Essay Idea

Prompt: write an essay explaining why overweight/obese people are looked down upon in society. How can we stop it? Feel free to add in why anyone is looked down upon in society due to appearance. 

I think writing this essay would help me by being able to put down on paper what I am thinking in my mind, however controversial it may be. It would give an outlet to express an idea about why this is happening and how to prevent it from continuing. I'm talking about judging someone based on weight before you even get a chance to know them. I like to write persuasive essays more and I think this type of essay would be beneficial and not too difficult for me to write.

(late) It's All Latin to Me

dimidium facti qui coepit habet: sapere aude, incipe translation: "He who has begun is half done: dare to be wise! Make a beginning!" This is relevant to the course because we have just started and we must dare to be wise, dare to be different, dare to try something new. This is a new beginning, this course is what you make of it so make it good.

Vocabulary #2

obesity- excessive accumulation and storage of fat
Ex. Obesity has become a huge problem in the USA and throughout the globe in the last few decades. 

accumulate- to gather or pile up
Ex. The cup I left out in the rain began to accumulate a noticeable amount of water after a few hours. 

mass- a quantity or aggregate of matter
Ex. Everything in the world has a certain mass, such as bodies, big or small.                           

disease- a condition that impairs normal functioning
Ex. I was worried when I found at my mom had heart disease.                                           

diet- to eat and drink sparingly or according to prescribed rules
Ex. The general population believes that going on a diet will result in a loss of weight, which simply is not true without a proper exercise routine.                                                     

prevalence- the state of being widespread
Ex. The prevalence of obesity in children is shocking and unbelievable.                           

stigma- a mark of shame
Ex. A certain stigma resides over being obese as many people think less of you.

prevent(able)- something that is able to be kept from happening
Ex. In most cases obesity is preventable, you must be willing to work on the problem to find a solution.                                                                                                                             

adolescent- someone who is young
Ex. My adolescent brother already weighs 200 lbs.                                                   

cardiovascular- of, relating to, or involving the heart and blood vessels
Ex. My great grandfather died of a disease relating to his cardiovascular system.               

excessive- more than what is necessary, proper, normal
Ex. The amount of food some Americans eat is extremely excessive.                                 

sedentary- not migratory, settled
Ex. Sedentary soil lies all over the place.                                                                                   

predispose- to dispose of in advance
Ex. Lack or exercise may predispose an individual to high blood pressure.

syndrome- a group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a particular 
abnormality or condition
Ex. My cousin had down's syndrome, but he is one of the happiest guys you will ever meet.

mechanism- a process, technique, or system for achieving a result
Ex. You may require a mechanism to be able to lose those 50 lbs.

Vocabulary #1

expository- intended to explain or describe something
Ex. She wrote an expository article on the origin of life.

composition- the nature of somethings constituents
Ex. He wrote a composition for the choir to sing.

assuage- to make something that is unpleasant less intense
Ex. I helped assuage his sadness after his mother had died by hanging out with him. 

decadence- period of deterioration or decline.
Ex. The average person from the Middle East condemns the decadence of western society. 

hackneyed- lacking significance due to being overused 
Ex. The meaning of the term Y.O.L.O. became hackneyed after a few months. 

coalition- pact or treaty
Ex. The two factions formed a coalition to fight off the totalitarian Emperor and his army.

transcend- to rise above or go beyond the range of limits
Ex. During the Harlem Renaissance, African American literature began to transcend culture. 

meritorious- deserving praise, merit
Ex. The parents awarded their meritorious daughter be taking her out to dinner. 

lurid- gruesome, horrible, revolting
Ex. After watching the lurid crime show for ten minutes, I  had to change the channel.

petulant- bad-tempered
Ex. The child became petulant after her mother refused to buy her the toy.

This is Phat

beewellforlife fitness and nutrition blog.

Blog I found while browsing the internet that gives motivation to keep active and eat healthy and provides healthy recipes to try.

My Opinion is Not a Right

Imagine you are in the middle of a heated discussion, and the person you are debating with says something that is hard to argue against. Instead of conceding to their point you exclaim "I have a right to my own opinion". This statement is not only false, it adds nothing to the debate. When this is said it shifts the topic of the conversation to a completely different subject. Its falsity comes in the form that having a right entitles someone else with a duty. I think that if you understand the person you are talking with has a great point and backs up this point with evidence, you should truly look back on what your view is and maybe change it. The person will have so much more respect for you if you concede and let them know that they are right. Saying that you have a right to your opinion makes people think that you just have no clue what you are talking about and therefore think of you as ignorant. Who cares if you are wrong, I would rather shift to the correct side of an issue than keep my wrong opinion.

Reflections on Week 1

   Q1. Are there any factors that you think are going to affect your participation or experience in this class? Access to a computer?  Mobile/smart phone?  Transportation?  Friends/family? Schedule?                            A1.I have no reason not to be able to participate fully in this course. 

   Q2. Think of an awesome best ever learning experience that changed you. What did you learn? Where were you? What happened? Who else was there? Did it teach you anything about how you learn (or pay attention... or remember, or think?) How did you know what was happening? 

   A2. I learned how to play soccer at a soccer camp in Arizona with my friend Gus. Before this I was good but just screwed around. I was taught at the camp how to play and more importantly how to practice. I learned that to get better, you must have the want for improvement. I figured out what i needed to do to get where I wanted to be. I have applied this to my life and now am on track for success.

   Q3. What are you most [excited/concerned] about in this class? What do you look forward to in learning?  How do you think it can/will make a practical difference in your life?

   A3. I am most excited about the opportunity to learn in a different way. Every English class I have taken in the past has been the same old read this, write that, write notes on these. I look forward to coming out of senior year having experienced something new and enriching. The amount of information and different sides of a story you can get out of learning this way is remarkable. It will teach me to think outside of the box, not every class has to be as repetitive as the prior.

5 Go-To Sources For Good Non-Fiction

1. NBC News: http://www.nbcnews.com/ - tends to be a source of non fiction writing with a liberal bias.

2. Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/ - tends to be a source of non fiction writing with a conservative bias.

3. Wikipedia: http://www.wikipedia.org/ - source of an enormous amount of non fiction, always check sources for what you read on this site.

4. Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/- user driven website that gathers together a vast array of opinions and non fiction writing.

5. BBC World News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/ - world news site that takes news stories from all around the world and gathers them in one place.

A Truly Interesting Piece of Non-Fiction

After reading this article, a couple things were going through my mind. First, did people really not realize a government as powerful as ours would be able to do such a thing? Second, so what? If the government's computer systems are truly looking for potential terrorist threats then I think it is a good thing. Yes, the government has access to anything and everything you do on the internet, but as long as you are innocent and have nothing to hide, what is there to worry about? People act as if some nerdy hacker is sitting in a chair at the NSA headquarters looking through your browser history. This simply is not the case.  I believe that even if the government didn't have the legal right to do this, they still would. Our government was given these powers by the people. We let congress vote on such bills that allowed this kind of surveillance. I don't want to sound as if I don't believe the government of the United States could do no wrong, trust me, I know it can but I think there are bigger things to worry about than this. On some parts of the internet, Edward Snowden is idolized. I applaud him on what he did to inform the general population of what was going on. But to think that in this ever changing and technological world that this wasn't going on shows ignorance.  

What the $%&@! is "Expository Composition"?

Not really sure if I am doing this right but I will give it a shot. When I look up the definition of the term it is this: writing that conveys information and explains ideas. What exactly does this mean? It seems to me that expository composition is any form of writing that is somewhat based on an opinion. If your writing explains an idea, whether it is your idea or not, it would be hard to write in a complete non-biased way. Expository composition also conveys information to the reader. This information that is being conveyed may come from one side of the spectrum or the other, again, in a biased way. This is my opinion on what expository composition is, and you may have another, but isn't that the whole point of it? You are reading this and hearing my side of the story and I think it is great that I get to hear yours. I love looking from the outside in upon arguments and hearing both sides of the story. What do you believe the meaning of "Expository Composition" is?

My Big Question

What is the point of life? Why am I here? Why do I strive for success when in the end it won't matter?