Sick and Tired:)

I have not been sick in a really long time. A few years, I guess, is a long time in a lifespan of only twenty-four years, thus far. I don't recommend it to anyone, but if you have to get sick, don't get sick over one of the only holiday's that gets you time off work and school and back home to see your family. I am not sure what caused it, but the day after the day after thanksgiving I completely cleaned out my system. That would be all well and good if I could then fill it back up again with more of the Thanksgiving fixings, but I have traversed back across the cold wasteland of Nevada and the turkey is now 700 miles away from me. I couldn't really eat for a few days afterward anyway so I guess it wasn't all bad. #2. I wouldn't recommend getting sick the week that all the projects and midterms are due before finals week. Oh, that happened to me too. I could count my blessings and say that I caught up on a lot of sleep deprivation, but sleeping when you're sick doesn't quite rejuvenate like a well-placed siesta or twenty-minute power nap. So that makes me scrutinize the phrase “sick and tired” because from every infirmed experience in my life, sickness is always accompanied by tiredness. I suppose like the rectangle is not a square, tired isn’t always sick but the idiom doesn’t read like that. Lesson learned. Of course, you can’t pick when you get sick, but from what I have divined, I can always expect that when my life is going great, I will receive a trial during finals week.

RA 12: Speech

Winston Churchill's first speech as Prime Minister was a stirring rhetoric for the British people to "Arm Yourselves and Be Ye Men of Valour." In a time marked with desperation and fear, Great Britain needed a little persuasion to fight back the ensuing horde of German troops. Churchill spoke these words to his audience of British nationalists who needed encouragement that the fight was not lost. The enthymeme for this speech is German armored vehicle attacks will not be enough to destroy this people because German attacks do not have the same passion and cause that the defenders possess. Churchill reassures them that the forces fighting against Germany have great records and skill. He boasted that the French and English armies recover and counterattack well and have dogged endurance and extreme fighting power. These words would conjure pride in where they come from and where they want to be. It would have been easy to say all is lost and this will be a very costly war in terms of destruction of property and lives lost if they continued. Churchill persuaded them that even though the situation looked bleak, it was far from lost. He used phrases that they could agree with logically. The army of tanks could not just roll over the armies of 3-4 million Frenchmen. He claimed with statistical evidence that they were equally matched with manpower and resources. His authority as the prime minister who meets regularly with the generals and leaders of other countries would give him more knowledge about what was really happening for the whole effort rather than the hearsay rumors spreading through families and communities. His position and confidence would be very persuasive for a majority of his listeners. He committed that the parties of England that once were divided now stand unified and agreed on the best course of action. Those people who side with one ideology or another would be sure that their interests were protected and their voice was heard. The unity of the whole country was paramount to their winning the war. This speech changed many opinions about the war they thought futile.


(Text of Winston Churchill's Speech)

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/winstonchurchillbemenofvalor.htm

I speak to you for the first time as Prime Minister in a solemn hour for the life of our country, of our empire, of our allies, and, above all, of the cause of freedom. A tremendous battle is raging in France and Flanders. The Germans, by a remarkable combination of air bombing and heavily armored tanks, have broken through the French defenses north of the Maginot Line, and strong columns of their armored vehicles are ravaging the open country, which for the first day or two was without defenders. They have penetrated deeply and spread alarm and confusion in their track. Behind them there are now appearing infantry in lorries, and behind them, again, the large masses are moving forward. The re-groupment of the French armies to make head against, and also to strike at, this intruding wedge has been proceeding for several days, largely assisted by the magnificent efforts of the Royal Air Force...
Today is Trinity Sunday. Centuries ago words were written to be a call and a spur to the faithful servants of truth and justice:
Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valour, and be in readiness for the conflict; for it is better for us to perish in battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation and our altars. As the will of God is in Heaven, even so let it be.

Is Cash Better?

Many stores and businesses these days feel it is an advertisement to reduce the price of their merchandise if a consumer pays in cash rather than with a credit/debit card. Somehow this must be related to the increase in bad checks and bounced card transactions, but it leaves you wonder; are they rewarding an antiquated currency? Secure electronic transactions must be the payment of choice in the upcoming century. It is bulk-less, faster to process, and has fraud and theft prevention. I am not saying that we will always carry the magnetic striped card in our wallets forever. Those things can get lost and no one even checks whether you have your card or the one you swiped off some old man’s dashboard. The instant electronic transaction will one day be impervious to identity theft and hacking and will probably be integrated in some computer mainframe where with the right retinal scan your money can be accessed from any kiosk in the world with the proper exchange rate taking place instantaneously. Money is so dirty and cumbersome, but gas is seven cents cheaper if you pay with cash than with the card. Apparently, Chevron has never seen the Visa fiasco where the teller actually has to stop and count the money instead of swiping one purchase after another. One day this will all be sorted out but one thing is for sure: money is not going anywhere fast.

RA 11: Music Video

Side note (Unfortunately I couldn't write about the same song I chose because youtube disabled the embed feature, but the song "Minority" by Green Day has a music video full of rhetoric to analyze)

The enthymeme for this music video is if you are a minority with a different look and demeanor than the rest of the world then you will live a successful life because being a minority keeps you from the fake trivial world of the normal American. The audience would have to be the fence sitting youth that want to act out against the class that they don’t belong in and follow their instincts. Both the lyrics and the camera sequences portray this theme. Perhaps the most unique city in the world, New York was the perfect place to shoot this music video. They used the parade that would have been better suited in “Macy's Day Parade” on the same album, but this was a great way to introduce the individuals in their message. Each person following the Green Day band float had a little bit different look, depicting the ones that don't fit into the American mold. A major point they reiterate is that they want to ignore the moral majority and be their own person, undoubtedly without the fear of retribution and criticism. What they allude to is that they want the undecided masses fed up with the system to follow their example and be an edgier character like they are. These Punks and Goths and other unique classes follow Green Day down the Street and become a Green Dayte, part of the anarchist minority. What makes America so great is that these people are allowed to express themselves that way. The clips are accurate and relevant showing each individual for who they want to be and Green Day obviously is fed up with the system and shows that through their actions and lyrics. It is definitely specific to the audience shot in a new age style and with the right graphic edge and style that would get their attention.

Old passions renewed

When I was growing up my dad and I spent a lot of time together working in the backyard or the garage on different projects. He taught me many things about carpentry, masonry, and every other aspect of construction. I gained an appreciation and passion for tools and hands on projects. Now I am older, married and have the money to get my own tools and do my own projects. The past few months have been fun collecting different tools and making things for my house. I built a padded headboard for our new bed that my wife absolutely loves. I also built a frame for a wall mirror. My wife also loves that I know what I am doing and do not rely on other people to do things for me. I grew up in a house where we do pretty much everything ourselves. Hopefully I will have the money to have the things I want done, but I would still like to maintain my abilities and do most things for myself. Instead of buying a flimsy router table, I designed and built one out of wood and metal. I made some mistakes because I still don't have all the tools I need to reproduce things that my dad and I made together. I need to get back in my groove and eventually plan to have a workshop with everything I need to make great furniture and do every project myself. Currently, I am designing two nightstands to match a dresser that we bought and a covered ottoman with storage capacity for our living room.

RA 10: Song

"Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" by Good Charlotte is a song about the rich persuading them to stop complaining over simple problems. They offer simple solutions to these issues that the rich would not agree with. The audience of this song is the rich who complain about stupid things in the media because they have a misunderstanding of real life problems. It is hard to see what happens in real life when people throw money at you because you are talented. Good Charlotte explains that the rich complain about how hard life is in their magazines and celebrity news when they could not handle the real hard issues that many people face. The enthymeme for this song is rich people could not handle the same problems as the poor because rich people have been fed with a silver spoon so they have no real life experience. The song cites a number of examples that rich people get out of problems that others cannot because of their money and prestige. McDonald's won't hire a drug user, but the rich can get away with it and even politicians can escape the backlash. The rich can even get away with more severe crimes because they can get a good lawyer. Good Charlotte says that if they take all their money from them they will understand what real problems are. They use relevant evidence and repeat their claim in the chorus.

Student Opinions

I love reading the student opinion section in the daily universe. These days with the elections and controversial ballot initiatives the opinions seem especially polarized. I love that even at BYU there is a forum that people with opposing ideas and ideals can express them. Then I can read the agitated response by the person who took offense to the original comments. There is usually about a week long feud between these agitated journalists and then the editor decides to give someone else some column time. It may just be me but it seems the BYU democrats assume that there will be some outrageous backlash to their opinions so they include some of the responses before they get any feedback. I haven't seen such bold stances in the three years that I have been a student here. I think it is the candidate that they support that gives them courage. While I must say I enjoy the political banter much more than arguments over babies and laptops, I think that people forget that they are still on the same side in things that really do still matter. I've got to say that you've got to be pretty brave to sign your name to those entries unless you enjoy going in the ring for a round or two with very opinionated people. I personally like playing devil's advocate, unless it for things that aren't correct and then I only like advocating it if it will make my wife scoff.

RA 9: My Paper A

For my paper A, I wrote about the effect of watching violence on adolescent males. My audience was supposed to be adolescent LDS males who have watched violent material. I attempted to persuade them that violence would cause them to be more violent because watching violence makes violence a normal action. Over time people become desensitized to violence and the things that they have seen hundreds of times on the screen, integrate into their own actions. I did not come across as neutral early on so I would have likely lost my audience early on. I did have an appropriate tone however I changed it when I introduced scientific research. I tried to approach things differently than the typical ensign article would teach that violence is detrimental for the mind and soul. I introduced psychological research as well as testimonials and statistical data correlating the increase of violent crime with the increase in violence in the media. My logical claims proved a faulty causation when it is a correlation at best. Over all I provided accurate and relevant data that the audience would accept even if it is an overall claim that they don’t accept. It may not change their habits but it should make them think that little things that you assimilate into your mind have lasting effects on your behavior. I know what I should do for a revision to make this paper more suitable for my target audience.

Graduation concerns

Friday marks a very special day in my life. For the first time in my life I have gone to see a counselor for advice. Up to this point in my life I have been pretty self sufficient and practical. Usually, I can put things together without instructions or understand complex subjects with little to know explanation. I have come to terms that graduating from a university and preparing for a post graduate program, a medical school no less, is a daunting task and rests on the edge of capacity at the moment. With everything else going on in my life, all the prep work that has already been figured out by others is not something I need overloading my system. My counselor said that I had set up my schedule fairly well to this point, but she changed the course loads around and made sure certain pre-requirements are finished before specific checkpoints in my graduation schedule. She also added two courses that aren't required for grad, but are smiled upon by med schools. I now have a spring term that I didn't plan on taking, a lighter fall load for interviewing purposes and an extra semester to spread out my intense workload. However, with sixteen credits of all upper level major required courses next semester and a 200+ hour Kaplan course to complete before June. I have my next six months pretty well booked up. I am excited that I am now running on the last stretch of uphill before the downhill victory lap!

Disclaimer: I am not complaining or meaning to complain although that may seem like a pretty common trend in each of these blog posts. I am basically externalizing things that I normally keep bottled-up or things that I would normally avoid or let slide off my back.

RA 8: Paper B Source

My health care issues paper, despite common misconceptions, fights for the current theory of widespread antibacterial product usage causing more harm than good. Most of the sources I found for the consequences of antibacterial use proved it harmful. Few favor the household everyday use. One website was more a promotion describing the popular reasons, not necessarily true reasons, why using antibacterial is safe and healthy. The enthymeme for this source is using antibacterial cleaner promotes healthiness and wealth because using antibacterial cleaner destroys bacteria that causes illness and death at home and in the workplace and whatever destroys bacteria that causes illness and death at home and in the workplace also promotes healthiness and wealth. This source did not have any doctors or researchers endorsement because frankly there is no proof to substantiate the evidence. True, the antibacterial product may destroy any and all harmful bacteria, however, it will not kill virus, parasite, fungus or protist that also cause disease and death. It will just kill all bacteria, even the good bacteria that promote health in digestion and cell regeneration. This source mainly appeals to emotion and logic, albeit faulty logic. It has us sterilize the workplace, school, home and daycare facilities to protect the people that we love the most. You can even buy personalized kits to say I love you by showing you care for their healthiness and wealth. The logic is faulty that killing all harmful bacteria will make you healthier because the agents in antibacterial cleaners do not distinguish between good and harmful bacteria. It is most harmful for developing immune systems in children to use these products, but it also dangerous to eradicate the bacteria in adults. The argument that they use is sufficient and typical for the average uneducated person. It is accurate that the product will do exactly what it says it will do, kill harmful bacteria, but it says it will make you healthier and that is not true. The argument is also relevant that it explains concepts that relate directly to the enthymeme. Unfortunately, there are no disclaimers on these bottles and soaps and sprays telling people what will happen if they kill 99.9% of all bacteria.

All wedding'd out

I have been endowed for 5 years. In that time I never saw a sealing, live or proxy. I didn't even know what happened in the ceremony. In the last six months, since I got married, I have been to five sealings for friends and family. This weekend will mark another wedding spectacular. I love the sealing ceremony, with the power of the words and the priesthood that makes the marriage binding here on earth and in heaven. Every time I see the ceremony performed, my resolve to be a better man and a better husband is strengthened. I don't remember what happened in mine, other than I cried and felt the spirit. I listen to the words more now and try to apply it to me instead of the two kneeling there because they will probably be like me and not remember what happened at their own. Emotional experiences are funny things. Sometimes every detail is deeply engrained so that you can remember the smells and sounds and colors forever. Other times the details are lost in a cloud and the feeling remains behind. Try as I might, some experiences recall only as feelings while in others I remember what shirt I wore. Being truthful, I dread going to the wedding, but I love being there. My attitude changes once it all starts happening. I shouldn't tell my wife that because I also dread going to or starting romantic movies, but don't mind watching them. She may ask me to go to more girly stuff and I may end up looking forward to such outings, heaven forbid. After this weekend I think I'll be all wedding'd out for a while.

Ra 7: Movie Trailer

RA 7: Movie Trailer
Movie trailers only have between 30-90 seconds to give an audience a reason to watch the movie. Juno has a trailer that is geared towards an audience of self proclaimed intellectuals and trend setters/breakers. It begins with a shot of the neighborhood that most of the movie takes place in. Multiple film festival awards superimpose over this image and linger for a few seconds showing the target audience that the movie was not created by Hollywood elitists, but by little people with a good idea and a dream. They are the Indy films that pop culture is glorifying these days. Another blurb states that the director who made Thank You for Smoking also made Juno. Instantly the movie has credibility with an audience interested in that type of film. The opening scene has a very independent and sarcastic girl and Rainn Wilson, Dwight Schrute from The Office, having a humorous yet well scripted battle of intelligence and wit. This is an appeal to both authority for humor and emotion. The type of people who love well-scripted witty satire will watch this show in the theater and buy it when it comes out for sale. The entire movies makes fun of human frailty yet shows the humanity in characters that seem above it all. There are a few big names in the movie, at least big in the target audience circle. These actors have a reputation to uphold and an audience will watch this movie for no other reason than to listen to them perform their lines and act their part. The movie tackles difficult themes like abortion, unwed mothers, marital problems, awkward adolescence, and social judgment with sarcasm and powerful emotions. The enthymeme according to this movie trailer would be watching Juno will help you not judge other people because watching Juno portrays taboo situations from a different point of view and whatever portrays taboo situations from a different point of view also helps you not judge others.

Spread too thin

This semester I feel like I piled a little too much on my proverbial plate. I thought that if I took the same load of classes and extracurricular activities in past semesters where I managed them all right, I wouldn't have a problem. It is the same amount of work. Well, not adjusting for the difficulty of these classes and that my priorities ultimately lie with my new family now, this same load is starting to drag me down. Genetics, 2 Physics courses, Chemistry, a huge Men's Chorus commitment, two courses with a main component of writing, religion and undergraduate research, keeps me on campus for 40+ hours a week. These classes have a combined homework and midterm study load of 25 hours a week. Each semester I have about fifteen nighttime commitments for concert rehearsal or performance. I'm not complaining because I did this to myself but for the first time in my life I am struggling academically. It may not take me as long to do an assignment or study for a test as most other students, but I'm not a freshman anymore. Focusing on my upper level classes, and doing well in them, my American Heritage grade is suffering. I feel inadequate that a freshman level course is kicking my butt, yet I should be content that I am excelling in 14 units of advanced credits. I guess I should just get used to not having enough time for everything that I need to do and set my highest priorities and trust that with the Lord's help I can succeed.

RA 6: Encounter

Salespeople incorporate many persuasive tactics to pander their wares.  Gold's Gym in particular uses persuasive words, images and financial appeals to sell memberships to people like me. When I went into the gym to talk to a manager about a membership they asked me if I wanted to wait ten minutes to talk to Candy or talk with one of their male salesmen right then.  I knew that they would try to use the "sex sells" method if I waited for the attractive female so I chose to talk to a guy and see what methods he would use.  I'll call the enthymeme for his rhetoric- joining a gym will make you happy because joining a gym will make you healthier and look better and whatever makes you healthier and look better also makes you happy.  I was his audience and he a very good job specifying the reasons why I should join this gym.  At Gold's they have pictures up on the wall of picturesque men and women: cut, bronze, smiling and wearing very little clothing.  This appeals to the emotions involved in social interaction.  They also have hundreds of famous people's names who have worked out at Gold's Gym: Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Arnold Schwartzeneggar et al.  These people are an authority on looking good and fit.  If they go to Gold's, so should I.  Once he went to touch my arm after he made a joke and stopped himself because he was playing the macho physical trainer to a male client, not the hunky flirt to a female client.  He gave a lot of relevant and specific information about his products.  I am a skinny male so the treadmills and elipticals are not high priorites but he brought my attention to the weight training machines and even let me try some of them out.  After every point he made he told me that when I'm a Gold's member I will be able to do this and do that and see this... This gave me a sense of ownership in the product before I agree to it.  He asked how I would do the payments and whether i would put this much down or spread out those registration payments.  He gave me choices between different plans and had me make little decisions before he asked me to sign up for the membership.  He even tried to sweeten the deal with free tans if I did auto pay and signed up this weekend.  

Grades...suck.

One thing that really bugs me is that, in many classes, undergraduate TAs decide the future of aspiring professionals. Based on their own criteria of excellence, they grade a student’s performance and, unfortunately, grades decide graduate level acceptance. Grades are an arbitrary standard of knowledge and, besides, the system itself is quite flawed. There are set increments of 4.0, 3.7, 3.4, 3.0... however these levels have sub categories of percentages. There is no high A-. One hundredth of a percent off an A is still an A-, the same A- that is one-hundredth a percent off a B+. Too many times, I have missed a higher grade by just a few points. Tests are also just an arbitrary measurement of what a person knows. Some people are bad test takers. Others, who know that they will rely on the vast amount of information available for immediate reviewing in the real world, can't recall 4 months of intense cramming for a single comprehensive midterm. That, compounded with the ultimate grade, tells the world how ready you are to be in its professional spheres. On one bogus American Heritage assignment about enforcing the honor code, I got 59% for taking a moderate stance to a complex issue instead of creating a "capital punishment for a minor offense" methodology. I was pragmatic and, therefore, rejected by unfair and biased standards. The really unfair thing about some of these TAs in that type of academia is that many will go on to be teachers in that field. Many of their future students will be turned off completely to the subject matter because of their unfair grading. Isn't learning and enjoying to learn more important than aspiring to some arbitrary standard?

RA 5: Paper A Source

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=abb127cd3f37b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1
I found a lot of research for the affects of viewing violence on violent behavior. To find a persuasive article instead of a purely academic article I searched the LDS.org database. Most of their articles use research to back up their own personal or divine opinions about violence. M Russell Ballard writes many talks about avoiding violence in the media. His audience is usually LDS adults with younger impressionable children. Watching violence for entertainment is harmful for any person, but he wants fathers especially to avoid this vice because children follow a father’s example. I chose this as an example to cite because it had all the STAR criteria. It had enough appeal to emotion with a strong testimony offered and various consequences to family and individual guaranteed for continuing the trend. His authority is both scientific and divine. The argument is logical and deliberate offering conclusions to certain attitudes and behaviors. His enthymeme presented is that people who watch violence for entertainment will fall away from Christ because people who watch violence for entertainment are in the world and of the world. The examples he used are accurate and relevant to the argument that watching violence is not wholesome and will not lead to Christ, and in fact, offends the Lord. One quote in particular strikes a good point with his audience: “I am convinced by a vast amount of research that the images, fantasies, and models which we are repeatedly exposed to in [entertainment] affect the self-image and, later, the behavior of nearly all young people and adults too. The amount of violence a child sees at 7 predicts how violent he will be at 17, 27, and 37. … Children’s minds are like banks—whatever you put in, you get back 10 years later with interest. He said that violent television teaches children, step-by-step, how to commit violent acts, and it desensitizes them to the horror of such behavior and to the feelings of victims.”

I Love Lamp

One phrase that should be sacred and reserved for true affection has become more trivial and watery in the past decades. The phrase "I Love You" feels trite and laughable sometimes, especially among younger people. My sister had her first relationship with a decent guy and "fell in love." She decided to say the words over and over and he reciprocated those words for months. Then one day he said that he didn't want to be with a younger girl for appearance's sake. She asked, "what about our love? You said you loved me and I felt it too." He said that he never did or that he confused love with like or that he thought its what she wanted to hear...This conversation never happened, but the feigned serious relationship did. Too many young people confuse hormones with love and make dumb mistakes acting on the wrong impulses. Many adolescents, especially boys, say things that the other person wants to hear to get things that they want to get. Unfortunately this has occurred with one of the most important phrases and ideals, the concept of love and affection. We are commanded to love our neighbors, friends family and enemies, cleave unto our spouses and become one and treat others as we would ourselves. This commandment is a pure unconditional love, not one with ulterior motives. Marketing love and affection in ads for products and popular TV shows gives the wrong impressions about love and romance. It used to be that children would observe a loving relationship between father and mother and learn healthy practices and patterns. Now Cosmo, The Hills and Paris Hilton are the examples for children, one that says to act impulsively now, say I love you early even if you don’t feel it and break up regardless of the commitment level if you tire of the relationship. Don’t say I love you because that is what you think she wants to hear. Don’t look around the room and say things that you love because you want to be in love. Love is of God and Lust is Satan’s more prevalent counterfeit. “I Love You” is one of the most powerful phrases; reserve it in romantic situations for true love.

RA 4: Editorial

Legal Immigration? Anybody?
Published: October 3, 2008
One of the false pieties uttered by anti-immigration politicians is that they love immigrants. If that were true, Congress would pass a bill to expedite visas.

The New York Times is an authority figure in the news media world. It has a slightly biased liberal agenda like most media outlets, but it deals with serious news and many read its pages daily. This immigration article appeals to any person who still believes in the free world ideals and wants any person to be able to experience it here on American soil. With a deliberate attack on conservative politicians, this article's audience appeals more towards the liberal democrats or any moderate who is fed up with the legal system as is. Minorities, who have already been through the process of legalization, or who can relate to their plight, as well as women who will vote or who can blog are especially the subcategory of that audience. They are those who generally read the opinion section of the Times. The article was accurate and authoritative. It quoted US senators and documents reviewed to institute policy. There was an appeal to emotion especially for the women and minorities reading the article with allusions to the memory of Ellis Island and the support of families. It contained relevant information to prove that not all politicians who say they have the best interests at heart for immigrants will actually do EVERYTHING they can for these people. The argument is that although both side of the legislation say they want to quickly resolve the immigration issue because there is a human component and families in the middle of the illegalities, not all the visas are being issued every year. And they are not rollover visas so if they are not used they are destroyed. What are the consequences of not issuing available visas on the families of America? Not issuing visas will tear apart the families of America because not issuing Visas will separate families. Whatever separates families will also tear apart America. The unissued visas for people who are all but American will cause these individuals to do illegal things to continue working and providing for their families. The issue is not give a visa to everyone who wants one because that would give legality to terrorists and criminals and leeches, but some politicians want to use the visas that are available every year to keep college students and professionals and members of families who have American relatives already in America.

RA 3: Visual Art

Visual Rhetoric needs to evoke an emotion or plea to logic or authority insomuch that the viewer does something afterwards. This picture did more for the cause of refocus and rebuild after 9/11 than any other single depiction. Like the Iwo Jima flag raising did for renewed patriotism after the country went through a very long and painful war, the flag raised by some of the most courageous and patriotic professionals in America hit every persuasion with a single image. Most people have seen this image as it was broadcast on newspapers magazines and almost every other printed medium whether electronic or palatable. It targeted every American; young, old, rich, poor, male, female… every American is needed to complete unity. It unifies the country with a single purpose, to rebuild and refocus our collective efforts with the depiction of raising the flag above the turmoil that has beset us. The flag by itself evokes a sense of patriotism and pride; we have all been indoctrinated with this sentiment and respect over a lifetime of history lessons. One may disagree with current political policies but to disagree that America is a great place to live would exclude them as an audience because they would live in another country not flooded with this image. The rubble behind the flag raising and the dusty and dirty clothes worn by the flag raisers reignites the passion that each felt when the towers fell. It reminds us that the towers truly fell and the thousands truly died. The firemen are an authority as they are among the few who ran into the falling towers and not away from them. They subject themselves day in and out to dangerous situations for the betterment of the society, they know that this country is great and strive to return quickly to a great America, obviously done with devout cooperation. A cynic may attack the image and say that the firemen received some kind of compensation for this action to raise public awareness and amiability toward government and America. One of those or any fireman would probably punch that cynic right in the face for his lack of faith and disrespect. The logic in raising or building up after a crisis is overwhelming but sometimes difficult for the normal person. It takes a large amount of insight and perspective to do something rational after something so irrational happens. The renewed patriotism and faith and cooperation were the best thing that could have happened post 9/11 because it could have easily become chaotic and unruly with distrust and accusations and apathy running rampant.

Outraged renter

As long as there is a credit system there will be renters. People who make bad choices with their finances will be forever beneath the shadow of bad debt and therefore ineligible for decent mortgage rates. There are of course other reasons for renting, such as short term stay situations, bad real estate markets or transitions between purchases and of course low income or student housing as well as just like renting to have someone else take care of all the problems and work associate to owning property- I may fit in multiple categories. In my four years of renting a place after emancipating myself from my parent’s fourth bedroom, I have seen bad to worse renting situations and most are attributed to living south of BYU campus. I have experienced and heard of countless horror stories of landlord neglect, price gouging and immoral deposit compensation, enough so to take a stand and begin at least a citywide renting awareness group to perhaps fix some of the problems that renters face. My dream, if I ever had the money, would be to buy up a bunch of properties and fix them up to livable standards and actually take care of them on a case-by-case basis. I would also assess and fix damages caused by previous tenants and not charge the next guy for problems they didn’t cause. I would clean the carpets if I charge each tenant 25$ for carpet cleaning each semester I lived there. Affordable and nice student housing doesn’t really exist here in Provo because students are so accustomed to living in a dump and don’t really know what to say or do to get anything fixed. BYU has really tied our hands making an approved zone for housing so the dirty 500 sq ft sardine cans can make an upwards of 1700$/mo. That is more expensive than Chicago, New York and Boston for the same size apartment and they live in Boston, Chicago and New York.

RA 2: Commercial

Commercials sometimes utilize celebrities to pander to an audience's desire to be more than they are. Wear a shoe and play like a pro. This makeup makes you shine like a star. Eat a burger that is fit for a legend. The bigger the name, the more credible the advertisement. This seems counterintuitive unless you truly understand pop culture. An appeal to ethos among the general public consists of giving them testimonials of the person they have seen the most and grown to trust, not necessarily from the most credible source. Also an appeal to pathos, they have followed that character through the roles and achievements that they have won and now are emotionally invested. Anytime Michael Jordan sells a product the sales go through the roof for a few weeks/months/years afterward. Now, not every person flocks to the store and buys everything that he sponsors, but those people that he panders to see the product as reliable, cool, game enhancing and worth the extra money. Jordan hasn't really played basketball in almost a decade and his shoe is still a best seller. Almost all “any year old” males will spend 40-70 dollars more for a pair of shoes that were assembled by Chinese slave children because of that Air Jordan logo. Now this is a large intro for the commercial I chose, but there is not a lot to the commercial itself. Without background info on marketing and Jordan commercials, the ad seems lethargic and drab and almost depressing, but this commercial was a smart move by Nike; instantly credible because everyone's hero, MJ, testifies about overcoming adversity and which company was there to help him through it. Everyone can relate because they all fail much more than Jordan and in comparison their failures are much worse. Nike sponsors second chances and third and fourth... Not everyone is a star athlete; Nike would have you believe otherwise with the right amount of dedication and sporting equipment. This is precisely what the target audience wants to hear because most already believe that they are the best. Those customers who have reached that age or place in life where they want to give it up just need to hear a semi retired Jordan say that he keeps going after he’s “failed over and over and over and that’s why he succeeds” and instantly they add ten years of consumership to Nike sports products.

Camaraderie

Forced camaraderie in large group settings has always seemed to me to be a chintzy notion. Everybody do the introduction game and hold hands and become best friends. Saying hello as assignment is one thing in which I respectfully will not participate. I am by no means antisocial. I may, in fact, have received a few too many hibitions and don't know when to stop. This evening I went to a Men's Chorus retreat. Now if you know nothing about the "Brotherhood of Men," a quick intro is required to fully appreciate the irony of my situation. Everyday we clap and cheer in warmups/announcements if a fellow brother has any important declaration ie marriage, baby, mission, second date.... We have our own lingo and inside jokes and may be one of the more camaraderous bunch on BYU campus. I feel torn when in this group of men because deep down I am quite repulsed by the mechanical introductions and get to know you games. Some would call this snobbish, but I have always had no trouble making friends and when it feels like i am forced to make them i resist with all my might. We had all these games and introductions at our retreat and for some reason I got into them and had fun without judging the activity and sulking. Now this may mean I am making real progress and growing up or it may mean that i care about my grades more than i originally thought. I don't think i will write down their phone numbers and become their best friends but maybe the activity is to help the people that aren't social butterflies, like my wife, to make a friend or study partner. I won't dig my heels in quite so far next time the magic talking marker is placed in my hands and i am supposed to give the room a quick synopsis of my dreams and sordid past.

Film in the Curriculum

I recently took a course on film analysis where I learned to appreciate the less exciting movies by determining what their actual worth was by evaluating different characteristics such as lighting, scripting, costuming, directing, themes,... Oftentimes the boring Black and White movies have intrinsic value, more so than the contemporary blockbusters parading through theaters today. Having a new appreciation for films and not just labeling them as good and bad anymore, I still, being human, dislike some choices that our professors decide we need to watch as part of our grade. I've been "asked" to watch Elephant Man, Mr. Smith goes to Washington, Rashoman, An Inconvenient Truth, Grapes of Wrath among many others. Yes, they can teach you something about something, but honestly, these movies should be optional at best. It's really not the type of movie for a class that I watch that disturbs me, although the boring B&Ws make me squeamish. When you pay for your own tuition and your time and money are scarce, you shouldn't have to devote two plus hours to a movie that is part of the grade. I don't watch the news because 90% of what they say doesn't amount to a hill of beans. You wait the entire hour waiting for the story that you care about and then it ends up leaving something to be desired. I read my news, and I would like to read assignments. Assignments should take as long as the individual doing it. Like in the workplace, if you can do more in less time you get more money. If you can do more of the assignment or excel above the rest in less time, that should be an option.

RA 1: Advertisement

Some people meditate in their sand garden or sit down and read a good book when they're stressed. Other people buy German-made automobiles. Displaying the VW beetle as a cure for the common cold is the new marketing campaign for selling this incredibly well known product. And what an incredible turnaround! A few years ago before the big comeback, the VW "bug" evoked the economical, retro starter vehicle that would run forever if you didn't mind your feet falling through the rusted-out floor. Now the Volkswagon Beetle is the sporty convertible for the playful "yellows" who, frankly, only read far enough in the parachute book to take the test because their deficit attention turned quickly to their yapping toy poodle or the "People Magazine" where they undoubtedly saw this ad and immediately clipped it out and scrap booked it with her pictures of said poodle For symptoms including angst, bitterness and incessant brooding... buy this "pill" and swallow it in 60 easy payments of only 449$. This is a very persuasive advertisement for its target market of 30-50 year old woman who want to have the cute toy that they wished they had 35 years prior. This packaging emulates the design that made sleek, sexy products for Macintosh: rounded and simple, completely different than the product of yesteryear, but somehow, comfortably still the same. And in the decades of generation RX, what better than to persuade subconsciously that their product will feel good and cure the blues caused by credit debt and general unfitness accrued in a lifetime of impulse buying? With so many options and colors and extras the only question left to ask is will she need a refill of this prescription for the newest model in 2010?