TOW #13: I have Asperger's, I play violent video games -- and I'm not going to shoot you

    One year after the tragic Sandy Hook shooting, multiple views have been put out about the gun situation, including this one by Jeff White. Now 26 years old, White was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism, at age 10. Along with having Asperger's, White plays violent video games to help with his hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. He's got the characteristics of a shooter, right? In White's view, that's all wrong. White believes that people need to treat people the way they want to be treated in order to fight the enemy of desperation.
     White believes it is not the guns and mentally ill people we are fighting, it is the enemy of desperation. Too many stereotypes have now been categorized for mass shooters. Adam Lanza, the murderer of 20 children, was believed to have Asperger's as well. Aaron Alexis, who killed 13 in the D.C. Navy Yard shooting had a history of playing violent video games. Now, people are using vague  factors to stereotype others. Just because you have a mental illness and play video games does not mean you are at risk for shooting people. White would like to get rid of those stereotypes and focus on what else can be done do stop the mass murders. He advises to "Stop bullying, support people that ask for help, and care about the people we come in contact with" in order to stop more tragic events. If one lends a hand to someone else in need, that person may remember that forever and want to pay it forward. Nothing will ever prevent something from happening completely, like a seatbelt will not prevent all automotive injuries, but it is a step in the right direction. Fighting the enemy of desperation by providing care and kindness can do nothing but help the situation.
   I think White does a well-done job in achieving his purpose. He uses himself and others as a prime example living with Asperger's that he is not fit into the stereotype, and only a select few do. His idea in a world of cruelty and hatred is giving love to those who need it most, and that is the best idea that I have heard yet. 

TOW #12: The Bling Ring by Nancy Jo Sales (Part 1)

       Imagine being a teenager living in Calabasas, California, an affluent city in the hills of Los Angeles. The average income is about $116,000, more than twice the national average. You could have anything you desired, and more. But for seven teenagers, it doesn't stop there. In 2009, word had gotten out that big names in Hollywood--Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson, Lindsay Lohan-- had been robbed of clothing, accessories, money, resulting in $3 million stolen. For over a year, the alleged robbers had not been found. So then why would seven wealthy teenagers feel the need to steal over $3 million from celebrity homes? Nancy Jo Sales, a Vanity Fair journalist, took a trip to Calabasas to dig deeper into the alleged group of teenagers referred to as "the bling ring," who risked everything they had to get closer to the real Hollywood lifestyle.
      With the use of detailed imagery, statistics, and anecdotes, Sales reveals the secrets and ambitions behind the greedy teenagers. Without detailed imagery, the book would lack any feel of the Hollywood life. For readers who have never been to Hollywood or have insight into the prosperous homes, they would not be able to visualize the immense wealth of these Hollywood homes. While breaking into Paris Hilton's home, Sales describes to the readers that "There was a lot of pink and there were crystal chandeliers in almost every room" (7). The imagery allows the audience to visualize the scale of wealth the teenagers already have, and what they are burglarizing from. The use of statistics is beneficial to the audience on the insight of the true case. This is a true story. Anecdotes are woven throughout the story, mostly from the view of Nick Prugo, follower of ring leader Rachel Lee. This gives insight into the real teenager thoughts, and why the reasons behind the crazy idea string of crimes. Prugo explained that with every new item stolen, they were that much closer to living the Hollywood lifestyle.
   So far, I think this book is very well-written and Sales is doing an awesome job of following the story as well as following the real case. She seams the two concepts perfectly together. There are parts of the actual burglaries written about, and then it goes deeper into the court case. There is no way for these teenagers to justify what they did, but Sales gives reasoning by including their thoughts on becoming closer to Hollywood.

TOW #11: Article- "$7.25 An Hour Is Not a Living"

     As a high school teenage girl, I demand a lot. Food, clothing, technology, a car, (etc). Except there is one problem. Those demands come with a literal price: money, which I don't have a lot of to satisfy my increasing desires. So, like any parent of a teenager would say, "Get a job" was my parents way of basically telling me I had to pay for the unnecessary materials myself. After a summer job of barely getting paid minimum wage and relying mostly on tips, I realized I should not be complaining of receiving minimum wage with my parents financial support. There are plenty of Americans who rely on getting paid minimum wage to live on. And $7.25 an hour is not a pretty number to be receiving as a salary. Christine Owens, executive director of the National Employment Law Project, and Richard Trumka, president of the AFL- CIO, wrote this article about the ludicrousness of the minimum wage using statistics, comparisons, and examples.
      The article begins with a fact from the U.S. Census Bureau that structures the points that the middle-class has not been well-treated since the Great Recession. Following that, a statistic, "almost all, 95%, of the income gains from 2009 to 2012, the first three years of recovery from the Great Recession, went to the very richest 1%" (Owens) to support the unfair distribution of income gains. Multiple statistics follow to maintain the focus that the minimum wage for 2013 is unreasonable and cannot be relied on for a middle-class American family. Along with statistics, comparisons are used to compare how low the wage is now, to what it should be with inflation. "If the minimum wage had just kept pace with inflation since 1968, it would be $10.77 an hour today instead of $7.25" (Owens). Including this comparison encapsulates the logic as to why the minimum wage price is so unfair, and why it makes sense to raise it. To wrap everything together, the authors include a real example of just how cruel this legal price is to an average American. They introduce Carman Iverson, a 28-year old mother of four working at McDonald's earning $7.35 an hour. She makes about $400-$600 a month, not even able to pay her rent, $650 a month. Including Iverson's hardships in her life due to the low wage makes the audience feel for the Americans that are unable to get a higher-paying job, and want the American economy to be adjusted to help those Americans suffering on minimum wage.    A mother of four like Iverson making $7.35 an hour barely earns enough to stay on time for rent, relying on the government for food stamps. A teenage girl like me, living in the suburbs of Philadelphia, upset about the minimum wage because I want to buy a nice car for myself...well, learning about Iverson was just a small slap in the face. And the article proves itself, living on $7.25 an hour really is not a living. 

TOW #10: Smoking Ad (Visual Text)

      After extensive proven studies of the risks of smoking, people nonetheless continue to smoke cigarettes. Multiple companies are devoted to creating awareness of this lethal product, just like this advertisement.

     Automatically, the ad catches the attention of the viewer because of the naked man and woman being the subject. The eye lingers on the picture for a while longer to create meaning from two naked individuals on a public advertisement. The next thing noticed is the abnormal inferno taking place in the middle organs. Wondering why, the viewer can then infer this is due to smoking, because they both have a cigarette in their hand. This thought process is automatic for most people, and they can quickly gain the message that smoking is damaging to the body. A main effect of smoking is the covering of tar chemicals on the lungs, and the picture of the lungs on fire encapsulates the danger of smoking. Using one man and one women shows the audience that this can happen to anyone. With a bare body and a bare background, the advertisement concentrates on how the image will make the viewer feel. The icon in the bottom left corner lets the viewer know that the advertisement is coming from a credible 

company. The ad is using exaggeration to catch the audiences' eye to the lungs on fire and prove the purpose that smoking does nothing beneficial to the body, it only creates a place of hell for the lungs.

    I believe the ad achieves its purpose that smoking is a horrible thing to expose the body to. It only creates a place of hell for the body, and I think that message is clearly communicated through this ad. 

TOW #9: Air Pollution as a Heart Threat by Deborah Blum

       Air pollution was just declared last month by the World Health Organization to be one of the world's most dangerous environmental carcinogens. In an industrialized world like today, more and more people are becoming conscious of the dangers health wise and environmental wise of air pollution. It is obvious to connect air pollution to the threat of cancer, especially pertaining to the lungs, but does one ever associate air pollution as a threat to the heart?
      A new study has just came out with striking evidence that air pollution can not only worsen heart problems such as cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, and strokes, but it can also cause it. The topic of this article attracts attention of people who are health conscious. On the context of saving your life, Deborah Blum appeals to pathos by talking about what a big problem air pollution is today, and the multiple threats it holds. Blum quotes multiple scientists and their studies to use as evidence. By using this evidence, the author automatically appeals to logos and gives herself credibility by using credible sources. Blum uses statistics and scientific diction to inform the public that air pollution is more than just a threat to the lungs. I believe she achieves her purpose well and uses multiple sources to appeal to the logic of the situation. I am now well informed of all the threats air pollution poses, and not just containing to the ones pertaining to the lungs.

IRB Intro Post #2: The Bling Ring by Nancy Jo Sales

The Bling Ring, by Nancy Jo Sales, follows seven teenagers residing in Calabassas, California who are not your ordinary teenagers looking for trouble. These kids successfully stole more than $3 million from clothing, jewelry, and accessories belonging to celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, and Rachel Bilson in 2009. Now a Sofia Coppola film, Nancy Jo Sales writes this book about the famous robberies after being the journalist following around these seven fame-obsessed teens.

After hearing that the movie about to come out was based on a true story, I was very intrigued to learn about how easily these teens got away with the burglaries for over a year and the audacity they had to have to even pull this off. I saw the trailer to the movie, then found out it was a book, and could not wait to read it. I hope to understand all of my questions after hearing about the story. I also hope to gain an appreciation for a new genre: journalism. I have yet to read a book by a journalist so I am very excited to start The Bling Ring. 

TOW #8: Mirroring People by Marco Iacoboni (Part 2)

          Mirroring People, by Marco Iacoboni, was written to easily share the crazy world of the brain and all of its talents. Specifically, Iacoboni concentrates on the wonders mirror neurons. We can thank those little things for making a human, human. They are responsible for the feelings of empathy and having a "warm heart" instead of a "cold, hard heart." Without these, humans would not feel empathy from others.
       Iacoboni writes this to share with the public the intricate and extremely competent aspects of the brain. In doing this, he appeals to logos by giving examples of everyday use of mirror neurons so the reader can understand more easily. He also uses anecdotes to portray an everyday sense of these neurons with his own experience. His audience he writes to is anyone interested in psychology and neurology, even if they are not scientists themselves. Because he uses simple terms in portraying information about mirror neurons, it makes it easy for anyone to pick up the book and have a good informational read. It is apparent throughout his reading that he has a passion for science and neurology. Through his diction, he creates a yearn of interest from the reader, which is what keeps the reader entertained throughout almost 300 pages. Most books about science can be extremely boring, but Iacoboni keeps the reader intrigued by adding things, such as anecdotes, to connect with the reader.
     I believe he achieves his purpose in sharing this discovery, making it interesting and coherent for the public. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in psychology and neuroscience. In a 279 page book, Iacoboni definitely keeps the world of science entertaining and intriguing.