Response: The Power Team

I liked the way that Sharon Mazer wrote this essay for the most part.  I thought it was good the way that she explained in detail the mission of the Power Team and what their performances were made up of.  I think it is great that these men are devoted to sharing what they believe in by working hard to build their strength and then display it in an entertaining show for audiences.  I also think that the way that they are broadcasting is genius, creating an alternative to shows which often have no morals and offering some clean entertainment to youth.  In all honesty I am not sure what Mazer was trying to accomplish in this essay other than to inform people about what the Power Team is all about. I can see by a few of her remarks that she is more anti-Power Team. But as someone that is a Christian  and supports what the Power Team stands for, I feel like her essay made the Power Team look good with everything that she talked about and that there were only a few, rather unsupported, speculations that she made in attempt to make them look bad.  Like the way she tried to make it seem like they were making up the fact that these men have families just to get more money. I also feel like she tried to question the straightness of these men when referring to presentation of their families as "an assertion that these are indeed 'real' - that is, heterosexual - men.", which is quite a far out speculation.  A few times Mazer made it seem like the whole thing was just a big manipulative scheme to make money, but i would have to disagree. I see it as a great outreach that is seeking out support so that it can continue while giving their members a decent living.  The last thing that I can think of to discuss is when she states that the Power Team is turning the "righteous restraint of the law", the handcuffs, into something bad. But the Power Team is using it as symbolism, using the handcuffs to represent the chains of oppression which is talked about many times throughout the Bible. And I don't think that there is any intent to make the law look bad, and if there was, I don't think that they would have much support from local law enforcement.

Response: A Plague of Tics

I thought that the way that David Sedaris wrote the essay was interesting and that many pointers could be taken from his style of writing. I liked the way that he would sometimes explain his thought process and the way he used italics to show that.  The way he wrote kept my attention and made it easy to read. I also liked the way that he progressed through the essay and used the visits of his teachers at each grade to introduce some new tic that developed.  Overall, I liked the way that the essay was presented but I thought that the actual story was depressing rather than funny.  His entire life, until picking up lung destroying, he was constantly tormented by the numerous odd tics and had to be seen as a complete outcast to everyone that saw him.  I can't even imagine laying in bed night after night not sleeping and even the thought of that makes me feel sad for him. Also, it was horrible how his family treated him, especially his mother.  It seemed like they never tried to help him and would completely overlook his problems. Especially the way that his mother dealt with his teachers, avoiding his life consuming issues with jokes and drinks and never trying to do something to help his problems.

More on my research topic.

Is the push towards better fuel-efficiency in cars sacrificing too much in regards to the safety of the driver, functionality of the car and overall stylish appeal?  That is the question that I would like to answer in my research paper. My opinion on that right now is that too much is being sacrificed.  A balance needs to be obtained that keep cars safe and functional while getting good gas mileage and producing clean emissions. Also, for the amount that people are paying for cars they should at least be able to ride around in style.  Many consumers of the smaller more fuel efficient cars have not been satisfied with the weaker power, lowered level of protection, lessened cargo and overall space and lack of stylish appeal.  The quest for fuel-efficient cars has been going on for more than three decades now and it is time that these things improve.  

I have found a nice variety of sources that have given me a good foundation of information, some current and some older.  The biggest thing that I have learned from the older sources is the fact that the automobile industry has been striving towards better fuel-efficiency in automobiles for at least 30 years now.  The books that I have found give a lot of information on what technologies are being developed, from alternative power sources to alternative materials. These books also give good insight to what the future of the car industry might become as the technologies continue to advance.  A few of the more current sources have used polls and surveys that give good information on how the consumer is reacting to the way that these smaller fuel-efficient cars are performing.  These surveys show that the majority of the consumers are not satisfied with the performance of the car, the cargo space and the safety of the car.

I need to find a few more surveys and polls to compare to the one that I have already looked at to validate the information.  I would like to find some more sources that give a current account on what car manufacturers are doing right now in regards to fuel-efficiency.  Also, I would like to find a few comparisons between hybrids and regular cars that are on the market now.   I would also like to talk to some other people and get their opinion on the matter to better develop a list of opposing arguments. 

A few of the main arguments that I have thought of which oppose my opinion are:

1)      That it is worth sacrificing power, safety and cargo space to obtain a more fuel efficient car.

2)      That the style and look of the car does not matter. 

I have found three books, ZOOM by Iain Carson and Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran, The New Oil Crisis and Fuel Economy Technologies by Deborah Lynn Bleviss and Government, Technology and the Future of the Automobile by Doglas H. Ginsburg and William J. Abernathy.  As well as two peer reviewed journals, Automobile fuel economy: How far should we go? by Steven E. Plotkin for Environment and The Future of Cars by Stuart F. Brown for Scientific American.  I have read numerous articles on the web but there are two that I have used to develop some of my ideas more than others. The first is an article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by Don Hammonds “U.S. auto industry faces tougher fuel-efficiency standards, fickle consumers.” and the second is an article from the New York Times by Bill Vlasic “Intrest Fades in the Once-Mighty V-8.”

Plagiarism: Why We Do It!

The two readings on plagiarism were useful to me, as they pointed out types of plagiarism that weren’t totally clear to me, as well as giving ways to avoid them.  The article by Trip Gabriel gave a lot of good reasons as to why plagiarism is increasing so much. I agree that it is much easier to plagiarize with all the internet resources that are available to us at any time and I think that the quote in paragraph seven on the second page by Ms. Brookover gave another good explanation to why it “feels” easier to plagiarize when you don’t have a physical source in your hand.  The one reason in the article that stuck out the most to me was the quote by Ms. Wilensky on the fourth page, fourth paragraph about how so much of plagiarism is caused by students leaving high school unprepared.  Personally, I know that I was not taught how to read and synthesize sources in high school and that is something that I struggle greatly with in college. Also, I think that the quote in the third paragraph on the third page by Ms. Blum portrayed well the attitude of so many students, myself included. So many times I find myself just throwing in one thing after another from various sources and not coming up with and developing my own ideas or thoughts just so that I can complete the assignment and turn it in on time. 
The handout helped me understand what plagiarism includes entirely. I never knew that you had to acknowledge a person or group of people that helped you at all with your paper. I also didn't know that you had to cite a source that's information helped you simply develop an idea. The handout made me more aware of the types of plagiarism that aren't as obvious and I think it will help me when I am writing to avoid plagiarizing.    

Annotated Bibliography

Markus, Frank. "Road smarts: shrinking the carbon footprint of our highways." Motor Trend 63.1 (Jan 2011): 38(1). Academic OneFile. Gale. Indiana University of Pennsylvania. 9 Feb. 2011 
http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/start.do?prodId=AONE&userGroupName=indi68545

The author usually uses the page, technologue, in the magazine to examine the technologies that are being applied to the automotive industry to reduce the carbon footprint, but this time he points out a surprising piece of information.  According to a study by MIT, the production of concrete, used to build roads, bridges and buildings, generates about as much carbon dioxide per year as that of automobile exhaust, accounting for almost 10 percent of all manmade emissions. The article continues to explain the ways that researchers and scientists are working to try and lower the amount of concrete production. One way would be looking for ultra-high density concrete alternatives that would last longer and reduce the amount of creep (expansion of concrete), as well as permit the structure to be thinner, creating more options for architects when planning roads and bridges. Another area of research that has had numerous approaches is that of self-healing concrete. The idea is, that as the concrete begins to crack, it will fix itself, by the use of bacteria spores or little capsules that crack and release compounds that will rejuvenate the concrete. This article was interesting to me and has sparked a few ideas for possible research paper topics.  

Attached to Technology Response

I thought that this article had many good points, many of which hit right at home. I can relate to a lot of what it says about the constant urge, almost a little voice inside calling me, to check for a new e-mail, Facebook post or Skype message. I like how we were encouraged to read the article online, rather then in course packet, because it was funny, even though I was conscious of what I was reading, I still probably checked both my e-mail accounts 5 times each, Facebook a few times and Skype every time that little orange ball popped up. I also was distracted by the links within the article and played both focus/multi-tasking tests that it had.

I have also had the same problems that Mr. Campbell had with video games and it is definitely true that it can cause family quarrels. It is especially during a break, when I have more free time, that I find myself constantly sneaking downstairs any chance I get to play XBOX. This has often caused strife with my family, especially when I become engrossed in a game and end up spending numerous hours at a time playing without even realizing it.

As far as the focusing goes, I feel like the enormous amount of technology right at our finger tips is creating more distractions for us, but I don't think that it should take complete blame. It all depends on the person and their amount of self-control. It is clear that I use these technologies a lot and enjoy using them, but when it comes down to getting an assignment done or studying for an exam, I can control myself and stay focused on the task at  hand.

About Me

I am 20 years old and a fourth semester Junior at IUP, majoring in Physics (Pre-Engineering track to PITT) and minoring in mathematics and music.  I am from Homer City, PA, which is just a few miles down the road from Indiana, and I live here with my parents and one of my sisters. I am the youngest in my family and I have three sisters, Joy, Christa and Monica, and one brother, Josiah. I have one brother-in-law, named Noel and another one, Josh, that will be joining our family this summer. I also have, in my mind, the smartest and prettiest 2 year-old niece ever, Elleyana, as well as a great 7 month-old nephew, Everett. My family is extremely close and is one of the most important parts of my life!

Without getting into my life story, which I am sure that you would all love to hear, NOT, I will tell you about my main interests in life. I love hanging out with my family and friends, watching movies, playing games/sports or just doing whatever with them. Oddly enough I love mathematics and like science, but I guess that is why I want to be an engineer. One of my greatest passions in life is the piano, which I have been playing since I was 6 years old, and although it is not the career that I have chosen, it has been my entire source of income for the past 2-3 years. I enjoy playing sports, particularly basketball, which was a huge part of my life in high school. My favorite athletes are Steve Nash and Troy Polamalu. My favorite sports teams are; the one and only Pittsburgh Steelers (going for number 7 baby!), the PITT Panthers, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and yeah I got to give a shout out to the Pittsburgh Pirates (at least it's fun going to PNC to watch some games), and also the Phoenix Suns, basically just because of Nash. I enjoy playing board games, mainly Settlers of Catan, and video games, Halo series, Call of Duty, and any Star Wars game. Last, but definitely not least, I love going to CRU (a campus ministry at IUP) and playing keyboard on the worship team, and in general praising Jesus at church or wherever!