Warren Buffett Stop Coddling the Super-Rich
Why does Warren Buffett think legislators in Washington should stop “coddling” the country’s richest taxpayers? Do you agree? Why or why not? (277)
Warren is trying to say that the government is giving the rich a handicap when it comes to paying their dues to our country, when in fact it should be the hard working middle class and struggling lower class who receive the aide. Which I agree with People who are “Super-Rich” are donating to charities, which is a wonderful thing to do it truly is, however, who will donate to the average family living paycheck to paycheck. No one. They live, they have what they need. Right? If that is your point of you, let me ask you this; why is it that the person living paycheck to paycheck that are giving more money to the government instead of the people who have nothing better to do with their money than give it away. Why is it the government’s decision to take from the middle and give to the top? I believe that Buffett is right, most “Super-Rich” people wouldn’t mind paying a higher tax rate; they won’t miss the money as much as an average worker would.
David Brooks Harmony and the Dream
Why, according to David Brooks, does the “divide” between China and the United States go deeper than economics? (282)
The division between China and the United States is a gap to me. A communication gap, we instead of measuring brain sizes constantly, should join together. Harmony is the right idea in my mind, although is a goal that will never be reached in my lifetime. China is a country with culture and structure. American is country of originality and freedom. Chinese make relationships and form idea as a bigger picture for the country in an entirety, While Americans focus on their dreams, leaving their mark, personal gain. We see think as they are, they see thinks as they do, similar to the chicken cow and hay experiment Brooks mentioned. It is all about th way you are raised to perceive the world. As an American, my family always taught me to follow my dream do what I love, be happy with myself. Never was I Challenge to think about what I could do if I just “fell in to line” of a structured group.
Amy Tan Mother Tongue
According to Tan what were the significant characteristic of “standard” English? How did she learn standard English?(259)
English language is just like any other, there are many dialects. Standard English though is complex and is in perfect tense, always formal. It is used to communicate in speeches and at conferences; it is not used on a day to day basis. Tan learned her, “standard” English skills from text books, and school. Same as the rest of us. I can certainly say my parents do not speak “standard” English while we are having our daily conversations; we use slang and informal English almost all the time. I have learned through school and books as well. Teachers always criticized me for not using comma in appropriate places, constantly changing my tenses back and forth and those god awful spelling mistakes I would always make. They would preach to me that it is the most important skill. You need it for any job which is true. However, I believe Tan was right when she said that we get our English from our family, more than our peers, and standardized test are hard for anyone. We are people, we tend to make connections with what we read not thing of the connection between the words. So I think that is shouldn’t be called “standard” English because even as an American my English is not perfect.
Alex Horton Metal Memorials
According to Alex Horton, why does Memorial Day seem “absurd” to some military veterans? What does Horton himself think about the value and purpose of the day? (214)
Alex Horton expresses the idea of Memorial Day “absurd” due to the fact that every day is a day to remember. We should always be great to those who have served, especially to those who have fallen while fighting for their country. For instance, he looks at a picture of all the friends living, and passed, just to remember their smiles. Just like every day we should take the time to be thankful, and remember what these men and women have all sacrificed for us, for our freedom. They feel that there should not be one day where you ask soldiers, active duty or retired, to give their up there whole entire day, to speak of their encounters. The author himself thinks about the war and those who served alongside him no matter what day of the year it is. Memorial Day for veterans to unite and tell their stories, to go for drinks, catch up, and have a laugh together.
Joanna Weiss Happy Meals and Old Spice Guy
Joanna Weiss focuses on two main examples ¬¬– McDonald’s Happy Meals and Proctor & Gamble’s bare-chested Old Spice guy. What do they exemplify and the buying habits of modern consumers? (225)
I believe Weiss is trying to say that the country as a whole tends to buy what looks the nicest. We want what everyone else has. Kids want toys, it is simply and if that means they are eating unhealthy food, they could care less. Same for women good looking men attracted them so when shopping for the husband they are going to pick the product with a good looking man on it. So, yes in my opinion the marketing industry is being manipulative to their consumers, but it’s the smart thing to do. Americans by things that are in “trend” sometimes regardless of the price. Kids only chose to get McDonald’s because of the toy, and parents need to learn to sit their children down and express that you don’t allows get what you want. As far as women giving into advertisement, they can make their own decisions it is smart to use a good looking man when selling body wash.
Janet Wu Homeward Bound
Janet Wu’s feet are calloused from exercise. What does the difference between her feet and her grandmother’s feet show about the differences in their lives? (209)
The callouses act as a symbol of their different cultures and upbringings . Wu’s callouses are from running and jumping, playing and being free. While her grandmothers are from being binded, a delicate tradition in the Chinese culture that dignified beauty. It acts as a culture barrier between the two, while her grandmother had her feet binded as a way to marry a man who’s family is well of, while Wu got a college education, and was dating with a Caucasian male. China during her grandmothers time was in the middle of a war, where she lost her husband and six of her children, so the callouses represent the hardships she has gone through, but the tough layer she had to grow to make it through those times. The description of Wu touching her grandmother’s feet shows her curiosity in to what it would have been like to live in China instead of America. Her grandmother wincing at the pain shows, the memories that she can still not forget, not only physically but emotionally.
The video starts as morning breaks and a couple and lying in bed, the male is on his phone. After waking up the couple goes for a run, and as they are done the man is on his phone talking. Next a group of friends are out at dinner and they are all slowly picking up there cellphones, texting and showing pictures, disconnecting from one another as they get more involved with their cellular device. While at the beach a man proposes to a women capturing the moment on his cell phone the whole time. Two young girls are at the park one is swinging, the other on a cellphone. The next scene is two older girls having drinks together, one with her phone out taking pictures. Then they are at a concert where everyone is watching the show through their screen. Now bowling, no one notices a girl knock down pins, due to cellphone distractions. As a woman is bringing in the birthday cake the whole oarty is taking pictures including the birthday man. The video ends with the couple back in bed and as she shuts out the lights the man picks up his phone.
How does the film make you feel? Minimum 250 words
The video makes me feel that I am not the only one who is ignored for technology sometimes. I relate to the girl, where if you do not have your phone with you, it as if you are out casted. It sometimes down place things that are supposed to be intimate, like a proposal, and it can act as a barrier even when you are together like the bowling alley scene. However, I do fall into the habit of always being on my phone especially now that I am away from home. I feel as it will only get worse as the technology is advancing. A cell phone can do practically anything for us nowadays. Human connect is going to become far and in between as social media takes over.
I do have to say though the video shows only the bad parts of the cellular device. For instance my best friend’s husband is overseas, and her cellphone can facetime him, when she misses him she can see him and no, maybe it’s not in person but it is better than nothing. Not all things about a cellphone are bad, but I believe this video proves that there is an appropriate time to use you cell phone and a time to spend with friends and family.
Is there anything from the film that reminds you of your life?
This video reminds me that technology makes me feel muted sometimes. My friends and I can be in the middle of a conversation, when they stop me just to read a text message similar to the scene of the group of friends out at lunch. It reminds me of when I am at home and even, now at family functions everyone has their phone out taking picture and showing each other what we have been up to. This video reminds me of my best friend and her husband fighting because he is on his phone all hours of the night. The night is for you to sleep not begin a second life on your phone.
The scene on the girls getting drink together reminds me of going out here. Every Friday night there are countless number of photos uploaded to social networks of girls and guys getting ready to go out. They can’t just go out and have fun they have to parade to the rest of the world that they are going to go out for a good time.
The part in the film where there are two girls at the par reminds me of when I was back home babysitting. A girl Allison, seven years old got her first IPhone when she was entering the third grade. While babysitting, she and a neighborhood kid got into an argument, because Allison wouldn’t get off her hone and play with the little girl. The fact that children so young would rather play on a phone than pay with friend, it’s sad.
What point do you think the filmmaker was trying to make?
I believe that the filmmaker was trying to say that we are so busy trying to capture life and stay in touch we are missing out in life. We take the time to stop and take pictures ruining moments that would’ve never been forgotten either way. They are saying we ae so busy trying to keep in touch with friends that we are ignoring friends.
Every scene the main character is in some way prioritized beneath the importance of a cell phone. Whether it is the scene of the birthday party where instead of look at guest smiling, the man is taking “selfies” or the scene of her bowling and none of her friends paying attention to her. The filmmaker lets us see into the lonely world of a person who doesn’t live on their phone.
The point of view is made clear as she chooses to show that we start our days with our phones and that we end our days with our phones. Instead of a scene with a good morning and breakfast in bed, the director illustrates the silence of a morning when one is scrolling through their phone. Likewise, the scene is not ended with a cute goodnight and kisses it is ended with the flick of a light and then the reflection of the screens light across the man’s face.
Pearson-McNeil, C. (2011, May). AMERICA’S GOT “FLAVA” WHICH TASTES LIKE PURE POWER. Washington Informer. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.esearch.ut.edu/docview/868856624?accountid=14762
The Sanctuary of School(182)
Why does Barry say, “We were children with the sound turned off”? Who fails to hear them?
Barry was addressing the fact that as a child you are often put aside and not thought of as an important opinion in today world. Children are not heard by the government, the society, and even their home life. Barry really pointed out this problem when talking about how her parents were so concerned with money problem and family situations, they started neglecting the most important part of family, children. She was able to wonder out in the middle of the night without her parents even noticing her gone. She chooses to emphasis that the public school system is being taking away from children and their way of really being a part of something that embraces them as important voices. When she states that “We were children with the sound turned off” she is saying that they are muted by the things society prioritizes above the, like finances and hardships.
In Case You Ever Want to Go Home Again(147)
Among the “social skills” that she and the other girls acquired in high school, says Barbara Kingsolver, was learning “to pretend I was dumber than I was”. Is Kingsolver correct to describe such behavior as a valuable skill?(
Going through high school being the “smart kid” is never really easy; classmates will tease you and call you names. Just because someone is smart they will be dropped down the social class totem pole of high school. Kingsolver wasn’t morally correct for dumbing herself down to others standards in order to fit it; however she was just trying to make her own life a little easier on herself. Everyone tells you be who you are as you are growing up, but what they don’t tell you is that people are going to take who you are and try to tear you down. Peers who feel as though you have an upper hand tend to derail you as a person, to make you feel small and inferior to them just to feel better about themselves. So personally I do not blame Kingsolver in her choice to cover her advantage over her fellow classmates, and wait and see how everyone who mocked her before was now in line to be a part of the greatness she has become. So to me it doesn’t matter that she had chosen to wait and show her greatness to the world at a later time, when everyone is mature enough to know that you can’t always be the best and that tearing people down doesn’t make you better.
The Ashen Guy Lower Broadway, September 11, 2001(152)
The ashen guy is walking along with the crowd, “but his body language,” says the narrator, “was a little different” from everyone else’s. How and where the narrator does descried the ashen guy’s body? What does it “say”?
The narrator emphasis that the ashen man was ready to never look back, he didn’t want to see what was happening now behind him, he instead wanted to keep moving forward. Beller choses to describe this man in great detail, with strong dialogue in between, making us focus even harder on this man. He was on his way out of the building when suddenly the building collapsed which then covered him in the dust and particles of the structure crumbling above him. When describing his physical appearance the author explains his clothes as casual attire for working in an office building, just like any other man, but he was the last man. The last man out of the building from the eighty-first floor, he was shaking with fear or was it with anger marching forward knowing that as a whole, we will get through this.
Adamo, S. A., Ehgoetz, K., Sangster, C., & Whitehorne, I. (2006). Signaling to the enemy? body pattern expression and its response to external cues during hunting in the cuttlefish sepia officinalis (cephalopoda). The Biological Bulletin, 210(3), 192-200. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.esearch.ut.edu/docview/220968854?accountid=14762
Karson, Miranda A., Jean Geary Boal, and Roger T. Hanlon. “Experimental Evidence for Spatial Learning in Cuttlefish (Sepia Officinalis).” Journal of Comparative Psychology 117.2 (2003): 149-55. ProQuest. Web. 5 Sep. 2013.
Chuan-Chin Chiao, Emma J. Kelman, and Roger T. Hanlon. “Disruptive Body Patterning of Cuttlefish (Sepia Officinalis) Requires Visual Information on Edges and Brightness of Objects on Natural Substrate Backgrounds.” The Biological bulletin 207.2 (2004): 153. ProQuest. Web. 5 Sep. 2013.
Passing smiles, simple head nods, and friendly smiles all zooming pass through common yard. Everyone is carrying their books and scurrying to class. The hot sun is beating down across their skin as they are dashing for the nearest building to escape the heat. Voices buzzing all around me with the newest gossip of last weekend’s party, who is hooking up with and the horrid amount of homework received. Couples are holding hands strolling by going to catch some lunch. Cliques standing around chatting, just waiting for their next class to begin. UT black and red apparel scattered among the students, the rest clothed in shorts and tan tops, clothed little as possible.
The humidity strikes like a forest fire spreading across the entire city as the storm rolled in. The clouds capturing the sun in a bubble of darkness, the rain drops slowly covering the pavement. Students and staff quickly disperse, as the hurricane-like winds comes swishing in. Umbrellas start popping up like spring time tulips, everyone taking cover from the sudden weather change. The roads quickly flooding and the drops crashing down rapidly, everyone has evacuated the storm and reside here in the common room. Tables are set up, with peppy girls and charming men, pouncing on their opportunity to recruit everyone for their organization. The aroma of coffee engulfs the room, the couches are quickly filled up and the lines for food are packed. People trying to kill their time until the storm settles. The room so gloom from the grey skies seeping in through the window, yet smiles still flutter throughout the room as everyone is reunite with friends somehow making the room appear brighter than it really is.
The rain is slowing down and the clouds are parting making room for the sun to shine through. Students quickly flood out the doors as they continue their daily routines. Swiftly passing me trying to make it across campus, rain boots, tennis shoes, flip flops, and even a few bare feet scurry across the cobblestone. Bicycles are splashing through the puddles left by the storm along sidewalk. Cars drive by slowly passing each walkway carefully looking for the pedestrian traffic. The sky is now golden and the outfits are now gym shorts and t-shirts as the day comes to an end, students dress more casually, and stop to talk longer. It is as if time has completely slowed down and the university is no longer and busy New York Street but a Missouri back road. Quite and full of friendly people where everyone knows everyone. The sun fall leads to a quiet place where not most go, they are now in bed, or doing homework, preparing themselves for the same routine tomorrow.
Of the processes described in Chapter 3, which three appeal to you most? By “processes” I mean any of the bold, centered headers that are sprinkled throughout the chapter, whether the all-caps headers or the regular centered headers. For these three that you choose, write at least 200 words total (not for each) explaining why, with specific information that’s relevant directly to you. Don’t just paraphrase what the book says in explaining your answer. Write something that no one else could have written. Give examples from your life and your writing.
Using Parallel Structures
Parallel structures paint a picture, they show the routine, and they emphasizes the significance. By using a repetitive pattern we seem to attach ourselves with sentences containing parallel structures because as humans when we see something more than one time we know that it usually means importance. Parallel structures can emphasis importance in action, physical details, as well as, emotional feeling’s. Personally I use the pattern as often as possible when describing objects physical appearance simply because I believe it paints a more obscure scene that captures people’s attention more easily.
Start With a Quotation
Starting with a quote quickly expresses what your paper is going to be about, and in what direction you are going with it. Quotes are quite the attention grabbers, considering they can relate to two-thirds of the people reading them most of the time. When people see quotes they assume you are going to have the same ideas as the author of said quote therefore making them enjoy you as a writer as well as the author.
Narrating
Narrative writing is my personal favorite form of writing. It is the most honest sort of writing and the most relatable. Narrative writing allows for expression of your choosing, you can decide how much or how little you would like the writer to know about each character. I feel it is a better form of writing because their usually isn’t any need to go on and on with a subject that you couldn’t care less about. It is a style of writing that should just flow from hand to pen to paper, creating a piece that people are more intrigued with.
On page 7, choose either question 4 or 5 to answer. Write at least 175 words. You can use this link to count your words. Don’t copy and paste from a program such as MS Word directly into your WordPress blog post. Instead, if you’d like to use another program first to write, copy and paste it first into Notepad (Windows) or Text Edit (Mac) to remove formatting.
“Recall a visit you made to a place where you felt especially close to the natural environment- wilderness, a city park, or
the each for example. Make a list of the physical details, objects, sounds, smells, taste, colors, textures- that you
remember most vividly from that experience.”
Siesta Key Beach
The warming sun beaming against my tan skin, the salt water breeze blowing though my hair, and the powdery white
sand sinking with each step I take, takes me to a place where nature is closer than it’s ever been before. The natural
beige sand and sky blue water contrast with the bright orange sun and the purple sky, the ocean waves crashing against the
sea wall, swishing, the sea shells sprinkled generously throughout the sand, only add to the picture perfect scene. The
seagulls are squawking, soaring above, and examining what I’m doing in their habitat. The sound of the birds is the only
thing breaking the silence in this peaceful niche. I can see nothing but nature for miles, not a soul in sight. It is
Mother Nature and I left to get acquainted. I can taste the salt in the air, feel the gritty sand beneath my feet and see
one of the most beautiful views that this earth has to offer us. At the ocean front is where I feel as though nature and I
become one, where all is at peace, and where I belong.
samanthaleonaevelynn 