7.UK's decision against Syria military action welcomed

"Christian Aid has embraced the UK government's decision not to take part in military action against Syria."  David Cameron asked for a military action to take part in this problem with Syria after their brutal response including chemical weapons. However, the Prime Minister's solution was rejected in the Parliament. The Parliament decided to solve this problem by finding political solution to the conflict. Its decision has "opened the door for the UK Government " to work in "promoting peaceful alternatives to military action."Janet Symes, Head of Middle East at Christian Aid, said that the UK Government can bring political settlement by talking to all the parties at the Geneva peace talks and come up with ideas that "can bring the conflict to an end," she said."The UK government has already and will continue to played an important role in the humanitarian effort to assist Syrian people.

So far, I have read many articles by "New York Time" and "The Economist." Different from these, "Christian today's" articles are shorter than the others, which makes it hard to evaluate. The author's tone is very neutral, in a way that it doesn't take a clear side of the issue. The purpose of the article is to inform UK's step up "in promoting peaceful alternatives to military action in Syria." The author lays out the fact that Christian Aid has welcomed the UK government not to take military action towards Syria, and to put efforts to find a political solution to the conflict instead. Nevertheless, the article is hard to understand because of the lack of flow within the short paragraphs. 

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/uks.decision.against.syria.military.action.welcomed/33804.htm

7. The Authority to 'Declare War': A Power Barack Obama Does Not Have

In this article Garret Epps, a former reporter for the Washington Post and a novelist, comments on the actions the United States has taken to intervene with Syria's chemical attacks in Damascus. He sides with 'the Framers', the authors of the American Constitution, who gave power to Congress rather than the President to declare war. He begins with a paradox which contrasts the great powers of Britain and the United States. The British Prime Minister, a man who could act independently of Parliament, consulted Parliament about whether or not Britain should intervene in Syria. However, in the U.S. President Barrack Obama, a man who had no precedent to declare war, did so. This action of the United States will come down in history according to Epps as, "fraught with legal, as well as military dangers- and that constitutionally, as well as in foreign-policy terms, it may be a problem with no solution." Epps continues by giving a background for Obama's choice to declare war. He then shows the state at which the world finds itself at. _At one end of the spectrum is Syria, who committed a crime against humanity when it used chemical weapons to kill masses. On the other end is the United Nations, a power who finds itself powerless when confined from taking any action by threats from  China and Russia, who have their own selfish agendas. He then goes into the politics of the choice Obama made, highlighting how previous presidents had to take similar courses of action when Americans were threatened abroad or action was needed internationally. Nevertheless, he argues that the case in Syria does not demand a quick decision and can be prolonged. He further states that it was an unnecessary call for the time being, especially when there is no other force supporting the course of action Obama wants to take. He again goes back to the Founding Fathers and how their intentions in giving power to make war to Congress was a good thing. Furthermore, he does acknowledge the pressure put on the President and the action he must take, not by his own power, but by the need there is for the United States to make a move for what is right when no other nation will.

This article by Garret Epps is effective, it argues its points well by backing them up through credible sources. It is more informative than persuasive, although it is underlined by the author's biased opinion. He backs up his statement well when he states that a president should not have the power to wage war. He does so when he uses evidence from previous occurrences of Presidents taking power into their own hands. He further bases his information on quotes from well-known political figures and based on historical events. His article is effective for it conveys the events surrounding this decision and he is straight to the point when he deliberates his arguments. His article has a good flow to it and is consistent with the thesis he gives. The image used in the article further enhances his article's message by depicting President Obama in a way which shows his disapproval of the lack of reaction throughout the world. The author is also very articulate, varying his sentence structure and creating an interest in the reader by delivering his message in a to the point fashion. He does, although, leave space for the reader to create his own assumptions both in what course of action the President will take and in whether or not it would be the right decision if he did declare war. Thus, Epps' article is effective and argues a fervent case about the power  division in government and the lack of action around the world. He tries to arouse the reader's patriotism when he outlines that there is a need for the United States to act, yet he emphasizes that this need can be satisfied by a more deliberate and thought over course of action.                          

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/08/the-authority-to-declare-war-a-power-barack-obama-does-not-have/279212/

6. 59% of the 'Tuna' Americans Eat Is Not Tuna

Christopher Mim wrote an article on "59% of the 'Tuna' Americans Eat is not Tuna". 59 percent of fish labeled "tuna" at grocery stores and restaurants are actually mislabeled as some other fish. It was usually a fish called snapper, or an escolar. He supported his evidence by showing a bar graph of percentages of tuna that was mislabeled. He also let out a surprising fact that every single restaurant in Chicago, Austin, New York and Washington DC sampled sold mislabeled tuna.
This article was mostly in bullet-form and almost had no information except a few surprising discoveries of the reality of Tuna in the U.S. The things is, as readers, we can't tell if they are true facts or not. His statement has no credibility, no background proof to show the readers how he has come to this kind of information. Plus, without any sufficient evidence, it's hard to believe that every single sushi restaurants in these big towns like New York and Washington DC misused tuna. Also, a certain amount of people on the comments doubt his article. He did try to make it seem somewhat credible by posting a bargraph of the percentages, but the results of the data come out of nowhere which makes it more hard to believe. Overall, I think Mim had failed in delivering the importance or seriousness of mislabeled tunas sold in U.S. 

6. Ask Alison: The App That Lets Women Rate Men by Looks and Income

Alison Agosti writes about an app that has recently received interest by a young female audience – Lulu. As explained by the author, Lulu allows users to rate male Facebook friends anonymously. Agosti then introduces her opinion on the app, which she considers "stupid" and "incredibly lame". A further explanation of the working system of the app is offered by the author. The app offers multiple-choice characteristics to best fit the person being evaluated, which are then added as hashtags in their profile. Additionally, Agosti critiques how in many occasions the app is sexist and childish, attempting to look clever. Finally, the author explains that although a person can be evaluated by anonymous people, he can also decide to delete his "profile" from the system, based off from his Facebook account. 

Alison Agosti is effective in her writing. Considering that her audience is primarily young adults and teens, she does well in choosing an informal tone. Since her article is very casual, Agosti utilizes slight humor to keep the article’s pace and the reader’s attention fixed. The author does a great job in using metaphor to create humor and to create variety in her descriptions. The style of writing used is similar to dialogue, establishing and intimacy with the audience, as if talking to them. The author further relates with the audience by including her own personal opinion regarding the app. Even though she adds her personal and independent opinion, Agosti does support it by explaining her own experience and the effect the app had on her.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/08/ask-alison-the-app-that-lets-women-rate-men-by-looks-and-income/278989/

6. How Rare Is Crime?

The article written by Ross Douthat talks about the rarity of crime, what should be considered crime, and the chances of someone being a victim of such. He starts his article by giving the reader the story of someone who was a recent victim of robbery, presenting this person’s response after his recovery. He moved on to present a study of the crime rate (from 1975 to 1984). Also, Douthat to use his own personal experience of being robbed and others to support his idea that it is very common to be a victim of crime.

The article is very well written, containing good grammar and vocabulary that makes the readers become more interested in reading it. Also, another element that grabs the reader’s attention is the story of someone who has to do with the article’s theme. By having a good proof to support his idea, from the Bureau of Justice Statistics to be specific, Douthat made his article more credible. Though, I believe that the dates of such study my cause some doubt in some readers. 

6. Which Colleges Should We Blame for the Student-Debt Crisis?

There are many different colleges and they split into different categories like nonprofit and profit, public and private and many other types. It is common knowledge that the schools have contributed to most of the debt problems. Specifically knowing which schools have contributed the most will give a clue on how to fix the issue with debt while also knowing which schools need to reform. There are three main points, the public colleges, private nonprofit schools and the profit schools. The public schools have contributed towards the debt problem simply because they educate the most people. But the most outrageous growth in student loans has happened in the private colleges. However, the profit schools are considered the worst. They are the worst because their students cannot afford to pay back their loans and only 28% graduate.

Jordan Weissmann writes this article directed towards the adults, young and old. The language and word choice is written in a way that it makes it more difficult to understand for people who have not gone through the procedure of applying to colleges and contemplated tuition fees. Weissmann writes with personal pronouns, meaning that the author has gone through the same thing and is very angry at how much money students have to pay to receive an education. He separates the categories to make a point for each section and is very effective. Weissmann also uses charts and diagrams to emphasize his point on how much money the students have to pay and to show how much prices have risen. Overall, the point of his essay was to inform the public about the absurdity of how much money was being paid by the students and how some students did not have to means to pay, resulting in debts and loans. He specifically targets each of his three main points and explains why those schools contributed towards the growing problem of debt.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/08/which-colleges-should-we-blame-for-the-student-debt-crisis/278558/

6. A Lesson Learned About the Intensity of Camera Enthusiasts

The article is fairly simple; the author comments on how overly-enthusiastic people can get about small things, especially cameras. The author, Nick Bilton, says that he once wrote an article concerning cameras of the brand Leica, on how many owners claimed that it had good quality without having many "bells and whistles", as he put it. Bilton says that within hours, his email, Facebook, and Twitter were filled with vehement messages calling him out for different reasons: Canon fans criticized his failure to mention Canon cameras. Nikon fans wrote about their complete disproval of Leica. There were even some who avidly defended old-fashion film cameras, but the most aggressive messages came from Leica owners, who did lots of background research and pointed out that his sources were unreliable. There was one polite reader who wrote to Bilton, Mr. Seigel, who commented on how agressive people became over such a trite subject. The article ends with a quote from a man who reviewed a Leica camera, and told people not to post hateful stuff just to make a scene.

Like I said, the article is simple, but very thoughtful and informative. the author starts off making general claims, then narrows it down to the issue he wants to talk about specifically: overly enthusiastic/aggressive camera-users. The author makes his point, but lets the reader decide what to think. It's an issue that many people don't notice, and is actually quite peevish if one thinks about it. It's written in first person, which gives it a more relatable feel. The author also doesn't use overly bold statements, probably not to incite further anger in hateful commentators; the only bold-ish bit is the quote at the end. The quote is a satisfying closure to the article as well; it didn't leave me hanging like other articles tend to do.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/09/the-camera-community-defends-their-cameras/

5. 3-D Printing the 19th Century

The article's focus is the use of modern 3-D printers to build objects patented in the previous century. The one that the article points out as chiefly responsible for this business is Martin Galese, a lawyer who previously worked with patent violation cases. Galese takes objects archived in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and converts them into 3-D models that can be printed with a 3-D printer. Galese believes that these forgotten patents are works of art, and many would go to waste if they remained archived. He also points out that the patents that he uses have long since expired, and are legally free for public use. The article also mentions the bad rap that the patent system has, for causing many court battles between tech firms, or making what the article refers to as "patent trolls", who exploit the system's protection for cash. Galese believes that the patent system's archives should be seen as a rich depository for fresh ideas, and tries to make objects be simple and charming, with a link to the past.

The article starts by comparing him to the scientists of the "Jurassic Park" film, and it makes several allusions to the film throughout the article. The article seems to place Galese in a good light, though it doesn't outright praise his efforts. The article ends with another Jurassic Park reference, but it's a little confusing, and not everyone might understand it. The article also contains an interactive image, which can display the original sketch and the newly-made 3-D model of an ancient pottery-scraper. There are many links to other websites and images for better explanation as well, which aid the reader's curiosity.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/02/3-d-printing-the-19th-century/

6. What is Medium?

This article by Alexis Mardrigal talks about a year old project by the co-founders of twitter that still remains unknown. Medium is like a blog but done with the intention to narrow down the content and and for people to share ideas, "designed for little stories that make your day better and manifestos that change the world." Madrigal talks about how Medium recently has been gaining some power, and mentions the five latest posts that circulated widely on the web. She says the two of the articles were impressive and two were not, the fifth one seemed like it did not belong to the site. A couple of the articles on medium are driven towards it, the producers of medium pay a few of the writers to currently submit their work and a few articles are freely submitted, although the website is invite-only access to post. The author explains her outside view on the strategy of Medium, by being more than a blog, and having bigger objectives such as substituting magazines in the future. 

This article is really well composed, and has a lot of reasearch and thought put into. The author does an analysis of the website Medium providing her opinion on what the website is and what it is becoming. This shows the credibility and research of the article. It is an informative article, although it is very opinion centered. The attention getter is very effective, it mentions a very known social media today, Twitter, and it works as an attention magnet in the subtitle of the article also. In general the body paragraphs are really well done, except the fact that they are a bit disorganized, the order should be separated in opinion and explanation of the website. The conclusion is weird for the fact that it leaves questions so the reader can form his own opinion, after stating her opinion throughout the whole essay.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/08/what-is-medium/278965/

6. Science Toward 'Beer as a Sports Drink'

Humblin, the Health editor of The Atlantic's, mentioned about research led by Desbrow in order to find a more viable way for people to consume a lot of alcohol without the dehydration that causes hangover. The research is also trying to find a beer that could replace lost fluid after a long exercise. They did an experiment where they had the seven volunteers to exercise until 0.25% of their body mass was lost. After, they would get different beer to consume on four separate occasions. They discovered through this experiment that low alcohol beer added with sodium avoided exacerbated fluid losses.  Although this experiment was successful, it was unable to solve the problem of hangover because dehydration is not the only pathology involved in hangovers. It also affects the acetate, a byproduct of our cell metabolizing the byproducts of other alcohol, which might be the reason for the headaches. Humblin ends his article with a quote by Desbrow who explains that overall, beer is not the best choice to replace the fluid after exercise because a dehydrated body can have many different repercussions and decreased awareness of risk.

This article is well written with good vocabularies and complex sentence structure.  Humblin started his article with a strong quote of Dr. Ben Desbrow referring to the drinking of beer after exercise therefore, attracting the attention of the readers. He further explains that Dr. Ben Desbrow is from the School of Public Health at Griffith University in Queensland in order to give more credibility to his article. He proposed many good arguments to defend the idea that beer is not good to replace lost fluid after exercise. He also mentioned in his article the consequences of a dehydrated body so that the readers can beware when drinking beer. However, he failed to consult other experts in this area and show other experiments that had been done on the same subject. He also could have expanded more on the examples of pathology involved in hangover that are not related to dehydration so that the readers can have a deeper understanding of the subject. Humblin ended his article with a question, giving the readers an opportunity to have their own opinion on the subject. Overall, this article succeeded in informing the readers about the consequences of drinking beer to replace the fluid lost after exercise. 

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/08/science-toward-beer-as-a-sports-drink/278912/

6.A problem of cosmic proportions

In this article the author (unamed)discusses a very contraversial and grand topic. He talks about three experiments that are being conducted to prove that dark matter does not exist. It has been known to scientists for a long time that the universe has been expanding and what generated this expansion was dark matter. However, scientists are starting to question if this theory is really true. All of these three experiments have the same basic idea which is to take pictures of space and record them for an amount of years  and later observe the shifting of space. The author also points out the crazyness of this theory and that it is a very dangerous topic to argue upon for it is one of the main points of space science that black matter exists and like he said “would hurt” to disprove them.

This article is well constucted with organized ideas and clear thesis. His main point was to expose people to this new idea. He did so stating about the three experiments being done throughout the world using it as his body paragraphs and his three main points. The author explain the basics of space like dark matter and expansion and also talks about more in deptch subjects. He explains complicated subjects with the most simplicity giving the reader a chance to understand fully his message. Overall he was sucessful and did a good job by having a clear and concise essay portraying his image in a fun and interesting way.

6. Who Are the Long-Term Unemployed?

     United States has somewhat recovered from its economic recession, however, according to Matthew O'Brien, four million American citizens are long-term unemployed -- that is, "four million people who can't even get companies to look at their resumes anymore". It is a serious issue considering that those who are unemployed have had the same level of education, if not more, than those who are newly unemployed. These newly unemployed consist mostly of individuals that are 25 years or younger while the long-term unemployed tend to be older or/and have been laid off from their job. The crisis set years ago has affected people today. It has taken jobs more than it has given them.
     As an informative piece, this selection is effective. Firstly, O'Brien uses charts to compare long-term unemployed, with newly unemployed and discouraged people. This allows the reader to engage themselves in something else other than words. It also makes the results much easier to analyze (comparing the effect of education level, race, and age on employment). Second, the vocabulary is appropriate since for the formal article that it is. O'Brien is pretty direct as well using phrases such as "Let's go to the charts now", which allows us, the readers, to easily read through the information given to us. The sentence structure is varied. He uses questions, long sentences and short statements which gives fluidity to the text. Due to the subject of the selection and the diction, I believe the target audience is more mature and "business-minded" people. Overall, the tone of the selection is monotone since the main purpose of the article is to persuade, but towards the second to last paragraph O'Brien uses words such as "depressing"and "worst crisis in 80 years"sets a serious and criticizing tone. It also shows the author's perspective of things. He does not believe it is fair that people who have the same (if not better) education than others have to become long-term unemployed. 

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/08/who-are-the-long-term-unemployed/278964/

6. How Social Media Is Changing The Way We Approach Death

        Paulo Bisceglio, the author of "How Social media Is Changing The Way We Approach Death", begins this article by questioning the influence of social media in the readers' lives. He begins by talking about Scott Simon's, a  popular radio host of NPR's “Weekend Edition Saturday”, experience as he stayed with his mother in the hospital as she slowly died, and how social media got them through that awful situation. Since this article is about a personal and a delicate subject, Bisceglio uses some euphemism when talking about death. He uses the phrase "passed away" a couple of times, but since the purpose of the article is to show that being sick and dying are the most natural things in the world, he is very straight forward about death.
       Bisceglio's purpose in writing this article was to show how the social media is now changing how everyone see's death. One way he achieves his purpose by using some sarcasm such as, “This horrible little secret we have, instead of being the most natural thing in the world.". He also writes in a more informal way, the way most people "talk" in social networks.Bisceglio also exemplum as well, just by giving examples about how social media helped others.  Examples such as Alicia C. Staley and Jody Schoger, who shared their sickness experiences on Twitter. Both Staley and Schoger say that her Twitter followers were extremely helpful and essential for their recovery, that they were very nice and always sent them messages helping them to stay strong. So, I believe his purpose was achieved through using these devices, which made the article a lot more interesting and relatable.



http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/08/why-social-media-is-changing-how-we-approach-death/278836/

6. "We Were Bored... So We Decided to Kill Somebody"

Steve Clemons, the Washington editor for The Atlantic, comments on the most recent incident of gun violence in Oklahoma. The victim was an Australian student, Christopher Lane, who had gone to Oklahoma to visit his girlfriend. He was brutally murdered by three juveniles who allegedly said to authorities, "We were bored and didn't have anything to do, so we decided to kill somebody." Clemons then makes a comment on the affect this murder would have in Australian politics and the struggle the American ambassador would have to confront the child's parents. Clemons then gives his article a more personal and general note when he comments on his own experience in Oklahoma and the tendency of the youth to commit violent acts there. He proposes that in order for Oklahoma to feel a decline in youth aggression, the state government must act. They no longer can back-up gun possession laws above all else, "the government must prioritize building 'healthier communities'." Clemons also highlights the role of other states and industry in the process of recuperation of Oklahoma, by withdrawing their support and allowing Oklahoma to hit rock-bottom. Clemons continues his article by highlighting politicians who have the power to promote gun restrictions and are inclined to do so. He then outlines the effects intervention could have on the aggressive tendencies of teenagers, while also changing their perception of how it harms themselves, others, and America as a whole.          
In his article Clemons is trying to articulate an argument based on prior knowledge of violence in Oklahoma, the mass murders at schools, and of a recent incident which has just struck the community in Oklahoma. He utilizes the first-person in this article to convey a more personal tone, to enhance his ability to "get into the reader's head" by emphasizing "healthier" and safer communities. Clemons is also trying to persuade companies to move away from Oklahoma, to make the state government make a change in both its gun policies and in the treatment of the Oklahoma youth. He strongly relies on personal relationships he has with political powers to convey both the need Oklahoma has and also the steps the government can take to help. Most of his supporting evidence is impersonal, for there is no relationship between the reader and the politicians, this nullifies the affect he tries to have through the use of the first-person. Although his points are valid, his evidence is not strongly supported, he presents several ideas yet does not back them up sufficiently. Thus, his paper turns out to be inefficient as the reader can make his own assumptions on the lack of topic coverage and lack of support he gives for his own points. This essay is very biased and prevents the reader from making the connection he is trying to make. This essay strayed from its implied thesis, becoming more of an informative piece than holding persuasive power over the reader.    

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/08/we-were-bored-so-we-decided-to-kill-somebody/278858/

6. Lamb of God

As the rate of Christian persecution have increased in China, more people have come to believe in Jesus Christ. Pastor Samuel Lamb had been the leader of an underground  church in Damazhan, China for over fifty years. "Before he was jailed for 20 years in 1958, fewer than 400 worshipers attended his underground church." After his release, the congregation increased to 900 and later to 1,200. Pastor Lamb passed away this this month at the age of 88. More than 30,000 people attended his funeral in Guangzhou; this is not including the police on the watch. Many Christians were "warned not to come; several were detained during the service."  This included being nabbed and handcuffed by the police during the service. Authorities of the church have planned to follow Pastor Lamb's footsteps and to go explore the " house churches" all over China. China officially has 23 million Christians, but it is estimated between 60m to 130m (this includes the Christians of the house churches). The government had been pressuring Mr. Lamb "to comply with official doctrine and register with the government several times before his death," yet he always refused. The government, which have been pressuring Christians to convert, will arrest many Christians in the future.   

This article had a vague main point because it contained various information. The title of the article was developed through out the context. However, the article contained many unnecessary information about Pastor Lamb's experience in jail and interviews of his family members. There are two main ideas in this article: the death of Pastor Lamb and the Christian persecution in China. The  author could have been more careful to choose one idea and strive to explain it  rather to have two ideas and trying to fit them together. The two ideas were relevant topics but the author did a poor job combining these two things together and create a harmony in the article.

http://www.economist.com/news/china/21584057-even-death-popular-pastor-makes-authorities-nervous-lamb-god

5. The Host

           The Host is a story set in the not so distant future. A dust looking alien invades the human soul and creates a perfect lifestyle, with no cheating, lying, or any self gain. Yet there still are some human survivors how try to hide and resist the "souls". Melonie and her brother and boyfriend are one of those, trying to fined safety in the house of their uncle in the middle of the desert. Except Melonie is captured and a "soul" is installed in her. Because of her strong will Melonie is able to share her body with the "souls" so called Wanda. The rest of the Movie is about how Wanda and Melonie escape the other "souls" and reunite with a group o surviving humans. 
            Timothy Wainwright, the Author of this article, thought the movie was to similar to the sires Twilight and to sticky. His objective in this article is to convey his feelings for the movie The Host. Being a man and watching a movie meant to entertain girls, can cause his comments to be not so in favour of it. Wainwright commented various times that the movie was too slow and complicated, and wile he was doing that his way of writing was really fast and strait forward. He said what he thought, a really forward writing, witch is essential for a critique writing. 


http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/march-web-only/host.html

5. Facebook Can Be Better Than Happiness

Facebook Can Be Better Than Happiness

James Hamblin wrote an article, "Facebook Can Be Better Than Happiness" by questioning the idea if people really do prefer being on Facebook than be happy. He did not tell us who did the study, but in the new study, 82 colleged students were surveyed about if they were happy, or felt lonely in their lives, and how much they used Facebook on their daily basis. They were to score themselves from 1 to 100. "The researchers noted small correlations and concluded that the more the subjects used Facebook, the worse they felt." As Frankl wrote in Man's Search for Meaning, "Being human always points, and is directed, to something or someone, other than oneself—be it a meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter. The more one forgets himself—by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love—the more human he is." So Facebook is providing an invaluable resource for fulfilling the basic human need for social connection. But Hamblin contradicts his idea by explaining his own experience about how he lived in 5 different countries-5 new environments in the last five years.  "If social media makes me lonelier, it's only when I try to use it to "fulfill the basic human need for social connection"—instead of, you know, "getting out there" in the new worlds." His point was concluded in the last paragraph by saying  Facebook probably isn't making you lonely or unhappy, unless you're using it to replace real interactions and things that give life meaning. 

Hamblin's title was a very attention-getting. He first questioned the idea of his title, If people really did prefer being active on Facebook than going out in the real world to be happy. He explained the surveys and the results of average college students, and he also mentioned the percentage records of how many US citizens are feeling lonely lonelier by the year. Then he points out his view on how Facebook is affecting people's emotions. His view contradicts the idea that "Facebook" itself just makes people feel left out and lonely. He states his judegement by exaplaining his personal experience and "theory" that only people would feel lonely if they used online social network as a BASIS in their social life. But that's not true for the majority.  "If social media makes me lonelier, it's only when I try to use it to "fulfill the basic human need for social connection"—instead of, you know, "getting out there" in the new worlds. " is what he said to point out his thinking. I felt that he tried to used common language to comprehend the readers more easily. Since this article is about the most used social network site in the world, many readers who communicate using common laguage would read it. His views and opinions were clearly spoken, and very well wrapped up in the conclusion. Although his idea was not supported very well nor have credibility, he made it seem very reasonable. Overall I think he succeeded in presenting his own theory on his view of Facebook.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/08/facebook-can-be-better-than-happiness/278705/

5. The Price Is Racist: When Minorities (and Women) Are Asked to Pay More

Derek Thompson, senior editor at The Atlantic, writes about the prejudice towards minorities and women in the car and auto-repair market. At the start, he presents the first rule of prices, that nobody knows anything. He explains that this rule causes merchants to be bias towards their client and clients to be subject to merchants’ tricks. Dealers can charge different prices based on prejudice towards gender or ethnicity. Thompson comments on a study that shows how women are offered higher prices than men, when they do not name a price first. This happens, because merchants do not know anything about their customer and assume that women are less informed about prices. On the other hand, if either men or women do name a price, they both are offered around the same, because now merchants know that the client is informed. Thompson also comments about another study that shows that the same biased judgment against women occurs with black people, along with the same reason. The author observes the gender study and notes that presenting a price, while demonstrating knowledge of the market, is a possible solution for these biased judgments.

The author is effective in his writing. He uses an informal tone, since his article is not directed to researchers, but to an audience of common adults. The terminology used is not overly complicated and understandable by the majority of the population. Thompson also demonstrates compassion towards the reader by using the pronoun “us” when referring to those deceived by merchants, because he is, just like the reader, affected. Throughout the article, to back up his information, he utilizes research and studies and provides its links. In the beginning, Thompson also adds in a few interesting comments, which fulfills the job of the attention-getter. The only downside might be that at least once the author seems to drift off and comment something irrelevant. Despite this, Thompson does a good job in informing about the issue in the article and warning his audience of the danger. 

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/06/the-price-is-racist-when-minorities-and-women-are-asked-to-pay-more/277174/

5. Glowing Bunnies: Why They Matter

Last week, transgenic bunnies were born. They are extremely healthy and are expected to give birth to many healthy offspring. They also happen to glow green under black light. Dr. Stefan Moisyadi led this project, very similar to the glowing mice project in the 1980s at the University of Hawaii School of Medicine. However, the glowing bunnies were born in Istanbul from a collaboration with Turkish researchers. They used a protein found in jellyfish that creates the glow and injected it into rabbit embryos. Moisyadi said that the bunnies are like a glowing green light bulb. He also said that the bunnies would not be harmed and would live long healthy lives because the jellyfish glowing code is a natural protein. To confirm that fact, the same technique was used on kittens in 2011 for part of an HIV research project. The kittens did not only glow in the dark but were also immune to FIV. Moisyadi hopes that with this genetic manipulation could eventually be applied to people and make cheaper and more effective pharmaceuticals. 

James Hablin writes this essay with the purpose to inform and persuade. His thesis statement is the first sentence and it fully tells the audience the purpose of his essay. He also uses light humor to keep the essay interesting and not too loaded with scientific information, making it easy enough to understand for people who do not know anything about genetic engineering. He informs the audience about the successful science experiment that just happened concerning glowing bunnies and also provides other examples like the mice and cats. He informs of the possible pharmaceutical gain, how it would work and on what they could use it on. He persuades the audience of its great implications because Hablin knows that there are people that are against genetic engineering. He persuades them to help the people with terrible diseases and for the sake of the future. 

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/08/glowing-bunnies-why-they-matter/278621/

5. A Watershed Moment for Hollywood's Animal-Rights Movement?

         This article by Noah Gittell presents pros and cons to the animal-rights movement. Gittel focusses on the impact Hollywood has caused in the past years on animal-rights. Celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres, Alec Baldwin, James Cameron, Michelle Pfeiffer are mentioned as protectors of the animals, all of them are vegans. He gives facts on events that happened in the past, like the execution of Topsy. the elephant, and filmed by Thomas Edison to the death of 27 animals during the filming of the movie, The Hobbit by Peter Jackson. Giving support to technology Gittell cites examples of the movie rise of the Planet of the Apes that took advantage of technology and did not use animals during their filming, instead the director Rupert Wyatt used cutting-edge motion-capture technology to bring the chimps to real life through a computer screen.The author concludes that the concern of fil directors have caused impact on animal-rights protection, but the situation will only improve when technology is big enough to stop animals usage for entertainment.
         As a whole the article is rich in information and talks regarding a global issue present. Gittel uses a really good attention getter, using a escandalous event that happened in the past, that today would have been seen as a tragedy. The author seems null to the big question debated throughout the article, but by the cloncusion it can be recognized as a informational paper and not perssuasive. Even by being from a neytral point of view the text slightly bends towars the animal-rights protection side, even by being the most favored one in general. By citing many famous artists and celebrities it gives his article a lot of credibility, for example Peter Jackson has many protests claimed over the death of animals during the filming of one of his latest movies. Gittel also gives the example of the documentary that is going to be released called Blackfish about the mammals being used for entertainment like in the amusement parks. The article does a good job providing events that happened in the past and now, showing how the intensity of the issue has increased throughtout time. He provides credible evidence on how Hollywood has helped with the cause, and concludes that even though situation is getting better for animals it still has not been completely resolved, and it will take time, which, may upset the reader.

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/08/a-watershed-moment-for-hollywoods-animal-rights-movement/278687/

5. Appeals for prayer for Egypt

Recently, churches in Egypt have been under heavy attacks by the Egyptian mob revolting against the government. Egyptian citizens are contempt with President Mohammed Morsi, and have released their anger by ambushing the country. The mobs have taken such actions: breaking into minister's property, robbing churches, and breaking up prayer meeting. The majority of the mobs were know to be Muslims. These attacks are not only happening to Christian churches but also to those of the Catholics. As Archbishop Anis said,

"I am also aware that there are attacks on other Orthodox churches in Menyia and Suhag in Upper Egypt, as well as a Catholic church in Suez. Some police stations are also under attack in different parts of Egypt. Please pray and ask others to pray for this inflammable situation in Egypt," 

 On the behalf of the churches in Egypt, Archbishop Anis asked the Christians in the other parts of the world to "pray that the situation will calm down, for wisdom and tact for the police and the army, for the safety of all churches and congregations, and that all in Egypt would be safe."

The author's purpose of writing this article was to inform the chaos happening in Egypt. 
The article contained many direct quotes by the church members in Egypt that it made the article depressing. The direct quotes contained specific prayer requests for the situation in Egypt.  Christians in other parts of the world are the main audience of this article because the Christians in Egypt specifically ask prayers for Egypt. Overall this article notifies the current event happening in Egypt.


http://www.christiantoday.com/article/appeals.for.prayer.for.egypt/33604.htm

5. Chinese Hatred of Japan- Real or Government-Created?

In this article Liz Carter, a writer and translator for The Atlantic, comments on the Chinese internet culture. Specifically, Carter looks at the tension between China and Japan created by World War II and the role of the Chinese government in creating misconceptions about Japan. She discusses how the negative feelings shown towards their former occupiers no longer dictates support for the Communist Party in China, but has become something interwound in their culture. She begins by outlining the reminiscence of these events over the media, which took place on the day of the Japanese surrender, in order to remember those who fell under the Japanese. Carter expressly states the role of the media in the transmission of this information, which took place through Weibo, a prominent social network in China. Carter then deliberates the response the masses have to these statements, that of anger, humiliation, and confusion. She then goes over the role the government has had in the instigation of anti-Japanese feelings. She states that at this  point, although it is promoted by the government to distract the population from domestic issues, the people themselves have increasingly grown a cultural grudge against the Japanese. This tension has only grown because of the increasing amount of Japanese visits to a shrine in China, honoring the fallen Japanese there. Furthermore, tension has further increased as Japan has declared that it will nationalize a chain of islands common to both Japanese and China. This hatred is also reciprocated by the Japanese, where studies included in the article have shown the great percentage of both populations holding grudges against the other. The hatred between the two countries has been fueled both by international incidents and the antagonization of Japanese in the Chinese education system. Carter states, "But this anti-Japanese sentiment is not simply an expression of regret for the past." As she later states, it has become a tool to avoid domestic issues and as an initiative for the government to promote unity within China. She  ends her article by showing the need for change in this view, she quotes a blogger who states that China must let go of this grudge and turn to self-restoration before talking about war with Japan.          

In this article, Carter is trying to inform the reader of the situation in China, using different pieces of evidence to portray the mind of the Chinese and their hatred for Japan. She argues that, although there is the involvement of the government, this hatred for the Japanese has escalated and has been integrated into Chinese culture. Carter relies on posts from a Chinese social network published by both those pro-government and those who disagree with the government, creating an unbiased essay.The image and caption used in the article further underlines the friction between the two countries and how deeply the Chinese have been affected both culturally and emotionally because of the Japanese. The image transmits an image of pain and the growing passion of the Chinese. Carter is convincing with her arguments and establishes her foundations on research which give her more credibility. Furthermore, her language is deliberate, expressing a serious and emphatic tone, which highlight the situation China faces. She is articulate in conveying her information, using an image which both moves the reader but also creates an awareness of the attitude the Chinese have when attacking Japan. Moreover, Carter is effective in using her quotes and is able to develop her points based on these quotes. Her information is complemented by previous clashes and friction between the two nations. Thus, she establishes a well argued statement, which sticks to the point and is able to convey an image of the Chinese grudge with Japan.          

http://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/08/chinese-hatred-of-japan-real-or-government-created/278763/

5. Facebook Can Be Better Than Happiness

              Hamblin, the Atlantic`s Health editor, wrote about how facebook makes a person become more lonely. He describes a study that was based on 82 college students who received five text messages per day for two straight weeks.  The text messages contained a link to access an online survey that asked questions for example, "How do you feel right now?" and "How much have you used Facebook?” The study concluded that the more use of facebook, the worse the person felt. Furthermore, he mentioned about Stephen Marche who described the overall decline in social integration. In 1985, only 10 percent of Americans had no one to discuss important matters and 15 percent only had one such good friend. In 2004, 25 percent had nobody to talk to while 20 percent had one person. He concluded that the use of technology in place of real interaction is the reason for this problem. Hamblin explains that facebook only makes a person lonely when they try to use it to fulfill the basic need for social connection. Facebook can only be used to keep in touch with people that are not close or to learn about things that are new, otherwise, the important real interactions and the meaning of life would be replaced.

             Hamblin started his article by pointing out that facebook is the cause of decline in happiness. He then, supports this idea with many studies and quotes from the people who have been studying about this subject, therefore, rising up his credibility. He wrote about the comparison of the percentage of Americans who had no one to discuss important matters and the ones that only had one such good friend in 1985 and 2004. This comparison gave the readers an idea of how much the social media affected in the overall social integration. Moreover, he also used an example of multivitamins to illustrate the use of facebook by saying that it is beneficial as long as it is not excessive. He mentioned about his personal experiences of living in five different cities to enforce that going out in the new world is better than using social media to fulfill the need for social connection. The main audience that Hamblin is trying to reach is the teenagers since facebook is especially popular among them. On the contrary, he failed to attract the reader`s attention in the beginning of the article and used too many quotes and examples that eventually, made the article more tiring to read. Overall, he did a good job in using simple and direct language to explain the effect of facebook in the society and how to use it without exaggerating. 

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/08/facebook-can-be-better-than-happiness/278705/