18. A Boy in ISIS. A Suicide Vest. A Hope to Live.

   The title itself, as you can see, makes Tim Arango's article a very appealing one to read. Not that it seems entertaining, but that it contains and empathetic persuasion to it, making people(at least those who have a heart) more likely to read through the article. The article is about a Syrian 14-year-old boy, Usaid Barho, who surrendered to Shiite guards after having volunteered to be a suicide bomber for the Sunnis.
[*side note: As the vast majority of the world knows, Sunnis and Shiites do not get along well...at all. Years of wars between the two major religious Muslim divisions have passed by, and it can be well inferred that there will be even more wars between them.]
Usaid Barho told the Shiite guards that the caliphate (aka- Sunnis) had seduced him into becoming one of them and brainwashed him along with several others into believing that Shiites were terrible people and deserved to die. The caliphate went as far as threatening his mother, saying that if the Shiites were not killed, they would come after his mother and rape her. Usaid then said that he was located to Iraq (home of the major Sunnis and Shiites). When he got there, he realized that what he was doing was wrong, so he quickly volunteered to be a suicide bomber so he could surrender to security forces. The boy later on told officers the real motives of his surrender- he had seen Sunnis brainwashing children, he had seen the hypocrisy and the lies that the Sunni leaders made- and he knew that all of it was wrong, which was why he decided to give up on caliphate desires, and surrender to the Shiites instead. The author then wraps up his article by saying that Usaid Barho plans on moving to Turkey to study, but cannot meet his family yet, and that nobody knows what Barho and his family's fate will be.
   Tim Arango surely picked a somewhat touchy subject to write his article on. Suicide bombings in the Middle East have been trending on news these past few years, and many of us have seen numerous of innocent people dying because of them. The majority of the article is summarizing the happenings of Usaid Barho before, during and after his surrender to the Shiite guards. There are only a few paragraphs where the author inputs external information as a supplement to readers, and he never voices his opinion. The author probably chose to make his article an unbiased one because the subject in hand is not one that everyone can have a "valid" opinion on. The article shows an appeal to pathos, or emotions, through the words and concepts that Tim Arango chose to write about. By talking about Usaid Barho's family and their unknown fate, the author leaves us readers with a tingle on our spines and empathy towards Usaid. The chronological order of the story and the supplements inputed by the author makes the article flow readily and makes it easy for readers to understand the situation and the solution to the whole story of the Syrian boy. Overall, the author did a good job making his article both an informative and a sentimental one- delivering immediate messages about Sunnis and Shiites to readers and telling the story of a boy who discovered what the problem truly was.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/27/world/middleeast/syria-isis-recruits-teenagers-as-suicide-bombers.html?_r=0 

18. Something to Sneeze At

This article begins by explaining how millions of people believe that boosting their immune system is a a great idea. They remain convinced that products that claim to boost their immunity naturally work; however, research shows that they are simply expensive placebos. The author the goes on to explain why boosting the immune system is a bad idea. He specifically explains how the innate and acquired systems work and how boosting them would affect rather than benefit one's life. He also makes it clear how one's body reacts once it has been invaded by a virus. It is also made clear how over-the-counter alternative remedy products can't boost acquired immunity. The only way to do so is through simple vaccinations, or more complicated and rare bone marrow transplants. To conclude, the author explains how extremes are bad: too much immunity can elad to allergies, tissue damage, and even anaphylaxis, while too little immunity can be deadly. The author also gives a plausible solution by recommending the readers to keep a balanced diet, minimize stress, maintain hygiene, and sleep well. "These are interventions that have been shown to help keep your immune system at its best. These alone can "boost" your odds of staving off an infection this cold season."

Jeremy Samuel Faust, author of this article, does a great job explaining why one shouldn't want to boost their immune system by taking pills that theoretically do so. He does an exceptional job at explaining  how the immune system works. The audience should have no trouble understand both the innate and acquired systems as he gave a great explanation while including plenty of details. Throughout his article, he seemed to be arguing why people should stay away from such products. He presents reasons for it, backs them up with great support, and offers a solution at the very end which is reasonable and easily achievable. His word choice and sentences structures are simple yet compelling. I personally had no trouble understand it and the reading itself flows very nicely. Overall, I enjoyed this article and now know to stay away from products that claim to boost my immunity. 


http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2014/12/boost_your_immunity_cold_and_flu_treatments_suppress_innate_immune_system.html

17. We are all seriously sleep deprived

National Geographic has just announced that a documentary on sleep deprivation will air Dec 7 at 9 a.m. The main topic being discussed will be Don’t worry, we are all tired … and this is seriously harming our bodies. This new approach on the matter that plagues both adults and younger people promises to shed some light on the subject and is long over due. The documentary will explain all of the problems that sleep deprivation can cause; higher risk of obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular disease. In short the documentary cannot be missed.
This article while giving a brief synopsis of the documentary also strongly entices the reader to go and watch it. It does so by presenting relevant information that the article will cover and well as some intriguing facts on sleep. The effort put into getting the readers to watch the documentary can be seen with how author JOANNA ROTHKOPF not only give the time and date of the airing but also posts the trailer right under the article.This article is no doubt meant to be followed trough with a viewing of the actual documentary.

http://www.salon.com/2014/12/03/we_are_all_seriously_sleep_deprived/

17. Will Integrating Women Into Fraternities Help Reduce Sexual Abuse?

The article begins by talking about the fraternity gang rape that happened last month in the University of Virginia. The school has temporarily closed down all fraternities on campus and are discussing whether they should completely ban fraternities, since it has happened  many times before. It had been proven that men who enter fraternities are three times as likely to commit rape as their fellow students who do not. The author then brings up that what could put an end to these acts of sexism is allowing the integration of women in the frat houses. The author points out that clubs at Princeton have been integrating women into their frat clubs. The author also includes that last year, the vice-officer of Tiger Inn, one of the frat clubs at Princeton, did send out inappropriate and sexist e-mails to the club members  in regard to how women "don't belong in the club," proving that allowing females into frat houses would not completely end the sexist behavior.
The author of this article, Amanda Marcotte, wanted to show the public if allowing women to join frat houses would be a step in the right direction. To do this, she used evidence from researches, proving her information to be valid. The also showed both sides of the coin, explaining how allowing females to join these frat clubs could potentially end sexist behavior but also showing how sexist can still continue despite it (the Tiger Inn case). She maintains an unbiased tone in the beginning of the article, but shares her opinion on the very last paragraph. She states that at least the frat club of Tiger Inn was able to solve its problem, the vice-president who sent the e-mail was punished and even sent to trial, meaning that "getting more women into the mix might contribute to an atmosphere of more accountability."

17. "Should a Therapist Reveal Herself?"

     Therapy has become common lately as it is said to psychologically heal a person. Yet, with the vast growth of therapy, how effective is it actually? Each therapist has the essential role of reflecting on the continuing process with each patient and to make course corrections as they become necessary. With this, many times a session will emphasize only on the patient. What is the therapist himself also reveal his problems; what is a therapy session consists of both the patient and the therapist? The author of the article, Barbara Wolfer, suggest that in fact it should flow this way. Revealing some of themselves as appropriate times, with appropriate patients, makes the therapists seem more human and thus enhances the therapeutic process. 

     The author of this article, Barbara Wolfer, is very effective in her writing. Her main purpose is to persuade a new concept in therapy and she does it very well. As a psychiatrist herself, she uses her own beliefs and experiences to support her claim. Overall, her supporting experiences are very well written and convey a very firm statement. She writes quite informally which gives the whole article an impression of communication. Her tone is very friendly and inspiring as she imposes her thoughts in a smooth and amicable way. With this, she persuades her idea very well. I personally really enjoyed this article and had my view on therapy changed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/01/opinion/should-a-therapist-reveal-herself.html?mabReward=RI%3A17&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&region=CColumn&module=Recommendation&src=rechp&WT.nav=RecEngine&_r=0

17. The Topics Dystopian Films Won't Touch

Ever since The Hunger Games was released, American culture has grasped the new era of dystopian films. Novels are being written than turn into popular films that not only the teens love. However, while these movies warn their audiences of "over-reliance on computers, totalitarian rule, class warfare, pandemic panics and global warming" they don't mention anything about racism or sexism. All of this was the introduction to the main idea of the article which is that the dystopian movies don't include problems we have in divisions of society today. These movies make their audience think that these problems vanish in the future which doesn't make sense. The author then goes on to give examples in the movies like Hunger Games and Divergent which support his claims.

The tone of the article is mainly formal when the author is addressing the idea that these serious issues need to be shown and not hidden away. He especially talks strongly about the fact that Hollywood does not take the opportunity to talk about theses touchy subjects. They merely just brush it off. However he also uses a touch of humor around the middle of the article as a sort of comic relief from the topic of these heavy subjects. The purpose of the article was not only to inform the reader of the fact that most movies don't mention these subjects, but also to persuade other movies to do so. He does this by appealing to the readers emotions by describing these problems in society. The article concludes with an example of a book that does mention the issues of racism and sexism and the author urges future movies an novels to do so as well.    

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/11/the-topics-dystopian-films-wont-touch/382509/?single_page=true

17. The Earliest Crash Test Dummies Were Cadavers

This article by Sarah Laskow, a writer and reporter at The Atlantic, is about the progression in automobile safety and the contribution made by the anthropomorphic test device, or otherwise known as, the crash dummy. Laskow writes in praise of the crash dummy, informing the reader of it's origins, usages, developments, etc. The crash dummy was first used in America's aerospace program, intended for testing jet ejector seats. After  its great contribution to the aerospace program, it was then used for everyday automobiles. They were then developed more and more as time went by and cars became more sophisticated. The crash dummy later became more anatomically correct, with material that reacted similarly to actual humans.
Laskow writes in an informative and formal way. She does not try to connect personal anecdotes, talk casually, or appeal to emotion. She takes solid statistics and displays them with accurate information from credible sources. The article is intended to inform and praise the contribution, to automobile safety , that the crash dummy has made.

17. Bands, Balloons, and Protesters

Every year in New York, the Macy's store holds a Thanksgiving parade. However, this year Maslin describes a group of protesters who walked alongside the parade. The author introduces the article with a usual description of the highlights in the parade: the helium filled character balloons, and bands marching down avenues. Maslin also makes a point to include the protesters in this description, explaining how this year there is an uneasy atmosphere in the traditionally happy parade. A fact that most people are aware of these days is that of the grand jury`s action on the police man who shot Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager from Missouri. The crowd of protesters was seen beingchased by policemen, as they attempted to stop the parade and hold signs up in honor of Michael. Although many demonstrators were arrested this gloomy Thanksgiving day, many still refused to leave the parade.
Maslin`s purpose in writing this article was to tell Americans about the effect that the jury`s decision has had on the common American, even in New York City. The language used demonstrates the feeling of the holiday, happiness and pre-Christmas excitement. At the same time, however, the author gives the reader a sense of tension in the air because of the protesters. The language is casual and almost anti-formal, as the author gives details about both the members of the holiday parade as well as interviews of protesters. Overall there are two aproaches that Maslin takes on analyzing this year`s Macy`s parade, the usual festive activities of the holiday event, as well as the new factor of riots and police men chasing protesters because of the incident with Michael Brown. Although the article is merely ten paragraphs long, and quite short, the author fulfills her purpose in explaining the effect that the grand jury`s decision has had, and is yet to have on this year`s usual holiday spirit.


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/28/nyregion/macys-thanksgiving-parade-new-york-ferguson-protesters.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=mini-moth&region=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below&_r=1