13. Apple Cores Are a Myth

James Hamblin wrote an article introducing the myth of apple cores. If the apples are eaten
from the sides like peope normally do, we end up at the core of the apple and throw it away. However, a new "discovery" happened that shocked many people. If we eat from the bottom towards the top of the stem, we will reach no such thing as a "core" and will be left with nothing to throw away. This is how to eat an apple like a boss. Although seeds' purpose is to be planted in soils not our stomach, they won't cause much harm. There has also been a statistical research of how much money Americans waste by throwing away 1/3 of the apple eve though than can still be eaten. "If each of us eats an apple a day, as we all do, and we are all wasting 30 percent of our apples at $1.30 per pound, that's about $42 wasted per person per year—which is $13.2 billion annually, thrown in the trash or fed to pigs."

The author, James Hamblin sure knows how to persuade his readers. First he provides a video of himself eating his apple like a boss, demonstrating that he will not get to any core if he starts from the bottom. Then he gives a very detailed description on how people should it their apples (like a boss). He gives supportive facts and researches done to prove how much Americans waste their money just by throwing the apple cores away. The percentage, which is very surprising, probably persuaded many readers to eat their apples differently from now on. 

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/11/apple-cores-are-a-myth/281531/

13. The Real Guide to Using Twitter.

   This post on The New Yorker by Caitlin Kelly talks about the "right" way to use the social network Twitter. Kelly gives some advices on what to do and what not to do on Twitter in order to have as many followers possible. She starts by giving the "Basics" of how to use Twitter. Her advice include, how to use hashtags, what not to put your Twitter name as, what to tweet about, who to tweet, and other advice like how to favorite and retweet other people's tweets. Kelly then goes into the "Advance" way of using Twitter. She first explains that to follow her advice on that section, one must have been  using Twitter for a while. She advises the reader to make virtual friends and prank them by tweeting them sarcastic things, or inside jokes. She then creates an "Extra Credit" section where she gives a more personal advice: who to follow. She states how it seems a good idea to follow friends, family, work friends and people you know, however it is better to just follow celebrities and bots, and her last advice is to never tweet real things, only superficial.
   This post was written in an informal way. Kelly opens the post with a quote from Times Magazine about Twitter, making it seem to be a formal post. However, the rest of the post is full of sarcasm and stereotypes. Kelly stereotypes the twitter users as people who spend the whole day tweeting about useless things and personal opinions that do not matter to anyone except themselves. To make her point, she uses a lot of sarcasm, for example the last sentences of the post, "Tweet like a person—someone with feelings, passions, loved ones, a basic grasp of grammar—and you will only get hurt.Never tweet real things." She uses also an Analogy to the Television Show "The Bachelor." These rhetorical devices make the post informal and easy to read, which is what captivates the attention of the readers.


http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/shouts/2013/10/the-real-guide-to-using-twitter.html

13. Syria Meets Deadline for Submitting Destruction Plan for Chemical Weapons

Nick Cumming-Bruce and Michael R. Gordon write their article regarding Syria’s recent decision of providing a destruction plan for their chemical weapons. According to both authors, this plan was submitted three days before its deadline. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is responsible for monitoring and later on destroying Syria’s program. According to some American officials, Syria’s plan only provide a list of 23 sites where the weapons program, while it is known that there are at least 45 sites. The American government requires the complete list of weapons sites and their location, and it will depend on Russia’s help to make Syria oblige. According to Bruce and Gordon, if Syria fails to oblige, the Security Council could even take military actions on the country.

Both authors focus to provide information to the readers about the international struggle regarding Syria’s chemical weapons program. They write this informative article with a formal tone, using appropriate language for such type of essay. Both of them use interviews and statistics to give credibility to their work. The article has a good flow, starting by providing good, and credible information. They go on and start explaining the situation so far, with information that is recent, but others that are also gathered before the event related with chemical weapons. Bruce and Gordon conclude their article by informing the reader of some possible consequences if Syria refuses to cooperate with the United Nations and the United States.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/world/middleeast/syria-meets-deadline-for-arms-destruction-plan.html?hp&_r=0

13. The Rise of the Bicycle in the 21st Century

Article by Paul Rosenfeld published by The Atlantic talks regarding Frederik´s Gertten newest documentary coming out on 2014, The Atlantic provides an interview with the director. Gertten had two big successes on his past documentaries, one of them is Banans!* and the other one is the sequence Big Boys Going Bananas!*. These articles criticize the use of pesticides on fruits such as bananas and attacks them with facts. However on this new article Bikes vs. Cars he "insists that his latest movie is not about taking on the automobile industry, but making the case for the positive impact bikes can have on the vitality of a city and its inhabitants". On his interview Gertten has the objective to inform the changes bicycles make on the urban living. He says he will be facing a Goliath as he publishes this documentary, he refers his controversy to cars as the small voice and how he does not want to stop people from having cars but wants people to have freedom from cars. Gertten points out the amount of savings relating to oil that could happen in the united states even though a lot was invested on the building of highways. He goes on explaining that the governments should listen to people more often and follow examples of cities that work with bicycles on the streets because the more people are satisfied with the government with bikes on the streets the less traffic.
This is an informational article, its purpose its achieved through an interview method the author uses to approach the director of the documentary. The introduction is really well written mentioning the past works of the director and what led him to film this current documentary. What also led to credibility is the fact that Rosenfeld attached the trailer of the documentary mentioned about. The interview presented in this article is the condensed version but still provides a great overview of the directors expectations and reasons behind his new project. The conclusion however is brief and in interview form its efficient, the last question is adequate to finalize the article. In general the article is effective on giving a preview of Rosenfeld and his ideas behind his new documentary.

13. Northern Iraq no longer safe for Christians

This article by World Watch Monitor causes awareness of the seriousness of Christian persecution in Northern Iraq. The article proceeds as the author lists out the different incidents that have happened in the Northern part of Iraq, starting from suicide bombs to Christian kidnappings and persecution. It is said that many Christians from the south have moved to the Northern part in order to find a better life, yet the Christians in the Northern part Iraq are surrounded by much violence. Open Door's have assumed that there will not be anymore Christians in Iraq in the year of 2020. As Iraq is number four on the World Watch list, Many faiths are put under pressure.

This article is simply written. The author doesn't use large chunks of paragraphs but rather uses about two sentences per paragraph. This is an effective  way for the author to distinguish the different ideas that she presents, and also help the readers see that the author is moving onto a different idea.  Although the information was enough, the author lacked organization. Overall, it was an comprehensible  essay.


http://www.christiantoday.com/article/northern.iraq.no.longer.safe.for.christians/34452.htm

13. Kesha Concert Banned in Malaysia

        Recently, the famous POP singer, Kesha, has been banned from doing her show in Malaysia. It is said that she attempted to work it out, by censoring her lyrics and wardrobe, but it was of no use. Kesha and the concert promoters were quite upset, seeing as they will lose around 1.1 million ringgit (£217,000) because of the cancellation. Other famous artists, such as Beyonce and The Pussycat Dolls have been subjected to similar complications, however, they were allowed to do their concerts. Malaysia has strict rules specifically when it comes to women, due to their Muslim religion. This should be respected of course, but they only told them to stop the concert a week before it would take place. 
       I believe this article by BBC news was effective. Not only does it inform, which is the main purpose of the selection, but it also makes the reader think further. This article might seem quite trivial at first, but it brings into question how the Malaysian government deals with international affairs.  Malaysia is a federal country; a Parliamentary Democracy and the government's decision on the Kesha matter did not seem to reflect that. How are Malaysian citizens reacting to their way of governing? The tone is serious, but due to the subject of the article, I think it is more directed to a younger audience (Kesha is more popular with teenagers). This selection also uses an image of Kesha with a black swimsuit (?) piece and four young men grabbing her. The image conveys the sexual side of Kesha in concert and therefore shows why Malaysia banished the young artist. What I like about this article is that it is direct and simple. It is appropriate for informing the reader. Overall BBC news is effective.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24691757

13. 90% of Wikipedia's Editors Are Male—Here's What They're Doing About It

            Meyer wrote an article about the unbalanced gender of editors in Wikipedia because 90% of the encyclopedia`s top editors are male. This unequal gender eventually affected Wikipedia because they are lacking articles written by women. The gender gap is responsible for the organizations that only focused on women in science. Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, shows concern toward this inequality because he wants the site to focus on the articles written by female editors and the global south. The researchers from the University of Minnesota discovered that most of the articles written by women are only interesting within the women but the articles written by men are interesting for both genders. The problem is not only the lack of women editors but it is the lack of new users in the encyclopedia. Recently, four researchers discovered that ever since 2003 the number of workable editors has been decreasing. In 2006, the number dropped to less than 20% and the proportion continues to drop dramatically. The Wikimedia Foundation has tried many times to try to increase this proportion and the most interesting one was the WYSIWTG editor which reduced the amount of jargon wiki code that the new users would have to follow. However, this project did not work out well because it was complained by the editors and pushed back.

             Meyer used clear vocabularies to inform the readers about the newest concern of Wikipedia. He starts his article with a brief definition of Wikipedia so that he may introduce his main topic of the article. He used many examples to back up his main point. For example, he wrote that about 90% of the editors in the site are male and he also wrote that in 2006 the number of editors dropped 20%. Meyer also included many researches from some colleges so that the credibility of his essay may increase. An example would be the research in the University of Minnesota that discovered the articles written by women are only attractive within women but the articles written by men are interesting for both genders. Although Meyer`s essay is well organized, the title of the essay is not appropriate for this article because it is not the main focus of the author. The title suggests that the author is going to write about the solution for the unbalanced gender but he did not write a definite solution for this problem throughout his article, therefore, leaving the readers in doubts. Overall, the article was well written, complex in its information and especially suitable for the adults. 

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/10/90-of-wikipedias-editors-are-male-heres-what-theyre-doing-about-it/280882/

13. There Is No Evidence That Obamacare Will Make Poor Americans Less Likely to Work

Matthew O'Brien, a senior associate director at The Atlantic, composed an article where he comments on the evidence which suggests that Obamacare does not affect the level of work in the poorer classes. He begins his article by asking the question, "Will we stop working once we don't need to work to get health insurance?" He answers this question by stating that most people wouldn't stop working. He justifies this answer by taking into consideration the desire most people have to save up money for their retirement, among other future investments. He quotes Ezra Klein who gives a scenario showing the work of the Obama Care Act in the lives of those who cannot take a job to provide insurance for their families because they are needed at home. He continues his article by pointing out that being insured or not does not affect the people who end up working, basing his assertion on researcher from institutions such as Harvard, MIT, or the Social Security Administration. Their research in Oregon was made possible because of the system by which the insurance policy was handed out: by lottery. Thus, the people who did get the insurance policy were chosen at random. Even with this random allotment of insurance, the evidence supports that when it comes to insurance, most people continue working. He ends the article by concluding that, "We don't need the threat of medical bankruptcy to make our economy work." He concludes that whether or not Medicaid protects the insurance of those who are not working, it will not lead to a surge of lazy workers who give up their jobs because they can keep their insurance. 

In this article O'Brien writes mainly to argue against the belief that Medicaid and the Obama Care Act will create a substantial majority leaving their jobs because they do not have to worry about their insurance. He argues this effectively, backing up his statements with credible research and by quoting other influential articles. He also is persuasive, using rhetorical devices to his benefit. He alludes to The Hunger Games when he describes the issue of giving insurance by lottery in Oregon. Although this is a major piece of evidence, he relies on the public knowledge of the movie The Hunger Games. Nevertheless, he is straight to the point and is capable of using his evidence effectively. His article has a good flow to it, throughout it follows the main point he is trying to prove. Furthermore, he varies his sentence structure, he uses both choppy and longer sentences. This helps the fluidity of his essay and contributes to his tone. His tone is serious, yet he also has a sarcastic undertone. The image he uses in the article is not as effective as it could be. It portrays the issue of health care and it's effect on people, yet it does little to provide any support for his article. Overall, his article is affective and cuts up the belief that Obama's Medicaid encourages laziness among workers or even unemployment. His essay is to the point and persuasive, leaving the reader without a shadow of a doubt that what he says is true.                
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/10/there-is-no-evidence-that-obamacare-will-make-poor-americans-less-likely-to-work/280754/

13. A Brief History of Dude

J. J. Gould, executive editor of TheAtlantic.com, writes about the word “dude”. The word “dude” has many connotations depending on the intonation and context. However, they all enforce a relationship of “solidarity without intimacy.” The author makes a parallel between “dude” and Mandarin, where intonation of a syllable can drastically change the word’s meaning. Similarly, “dude” can be used as thrilled appreciation or sober disapproval. Dictionaries struggle when defining “dude”, which is why they include many different meanings. Gould explains that its contemporary use began in the “Pacific Coast surfing culture” in the 60s and became “mainstream popular culture” in the 80s. Now, it implies a relationship of “laid-back camaraderie” among guys. Over time, it also applied to girls and gays. However, women and gays do use the word in different circumstances/connotations. The author explains that the term “dude” has evolved over the years and been applied in different “cultures”.

Gould does a brilliant job in writing his essay. First, he utilizes humor. For instance, he writes in the introductory paragraph, “It always implies the same thing: solidarity without intimacy. It says close, but dude, not too close.” The humor fulfills two purposes; it helps explains the ideas that are presented and it also makes the essay interesting and playful. Additionally, the author writes with an informal tone. The way he structure his sentences and paragraph resembles a conversation. The informal tone is also evidenced in the essay by the usage of the personal pronouns “I” and “you”, which indicates when Gould directly addresses the audience. The audience is probably young adults who are familiar with modern slang, due to the high number of slang used in the essay and the informal, playful tone the author uses to write. The usage of research information, quotes, and the dictionary definition also helps to support his claims and ideas. Gould remembers to include the sources of these so as to demonstrate his credibility. Overall, the author writes beautifully and does a great job in structuring his essay.

 http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/11/dude-transcends/309528/

12. Same-sex Couples in New Jersey

Vivian Yee writes her article same-sex marriage and describes the events that happened the last few hours. As the state of New Jersey allowed homosexuals who filled a license on Friday so that they could marry on a Monday, many couples who did so had to plan their whole wedding ceremonies and invitations during the weekend. According to the author, some only had less than a day. Yee describes how many couples did not wish to wait to begin their ceremonies, so their marriage would start on Sunday and they would soon be married by midnight.

Yee uses a formal and informative tone in her article. However, she quotes many couples who recently married and describes the process of organizing their ceremony. By doing so, she indirectly makes the audience sympathize with the event and couples who got married.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/21/nyregion/a-rush-to-the-altar-for-same-sex-couples-in-new-jersey.html?hp&_r=0

12. Our Dolls, Ourselves?

Adrienne Raphel goes into a very extensive and detailed essay about the popular American Girl dolls. She begins by telling the readers of her history with her American Girl dolls, then goes on to talk about the country's history with them. She notes which dolls came out when, and when they were retired. She talks about the various accessories and online trends that came with the dolls, and how the dolls and the marketing strategies have changed over the years. The point that she tries to make with all of this is that over the years, the American Girl dolls have ceased to try to make the girls who owned them identify with the girls in the stories. Now, the dolls are made to become more and more like their owners. Raphel praises the brand for making the dolls inclusive of various different cultures, but laments their loss of identity.

The article is pleasing to read, albeit very long; almost too long. The author went into way too much detail about how the dolls were sold. I can see that she was trying to make a point, but she could have used less information. The vocabulary was adequate, and the approach was not strictly formal, but direct and appropriate. She was able to identify with the topic, adding a twinge of sentimentality and nostalgia, but not too much nor too little. 

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/currency/2013/10/history-of-american-girl-company-our-dolls-ourselves.html

12.The World's Best Website About Pencils

         In this article the author Rebecca J. Rosen talks about a site about pencils; her main point is to inform abot this site and make the readers interested in this new subject. . She quotes Johnny Gamber the creator of that site that started out writing about pencils 7 years ago. Gamber started out just wanting to know how people would react to pencils. He says that it's simplicity attracts people, but still being so simple it is made with a lot of precision. Gamber says that the joy of the pencil is its physical experience; to sharpen and write wit them. Rosen goes on explainin 10 points which Gamber explores in his site and explaining how it all started out in a very clear and dynamic way.

        One of the best things about this site is its dynamicness. When the author is able to share an idea in a short but simple manner; this attacts the reader and hold their attention for a longer time. She wrote part of her essay in bulletpoints making it very easy to understand. Rosen quotes Gamber, the creator of the site a lot making her essay more credible and also more interesting to read. The quotes are effective becasue they make the reader understand how Gamber views his own work and not through Rosen's eyes. In summary, this esay was effetive becasue it supported its thesis which was to provide the basic information about this pencil site and make readers interested in accesing it.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/08/the-worlds-best-website-about-pencils/279105/

11 Brazil Looks to Its Indigenous Tribes for New Olympic Archers

Article by Olga Khazan to The Atlantic talks about the brazillian search into indegenous tribes to find an archer to compete on the Olympics of 2016. Brazil has the ultimate goal of the Olympics to win as many gold medals as possible, to fo that the country "needs lots of talent, the resources to train that talent, and the desire to spend those resources." Khazan says a scout of the brazilian olympic team has been travelling froim tribe to tribe looking for "natural-born archers ages 14 to 19 to train for the upcoming games" and she has found 80 teenagers to train for the team. The article also mentions the outcomes that it might bring to the teenager-atholetes life after such a competiton and it might be a "sign that the country’s once-marginalized indigenous groups are rising in stature." The article is concluded with a mention of a reasearch by the New York Times about girls that had the potential to model in the indegenous tribes.
 This essay by Khan is very brief and straight to the point. She is able to clearly and accurately give information about the research and debates truthful arguments such as the outcome of the athletes on the Olympics. However she goes off track on the last 2 paragraphs of the artcile mentioning other studies made on Brazil regarding the Olympics and its recruits for athletes, the tone was formal and appropriate which made it easy to understand the author point and easy to flow.
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/10/brazil-looks-to-its-indigenous-tribes-for-new-olympic-archers/280560/

12 Parents Ruin Sports for Their Kids by Obsessing About Winning

Lisa Heffernan writes an article to the Atlantic regarding the pressure parents often put on their children to win soccer games.Heffernan starts off her article saying and sharing her personal experiences with her sons soccer matches and how she accompanied him on every game, on every weekend and really wanted him to win his matches. Heffernan shared the environment of the soccer games she had gone, and how she saw on the sideline, parents, cheering for all their sons on the field, all putting and hoping they would see victory for their kids. A study done on men proves winning "gives a testosterone surge" and losing "lowers hormone levels" which is the reason most fathers wanted to see their children win. She remembers the times travelling to see her son play and how she would indirectly ask her son if they would win or not. The author comes to her main point in which she affirms "Parents think they want success for their kids but in many ways they want if for themselves.  Their kids, it turns out, want pizza." After Heffernan gives out that the desire to win is mostly on adults, she points out lessons that come with defeat, such as, "There is always someone better than you, at everything" and "Outcome cannot be controlled, only processes and effort." The conclusion of the essay consists of Heffernans personal example of her son, that has learned through her that besides winning perseverance and fair play are important, however he still keeps winning as a priority.
The essay starts off really well written, it gathers the attention and provokes interest to the reader. The author used a common theme such as sports and made it into something more than just a sports article, which also involves the feelings that the sport bring. Heffernan includes research on her article, which brings credibility and helps prove a key point of her argument, that man get a testosterone rush with victory. In contrasts to these elements, the authors personal examples were too general, instead of mentioning the many trips that she had to go watch her sons game she could specifically told stories that fitted the content more. The conclusion could have been perfect if she had not written the "lessons" at the end of the article. They are true, but still are general, obvious and do not quite fit the essay. The tone of the article is appropriate regarding the subject and has some humorous lies that do fit well, and the flow and word choices were also ideal to the purpose.
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/10/parents-ruin-sports-for-their-kids-by-obsessing-about-winning/280442/

12. Tongue adnormal

                 The author starts out her article with concern for a famous pop star that presents a Wight tongue. This pop star known as Miley Cyrus has been showing her tongue whenever on stage, causing lots of people to criticize her and her shows. But after some research her Wight tongue can actually be caused because if various thing.  These thing can be tobacco, dehydration, excessive alcohol use, fever or even smoking. Overall a tongue such as Miley is caused due to health mistreatments.

                The author presents some dislike toward the Star meaning her article is negative. This article could be an attempt to frame or criticize Miley. Yet due to the little amount of proof she was not successful.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2013/10/why_is_miley_cyrus_tongue_white_dentists_advise.html

12. Study: We'll Enjoy Food More If You Don't Instagram It

Julie Beck, an associate editor at The Atlantic, writes about a study concerning how photographs of food lead the viewer to appreciate their own meals less. The author first introduces the main issue, which is the over appreciation of photographs of food, which in reality makes actual meals less satisfying. Tests were made in which people had to rate among food images and the taste of actual peanuts. Results showed that the more salty food images a person looked at, the less they enjoyed the peanuts. However, if they looked at sweet food images, they enjoyed them more. Also, those who were asked to rate the brightness of the photo instead of how appetizing the food seemed, enjoyed the peanut the most since their minds were not thinking about the taste. It was concluded that the sensory stimulation produced by the image actually gives away satiation to the viewer. One appreciates food more if he/she is not concerned with images of food and the taste of the captured meal, but more focused on the photograph’s “composition”.

Beck does a good job in presenting her essay, but isn’t as strong in her arguments. She utilizes humor when she writes at the end, “This also has potential implications for advertisers, who may unknowingly be giving away satiation for free when they dangle tantalizing images of chicken wings or whatever in front of us all day long.” At start of the essay she also uses humor. “On the scale of problems, ‘pictures of food on the Internet’ is firmly first-world. And that is almost certainly a too-generous definition of ‘problem.’” The second example demonstrates how Beck jokingly criticizes society’s exaggerated use of the term “problem” when they refer to “pictures of food on the Internet” when the rest of the world suffers other, larger issues, such as famine. Furthermore in her writing, the author does remember to cite her sources, which grants her credibility. She includes citations for the study she writes about in her essay and the picture she uses as well. To organize her essay, Beck uses subtitles to distinctly divide it into four main sections. This proves useful in helping the reader to clearly take in the essay’s idea in understandable segments. When writing this article, the audience at mind was definitely young adults in a first-world society. This is evidenced by the use of terms such as “Instagramming” and “Instagrammers”, terms mainly utilized by those aware of social networks and media. To her audience, the author writes with an informal tone. This is evidenced by the use of personal pronouns “I” and “you”. The usage of an informal tone creates a connection between the writer and the reader. The reader feels more relaxed while reading and the writer is able to express ideas more freely since it is an informal situation. However, being simply a recap on a study that was made by someone else, her arguments are not her own. In her essay, Beck simply restates what was discussed at a previously published article. Still, it is clear that she does a great job in doing so.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/study-well-enjoy-food-more-if-you-dont-instagram-it/280436/

12. Parents Ruin Sports for Their Kids by Obsessing About Winning

   This article written by Lisa Endlich Heffernan talks about how being an athlete's parent is great, but parents must be careful not to ruin the sport for their children with their own obsession of winning. Heffernan begins the article by stating how when it comes to sports, people always teach their children about teamwork, respect for the coaches, being part of something bigger, and that practice makes perfect, however, inside the dirty truth is that they want them to win. She continues by saying that the obsession with winning begins since their children are really small, when the parents are on the sidelines yelling at the referees or at the other team. Heffernan also tells the other side of sports. She comments on how those long car rides to tournaments and long Saturdays spent watching their kids play has brought their whole family together.
   This article was written in a informal way. It is also very personal to the author, for it tells personal stories of her family and friends. Heffernan also uses a lot of clichés all throughout the article. She says things such as, "practice making perfect" and "respect for the coach" and other common sayings. This is important for the article because these are saying that mothers and fathers tell their children when they talk about winning or losing games, making this article a lot more personal. The article also lists lessons that parents should have to teach their children about winning, in order to not make winning an obsession for them. This article sends a message about parent's obsession for winning in a very clear and straight forward, but in a personal way too, giving reliability to their article.



http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/10/parents-ruin-sports-for-their-kids-by-obsessing-about-winning/280442/

12. North Korean defectors to testify at UK Parliament hearing

Susie Turner's article is about causing awareness of the human rights in North Korea among the UK Parliament. Turner first discusses the innocent deaths of North Koreans in North Korea. Almost similar to the Sedition Act in the nineteenth century, many North Koreans are imprisoned for criticizing or simply by knowing the president's personal life. One notorious name mentioned in Turner's article is Jo Jin-hye, who found  North Korea in the US (NKUS) and has helped free North Koreans and refugee. Turner goes into the depth of the article by highlighting that All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) will help cause awareness in London to suggest the idea of human rights in North Korea. Among the many charities, Christian Solidarity Worldwide will also help this movement to reveal the secrets of one of the most oppressed nations in the world.  Turner ends the article by using direct quotes that speak out the hopes that will be delivered to North Korea through this event. 

Turner is very clear with her language in her essay. In the beginning of the essay, she tells a story of an innocent death of a North Korean dealing with human rights. This example is the basis of the essay and also the hook of the article. This well suited example engross the audience. Her idea of relating Christianity is not missed out in the article. She emphasizes the fact that not only Christian Solidarity Worldwide will help this movement but also the other charities including Amnesty International UK and North Korean Refugees Solidarity Worldwide. Overall, this essay is well written according to the message the author tells.


http://www.christiantoday.com/article/north.korean.defectors.to.testify.at.uk.parliament.hearing/34278.htm

12. No Winner Again for Mo Ibrahim Prize

        Writer Mark Tutton talks about the concerning issue of how there were no winners of the Mo Ibrahim prize for African leaders for 2 consecutive years. Some people are questioning the Mo Ibrihim system who set up very picky standards for this prize. Others question the African government itself. Previous winners include: President Pedro Verona in 2011, Joaquim Chissano in 2007, Festis Mogae in 2008, and archbishop Desmond Tutu in 2012. The author then adds statistics of how the African government is doing overall. Forty six countries have seen improvement in governance. However, when it comes to safety and and the rule of law only 20 countries showed improvement. Tutton ends by mentioning the conflict with the ICC (justice system) and its unfair treatment to Africa ("the AU agreed to a resolution stating no sitting African head of state should appear before the International Criminal Court, amid accusations that the ICC was unfairly targeting Africa"), and how that could impact the way others see the continent's government negatively.  
       Tutton is effective in his article. I think the main purpose of this selection was to inform, like most political articles are. He includes the two sides of the cards: those that side with the Mo Ibrahim system, and those that side with Africa. This article also has images of the individuals that won the prize and a small caption explaining why they received it. Tweets are present as well, which gives this selection a more contemporary atmosphere/tone, however the tone overall is serious. Tutton uses appropriate language for the mature audience, but does not use very difficult vocabulary so it is very easy to understand. I think what I like the most about the selection are the tweets because it's different and new (I've seen it in other articles though). Since politics can be a pretty dull subject at times, I just feel like that adds a little more "color" to the article. I also like how Tutton includes two perspectives. I cannot think of something I particularly disliked, but I did feel that the last part of the article about ICC was a little off subject. 

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/14/world/africa/mo-ibrahim-prize-african-2013/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

12. On National Coming Out Day, Don't Disparage the Closet

Coming out of the closet is a brave but dangerous act. There is a day specifically for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and/or transgenders (LGBT) to come out. It is on October 11 and it is called "National Coming Out Day." There are mixed reactions to people coming out, both negative and positive. There are known cases of people being killed because they have admitted to being gay or lesbian or something of the sort. Others are showered with love and support. When a person comes out, they are at a delicate stage and they need people from the LGBT community to help support them. People coming out makes the LGBT community more prominent and whenever anyone does come out, they need support.
Preston Mitchum writes his essay from the perspective of a gay man who came out a few years ago. He writes this essay to people who might or are near an LGBT. He writes this essay to tell people that they have to support LGBTs if they decide to come out and he supports this with examples. He utilizes the examples very effectively and it makes the reader want to avoid what happened in the past. His examples of people being killed for their sexual orientation is an extreme but it successfully conveys his message, if there aren't people to support LGBTs that come out then this could be a result. He uses simple but direct language because his essay is not complicated but his message has to be conveyed with no hesitancy. His essay is very effective not only because of his examples but because of his personal experience. Him writing that LGBTs need support has depth because it shows personal experience and wisdom. His essay was very strong and connected throughout. He ended well, with a reminder that those around LGBTs have to help and support them no matter what other people think.

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/10/on-national-coming-out-day-dont-disparage-the-closet/280469/

12. Everyone Thinks a Deal Is in Sight, but No One Knows What It Will Be

In this article by Tim Alberta and Michael Catalini, reporters at the National Journal, the two take on the pending matters of the reopening of the federal government and the progress being made to raise the debt ceiling. The duo begins by stating that although there is evident progress towards both the crises of debt and of the shutdown of the government, it is still hard to tell what will be the outcome of this situation. They state that when seemingly approached with a short term deal, the White House has been thrown rounds of different proposals, all with the similar purpose to the get government back up and functioning, while also raising the debt ceiling. The White House has been working to come up with a presentable deal to propose to the House Republicans. The sentiment which surrounds this affair is quoted from Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. who stated, "If there's any sanity left, it will all be over soon." The House appears to be leaning towards a more short-term solution, asking the White House to concede to several of its medicare type taxes before it can be re-opened. This attack on the Medicare system is highlighted when they quote a Republican leadership aide, "Obviously any framework on a large agreement must include the real drivers of our debts and deficits, including the president's health-care law." The duo continues by showing the arguments on the other side of the Republican party, this time looking at those in the Senate. There further offers have been articulated, yet all involve cut backs to the full dispensation of Obama's health care law. They finally finish the article by pointing out that although several of these propositions have a constructive affect on the nation, the President does not show that he endorses any specific deal, thus carrying on the affair until state and federal government agree on some proposal.

Although this article relies heavily on speculation and on probability, it did not shed light on much. This informative article merely stated the position in which the different parts of the American government are taking, informing the reader of the recent propositions made to bring back a working federal government. The tone of the article is serious and deliberate, the authors get straight to the point in telling the reader of the current change in events which has occurred during the last few days at the White House. Furthermore, the image used in the article is effective for it shows the direct consequences which have come up because of the temporary shut down of the government. The image portrays what the President and Republicans are trying to work out by showing the affect this debate has had on the nation through the depiction of the closed down White House. The article does have a flow to it, for the most part, as the authors follow a set thesis throughout the article. This flow is broken at points when the authors become wordy and are extensive in their descriptions. The article relies heavily on quotes from different representatives involved in the ongoing collaboration between the President and the House Republicans. The authors also use a lot of information from interviews and facts which are not new to the reader who has been following the series of events surrounding the shut down government. The end of the article is a little lacking because it is abrupt, not showing much change but only speculations of what may come. The vocabulary used in the article is simple, allowing the reader to read the article clearly and get meaning out of it, yet it conveys a lot of information which shows uncertainty and may not further the knowledge of the reader in the present conflict between state and federal government.            

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/10/everyone-thinks-a-deal-is-in-sight-but-no-one-knows-what-it-will-be/280527/     

12. Sunday Shutdown Reader: Harold Varmus on Self-Destruction in the Sciences James Fallows How Internet Censorship Actually Works in China

           Toyama wrote an article about the internet censorship in China and its effectiveness among the people. He first emphasized that the first week of October is the National Day holiday in China and they celebrate it with fireworks, musical concerts and others. However, these big events were never organized by the people themselves. The Chinese government controls the social media so that they can prevent the mass protests. Gary King, a political scientist, tested how the Communist Party works on Chinese social media to avoid the mass gathering. He described that the censorship in China is perhaps the most organized and extensive ever implemented by man. He estimates that the censorship is controlled by around 50,000 people who collaborate with 300,000 Communist Party members. He mentioned that he was shocked by the precision of its organization because he discovered that all the objectionable posts were removed within 24 hours of their posting. The Chinese censorship is mainly focused on protests or any mass activities that is related to criticism of the government.

             Toyama`s article is well organized and clear on its information. He used uncomplicated vocabularies to inform the readers about the internet censorship in China. He started the article with an interesting fact about the National Day holiday in China to attract the reader`s attention and eventually, he used it as a strategy to introduce the main topic of the essay. He also consulted a political scientist who has been investigating about this subject so that his article may have higher credibility. He also used many examples to back up his article, for example, the estimation of how many people are involved with the censorship in China and the man in Shaanxi Province who was detained for being retweeted 500 times on Sina Weibo. At the end of his essay, he compared America to China so that the readers understand that China is not the only country that has censorship, America also has laws that censor inappropriate contents on the internet. Toyama finishes his article with an interesting fact about Justin Timberlake so that this article can also be relaxing to read. Although this article was rich in its information, Toyama failed to elevate its credibility by consulting more specialists about their opinions. The information about the suicide bombers was also very distracting for the readers because it is not the main topic of the essay. Overall, this article was well written with professional language and interesting for all types of readers.

http://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/10/how-internet-censorship-actually-works-in-china/280188/