting ideas. In the research paper about Shostakovich, there is a lot of conflicting viewpoints about the double meanings in his music. Some musicologists believe that Shostakovich was intentionally writing with two meanings, while others believe that it is just people looking too far into his music. As you can see, I am writing about an extremely conflicting topic, so I will run into these controversies often in my research.

QW 10-18-11

I have actually already started doing one of these things and it is very useful. In my initial research I had read two or so paragraphs and then I would write about my thoughts and some ideas I had about the subject in my head. I liked that it said that it would make things go more efficiently in the long run. That is what appealed to me so I figured I would try it. It also makes reading the articles more enjoyable. The reading also talked a lot about citations but I had learned a lot about citations in previous classes.

QW 10-11-11

The thing that I most took away from this chapter is the way to narrow down your search on online databases. The many times I have used Ebsco Host, I have nearly always run into issues of not finding "the right stuff." But with these tips it will be a lot easier to narrow things down and get stuff I actually need. It was also very nice to have another source that says that Ebsco Is a good, credible source. Finally, it was nice to know that it won't look good if I only use one source, which I have had a tendency to do in previous papers.

QW 10-6-11

As I watched the clip about Steve Jobs I found it interesting that he guarantees that you will be successful if you never stop trying for it. Now whether or not this is true that is irrelevant because it amazes me to see how many people give up after there first failure. He could have given up but he continued and look where it brought him. It's as if his life was pre-planned out. It actually goes along very nicely with a quote that I think of when bad things happen. The quote is that everything happens for a reason.

Link to site

nicholasmowry.wordpress.com

QW 10-4-11

3. The efficiency factor of this is extreme. The companies that do this are trying to become more efficient (especially with money) but as with everything else, there is an effect with every cause. Yes, they become more efficient, but it is at the expense of the world. With these computers speaking to us, they are wasting our time as they explain the list of options. It would probably take about five seconds to figure this out if there was a person instead of a computer, but instead it can take upwards of two to three minutes just to get forwarded on to the next computer.

QW 9-29-11

When I read the first chapter, it was nice to get confirmation that it is not always a must that you must be formal while writing a research paper. It was nice to learn why many of the sociology and similar research papers are always extremely boring too. It is nice to learn that there is a reason behind the madness! I also liked how the writer broke the process down into five categories; it will make things easier when it comes time to starting a research paper.

QW 9-27-11

I briefly skimmed the article so it will be out of context. It comes across to me that the author has the belief that the world needs to stop with a focus on technology and start focusing on the community of the people and not the computers. In "turning off the TV" it will make it easier to fix the generation gap. I thought it was interesting how he points out how people don't really care about anything on the internet. Thinking about it, I believe that those things that no one cares about on the internet would be very interesting and would make very good conversation in person; if nothing else it would be good small talk which would build a sense of community.

QW 9-22-11

Karen's viewpoints on public health and ethics are reflected in her CV by the texts that she has read and by the special classes she has taken on the Costa Rica. She really makes an effort to show her "specialty." In her CV she is very specific about this and makes sure this is in its own separate section. She also put her coursework from most important to least important. She had ethics followed bioethics.