Blog 10

http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2009040300

Clemmitt, M. (2009, April 3). Extreme sports. CQ Researcher, 19, 297-320.

Extreme Sports: Are they too dangerous?

This article is about an old but growing craze: Extreme Sports. “Extreme Sports” can range anywhere from skateboarders pulling off crazy tricks in the air, to mixed martial arts. A lot of the public see these athletes as just violence and adrenaline junkies. They don’t realize the immense skill needed for such sports. MMA is one example, where fighters use many different types of fighting. Some people want to ban it saying it’s dangerous, but athletes argue that it is safer than boxing. Extreme sports can be safer than conventional sports such as football. These “extreme sports” athletes don’t like the title.

I completely agree with this article and the athletes. People don’t know the skills needed for such sports. I snowboard and wrestle. Snowboarding and skiing take a lot of practice, especially if you want to pull off anything near the impossible tricks that are on TV. Wrestling is one technique used in MMA. Wrestling takes years and years to master, and that is just one part of MMA. MMA athletes train very very hard and need to be extremely talented. Also, I definitely believe there is a lot of merit behind the statement that these sports are safer than some conventional sports.

http://library.cqpress.com/globalresearcher/document.php?id=cqrglobal2011041900

Kiener, R. (2011, April 1). Honor killings. CQ Global Researcher, 5, 183-208.

Honor Killings

         This article is about a world wide issue: honor killings. It talks about women and children around the world that get killed because the “dishonor” their families. This issue obviously isn’t prevelant in the US, but is a big issue in other parts of the world. The killings happen for the sole reason that any woman commits or is suspected of committing an “immoral” act. These immoral acts include very small things. They happen because of ancient extremist beliefs.

         It is very easy to agree with this article. This is obviously extremely wrong and a big deal. It said that between 5,000 and 20,000 people die each year because of these honor killings. It is extremely prejudice and stupid. These potential victims need to be protected, something needs to change.

http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2007061500

Katel, P. (2007, June 15). Debating hip-hop. CQ Researcher, 17, 529-552.

Debating Hip-Hop: Does gangsta rap harm black Americans?

         This article is about hip-hop. It talks about how may rap artists are taking the “gangsta rap” approach. They are talking about hardcore problems, violence, sex, and drugs. The article says that glorifying thug culture is harming black culture. Some people are standing up against it, but it is still very popular.

         I disagree with this article for the most part. I agree that it is dumb and degrading when a rapper just talks about random violence or drugs or sex. However, a lot of these rappers grew up with extremely tough lives and were surrounded by these things. They are expressing themselves and talking about what they went through/ what they’re going through presently. Who are Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby, two of the richest people in the world, to look down on this. They have absolutely zero idea what these rappers went through. I also highly disagree that it is mostly enjoyed by white youths.  

Blog 9

The 2 major gaming systems for the past 4 or 5 years have been the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3. For years people have debated which controller is better. They are both very technological controllers and very high end, let’s get into the details of both.

Xbox 360 controller (Microsoft)

The Xbox 360 controller is white and looks deceivingly big. It has some girth around the handles, allowing it to rest in the gamer’s hand, rather than be held tightly. This is preferable for gamers who like to cradle the controller. The Xbox controller is colorful and seems almost futuristic. The buttons are lettered (X,A,B,Y). Next, The “D-pad” on the Xbox controller is unique. The D-pad is the big grey button on the center-left of the controller that resembles four arrows. On the Xbox 360, the D-pad is one big button, that the gamer pushes in different directions to perform different actions. Because it is one big button rather than four little buttons, it is slightly less precise. Next, the triggers of the Xbox controller are big and spring loaded. They offer very little resistance, allowing the gamer to hold them longer without discomfort. The triggers of the Xbox 360 controller are located on the back and labeled RT for right trigger and LT for left trigger. The Xbox 360 controller has many accessories available. There are thousands of custom “skins” you can buy to cover the controller in almost any design available. These skins range from TV characters to sports teams to simple beach designs. The chargers available for the controller charge it very fast. Lastly, the Xbox battery packs last extremely long.

Playstation 3 controller (Sony)

The Playstation 3 controller is a sleek black controller and seems to be a lot smaller than the Xbox 360 controller. However, they are very close in size. The handles are a little slimmer, preferable for gamers who like to hold the controller tightly. The Playstation 3 controller looks more old school and conventional; it is very similar looking to the Playstation 2 and other older gaming system controllers. The main buttons on the controller are shapes (an X, square, circle, and triangle) again proving how basic and “old school” it is. The D-pad for this controller is located on the far left. It looks like 4 arrows as well, but they separate rather than one button. The triggers are located on top of the controller and labeled “2.” They offer slightly more resistance than the Xbox controller, making them uncomfortable to hold for extended time. The Playstation 3 controller has many accessories available as well. Gamers can design them with the same array of skins they can for the Xbox controller. The chargers for these controllers are also extremely efficient. Lastly, the battery lasts very long, but not quite as long as the Xbox controllers.

In conclusion, both controllers are top of the line and great controllers. It is all up to preference and what the gamer is used to. 

Blog7

Mike DeCotiis

Blog 7

Part 1:

            The Norton Field Guide explains in detail things to consider when constructing a website/blog in chapters 51 and 53. It talks about considering your audience, readability, usability, hypertext, interactive features, visuals and more. My blog considers a few of these topics, but not nearly all of them. When constructing the blog all I really did was pick a random color scheme, then add a picture of Jay Z as the background. I didn’t pick fonts, headers, or put any thought into the color scheme. The Jay Z picture shows my interests, but does not have much to do with writing. Is it easy to read? I definitely think so. I kept the default font and size; the writing is big enough and clear. I did not use any crazy unreadable fonts or make the font extremely small. Is the blog appropriate for a college classroom about rhetoric and writing? The background and such do not really relate that much to these subjects, but that doesn’t make it inappropriate. Does is it express who I am as a writer and student? The main thing you see in the picture is Jay Z. I’m going to say yes and no. It does not really relate to school or writing in any way. However, I have always looked up to Jay Z. He came from very little, and became not only one of the best rappers of all time, but one of the best businessmen. Jay Z is not stupid; he is a multimillionaire with his own clothes line and partial ownership of sports franchises. He also writes his own lyrics, that usually contain substance rather than just a catchy mainstream tune. He’s an inspiration to me that counts as something right? I’m not saying it can’t be improved, but I think my blog accomplishes its purpose.

Part 2:

            I changed up a lot of elements of my blog for various reasons. The first and most noticeable change is my background. I changed it to a big picture of the ocean, or some type of body of water. I did this for a few reasons. First, I love and always have loved the ocean and swimming. This helps the blog represent me personally and my interests. Next, I think it reflects me as a writer. I always focus on having a very relaxed paper that flows well. The water represents this “flow.” Lastly, I wanted to consider my audience. At least for me, the body of water has a relaxing calming feel. I want my readers to be relaxed and flow through my ideas. I also changed my color scheme. I did this for much of the same reasons as the background. I changed the colors to some greys and a dark blue. First, this helps the theme match the water background. Also, it helps convey that flow and relaxing feel I was talking about earlier. I think the new scheme definitely helps that even more. After this I went on to change my font and font color. The main reason I chose the font I chose is because it is big and easy to read. Readability is extremely important. I also like this font because it is not too serious, but not too unofficial at the same time. It conveys the exact attitude I want from my blog. The color again has to do with flow, matching, and relaxation. Between that, the ocean background, and the new color scheme, I believe I have completely changed the emotion of my blog. Lastly, I changed some sizes and layouts around. I made the right side bar with a lot of meaningless links much smaller. I also made the main part a little smaller. This allows the viewer to see the background a little more, but still easily be able to see the focus of my blog. These changes greatly enhance my blog. Some sites that inspired me to make these changes were these sample blogs and the facebook home page.