Visual Arguments Blog

I find the "Identities Are Infinite" visual argument to be the most appealing.  I was attracted to the variety of colors that are used as well as the different shapes and sizes of each word and phrase that the ad uses.  The ad seems to incorporate words used to describe all kinds of people and personalities.  I is used to encourage diversity on the campus of Western Washington University.  I feel like the ad would be a success.  I find the "Embracing Diversity" ad the least appealing.  The lack of color failed to grab my attention and the use of the same font throughout the entire ad was just plain boring.  I don't feel like it would be a success in promoting diversity.

In the first picture, the theme of the argument is that there are quotas and requirements set in order for colleges to accept minorities.  The second picture depicts a scene where the Supreme Court is trying to decide whether or not to count race towards college admissions.  It is ironic because all but one of the judges are white.  The third picture is for affirmative action, depicting a young black male suffering through many hardships and then being allowed into college through affirmative action.  The fourth cartoon shows several admitted students and one who is not, who in turn, blames the minority student for not being accepted.  Each argument is effective because they use humor and irony to get the message across.

Ad Blog

For the advertisement that I chose to analyze, I chose an ad from Buckler Beer.  In the ad, there is an outline of a beer glass with the words: “Please remove now the pictures and video from last night posted on Facebook.”  There is a beer bottle cap next to the glass with the Buckler Beer logo on it to signal that this is an advertisement for Buckler Beer.  The ad is poking fun at the newly popular practice of taking drunken photos and videos of yourself or friends and then later have them posted on Facebook for the world to see.  Buckler beer uses the popularity of Facebook in their advertisement because of the sheer number of people who use the site on a day to day basis and are of drinking age; whether they are in the work force or still in college.  The ad uses very few colors, making the viewer focus on what is inside the beer glass.  The words inside the glass are colored with the same color that beer normally is to simulate that the beer is the cause behind the message that the advertisement is trying to portray.  I think the message is effective because it ads humor to having a good time after drinking Buckler’s beer.

Paper 4 Outline

I.               Intro

A.     Should the United State’s most popular illegal substance be legalized?  Some say yes and some say no.

1.     Marijuana is the most popular and has the highest rate of use in the United States.

2.     Many people believe it should remain outlawed completely, however, many people also believe there are more benefits behind the plant than there are negative attributes.

3.     The legalization of marijuana can bring about many positive changes in our society and should be legalized.

II.             Economic Benefits

A.     Marijuana can bring in a substantial amount of money into the economy.

1.     Legalizing marijuana will enable the government to place taxes on the sale of the plant, therefore flowing money into the economy.

2.     Hemp, a byproduct of marijuana, is already used in the production of many items such as rope, soaps, tanning lotions, and other products.  The increase in the growth and production of the plant will only aid in expanding the sale and distribution of hemp products.

3.     Legalization could potentially cultivate many jobs for those who are out of work.

III.           Social Benefits

A.     Marijuana legalization will have a tremendous social impact.

1.     Would make it easier for those without medical insurance to obtain medical marijuana.

2.     Would free a large percent of the prison population due to the elimination of marijuana laws, which would eliminate minor offenders.

3.     Eliminates some of the “cool” appeal of use.  This means that legalization will eliminate the attraction to using a substance that is illegal, making younger demographics thinking that it’s the “cool thing to do.”

IV.            Health Benefits

A.     Legalizing marijuana can have positive effects on people’s health.

1.     As mentioned before, it would make obtaining medical marijuana much easier for those with little to no health insurance.

2.     Has the potential to be less dangerous and much less addicting than other legal substances such as tobacco and alcohol.

3.     Serves a purpose in negating nausea and other symptoms from cancer treatments.

V.              Conclusion

A.     Marijuana should be legalized but regulated.

B.     Marijuana has many positive benefits: Economic, Social, and Health.

International Space Station

As mentioned in the Benson article in the textbook, the International Space Station is iconic in the history of man kind’s exploration of space.  It is the culmination of hard work from countries all over the world, including the U.S., Canada, Russia, European nations, and Japan.  However, as also mentioned in the article, the ISS has yet to prove very much worth to space exploration, other than draining billions of dollars in funding.  It is the single most expensive thing ever built and it is completely underused.  It has sat at low-earth orbit for years without contributing much at all.  In order to utilize its assets, NASA and the rest of the world’s space programs, must choose to send the space station elsewhere in order to collect more data on things yet to be discovered in space.  There is talk of moving the station to the moon’s orbit, however, the moon has already be explored several times in the past; once again, proving this idea to be useless.  I propose that NASA moves the station into Mars’ orbit.  Colonizing Mars has always been a hot topic in the space exploration forum, and if humanity continues to treat the earth the way it has for the past decades, a new planet may need to be colonized.  NASA must take steps into further exploration of Mars if there is ever to be a back-up plan.

Source Blog

One of the sources I chose for my next essay topic, “What is a Healthy Lifestyle,” is a website called The Center for Reintegration.  The website is dedicated to giving information on how to live a healthier life.  For example, there are links on the page for nutritional tips, weight management, exercise tips, wellness consultation, etc.  As in any research paper, the research and citations are the biggest part of a well written essay.  The information that is used in the paper has to be solid, but at the same time, it must be credible.  For this site, the sources for the articles are very credible.  According to the advisory board link at the bottom, those involved in the site are mostly those in the medical field or hospital personnel.  If anyone would be considered a credible source on how to live a healthy lifestyle, they would be the people to go to.

Paper 3 Topic

For my concept that I would like to define, I have chosen the idea of a “healthy lifestyle.”  This is a term that can have a plethora of meanings, which makes it a highly debatable subject.  For some, being “healthy” constitutes a solid and diverse diet.  Others feel like exercising on a regular basis means being healthy as well.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, some people feel that as long as you’re happy with the lifestyle that they live, they are living a normal, healthy life.  The concept is very debatable because there are so many different ideas of how you can be healthy.  All of which I mentioned above can help one to feel good about their overall health.  For me, healthy is being able to exercise on a regular basis, eating right, and having a positive mindset in everything I do.  However, I am completely willing to recognize that for others, as long as they are happy with the way that they are living, they choose what makes them feel healthy.  I find this to be a very interesting topic due to the influx in the obesity rate that has taken place recently in the U.S..

Blog 4

Facebook is a social networking site that has millions of users and probably gets even double that amount in site hits per day. It is a way for people to interact with each other without having to have a face to face encounter. For some, it is an extremely useful tool, however for others; it is just a complete waste of time.


For me, facebook is a useful tool, however only in the right setting. I use it just like every other college student does; however, I do have some issues with it. For one, coming from experience, facebook can be a major distraction from academics. It has gotten to the point where I have learned to leave my laptop in my apartment when I am in class because there’s too much temptation to get sidetracked from the school work that is much more important than an hour of online socializing. Also, it takes away from the more personal aspect of one’s social life, especially in college. I personally would rather go out and meet people face to face than sit on a computer and make friends virtually. On top of that, how do you really know that who you’re interacting with is REALLY who you are interacting with? It definitely leaves room for a lot of questions that have not so appealing answers.

Overall, facebook is a great way to kill time or interact with friends when you have no other way of doing so. Other than that, it’s just a waste.