For those of you who were just reading Wendy's 11/21/08 blog entry...
This is me wearing the same outfit James wore last Sunday. I am with my Uncle Stephen in this picture, taken around Christmas in 1984, when I was almost the exact same age James is now (a wee bit shy of one year).

My blog is liberated!

My Persuasive Writing class is over now, which means I can post whatever the heck I want to on this blog. The class required the maintenance of a blog with three entries a week about certain topics. I will keep this blog now as a personal blog, like everyone else has.
So, I don't have too much time right now since I am in the midst of final exams, but I want to tell everyone what happened to James yesterday. This girl named Cristiana (?) at church, who is about a year and a half old, was hugging on James and patting his head. Then suddenly she grabbed his cheeks and kissed him on the lips! My boy got his first kiss at the age of four months!
Oh yeah, she also tried...grabbing him. Yeah, I'll leave it at that. Little kids are so funny.

Introduction to the paper:

Enthymeme

Okay, I've decided I really don't have an enthymeme after all. I can't come up with any really good idea of how to resolve my issue. I'm at a complete and utter blank. This is quite the inopportune moment for it to happen, also, since tomorrow is Enthymeme Day. I will have to leave early because of some wacky geology field trip I need to go on (trust me, I wasn't planning to leave early because of enthymeme lack- my work schedule changed, and I couldn't go with the group on Saturday as I originally planned).
Hmmm, since the pharmaceutical companies supposedly don't like prescription drugs from other countries, what could be done to help curb that? For me, it would help if I could get some sort of discount while going through the waiting period before a new insurance company's plan would cover my meds. If I have to wait that long, I am still going to get my drugs from somewhere. It would most likely be Mexico. If they don't want me doing that, I could get a reduced price on the medicine so that I will still buy it here. I mean, even if it still ends up being a bit more than the Mexican price, per se, I would be willing to pay it here in order to avoid the hassle.
I'm just rambling, and I don't care that neither this nor the last entry qualifies as FW, TA, or RA (or whatever the categories for entries are).

Waiting periods

Waiting periods for pre-existing conditions are what I want to write about (I think). I talked a bit about this before, but I have looked some more into it. Most insurance plans, far and wide, will make you wait anywhere from 3 to 6 months or more before they will cover any pre-existing health condition you have. Now, I can understand that an insurance company would not want to have to suddenly pay for hundreds of thousands of dollars of surgery or treatment immediately when that person gets the insurance policy. People could definitely take advantage of the system in such a situation. You have something really bad coming, and the procedures are going to be really expensive. You decide to get X-Company's Insurance to pay for all of it about three days before you actually plan on having the stuff done to you. Insurance companies have to protect their financial butts somehow. Insurance companies can also decide whether or not they want to treat a person who they know is going to charge them $1.84 bazillion and soon.
However, not every pre-existing condition is going to be like this. I, for example, have epilepsy, and I need to take a certain drug twice a day. It is a 200mg caplet that went for around five bucks without insurance four or five years ago. I am sure that number is up now, though I don't know by exactly how much. Anyway, my medicine completely controls my seizures. In fact, today "celebrates" my last seizure, 1 April 2001. I cannot miss a single dose of my medicine or I risk having a really big seizure, possibly to the point of death. Because of how long and strong it was, my last seizure actually probably should have killed me, seriously. Anyway, if I can just take this pill twice a day, I am totally fine and fully functioning. Fortunately my current insurer through my employer requires no waiting period. I'm learning that is the exception and not the rule. When I quit my employer (and believe me, I will quit working at Macey's when I'm done with Provo), I will have to go to another insurance plan. I think, though, that I will have to wait before they will cover my medicine costs. Three to six months is a long time to go without medicine coverage. Unless I get a HUGE refill right before I quit, I will most likely have to get my drugs from Mexico. I did it before, and they worked just fine. (Yes yes, we had that discussion about the reliability of Mexican pharmaceuticals) I will be kind of forced into doing that, though.
I gotta stop rambling. How do I shape my paper to address this issue? I need help.

My wife and I were just talking about a recent news item about a guy who microwaved his baby. We were both sitting here and wondering what could ever have crossed that man's mind to even give him the idea to do that. Unless he was absolutely out of his mind and seriously had no control over what he was doing, he's a sick hell spawn who shouldn't have children in the first place. His child was two months old, by the way. How can you think to do anything so dastardly, so malevolent, as to torture your child that way? I can understand that itsby bitsy children can be frustrating. When I am alone with my son and he starts absolutely freaking out and gets into an "I only want Mom right now and nobody no one nothing else now now now," I have to take a step back and get my head on straight before reacting. He is so sweet, though, so innocent, as I know without a doubt all babies everywhere are. Anyone that can torture/molest/kill a child certainly deserves the treatment the Lord Himself prescribed, hanging them by a millstone and casting them into the depths of the sea. Some don't realize what a millstone is. It is a huuuuuge heavy rock that is used to grind stuff, like flour, wheat, shoddy college papers, etc., and it weighs thousands of pounds. Tie one of those around your neck and fall into the sea, and then tell me how you fared.
It's funny that some people say, "Oh NO! Be 'Christian' with the person! Don't punish him!" Hah. Read the New Testament, and you'll see for yourself.
I don't mean to become judge and jury right here. Well, maybe I do, but I don't want to declare that everyone who is suspected of mistreating a child should be tossed into jail for 1.3 bazillion years. Give a fair chance, but when it is found that that person has violated a child, give 'im the rock.
I think this has turned out well for what is officially my first entry done completely under the influence of Nyquil. Time for bed now.

Zimbabwe's Ahab

Argument: Robert Mugabe has dictatorially ruined Zimbabwe and unjustly wants re-election.

Audience: Immediately it is the readers of the LA Times, but it is meant for those who are involved/interested in the international political arena.

Ethos: The author speaks of his personal experiences as a white subject of Rhodesia/Zimbabwe. He seems very credible, because he was there before and after liberation in 1980, and he personally witnessed Zimbabwe's rise and fall. He doesn't seem like just another "talking head" or inexperienced pundit.

Pathos: He describes the young Zimbabwe as the Switzerland of Africa, in that it was the richest, most literate and prosperous nation on the continent, often helping its neighbors as well. He paints a bright, positive image of the young Zimbabwe, and he contrasts that with its dark, depressing current state. His description of Mugabe almost leaves you with your jaw open, (wondering how in the world is he still in power!).

Logos: His information is accurate. He uses statistic after statistic (granted, with no direct references cited) to show how dire Zimbabwe 's situation is under Mugabe.

I think it is a very effective argument. I took interest a little while ago in Zimbabwe and already knew some stuff about Mugabe, and my opinion of him was not that high. I did read actual speeches of his, though, and found that he is a very persuasive, intelligent, impressive orator. This article, written by an actual Zimbabwean, really puts things in perspective. I wish more people knew about what was happening over there.

Enthymeme: Robert Mugabe should not be re-elected because he has been the primary cause of Zimbabwe's downfall.

Robert Mugabe is the primary cause of Zimbabwe's downfall because he has slighted the nation for his own fortune and interest, he has destroyed efforts to have free elections, and he is starving what once was the breadbasket of Africa.

S- While the article is pretty thorough, I don't think it will have a widespread impact, mostly because many do not take interest in international affairs. Robert Mugabe has shown that he can rig an election in the past, and the same is likely to happen now (especially that he printed over 9 million pro-Mugabe ballots for his 5.7 million voter electorate).

T- This is a typical argument against a dictator. There is nothing outlandish or revolutionary about the content.

A- I believe the article to be accurate. The author himself saw his family lose their money and land because Mugabe wanted to give to his cronies. He himself experienced some of what Zimbabwe has had to pass through. I have read other sources and have found that most of the information is very accurate.

R- It is very relevant, indeed, since the elections are coming this Saturday. However, those who will read the LA Times will not likely be Zimbabwean voters, especially since no Zimbabwe diaspora is granted voting rights.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-godwin25mar25,0,7210173.story

I've been up since three o'clock this morning and have had one hellish day. I don't feel like writing about any of mu sources or some other argument or style analysis. I am getting sick, and my throat is burning. My wife has the exact same symptoms I have. Hopefully our baby doesn't get sick from being with us.
I hate my Irish Dance class. It is called a beginner's course, yet nearly everyone else in there is already a dancer, and a lot of the steps are at a level higher than a beginner like me can catch onto quickly. I dread that class more than I do any other class, and that includes Theoretical Syntax and my senior seminar.
Today I was sick, so I sat out the entire class. My wife is in the class too, so we have our baby each week. He is usually well-behaved, though the lack of attention sometimes gets him upset. Today I had him in my lap as I sat there on the wall. I was so tired and sick that I fell asleep, but I managed to fall asleep sitting up and still supporting him in my arms and lap. He was mesmerized by the dancing and noise. He has never really gotten to see the dancing that takes place. He was so interested that he barely made a peep the entire class period. He would specifically watch my wife, even when she had her back to turned to our direction. She ended up near us in one of the steps, and he yelled out, "Mom!" Of course, he is only three months old, so he most likely wasn't actually saying a real word. His babbling just happened to come out in that sequence of sounds which coincided with a real English word, one very applicable at that moment. It was really cute.

Free write

My grandfather's Uncle Kazimer and Aunt Ona left Lithuania in 1900, which was earlier than most of the family left. They moved to England to live in a small Lithuanian community in Manchester. They had two little daughters there. In early 1904, the family was hit by a flu epidemic going around England. Both daughters died, one being two and a half and the other about nine months old. Kazimer and Ona, distraught, left England in search of a better life in America. Here they started their family again, and the two daughters were not mentioned very much. In fact, nobody remembered the girls' names after Kazimer and Ona died. Their children have all died off as well. My dad's cousin (the granddaughter of Kazimer and Ona) told me last year that there were two daughters who were born and died in England, yet nobody knew anything about them. I wanted to find them so they could all be sealed together (we sealed Kazimer and Ona and their children born here in the US in December). I looked many times for the girls' records, but to no avail. I kind of gave up last year and figured I would probably have to wait until the Millennium to find who they were. However, I felt impressed to look through some random British records on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning (as I was in class, actually...). These were records I had searched through before and found nothing, so I wasn't quite sure what to look for. However, after a bit of looking and playing around with the name spellings (their last name was spelled like five different ways by the British), I found the two girls whose dates and birthplaces made them very likely candidates for the two daughters. I sent the info to my dad's cousin, and she felt very impressed that they were the two girls looked for. She's not a member of the Church or anything, but she had a very strong impression that they were the two daughters, so much that she told me she was sure that they were the girls. I felt the same. We found them! We were able to seal them to their parents yesterday in the Provo temple. It was wonderful. I am sure they were all happy to be together once again. I can't imagine how it was for Kazimer and Ona, too. Imagine losing your first two children, little girls, to disease in a foreign land you really didn't know, with most of your family still in the old country. They died over a hundred years ago! They have waited that long to be found and rejoined to their parents.

In-class paragraph

Audience: consumers of Krispy Kreme vanilla cream-filled doughnuts

Krispy Kreme lovers who wish to eat as healthily as possible must face this question every time they buy a doughnut: "Which doughnut choice is the healthiest option?" Now, we all have our personal favorites; some like classic original glazed, while others like the sleek, cosmopolitan "doughnut of the month." Some prefer doughnut holes, and others cream-filled doughnuts. For those who like vanilla-filled doughnuts, particularly, the two options are: 1. chocolate frosted or 2. glaze-covered. Saturated fat accounts for the greatest nutritional difference between the two. The chocolate-covered has around 10% more saturated fat that the glaze-covered. Therefore, glaze-covered is the healthier cream-filled doughnut.



Sorry! I just recently did some goofy paper about the healthier choice between Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and I used that same data for this. It was kind of fresh on my mind.

Indiana Jones movie trailer

http://www.imdb.com/video/user/me705352951/
Here's the link for anyone who hasn't seen it and/or wants to see it.

Main point: GO SEE THE NEW INDIANA JONES MOVIE.

Audience: Movie watchers, Americans, fans of previous Indiana Jones movies and maybe women who still think Harrison Ford is hot...?
(I am joking about that last part, though I know that there are women who do find him attractive, even though he's like 120 years old)

Ethos: The movie relies heavily on highlights from the previous Indiana Jones movies, showing how "He protected the power of the divine, ...saved the cradle of civilization," and "triumphed over the armies of evil." The artists use his past conquests and expeditions as justification for another movie. It is credible that Indiana Jones, though a little long in the tooth, would still have an adventure or two packed in him. It also uses the image of the American flag to show how American he really is, and how he can "save America" again.

Logos: The images from the previous movies are real (in that they do come from the other movies). Of course, Indiana Jones movies do not exactly portray nature and the force of gravity, for example, as they really are. He is able to undertake stunts that would kill most, including flying into the windshield of an oncoming truck and making a coy remark about it, as you stand up unscathed. It does portray Indiana Jones as being older and a bit rougher around the edges, which is logical, since his last adventure was roughly four centuries ago.

Pathos: The music automatically attracted me. I am a huge fan of music in general, especially orchestral pieces, including some movie scores. If I know a movie has an awesome score, it will give me more impetus to go see it. The music appeals to my tastes and emotions. Furthermore, the artists use the image of the American flag to appeal to the American audience, since Indiana Jones is the quintessential United States-ian action hero (in my opinion). If you watch it closely, they show this black box with official print on it saying "Roswell, New Mexico" the bastion of alien lore, as well as the general vicinity of Area 51. That will pique the attention and intrigue of alien legend and governmental conspiracy lovers.

S-I think the trailer is sufficient to get some people to watch the movie. I know I want to watch it, though my wife saw the trailer and felt it wasn't captivating enough to convince her to watch the movie.

T-It follows the typical movie trailer schema, using engaging images and catchy quotes from the movie, combined with perfectly timed explosions, kisses, races, chases, and the like.

A-I think it basically is accurate in showing the content of the Indiana Jones movie, though I do not know for sure since I haven't seen the movie for myself (it comes out in May).

R-It is indeed relevant, because many folks have been wanting a fourth Indiana movie for two decades.

Success- I can't say whether or not it is a success, since the movie has not come out yet, but I have seen several links for the trailer on websites and blogs. That means that at least people are taking note. I imagine the initial turnout will be huge, maybe even record-breaking.

I am tired physically, tired mentally, tired emotionally, and tired of writing about friggin' energy or education (as I completely lack one and am bombing the other). Ergo, I am not going to analyze another one of my sources or anything like that (no rhetorical analysis right now). I don't know where I want to start on my next paper. I guess one issue I could write about "waiting periods" some insurance plans make you go through. What I mean is that if you have a preexisting condition (like epilepsy or mutant-third-eye-in-the-back-of-your-head syndrome) and you take medication for said condition, you have to wait anywhere from 30 to 90 days before the insurance plan will pay for that medication. I know they have reasons for it, though I don't know too well what they are. I, for example, have epilepsy. I take this one medicine twice a day which makes me completely normal (if you could call me "normal" in the first place). However, those pills without insurance cost $5.00 a piece (at least that was the price four years ago; who knows about now). Fortunately my insurance plan through work is one of the seemingly few that do not require that waiting period. That is really really good for me, since I can't afford to go a certain period of time before getting my medicine. I know that a lot of other insurance plans have that waiting period because I looked at many plans before I got my current job. In fact, that insurance is really my main motivation for staying at that job. Anyway, I can read about the justification insurance companies make when requiring this period, I can read about the counter arguments by insurance companies which do NOT require that period, etc. We'll see what I can rustle up.

About my intro (an addendum)

I have no idea why, but I cannot read the content of my introduction after the addressees unless I highlight the text. I tried fixing it to no avail. You may have to do that, too. If it comes up fine for you though, disregard this message.

TA: My rough intro

Dale E. Klein, Chairman
Gregory B. Jaczko, Commissioner
Peter B. Lyons, Commissioner
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Mail Stop O-16G4
Washington, DC 20555-0001

Dear sirs:
As you are aware, the Tennessee Valley Authority (hereafter designated as TVA) submitted its combined license application for Bellefonte Nuclear Station Units 3 and 4 in October 2007. In an effort to provide cleaner, cheaper power for the Tennessee River Valley and the Southeast in general, the TVA wishes to resume construction of the Bellefonte Nuclear Station, which construction has been on hold for two decades. As an independent researcher and one who has frequented the greater Huntsville, Alabama region throughout his life, I wish to address some vital issues as the Commission reviews TVA's combined license application. Nuclear power automatically finds some degree of resistance throughout the United States. Environment activism groups like Greenpeace have published extensive rebuttals of nuclear energy, including the many possible meltdowns and malfunctions that have occurred over the years, as well as any detriment to the surrounding environs. Perhaps even more important is the danger to the residents local to the plants. To counter such arguments, the TVA has composed a lengthy, thorough safety program to prevent accidents and harm. What, then, would be the consequences of allowing the TVA to expand and complete construction of the Bellefonte Nuclear Station?

FW: Epiphanies

So last night while I was trying to write out the methodology for my senior paper (which methodology I would turn in today). I was doing it with about 2 hours and 40 minutes of sleep from the night before, as well as a grand accumulation of sleep deprivation from the last couple of months. I was somehow still awake, I think by virtue of the fact that I took too many Excedrin, trying to chisel out the methodology for what I realized would be a flawed, futile work. I have always been into dialects and sociolinguistics, but this paper was going to be over an alternate etymology of an epithet referring to residents of the Appalachian and Ozark Mountains. I realized, though, that all the supporters of my argument love to recur to "17th century documents" to back up their claims, yet these documents were nowhere to be found. Seriously, I found no viable proof to back up the claim. It dawned on me that if I tried to pass this off as a senior paper, I would basically be the laughingstock of the linguistic community.
It suddenly hit me what I should write about. It is kind of late to revamp my entire paper, but hey, I have taken similar action before (like for English 312). I decided to pursue a topic that has really intrigued me, especially since no dialectologist or sociolinguist has written about this yet. It has to do with the way native North American English speakers are now starting to pronounce certain consonants intervocalically. As I reviewed this idea with my TA today, he said that it would be a great step into my desired field if I could get my study published. He said that nearly any MA program would accept me because of it, and many PhD programs would highly consider me also. This would be the beginning of a dream come true. I want to teach what I love on the university level one day, preferably somewhere back East.
I know this will bore everyone who reads it, but it is on my mind right now, so I figured I could write about it better than anything else at the moment.

Free to write whatever...

Well, I sure as heck don't want to write about energy right now. In fact, energy is what I will soon not have, since I have to wake up in about three hours to finish homework that I didn't get done over the weekend. I go to work at 4:30 tomorrow morning, and I need at least a couple hours before that to get my stuff done. I go straight from work to school and don't have a break. On top of it, I will most likely have my son with me.
My son, James, is growing like crazy. Today my son finally held his bottle for the first time. A week or two ago he tried taking the sacrament when it got passed to us, something neither I nor my wife was expecting in the least. He is huge for his age, like a percentile somewhere in the 90's for his size. We compared him to our friends' one year-old daughter, and he came up to her nose. We stood him up next to the two year-old child of another friend on Friday, and he came up to the child's chin. James turned three months old on Saturday. He's already wearing six month onesie's with a sweater that is for nine month-olds. His hands are huge for a little kid's, too.
He's been talking an awful lot lately. Of course, I say "talking" when it is really babbling. His phonetic inventory is growing daily it seems. Before long he will be talking back to us :). In way of language, I speak to him in Spanish, and my wife (who is Latin and of course speaks Spanish) talks to him in French since she served her mission in Switzerland and France. He's going to be so confused when he gets into Kindergarten, but once he gets everything in order in his brain, he's going to shoot way above the monolinguals. Exhaustive studies have shown this. Of course, I don't want to go back into the education topic again.
This is us after church today:

RA: Nuclear Aging

http://www.mindfully.org/Nucs/2004/Palo-Verde-Aging11apr04.htm

Audience: Although this article is posted on a "politically informative" website which denounces liberals and conservatives, the piece was originally written in a Phoenix newspaper. Therefore, the audience would initially be the Phoenix residents who are most directly affected by Palo Verde.

Enthymeme: The plant is aging, and the employees' culture of safety is diminishing, thus increasing safety concerns and risks.

Implicit assumption: Whatever compromises the security and safety of the Palo Verde Plant will negatively affect the environment and residents in the Phoenix area.

Ethos/logos/pathos: The article cites a lot of history, like the building of nuclear power plants in the United States. Almost immediately the writer recalls the history of the Three Mile Island which suffered a major safety breach in 1979, though not many people were affected in the end. This tactic appeals to the reader's fear, that is, fear of a greater nuclear incident in a populous area. The writer also talks about "broken relationships" between the employees and their bosses. This also appeals to the reader, as he/she is most likely an employee of some company and may have seen the negative results of sour employee-employer relations.
He cites the example of the Davis-Bessie plant, how employee sentiment dropped there and resulted in reduced protection and safety. I do not know anything about this incident, so I should probably do more reading.
He sounds scholarly enough, acting as a warning voice of sorts for the curious and concerned reader. However, he does not quote many solid facts or give actual examples of "broken relationships" or what happened at Davis-Bessie. This lack of supporting information results in a weak argument.

S- This is not a sufficient argument. It gives few direct quotes from any authoritative voice. It lacks all published references. While the reader does bring up interesting points which seem logical regarding an aging nuclear facility, with no conspicuous factual background, the argument lacks.

T- The argument seems typical enough. It is natural for something that ages to start losing its efficacy and safety, especially in the realm of power and energy.

A- I have no basis from the actual article to decide if it is accurate. If he linked some sources to the claims, they would be more than credible. Therefore, although the facts may be accurate in and of themselves, the website does not present them in an organized, empirical, testable manner.

R- For the aforementioned reasons, I do not completely consider this work reliable. The website does appeal to the "third part voter" or the citizens who do not like Democrat or Republican agendas.

Effective: I do not think this article is effective at this time. While some may be considering shutting down the plant or completely revamping the entire system, the information to back those claims up is not present.

Energy WATCO

WATCO constructing more nuclear power plants cooled by treated sewage ON the environment and the US economy?

Nuclear power plants cooled by treated sewage will improve the state of the environment and the US economy B/C minimal carcinogens will be released into the air, billions of gallons of water will be recycled annually, and dependence on petroleum will be reduced.

Anything that will improve air quality, recycle millions of tons of non-consumable waste, and reduce the use of petroleum will benefit the environment and the US economy.


-So, the Palo Verde Plant outside of Phoenix relies on treated sewage from nearby municipalities. Billions of gallons are recycled each year in this effort. By that virtue, nuclear power could be spread to many inland locations around the country, while now nuclear power plants must be adjacent to large bodies of water for cooling purposes.

RA: Energy

Now, understand that I do not support Barack Obama, but I decided to analyze his stand on energy and renewable resources.
Taken from http://www.barackobama.com/2007/10/08/remarks_of_senator_barack_obam_28.php

WATCO of expanding and modernizing non-petroleum energy sources ON the future of America?

Enthymeme: As non-petroleum energy sources are expanded and modernized, and as petroleum use is greatly reduced, America will reduce the pollution and financial detriment caused by our current energy sources and consumption and become an example to all other nations.

Audience: Voters in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Implicit assumption: Whatever will help America to improve the state of the environment will improve the nation and the world.


Ethos/pathos/logos: Obama refers to his participation in and support of past bilateral energy reform bills. He places of emphasis on these pieces of legislation to make himself appear a viable, credible, experienced politician. He also places a lot of emphasis on the capability America has to better air quality and energy consumption and appeals to the listeners' national pride. The argument is of vital importance in the current political scene as candidates try to push their prescribed energy reforms on voters. There is pollution caused by dirty coal factories, and the country relies heavily on imported oil, so many feel that change is necessary to remedy the problems caused by such dependencies.

S- His argument does cover a lot of ground and seems sufficient enough, yet nobody knows how much success he will have trying to pass this legislation as President. It is not clear whether he is pandering to voters now in an effort to attain office, or if these are his sincere plans and motives.

T- His speech was typical of current presidential candidates and runs on par with one whom you would expect to preach "change."

A- I have not done enough research to know the veracity and credibility of his claims. He presents the information as hard-proven fact, though there are no direct citations to any scientific studies. It is true, though, that the point of the argument is not to recite a litany of environmental studies, rather attempt to show that he recognizes the need for improvement.

R- The argument is, in my opinion, relevant to today's issues. As I said before, I do not know how many of his claims are really proven and accepted in the scientific community (though Professor Al Gore would agree with him). I do not know exactly how much improvement is needed, but I do know that we rely too heavily on foreign oil and will continue to pay out the ear for it.