Religion vs. Society

When searching for a topic to listen to on the radio page, I decided to look into Christian Science since I've been studying a Christian Science church as a subculture for Writing and Rhetoric II. I stumbled upon a radio show about the Christian Science religion and some common misconceptions. The two most common misconceptions where that the religion was in fact a religious cult and that the idea of "Christian Science" was just a nicer way of saying scientology. Through this radio show, I learned that misconceptions are formed on a daily basis about almost every religion and because of these misconceptions; many churches in America are finding a decrease in the amount of members attending the church. Also brought up in the show was not only the fact that people are steering themselves away from religion by their stereotyping, but that maybe some religions are lacking members because of their lack of progression. If a church doesn't grow and change with society, thus sticking straight to their traditional ways, how will the church be able to fulfill the spiritual needs of the younger generations? The big question that this radio show brought to the forefront of my mind is: Is it the Church that needs to morph with society or has society lost its spiritual need for the church (and maybe the true meaning of religion itself)?

Blog Post: Radio Lab

For this post I want you to listen to an episode of Radio Lab and discuss what you learned in 250 words or more. There are five seasons and many episodes to choose from so explore the site and find one you might be interested in. Try not to repeat an episode that someone else has already written about. You can also download their free podcast off of itunes, but make sure you write about a full hour long episode.

Remember to post a comment on a classmates blog. These are due next Wednesday 11/25.

Cleaning up America

If I was president for a day, I would go down into all the projects and just talk with the people down there. All the previous candidates seem to know what is best for the American economy, to make less poverty, yet they aren’t the ones actually dealing with it. So I would want to be the one to listen to the families and what would help them in their struggle. I would want to go to the top 5 most poverty stricken communities in America to hear and witness first hand what’s really going on. Then I would make a truly informed decision on how to clean up and better the chances for people in those areas. After starting up my decision, I would want to directly clean up the worst area in each state. I would do this because although raising taxes for the wealthy and lowering for the poor will gradually help the economy, eventually bettering these areas, I think that a direct approach will aid to better results. It might even give these people a little bit of hope until the economy gets itself back on its feet.

Let's Save Some Money!

If I were President, I would change our dependence on foreign oil and instantly make cars that do not run on gasoline. I would have all cars be energy-efficient without harmful emissions being produced. This would cut down drastically on our impact on the environment and save millions of people so much money each year. If we could have a solar-powered or electric car, we would no longer need to pay for the ever-increasing prices of gas at the pumps. It would save everyone concern, frustration, and above all money and help reduce the damage forcing its way into the environment every day.

What homeless people?

If I were President of the United States, a small thing I would change would be the amount of homeless people walking the streets of every state throughout this great nation. I would come up with some sort of system where they could get help, find jobs and get back on their feet. They would either have this option or jail. If they chose jail they would be there for live and if they wanted to change their lifestyle they would have to listen to the help of professionals and service men and women volunteering their time to find these individuals jobs and housing. There would be no room to fail. They would have to ultimately succeed at becoming educated, employed individuals or would be put into jail. I think this would help a lot of the violence on the streets, give them hope and a future and create somewhat of a more peaceful world. 

Morgan as President

If i were the next President of the United States the thing that i would change right away would be the all the waste that covers our land. I would somehow create a device that would take the millions of plastic bottles that cover our land, all the wasteful uses of paper, and turn them into objects that would could resell and reuse. I think this is a good idea because as a whole, the US is a very wasteful country and we are not changing anything about it. We are trying to, but there are still stores like wal-mart and sams club that sell so much plastic bottles and they do not give any chance that they will change their ways. As a President, I would create a law that would make everyone recycle, and make companies that are large in wasting, reduce to less than half of what they would waste oringially. Not really sure how i would actually go about forcing people to do this, but i would find a way as president.

President Ban

America is in a tight grip of troble as all of you know, i myself can fix it but by the act of the people we can make this country great again. I as the next president would pass a new law that needs to be acted upon. We all need to cooporate to make ends meet. The bill will signify that all people making more than 150,000 dollars a year will be raised in tax and all who make less would get lower tax rate. By this law the money from taxes can go directly into the tax collector. By this law people who are making less than 150,000 dollars are saving money and helping there small businesses which would help the bigger corporation and by that it will get our economy flowing again. I would love to see America back on its feet it is by one man that can easly destroy the course of our economy. Bush made war all because of oil and the thought of W.M.D. but i believe that was an excuse to get into iraq. America depends on a person that can lead it into greater hights and upholds the words that he or she makes.

I AM SENATOR ABRAHAM BAN, AND I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE.

What Would I Change?

One of the most important things I would  change is the economy. We are struggling when it comes to the economy and it's not just us it's everyone but I would start off by helping and changing the way we spend money. Since I have been alive the U.S has been in debt and a lot of it. No matter what we do we can't get out or we just continue to spend money that we don't have.  I would definitely cut down the spending and also try and make things cheap or others. Also build up American made businesses so that money would go to us and no one else.

Another thing is along the entertainment type. I would change how College football doesn't have a playoff. It irritates me every year and it needs to stop. Take the top ten teams in the nation and let them go at it because than we would figure out who is the best because they had to play five games to get there and all their opponents were in the top ten. 

What Would You Change?

Before you post this new blog make sure you go back and answer your classmates ethical dilemmas.

For this post I want you to imagine yourself as the next President of the United States. In this imaginary scenario you have one free pass to change anything you want in the US and it will miraculously happen. In 250 words or more tell us what you would change and why.

Due next Wednesday 11/19. Remember to comment on at least one of your classmates posts.

For Richer or For Poorer

It is a regular windy day in Chicago. It is raining, cloudy, and cold. You are sick and tired of not just your daily routine but the routine of life. You work 13 hour days to support your family but you still live pay check to pay check, sometimes falling short. Walking on your way home you stumble upon a wallet of what appears to be a very wealthy, high class business man. Of course there is enough money to pay for the next few months rent. Do you return the wallet with everything in it knowing your family just might be getting by? Or do you take the money, supporting your family? Do you figure he doesn't need the money anyway? It's tough.

Your mother or your father

Your parents are happily married and you grew up with a happy childhood loving your parents equally. You hope to one day have a marriage like your parents. Your parents do everything together. Unfortunately they ,also, have the same illness and you have to donate your kidney to only one of them. What do you do? Do you let your mother die or your father?

do you write the story?

Growing up, your family didn't have much money. But somehow with hard work you made it all the way through college and graduated with a degree in journalism. You also made it all the way through college with your best friend of eighteen years, who has a LOT of money by way of her father's successful business. You get a job reporting at the Chicago Tribune. Your boss hands you your first assignment, which is an expose on your on best friend's father. It turns out he started his business with money made by means of drug trafficking. This story could make your career, establishing you as one of the best new writers and giving you a steady income to help your family who has supported you for your entire life . This story could also end a lifelong friendship and lead to the destruction of that friend's family. Do you write the story? Why or why not? Which is the "right" thing to do?

intoxication nation

You're at a party with a few of your friends. Most of the people there you don't know, but you've been reassured by your friends that it will be a good time. As the night goes on, you realize that the driver you came with is a intoxicated, and you begin to wonder if riding home with them would be the best decision. 

Your friends decide to hit up another party, and you agree to go, but still aren't sure about riding with them. Someone you met while at the party offers to give you a ride to the next party so you can meet up with your friends there. The only problem with this is he tells you that along the way you'll have to stop and pick up some drugs from a dealer along the way, and you will have to make the pick-up.

What do you do? Do you take a risk and ride along with your friends who are clearly intoxicated? Or is it safer to ride with the sober friend who is asking you to do something illegal in return for the ride?

a mother

(It just makes up.)
You are a mother. You just born a baby, at the same time your husband divorce you. When your child is 3 years old, your child get the Leukemia. The doctor said your child need to change the bone marrow. And your child can live 2 more years, if doesn’t change bone marrow. Because there is no one has matching bone marrow, either you or your ex-husband. Now, if your child has a bother or sister, it might help your child. What will you do? If a brother or a sister can help your child, will you ask you ex-husband for that, but you don’t love him anymore?

Battle of the Roommates

When you moved into the dorms everyone was getting along great... that is until one of your roommates turned out to be a complete OCD clean freak (you have three roommates total). After countless times of having a discussion with all the roommates voicing their opinion on cleaning issues, you had thought everyone had come to an agreement until one of the OCD roommates left a very rude note indirectly blaming you for all the messes when it wasn't just you. Since she left to go out of town, you left the note up for all the other roommates to read and had to wait before you could discuss the note with her. Upon the day she arrives another one of your roommmates mentions all of you getting together and going to residence life and getting her kicked out, while one of your friends decides to take it upon herself to write a rude message to your roommate on the white board for her to find when she gets back. Do you:
A. clean off the message and just address things with that roommate/the roommates when she gets back
B. clean off the message and go with the other two roommates and get her kicked out with out talking to her about anything
C. Leave the message pretending its from you and live life as if nothing ever happened

PS. this OCD roommate has another place she's kinda moved into and just stays here half the time because her parents paid for it.

Worldwde Biohazard Disease

June 6, 2012 at 6:66AM you are getting ready for work doing your daily route; shower, dress up, grab papers reports, and grab your morning coffee. Then as you sip your hot brew you turn on the T.V. its channel 32 FOX News then you hear a worldwide disease breaking out rapidly all over the half side of the world and President Obama made a pubic speech. Quote Obama "We as America need to protect ourselves from this breakout. I have ordered all ocean borders to be closed and we allied with Canada and all southern America to uphold this action to." So in other words we in the West side of the globe is cut off from the world in order for us not to get infected. Millions and millions of people are dieing helplessly and America got into action by trying to find a cure but all is lost. Then the government passed a bill saying, "All Americans citizens must be checked daily for disease inside our states for security of our country." As you hear that you went to go and get check-up from a free clinic around the corner. You suddenly found from your doctor that you are imun to the disease and that you are the only one in the world who can't get the disease. But the thing is that if you give in to help they need all of your blood to transfuse the blood and copy it (meaning you will die) or you can stay where you are and refuse and give up your life.

PS... IF YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE THEN IN THE FUTURE THE DISEASE WILL BRAKE OUT INTO AMERICA SOIL THEN EVERYONE WILL DIE EXCEPT YOU. BUT IF YOU DIE FOR THE WORLD YOU WILL BE HONORED THOUGHT GENERATIONS AND THE WORLD WILL CELIBREATE YOU FOR YOUR SACRIFICE AND WILL REMEMBER YOU ALWAYS.

The battle

You are asked to play a battle of the bands. You tell all the members of your band, (for me two), without hesitation they say, ok. As it gets closer and closer to the battle, you start to wonder if this event would turn out like the past battle of the bands, which was a grueling 12 hours of waiting until the decision, and upon the decision, which was won by the roar of the crowd, most of your fans had already left because it was way too late. So, when seeking out bands who have play at this new venue, they stated similar points of how band the venue is. What would you do? Would you not go? or would you think outside of the box and think of what will happen if you do go? 

A Doctor and Patient

(ps this is just made up - obviously...)

You are a doctor. You received a young boy at the hospital who is only 8 years old. You discover he has a life-threatening illness and you predict he has only a few months to live. Upon informing his parents, they tell the doctor explicitly not to tell their son, since they don't want him to become pessimistic. You, being a doctor, have the right to doctor/ patient confidentiality and you are obligated to inform the boy about his illness. What do you do? Not tell the child and let him find out later, or tell him against the will of his parents and expose him to the truth?

Ball or Booze

You are at a party, and your parents told you many times that you are not allowed to drink at all. If you did and the found out, you would have to turn yourself into the school and that means you would not be allowed to play basketball anymore. You end up drinking and the next thing you know you are drunk and so are the people you came with. Eventually as the night goes on, the party gets out of hand and the cops come. Your only choice is run and you end up at your car. Everyone is drunk. Even the driver. Do jump into the car to avoid the wrath of your parents when they find out you have been drinking? Or do you call them to come and pick you up and jeopardize your senior year basketball season?

Blog Post: Ethical Dillema

For Monday, create and write out an original ethical dilemma. It can come from your own life if you need, or something you've created; in either case, direct the question to the reader.

Don't include too much information or qualifications. Just enough to give your reader the basic understanding of their choice.

In the comments the rest of you will give your answer to the dilemma.

Portfolio Project # 3

I handed this out earlier, but just in case you missed it. The deadline is coming up!

Portfolio Project # 3
Ethics and Essential Choices

Deadline:
Monday, November 17: completed project, with 2–3 page, word processed, Artist Statement reflecting on the production and purpose of the project.

Purpose:
To demonstrate creatively your understanding of what’s at stake in making ethical and essential choice within the worlds of Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Caro’s Whale Rider, and in your own life.

Criteria:
Your work will be evaluated based primarily on how well you document the process of creating the work, and well you can reflect on and articulate that process, and not on the quality of the piece as an artwork per se.

Your piece should demonstrate evidence of careful thought and planning; originality and risk- taking; organization and focus; attention to detail; and respect for an audience of your peers. If you choose to work collaboratively, your project will be evalauted in the context of principles and practices for effective, creative teamwork.

You will of course have ample opportunity to revise your portfolio piece and the accompanying Artist Statement for the final submission of the portfolio.

à You should choose a medium different from the one you selected for the first two portfolio projects. Thus, if you gave me a short story for the first or second project, do not give me another short story for this piece!

Collaboration:
Topics 1, 2, and 4 may be approached collaboratively; the maximum number of people who may collaborate on a given topic is indicated. You will be neither advantaged nor disadvantaged should you choose to work collaboratively. If you do choose to work with a group, your collective piece will be reviewed as a team project (this means that if two people work on a project, it should be clearly twice the production of the same piece done by an individual), and you must carefully document and reflect on the specific processes of your collaboration in your individual Artist Statements. In short, the members of a group must each turn in his or her own individual Artist Statement.

Topics:
Option One [max. 4 people]: Create a short (say, 8–10 minute) news segment that reports on a court case in which Okonkwo is tried for the murder of Ikemefuna (or some other crime, if you choose). Your report may be done in the style of a televised news program like 20/20 or Dateline (in which case you should turn in a DVD of the edited report) or a radio news program as on National Public Radio (in which case you should turn in an audio recording of the edited report). Your newscast should probably involve some background information provided by the reporter, as well as interviews with relevant parties: the prosecution and/or defense, maybe Okonkwo himself, perhaps a member of the jury. These discussions should reflect a careful and nuanced understanding of the ethical choices faced by Okonkwo; “interviews” of the two legal teams should present the various viewpoints in some detail. You should as much as possible focus on the values, attitudes, and/or beliefs that inform the various parties’ arguments. The large question your news segment should be striving to answer is “Why does it matter?”

Option Two [max. 4 people]: Things Fall Apart ends tragically, while Whale Rider ends on an upbeat note. What would have happened, however, if the protagonists of those stories had made different decisions? Author an alternative ending for either Okonkwo’s or Pai’s story. You may use any medium (film, prose, comics, etc.). Make sure to provide some context for your new ending so that we know where your new ending departs from the original story. The focus should be on the crucial differences between the “original” character (i.e., the Okonkwo created by Achebe, the Pai created by Caro) and the “new” one. What values, attitudes, or beliefs are different in the “new” Okonkwo or Pai that cause him/her to make (a) different decision(s)? You should also show the consequences of that/those different decision(s). Is the character, or his/her family, community, or society any better off?

Option Three [max. 1 person]: Create a work in any medium (which you haven’t already used) in which you relate an ethical or essential choice or dilemma from your own life or from current events to Things Fall Apart or Whale Rider or both. You may do this through comparison (i.e., elements that are the same) or contrast (i.e., elements that are different) or both. You do not have to choose an event that parallels Okonkwo’s or Pai’s (or Koro’s—the grandfather’s) situation explicitly, but your project should draw some connections between the decision-making process in the story or event you choose and the decision-making process in TFA or WR; in particular, you should discuss how values, attitudes, or beliefs contribute to the ethical decision in each case. Please note that it is NOT enough simply to describe a difficult decision you had to make; an ethical (or essential) choice such as those that form the crux of this unit of the course involve a conflict or disharmony of moral principles. While you need not choose a dilemma of the sort we discussed in class, you should choose a situation in which the decision and its consequences have profound implications for the decision-maker and his/her family, community, and/or society.

Option Four [max. 2 people]: Compose and record two songs: (1) a protest song, speaking as an Ibo resisting colonialization and Christianization; and (2) an anthem, speaking as a colonialist bringing Christianity and British rule to the Ibo. The lyrics of both songs should clearly convey the values, attitudes, or beliefs of each group in this particular situation. The music does not have to be “authentic” or stylistically appropriate to Africa or Great Britain in the 1890s; in fact, avoid musical caricature (as this is often more offensive than it is illuminating)—in short, do not try to create a “tribal”-sounding song. Parodying Gilbert and Sullivan operettas is fine, should you choose to do so.

A NOTE ON THE ARTIST’S STATEMENT

Please keep in mind what your Artist’s Statement should contain. It should discuss the process of creating your project, and while it should address some of the logistics of the process, it should spend at least as much time discussing the more intellectual and artistic questions that arose. While your Statement can and should find its own questions to answer, here are three to get you started, three questions that all Artist’s Statement should address in some fashion:
1. State clearly what the message of your project is;
2. Articulate why that message matters (i.e., What’s at stake?);
3. Explain how—if at all—you expect your audience to understand that meaning from your piece.

The Old Pair

Every day you put them on, not even thinking that these are items that go through everything you do, and still allow you to wear them. What do you think about when you finally look at them? They are more like you than anything you will know in your life, and yet you walk all over them. However, they are the only thing that does allow you to step all over them.  They are normally taken for granted until that day comes when you need to but new ones, thoughts of "I should of taken better care of them", come to mind. Nonetheless, you never forget how great they were to you.

The Boxes

As I traveled across the Earth, I couldn’t help but notice all that the humans wear to cover their skin. At every location, the humans wear different drapings, but there was one part of the body that was covered up in almost every culture. Instead of walking on the ground with their skin, the humans put all different shapes and sizes of material to cover the bottom, flat part of their limbs. Some wore a more box like shape with a snake woven up them to hold it on the limbs, while other had a big stick coming out the back of their box used for balancing on while moving. Maybe this is a form of punishment for a crime they had committed. Other boxes are tall and go all the way up the middle of the limbs, while others just attach to the bottom of the flat part of the limb. The purpose of these boxes is unknown, since the humans have a flat part of their body to move on. Maybe it is for mating purposes and the different styles/colors say what group these humans are a part of. This unique limb cover seems pointless and hurtful to the human body, yet a necessity within the human culture.

It's an Addiction

Walking through the streets, sitting on the el, lying in your bed, or even during class, you see people moving their fingers over buttons quickly. Almost like they are playing the piano. The object seems to come in all different shapes, sizes, and styles. They all have different sounds that inform the owner of something new, a change, or a text. Thats right, a text message. The cell phone as developed and evolved rapidly. Especially its features.  It has become a part of life, but more importantly it has become a major form of communication. The next time you walk down the street, or finding yourself sitting on the el, look around you, i guarantee there will be people playing into the role of the text messaging craze. 

the snake in the wall

It seems all too frequently that humans engage in this activity. As the sun rises over the horizon people generally remove woven fabrics from over themselves and proceed to pace to an enclosed area. The sides of this area are covered with smooth squares of a cold material; the walking surface often is covered in a similar substance. Against one side of the room sits a hollow slab. Within the depression is carved a small circular opening, and this gap is filled in with a similarly shaped metallic plug. Higher up above the hollowing a short snake peeks its head out from the cracks of the plastering. Though it remains motionless for much of the day, it sprays its venom upon its victims after having its tail twisted. Humans often stand in this venom anywhere from a minute up to half an hour and often engage in a capella chanting. Upon their skin they rub a variety of toxins which kill thousands lifeforms with a single rub. These toxins combine with the venom to create a thick mass which slowly drips into the hole on the ground. After the snake has fully expired its venom, humans will create friction on their skin by rubbing large rectangles of cotton and polyester vigorously. Once the friction has reached its maximum humans drape more fabrics over their bodies and proceed to apply multiple solids and liquids to their skin in order to appear as healthy as possible when out in public situations.