Analysis

When you analyze something, you are basically just breaking it down, and summerizing the basics on whatever subject you are looking at. When reporters on ESPN analyze the football games, they give you the basic facts that you need to know. They tell you the score, who had good or bad games, and other basic information to sum up the game. Everyday you see an analysis on something. The main purpose of an analysis is to organize, and break down information so the reader can get the most out of it.

The Stucture of This Class

Personally, I like how this class is set up. I like how we meet only once a week, and then do all of our work on the blog. For me, writing in a blog does not change the content of my work at all. The one thing that I don't really like, even though I kind of stopped doing it, is posting on other peoples blogs. It can be helpful, but sometimes it can be unneccessary, and maybe lead people in the wrong direction. Plus, sometimes you get captain smartass, who leaves you a smartass remark because he can get away with it on the internet. If we do critiquing, I would rather do it in the class period.

Ethnographic Article

I feel that this artile is a good example for my subculture.
http://www.thejump.net/Hunting_Articles/real-hunters.htm

Utilizing "Topic Sentence Worksheet"

I plan on doing my report on Hunters, so here's my basic outline how its going to go. . .

THESIS:
Statement - I have come across many different "cultural niches" in my life, and I must say that one of the most unique subcultures in our society, are Deer hunters.
Supporting Details - When talking about deer hunters, I am speaking of the type who obssess about the sport. They are a hard group to distinguish, but spending a day with a group of hunters, during hunting season, will enlighten you on all of their cultural aspects. The slang, the clothing, and all of the off-season antics, are emong the few aspects that definatively shape the subculture of Deer hunters.

FIRST TOPIC:
Topic Sentence - Typicall the Deer hunter's hunting season lasts about 12 week during fall, but a true Deer hunter will tell you that as soon as the off-season begins, a new season starts.
Supporting Details - Talk about all of the antics that a hunter does during the regular, and off-seasons.

SECOND TOPIC
Topic Sentence - The way a Deer hunter acts in puplic, typically varies from the way they will act during the season.
Supporting Details - Talk about how they act in season. All of the curse words, slang terms, clothing, and hunting stories a hunter partakes in. Talk about how they act in public. The hunting conventions, sources of entertainment, and clothing.

THIRD TOPIC
Topic Sentence - Like all sports, each athlete has their own style, or particullar way in which they compete.
Supporting Details - Talk about different hunters prepartation, and strategies while hunting. Also speak about the "tactical" plans they devise to get the on, and off season.

CONCLUSION
Topic Sentence - Deer hunters, in a sense, are like jocks, they are an athlete of their own sport, the sport between man and wild.

Definition: When is Someone "Educated?"

Throughout one's entire life, they are constanly going through the education process. One may say, "Hey, thats not true! I have been through every level of education, elementary through high school, and even college. I am done with me education." Well, sure, after you have gotten through school, one of the most influential ways one is educated, you are done with school, but not done being educated. The definition of education is "the act or process of imparting or acquiring particular knowledge or skills." In my eyes, the education process begins once a child is born, until that person dies. Every day of our lives we learn atleast one new thing. This thing could be about oneself, the world, an abstract concept or way of thinking, it could be anything!

Peer Review Impression

I like what we did on the first peer review, but I think it should be changed a bit. If we were to pair up with a partner, and not only do the worksheet that we did, but discuss it as well, we would be alot better off. I got alot of useful information about my paper by doing this, but verbal discussion could greatly increase the amount of value it had on my paper.

Assignment #2, Subcultures

For assignment #2, the two subcultures I am interested in are Hunters, and Gamers.

When I talk about hunters, I am talking about people who obsess themselves about the sport. These people typically have entire arsinals of weapons, and use a vocablulary that only one of there own can understand. Their style of clothing does not stray too far away from the norm, but usually you can point them out by the bright orange hats they constantly wear. Camo and plaid are among the favorite clothing patterns of these people. Quite frankly, I could go on and on about this subculture.

Gamers are the people whos live revolves around their video games. These people use alot of terms only gamers would know, and their language is much like the way in which they type to people over the internet. Clothing-wise, they wear normal clothes, but what they wear, has probably been worn for the last week or so.

Argument Essays

I chose the essay, Whodunit - The Media, and I feel that is was a well written essay, except there were a few areas that the writer could have done a better job on. It wasn't clear which side of the argugument the writer was on until the second paragraph. As well as a bad thesis statement, here leading sentences were not great either. Besides that, I thought there was good transitions between paragraphs, good information, and very well worded. I personally thought it was a very interesting essay, and the author is fairly knowledgeable on the subject.

Project Proposal

I will be doing my essay on the contrevoursy surrounding the halluncinogenic drug, Salvia Divinorum. As of late, the legal substance has been undergoing scrutiny about its effects on the human body, and whether it should remain legal or not. Using the research that I collect, I will first give a brief history on the drug, explaining where it comes from, what it is, how it is used, and the effects it has on the human body. After that I will explain peoples past experiences with the drug, both positively and negatively. Using my research, I will explain the current legal status of salvia, and how current events are changing it. Finally I will give my theory on the subject, relating salvia to marijuana's legal status, and how if one is legal, the other should be, and vice-versa.

Research Exercise #2

Eric Guidobono
ENGL 1050
Research Excercise #2
Topic choices: Salvia, is it safe???

Work Cited 1:
NBC10. "Cheap, Legal, and Dangerous." 2006-04-11. Delaware.

Summary:
In the town of Wilmington, Delaware, Brett Chidester, a straight "A" high school student with alot of friends killed himself. Brett used the legal, hallucinogenic drug multiple times a day without question. Although salvia is not a deadly drug, Brett's suicide was brought on by depression, which can be brought on by excessive use of the drug. Now his mother, Kathy Chidester is trying to outlaw the drug in the state of Delaware.

Response:
I feel that it is obsurred that his mother is trying to outlaw the drug. Obviously Brett was a troubled kid if he needed to trip out everyday on the drug. Is the drug dangerous, yes and no. Everything is bad if you consume too much of it, hell, even the over-consumption of water can be fatal. Should we outlaw water? According to NBC10's, "Cheap, Legal, and Dangerous," People in the mountains of southern Mexico have been using Salvia for more than 1,000 years. Now it has become popular with high school and college kids [paragraph 7]. How come people from southern Mexico can use it for thousands of years without a problem, and Brett Chidester is resposible for making the drug just around the corner from being outlawed? People don't do stupid things, stupid people do stupid things.

Work Cited 2:
Turner, D.M. "Salvinorin - The Psychedelic Essence of Salvia Divinorum." Panther Press, August 1996

Summary:
Salvia Divinorum is the most potent naturally occurring psychedelic known. For thousands of years, it has been ritualistically used by Mazatec Indians of the Sierra Mazateca region of Oaxaca, Mexico, and possibly by earlier human civilizations. The effects experienced while under the influence of salvia are extremely bizarre and varrie greatly. Salvia does not induce the same physical health problems as does cigarrettes, or even marijuana. Although physical health issues are not a concern, over consumption of the plant can cause depression, and insanity.

Response:
Just by reading Turner's knowledge of the plant facinates me. In his book, "Salvinorin - The Psychedelic Essence of Salvia Divinorum," Early experiments by pioneering psychonauts suggest that access to benignly expansive realms, as well as new and very real dangers [Introduction, paragraph 2]. He is basically saying that users can be enlightened many different ways. You could realize things going on in your life that you would have never realized or considered dealing with in the past.