NIU DEATH THREATS

How do you feel about this last week and weekend death threat actions? Personally I don't think that that was a good way to end our first semester. Now many people and the school thinks that the threat wasn't real, that it was a plot or plan in order to get out of taking finals. Well, i say it wasn't. Why would people go through all of that trouble just not to take finals. Finals have been being taken since the word school was even invented. So why should people think that that prank would make them go away? Honestly!!! Things like threats against the school should be taken serious, not looked at as a joke or bargain to get them out of serious test taking.

Won't forget this class!!!

Well the time is now!! It's so sad, but it must happen. Our class is over for the semester. I have met so many people from this class and I have learned so much. I hope everything goes well for everybody. I will never forget my first semester here, taking this English class. As we get older, we all forget lots of things, but this is one memory I will alwasy cherish. Oh yea that's right Memory!! Lol. Oh well. I didn't know any good visuals to post with this so I decided to post this little clip from Finding Nemo. I love this movie so much, especially this part, and I thought it might go well with memory and forgetfullness. Hope you enjoy. Have a happy holidays everybody. Hope to see you all next year.

Young chimp beats college students?!

It's rather interesting to see that chimps have an advantage in memory over us. There's been a memory test performed with young chimps (age 5) and a dozen human volunteers. Most of us believe that we, as humans, have a more complex brain, therefore that allows us to have a greater advantage over mental activities over our cousins the chimpanzees. Yeah we do have an advantage with long term memory, however, with this test it's been proven that "...when the numbers were displayed for just four-tenths or two-tenths of a second, the chimp was the champ. The briefer of those times is too short to allow a look around the screen, and in those tests Ayumu (monkey) still scored about 80 percent, while humans plunged to 40 percent." -(Ritter, AP Science Writer)

So the Chimps have an advantage with short term memory.

Here's the article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071203/ap_on_fe_st/chimp_memory;_ylt=AqVUxxW6zhin2LBd1LnVK4jtiBIF

Here's a video of a if not the project:

http://www.pri.kyoto-u.ac.jp/ai/video/video_library/project/project.html

Devendra Banhart

Devendra Banhart has been one of my favorite artists for a while now. I think that he has done an amazing job at not giving into what labels are looking for. He was born in 1981 and grew up in Venezuela. The genres that his music falls into is Indie Folk, Nu-Folk, and Psych Folk. His songs are not overly produced and seem to always include very natural lyrics. He puts on an amazing show live and has an amazing vocal range. I highly suggest to anyone who enjoys this type of music to see Devendra Banhart whenever they get a chance.

Soulja Boy dancers!!

When I first saw this video I was blown away. I was flustered with many different thoughts and emotions. At first I was like amazed at how those little kids can dance to that song better than I can. Then I couldn't believe that they even knew how to dance to a song like that. They are to young to even have the consent to listen to a song like that. This is a ballet class full of eight year olds. They are not even old enough to know about the birds and the bees. I wonder if the parents even what is going on in this ballet class. If I had kids, I know that I most certainly wouldn't want to them to be dancing to that song nor would I want them to hear it. Growing up as a child my mother wouldn't let my sisters and me listen to anything other than the oldies. Britney Spears was such a big deal back, then. I think that kids these days are exposed to many things to early in their lives and it's not healthy.

Six Flag's Line

Maybe lines have certain perks to them, but you got to admit that you won't see these kind of things happening very often. Either this guy has some problems or just really likes the song. Also, who honestly plans on brining a beach ball to a waiting line for a ride? Its more of a graduation thing, but I guess it also works here to... Anyway, you really don't need lines to dance to a song in public or start hitting a beach ball around. All I know is that not many people enjoy standing in any sort of line whether be at the store for holiday shopping or to buy tickets for some movie/concert. Basically lines sap energy out of you and you can be doing more things than waiting in a line. However maybe it takes waiting in line for an hour or so to push someone into doing something "different" like these:

And this:

Lavell Crawford

Lavell Crawford is basically my favorite comedian. I found out about him 2 years ago while watching Comedy Central. At first, I thought i saw Bruce Bruce (comedian) while flipping through channels. So, being that I like Bruce Bruce, I stopped on that channel and started to watch. Then I realized that the comedian on Comedy Central wasn't actually Bruce Bruce, just a guy that looks like him (Lavell).

Lavell Crawford looks like he's about 400 pounds. Each time he makes a televised stand-up appearance he comes wearing a really nice suit. However, he looks goofy as hell wearing the thing since he can barely fit in it. The guy talks with a lisp and can hardly breathe. Combine those two aspects with his heavy southern dialect and you get one funny voice. Honestly, I don't think Lavell's jokes are any better than any other comedians, but it's his unique appearance and uncommon stage presence that makes him so damn funny. I'll admit that Lavell wouldn't be half as funny if he was a skinny white guy, but he's my favorite comedian regardless.

Lavell Crawford Laffapalooza2
Uploaded by Shel18

Global Warming

I think that global warming is a very serious problem in today's society. Many people are too blind to see how critical this is to all species that occupy this planet including ourselves. It is mainly our fault as to why it has gotten so out of hand. The polar ice caps are melting at vast speeds and the sea levels are rapidly rising. We must do something about this. After all this is our planet, our home. The increase in temperature is affecting all of us greatly. All we need to do is change just one thing in our daily life styles and we will be able to see a great change, that is however if everybody does this. One doesn't have to go to extremes in order to try and help, however they may if they would like. We did this to ourselves, if we want to have futures for ourselves, friends, and family, first we must ensure that our planet will have a future.

Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a virus that attacks the liver and if not treated properly can eventually destroy it. Many people with HCV are not even aware that they have this virus. It can be transmitted through many different ways, such as using the same personal products as someone who is infected, sharing needles for drug injection, and having sexual intercourse with a partner who has contracted it. Hepatitis C is a disease that has no known cure but can be treated if detected early.

Michael Vick

Over the summer, NFL star Michael Vick was found to have been involved in dogfighting and the killing of dogs. He was immediately suspended by the NFL. Vick now faces jail time. Upon hearing this new PETA (The people for the ethical treatment of animals) attacked Vick. To save his shattered image, Vick turned to PETA and wanted to be a spokesperson for them. He was turned away by PETA president Ingrid Newkirk. PETA has always been a great society, but I now respect them even more for turing away from Michael Vick.

Playstation 3

The Sony Corporation for a third straight time, continues to put out a top of the line gaming/entertainment system. The Sony Playstation 3 puts out almost realistic gameplay with some of the best games that you can buy. Resistance: Fall of Man is a first person shooter that takes place around World War II with alien like life forms that are taking over the world. The game is seems almost real and the gameplay is unreal as you never want to stop playing. The PS 3, as it's refered to as, also offers alot more than gameplay. It offers a new line of movie technology called "Blue-Ray." Blue-Ray is a format of high definition for movies that have a very clear and sharp picture. It also has online capability to update your hard-drive, play against people all over the world, buy and upgrade games online, and surf the web. Did i also mention that this is at no extra cost? As long as you have access to the web somewhere within your home, it is at no extra charge. This is a big plus because if you purchase an XBox 360 it costs fifty five dollers a year to be connected to the internet. There is also much more to this system. It can be used by the whole family. Dad can watch Blue-Ray movies, Mom can download pictures and put them on a slideshow on the tv, and the daughter of the family can play music. There is alot of potential for this system, and we should all experience it.

Will Ferrell is the Funniest Man of our Time!

Watchting this video just shows how funny this man is. He knows exactly how to make anyone laugh no matter what your sense of humor is. Most of the time he improvises his material and it is still insanely funny. He has the mind of a comedic genius. His delivery is perfect and he sells everything he does. This man is always on and I hope he never gets turned off.

Like You'll Never See Me Again

Alicia Keys is back! This video for her second single off her new album, As I Am, is entitled Like You'll Never See Me Again. The video opens with a guy, played by Common, laying in a hospital bed on the verge of dying and as the video goes on, it backtracks through time and shows what happened leading up to him in the hospital. The first time I saw this video i cried, and every time i saw it after that I cried also. I like this video because it is a great example of not taking anything for granted and not getting too worked up over little fights because you never know what can happen and what will happen to those you love. In the end the guy ends up living but his girlfriend in the video and him really gain an appreciation for each other and realize that they need to treat each moment together like they'll never see each other again.

Old Commercial, Turn it up!

I've forgotten that I said I would post along with you guys, so I guess I'm in trouble. Anyway, I was just playing around looking for a YouTube video to post and found this commercial. Have any of you ever even seen the Flinstones? This commercial says a lot about the cultural times that it was made in. Yep, let the guys sit around and the women do all the work, right? After all, Fred and Barney had a long day at the rock quarry! Oops! They forgot that Wilma and Betty have also been working all day, taking care of Pebbles and Bam Bam, not only doing the shopping, but figuring out what to shop for and planning meals, not only putting the laundry through the machines, but also folding and putting it away, the cooking of meals for everyone and the clean up involved, cleaning up after kids, changing diapers, etc., etc., etc. Okay, I'm done ranting now! (I could go on, you know!) At any rate, it reminds me that someone recently figured how much a "housewife?" "domestic manager?" (whatever the proper word is) should earn for her (or his!) services, and it is currently around $130,000 per year. It seems I'm not getting paid well enough, so that's why I need to work outside the home!

This youtube video is one of the two videos still in the running for the new Chipolte 30 second long commercial. This video, "Just the fax" along with, "Lunco Libre " are both videos created by NIU students. The winner of the contest will recieve $15,000 along with $15,000 for the university. Winner will be annouced on Thursday the 15th :] (tomorrow)

this is fun

This is a link to watch Barrack Obama making a speech at an NAACP Democratic Convention. The blog wouldn't let me pull it up, but he is basically talking about how this so called problem with African Americans isn't just the problem of our race but a problem of America.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY2BviiUDsw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY2BviiUDsw

This is a link to watch Barrack Obama making a speech at an NAACP Democratic Convention. The blog wouldn't let me pull it up, but he is basically talking about how this so called problem with African Americans isn't just the problem of our race but a problem of America.

FACT

This past weekend I went to U of I for a show that I was dancing in. The show was called FACT, Filipino Americans Coming Together. The show was a way for filipinos to come out show their talents and support of Filipino Americans. I am not Filipino but the dance group I am in is sponsered by NIU's PSA ( Filipino Student Association). In order to be in the show every performer had to attend workshops that informed us about Filipino culture. I learned a lot that weekend and meet a much of great people! Here is the video of my team performing!

YOUTH HOCKEY

This is a video of goal scoring in youth hockey. parents think that kids shouldn't play hockey because the sport is too violent and dangerous. Hockey is a violent sport, but there is no physical contact allowed in the younger leads. Hockey teaches kids leaderhip, responsibilty, good sportsmanship, discipline, and to get along with others. youth hockey should not be banned!

Hacking

I have been looking into this subject recently and am still trying to fit this topic into this paper. I want to talk about hacking, and more specifically talk about hacking the iPod touch and the iPhone. Ever since the two came out there has been different organizations trying to exploit the iPod touch's programming in order to copy the iPhone's menu. They have succeeded in doing this and there has been arguments on this subject, is it right to hack the iPod touch or not. Also some of the same organizations have hacked the iPhone making it available of T-Mobile customers, too when Cingular had paid for specific rights to the iPhone. I want to talk in depth on the subject of hacking in whole and about this current debit on the iPhone and the iPod touch, is it ok or not?

Take on me

This guy is cooler than your mom.

This is why you should watch UFC

In the sport of Mixed Martial Arts or MMA anything can happen. The person who had been winning the fight for the first couple rounds could be knocked out in the next one. This video should convince you that this is a sport worth watching.

Tails Animal Shelter

Is this not the most adorable picture you've ever seen? It makes me want to take the dog home with me, because of his sad, droopy eyes. This is one of the pictures on the Tails Animal Shelter website. Of course, they want you to see this picture and think "Oh, how cute". They know that most people give in to sad faces, especially a cute dog. They want they help of the community, and they want to find good homes for their animals. I believe very strongly in helping out the animal shelter, and feel you should do the same. The animal shelter helps rescue animals and care for them. They also give many great oppurtunities to the community to get involved. You can adopt a pet, clean cages, walk the dogs, play with the cats and much more. Take my advice and go do it! They are very welcoming and you get the best reward of all; knowing that you helped an animal and had fun while doing it!

Charles Bukowski

Probably one of my favorite poets/authors of all time.

Animal Battle over a Buffalo

Group Members:
iheartdancing, who the hell would want to be called pig, chabra23

AsiA, Gerbs, Cool G, Seth

WATCH THIS ONE FIRST!!



THEN THIS ONE!!

this is blackie posting for kae kae2 lizzy and chloe

We ♥ harry potter!!

group members:

who the hell would want to be called pig

iheartdancing

chabra23

posting for: pig, dan, austin, claire

Hello World

Cubs vs. White Sox

Being a Cub fan i have to post against Dan's pro white Sox theory. I'm pretty sure there are more Cub fans than there are Sox fans in our class and that is how it should be. Why would anyone want to root for a team that through away the world series for only a few hundred bucks? The most coveted award in sports and you don't want to win it even though you knew you were going to. Also how many traditions do the white sox have compared to the cubs? Lets see the Disco burning in the 70's and beating the crap out of a base coach in the middle of a game. And apparently fraud of taken money for own profit. Ours are a lot more traditional, better atmosphere, more bars around and beautiful women. Now i know no one can argue that last segiment of my post. Also what about all the famous people like billy crystal, joe belushi, and bill murray. Overall were just a lot more fun and we dont start fights like our south side counterparts. Class is more important that anything and we possess that more than anyother ball club.

The Upright Citizens Brigade

The Upright Citizens Brigade is a top secret intelligence organization dedicate to undermining society through the proliferation of chaos, or at least thats what you would hear when being introduced to UCB for the first time. In reality, the Upright Citizens Brigade is a comedy performance group which started in the late 90's in a New York City theatre named The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. They do both improv and and skit comedy acts in the theatre, as well as allow other groups to perform their comedy routines. Starting in 1998 and running through 2000 they had a show on comedy central which ran for three season with ten episodes each. The show became a cult classic and still has many dedicated fans to this day. You can check out their website here: "The Upright Citizens Brigade" . I feel it is my part to let each and every one of you know about this amazing group, and thats why I have done so. Enjoy.

Halloween

Halloween is almost here, and that means trick-or-treating for the younger kids, and what for us college students. Dekalb has a lot to offer for the community that involved good, clean, healthy fun! Want to get scared in a corn maze? http://www.jonamacorchard.com/haunted_corn_maze.php . It's a three mile haunted corn maze, containing two bridges. It's located in Malta, Illinois which is roughly five miles away. It's said to be a pretty good time! Check it out. Now if you're really not in to the corn maze, here's something everyone should have fun at! Located here in Dekalb at the Egyptian theatre, there's a six story Haunted house! It contains twenty scenes. From my sources, it's said to be worth your time and money. Check it out, http://www.amenti.info/. I really hope everyone has a fun Halloween weekend. Go out and check some of these places out!

Huskie Buses!

The first few weeks of school I never really understood the bus system, but since then I believe I have mastered it. I have it down to such an art, that I know what time I need to get on each bus and where it takes me. Recently though, I've been extremely dissapointed with the bus system. I'll be waiting outside of my dorm (Grant North) for the 8:40 bus, and then it shows up and it's packed! There isn't even enough room to cram anyone else on. This has happened to me on numerous occasions, I've even tried taking the 8:30 and 8:50 busses, and still the same thing happens: they're packed. I then of course have had to walk to my class, and by that time am already running late. I feel that during the morning when students are more likely to take the bus, they should consider running more buses so that way all the students can use them. I know that the busses are funded by the student association, but honestly the huskie busses should have room to transport all NIU students no matter what.

People On Campus!

So I was walking to class and I saw a bunch of people holding signs and shouting in front of the Holmes Student Center. Their signs were saying ,"These People Are Crazy" and "These People Are Wierd". Since I had a little extra time, I stopped to see what was going on. There was this old man saying that almost everyone is going to hell. He believed that if a person has piercings, they are going to hell. If a person has a tattoo, they are going to hell. If a person is gay/lesbian, they are "definately" going to hell. The old man also had a little demonstration for the so called gays and lesbians. He grabbed prongs that you would normally plug into a television, and tried to plug them into each other. He screamed, "See, they don't fit together! Therefore, men shouldn't date men and women shouldn't date women!" I just thought this was kind of wierd because wouldn't this bother people who are gay/lesbian or people who have piercings or tattoos. This bothered me a little because I have both tattoos and piercings. I would like to live my life hoping I don't go to hell! But according to this guy, I am. RUDE!

Stephen Colbert for President?

Stephen Colbert "announced" on his popular TV show "The Colbert Report" that he was seriously consdering running for president. The funny thing is that it seemed mor like a joke. Many think it is. Colbert said that it was all natural for him since he was born in the town of Could-be President". This reminds me of the movie "Man of the Year" with Robin Williams. If you haven't seen the movie it is about about a politcal/comedy talk show host (like Colbert) that is asked by one of his audience members if he would run for president. If Colbert does decide to run for president it will be interesting to see how far he takes it because he definitely won't be taken seriously.

Circle K

Circle K is a community service group that goes around Dekalb county and gives assistance wherever needed. My friend went to a Circle K meeting and told me that I should go with him sometime. I was hesitant at first because I figured I wouldn't have time with all the homework I've been getting. Eventually I decided to go with him and it was one of the smartest decisions I have ever made. I had a blast at the meeting. It was a great atmosphere and I met a lot of nice people there. They do a lot of cool stuff like playing bingo with the elderly at Pine Acres Care Center every Saturday. If you want to meet new people and help out the community I would definitely recommend coming to the meeting on Monday night. The meeting will be held in Dusable 268. Hope to see you there.

Pregnant Mom Killed:Baby Cut From Wound

Lisa Montgomery, 39, of Melvern, Kan., is accused of strangling Bobbie Jo Stinnett, 23, on Dec. 16, 2004 and using a kitchen knife to cut the baby from her womb. The baby, Victoria Jo Stinnett, survived and is now almost 3 years old. The trial resumes Friday. The news doesn't really state why she says she wouldve done something like this. Montgomery claims that her reason for doing this is because she has a mental ill ness and that she was abused as a child.

My Comment:
I feel that yes this lady is crazy but not in a mental illness type of way. It's a coincidence that she claims insanity when she does the crime but not before. I kind of wandered what was her reason for killing this lady. Was it because she was jealous of her new child because she couldn't have any; but i figured it couldn't be that because Montgomery had already had four children. Was it because she was jealous of her lifestyle or just because she wanted another baby that she couldnt have. Montgomery was said to have known Stinnett personally before this terrible encounter. This story is sad and crazy at the same time. It really makes you think what would posess someone to kill a woman just to cut out her baby. INSANE!!

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3693884

Southside Pride!!

The Chicago White Sox are considered Chicago's "second team." This term usually comes from Chicago Cub fans, who are of course our most hated rivals. Shouldn't it be the other way around? The Cubs hold the longest World Series drought of almost one hundred years and will most likely continue on for another hundred years or so. But yet they still talk crap even though their hated cross town rivals, the White Sox, just recently won a championship in 2005. Sounds a little childish doesn't it? What's even worse is when they made a man, by the name of Steve Bartman, go into hiding because everyone blamed him for ruining their chances of a World Series by reaching for a ball that should of been caught. We all know we would have done the same thing he did, but of course, cubs fans need to blame something. As in the thier absurd curse such as the billy goat which they blame for their near on hundred year drought. There are also a few more good points on why the Sox are better right here. The way i see it, the Chicago White Sox are just way to good for the cubs to mess with.

Identification in Blogging

Hey, this is whothehellwouldwanttobecalledpig and I’m posting about the concept of identification and its importance in blogging. As stated in the first three paragraphs of Brooke L. Quigley’s page from the University of Memphis, identification brings out individuality and creativity in ones writing. Accordingly, this theory goes hand in hand with blogging.

An online blog is the perfect chance to express ones own sense of identification. A blog gives a person the freedom to express his or her self’s individuality and creativity without criticism from any higher powers. It is the concept of identification that gives a blog meaning and interest. Without those two aspects, a blog would not even be worth reading. A blog allows people to experience an assortment of different personal “identifications,” for each blog entry holds its own personal sense of style and attitude.

The UPS Magician

UPS is a shipment company that many are familiar with. They ship your package virtually anywhere, get it there on time, and help out small businesses with everyday tasks. Another thing that they also do is make amazing commercials. They’re latest series of commercials involve only three element; A man, a black marker, and a white board. When I was first introduced to this commercial I was thinking that it would be the most boring 15 seconds of my life, I was wrong. This 40 something year old man uses his black marker and whiteboard to explain how UPS works and the advantages in choosing. You can view these commercials at You Tube where there are about 1o in all. These commercials feature the song “Such great heights” by the postal service that plays gently in the background while he conducts his examples. At the end of these examples he continuously surprises you by reversing his drawings into some interesting adaptation of what UPS will do in various situations. These commercials have sparked an interest among the people of the world. They’ve started making parody’s and creating jokes about the ups guy. You can find these videos here. Watch these videos and enjoy these innovating commercials buy UPS.

NIU is Great!!!

NIU is the greatest ; look at all the extras they offer.

Better n' Better

As time goes by life just keeps getting better and better for good, hard-working people. If one goes about their daily business not doing any harm to any one or any thing, does what they are supposed to, and maybe even helps someone else out in the process, then they have have nothing to worry about. Any problems or challenges that just so come their way can easily be resolved. It is very similar to Karma. Be good and good will come to you, be bad and you get the picture. If you are generally a good person whom is being subjected to unusually bad luck, don't worry. Just keep your head up high, be patient, and keep going. You will make out of this fight with little or no problem. We all have that potential, but it is whether or not you have the right attitude to go about it that will help you survive. After all, it is true what they say, 'what doesn't kill you, will make you stronger.' I believe this holds true both emotionally and physically. next time you are in trouble just think about it.

Invention in blogging

It is important to use invention while doing anything. Although there are many aspects to consider when writing what is more important that invention? Invention is the key when it comes to writing or blogging. The reason is because if it werent for invention then you would have nothing to write about. http://www.csuohio.edu/writingcenter/invent.html

When writing, what is the first thing you have to do? Make a rough draft. But even before the rough draft is started you have to think of the idea, you have to invent or create what your story is going to be about. Without invention the paper would never be written. Wheather you think you are doing it or not, inventing, or creating is something that happens when writing. It maybe purposeful or it may be accidental, but it happens. That is how important it is.

Styles in Blogs

When starting your own blog or even just posting a compent on one you have to consider your own kind of style. Whether you like leaving long comments or just a few sarcastic words, it is up to the individual person. Lets say that you want to start your own blog about dogs or something else that you like, are you going to set it up as a free for all or are you going to have certain parts that people can only write on. Is it going to be easy going and loose or cold and rigid like this blog for example, http://blogs.wsj.com/styleandsubstance/. You can take the opposite way and have a blog with all kinds of things happening such as this one, with pictures and comments all over the place, http://fabsugar.com/669173.
Another thing that you have to keep in mind when writing on a blog is that you have to stay on target with what you are trying to get across. You should not be skipping around from one subject to another since people are actually going to be reading what you write. Some people write the way they speak which can get frustrating for the reader. The bottom line is that style is up to the individual person and should be respected by others.

Memory Blogs

Blogs about memories are a way for bloggers to share there experiences with others. Memory blogs give good insight to others about someone's life and the things that have affected them. A good example of this is the blog "Alice Ghostley".
http://www.doriengreyandme.blogspot.com/. The blog talks about an older actress from the show Bewitched and how the blogger remembered watching her and being amazed by her acting. The blogger also goes into the death of the actress and how it truely sadden him.
I think that memory blogs are important because its a chance for people to express what is important to them or important things that have happened, while others can read and relate to what they have to say. Memory blogs are also easier to write because it is simply writing what you know. Memory blogs are a great way to let the world know what a someone has gone through.

arrangement of blogs

Arranging a blog is very important. If there is no arrangement in a blog then more than likely it won't make any sense. If you build on a previous statement then you had better go back and make sure you put it in with the information you previously recorded or people will have to jump around trying to understand what is going on. Before you post you should make yourself a little outline of what you are going to write so that your thoughts won't be so cluttered.

http://rhetoric.byu.edu/Canons/Arrangement.htm

Memory

Everyone has memories of things past. Some of these memories good some bad but they all shape our present and future. There are many definitions for the word memory but in this post I will focus on the one that defines memory as "a mental impression retained;a recollection" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/memories). When memories are fomed, a mental impression of the event is formed also. In my opinion, this mental impression is how the memory is remembered innitially but it can be changed as time goes on. For example, the memory of something bad happening is probably going to be associated with negative emotions at first but if looked at differently over time the mental impression can change to a positive one.

Memories often shape how we feel about certain events and even people. I believe this is kind of like a schema in psychology. Schemas are used to help us easily catagorize different things so that we don't have to waste time and energy thinking about experiences similar to those we have already experienced.

In conclusion, memories help us to remember past events and help us form mental impressions for the future.

Do things with STYLE.

Everyone has a unique style of doing something, whether it's the way you dance, look, drive, read or write. Style is an essential technique when writing rhetorically because it’s what sets you, the writer, apart from all the other authors. When you write with your own style it gives the reader a different way to interpret a text. If everyone wrote with the same style, reading and writing would be boring. Imagine if all the cars in the world had the same body style, it would be a very plain and boring to take a drive.

Style is what makes this world go around, everything around you has some kind of style in it. Being different or having a unique style keeps everything from being boring.

"Rhetorical Visions" defines style as the way you express your material and argument; therefore, style is about the form of your expression and ideas.

The definition for style from Dictionary.com is the components or features of a literary composition that have to do with the form of expression rather than the content of the thought expressed.
Dictionary.com

Invention

Invention-one of the five steps in speech preparation, the process of choosing ideas appropriate to the subject, audience, and occasion. http://www.dictionary.com

No matter what kind of paper you are writing you will always start with invention. Invention is a key role in the five-part process. Brainstorming, freewriting, or clustering are approaches you use after picking a topic to write about. This process is the essence of invention. For example, you are writing a paper about your favorite actor. You will first need to figure out the different facts you are going to talk about. You need to think to yourself, what could I say about this actor to invent my paper?

You can think of invention in many possible ways. Our english group presented invention as making an actual invention. We made a paper airplane. Yes, this isn't invention in the rhetorical sense, but you still go through the same process. You brainstorm first to figure out exactly what you would like to invent. Invention plays a huge part in your writing, even if you have never noticed it before.

Arrangement in different viewpoints.

Arrangement comes into our lives in many different ways. Think of it this way, when decorating a room in your house you have to have a sense of arrangement for where things are going to be place. (http://www.thearrangement.com/) Another way to think of it is the arrangment of your notes in a notebook or even the way streets are arranged in ways throughout a town. There's many other ways to look at it, than just through an English book, and in English terms.

In Retorical Visions it's stated that arrangement is, "text's structure or organization." Followed by an example of the arrangement of a map and how it is shaped and illustrated.

On Dictionary.com the definition given for arrangement is given as, "an act of arranging; state of being arranged. " (www.dictionary.com)

Any way you look at it arrangement has many different meanings but are all focused on the main definition of arranging some sort of matter.

Delivery in the English sense...

Delivery: your characteristic style or manner of expressing yourself orally; "his manner of speaking was quite abrupt"; "her speech was barren of southernisms"; "I detected a slight accent in his speech" (www.dictionary.com)

Delivery in speech is very important. It conveys feelings, meaning, and much more. If you were telling a very gruesome story you would deliver it differently than if you were telling someone a comical one. The words and tone that you use also help in delivery. Descriptive words are helpful and spice up sentences when needed. Tone, especially your tone of voice, makes a big difference in the delivery of what one is saying. Delivery is vital in all aspects of giving speeches or just talking in day to day conversations.

Even the way my group acted out the word "delivery" in class was a way of delivery. When delivering a pizza to someone you aren't going to be a jerk and just rip someone's money out of their hand. You're going to be polite and try to gain yourself a tip. Delivery plays a huge part in your life even if you don't noitce it.

Identification Important in Rhetoric

Hey, this is Tira and I'm posting about the concept of identification. In Friday's class, we were talking about Aristotle and his legacy for the Western world (insofar as far as rhetoric is concerned). We covered the five canons of rhetoric, but I only briefly mentioned "identification," not doing justice to its influence on our literacy.


First of all, as mentioned in out text Rhetorical Visions (page 18), identification is Kenneth Burke's concept. Burke was, what academics refer to as, a rhetorician (he lived from 1897-1993). He started writing in the 1930s, and he had two of his most influential works, A Grammar of Motives, and A Rhetoric of Motives, published in 1945 and 1950 respectively--although they were not well received then. (Information taken from Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg's The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the Present). Burke re-published A Rhetoric of Motives in 1969; a good description about Burkean identification is in the first three paragraphs of
Brooke L. Quigley's page from University of Memphis.


We take identification seriously in modern marketing. Note how easily most of us recognize, or think of, certain brands when confronted with certain symbols (though I think they mean "Mc D's" or "Mickey D's" at the bottom of the page). Also, check out one business tool (VALS) that shows advertisers how to appeal to different segments of the population; they can then target ads according to the traits people will identify with! I believe identification is an important rhetorical concept all around, especially because almost all communication involves the use of rhetoric.

I moved this up from a comment to a post for Bobby...

Well hello there, my name is Bobby Light. I am speaking for my group who include Mark Twain, the infamous Charlie Murphy, and Kicklor 14. We are going to be commenting on the short essay called "In Our Glory" by Bell Hooks. Overall the essay was the better of the 3, it was very detailed and thorough, while still including interesting characteristics of the father's picture. One explanatory line that i liked was when she stated "his dark skin mingling w/ the shadows in the photograph." Its cool how the author pickes up every and any aspect of her fathers picture and gives it a reason or meaning behind it. For example when she states "there is such boldness, such feirce openess in the way he faces the camera". Another question we had was why she choose to tell us that her sister is a lesbian? All in all this was a very intresting essay, and an intising read.

September 14, 2007 11:47 AM

best story EVER!

Throughout the paragraph Kingston showed us different ways to increase our writing skills. She showed many ways to describe things in great detail and make you feel as if you're there. An example of her ability to describe is, "On the other woman, strangers, I can recognize a curled lip, a sidelong glane, pinched shoulders." Kingston also uses a good use of quotes from the past. "I sailed alone," she says, "to the capital of the entire province." She took a brown leather suticase and a seabag stuffed with two quilts. In that quote she emphasizes with both descriptions and relating to that past. This author has shown us a good example of what should be in our essays.

My name is Wahwahweewoah, I am posting for FunkyFresh, Jasmine, and danahaseman. We aced the quiz but weren't smart enough to come up with a response to the essay assignment yet.

"Photograph of My Parents"

Hey, there everybody. I am Seth, and I am sitting in a computer lab with my class doing our first blog assignment. I am in a group with Gerbs, AsiA, & Candiekizzez77. We are writing a blog on a short story called "Photograph of My Parents" written by Maxine Hong Kingston. No one in my group has ever written or seen a blog before today.
Our story is about a girl looking at old photographs of her parents. The girl talks about her mom having a thumb print on her forehead in a few pictures. Her mother would never tell her the truth about why thumbprints were on her forehead. She also talked about her father. The author uses pathos to set an emotional tone for the story. The author also uses a very intelligent vocabulary that noone could understand. It was a decent story!

Thoughts about "Photographs of my Parents"

Hey this is Chloe writing for Lizzy, Kae Kae, and Blackie. This is our first blog. This is a new concept for all of us in an english class. We are excited to see how this works out. We decided to write about the essay "Photograph of my Parents" by Maxine Hong Kingston.
In general we all thought the essay gave great descripvited. We all thought that it was very opinionated. The author seems to have a strange distance from her parents. We also noticed that there was mispelled words on her mothers diploma. The author used ethos in a unique way that made her writing style stand out among the other essays. In reading this essay it really showed us that we need to show not tell when describing things.
Our final thoughts on the essay made us think about her father and how it was confusing what nationality he was because she described him completely opposite of how she decribed her chinese mother.

Welcome!

Hello... You've found your way to the class blog of a typical--but brilliant--first year English composition class in the Midwest. We are experimenting with the blogging genre and its implications in our writing progress. We have chosen to keep our identities secret, but you will be reading the words of authors from a diverse range of interests and backgrounds. Some of our posts will reflect on class assignments and/or material; others may be completely unrelated to school. Enjoy our posts and feel free to comment, remembering that we are real people.