Tuesday, March 30, 2010

shattered glass

1. What do the fact checkers at the New Republic do when they cannot find the information to verify?
They contact the alleged sources and see if its true or not

2. How does Charles Lane feel about Glass once he discovers he is lying?
He is frustrated because he sees a lot of talent but he feels like its being wasted with his lies

3. How does Glass gain the sympathy of his fellow journalists at the New Republic?
He seems to be depressed, and as already gained many friendships at the New Republic through his "talent"

4. How does Glass dodge the truth again once he realizes he has been caught by Forbes!
He makes more lies up, and is basically in a sea of lies that he can't get out of

5. What excuse does Glass give Lane for lying?
He said if he could get through a story he could get a break

6. What is the argument for not firing Glass from the New Republic?
That "Hack Heaven" was the only fabricated story which ended up being false

Thursday, March 18, 2010

FINAL OPINION EDITORIAL

Over the last couple of years there has been so many debates about weather marijuana should be legalized, if it should be illegal or not; and the debate about if it is made legal should everyone be able to use it? I personally think that marijuana usage is very bad for anyone that uses it because; it causes very bad health problems later on. I understand where people who support it are coming from; I have quite a few arguments against their claims.
One argument that people have is that “marijuana is not harmful to the human body.” And that is not true because, actually marijuana is one of the most dangerous drugs, because it has over 420 chemicals which can cause serious problems to the brain, lungs, and other parts of the body. So, I feel that the argument doesn’t really make sense because, you are causing major damage to your respiratory system and according to some scientific research, they are saying that it might not affect you as much when you do marijuana at an early age, but when the person grows older it can affect the body a lot more than if they did not smoke.
One of the most popular arguments is that marijuana is being used as a medicine; marijuana supporters say “the drug can reduce pain, reduce muscle spasms, and relieve nausea. Supporters also say cancer patients and AIDS sufferers are among those who have drawn real benefit from using this drug,” I feel that even though this statement might be true, it also created a problem because, ever since they legalized marijuana in 13 states, the big issue now is that anybody can say an excuse that they are using marijuana as a medicine because, by law, they don’t require a prescription and any individual can say that the doctor prescribed orally, so really, this causes more problems because, even teens can get easier access with the drug. Also according to the American Cancer society “Marijuana is more cancer causing than using tobacco or cigarettes.”
Also, many people question if “marijuana should be legalized in all the 50 states,” and my thoughts on that is that they should not do it because, I feel it would ruin so many peoples’ lives because, if they legalize it, sure there will be people who use it for their pains and stuff, but I know for a fact this would cause major problems in drug use for everyone else especially to teens and drug dealers because, it will be a lot easier to get marijuana and I feel it would just cause more health problems that could cause economical downpours in our economy because, health insurance could rise and other problems of that nature.
So overall, I feel that this is a big controversy in our world today and legalizing marijuana would be a terrible thing to do, not just because of the health effects, but also because it would create a big impact among our country and it puts the danger of our kids, teens, and friends or other family members that, one by one, could be affected by this problem.

OPINION EDITORIAL PEER EDIT

I EDITED JACOB'S PAPER.

1. Is there a clear point of view? (position)
YES I FEEL THAT THE AUTHOR MADE A GREAT POINT OF VIEW AND IT CORRESPONDS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EDITORIAL.

2. Does the Op-Ed state the problem and solution simply?
YES IT DOES I FEEL THAT IT'S GREAT

3. Does the piece address the counter arguments?
YES I FEEL THE PEICE ADRESSED SOME OF THE COUNTER ARGUMENTS EVEN THOUGH MORE WOULD BE GOOD TO HAVE.
4. Is the Op-Ed interesting?
YES I DEFINETELY THINK IT WAS AN INTERESTING EDITORIAL

5. Are the paragraphs organized logically?

YES THE PARAGRAPHS WERE ORGANIZED LOGICALLY THEY MADE SINCE.
6. Does each paragraph develop an idea to support the thesis?

YES IT DID IT WAS A GOOD EDITORIAL OVER ALL.

I EDITED LUCAS GANSMOE'S PAPER

1. Is there a clear point of view? (position)
yes he did a great job stating his position
2. Does the Op-Ed state the problem and solution simply?
yes it does explain very good
3. Does the piece address the counter arguments?
yes the editorial addressed good counter arguments.
4. Is the Op-Ed interesting?
yes it was interesting
5. Are the paragraphs organized logically?
yes they were good in organization
6. Does each paragraph develop an idea to support the thesis?
yes each paragraph made since and gave me an idea of what it was trying to tell me.
7. Is the writing clear?

yes the writing was great.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

EDITORIAL ROUGH DRAFT

Over the last couple of years there has been so many debates about weather marijuana should be legalized, if it should be illegal or not; and the debate about if it is made legal should everyone be able to use it? I personally think that marijuana usage is very bad for anyone that uses it because it causes very bad health problems later on. While I understand where people who support it are coming from, I have quite a few arguments against their claims.
One argument that people have is that” marijuana is not harmful to the human body.” And that is not true because actually marijuana is one of the most dangerous drugs because it has over 420 chemicals which can cause serious problems to the brain, lungs, and other parts of the body. So I feel that the argument doesn’t really make since because you are causing major damage to your respiratory system and according to some scientific research they are saying that it might not affect you as much when you do marijuana at a early age, but when the person grows older it can affect the body a lot more than if they did not smoke.
One of the most popular arguments is that marijuana is being used as a medicine; marijuana supporters say “the drug can reduce pain, reduce muscle spasms, and relieve nausea and increase Supporters also say cancer patients and AIDS sufferers are among those who have drawn real benefit from using this drug.” But I feel that even though this statement might be true it also created a bad problem because ever since they legalized marijuana in 13 states, the big issue now is that really anybody can say an excuse that they are using marijuana as a medicine because by law they don’t require a prescription and any individual can say that the doctor prescribed orally so really this causes more problems because even teens can get more easy access with the drug. Also according to the American Cancer society “Marijuana is more cancer causing than using tobacco or cigarettes.”
Also many people question if “marijuana should be legalized in all the 50 states?” And my thoughts on that is that they should not do it because I feel it would ruin some many people lives because if they legalize it, sure there will be people who use it for their pains and stuff but I know for a fact this would cause a major problems in drug use for everyone else especially to teens and drug dealers because it will be a lot easier to get the pot and I feel it would just cause more health problems that could cause economical downpours in our economy because health insurance could rise and other problems of that nature.
So overall I feel that this is a big controversy in our world today and legalizing marijuana would be a terrible thing to do not just because of the health effects, but also because it would create a big impact among our country and it puts the danger of our kids, teens, and friends or other family members that one by one could be affected by this problem

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Editorial pre writing

1. What is a problem/issue that our entire student body (our school, community, country, etc.) faces today?
marijuana

2. What is your view/position on the problem or situation?
my position is that i am opposing the legalization of marijuana.

3. What would you like to achieve with your editorial? (What is the desired result?)
I want to persuade my readers to not use marijuana.

4. How will you persuade your audience to adopt your viewpoint as theirs? List at least 4 persuasive points.
1.Its bad for your health
2.It can cause problems in your life
3.Side effects when the person gets older can affects the person alot.
4.marijuana has many deadly chemicals that can kill you.

5. How will you motivate your readership to action in your conclusion?
Well I am going to finish with a strong paragraph that i hope touches readers to change their bad habits.

6. How will your editorial serve a public purpose?

It will help individuals think twice before using any type of illegal drugs.

Monday, March 15, 2010

FINAL FEATURE STORY

From a very early age I was raised in two completely different countries and I was exposed too two diverse different cultures. “I like everything about Honduras it’s my place of birth and the place I grew up in.” says my mother. The reason I been back and forth here in United States and then in Honduras located in Central America is because my mom had a job that was basically about buying merchandise like refrigerators, stoves, and other appliances that people could use in Honduras. So my mother would buy them from here in Minnesota and then my step dad and my mother would take all of the items to sell in Honduras. So I was always traveling and the nice thing about that is that I was with my family most of the time traveling through many countries it was like an adventure movie. I liked that I got to see two different places and even though I was young, I still understood many things about the cultures of both countries. An at the same time everything was so weird to me because 5 months I would be in a trilingual school in Honduras speaking Spanish, English, and Arabic and then 2 months later I would be here in Minnesota in a full English speaking school. I guess sometimes it was really hard for me because I had to get adapted to the environment and also I was meeting new people almost every day was a really interesting experience because I made friends in both countries that too this day I still have.
When you live in two countries in a short amount of time you could not imagine how much you can learn from two cultures. “I have learned so much from living in two different countries and it just gives more knowledge on every aspect and that has helped me through my life.” my step father said. In Honduras life is really hard because it’s one of the poorest countries in Central America and even though I was “lucky” enough, to have a house over there in a safe neighborhood, and what I mean by that is that there is a lot of criminal activity in Honduras due to the fact that a lot of people don’t have a lot of money, and so they decide to steal for a living but in the neighborhood I used to live in is one of the richer parts of Honduras so there isn’t that much criminal activity even though it happens once in a while and well at least I never had to face getting stolen from and also neither has my family. But there is also positive sides about Honduras that I miss a lot know and that is the beautiful weather since Honduras has a tropical climate, the temperatures are just perfect even though I have to admit sometimes it gets so hot to the point that you feel like you are roasting in the oven. My aunt says “If I had to choose between what countries had the best climate I would always choose Honduras because it’s so refreshing and “rico” which means like nice and beautiful in Spanish.
I also feel like there is more freedom over there, like for example my friends and I we play in the street a “potra” which means a soccer scrimmage game in Spanish, and we can be there playing all day, but here in Minnesota people would think that is crazy and dangerous to play in the street. Also friendship is a big thing in Honduras and what I mean by that is that here the United States because it’s not only Minnesota is really hard to get to know people because it’s such a huge country and in Honduras since it’s a country with a little over seven million habitants then people over there no matter what city you are in they will walk up to you and try to start a conversation with you is so funny sometimes but hey I always see the bright side of it. And also the houses are like right next two each other so your neighbors become like your lifetime friends due to the fact in Honduras if people buy a house then they stay in that house for a long time. “I miss so many things about Honduras like my family, friends, and also the climate is just amazing.” My mother spoke. But I feel that here in Minnesota it is a lot easier to live and what I mean by that is that there are many resources here to help you and there is more guidance overall if you don’t have money or food for example there are places that can assist you with that and that is something that I love about being here in Minnesota now, and is not that I am saying Honduras doesn’t have that help to but it just more scarcer than here in Minnesota. But at the same time I love Minnesota because there are a lot of other opportunities like jobs and stuff of that nature and many other activities that you can do.
Also I like the winter in Minnesota I mean I don’t like the driving, but since I been in a tropical climate that is super warm, and humid and then to change to below freezing temperatures is just so cool to me because you see how from the beginning of fall the leaves starts to change into beautiful, rich, and vivid colors and then they fall, and in a matter of days everything is covered in snow. A lot of my family members still travel to Honduras and the crazy thing is that they travel in a bus like what my mother use to do they buy buses, and then they fill them up with merchandise, but is not just appliances they take, they also take cars, or any other items that Honduran families here in Minnesota want to send to their family over in Honduras. But also they make a lot of money selling their items in Honduras because most of Honduras economy is made up of imports and exports and well merchandise is a big part of the economy over in my country. My aunt says “ She thanks god every day for the opportunities she has been able to get of traveling back and forth and being able to see the changes of both countries economically and environmentally.”
Also some other differences between Honduras and Minnesota are the schools, in the United States public schools are free and they can be really good schools and in Honduras if a parent wants there son or daughter to study in a good school they have to pay some money for putting their child in an actual good school and besides that they have to pay a monthly fee for their child to attend school and a lot of families in Honduras are poor so sometimes their kids don’t even get to attend school so instead from little kids to big kids they are forced to work and some of the jobs are very dangerous. The kids sell fruits or gum and chips on the side of the road and sometimes the kids get in the middle of traffic and then they “knock on your window as if they were knocking on a door” and a lot of kids have died because they have got struck by incoming cars. So I am just glad that I got the opportunity of being in both places because if I was in Honduras right I would probably be having a more challenging life than I have here, even though I must say miss Honduras a lot and I will be going back soon to visit my family, but in the meantime for now I am here in Minnesota in school at eastview high school really close until graduation so I am really excited about that. And well the life I have had up until this point I feel has made me the person I am today and I really thank God and my family for making me the person I am today.