7. A Bit of Caution Beneath the Thump

The article begins with a rhetorical question that introduces the reader to the topic. The main idea of the article was to describe the Electronic Zoo Festival that happens every year. In the beginning of the article the writer compares this year's festival to the one in 2013. In the past festival some people died because of drug abuse. The writer attended this year's festival and describes how there were preventive measures made to protect the audience. Because of this new security, less people attended the festival. He then goes on to describe how the festival proceeded.  

When describing the festival the writer uses many technical words and names artists who were present. He writes about the specific characteristics of their presentations. He mentions that the festival has happened annually since 2009. By the time he reaches the end of the article the writer seems to have veered off topic. He begins to just describe the festival, the artists, and the music. He no longer mentions the security and cautious measures taken, which was supposed to be the main topic.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/01/arts/music/electric-zoo-returns-under-watchful-eyes.html?_r=0

7. Managers Tell Women in Tech They Are “Abrasive” and Need to “Step Back” to “Let Others Shine”

Kieran Synder heard about women in the technology industry were being judged more harshly than the men and she wanted to know how "often this perception of female abrasiveness undermines women's careers." She asked both men and women to share their performance views (without telling them what it was for) and analyzing them to see if the content differed based on the employee's gender. Turns out that it did. From the 114 reviews from men and the 107 from women, Synder was able to conclude that women were much more likely to receive criticism. 58.9% of the reviews from the men contained critical feedback as opposed to the 87.9% of the women. Synder also classified the type of criticism that the employee received and she registered that most of the criticism the men received were constructive. Women also received constructive criticism, but they were frequently told to step back and be quieter.This kind of feedback, about watching your tone, stepping back and being judgemental; shows up twice in 83 critical reviews received by men. But it shows up in 71 of the 94 critical reviews received by women. The author also talks about another research in which a researcher gave subject two job applications that were basically the same, except one was for 'John' and the other was for 'Jennifer.' They found out that 'John' was offered an average of $4,000 more a year than 'Jennifer' for the same job. The author ends by talking about more benefits that men receive in the business world just for being men and advises managers to be wise in their choices.
The author of this article, Amanda Marcotte, wanted to point out the differences between men and women in a work environment and the advantages that men have. She was able to prove that point excellently. Not only did she explain the research done by Kieran Synder, she also added her own examples and the work of other researches. She also added various numbers and statistics from reliable sources. This all made the article a whole lot more legitimate. Marcotte also had a slightly ironic tone at times to show the ridiculousness of the situation. She also used a more complex vocabulary and longer sentences intended for an older audience.

#7 I wish I'd loved my dog more: Teenage nostalgia, first lvoes, and pining for the wrong past

One of phrases that have been the most used was “I should have done better…” many people only realizes what they had only when they lose it.  In this article, the author tells his own experience with this “famous phrase.”  He first gives a background of his life, where he came from, and the reason why he is who he is today. When he was 19, he was in a internship in a community hospital in a town called Ahuas. It was a very small and unknown town, with very little resource to work with. During the days that he worked there, he learned a lot. He was not accepted to this internship because of his skills, but because his dad was an old friend with the chief of this organization. At first he would clean and do the small, easy things, but later he started to help with actual “hospital things.”  While working in this hospital, he had the opportunity to meet many patients, and with these patients he learned that he had to live his life with no regrets. But when he came back home, he did not follow what he had said before. One of his biggest regret was that he didn’t treat his dog the way he deserved. He explains how he wished that he could have treated his dog better while he was alive, and understood his dog more. That the reason he wouldn’t do much was because he was sick.

David Shafer, the author of this article, wrote this article to share his own experience of the “teenage nostalgia.” Despite what it says on the title of this article, this article was written to everyone. He uses vocabularies that are easier to understand in order for the reader to connect with the feelings that he was trying to share. Also, he uses specific examples to draw more attention to his article. 

7. The Procrastination Doom Loop—and How to Break It

         Procrastination has been studied by scientists in the last few years. Scientists have figured out that procrastination has more to do with emotion than time. Typically they focused on how people were stressed and overweighed at costs and the benefits across time. However, procrastination, by definition, is self-defeating; it is upfront and obvious. People constantly choose small and short rewards, over larger and longer payouts. Joseph Ferrari, a psychology professor at DePaul University said, " Procrastination really has nothing to do with time-management,” and “To tell the chronic procrastinator to just do it would be like saying to a clinically depressed person, cheer up.” There are two reasons for procrastination: 1. People delay their actions because they feel like they’re in the wrong mood to complete a task; 2. they assume that their mood will change in the near future. Procrastination isn’t just self-defeat; putting away an important task makes people feel guilty, anxious and ashamed. These feelings are likely to create more pressure and then people lose control of their cognitive and emotional energy to be productive. That makes them less likely to even start their task; which creates guilt and makes them less productive. That is the cycle of procrastination.

        The author, Derek Thompson, wrote a very realistic and well written article.  A unique thing about Thompson’s article is that he stated his own personal struggle with procrastination as an example to the reader. He gave that example so the reader could relate to him and feel better reading the article; so the reader would not feel like he was the only person who ever procrastinated. Thompson shows that there is nothing wrong with a person if he or she procrastinates; he creates a very calm and save environment for the article instead of jus accusing people. His evidence is accurate and reliable; most of it came from Thompson himself speaking to different scientists and a professor. He uses informal language, which is acceptable because he was trying to create a relatable text. He also uses graphs and pictures for better understanding of the cycle for procrastinating.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/08/the-procrastination-loop-and-how-to-break-it/379142/

#7 "The dark side of Snapchat: How the image-sharing app brought out the worst in humanity"

           The iconic app “Snapchat” has proven that one’s bad behavior is hard to disappear. “Snapchat” is an app which allows you to send pictures for a certain amount of seconds and after the limited time, it disappears. However, recent scandals prove that “Snapchat”’s claim that all the pictures disappear in seconds is a lie. Websites such as Buzzfeed has proven that there are many ways to revive the pictures that have disappeared and bring back the deleted pictures. These contradictory features of the app has not only destroyed the point of interest of the app for all people, but also destroyed people’s reputations. This app has shown the world that one’s bad behavior or not acceptable claim is hard to “wash off”. Yes, other social media sites have the configuration to delete a wrong statement or an empty claim; however, it does not prevent the risks of screen-shots. “Snapchat” was made to be an app where none of this would be a problem. One was supposed to be able to make a funny face or an empty statement and get away with it. But it all turned out to be a lie. This app makes it hard for one’s stubborn and acts that meant nothing to be used against them. “Snapchat” has shown how the empty claims and bad behaviors are hard to disappear on the internet.
           The main idea of this article is that mistakes and bad behavior on the internet is hard to disappear, once committed. Mary Elizabeth Williams, author of the article, specifically uses the example of “Snapchat” to prove how this app has shown the increase of bad behavior on the internet. Racist jokes, stupid comments, and a lot more have been increasing on social media, and the reason behind it is the fact that things on the internet are hard to completely get rid of. To support her thesis, she uses a quite casual tone, but explains her point of view. She also uses examples, such as the University of Alabama’s student incident and the scandals from different periods of time about the failures of “Snapchat”. A phrase that really emphasizes her thought was, “The Internet is our permanent record, the place where so many of our sins live on”. Because her tone is so casual yet strong, it emphasizes the importance of the matter and how our culture has taken a wrong path in social networking, not knowing of how it is able to last on our records.

http://www.salon.com/2014/08/29/the_dark_side_of_snapchat_how_the_image_sharing_app_brought_out_the_worst_in_humanity/

7. Our Roommates, Ourselves

Olga Khazan, a staff writer for The Atlantic, wrote about how roommates impact people. She begins by telling of personal experience of when she arrived at an American University as an international student, and how she was (temporarily) paired with a stranger. Her roommate, named Kelly, was from Pennsylvania and she spoke of something called “water ice” which was completely unknown to Khazan. She had read articles saying she would probably hate her roommate, but she ended up becoming very close friends with Kelly. She mentions, however, that this doesn’t happen to everyone, and goes on to give specific ways in which roommates affect each other. According to a 2012 study from the University of Michigan, anxious roommates make the other more anxious, however a happy roommate doesn’t make the other happier. In that study they also discovered that women with poor mental health act better when paired with someone who also has poor mental health. Daniel Eisenberg, a researcher from the University of Michigan, discovered that living with a roommate who drinks greatly influenced the other roommate, however the same does not happen with gambling, smoking, drug use, or sex. In 2001, Bruce Sacerdote, an economist, discovered that living with a person who drinks influences if a student will join a fraternity together or not; 27% of roommate pairs who drink join the same fraternity.  A recent study in the University of Michigan discovered that women who were paired with above average weight women gained less weight in their freshman year than those paired with skinny women. Researchers suspect this happens because overweight women exercise and diet more, and the thinner roommate picks up on these behaviors. A study in 2006 found that women with roommates who have dominant personalities end up acting more submissively after four months of school. Lastly, researchers asked five pairs of roommates to say “She has your dark suit in greasy wash water all year” and “Don’t ask me to carry an oily rag like that” four times during their first semesters. They found that after winter break all the pairs sounded more like each other.

Khazan wrote about a top that interest a wide range of ages, from teenagers in high school to people in college or even adults who left college and decided to read about it. For this reason, her diction is less sophisticated and easy to understand. She gives many examples about how roommates impact each other, and she also describes how they are impacted in different ways from what the average person would think. In the article, every time she speaks of an outside source she includes a link to it; allowing the reader to easily find them, in case he or she wanted to read more deeply about them. The author transmitted information, both of researches or her personal experiences, very successfully.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/08/our-roommates-ourselves/379322/

7. Police Officer and Gunman Are Wounded in Brooklyn Shooting

This article states about a shooting that happened in Brooklyn, New York. The author starts by stating the time of the incident (2:30 am) and the events that led up to the shooting. First, there were two officers in watch who coincidentally met a man adjusting his waistband on the street. Afterwards, the officers suspected that this man was armed- so they approached him. As they approached, the man ran, trying to avoid getting caught from the officers. As the man ran, he shot a random police officer and continued to avoid getting caught. However, in contrast to his desires, this man was shot in the back and then arrested. Both the criminal and the shot officer were taken to the hospital and treated after the incident. The officers later told press that the criminal had an immense arrest history- from gun possession to robbery. The press then connected this criminals arrest and a homicide that had occured on the same day, only few block away.
The author, Michael Schwirtz, delivers his article in a chronological format-like essay. He states the series of events in the order they occured. This structure gives readers the ability to envision the crime scene and know what happened in detail. The author also provides readers specific details of the event- he specifies the gun the criminal used (.38-caliber Rossi handgun), the place that the cop was shot (left thigh), the street name that the shooting occured (intersection of Marcus Garvey Boulevard and Gates Avenue) and the name of the hospital the wounded criminal and officer were taken to (Kings County Hospital Center). A positive aspect of Schwirtz article is that he makes it shorter than regular articles- this keeps the readers focused in his article and makes them absorb every single detail from it. Though the article may seem gruesome, it delivers the message that readers await and keeps them updated in events that happen around them. Overall, Schwirtz's article did a good job transmitting the shooting occurence in New York in a short but well-detailed form.

7. Bubbles Carry a Lot of Weight

     This article by Jessica Bennett to Th New York Times talks bout the texting anxiety caused by waiting on a text. The author states that some months ago her therapist ordered for her to disable the "typing awareness indicator" on her iPhone. The time between a text and another, or the bubble that appears on your iPhone while the other person is typing can be torturous and bring immense weight on something as simple as a text message. Bennett describes her disappointment when the bubble appears, them disappears, then appears again. She believes he must be writing something emotional and profound, only to be surprised with a "cool" or a "ya". This humiliation could only be topped with no response at all, since she can also see when a person has read her message, and therefor is ignoring her. Maryam Abolfazli, a writer in Washington states that, “The three dots shown while someone is drafting a message in iMessage is quite possibly the most important source of eternal hope and ultimate letdown in our daily lives." Sociologists study the way new technology affects the brain. It can bring either depression or an adrenaline rush. But those text bubbles can be seen as a tyrant. According to Paul Dourish, a professor at the University of California, they convey to one that something is being done, but not what. As Ben Crair states in his essay for the New Republic, those texting status are "the most awkward part of online chat." Since 1990 those communication status where already a part of the world, but only in 2005 Blackberry brought those features to a much bigger audience. The typing indicator has somewhat become a message itself. It can bring many emotions to a person. It can deceive the other. There are so many possibilities that this feature can represent. However, in the end as Neal Bledsoe put it : “This is the new human condition. We’re all desperate for human connection, and all we get — after all that typing — is a paper-clip emoji.”
     Bennett uses a extremely common subject to connect to her reader. The world is being lead by communication and information. She clearly informs her reader of something they already know, but do not realize or admit. Bennett brings a lot of credibility to her work by using references towards other people of the area that argument the same as her. He also uses many examples to prove her point. This is important because it helps the reader relate to her examples, since most are commonly experienced by most. Her language is somewhat informal, which also comes back to the connection she wants to establish with the person who is reading the article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/31/fashion/texting-anxiety-caused-by-little-bubbles.html?ref=fashion&_r=0

7. ''Don’t Email Me''

Spring-Serenity Duvall, an assistant professor at Salem College, banned her students from emailing her. She grew tired of receiving time-wasting emails and decided to get rid of them once and for all. She explained how students payed less attention, how her syllabus got longer and longer, and how "student emails were an assault on professors..." Some considered it an extreme decision and others felt frustrated, but Duvall decided to cancel all student emails. She would only accept them if students wanted to schedule a meeting with her. She feared students would give the course bad evaluations, yet she chose to go with it. After a semester, Duvall described the her new policy as "unqualified success." She explained that students came to class better prepared and wrote better papers. They were also more self-reliant and independent as they only had the syllabus to rely on. Students also gave the course better evaluations, the exact opposite of her fear. Duvall also stated how her relationship with students greatly improved as they talked face to face instead of through a screen. Due to the unexpected huge success, the email policy will remain as part of Duvall's future classes.

This article, written by Carl Straumsheim, serves to inform the readers of a new policy implied by an university teacher. The author uses simple language throughout the article making it easy and fluid to read. He also filled it with direct quotations from Duvall, after having an interview with the creator of the policy. By doing this he gives the paper a lot of credibility and gives the audience Duvall's exact words on her newly developed idea. Strumsheim also includes the part of the syllabus that talks about emails. This makes it clear for the audience to understand since the policy is stated word for word the way Duvall put it. Overall the author successfully delivered his message and stuck to his thesis making the essay very thorough.







http://www.slate.com/articles/life/inside_higher_ed/2014/08/salem_college_professor_spring_serenity_duvall_banned_students_from_emailing.html

#7 So You’re Rich for an American. Does That Make You Rich for New York?

The author, Jordan Weissmann, talks about what the difference between being rich in New York and being rich in the whole U.S.A. is. He shows us a graph that shows the difference in percentages of how much each household in New York and the USA gain per year. The difference is not that big. In the whole USA, twenty two percent of the households earn six figure salaries per year while only twenty five percent of the households earn six figure salaries in New York. It may seem that New York is filled with rich people and that standards of being considered rich in New York are different than of the country as a whole. But we can see that the difference is not that significant. Even though the rent prices of apartments in New York are insanely high, the amount of money used for commuting balances out these high rent costs. Also, the salaries of people working in New York are higher than average, and New York is reasonably affordable compared to other large cities.  So, the author concludes by saying that if you're rich in the US you are also rich in New York. One place that has a large community of rich people is San Francisco.
The author is successful in this article. He uses from outer reliable sources and uses graphs and illustrations to support his thesis and to help the reader understand more of what he is saying. The not only states the facts, but he tells us the reasons of why the facts are the way they are. He explains why someone could be rich in the US but not rich in New York; however, with the facts and graphs he tells us, we can see how the difference between New York rich and US rich is not much big. The authos is successful with his writing, the pace was easy flowing and well thought out.  

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2014/08/29/income_distribution_of_new_york_city_what_does_it_take_to_be_rich.html

7. U.S. Airstrikes Help Break Militants’ Siege of Northern Iraqi Town

In the Middle Eastern struggle the Shiite, the Kurdish, and the Iraqi Military with the help from the U.S. air force has had success in siege of Amerli, where Sunni were threatening to kill the Shiites. The Americans assisted the Iraqi forces with an airstrike to the ISIS. Although United States President, Barack Obama, was not keen on being part of the struggle the threat on the lives of the Shiites were enough to induce action. The situation in Iraq, has become clear, Sunni extremist of ISIS are on the rampage killing and massacring Shiites. Shiite militias, on the other hand are busy protecting their own. On Saturday evening the Officials at the pentagon confirmed that airstrikes had taken place raiding know ISIS locations. Meanwhile, France, Australia and Britain assisted with aid, water and 70,000 food rations. Threats of more killings are now pressuring the officials at Amerli.  

The article written by Tim Arango, serves to update people on the progression of the conflict in the Middle East. This is apparent since Tim does not go into extensive detail about certain things he assumes the reader already knows. Example: “Both the United States and Iran, while not coordinating operations in Iraq, are nevertheless on the same side in the conflict against ISIS.” Readers who come upon this article, for one will not know who ISIS is except maybe the thing against U.S. and Iraq.  

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/09/01/world/middleeast/iraq.html

7. The Real Benefits of Spanish-Immersion Elementary School

In this article, Bronwyn Lea talks about the good aspects of knowing more languages. She motivated her daughter to go to a spanish school, although it is hard because her daughter doesn't understand anything the teachers are saying. However, she mentions a phrase she always tells her daughter to keep her encouraged: "I know it is hard, but I love you and will help you, and I believe you can do hard things." Lea sends her daughter not for the motive of teaching her to read, write, arithmetic, or even learning other languages. Lea sends her daughter so that her daughter can understand the feelings of foreigner coming to a foreign country. She wants her daughter to have mercy and help those who need help. Lea has suffered because she is an english speaking African woman that went to United States. However, when she got to U.S. she had to sign many immigrants paper, was suspected, and had her driving license rejected. Lea wants her daughter to have mercy and help the people who went through the same difficulties as her.

Bronwyn Lea is a mother that wants her daughter to help people in the future. I think she does a good job persuading people because she gives specific examples. She talks about the reason why she wants to send her daughter to spanish school. She gives example of her own difficulties too. However, I don't agree with the fact that helping someone or to have mercy on someone one needs to go to a double language school. In my opinion, knowing more than one language does have their good parts. However, the advantages are not the ones Lea talked about. Surely, Lea has her own opinion and she must have suffered a lot with the problems of being an immigrant. Knowing many languages can help foreigners and that is true. Lea wants her daughter to grow up into a girl that can help others despite not being born from the same country.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2014/august/real-benefits-of-spanish-immersion-elementary-school.html?start=2

7. Saving Our Birds

This article, written on the 100-year aniversary of the passing of the last passenger pigeon, reviews te history and possible future of how human interaction and wildlife extinction connect. Author John Fitzpatrick begins by explaining how the passenger pigeon, once a species containing billions, now does not exist. In the 1800s, people began mass hunting of this species, which migrated together in enormous flocks that could black out the sky. Eventually, all existing species were in captivity, and, in 1914, the last passenger pigeon, Martha, died. Efforts to preserve species today have thus increased, and the "State of Birds" is focused on studying the health of bird species around the globe. Also, the "Endangered Species Act" was passed, to ensure the investment of human resources on the protection of endangered species. The success of these calls to responsibility can be seen in the peregrine falcon and the bald eagle, no longer species at risk of extinction. The death of Martha the passenger pigeon can therefore be seen both as a warning to take care of species in extinction and, now, as a symbol of hope for the success already achieved. Preservation of species is possible, if enough effort is put into it.
John Fitzpatrick's article utilizes an arsenal of complex language in his article, which adds to his credibility, but can also make the piece difficult to understand at times, especially as he jumps back and forth between past and present. He makes good use of statistics from reliable sources, and even includes an infographic in the article. He manages to balance fact and opinion, but sometimes the afore mentioned complexity makes it hard to determine which he is making use of. One major problem with the piece is that Fitzpatrick tries often to cram too many semi-relevant observations into the article, which not only makes it unnecessarily lengthy, but also hinders the overall flow of the piece. Overall, the author managed to deliver his message, though at the cost of possibly losing his readers' interest or limiting rather than increasing their understanding of the situation.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/08/31/opinion/sunday/saving-our-birds.html?_r=1

7. "The Real Benefits of Spanish-Immersion Elementary School"

This article states the pros and cons to sending children to Spanish-Immersed public schools. Although it is hard for American children to learn by being taught school in Spanish, the author believes that there are many benefits to early immersion into different cultures. "A Spanish Immersion program will equip our children missionally, giving them tools to build relationships across cultural divides as they speak and listen to others in their native language." The author states that Christians sending their children to public schools that teach in Spanish can better equip them for being future missionaries. Lea also uses evidence from outside sources, making her point very clear through her writing. The author uses many examples of how being a minority helps a child to understand how most people in the world feel. Lea uses her own experiences growing up as a native caucasian in South Africa as an example of how she realized the advantage that white people have. The essay is concluded with an encouragement to Christian parents, urging them to raise disciples and missionaries for Christ's kingdom.One way of doing that s putting their children in Spanish-Immsed schools, although it can be hard.
This article was written mainly as an informative, persuasive essay directed toward Christian parents. The author backs her reasons for sending children to Spanish-Immersed schools using her own experiences and other sources as proof. Lea's writing is not too forcive, but she uses enough persuasive language and biblical commandments to convince the reader of the long-term benefits that come with Spanish influenced schooling. The article could be claimed to be a little wordy, however it is a good length for the audience the author was seeking. The purpose of Brownwyn Lea's article was to inform parents of the benefits and difficulties that come with Spanish-Immersion; and to persuade parents to make this decision  for the benefit of their children and God's kingdom. Overall the author does a good job of sticking to her thesis and persuading the reader that there are more benefits than drawbacks in the long-term effects to Spanish speaking schools.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2014/august/real-benefits-of-spanish-immersion-elementary-school.html?start=1

7. The Dark Side of Almond Use

James Hamblin starts his article by telling us the good side of almonds. Such as lower risks of heart disease, cancer, weight loss, and the decrease in alzheimers disease. He tells us that almonds are nutritionally, the best single food a person could eat. He also mentions how almonds are the most eaten nut of all time. Also, he tells us that since almonds are the most eaten nut of all time, the prices of nuts are going up. However, Hamblin also tells us about the dark side of almonds. He tells us that in order to grow almonds, lots of water is required. Due to massive amounts of water needed, many salmons are in danger due to lack of water in the river. Most of the water are being taken from the river causing the salmons to die. Also, honeybees are also required in order to produce almonds. But there are many causes where the bees die due to pesticides. Finally, Hamblin talks about "nut-napping". Nut-napping when thefts highjack almond trucks. They do this because of the high prices of almonds. The author concludes the article by telling us that food isn't about nutrition, but about the environment.

The author's purpose of this article was to inform the readers about almonds. That almonds are not just food, but that there is a history behind it. The author does a good job informing the readers. He talks about an interesting subject which made the article fun to read. The author gives us several resources which makes the article more realible. Overall, the author is very effective in communicating his message.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/08/almonds-demon-nuts/379244/

6. The Five Truths about Fostering

Jamie Calloway introduces the article by comparing the statistics of Christian families who consider fostering (31%), and Christians who actually foster (3%). The author uses smooth language and transitions to move into the five difficulties of being foster parents. Calloway primarily points out that foster parenting is hard. It takes much more effort and time than just being a parent of your own kids. Secondly, it is harder to bond and make a family relationship with a child that you didn't physically have. Calloway reminds parents in her article to focus on the foster child's feelings, especially since he/she might not even wanted to move there. The third point states that foster parents should serve as mediators between the child and his/her biological parents. This will facilitate future connections and help to make peace between the two. The fourth argument that Calloway states is the facts that there is a lot of paperwork. Lastly, the author states how many foster children do have special needs. Foster parents should be prepared to care for a child that may be either physically or mentally challenged. Calloway backs up her five points very well, using both examples and evidence to make her point. Following these five truths are five myths about fostering. Calloway uses clear language to help the reader understand both the good and bad sides of fostering to help the audience consider the possibility.

The author used many points to support her main thesis; the true and false factors about fostering. Calloway directed her article mainly to parents, however kept her language clear and straightforward allowing younger readers to understand as well. The author does not provide much evidence, other than the statistics used to inform the reader in the introduction to the article. There is also a biblical quote in the conclusion, reminding parents of God's command to care for orphans and widows in James. Although Calloway didn't use much evidence, she made clear language and used good points to inform and persuade the audience about fostering. I liked this article, and thought it was very well-written and informative. The truth is that GOd does command us Christians to care for the needy, and we need to obey this command in the ways possible; one of these being fostering orphans.







http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2014/june/mythbusting-for-foster-parents.html?start=1

6."Why You Should Take a Good, Long Walk Right Now"

     Taking walks is something less common today. With the vast influence of technology and the constant update of information, people tend to stay home rather than go out. A number of researchers claim a person will do better at their job when taking a walk. Our brain can only sustain such amount of information; past that, it can malfunction and lead to unproductive outcomes. Thus, "cooling" your brain and taking a rest is necessary for us. Taking walks is one of the many ways we can do that. When doing too much work and seemingly under too much stress, a quick 10-15 minute walk can help a person relieve stress and come back much more productive and ready to work. This way, this seemingly valuable 10-15 minute can help a person work a lot better during the next hour or so. Thus, this idea of taking breaks at work appear to be gaining favor lately. It is definitely something people should try and consider. Taking walks may prove to boost productivity and help people work better.

     The author of this passage, Anna North, was very effective in her writing. This article seemed more like a research than an article about opinion. She was very straightforward and direct to the audience. Differently, North uses a lot more possessive pronouns in second person rather than first person. She refers to the audience many times using "you". This was very effective, however, as it made it seem as if she was directly having a conversation with the audience. Her article felt very reliable and credible as she uses a lot of sources and quotes throughout her article. Her language is very simple as she is very straightforward in her writing. The article was very interesting and easily had my attention. It has a reasonable length which gives the article a nice amount of reading. The article in general was very effective and it was successful in transmitting its message.

http://op-talk.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/08/21/why-you-should-take-a-good-long-walk-right-now/?mabReward=RI%3A17 

6. What Is Pandora Doing Right?

Pandora is a company that, unlike most others, has a work force that is 49% women and 50% men. The average of most companies is 30% women and 70% men. However most of the tech and leadership roles are held by men. Also 83% of the workers are white or Asian. In conclusion their company is not completely diverse but there is something different than most companies. Pandora has focused "on recruiting more women and people of color for leadership and technology roles".They have a group which meets called "Pandora Women" who "participate in industry events, and spend time collaborating in mentorship and community outreach roles".    

Adrienne Lafrance, the author of this article, writes in a very short and to the point way. She doesn't get caught up in the little extra details about Pandora and diversity. However it does seem as if she leaves out some information that could have added to the article. She uses a graph of Pandora's employees as a visual aid but it is a little hard to read. She has many links in article that lead to other relevant articles. She ends the article with an opinion that the companies should share openly and publicly about their diversity and that the companies that do that, would be "the ones that might truly change the industry".      

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/08/what-is-pandora-doing-right/378943/

6. Damage From California Quake Could Top $1 Billion

Recently, an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 hit Napa Valley in California. The earthquake caused huge and costly damages in the state of California. Over 120 patients were admitted into hospitals due to the earthquake, and three of them are in critical condition. Fortunately, no deaths have been confirmed. Though the people who experienced the earthquake say it was a huge earthquake, geologists say it was a small one compared with the ones recorded in California's history. Over 600 homes had no electricity or water all Sunday. Many people whose houses and stores were destroyed did not have earthquake insurance due to its high price, leading them into severe financial problems in the future.

The author, Ian Lovett, uses words and descriptions in his article that develops an empathetic connection with the readers. The reader can feel what the residents of California are going through- not physically, but emotionally. Lovett does a good job making the article sound like an urgent cause and a serious problem. He makes readers pity the California residents and makes them somehow mad at their government. When reading that people were not able to have earthquake insurance due to the high price, the reader can see how corrupt and unfair the government is. If it were not for the required earthquake insurance, those that had their homes and stores destroyed in the earthquake would be able to recover and go on with their lives. The author wrote his article in the third person point of view, and also used the words of the residents of California who went through  the earthquake. An example of the author using powerful words to connect the reader to the conflict is: 

"At Mr. Oehler’s home, a skylight shattered and stone sculptures flew into the air. The swimming pool cracked open, flooding his steep hillside. “There was noise everywhere from the earthquake and the walls cracking,” he said. From the terrace he said he saw flames rising in the valley below."

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/25/us/strong-earthquake-shakes-bay-area-in-california.html?hpw&rref=us&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpHedThumbWell&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0

6. Breakfast Downgraded From 'Most Important Meal of the Day' to 'Meal'

Breakfast has always been known to be the most important meal of the day, however, in this article, many researchers strongly disagrees. The author gives us many reasons why breakfast isn't the most important but just an normal meal of the day. One reason the author gives is the research Emiily Dhurandhar did. She examined 300 people who ate and skipped breakfast. She noticed that there were no subsequent difference in their weight gained or loss, in which she concluded breakfast is a normal meal of the day. Another example the author gives is the research of the persons health of who eat breakfast and who didn't. The research from the University of Bath concluded that breakfast skippers' cholesterol levels, resting metabolic rates, and overall blood-sugar levels remained unchanged. The author also tells us a famous belief, that skipping breakfast can cause to end up eating more through out the day. Studies show that the belief is very poorly researched and has no strong scientific evidence in order to prove the belief. 

I believe the author of this article, James Hamblin, wants to prove that breakfast isn't the most important meal of the day. By looking at the first sentences of the article, the author says "In the bitterly divided world of breakfast habits, otherwise reasonable people become evangelists. Why is it acceptable to make people feel guilty about not eating breakfast, but it is not acceptable to slap those people? "  Hamblin clearly shows us his side of the debate, and through out the article the author does a great job in giving us evidences to support his belief.  His tone in this article is very formal. By reading his article, it seems like he is talking directly to us. Because of he clearly states his opinion and gives us an comprehensible arguments, Hamblin's article is very successful.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/08/breakfast-isnt-important/378917/

6. South Carolina: Where Men Murder Women and Legislators Don’t Care

On Tuesday, the Charleston Post and Courier released a seven part series on South Carolina's failure to take domestic violence seriously. The series is called 'Till Death Do Us Part' and shows why the state has the most murder rate of women at the hands of men. Many journalists interview more than 100 victims, counselors, police officers and judges to show the people fail to fight domestic violence. They blame much of this problem on both the conservative values and enthusiasm for guns. They write that Carolina is a state  “where men have long dominated the halls of power, setting an agenda that clings to tradition and conservative Christian tenets about the subservient role of women,” They also interviewed state House  Minority Leader J. Todd Rutherford, who refuses to support bills to increase the maximum penalty for domestic violence offenders , which is currently thirty days in jail. The maximum penalty for beating a dog is five years in jail. They also refuse keep guns out of the hands of the abusers. They also point out how religion can "inadvertently fuel this problem," because they teach women to be submissive,  that suffering is holy and divorce is sinful. In fact, most of the states with the higher rates of men killing women have the same religious and conservative culture (like Oklahoma and West Virginia). Of course, it is difficult to change the culture of a State, but some laws could be more enforced so that the victims of domestic abuse could be more protected. Hopefully in the future, South Carolina will realize that protecting dogs is important, but so is keeping the women safe. 

Amanda Marcotte, the author of this article, describes the series and it's purpose. She also backs up their arguments, using evidence of her own. She uses a more mature language, dedicated to a more serious, older audience. She also uses many quotes from important government officials to show that her evidence and claims are serious. She also shows that both the Democrats and Republicans are guilty of letting these laws split, and is not biased by either side. She also provides her own suggestions for how South Carolina's government can improve their laws by doing things like not allowing abusers to own guns or give the victims a chance to escape the financial and emotional hold their abusers have over them. In the last paragraph of her article, she expresses concerns for the women in South Carolina and hopes that the article will 'actually do something.' She ends on a sarcastic note, reminding the South Carolina government that their job is to not only to protect dogs, but women too. 

6. 'The blood money collection' -- U.S. Marshall-seized muscle cars up for auction

A forty year old David Nicoll acquired his riches in a less than legal manner. Davis as the head of Biodiagnosotic Laboratory Services, LLC, a company that ran blood test would bribe health care providers to prescribe unnecessary blood test. There buy enriching Davis Nicoll. Soon enough the F.B.I. caught on to want he was doing and ended the money laundering and scams. Before Davis was caught he used the earnings to assemble “the blood money collection”. Essentially a collection of muscle cars, which will be auctioned by the U.S. Marshalls this coming September. Among the collection are famous 1967 Shelby GT500, the classic Ford Mustang. The 1971 Plymouth Hemi ’Cuda the best car the Plymouth company ever made. The 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429, a car with the engine of a NASCAR. 1969 Yenko Super Camaro 427 COPO, and finally the Plymouth Road Runner Superbird 426 Hemi, a better model in comparison to the Hemi ’Cuda.

            The author of the article wrote this piece most likely to satisfy the curiosity of people following the Nicoll case as well as to entice car lovers. After all five beautiful pieces of machinery are being auctioned; anyone with enough money that loves cars will race to the auction. Also readers of this article are taken back by the amount of wealth that David acquired just so that he could purchase these cars. All from scamming people with blood tests. Neadless to says the blood business is booming. 

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/08/22/blood-money-collection-us-marshall-siezed-muscle-cars-up-for-auction/?intcmp=features

#6 The Danger in Losing Sight of Ebola Victims' Humanity

The author of this article was in Sierra Leone when the Ebola outbreak took place first in Western Guinea. He was invited to be part of the first meetings of the Kono District Ebola Response Task Force. He was there when the Ebola epidemic started and he was part of trying to stop it from spreading. He reports how the fast spread of this horrible disease was due to lack of education of the people of the area. They did not know what it was and even thought the authorities were lying about the disease to send away family members. He explains how they received news after news of how the disease was spread from one place to the other. The area lacks not only hospitals and equipment but people (doctors and nurses) to take care of the victims of this disease. There is not much that can be done over there. The spread of news and information is very limited , they require people (volunteers) to go from house to house, village to village, to tell what it is, how to treat it and how to prevent it from spreading. This disease  is a very cruel one that kills in very little time. It is reported that 90 % of the people with this disease dies and so the effort to contain it was very emphasized in the meetings. The disease was very feared by everyone in the room and they did not want it to get to the point to reach Sierra Leone. It was sad to read that these people did not even know what it was and that they should take some measures to try to prevent it. In the end of the article, the disease has reached Sierra Leone and the author is about to leave it by plane. It is interesting to see how he felt scared that he might have it even though it is impossible. I guess this fear would be there for every single human being showing we are all fragile to death.
I believe the author was successful with this article. He wanted to tell us about his experience there in Sierra Leone and how the spread started. He gives us the perspective of the leaders that were supposed to think of a way to prevent the outbreak. We can see the people's challenges and difficulties in this poor country with a  culture with lots of variety.THe author gives us the information from his perspective as a member of that meeting responsible for the "general health" of the country. The real specific stories helped the story be more personal and see the author's feelings towards the subject. It was sad to see the reality of the place and the author's writing got me into it... So much that I was willing to read a 3 page article when I was only required to read 1 !
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/08/the-danger-in-losing-sight-of-ebola-victims-humanity/378945/

6. Twins: A Gold Mine for Research

        Every year a three day festival called Twins Days is held in the small city of Twinsburg, Ohio. Off course this festival is too meant for twins, to celebrate the twin-ness. Scientists try to participate in the festival; they see the twin festival as an opportunity to do some research in the twins shared genetics. Twins Day has unlocked many valuable information for surgeons, dentists, criminal investigators, geneticists and several different types of doctors. The first researcher and doctor were only allowed in the festival in 1978. He collected hand and foot prints and the the twins names. Ever since that dozens of studies have originated in Twinsburg. This year’s theme was “Twinstock—Groovy in Twinsburg!” It was opened to all twins of all ages; most twins dressed alike. Although most twins come to the festival to party they spend most of their time in research tents, for the sake of science. The twins are aware and okay with the research. A researcher from Philadelphia said “What makes [Twins Days] a fantastic opportunity is that you can get effectively a year’s worth of data in three days if you really work hard.”

       The author of this article, Amy Nordrum, wrote a very good explanation of the event. She uses informal language to help the reader understand and connect to the article. She does not try to elaborate on anything and that worked on her favor. For it was a very easy and flowing reading, the reader could understand perfectly was she was trying to say. She shows both the researchers and the twins’ perspective of the festival. She uses various quotes from different doctors or researchers and twins. Although by the end Nordrum only focuses on one experiment that scientists test on the twins during the festival, it fit perfectly into the article. Also the author did talk about more experiments; however, she only focused on one which is enough for the reader to understand what goes on during the experiments and the festival.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/08/twins-a-gold-mine-for-research/378697/

#6 Four Words to Seem More Polite

In this article, the author tells some of his “tips” on how to seem or be more polite, and he tells that the main thing is empathy. In the first, he explains about his personal experience, how I conversation that was supposed to be 3 seconds, turned out to be 30 minutes because he showed a little empathy to the other lady. He also explains how many psychologists believe that empathy is essential to cooperate, problem solve and to human function in general. Also empathy is a general way of showing generosity and care. The author is worried that the world is losing its empathy and becoming selfish. Also he says that the reason we should be polite is to “boost our own social standing among our peers.”

Olga Khazan, the author of this article uses very informal language in order to connect with the readers. He doesn’t use slang words, but neither does he use hard vocabularies for the readers to have struggle while reading. This article was written to inform and to persuade the readers. The author uses empathy while talking about empathy to the readers. He also tries to inform on how to be more polite, and not only that, he tries to persuade the readers to feel more empathy to others. Because of the way he wrote, and the words he chose, it called the attention of the readers. 

6. Sounds Like a Great Place, but Can We Get There by Shoe?

     This article by Joyce Wadler, talks about something every woman adores: shoes. However she gives it a twist by making the idea of a shoe painful and tragic. She starts her article with this statement: "Never shop for shoes when you are tired." An exemplum she give throughout the article is wearing uncomfortable heels to a wedding. They may seem comfortable at the store, but as she notices they are not designed for walking. When you are tired you somehow become delusional, and the idea that you can change a shoe comes to mind. The author, however believes this is a dangerous thought. "Believing you can fix a shoe is like believing you can fix a man. It does not work." Coming back to the wedding, the author points out that instead of enjoying the moment, you will be disturbed by the uncomfortable shoe. Something that is supposed to be wonderful "will become the Bataan Death March." Everyone wearing comfortable shoes around you seem to be happy and radiant, but you can not enjoy with them. All the memories you will have about that certain event will be painful shoes. The author than comes to the subject of how it is hard to find shoes for wider feet woman. Even though wider feet are not uncommon, finding shoes for them in a store is. She states: "We`re fit, we`re over 50 and we`re fed up." The author then references Lauren Bacall, whom would be perfect for the movie she imagines, where women revolved against shoemakers; stating Bacaal was intelligent for never wearing heels.

     The author uses this article to both state her idea and second, I believe, to entertain the reader. She uses a commonality such as shoes that are an appeal to woman, in a true negative way. She uses many figures of writing. The most visible is exemplum. She gives many situations for the reader to connect to her point. The main one is wearing uncomfortable shoes to a wedding. She also uses many metaphors such as: "A picturesque walk to the reception through a hilly, wooded campus, led by an adorable flutist, will become the Bataan Death March." The main type of language she uses is irony/sarcasm. She many times refers to a situation in a way that is not what she truly means. "You will get a peek at the bride’s comfy suede wedges at the reception and think: “No wonder she’s radiant. She’s wearing comfortable shoes.” Another example is: "In other words, if you want to buy something in which good fit is essential, you have to buy it from a source in which you cannot first see how it fits." She is able to get an idea of which most women ignore, and make them actually agree with her.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/24/fashion/sounds-like-a-great-place-but-can-we-get-there-by-shoe.html?ref=fashion&_r=0

6. There’s More to Life Than Facial Symmetry

Olga Khazan, a staff writer covering health of The Atlantic wrote an article about facial symmetry. Studies show that despite beauty trends coming and going, people with symmetrical faces are considered more attractive. The theory explaining why that happened suggests that people use symmetry as an indicator of good health and genes. However, a new study says that facial symmetry and good health do not necessarily go hand in hand. Nicholas Pound, a psychologist at Brunel University London used health data from 4,732 teenagers and correlated their histories of rashes, acne, and infections with how symmetrical their faces are. Through that experiment he discovered that the more facially symmetrical teenagers were not always the healthy ones. The author then says most people still do not know why facial symmetry is considered beautiful, and tells people to stop obsessing over it. There are many makeup and hairstyle tutorials showing how to make a person’s face look more “balanced,” but in fact humans don’t notice small asymmetries. People process faces as a whole, not examining each half separately. She says tiny differences are what distinguish people. Nautilus, a science magazine, posted an article about facial symmetry and had pictures of celebrities attached with sliders to make each side of the face identical to the other; she goes on to say it makes them look weird rather than improving their appearance. Claus-Christian Carbon, a psychology professor at the University of Bamberg said people with very symmetric faces aren’t remembered as well as people with slight asymmetries. Then she tells of a project called Echoism where people can upload pictures of themselves and make one side of the face an exact mirror of the other; again, she says the pictures are actually disturbing and abnormal. A study in 1996 showed children and young adults who had slight facial asymmetry when making emotive expressions were considered more attractive. She ends by saying that regarding attractiveness “what is good is beautiful,” not the other way around.

Khazan’s article is very powerful. The word choice is both complex, using words such as “proxy” and “schadenfreude,” and common when she expresses her opinions. It is not only an informative article, to explain more about facial symmetry and its impact on society as a whole, but it is also a criticism of how people see each other. Khazan clearly states her opinion and thinks people should stop caring so much about the symmetry or asymmetry of other people’s faces. She says a face in which one side completely mirrors the other is disturbing, and links to a website where people can see it for themselves and agree (or disagree) with her opinion. It is a very well thought out article and Khazan is very successful in expressing her opinion about the topic.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/08/theres-more-to-life-than-facial-symmetry/378807/