The end has come :(

At the beginning of the semester, I felt as though I already knew what to expect since I had Professor Irving for English 1101 first semester. After I attended the first day of class, I realized that English 1102 was nothing like English 1101. The assignments that were presented in English 1102 seemed a bit more difficult. The basic theme of English 1102 was arguments and immediately I was afraid. I knew I would have a tough time writing arguments because the one paper I had the toughest time writing in English 1101 was an argument. I had to revise that paper numerous times and I still did not do that well. Even though I was quite nervous about writing arguments, I tried my hardest to create a good argument so I would be able to turn in a good paper. I feel as though I have improved a lot with my ability to write a good argument. If I was required to write another argument for another class, I would feel a lot more confident and prepared. I feel like I know the basics to writing an argument. Even though I feel a lot more confident when writing an argument I still feel like I am not perfect. Paper one was a breeze for me but paper two was a lot more difficult because we had to come up with a proposal. Writing proposals is one area that I think I could use a lot of help on. Another area that I could use some work on is citing sources in MLA format. Overall I feel like I learned a lot and this semester has been great!

Unnecessary technology

The one piece of technology that I could live without is a landline telephone (house phone). It seems like almost everyone has a cell phone in today’s society. The only phone call I receive on my landline phone is primarily from telemarketers. All of my family and friends have my cell phone number, so they usually contact me that way. Some of my friends don’t even have landline phones anymore because they have everyone contact them on their cell phone. Usually when I make online purchases, they usually ask that I put down a contact number. This is one of the very few times that I give out my landline number. Whenever I really do not want someone to contact me, I give them my landline number. Whenever I am at home alone, I never answer the landline telephone. The only way that I would be tempted to answer the landline telephone is if someone was to leave a message and I knew who they were. My parents hardly ever answer the landline telephone either. Whenever I am calling my parents at home on the landline telephone, they usually never answer until I say something on the answering machine. Since almost everyone carries a cell phone in today’s society, it seems as though the easiest way to get in touch with someone would be by their cell phone. There is really no reason to have a landline phone because people that are trying to contact you can never really guarantee that you will be at home when they try to call. In my opinion, cell phones are a lot more useful than landline phones so a landline phone is one piece of technology that I could live without.

Questions after pondering

Recently I was required to read a book called Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody for my history class. It was an autobiography which described Anne Moody’s life in detail about growing up black in the south in the forties and fifties. The author begins by explaining her account of the times while she was a child up until her adult hood. The author explains how African-Americans in that time period were not treated equally to whites. African-Americans were denied jobs just because of their color. Things have made a drastic turn around since then. All people are now considered equal no matter their color, religion or gender. While reading this book it made me think a lot about how things have changed. America has come a long way. A few questions arose for me while I was reading this book.
1.) Since America has come a long way since the forties and fifties, why are there still those people who believe white is superior to any other race? Have those people not learned anything from people like Martin Luther King Jr.?
2.) Why did it take so long for many whites to accept African-Americans and even many other races?
3.) Why did people believe that violence was a good solution to solve problems, in the forties and fifties and even now?
4.) Will there ever be a time where there is absolutely no discrimination of any kind? Will everyone be treated the same no matter how different and diverse they are?

Newspaper Headlines

The Wall Street Journal

· In the Hospital, Facing a Scourge of Killer Clots: Medicare Move Spurs Efforts to Improve Screening for Risk of Pulmonary Embolism
This headline is arguing that blood clots, those that form in the legs called a DVT that can possibly travel to the lungs which is called a pulmonary embolism, are deadly if not diagnosed soon enough. The headline is arguing that changes need to be made to improve the screening process for blood clots before they cause serious harm, sometimes even death.
The Wall Street Journal: In the Hospital, Facing a Scourge of Killer Clots

· Yes, People Buy Ferraris in a Recession
This headline is arguing that even though America is in a recession, people can still afford to buy luxury cars, some at which cost over $100,000. This headline could make one believe that America’s recession does not affect the wealthy.
The Wall Street Journal: Yes, People Buy Ferraris in a Recession

· Soccer Is Ruining America: And we have no one to blame but ourselves.
This headline is sarcastically arguing that soccer is somehow ruining America. Americans, themselves, are the only ones to blame.
The Wall Street Journal: Soccer Is Ruining America

The Onion

· Getting Randomly Picked To Make Half-Court Shots Now Best Way To Earn Living
This headline is arguing that someone doesn’t even have to have a good education anymore to earn a decent living. The only thing someone has to do today is participate in some contest where you could win a large sum of money if you successfully shoot a basketball from half-court.
The Onion: Getting randomly picked to make half-court shots now best way to earn living

· Sitting Through This Boring Murder Trial Should Be Punishment Enough
This headline is arguing that the trials that take place to convict someone of a crime go on for an extremely long time. The prosecutors bring into evidence random things that beat around the bush. Why can they not just present the murder weapon and a witness? This would speed the trial up and the prosecution process would go a lot faster.
The Onion: Sitting through this boring murder trial should be punishment enough

· There Is No Restraining Order I Can’t Beat, Stacy
This headline is arguing that not even a restraining order can keep someone who loves you away. It’s arguing that a restraining order is only a test of someone’s love for you.
The Onion: There is no restraining order I can't beat, stacy


AJC

· Zoo Atlanta: No overweight animals here
This headline is arguing that the animals at Zoo Atlanta are not overweight. The animals at Zoo Atlanta receive a very healthy and fulfilling diet.
AJC: Zoo Atlanta, No overweight animals here

· For Church’s Chicken, fast food gets faster: New modular store being built in Lawrenceville saves money and time, company says
This headline is arguing that a new store is being built to cut down time for Church’s Chicken.
AJC: For Church's Chicken, fast food gets faster

· Natural beauty in heart of city
This headline is arguing that even in the city, you can still find beautiful nature. You don’t have to be in the countryside to find extraordinary nature, its right around the corner in the city.
AJC: Natural beauty in the heart of city

USA Today

· Kristen Stewart: Some people think they know her, but…
This headline is arguing that even though actress Kristen Stewart, from the movie Twilight, is always in the media’s eye, no one really knows her. Fans believe they know actresses and actors just because they see them on TV, but they really have no idea who they really are.
USA Today: Kristen Stewart

· Calipari arrives at Kentucky: ‘I do not walk on water’
This headline is arguing that even though there is a new basketball coach at Kentucky, he cannot change things immediately. It will take time for the team to improve; he cannot force the team to improve overnight.
USA Today: Calipari

· News from ShoWest: Movie theaters will see fewer releases this year
This headline is arguing that there will be a cut back in movie releases this year. Although America is in a recession, people still went to see movies at the theater so theaters can afford a minor cut back.
USA Today: News from ShoWest

TGIF!

Since I have only lived in Atlanta for about seven months now, I have not been able to explore all the restaurants Atlanta has to offer. Whenever I do go out to eat at a restaurant, I tend to frequent the same places. One restaurant that I tend to go to often is TGIF or Fridays. The first time I went out to eat at TGIF, I was very pleased. The food was very affordable, great prices for a college student! I enjoyed the fact that the menu had a lot of entrees to choice from. The menu had everything from ham burgers to different types of pasta. If you enjoy eating a variety of food, this is the place to go. The service was also very pleasing. When I go out to eat, I don’t mind waiting for my food unless it seems like it’s taking the kitchen an eternity to make the food! When it seems like my food is taking forever to come, I tend to get very impatient. At TGIF the food seemed to come in a reasonable amount of time, so if you’re an impatient person then this would be the perfect restaurant for you. The one thing about TGIF that most appealed to me were their prices. They had great food choices with reasonable prices. Since I am a college student, I have to watch what I spend. I don’t have $50 to spend on one meal so I really enjoyed the prices at TGIF. After I ate, I felt like it was worth it. TGIF is the place to go if you’re looking for reasonable prices, good food, and wonderful service!

Living on my own

I have always been very dependent on my parents, even still to this day. I have never lived on my own or been away from my parents for an extended period of time. So when it was time to start school and move to Atlanta, I was very nervous. I was not sure how I would react and feel knowing that my parents were no longer right down the hall. When the time finally came to start school in August, I was extremely nervous. My dad was working outside the country when it was time for school to start, so my mom was the only one to help me move into my dorm. Although I was very glad that my mom was there to help me move in, I was also very sad because I knew I would not want her to leave. The day I was assigned to move into my dorm was on a Thursday and my mom decided she would just stay the weekend until Monday, the first day of school. In a way, I was dreading the first day of school because I knew my mom would have to leave and I would be on my own. My mom reassured me that I would be fine but I just could not imagine not having my parents right down the hall of my house if I needed them. When the day finally came that my mom had to go home, I knew I would cry. In fact, both my mom and I cried. This was the first time that I had lived on my own or been away from my parents. Now that I’m in my second semester of school, I have gotten used to being on my own but I still miss my parents every day. Even though I have gotten used to living on my own, I still talk to my mom on the phone everyday!

Can anyone be a news reporter in today's society?

In a sense, in today’s society, everyone can in some way be a reporter or a news broadcaster. Today people can use the Internet and websites like, You Tube, to post all types of information for the world to see. Even by blogging, anyone can write down different thoughts and opinions to share with others through the Internet. It seems like anyone can broadcast information easily in today’s society. There are even TV shows like, TMZ, which broadcast news about celebrities. Sometimes shows like this get information from fans that may have caught a celebrity doing something that they may not have wanted the media to post. In another sense, I believe that since almost anyone can in some way be a news reporter by using things like the Internet and blogging, it makes a lot of people skeptical about what information to believe as being true. There are so many websites offering information about different events but they all contain different ideas and opinions. This makes it hard for the readers to figure out what is and what is not true. Also, a lot of the people that post different information on the Internet may not be reliable sources. These people may have bias opinions which makes it hard for the readers to obtain the truth. Since it’s extremely easy for almost anyone to be a news broadcaster, people can post information and create websites that are extremely hurtful to others. The Internet today offers almost anyone the chance to report news and relay information to almost every part of the world.