Reduce the Rate of Extinction: Annotated Bibliography

Photo take by Harley Kingston 

"Protect and Serve." Nature.com. Nature, 10 Dec. 2014. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. <http://www.nature.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/news/protect-and-serve-1.16514>.

            The author from nature.com claims that “nations must keep expanding conservational efforts to avoid a biodiversity conflict”.  To stress the main claim of the article the author includes statistics about the number of endangered species and the number of species that go extinct every year.  The author also mentions contributing factors to the higher rate of extinction like climate change and invasive species, all of which relate directly to human activity.  Conservational efforts are mentioned in this article, but the author claims they aren’t enough and if the rate of extinction continues at its current rate then the earth could witness its sixth mass extinction within the next couple of centuries.  The author also argues that the cost to protect these species and their environment is nothing compared the economic benefits these species and environments could contribute. 

Novacek, Michael, and Elsa Cleland. "The Current Biodiversity Extinction Event: Scenarios for Mitigation and Recovery." PNAS. 8 May 2001. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. <http://www.pnas.org/content/98/10/5466.full>.

            The authors claim that the “the current massive degradation of habitat and extinction of species is taking place on a catastrophically short timescale, and their effects will fundamentally reset the future evolution of the planet's biota”.  To get this point across the authors reference past extinctions and the timescale in which they happened and how long it took the earth to recover.  They also argue the importance of recovery in human dominated ecosystems.  This article gives different scenarios that provide solutions to the claim they are making.  These authors build upon the idea that something must be done to prevent to loss of biodiversity and even provide examples on how this can be done.

Myers, Norman. "Biodiversity Hotspots for Conservation Priorities."Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group, 24 Feb. 2000. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. <http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v403/n6772/full/403853a0.html>.

            The author claims that conserving biodiversity hotspots is key to preventing habit loss and the extinction of species.  Biodiversity hotspots ranks conservation areas by their importance, basically stating that some areas are more important to preserve than others (hotspot expansion strategy).  This relates to previous claims because argues a solution to increased rates of extinction and provides a conservation effort.  This article from Nature gives information about the financial aspect of this claim by providing funding information.

Vitousek, Peter, Harold Mooney, Jane Lubchenco, and Jerry Milillo. "Human Domination of Earth's Ecosystems." Science. 25 July 1997. Web. 25 Sept. 2015. <http://www.sciencemag.org/content/277/5325/494.full>.

            The author claims that ecosystems are dominated by humans and directly affected by human activities and processes.  The article makes claims on how humans are negatively impacting ecosystems by destroying them through habitat destruction (due to the increasing population).  This article directly relates to the main topic of the increased rate of extinction because it elaborates on the topic on how humans are influencing the rate of extinction through processes that destroy natural areas.   The human population is growing, thus more land has to be devoted to sustain the growing population through process like land transformation which cause biotic changes and alterations to biogeochemical cycles.

Mckee, Jefferey. "Journal of Cosmology." Journal of Cosmology. 27 Oct. 2009. Web. 25 Sept. 2015. <http://journalofcosmology.com/Extinction104.html>.

The author of the article Contemporary Mass Extinction 
and the Human Population Imperative makes the claim “humans and their predecessors have accelerated the loss of Earth’s biodiversity into a sixth global mass extinction”. To support his claim the author organizes his article in to sections they focus on key topics.  The article relates to the main claim from the article from Nature because it describes how humans specifically influenced the rate of extinction through their behaviors and growing population size.  The author also believes that the human population should be at the forefront of conservational strategies.  He believes that until the issue of over population by humans is addressed, even with the best conservational efforts, the rate of extinction will continue at its current pace. 

Jordan's Mid-Unit 2 Post

"Realistic Risks." Home Organization Selection. Nature Publishing Group, 29 July 2015. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.

http://www.nature.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/news/realistic-risks-1.18082

The author of this editorial argues that our society treats the realistic risks of disease outbreak too lightly. The blame in this article is aimed towards both the media and politicians for not publicizing and realizing the threats of these diseases. The author uses the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in South Korea episode as their main argument. He/She claims that the press failed in controlling the outbreak and revealing the threat that MERS had.

Butler, Declan. "South Korean MERS Outbreak Spotlights Lack of Research." Home Organization Selection. Nature Publishing Group, 9 June 2015. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.
http://www.nature.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/news/south-korean-mers-outbreak-spotlights-lack-of-research-1.17722

The author of this article highlights the challenge of figuring out how MERS transfers from animals to humans. There is an epidemic of this disease in camels in the Middle East, and ways to prevent it from spreading to humans are currently being explored, but lack control by researchers. This article goes along with the first source because lack of research means lack of knowledge of the threats MERS proposes.

Butler, Declan. "South Korean MERS Outbreak Is Not a Global Threat."Home Organization Selection. Nature Publishing Group, 5 June 2015. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.

http://www.nature.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/news/south-korean-mers-outbreak-is-not-a-global-threat-1.17709

This source contradicts the first two because the author believes that MERS is not a global threat. He proposes that the only rare occasion of the virus spreading to people is in hospital settings. The author goes on to say that South Korea is doing a good job controlling and minimizing the outbreak. He uses statistics from hospital outbreaks to support his claim.

Sandman, Peter M. "Pandemics: Good Hygiene Is Not Enough." Home Organization Selection. Nature Publishing Group, 20 May 2009. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.

http://www.nature.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/nature/journal/v459/n7245/full/459322a.html

The claim in this article is that having good hygiene is not enough, in terms of preventing an outbreak from spreading. This article was written back in the time frame of the swine flu epidemic, therefore it relates to the topic of disease outbreak. The author believes that stocking up on key supplies such as food and water are more important than hygiene. Advice from Mike Leavitt, the U.S secretary of HSS is included in the article as evidence to back up that claim.

"Between a Virus and a Hard Place." Home Organization Selection. Nature Publishing Group, 6 May 2009. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.

http://www.nature.com.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/nature/journal/v459/n7243/full/459009a.html

This article relates the previous because it was also written during the 2009 swine flu epidemic. The author relays the fact that the disease was spreading from person to person, with no immunity. Going back the first source, this article encouraged scientists to use their credible voices to help communicate the risks and provide resources.

STEM Education

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"An Education." Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group, 15 July 2015. Web. 25 Sept. 2015. <http://www.nature.com/news/an-education-1.17972>.

This article’s main focus is to convince the readers that our current way of teaching is outdated and can hurt children. The authors conducted a study with researchers to learn if alternate methods would be as effective at teaching concepts and the results support their opinion. They claim that children can internalize more information through alternate means of educaiton and that our current system needs to be modified. The most effective forms of teaching should be taught to the children so that the general public can rise to a higher educaiton level.

THE FUTURE OF STEM EDUCATION: MathWorks and the maker movement. (2014). Electronic Design, 62(11) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1704380300?accountid=12725

The author claims that teaching STEM through alternate ways can help immerse the student in a learning environment. The author interviews Paul Kassebaum, who manages MathWorks to see if alternate education routes can work. Through the website, they concluded that teach math through visuals helped students grasp the concepts easier than the traditional way. By investing into alternate ways to learn more students may receive a higher level of education that can affect the world.

Swallow, E. (2012). Rep. mike honda introduces bill to boost STEM education. National Defense, 96(700), 38. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/927947886?accountid=12725

Picture by https://goo.gl/AZoCbF

The author claims that we need to “champion STEM education for each American student,” and by doing so our nation will be great again. The author quotes Obama claiming that STEM research will make our nation great again. This account is about a bill being passed to fund more STEM research and encourage students to study more. By investing in more STEM education, the nation will lead the world into a future where STEM can thrive.

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2011/08/29/stem-education--its-elementary

The author claims that if America is to stay as an economic super power it needs to start STEM studies in Elementary School. They go on to sources studies from Georgetown saying that more jobs are needed in the STEM fields. They claim that since more jobs will be need in those fields we need to develop a better way to teach the people to fill those jobs. STEM jobs are becoming necessary and need to be taught to the young children.

Lenovo funds STEM education for girls. (2012). Tech & Learning, 32(9), 10. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1011088904?accountid=12725

Lenovo claims that funding STEM research it will give them information on effective ways of teaching children. They are collecting data and providing scholarships to students to help them learn what method of teaching is effective. By doing this Lenovo is encouraging the students to try harder and also to focus on learning STEM concepts. STEM research will directly impact the future of tech companies so they are investing in their education.

Blake's Mid-Unit 2 Post

“Lessons must be learned after psychology torture inquiry.” Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group. 14 July 2015. Web. 22 Sept. 2015. <http://www.nature.com/news/lessons-must-be-learned-after-psychology-torture-inquiry-1.17970>.

The author of this Nature article argues that the use of human torture is inhumane and ridiculous. He states that the American Psychological Association (APA) should receive all the criticism it can get due to its dealings with torture alongside the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The article explains the APA’s involvement in MKUltra, a “mind-control program” used during the Cold War. The author clearly thinks that what the APA and CIA did is completely wrong. He makes this clear in his negative tone towards the APA and this is especially obvious in his last sentence, claiming the APA was “making a deal with the devil.” His most important piece of evidence against human torture is a statement he makes against the APA. The APA considered the program ethical and tried to say that it was simply “research.” The author stated that their “studies” violated every consent rule for human subjects, including the CIA’s. This not only depicts the inhumanity of what they did, but even the fact that they broke rules on top of rules in the process.

Campbell, Thomas A. "Psychological Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Torture Survivors: A Review." N.p., June 2007. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735807000402>.

The author of this article in ScienceDirect, Thomas A. Campbell, agrees with the author of the Nature on mostly every point. He too, does not like the thought of torture; at least the way it has been done. Campbell includes a lot of statistics, which strengthens his argument. Statistics on the amount of refugees worldwide, the increase on torture, and more, explaining that the numbers will only increase with the way the world has been the past few years. Campbell also includes many suggestions that make torture treat the one being tortured like the human being he or she is. Campbell really stresses the importance of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and how much of an effect it has on individuals. Overall, Campbell makes an excellent argument against the torture of humans.

Welch, Bryant L. "Moral Drift and the American Psychological Association: The Road to Torture." ProQuest. N.p., 2010. Web. 23 Sept. 2015. <http://search.proquest.com/docview/887541742?OpenUrlRefId=info:xri/sid:summon&accountid=12725>.

Bryant Welch, like Campbell and the author of the Nature article, believes that torture is wrong. He especially attacks the Bush administration and their use of psychological torture, mainly during the post 9/11 era. Welch states that the Bush administration used psychological expertise in their favor to

Photo by Thomas Hawk

torture. He states it “obscure[d] the reality” of torture and “lent it a sense of invincibility through its scientific aura.” These are both pretty bold claims; nonetheless, Welch backs up his argument and uses strong language to persuade the reader into pitying those being tortured and hating the torturers. The article is very much in opposition to the APA and the Bush administrations work in using psychology and torture together.

Luban, David. "Human Dignity, Humiliation, and Torture." Project MUSE. Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, Sept. 2009. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. <http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/kennedy_institute_of_ethics_journal/v019/19.3.luban.html>.

David Luban, like all the other 3 authors of the articles I read, believes that torture, and all forms of torture, are not good at all. Luban argues that torture is wrong and has been, since World War II, outlawed in the United States. However, as Luban mentioned, that did not stop lawyers from finding a loophole. Luban states that the CIA came up with “enhanced interrogation techniques” which he says are just a euphemism for torture. Most of his argument comes from the bashing of the CIA and its disgusting habits of wheedling out some loophole in order for them to continue to do what they want to do.

Summerfield, Derek. "Fighting “terrorism” with torture: Torture Is a Form of Terrorism: There Are No Justifications for It." BMJ: British Medical Journal. BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, 12 Apr. 2003. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1125696/?tool=pmcentrez>.

This article is shorter than the last 4, but this article made one of the biggest arguments. David Summerfield makes a bold claim by saying that fighting terrorism with torture is terrorism itself. This is a moving statement because, although extreme, Summerfield does make a good point. He also includes different kinds of torture that is used. Summerfield made quite a bold argument, but did not exactly include much evidence backing it. However, that is why other articles go well together with Summerfield’s. Using other articles as evidence, one could see the reasoning behind Summerfield’s explanation.

Citation Conventions

The members of The Golden Team blog take citing sources very seriously because reliable sources are what make our blogs credible, informative, and authentic. Readers of our blogs will be able to go deeper into the meaning of our blogs through the provided sources, providing more information at their disposal. We will be citing our sources using MLA format because we feel this format is provides information on our sources and also allows readers easy access to sources. This is a format that all the bloggers for The Golden Team blog are familiar with.

MLA format is used mostly when citing sources within the humanities and liberal arts. This format gives information about the authors, date of publication, publishers, and URLs which allows readers to go directly to a source. For Unit 2 we will be posting blogs related to research and MLA format is recommended for research papers. Due to the criteria’s of Unit 2, The Golden Team bloggers find that MLA format is the best for our blogs.

Blake's Unit 1 Project

Popular Science Rhetorical Analysis

According to the eBiz: The eBusiness website, the Popular Science blog is ranked number 10 in the “Top 15 Most Popular Science Websites.” This data, from September 2015, states that Popular Science gets an estimated 2.8 million visitors to the site each month. That is equivalent to the entire population of Nevada. So clearly, Popular Science knows how to draw readers in and keep them visiting the blog. The question: how does Popular Science continue to grow and receive monthly numbers of 2.8 million visitors? The answer lies in their use of rhetorical devices. In the making of the Popular Science blog, the authors wanted to create a blog that reaches out to all those interested in the scientific advancements being made in the world by establishing a site that appeals to the readers through clarity, the choice of diction, variety, pathos, and the image selections.

Clarity is an important aspect in a blog, or any piece of literature. If the work remains unclear, then the wrong message may be sent, or the reader may not be able to follow the argument of the author. Clarity can sometimes correlate to the choice of diction; however, this is not always the case. In some instances, like with the Popular Science blog, the authors write in a clear, informative tone. This will avoid possible confusion the reader may come across. The authors write each blog knowing the different ages and types of readers the site will attract. Therefore, they know each blog must be written so they can come across clearly to each and every member of their audience. The authors would “dumb things down” so to say. Whenever they realized something may not make sense, they would explain whatever may not have been very clear. For example, in one article about Alzheimer’s disease, the blog mentioned a type of protein called a prion. Had this been some other kind of science article, one maybe geared towards actual scientists, they might have had no need to explain. However, since the authors of Popular Science know that many different people read their articles, they explain more in detail what a prion is and what it does, likewise with anything that may seem too complicated.

Photo by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

Word choice can go along with clarity and it plays a vital role in blogs. Particular to Popular Science, the choice of diction plays a large role in the titles of each blog and the words used throughout each post. As mentioned before, the words are sometimes utilized for clarity; however, they can also impress the audience. One of the posts of Popular Science is titled “Apple’s 3D touch will change how you use the iPhone.” This is a pretty bold statement, and all iPhone users would be intrigued by such a title. In my opinion, the most common and most effective title used in the blog would be a question. Questions like “What’s new with the Apple Watch?” or “Can you catch Alzheimer’s?” really draw the reader to the article. The authors’ choice to use questions as headings is genius due to the amount of people who would want to see the answer located in the post. Along with the headlines, the verb choice used by the authors is very dynamic. They keep the reader hooked using a colorful vocabulary and strong verbs. Audiences are more intrigued to a blog if the posts are vibrant and enticing rather than dull and boring. A solid use of verbs can make or break the blog as a whole. Choosing the right words to include in one’s post can drastically increase or decrease the amount of visitors to the blog.

Some blogs like The Huffington Post and The Guardian include a large variety of subjects, that it can be overwhelming to some. Both have posts about almost any current news going on in the world. News about sports, science, technology, national news, international news, weather, and more. Popular Science focuses on science, obviously, but there are many subsections that can fit under that category. Popular Science includes technology, biology, chemistry, psychology, space, and others. Keeping a variety of sciences, and not just focusing on one, attract so many more visitors to the site. The up-to-date aspect of the blog also helps. Since there are a few subjects, and multiple blogs a day, means there is a good possibility of seeing more than one article per subject. For instance, if someone was really interested in the news behind Apple, Popular Science updates regularly on Apple news, and the reader would be able to get news from the blog. Due to the variety of sciences the blog contains, more readers migrate to this site resulting in the many views it receives.

Pathos is defined as appealing to an audience’s emotions. While not necessarily excessive in Popular Science, the authors do appeal to their audience’s emotions in some cases. One such case would be the post mentioned before, “Can you catch Alzheimer’s?” A title that clearly appeals to the reader’s emotions, as it may strike fear into the reader. This will draw the reader in, because they want to know if the question is true or not. In almost every Apple related post I read, I felt like everything the author stated wanted me to be amazed with all the new things Apple comes out with, which made me feel like the blog is very pro Apple. The authors want their readers to feel the same way; therefore, they will do everything they can to boost the readers’ liking towards Apple. They successfully do this by talking positively about Apple, mentioning all of the good things and almost none of the bad. Although not entirely fair, it completes the job of fascinating the reader, the more and more the reader continues throughout the post.

Photo by inefekt69

“I won’t believe it until I see it” is a very common phrase in almost everyone’s vocabulary. This is especially common when scientific discoveries or new technological advances are made. Many people base what they know off of actual images or videos. The authors of Popular Science definitely put that into consideration with every post they add. The images related to space are especially astonishing. In my opinion, the fact we have pictures of the unknown is captivating. Pictures of space amaze me, and I am sure there are others with similar feelings towards not only space, but maybe plants, or new technology, or anything of the sort. Popular Science elegantly fills their entire website with pictures to attract any kind of interest. Even the layout of the blog is attractive. It is neatly ordered with the newest blog post at the top, with the rest falling into place behind it. The website is very easy to navigate, and one can find what they are looking for with simplicity.

Overall, Popular Science is a very impressive blog. Its clarity, diction, variety, pathos, and images make a great combination for the website. The authors successfully draw the audience in and attract more and more as time progresses. This could be due to its presence on social media, and the ability to share its posts and different blogs. Nonetheless the number of visitors to Popular Science will continue to grow as long as the authors of the blog proceed to use each of the rhetorical devices, and implements new devices as it progresses.

Unit 1 Project-Nomadic Matt

The blog Nomadic Matt is blog that appeals to a wide range of audiences about the topic of travel through the author’s use of intellectual standards and realistic tone. The purpose of the author is to inform, direct, and give advice to readers about traveling better, smarter, and cheaper. Nomadic Matt is blog with many credentials like being featured on National Geographic, CNN, and the New York Times. It has also been selected as one of the top ten travel blogs by various websites. With all of this being said, the author must be doing something right in the aspects of rhetoric.

Initially when I think of blogs, I overlook and do not consider them something worthy of rhetorical analyses, but through this unit I have learned that this is not the case. For a blog to be successful, it must hit the three points of a rhetorical analysis. These points are the author, audience, and context. When analyzing the author one must look deeper into who the author is, what is his/her background, and what their purpose as an author of a blog is. Nomadic Matt has one author, Matt. Matt features an “About” page on his blog which gives insight into his background and reflects on his character. On this page we learn that Matt is the sole author of Nomadic Matt and that he believes in the topics he blogs about because he lives them out. This direct correlation between experience and his blogs give him creditability and it shows readers that his purpose to make traveling better, smarter, and cheaper is realistic and obtainable. Creditability is important for the authenticity of a blog, so by expressing this standard through his blogs, Matt creates blogs that readers can trust and rely on.

Blogs have to appeal to someone, if not what would be their purpose? When performing a rhetorical analysis one must consider the audience and how the author aims towards a particular audience. Nomadic Matt points towards a general audience due to aspects pointed out by the text like the appealing layout of the page, easy terminology, short paragraphs, and organization of the blog. Let’s be honest, the general public tends to like things that are simple to understand and look pretty and the author of Nomadic Matt does this. Matt uses realistic terminology and makes his blogs seem more like a conversation instead of a lecture. Although most of the aspects of Nomadic Matt points towards a general audience, some components like links to other websites that provide facts and statistics, aim towards an audience that interested in the hard facts or is more cautious and needs certainty when it comes to making their travel arrangements. Not only does this widen the spectrum of different audiences his blog appeals too, but Matt also strengthens his credibility. This also demonstrates the intellectual standard of significance. By providing links, statistics, and lists, the author is able to point out the significant aspects of their blog and thus helping get their major points across to readers. The audiences of Nomadic Matt all share a common interest and that is the interest of travel and adventure. Matt’s purpose is to encourage and inspire this audience to go out travel and show them ways to do it so nothing can hold them back.

Text is the last key point when performing a rhetorical analysis. I have already mentioned rhetorical features of the text like the appealing layout of the page, easy terminology, short paragraphs, and organization of the blog. This blog features many pictures of travel destinations, food, and travel gear because if readers can see what they are reading about it makes them more eager and inspired to travel to the pictured destinations and informed on what proper gear looks like. Just looking at the pictures makes you want to get up and go! Key topics and tips are bolded or either used as headings within the blogs. This draws the reader’s eye and points out the main ideas readers should take away from the blogs. All of these factures express the intellectual standard of clarity. Clarity is being easy to understand and free from confusion or ambiguity, which Matt does efficiently through all of his blog posts. The author’s purpose with the blog Nomadic Matt is make travel better, smarter, and cheaper and he does this because he adheres closely to the conventions of journalistic writing. Through the text we also learn a lot about Matt. His perspective on his topics are first hand experiences and he uses some outside sources to support his claims and to develop credibility. As a result of reading his blogs, Matt wants readers to make their traveling dreams a reality and he supports this by giving readers well tested tips, advice, suggestions, and by his personal experience on traveling. Some readers might argue based on the text that some of the author’s suggestions and tips just aren’t realistic for the average person, but Matt makes it clear that anybody can travel efficiently and cheaply because he does it personally himself. Matt also features many pictures of himself in various locations around the world, proving that he actually has been to the destinations he blogs about.

Overall I find Nomadic Matt to be a great blog that definitely fulfils the author’s purpose by reaching out to wide range of audiences and motivating them to travel better, smarter, and cheaper. The many images and colors of the blog appeal to the reader’s senses making the blog realistic and inspiring. Despite the argument that some of Matt’s tips are unrealistic, it seems that he refutes this argument by living out what he blogs about. After reading blogs from Nomadic Matt, I personally have felt the inspiration to travel that Matt conveys upon his readers. Anyone that has a passion to travel or is looking for that extra “push” to get them out there exploring the world should definitely check out http://www.nomadicmatt.com/ .

Jordan's Unit 1 Project

The website sportsblog.com is a great blog that is targeted towards any professional sports junkie, regardless of gender or age. A wide range of people follow and enjoy watching American sports every day and the authors of this blog are writing for people that want to be able to keep up with recent news or their favorite sports/teams. The blog claims that it is the “premier blogging platform for superstars, super fans, and everyone in between”. Additionally, the authors created this blog to form a sense of community for fans while providing breaking news regarding professional sports, using elements on the blog such as the display of popularity of each post and the advertisement of the phrase, “Sports Fans Unite”. 

The authors of the blog indicate their credibility by advertising that the website partners with the top leagues and players associations across the world. According to their “About” tab sportsblog.com offers a constant stream of fresh, authentic, authoritative sports news and commentary. They claim to represent some of the most popular writers in online sports, plus tens of thousands of influential fan and athlete bloggers as well. This credibility allows the audience to feel confident that they are reading information from a trustworthy blog.

Most of the members of the audience enjoy a certain sport enough to visit a website filled with these different types of posts. There are plenty of topics of debate or disagreement, such as which sports deserve the most recognition. This is typical for any sports conversation, as almost everyone has a somewhat different opinion. Along with factual posts, there are opinionated posts on this blog that are sure to spark discussion/disagreement. While exploring the different blog posts, I came across a title that read, ”Larry Fedora should be fired for ignoring Elijah Hood against South Carolina.” I immediately knew that this post wasn’t a typical information filled article because my own personal opinion came to mind, simply after reading the title. Reading the post, however, allowed me to view another perspective on the topic, although I already had my own opinion. Another post on the blog is titled, “Why Cristiano Ronaldo is the best footballer in the game.” Not only are some of these posts written with a little bias, but the authors are intentionally trying to stir up debate/discussion on a topic that many people obviously have different views on. If you click on a post, you will notice that some are written very casually, almost in a way to relate to the common sports fan. They are both informational and opinionated, with occasional humor related to the topic involved as well. There is a wide variety of posts on this website and each one has their own tone. A great example of the casual/humorous tone incorporated is the blog on the anticipated NFL matchup between Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston, the two top picks in the 2015 NFL Draft. Jameis was apparently falsely accused in a rape scandal slightly before his NFL career started and the author of this blog surely didn’t forget to take a shot at him after watching Marcus dominate the game against the former Florida State Seminole. Inside the post read, “But on opening day the Titans, and rookie QB Marcus Mariota, essentially told Jameis Winston that No Means No.” It was followed by, “What? Too Soon?”. The combination of casual and humor tone in which the information is presented to the audience creates a sense of community amongst fans/readers.

I noticed that not only are there tabs for different sports, but also for the type of news people want to read about. The news feed is separated into popular, new, and following categories for the audience in an attempt to make the information visually simple. There are arrows next to each post, where the reader can give a up-vote to their favorite articles. At the top of the page will be the most popular news and what most of the audience will want to see. These visual elements of the blog are important because they are what lure you in. Visually attracting slogans surround the blog as well, such as "get your sports news, anytime, anywhere” and “Sports Fans Unite”. The author made the choice to include many advertisements to gain credibility and look like an official blog. These examples aren't the only things that attract readers, as the titles like “Floyd Mayweather Jr Done? I think not” and “The Top Five Winningest Cities in North America” make you want to read more.

Overall, I believe that the authors of sportsblog.com succeed in what they attempt to do, which is trying to bring quality information and opinionated news to a large network of sports fans. The use of the rhetoric elements of text and visuals are definitely present on this blog as the information is presented in a casual manner and advertisements are used. Analyzing these features allowed me to garner a deeper understanding of the blog itself, and how the authors connects with it’s audience.

Jeremy Unit 1 Project

Photo by Paperghost

In the modern day where information can be easily obtained, it has become more difficult to stand out from the crowd and make a name for yourself. Anyone can create a blog or website and post about anything, causing the industry to become over saturated with less reputable sources. Kotaku, a gaming blog, has prevailed in this competitive market by using credible sources and enticing their audience to come back for more. This reputation develops through the authors and the community that views the blog. Kotaku remains as the favorite source for all things gaming by providing the reader with quick articles and interesting topic points. Through clarity, significance, and fairness, the authors of Kotaku create an immersive blog that fills people in on news and other relevant topics their audience enjoys.

Kotaku uses clarity to simplify the processes of finding articles to read and making the reader feel comfortable while visiting the site. Kotaku’s interface provides users with a very plain simplistic site that focuses on their articles not ads or other distractions. For example, the entire background remains simplistic with a white shade while the post have large interesting titles with gifs or images with life and color. By designing the website like this, Kotaku makes the reader feel comfortable while viewing the site. The white shade adds to the reader’s sense of comfort and allows the reader to focus on the articles without worry about painful color schemes or annoying ads. By having a clean website, the reader’s attention will only be on the article and allows the reader to get the most out of each post. Another example for how Kotaku uses clarity to emphasize their post lies in how they show their posts. Kotaku only allows a title, an image, and about two sentences from each post to clutter up the home page. Because of this, the blog simplifies the searching process to find posts that interest people. It causes more people to enjoy their time on the blog because they skip the posts they do not like and quickly find posts that interest them. This strategy clearly shows the audience that the blog cares about multiple topics but specializes in the areas that people want to see. Because of Kotaku’s clarity, the blog has a simple interface that welcomes users into the world of Kotaku.

Kotaku continues to engage their audience by focusing on the significance of the topic to their audience. For example, Kotaku’s layout has two main categories, large posts and small posts. The larger posts contain a large picture with a bold title and multiple sentences of text underneath; however, the smaller posts contain a tiny picture and can fit in-between two large posts. By doing two types of posts, Kotaku chooses which topics more people care about in their audience. Kotaku usually chooses large announcements and updates on huge title releases for the large posts, while small indie games, game updates, and sales usually take up the smaller posts. The audience subconsciously recognizes the larger topics as more significant and most likely will click on those posts first. Another example of significance happens when Kotaku updates their blog. For example, Kotaku posts around eight posts a day that contribute to creating a community of discussion centering on each topic. By providing the community with relevant news on a consistent basis, one could easily lose hours of their days looking and discussing articles with the active community. The constant flow of significant information encourages the community to discuss topics and create relationships with the authors and the audience. Kotaku current strategy of bridging gaps between fan bases and news has create a melting pot for people to come together and grow.

Lastly, Kotaku creates an immersive blog through fairness and unbiased reports. For example, Kotaku usually posts about news and other reports without poisoning the well for the readers. By giving an unbiased opinion, Kotaku encourages the audience to make up their own mind about whether they should like something. Since Kotaku’s post stress fairness, the audience feels respected by the authors. Kotaku’s unbiased posts influence individual thought and critical thinking among their audience. Another example of fairness throughout Kotaku’s posts is the ability to comment on each post. By giving the audience the right to voice their opinion on each posts, Kotaku encourages everyone to get involved and discuss what they think about the posts. The comment section builds a community waiting to discuss and debate about each post. Through Kotaku’s community, Kotaku has built a place for great people to make friends and converse with people with similar interests. With the ability to reply to each post, everyone can take part in the community boosting Kotaku’s audience and credibility. A community cannot grow if they lack the ability to interact with the authors. Kotaku’s influence through community has pushed Kotaku into the forefront of game news outlets and has positioned itself for greater success.

Clearly, Kotaku provides readers with a great example of how a news blog should be written. Kotaku’s uses of clarity to reinforce comfort and simplicity, help new and old readers get comfortable with the website. The uses of pictures also makes the readers interested in clicking on articles and reading more. By having a simplistic website with significant unbiased posts, Kotaku has become a loud voice in the world of gaming news. This blog has influenced companies and has been a safe place for fans to communicate with the media. In conclusion, Kotaku uses clarity, significance, and fairness to create an immersive community where gamers can receive news and debate with fellow fans.

Mid-Unit Post

http://www.nomadicmatt.com/

This mid-unit post will be a preview for my upcoming post about my Unit 1 blog about the blog Nomadic Matt.  My upcoming blog will feature a rhetorical analysis of the blog that should help readers better understand and interpret the blog in ways they have never before viewed blogs before.  A rhetorical analysis is a critique of a piece of non-fiction that examines the interaction between the author, the audience, and the text using the principles of rhetoric.  I have become very familiar with the process of performing a rhetorical analysis through extensive time I have spent in English classes over the years.  Nomadic Matt is a blog that have spent a fair amount of time reviewing and I feel that I have the tools and knowledge of the blog to write an informative rhetorical analysis for my readers. 

The blog Nomadic Matt reflects the intellectual standards of clarity and significance.  The author of the blog uses a very casual tone in his post making the context easier to grasp and more real.  This clarity makes the blog appealing to all audiences because people want to enjoy what they’re ready instead of feeling like their reading a passage in a college level English class.  Significance is important to the author and he shows the significance in his blogs by pointing out specific details and including links that express the importance of different topics in different blogs.  I find Nomadic Matt to be a very interesting blog and I plan to make my Unit 1 blog just as engaging.  Check out Nomadic Matt with the link at the beginning of this blog!    

Jordan's Mid Unit 1 Post

sportsblog.com

For my Unit 1 project, I will provide a detailed explanation of why the author wrote this blog. In doing so, I will use evidence from specific posts to support my claim and highlight the author’s use of different rhetorical elements. A rhetorical analysis is a way to analyze text in terms of the relationship between the author, text, and audience. It can be applied to blogs, speeches, essays, poems, etc.

In my post, I hope to both discover and offer a deeper understanding of the blog and the authors connection with the audience. I have a some background information on TH!NK’s Intellectual Standards for Critical and Creative Thinking. Breadth is defined as recognizing more than one side of question. In other words, understanding the depth of a situation. Depth, another intellectual standard, is the complexities or seriousness of the matter at hand.

Jeremy's Mid-Unit 1 Post (The Best One)

On this blog we will be diving into rhetorical analysis and then apply what we know to a blog to see how it works. Rhetorical analysis is when one looks at each individual part of a work to see how they interact and contribute to the work. Rhetorical analysis focus on many intellectual standards like Clarity, accuracy, precision, etc. These intellectual standards build quality work and help the author rise to a higher level of writing and entertainment. As I read Kotaku, I hope to learn how the authors of Kotaku use these standards to keep that audience wanting more. For my Unit 1 post, I will do a rhetorical analysis of the blog, Kotaku.

Kotaku interacts with a very specific audience and keeps them involved through constant posts and consistent news that interests them. Next week, I explain how Kotaku provides a clear message to its audience while still keeping it fresh with original content. Kotaku uses many intellectual standards to keep the audience entertained while providing post that actually have depth and thought. I will use my knowledge from school to help me dive into kotaku and find what intellectual standards they use to their benefit. By using intellectual standards well, Kotaku has become a notable blog for all things gaming and next week we will figure out how.

Link to Kotaku’s blog: http://kotaku.com/

Blake's Mid-Unit 1 Post

http://www.popsci.com/
Rhetorical analysis can be defined as the breaking down of some piece of literature, analyzing the text, and determining what the author does in the text to persuade or inform the audience. In a nutshell, it is how the author, the text, and the audience interact. The first blog I will be analyzing later for the unit one project is a science related blog called Popular Science. In my opinion, this blog is very clear and all the blog posts are very relevant to the theme of the blog. This blog has many posts, and many different articles to analyze rhetorically, and many rhetorical devices could be found.
I have some background knowledge of rhetorical analysis before taking my English 101 class at NC State. At my high school, I took AP English in 11^th grade that was a class solely dedicated to rhetorical analysis and the many devices used. I hope to find out a lot from this blog, and want to find many rhetorical devices, in order to see just how much authors try to persuade readers to read their blogs, and just how much they do inform their readers. I hope that this blog will contain many devices, maybe even some that I had not considered before.

Intro Post

We are The Golden Team. Our squad consists of four guys: Jeremy Timperio, Blake Cholerton, Jordan Sharpe, and Jesse Stevens.

Hey, I am Jeremy Timperio and I am an editor of this blog. I am a First Year Engineer at North Carolina State University. I am a nondenominational Christian that loves to study the bible and make friends in fellowship. I spend a lot of my time studying for my intended major, computer science. I hope to one day create my own video games and inspiring the next generation. Also I am a huge gamer and play many classic and new games. I have been getting into competitive Smash Bros and have learned much from playing it. Lastly I’m just a normal nerdy guy who wants to have fun and make jokes. You can expect lighthearted funny posts that shouldn't be taken too seriously. As you read this blog, we will cover topics that relate to the everyday man.

My name is Blake and I am new to the world of blogging and hope to share interesting information with all my readers. I grew up in Garner, North Carolina, located right outside Raleigh and attended Wake Christian Academy in high school, and was able to do well enough to get into NC State. I am in the First Year College at State, and am currently exploring different majors. My hobbies include playing soccer and basketball, hanging out with friends, and playing FIFA. I, along with the rest of the Golden Team, currently attend NC State University. We are fully qualified to write this blog and have very high expectations for it. We will cover rhetorical analysis, scientific issues, autoethnography, art, and interdisciplinary issues. Honestly, as you read our blog, you should probably expect a “not-so-serious” tone in our writing, as we are just four guys who like to have fun. I expect the Golden Team blog to be the blog of the century, and I know it will be a fantastic read. So sit back, relax, and prepare yourself for what will be by far, the best blog in all of English 101 history.

Hi, I’m Jordan Sharpe and I am currently freshman at North Carolina State University. I was born on August 22, 1997 in Long Island, New York. I grew up in a in South Charlotte, NC in a town called Weddington. I attended Weddington High School and I am now at NC State and majoring in Business. I enjoy hanging out with my friends and playing many sports, such as basketball and football. “The Golden Team” blog is my first experience with blogging. You can expect me to provide both information and entertainment through my blogs. The topics we will discuss will be inclusive of rhetorical and scientific issue analysis, autoethnography, art, and interdisciplinary issues. If you need to contact me, feel free to email me at josharpe@ncsu.edu.

Here’s a brief summary of who I am, what I do, and where I am from.  My name is Jesse Stevens and I am from the small town of Clayton, North Carolina located right outside of Raleigh.  I am currently attending North Carolina State University where I plan to receive a bachelor’s degree of some sort (I am currently undecided on what I want to major in).  I am an avid outdoorsman, spending my free time hiking, kayaking, and camping.  My love for the outdoors was intensified after I camped across the United States in twenty-three days, visiting national parks and major cities.  I love sports and when I’m not outside kayaking or hiking you can probably find me playing pickup games of basketball, football, or ultimate Frisbee with my friends.  Speaking of friends, I love to surround myself with my friends, they always keep things interesting.  Oh and I thoroughly enjoy food, so don’t be surprised if there are a few blogs about food.  "The Golden Team' blog is my first experience with blogging and I plan on making this blog awesome. When reading our post reader's should expect us to use a tone that real and relatable.