The End

     Experimentation is an extreme way to find what works for any given idea. Writting blogs or (blogging) as an assignment has been a strange and new form of writing. With the use of blogs in my english class and having them as an assignment has not only given me a new way of sharing what is on my little mind, but has also granted me a many hours recieving headaches. The blogging assignements that I have spent the last few months writing have proved that they are essential for the more modern world of learning and they have helped me greatly to understand writing. There are a few aspects of of blogging that I have learned and some are good and others are not.

     The blogging rituals, as I like to call it, for my 8am enlgish class are very creative for me. The aspect of critical thinking and challenge is a continuous thought process for me that either confuses me or adds to my foundation of knowledge. The blogging rituals are esay for the most part, but if you do not pay attention as I did they do not help out with the stress levels of other classes. Blogging for for an english class is a much easier way of completing assignments.

     Another aspect was the use of time.I think the only reason why everyone thought is was a pain to deal with is because of the fact that we weren’t putting pencil to paper. It was just ideas on a screen. Well, that and the fact that you had to go turn on a computer and wait for the internet to connect.  It was still quicker than writing and erasing.

The aspect that worked nmost of all for me was the fact thatI could write freely and say what ever I felt. That is hard to come by in education these days. I believe that is up to the descression of the professor, but for blogging it is an awesome thing to be able to speak your mind.

All in all I believe that these blogging assignments were great and very instructive for our class. When I though of it at first as a evasive way of teaching; I found myself realizing that it was helping me more than writing down a couple fo paragraphs and turing it into someone to read my horrible hand writing.

     I will continue to use my blog to freely express my ideas without consequence. I enjoy being able to express my thoughts and ideas. Even if no one reads the my page and comments on it, it still allows me to put my ideas out to the rest of the world and expressmy feelings towards certain subjects. 

What I learned about essay exam questions.

I have learned that it is hard to take or give an opinion about an essay exam if you dont go to class and pay attention to the material and keep up with the reading. Not all stratagies are useful during a test. In exam test you have nothing to rely on except your own personal gained knowledge. Finding the most important information and learnign that first is a key stratagy to writing an essay test.  Determining main ideas and key concepts of important info will further your adavantage to a good essay. Paying special attention to signals in your textbook, chapter summaries, subheadings,and highlighted terms.

To help for such questions dealing with individual interpretation, argument or critique; individuals can practice talking back to course readings by developing your own positionson the view points expressed.

Essay exams, in contrast, feature well-defined problems with a very narrow range of right answers. They require you to recall a particular body of information and present it in a highly apecific way. What instructors are asking to have written in essays may not always be clear. Many students panic when they encounter essays that begin with a quotation from an author or work not covered in the course. The primary function of these questions is to encapsulate a general issue that the instructor wants you to address in your response. ( pg 717) Then you come across a unfimiliar quotation, look fo rhints that tell you what the quote is saying or what it is about and how it will effect your esssay.

A question itself may show you the best way to organize your response. (pg 718) Questions tend to begin with general themes that often suggest a thesis statement.(pg718)Subsequent divisions tell you how to organize the essay into sections and in what order to introduce suppoting points. (pg 718)

When dealing with a long question , first pick  out the noun phrases that direct you to specific areas of knowledge. Ex. “African American Culture” (pg 718) Pay carefull attention to noun phrases and what the question tells you and how many influences to discuss, what kind of samples to cite. Does the instructor include conjunctions or does the instructor point to particular kinds of information. ( pg 718) After determining specific areas, look for directive verbs that tell you what to do. (pg 718)

I have also learned how to determine what response is needed for what kind of verb is used in a sentence. I learned that time constraint is a major factor in essay test taking and that you should not concentrate to long on one individual question. T figure out what questions to do first you should see which questions are worth the most points and the determine the difficulty of the question. That should help the reader determine which question to start on.

vocab

Synthesize- combination of parts into whole

Analyze- take apart and examine individually

 Explain- to make known in detail

Relate- to tell, give an account

Interpret- provide a meaning

Essay Exams

I like to write essay exams because it allows me to speak freely to explain what my answers and thoughts are. Writing essays allows me to express exaclty what I am trying to explain if i can not give the correct answer. Thats really the only reason I like writing them.

On the other hand I hate writing essay exams due the fact that I suck at grammer. Another problem I have is if Im not prepared for the essay, I tend to confuse myself by jumbling up information.

Stand-Up for Your Country and Yourself: A US Sailors view.

I was a United States Sailor from Aug 2002 to Aug 2006. I loved every minute of it. I was part of three operations and saw my fair share. The issue I want to address is why we are still there. Iraq is a sand box filled with nothing. They have a culture there has not changed for thousands of years, so why are we pushing for democracy? Who in Iraq ever said they wanted democratic rule? I don’t understand why Americans sit back and allow this too keep going on.

We as a country at one point had (or atleast thought we had) a system that was for the people by the people. Well if it is still that way than why havent Americans come foward to say that they hate the way this presidency is going? People need to stand up for themselves and allow their voices to be heard. We should not fear our goverment. They should fear us. For some reason we have lost that and while our armed forces are over seas with extended duty and hardships we here in America sit back and allow this to go on. Everyone I have talked to that has worn a unifrom and been in combat say there is no reason for us to be there.

Today our Great President went in front of the entire nation and asked for more money to support our fight on terrorism and our push for democracy.  He also mentioned that if America does not go after terrorism and end it that it will follow its way to our shores. Give me a break. If this were the case then why werent we over run back after the first world trade center bombing? I dont see us fighting Koreans or Germans over here now. 

Our Presidents preventative measures against terrorist making there way to the US are costing the US sons, daughters, husbands and wives. Now with extended deployments its even worse.

I know that this conversation is not as exciting as a basketball score or something Imus said on the radio. But, the fact that our government is sending our future over seas for a lost cause  is rediculous.

If you have any comments or any suggestions. Please feel free to write them.

Arguments

Would it benefit United States citizens to pay for universal healthcare instead of individual health insurance providers? I think it would benefit most the population in America to pay for a universal healthcare plan from taxes. This would eliminate the the need for individual healthcare providers and the hassels that come along with them. This would also help with hospital and emergency visits for those who do not have health insurance or cannot afford the high cost accumulated by patient care. The use of taxes to pay for universal healthcare can also help heal those who need it most such as children and the elderly without high costs. There are those who are skeptical about using taxes to benefit a universal healthcare system.

People paying taxes to promote a universal healthcare system in America has a few set backs that have to be overcome. The first and main set back is the morality of people and the question, do they really want to pay extra taxes for free healthcare? Some people believe that in America that if you work hard and get a good job you should be able to afford healthcare. Another issue for the idea of paying taxes to create universal healthcare is that the AMA (American Medical Association) does not want to work for the government. They like being ppayed by individual healthcare providers, because each individual provider will pay them a different amount depending on what the case is the doctor has worked on.  The other issue is the fact that the individaul healthcare provider market itself is such a huge business that it would hurt the economy to have sudden loss of the healthcare insurance business.

Argument, Audience and Fallacies

Who is my specific audience?

I believe that my specific audience are the people who do not believe in Universal Health care and those who dont know about it and to try to give them the information to see why America need better health care (Social medicine)

Why did I choose them?

I chose these groupd of people because the people I am trying to reach are those who are just oblivious to its exhistence and to those who think we don’t feel we should have it due to various reasons. Ex: Doctors feel we shouldn’s have universal health care due maybe recieving lower wages or citizens not wanting to pay a tax to find Universal Health care.

How will your audience affect the argument you intend to present?

I believe my audience will affect my paper greatly! I have to use a persuation towrds those who don’t want this kind of health care while also giving them stats and facts. I have to try to get them to relize what this kind of health care could do for this counrty while not offending them. For audience that does not know of the theory of socialized medicine, I have to try and inform them on what the advatanges are and what few disavantages there are while trying to encourage the idea of universal health care.

Which fallacies will you need to focus on keeping from your argument?

Imk not sure yet? I will edit this soon

Finally My Review for my Last Paper

My essay Youtube Should Have Legal Problems had only one emphasized strength and that was a point I had made about Wu’s comment towards boxing.

To be able to learn and keep furthering my writing, I will have to pay attention and learn from the reviews on my paper.

I believe the strongest part of my essay was when I explained what the 512 cade was and how it made sense.

The comments that were written on my paper all made perfect sense, but they were all grammatical and not really towards what I was writing about. There are comments that expalined what I need to do to better prepare me for my next paper: proofread, specific statement at the end of my intro, dont use quotations at the beginning of my paragraph, use parenthetical references when I quote or paraphrase and to summerize my essay in my conclusion.

For me to improve on my essays will probably take me a while to try and get into this style of writing. Honestly after writing reports and presentations for the military (very short w/ no bs) its a little difficult to go in and fluff up a huge assignment. So its not that my ideas aren’t there, it’s just the fact that I’m not used to being Stephen King.

I believe the write site could help me improve my writing and I very glad they helped me out with this paper. David was very helpful and gave me some great pointers.

Im sure if I revised my paper and concentrated on the comments I could spruce this bad boy up a little bit. Yes, I could improveit greatly.

Annotated Bibliographies

John R. Battista, MD. and Justine McCabe, Ph.D. “The Case For Single Payer, Universal Health Care For The United States” Connecticut Coalition for Universal Health Care. June 4, 1999. http//:cthealth.server101.com

In “The Case For Single Payer, Universal Health Care For The United States” Battista and McCabe state what is happening in wtih our countrys health care system and how it should be chagned. They give many reason to why with most being statistical. They tell what is going on with Americas health care and the issues what were being delt with in 1999. This was a speech that was given to inform the Connecticut Green Party of health care issues in the US and that the US should turn towards the Single Payer Option (Universal Healthcare) vs. Individaul coverage.

Fleischman, Stephen. “National Health Insurance Now, Not Later.” EnviroHealth. Febuary 2, 2007. www.AlterNet.com

 Sephen Fleischman discusses that the issues of health care has always been on a polititians to do list, but with no resutls. He ask when are we going to see a change in our country’s health care system. He also give the reader a brief history of what health care was in world war 2 and how it has changed into what health care is today and that its still being needed and fought for.

Research Prospectus

Overiew of the argument:

    What issue are you examining and why is this issue important to you?

      I am examining the issue of Universal Healthcare in the US vs. independent healthcare from different providers. Individuals in the US government along with people in the civilian world are trying to make it a right for every American to have the same healthcare as anyone else in America.

     How recent is this argument?

       This argument is up to date and has been a controversy for the last few decades. The dwendling healthcare in America and the outrageous prices charged have been a conflict brought up for years, while other country’s around the world have a nation wide, equal halthcare plan that all citizens of that county are able to use.

     How easily can you find the materialsneeded for the research?

       It is not an easy task to find information on this subject. It is easy to find the same information on this subject in different articles. But to find a counter argument is hard to find. The pros are listed and there are many, but, the cons are few. The news article and scholarly articles I have found quite easily. The book on the other hand is not easy to find and I am still searching for it.

Summary of the pro side of the argument:

    For those on the pro side, what arguments do they use (why should you be “for” this)?

Some pro’s for this argument would be that universal healthcare would be cheaper than todays individual healthcare. Studies revealed that on universal healthcare patients recieved more doctors visits and hospital days compared to the US. Healthcare is directly linked to wealth and race. Instead of individuals paying for healthcare the government would collect taxes and use that to pay for health coverage. Doctors’ offices would be relieved of the hassels of dealing with so many different healthcare providers. These are all great examples towhy we as a country should switch to a Universal healthcare instead of using different providers. This way everyone can get equal rights and opportunities to recieve health aid.

Summary of the con side of the argument:

Why should you be “against” the argument? What does the research say.

     The average of individuals who make $20,000 a year or less only 69% are insured. Those who make less than $50,000 a year only 71% are insured and those who make over $50,000 a year only 90% are insured. This leaves a huge amount of Americans that do not have insurance whether they are young or old. The only counter balance to these percentages is the satisfactory of those who an afford or who have insurance. Across the nation 45 million people are without insurance and it is still rising. 54% of Americans are dissatisfied with healthcare coverage. 29% say their insurer has refused to pay all or even half of the aid recieved by individuals. US ranks 23rd in infant mortality down from 12 in 1960 and 21 in 1990. US ranks 20th in life expectancy for women, down form 1st in 1945 and 13th in 1960.US ranks between 50th and 100th (depending on which immunization) in shots. Overall it is 67th, right behind Botswana. These are just some of the cons that plague our country’s medical centers. With this poor kind of health coverage we need to find and recieve a equal healthcare for all US citizens. This research is telling us that we need to change the way our country provides healthcare to its citizens.

Position you intend to take:

      Are you pro or con? Why?

       The position I intend to take on this subject is definately pro. I am for the us needing greater healthcare coverage. Hospitals see individuals everyday who cannot recieve care because they cannot pay for it or they do not have insurance.  Doctors’ offices and clinics also see the same thing have to wind of turnign more patients that are in need away than hospitals.

What have you learned in your research so far?

     I have learned a great deal from my research. I already knew of the healthcare and medicare problems for healthcare coverage. What I did not know was of the staggering statistics of those who in America do not have healthcare coverage and the plans trying to be enforced to end the suffering and to aid those who need medical attention. I have some supportive arguments. But the supportive arguments I have found discuss a lot and cover most of what healthcare issues I am reviewing. I have found few counter arguments but the main two that stand out can play a huge roll in my paper.

What I still need to find in my research?

I need to find a more in depth description of exactly what the Universal Healthcare plan is (if there is one) and the I also need to found more sound and indepth pros and cons so that I can create a better argument. I have a huge amount of statistics. Testimonies form individuals would help out greatly. Its hard to find tha many testimonials from scholarly indivdauls opposed to those who just blog information. I might interview a few doctors that I know to find out what they think of this healthcare issue.

What is your timeline?

At the end of this week I am pressing to interview a few of the doctors I know. I want to have a rough draft completed by Mondayor Tuesday of next week. Outline finished by Sunday of this week.  My research should be final and completed by Sunday or Monday. I plan to revise and pay a visit to the Write Site  by next Wednesday.