i. Read the opinion or editorial page of any newspaper or news magazine (like Newsweek or USNews).
ii. Post the link to one article with which you agree and one with which you disagree separately.
iii. Below the link explain why you agree/disagree.Respond to two other choices by agreeing or disagreeing with either the article or the author’s rationale for choosing it.
iv. Respond to two other choices by agreeing or disagreeing with either the article or the author’s rationale for choosing it.
30 comments:
Yo Mr. Holt, remember to post the last two weeks' blog assignments!!!
Jenny Wheeler
1. Stop the Energy Insanity
http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/mzuckerman/2008/07/10/stop-the-energy-insanity.html
I agree with the author of this editorial. With the surging cost of oil and gas prices soaring to over $4 a gallon, our economy is collapsing, and might have a hard time coming back. Because of farmers growing corn crops for the main purpose of producing ethanol, food prices have gone up, even though we have been offered cheaper ethanol. The author stated "The clear implication for the United States is that the age-old standoff on whether domestic drilling or conservation is the solution is now irrelevant. We must have both." With the Congress unable to pass laws and build refineries, we have no choice but to find other rescources. If we don't do something, the hole we're digging in will just get deeper.
Jenny Wheeler
2.When Kids Become Teens, They Become Sluggish
http://www.newsweek.com/id/146318
I really think I disagree with this editorial. I think as kids get older, they are offered more opportunities to be active, like sports and in their p.e. class. I dont agree that 90% of kids are inactive. There are some kids who choose not to do these things, but that is their problem. Most kids I know today are in multiple sports and never stop moving. I'm in marching band and when that season starts, I hardly get a chance to breath. Some people doubt the physical aspect, but I can tell you it is just as hard as any sport ot there.
Jenny,
I do agree with you on your second article. I think that as kids become older they have many oppurtunities to become active in middle and high school sports. So my opinion relates to yours, I do agree that kids stay active or even become more active as they get older. Good Job!
Rhen Brooks
Rhen Brooks
1. Great Medicine needs committed Patients
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/best-hospitals/2008/07/10/great-medicine-needs-committed-patients.html
I agree with the author of this article on her opinion. I do believe that a pill cant make your rehabilitation happen on its own. I agree when she says that diet, exercise, and committment can make your rehabilitation grow, as well as a pill. But its the fact that it isn't just a pilll making you better. You have to stay committed to certain things until you get back to your normal health.
Rhen Brooks
2.Are Kidney's a Commodit?
http://www.newsweek.com/id/137544
I disagree with the author in this article about selling organs for personal wealth. I don't agree that you should be able to do that. If you volunteer to help a family memeber or friend out that is perfectly fine to me, but selling your organs is another story. In my opinion I agree with organ doning, and helping someone out with an organ, but selling would be no option.
Rhen,
In response to your 1st article
I agree with you on the first article. Rehabilitation doesn't happen on its own, you have to work at getting better. Different pills and medications can help, but it's really up to you how well you want to do. Overall, good job.
Rhen,
In response to your 2nd article
I agree with you on ths article. Its one thing to donate an organ to help someone, but I don;t think that you should sell them for your own personal wealth. Its kind of selfish if you don't do it just to help someone in need. Good job!
Jenny,
I agree with your opinion on your first article. I do agree that we need to find other resources about the problem with oil and the prices going sky high. The economy is collapsing and we need a huge turn around. Great Job! But keep a close eye on spelling. Hint, resources..haha!
Rhen Brooks
Danny Holland
1. The U.S. Needs to End Its Energy Dependence
http://www.usnews.com/articles/
opinion/2008/07/10/two-takes-
the-us-needs-to-end-its-energy
-dependence.html
The author of this editorial explained that we will be doomed to live on a "largely lifeless" planet if we continue our dependency on other countries for oil.
I agree with the author when he explained that it was important to find a new source of energy that would be less polluting to our environment. With gas prices at four dollars or more a gallon, I believe that it is time to find a new source which would cut our dependency on other countries and be less harmful to our environment. I don't believe that we can completely turn this situation around in a short period of time, but I believe that if we introduce new ideas such as electric cars and bio-diesel fuel to the public, the people of our country, and others as well, would hopefully try new ideas that would be sufficient to the needs of our environment and world.
Danny Holland
2. Math meltdown
http://blogs.usatoday.com/
oped/2008/07/math-meltdown.html#more
I disagree with the author who wrote this column. I do not believe that a student's ability to fully understand the basic concepts of math have to do with the school's teaching system, but with the student's will to learn and their desire to understand.
Math isn't the most exciting subject in school. When you were in first grade, the math lessons were built on "If I have three cookies and I eat one, how many do I have?"
As students grow up and reach high-school or even college level math classes, the subject becomes more sophisticated and complicated. Having already completed math courses such as Algebra 2 and Math Analysis, I realize that to do well on tests, you have to force yourself to find the subject interesting. This isn't something that a high school math teacher can easily do, and even if they could, it still wouldn't affect everyone.
People learn in different ways and it would be impossible for schools to accommodate each and every students' learning methods.
Like I said earlier, I do not believe that the school systems are to blame for the low math scores. I believe that it is based on the individual's drive for excellence.
Cecilia Bulzomi
1)Two Takes: The US Needs to End It's Energy Dependence- http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/2008/07/10/two-takes-the-us-needs-to-end-its-energy-dependence.html
i agree with what the author of this article says. We do need to try and stop consuming so much of our natural resources so quickly. He stated a couple of ideas that are already starting to come into use. Hybrids are becoming more and more popular, and many people are buying smaller cars that get better gas mileage. Even with these slow going improvements we are not anywhere close to solving our growing problem.
Danny
I agree with you on your second article. It doesnt matter what the school system is like it is really the students willingness to be taught and to actually try in their studies.
Rhen,
I also agree with your second article. A pill can't make everything better you have to do some of the work too. I have always wondered how people think that without any effort they will get better.
Cecilia Bulzomi
2) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/2008/07/21/fannie-mae-and-freddie-mac-should-be-cut-down-and-cut-loose.html
I don't agree with this article because if it is a government company why should their money be taxed and then just given right back to them?? The author who wrote this was just trying to find something to complain about our government. people should be happy we have the laws we do. it is much more fair here than in other places.
Stephanie Floyd
Drop Back
http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/072008/07212008/395963
I do think that tailgating is a big problem with drivers these days. It makes sense that trucks would have to follow farther behind vehicles in front of them considering they are a good deal larger than normal cars. Ticketing tailgaters, like the VA State Police do, is a good idea. However I think putting the "3 second rule" into the Virginia Code would benefit drivers because, as the author stated in his first paragraph, following at a "reasonable" or "prudent" distance can differ between different people.
Stephanie Floyd
Ink Stained Wretchedness
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/21/AR2008072102358.html
I think Mr. Richard Cohen was in a particularly bad mood when he wrote this article. I mean, sure, tattoos are probably a bad idea in the long run and, yes, some people decide to cover their bodies in some freaky ink. But, "the permanence of the moment -- the conviction that now is forever -- explains what has happened to the American economy”? It’s true that people's debt is why our economy isn't doing well. But I highly doubt that our debt has anything to do with paying for tattoos. There are other frivolous purchases that contribute to debt. I don't think that tattoos alone are the cause for America's economic crisis.
In response to Cecilia's
Two Takes: The US Needs to End It's Energy Dependence article-
I agree with the writer of this article. With everything I hear on the news and read in newspapers it looks like America will need to become energy independent in the near future to avoid disastrous results on our world. I think the elecrtic hybrid car idea is a good one that might help. But, like Cecilia stated in her response to this article, we're a long way off from solving this enviornmental problem.
Stephanie,
(In response to "Drop Back")
I agree with your response. Being a driver myself, I understand how dangerous it is to tailgate on fast roads. Ticketing tailgaters would cause drivers to be more cautious when following other people on the road.
However, just like speeding, people will do it anyway. Don't think that just because there is a law against tailgating, people won't do it. I believe, as a whole, ticketing tailgaters would lower the amount of crashes, but only by being an alert and skillful driver will our roads become immensely safer.
Jenny, (In response to "When Kids Become Teens, They Become Sluggish")
I disagree with your response. Yes, most of our friends are very active, but you need to look at the big picture. Take our school for example: only a small percentage of students participate in sports or physically active programs. Also, look at gym classes. Have you ever noticed how many students would "forget" their gym clothes and sit on the sidelines while they talk to their friends? It isn't hard for me to believe that a majority of teenagers are inactive because all of the distractions in life. Computer, video games, TV, and socializing with friends on the phone are all, for the most part, sedentary activities. I think the reason people become more "sluggish" during their teen years is because these sedentary activities become more accessible.
Brittany Murphy
Great Medicine Needs Committed Patients
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/best-hospitals/2008/07/10/great-medicine-needs-committed-patients.html
I agree with this article. I know from personal experience that medicine doesn't make anything magically better. Whether there is something physically, mentally, or emotionally wrong with you, it takes a certain commitment to be able to get back to the way you were before your injury.
An 'A' for perfection doesn't make the grade
http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/072008/07252008/394933
Alot of this article I agree with, but the reason I chose this article for the one I disagree with is because there is a thought the author keeps mentioning that really annoys me.
Throughout the article, she comments that "the only acceptable result is perfection" and or hints that students are being punished for the 6 or 7 point grading scales that Spotsylvania and Stafford have.
I don't know about other people but when I see on an interim that I have a 93 I try twice as hard to bring that up to a 94 to reach that A. On the other hand if I see on an interim that I already have a 94 I sort of think "As long as I don't screw up I'll be fine for the next report card."
From a students perspective, I think the grading scale we have now isn't a punishment, but it is a challenge. While yes, a 10 point grading scale would be more fair and easier to get into colleges with, I don't think the 7 point grading scale we have now isn't a punishment for not reaching perfection.
Jenny,
I sort of agree with your response to "When Kids Become Teens, They Become Sluggish". I agree that teenagers are given more opportunities to be active once they get older, but I also think they are priveleged to more distractions such as cars, cell phones, and computers. I think that you cannot put a generalization on any amount of activity teenagers participate in.
Stephanie,
I agree with your response to the article Ink Stained Wretchedness. Sure, during this economic decline, getting tattoos probably shouldn't be a number one priority, but tattoos aren't the reason America's economy isn't in great shape.
Greg Baugher
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/072008/07242008/393333
I agree with Mr. Kreidwise, to a point. Yes, high gas prices may encourage some people to walk places, or ride their bike there. However, where I live, that just can't work for me. The closest store is a mile away, and my school is 14 miles away. So yes, gas prcies may lead some people to go places without their cars, but I think it would only be people in a more urban area.
Jenny,
I read the opinion on gas prices ruining our economy, and I personally wasn't real supportive of the author. He cites a few reasons for price increases, but in my mind doesn't mention the biggest: the laws of supply and demand. I believe we, as consumers, have "dug this hole" for ourselves.
Supply and demand is the basis for our economy. Demand goes up; prices go up. So, if Americans are willing to pay $4 dollars per gallon for gas, prices won't go down.
Gas companies, such as Exxon keep posting record profits every quarter, because Americans can't give up what the author called an "oil addiction." And if we can't change this addiction, we are going to keep paying whatever price the oil companies want to charge.
The author says more oil reserves would lower prices, but I think the only thing that will lower prices is competetion to the oil industry, or lower demand for oil. I don't see either of these tihngs happening in the near future.
Greg Baugher
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/07/championship-sp.html#more
I agree totally with this article.
After Katrina, there wasn't a whole lot to celebrate in New Orleans. Now, the Saints are competing in the NFL, the Hornets were a force in the NBA, and basketball has hosted their All-Star Game there.
The author mentioned the spirit is back in New Orleans, and I agree fully. A sports team, such as the Hornets or Saints, can give new life to a city. They give the people there something to look foward to and something to celebrate, but most importantly, they help bring the city together as fans and people.
Danny,
I liked the way you responded to the article on math and how you said that the student must be willing to learn math. I think that is entirely true. Math does tend to be a boring subject, but students who recognize that it is important will do better. However, I think the author mentions something else that could be a problem: the calculator.
In my math classes, I'm really not required to do my math on paper, I'm just required to do it. Back in elementary school, we learned to do math without a calculator because it taught us to think through a problem. Now, by pressing buttons on a calculator, we don't learn anything except the answer. We don't learn to think for ourselves anymore.
(I posted this once before by accident; I meant to press Edit- I pressed Publish...This is a revision that's basically the same but without the typos)
In response to Rhen Brooks' article- Are Kidney's a Commodit?
When I first saw the article I immediately thought I would agree with Rhen. But then I tried to consider the alternative, which is, selling organs. Why not? I think the sick people who are waiting for a donor should have an alternative. And I think we should atleast consider the idea. Like the article says, there are 75,629 people awaiting kidney transplants and of those 75,629, 5,000 will die because they don't have a donor or family member willing to give up their organ(s). But what about those few random people who want to help and get some money for such a generous donation? I don't think it should be easy if a person wants to sell his or her organ. There should be specific qualifications; I think the person would need to be healthy and his or her income should be looked at as well to make sure that he or she is not a poor person "tempted into selling spare body parts for cash."
I don't think the idea is really all that crazy.
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