Re:Blog Stage Seven

To the work entitled Blog Stage Seven

The blog posed some very interesting questions. I want to first share my respect for you as a fellow witter and , and apologize if any thing written offends or angers you. My comments are not those of a professional or written to bash your ideas, they are simply suggestions to amplify your ideas about a topic and the connection the your readers.
First, a title for your work(a little something more than Blog Stage Seven) would be most fitting. A coherent title will help your readers follow and understand your view on a specific topic more facilely. I noticed while reading your blog you really discuss three topics; "...unemployment should be bottoming.", "blame the American people", and"...unfair Credit Card practices." To help the reader clearly understand the proposition you are opposing or supporting , it is best in my opinion to focus on just one solid topic, supplying sufficient details and information that engage your reader. Again, a title somewhat referencing what you intend to argue may allow you to address different topics and help the reader follow along more efficiently. Separating your topic in paragraphs might also help the reader follow your writing more efficiently. By separating topics, and giving background information on your next topic in previous paragraphs, the reader will have a better knowledge of the topics discussed.
At various points in your blog you make statements like "You shoot blanks when aiming at Republicans or Democrats,...",when you do this assume the reader has no clue of what has just been stated. Make sure you give your readers a detailed explanation or example of your statement. When you are referencing to an article you have read ,"there was an article in the USA Today ...", give an embedded link that readers can follow so they may also formulate their own ideas.
The rest of my comments apply to small and very minute things that can be fixed with the blink of an eye. When writing anything if you can always have someone look over your work. As authors we have predetermined how our ides are written on paper. We are liable to miss things like spelling or punctuation. Instead of "boston.com" try The "Boston Globe" (the printed source of boston.com.) In the second sentence of your blog you discuss your attitude towards "the poll" but do not give the reader any background information other than the poll is about "Economy". Even though you have provided a link to the article , lets face it some readers just aren`t going to take the time to read it. For readers like this background information is curial for forming views and knowledge of the topic of which you are discussing. Last but not least are the very few punctuation problems in your writing."Economy" should be economy (lower case) , "there" should be There (capital t),and "Credit Card" should be in lower case letters.Overall your blog is both interesting and intriguing;the only real problem is a lack of substantial information.

Overweight Students Don`t Graduate!

Hold it ! College has gone just an inch too far! Its enough that it casts an arm and leg to pay for a college education and now these institutions are cynical of our weight! The current "Fitness For life" program at Lincoln University in Oxford ,Pennsylvania forces "students with a BMI of of 30 or higher, (reflective of obesity) to take a fitness course that meets 3 hours a week. Those who are assigned to the class but do not complete it CANNOT GRADUATE!" This is ridiculous; I can understand improving fitness goals and adapting healthy lifestyles but being forced to do so is unacceptable.
This topic has certainly raised some questions that i cannot seem to find adequate answers to.The first being FORCED to take these classes?
College is hard work ,it takes sweat ,blood ,and tears to be successful in this world. Imagine how much harder it is when you deal with ridicule, and the thought of not graduating, because your BMI and waist measurement were too high, and you were too out of shape or too busy studying to take the extra class. Telling a student that they cannot graduate because they didn't finish a "P.E" class is both degrading and dangerous ; people these days can blow a nozzle like nobodies business. Instead of forcing these target students to take an extra class why not encourage them to or offer some incentive for there extra time, money, and effort.
The second of these questions would be Who will pay for the "Fitness For Life"(FFL) program?
If institutions like Lincoln University fare going to demand coursers like this for graduation, students should not have to pay. Students could easily go to other facilities for a much cheaper price than a college course would cost. A gym, membership at a YMCA, or maybe just working out at home with good ole Billy Bland from Tae Bo are all, substantially lower cost alternatives to a college fitness course.
Third, What if the student is already adapted an exercise regime?
For these students the FFL rule is a huge slap in the face. Instead of building the student up by applauding or encouraging their effort to improve their life, the institution breaks and tears down the the new foundation the student is seeking to create.
Fourth, Why are only the obese students being singled out for a health goal?
Lincoln University is a HBCU I understand that African Americans are 1.4 times as likely to be obese as non-Hispanic whites , but what about the people suffering from eating disorders like Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia? Don't they need help too? Why not asses everyones health needs accommodate everyone with health benefits?The Chairmen of Lincoln University`s Department of Health and Physical Education , James DeBoy renders a sorry excuse for an answer to this question by saying "obesity is going to rob you of your quality and quantity of life." This statement is sooo very wrong. Do you think people like Mo `Nique, Queen Latifa, and the star of "Precious" are complaining about their quality of life ? Very doubtful. As far as quantity is concerned Ive know people well in their 90`s and early 100`s still living and doing fine.
My fifth and final question would be What class/course will the underweight,moderate or borderline obese students have to take?
There are certainly malnourished and moderate to borderline obese people going to college.if the obese students have to take a fitness class these students should have to take a supplemental health or nutrition class to improve their health.
My point is when everyone has a requirement the load is equal, but when you single people and there feelings out its discrimination.I am not at all against exercise I'm taking a course myself ,but it was my decision, I did it for me, and for my health , not to please everyone else. Your level of fitness should be up to you and how you lose or gain weight should not determine your future.

(Before I even start this blog/segment I want to express my respect to the author. I am claiming to be no star reporter myself so please do not be offended or angered by what I have typed).

I can certainly agree that the health care reform is coming to a boiling point. Sooner or later Americans will know weather to blow a vessel or submit to change in health care all together . The newest battle now is weather or not to adopt a single payer health care system, which in my opinion would help the nation a a whole.
Although I found this article very interesting. It left me somewhat confused. This article posed somewhat a nonchalant attitude towards the subject of health care. I think this could have been a more effective article if a clear and strong stance would have been taken either against or toward the health care system. First, the author says the issue of illegal immigrants is "nagging". Then he says there is a need for immigration reform. Then he says denying in some to illegals would be wrong. A clear stance would have helped the reader determine whether or not he/she agrees with the author's point of view but, if the reader is not able to form a stance, they are forced to make accusations sometimes false about the author's intended view of the subject.
The title of this article left me confused. I never found a connection in the article that corresponded to "How Dare I", which I'm assuming needs an exclamation mark. Wording in the article like rather than, illegals precluded from health care could be rewritten as illegals being precluded from health care. As I said in the beginning, I found this article very interesting and I am no journalist, this is simply a comment.

Old MC Donald Friend Or Foe?

Most Americans know the old childhood song Old McDonald had a farm by heart, and generally recognize the meat they eat comes from the happy animals they think live on the farm. The song goes on to describe the animals and their characteristics (ex moo moo. qluck qluck) and gives the false image that these animals are happy and well content going about their business, WRONG! These animals ARE NOT HAPPY AT ALL! They were most likely crying for help. With the conditions the animals have to endure its no wonder why zoonotic diseases like Bird and Swine Flu (H1N1) are spreading among the U.S .The factory farms these animals are sentenced to make mass productions of meat, that are sold all over the U.S to companies like McDonalds ,grocery stores ,and Subway just to name a few. Animals forced into this concentration camp are tortured ,mutilated ,and miserable. Needless to say these animals do not live regular lives grazing ,basking ,or even walking in the sun. Chickens for example usually have a diet of insects and small bugs; on a factory farm these chickens are served yummy antibiotics ,corn , and steroids mmm is int your mouth water for that tasty piece of chicken now? These poor chickens are pumped and plumped to the point that they almost pop. (This explains why you go to the market to buy food and there is a chicken breast the size of your whole hand.) Of course walking and exercise are total out of the question because the chickens legs would break under the pressure of their own weight, but don't worry the chickens are waaay too busy breathing their neighbors oxygen to ever think about moving at that level. The poor pigs bring tears to my eyes. These loving sensitive creatures are out in creates so small and narrow they cannot even lay down in a comfortable position. Image that ,24 hours a day cramped ,stressed ,and tired not being to take at least a short break and lay down even somewhat comfortably.Day after day these precious animals crunch wallow in their waste and dirt not mud ,and are forced to see and smell deceased associates(which puts them under a ton of stress.) And, as if that is not enough all females are put into gestation crates were they are artificially inseminated with sperm .(some may call this rape) I cannot stomach to write what the courageous cows go through. It `ll definitley be a looong time before I eat beef again and when I do it must be grass fed. One may ask , don't we (U.S) have strict regulations for these types of things? The answer would be yes but these laws are not very well implemented and this sort if thing happens so much its hard to fix.Animals have rights too and as humans I feel that it is our duty to help those who cannot help themselves. If we are what we eat and we east sick animals what are we ?

Ebony is to Ivry as Oil is to ...?

Well I certainly cannot say I disagree with JOP (Justice of Peace) Keith Bardwell on the issue of inter-racial marriage.Bringing the children into the argument would have made a strong point if Bardwells statements had not been so clouded. Although I do not endorse inter-racial relationships for an entirely different reason, the children most times are typically the the victims in the situation.These children face adversity all throughout life because of who they and how they look. Making friends presents a voluminous task in itself but when that decision is made for you by the way you look its almost impossible to be yourself. These kids would always second guess themselves; should I hang with these kids or chill with those? Will my other friends be offended if I do something that they are not accustomed to ? Journalist and editor of The Daily Kos, Tim Lange (a.k.a meteor Blades) writes an editorial on JOP Keith Bardwell, and his decision not to marry an inter-racial couple. Surprisingly Blades dose not take a side throughout the entire article. Editorials or blogs , the good ones, are always strongly opinionated especially on a hot subject such as this. Lange makes it very clear at the beginning of the article that his target audience is inter-racial couples when he makes a reference to the Loving v.s Virginia case in the very first sentence. Blade provides an excellent amount of information but completely lacks a stance.Readers especially those of blogs and editorials expect some kind of stance from the writer to agree or disagree with.At the end of the editorial Blade leaves a series of questions unanswered .Blade provides a substantial amount of factual information that is never used one way or the other to support a stance and posed more questions that could be answered. Overall, this editorial was very weak.

A Disappearing Summer

What ! More school ! Im in college now but two and a half years ago I would have been outraged by this article. Libby Quiad, an AP Writer of the Associated Press writes an extremely informative article in the Austin American Statesman supporting president Obama`s educational plan for more school time and curtailing summer vacations.The one thing I found most appealing about this article is the way it was written for "young America" (6-12graders) and its parents. In the very first paragraph Quiad addresses students and toward to the middle of the article she gives testimonials from grade schoolers across the country. Nakany for example says if teachers told her she had to stay three extra hours for school she "would walk right out of there" But, once she went through with the program she loved seeing her friends in the summer and it boosted her grades from C`s to B`s ! Quiad also lists the pros and cons of President Obama`s plan. The pros would include boosted grades ,a better educated young America ,a safe outlet for kids to excel ,and disadvantaged kids would have free educational support on Saturdays. The cons consists of an exceedingly high dropout rate and of course unfavorable students. A grade shcooler could easily understand this article and I believe enjoy it. This text has language and ideas (chill , hang) that I'm sure young students could relate to and connect with. The author lists the facts of President Obama`s plan which is to add three hours to each school day and have school open on Saturdays. Quaid gives substantial evidence to support the facts of President Obama`s plan, through statistical references to both the U.S and some of China`s countries, as to how their longer school year helps students to be more successful. Overall this article was very factual and informative. Libby Quiad connected with the youth and proposed more school time as being fun not boring, a chance for children to see their friends in the summer and a stress free summer for parents.

Bill HR-3200 : Will the bill cover insurance for illegal immigrants ?

If manners are any indication of how well educated you are then Representative Joe Wilson should go back to school. Never have I seen such blatant and maniacal disrespect for a President. Although I agree with Rep. Wilson`s philosophy on illegal immigrants receiving health insurance , there is a time and place for everything . After reading an article from CNN discussing the facts of the proposed HR-3200 bill, Rep.Wilson may have been very wrong in his accusation against the President, perhaps due to the recent e-mail floating around concerning section 152 of the bills non discriminatory clause which states that illegal immigrants who are family members of legal residents would be provided public health insurance. CNN`s Truth Squad reports that section 242 of the bill clearly states, that subsides are restricted for U.S citizens and legal residents, and benefits are solely limited to U.S citizens and family members who are legal residents.This very factual article covers the biggest question circulating which will the bill cover illegal aliens.