Tow #24 A Better Student

Since the begging of time, humans have been challenged with the chill of the first ice age, the thirst of the first drought, and the heat of the first scorching drought, yet, they have found ways to survive through these times; to obtain greatness in the time of ultimate failure. Once Mount Everest was determined to be the highest summit on earth, it was only a matter of time before humans had decided that Mount Everest needed to be climbed. As Jon Krakauer stated, "That's the human race for you- tell them that something is impossible, and they're only going to try harder to attain it. Still, this is a battle unlike any ever fought." The structure of this book creates suspense and astonishment as to how some individuals went about conquering this battle.
By Jon going into flashbacks while talking about the story, it only created a third dimension to the book. All of which, allowed us to thoroughly see through his perspective, truly taking you onto the summit. The story in its gruesome and descriptive entirety, was very great in capturing every second of the adventure.
The parts that truly captured me was the amount of gruesome descriptions and the true rawness of the book. Having done research on Mountain Everest in the past, the research is nothing compared to the story. It's one thing to tell the factual aspects of the mountain and another to include an objective view. As I am a writer myself, I appreciate details and in-depth thoughts that provokes an imagine that is entertaining and thought provoking to the audience. Because of this book, Into Thin Air, it has inspired me to write and also to read more, something that I had struggled with in the past. APELC has also contributed to inspiring me. Yes, it surely has been a rough, stressful, and emotionally draining road but, it ultimate has made me a much better student. And every time I pick up a book, pencil, or pen, I'll remember that. It's been a great trip APELC, thank you.

Tow #23 Cow Urine

American's are known for having a large amount of love for their cow steak/hamburgers, but is the United Kingdom for cow urine? According to Mid-day articles, "Plastic bottles filled with cow urine, which had been marked for '"religious purposes" were found in several London stores which also happen to be selling food" in close proximity of the cow urine. Although not a lot of native UK people are requiring these products, most Southern Asian Hindu's that happen to live in London are demanding this product. Because it is illegal to consume cow urine in England, the article states their unknowing as to whether it is illegal to have cow urine put on the external body; as they explain how the "Hindu's come to buy it, if a baby is born it may be used during religious ceremony for good luck" and for other external purposes, letting the audience know what kind of religious actives that it could be used for. By first introducing the product and the unusual demand for it to American's it allows others, who aren't living in the UK or aren't Hindu, to understand along with imaging a visual (not that all people would like to imagine others consuming/being covered in urine for religious/everyday events.) And if people were wondering who came up with the religious idea, the author goes even deeper in telling when and who had created the religious action," A Hare Krishna temple in Watford, Bhaktivedanta Manor....sad the temple had been selling cow urine since the early 70's". Once the background is covered, they take a step back about go back to the real issue at the hand; selling these bottles of urine next to food. As the FSA, Foods Standards Agency, said although it is illegal to sell the urine for human consumption, when applied externally it would not be considered food - although it could be subject to other legislation." Now that they doesn't necessarily go cause any illegal consequences when consumers, the court could still charge the stores for having the product particularly close to the premises of the food which would expose them to harmful disease. By picking apart the article one by one, and eventually going into depth then back to the original question, it allows the readers to understand the material easier.

Tow #22 WNS vs Zika

If you think having Zika was bad for humans, can you only imagine what disease animals are going through. To be more specific, what disease bats are now experiencing? March is known for St. Patricks day, but it's also known for having National Bat Day! The Discovery News helps bring some light to bats during this month. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, FWS, announced in late March that a bat was found with the deadly disease, white nose syndrome (WNS). This is extremely bad news and very important as this is now the first time the condition had been seen in western North America. While reading this article the author, Discovery News mentions, "It robs them of energy they need to survive, as their fat reserves are prematurely drained. It can lay waste to entire colonies of bats," including the major consequences of this disease. After mentioning the affects of the disease, it includes the previous history of this disease and its whereabouts. This helps the audience see the statistics behind it, besides Dan Ashe, A Wildlife Service officer, mentions his experience in seeing this disease. Towards the end of the article it goes into further detail about the disease stating, "WNS is caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, which infects bats while they hibernate, harming their nose, ears, and wings." Now this includes a visual for the audience. By first starting in very general terms and getting more detailed, also called deduction, it allowed the audience to understand the text and not be overwhelmed. Because the author used that style of writting it was very effective towards their purpose; slowly making the audience aware of the horrible disease that is going to gradually affect the population of the small brown bats, (Myotis lucifugus).

Tow #21 Visual Text

The shoe brand, All Star, is highly known for their converse. Advertisements such as the one shown above in this visual text, explains how the company describes themselves as the most wanted brand. They [converse] come in two versions, high top and low top. Converse are very popular among their younger customers. Little do the customers know that, although stylish, these shoes are one of the worst kind. Most of their customers use these converse on the go, going out to a semi-casual event, and can even be worn with a new fashion statement, but besides looks these converse aren't all they say to be. With the material being extremely thin, these converse aren't best worn in the winter and even in the summer. Because of the material that they use, a cotton based canvas, it soaks up water/mud/any liquid and holds it rather then let it drain out it. The original high top converse were intentionally created for weightlifters as it provides create ankle support and provides stability for the weight lifters. Given that time as changed and it's worn mostly for nonathletic events, the companies have thinned out their materials only enhancing the chances for ankle issues. As for the low tops, they have very hard and small soles, providing for no cushion for the foot. The shape of the shoe has narrowed, eliminating the wide-footed customers. This narrow shape isn't very supportive as their customers will now trip and slip because the shoes don't cover a wide area. With the dangerous shape, and thinned out material that blindly traps customers to buy into these items, All Star is making billions by producing these casual shoes. Instead of creating a better shoe, they fool their customers by promoting their product these advertisements that ultimately leave out their flaws.

Tow #20 IRB

Some times people need thirty seconds of insane courage in order for them to do something that they've been to scared to do for hours, days, months, even years. In the case of Jon Krakauer, he didn't need those thirty seconds until he was near the top of Mount Everest and a violent storm was approaching quickly. Between life and death, he needed thirty seconds to make a decision whether to stay where he was and risk dying or follow through and use thirty seconds of insane courage and leap to his possible death or savior. His decision, I found, to be very controversial. He had decided to take the leap and, luckily, was able to find cover by himself. This idea of insane courage was the wrong instinct and shouldn't have been even considered. With the weather conditions exponentially worsening, the idea of using courage and bravery was stupid. As Jon was accompanied by other travelers while they were climbing Mount Everest, he took a selfish act and saved his own life and had put others lives on the line. By leaping it caused the rope that was attached to his stomach to shift suddenly and cause the others to loose their balance and almost fall off. Not only were weather conditions setting an issue but also the equipment that they were carrying was extremely heavy. If Jon had miscalculated his leap, his luggage would've pulled him down and caused a more dangerous situation and the conditions were already worsening. Yes, his life was at stake but so were others. On the other hand, Jon’s instinct/action didn't cause a lot of disturbance as the native climbers were able to quickly react to the situation and made sure that everyone was safe, regardless of Jon's selfish, and dangerous action.

Tow #19 Uterus Transplant

"I crave that experience ... I want the morning sickness, the backaches, the feet swelling. I want to feel the baby move. That is something I've wanted for as long as I can remember." The very words of a women who was born without a uterus. On NPR (National Public Radio), they discussed the importance of the uterus transplant in Europe and how it's now being used in the United States. The importance of this topic (uterus transplants) is demonstrated through the multiple quotes that are being used; utilizing pathos towards their audience. Their audience pertains to women who are experiencing pregnancy issues to to their uterus. Many people such as surgeons, doctors, and innocent citizens, describe the newly introduced operation to the United States, by saying that "we've opened the door. We've stepped through it." With many women agreeing that childbirth is the "true feeling of becoming a mother", since their feels are being captured, NPR then sold their audience on the factual evidence that is presented. Mainly describing the number of individuals who are affected by this and the number of lives that it has changed. Anyone who many view this article would also be aware of the current political debates going on. They would be aware of that because in a recent political debate, the topic of transplants was briefly brought up by a citizen towards the political parties and their take on the new procedures. With pathos hooking the audience, ethos locking them in, and also the questioning of political figures, it's no doubt that this article was successful of reaching it's purpose - successfully spread the news of the new surgery. Provided the number of women who are affected by this, from my understanding it successfully reached those individuals among others. NPR is known for their enlightening radio broadcasts and usually draw a lot of audiences. Through NPR, the audience received the information.

Tow #18 Dolphins

For this week’s text of week, I will be discussing the conflicts and benefits of radioactive tools that have allowed researcher to discover a deeper level into the world of the bottlenose dolphin and other dolphins as well. Strange to say but just like humans, dolphins call each other by their names too! Not exactly with words, new research shows that Bottlenose dolphins communications consist of whistling! Just like humans, dolphins have different tones of 'whistles' that signal different individuals. Although this research isn't ground-breaking it allows researchers and colleges such as University of St. Andrew's Sea mammal Research Unit, to practice different ways of possibly communicating with these animals. Recently Software from the Wild Dolphin Project has been used for the first real-time translation of a dolphin whistle and better data tools are giving fresh insights into primate communications. Denise Herzing, a researcher, experiences a swim with one of these dolphins that she won't forget. As she is able to connect with these dolphins she is now able, with the given technology to communicate with them on a deeper level, "I was like whoa! We have a match. I was stunned". With this new techonolgy Denise stresses the idea of how these tools can be harmful and dangerous towards the animals and humans. More research has been put into place about how these dolphin translation tools can be used in a less harmful and dangerous way. Dolphins are a huge part of the ecosystem. Bottlenose dolphin are very interesting creatures as other dolphins send different type of frequencies, which differs from the whistles that the bottle nose dolphins perform. Between the research that is being done and the extensive amounts of labs and fundraisers that are being performed, it’s no doubt that the Wild Dolphin project will be able to turn this fairly harmful tool into a device that is safe for the environment but also supplies vital information for new information.

Tow #17 Visual

For this Text of the Week, TheWeek.com created a political cartoon to show their audience just how ridiculous Mr. Trump could be. They do so by using juxtaposition and sarcasm. Usually TheWeek is known for their interesting perspectives and takes on political events, political cartoons being their specialty. To start off, the poster has Mr. Trump and Kim Jong-un within centimeters of each other. Whenever a person, or anything regardless of a human or not, is being compared to Kim Jong-un, it's never in a good way. With Mr. Trump and Kim Jong-un being used in juxtaposition, audiences might start to see some similarities that they haven't seen before. Somehow by using juxtaposition to capture a moment when Trump and Kim appear the same, this concludes a different perspective; achieving the purpose of the text that the author wants - for people to see Trump as a bad individual. By using juxtaposition, audiences can notice the differences as well, in this case, a little bit of sarcasm to take some edge off of this political cartoon. By having the sarcasm, audiences can laugh a little at the comparison but also take note of the possible truths that lay behind it. Now by TheWeek having their audience in a joking yet serious tone, they can bring the real concern to the audiences attention; the use of military weapons and who controls them. In the newspaper it states, "to test the H-Bomb" a clear sense of military action. What's interesting and effective about the text is how the idea of military weapons plays with the idea of political figures. Many individuals value their safety and the safety of those who they love. By addressing pathos in this cartoon, it effects the viewer's feelings, since not many want Kim Jong-un of North Korea to become the president of the United States. With pathos, juxtaposition and sarcasm playing all a crucial role in this political cartoon, it's inevitable that the readers view will be changed in some way. By doing such, the authors purpose of seeing Trump in a negative way, was successful. 

IRB Intro #3

For this marking period I have decided to read Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer. Apart from the title and the cover page catching my eye, this book demonstrates gruesome and entertaining anecdotes that only have me wishing I could climb Mt. Everest. I look forward to reading this book also because of the setting; on the cold and dangerous Mt. Everest, something very few people can imagine climbing.

Tow #16 Into Thin Air

If you think this blizzard made you feel cold and isolated, you have yet to read Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Not only does this book put you into the horrifying, breath gasping, and exciting experiences of the climbers climbing Mount Everest, it enables you to be in the mind of Jon Krakauer at the same time, hearing what he heard and being able to think what he thought as each step brought him closer to reaching the peak of the mountain. Something about this book that intrigued me, besides the cover image, was the background and definitions that were given within the first couple pages. It allowed me to expand my knowledge of the mountain along with understanding how this adventurous idea was a goal for many. By including the natives perspectives and how the mountains name came about, it had made me want to climb the mountain myself! Even as numerous anecdotes of people going missing and their bodies being found 1-2 years later, it made me realize the drive that Jon Krakauer had to climb this mountain. As an adventurer myself, I noticed and shared the same curiosity and excitement for this idea. All excitement comes to a halt when the clouds suddenly decide to shift and the world closes on Jon quickly. Apart from the background and first-person view that is given, this book presents details and jaw dropping stories that only have you gripping the pages, vigorously reading, and never wanting the depth details to stop. Many people advised Jon to wait a couple years until he wrote about this event, so he could look back on it with a clear mind. Jon knew waiting was something many authors did, but the gruesome, breathtaking, and heart clenching event only urged him to write down every single detail until the story was forgotten in his mind. Which is why I think you should read this book, because the event will never be forgotten in your mind.

Tow #15: The definite origin of dogs has now been found?

Something that immediately pulled me into this article, was the hook- ”Before humans milked cows, herded goats or raised hogs, before they invented agriculture, or written language, before they had permanent homes, and most certainly before they had cats, they had dogs.” This article by James Gorman, and his work in this article is truly intriguing to me. With the occasional hypophora and tests that back up the evidence, it seems as though the final and true answer as to where and when the dog originated from will finally be answered. It has come to the attention of the University of Oxford and University of Hampshire that dogs could actually have invented themselves. Now how could that be? There’s nothing to prove that... Upon further nation and basic research, ¼ of dogs around the world are actually pets. Most run rogue, attacking strangers, and passing along their rabies to humans. Yes, because dogs were ¼ pets, it had not proved much to myself or other scientists. That is until research of the animal’s bones came into view. Scientists had continued to go back years and years, examining the bones and structure of dogs compared to wolves. They were hoping to find evidence that could help settle the dispute of whether dogs had invented themselves. Soon enough they found that canines teeth, although similar, were NOT exact to wolves. Now the next step is to question, when and from whom they did come from? By taking two bigger steps, Dr. Wayne from University of California in Los Angeles, identified a skull about 32,000 years old from a Belgian cave in Goyet as an early dog. The evidence was clear now, as the wolves oldest bones were far different from the structure of this dog, what else was left to interpretation than factually based? As scientist are trying to find out more information based on how dogs lived and more in depth research about their ancestors, the answers only bring up new questions. James Gordan’s article has truly made me believe that dogs were never actually tamed wolves to begin with.

Tow #14 An Uncertain New Chapter in El Chapo's home state (Current Event)

On January 8th, Joaquín Guzmán Loera, a drug lord, was finally captured in Mexico by military forces. The article, An Uncertain New Chapter in Sinaloa, El Chapo’s Home State, is written by Paulina Villegas and Alberto Arce, and was published in the New York Times. It has two different views; one is how the government considered Joaquin Guzman Loera’s organization as a network of criminals who flout the law and corrupt its institutions, and the other view from locals who believed that Loera’s organization actually kept order. This order often more efficiently than the government, and is even more adept at helping deliver basic services. This article first opens up by presenting the locals perspective on the situation and how it will affect the community. To the military forces surprise, the locals described Loera as good, intelligent, and a respectable man. Many people on the news considered Loera as a criminal, not even close to how the locals felt towards him. Locals all said, “We were perfectly comfortable when El Chapo was here..now we are worried someone else is going to come here and try to fill his spot.” With the locals view now presented, we have to wonder, how do the military, government, and the maximum security prison feel about this topic? The military, now having successfully captured and imprisoned Loera, couldn’t be any happy. They are seen often, ‘patting each other on the back’..that was until they were questioned about the death of five of their own when there was no physical evidence of shooting from Loera’s men. The government on the other hand is concerned with this action since Loera’s organization, besides the illegal narcotics, were actually the one preventing the crimes and allowing order to be present in Sinaloa. Since Loera was able to escape the maximum security prison, the guards and whole facility has their heads down as they had let Loera escape, again. Due to the quotes, statistics, and sources provided by the authors, I was convinced that capturing the of drug lord, Loera, was actually an unnecessary action.