19. The Greenest Things to Do With Your Body After You Die

            Amelia Martyn-Hemphill wrote an article to inform her readers about the new type of funeral that is less harmful to the environment and more creative at the same time. According to the Casket and Funeral Association of America, in the cemeteries of the USA bury approximately 100,000 tons of steel and 1,500,000 tons of concrete from the many coffins that were buried. In addition, the cremation is also a major problem because it releases carbon emissions and mercury into the atmosphere. Most of the workers that help in this process have higher chance to have serious respiratory problems or even cancer. This green burial movement is an opportunity for the people to have a more natural approach to death because it involves biodegradable coffins that are made of untreated wood, cardboard or wicker. The graves are also shallower so that the body may be exposed to the layers of soil populated by decomposing organisms. This type of burial received many positive feedbacks because the people agreed that it is creative and at the same time, helpful to the environment. Herby Reynaud, for example, thought that the eco-burial allows the people to create something on their own and it is specific for their needs. The funeral also involves woven caskets, soluble slat urns and seed-filled scattering tubes. Darren Crouch, president of Passages International, a green funeral product service explained that the customers do not wish to have a traditional funeral that is too formal, stuffy and clinical; they prefer the ones that are more creative and innovative. An organization called Eternity Reefs is working on a project where the people can throw the ashes of the deceased into the ocean so that it can promote the growth of coral and sea life. A new discovery by Jae Rhim Lee, a Harvard-educated artist and environmental researcher, also helped in improving the environment because she found a type of mushroom that has the ability to absorb toxins, decompose bodies and return the natural compost to the soil.

             Amelia Martyn-Hemphill wrote an informative article about an alternative funeral that is more creative and also very beneficial to the environment. She used specific vocabularies to describe the details of the eco-funeral and the material of the coffins. She also included several examples to defend her arguments such as the number of coffins in the cemeteries across the country. In this case, this example illustrates the importance for the people to realize how much damage that these funerals are causing to the world. It also increases the importance of the topic that she is introducing because the eco-burial is a solution to this problem of pollution. She also wrote several feedbacks from the people who experienced an eco-burial and this also strengthened her article because it proves that it is a successful project supported by several people. Amelia also consulted many specialists such as the researcher from Harvard, Jae Rhim Lee and the president of Passages International, Darren Crouch. The author was also able to relate the creative funeral with other organizations that are also promoting the same concept of saving the world. An example would be Eternity Reefs which is also an organization to reduce pollution. She was also able to relate to the recent study of Jae Rhim Lee of the infinity mushroom that is able to reduce the pollution and at the same time, return beneficial materials back to the soil. However, some negative aspects of this article are that it did not have a strong attention getter. She could have started with a fact that is surprising for the readers or a short story that introduces her points. Another negative aspect is that she added too much information that is not necessary in this article, such as the Alkaline Hydrolysis which is a green burial that is generating debates in several states. This information is distracting and can confuse main focus of the article. 

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/12/the-greenest-things-to-do-with-your-body-after-you-die/282297/

18. Why Some People Respond to Stress by Falling Asleep

 Elijah Wolfson wrote an article about the reason for the people to fall asleep after undergoing a lot of stress. He explains that whenever someone is in a dangerous situation or a violent fight, their body automatically releases stress hormones that put the body on alert. This hormone causes the heart to beat faster, increases the breathing frequency, the metabolism speeds up and finally, the larger muscles of the body receive oxygen rich blood. The author also mentioned that the sleepiness right after a stressful situation can be explained by a concept in psychology called “learned helplessness”. This concept explains that whenever an individual learns that a problem is helpless, they automatically give up and after a while, they become hopeless even if the context changes. Wolfson also included some examples that show this problem such as the case of LeAnna who went through a lot of stress during her high school years, consequently, nowadays, whenever she encounters a stressful situation, her first impulse is to sleep. The habit of sleeping right after a complicated situation is not an action to escape from the problem. In fact, it is a method to process and concretize the problem so that the individual may remember the problem vividly after their nap.  According to Dr. Edward Pace-Schott, professor at Harvard Medical School’s Division of Sleep Medicine, in order for a person to remember a specific event, it is necessary that they get a good night sleep because it is the moment when the brain consolidate the important information and erase the useless events. Another explanation for the people’s need to sleep right after a violent fight is because there are too many memories and facts that the brain needs to process, therefore, the body decides to shut down so that the brain may have time to process all the information. In addition, sleep actually protects the memory and emotional response of an individual because a good night sleep may produce “fear extinction memories” which are memories that can dull the effect of a traumatizing experience by triggering positive associations.

             Wolfson used clear and professional vocabularies to inform the readers about the reasons why some people fall asleep right after a threatening situation. In the beginning of the article, he used a personal experience to catch the attention of the audience. He started by talking about a fight between his wife and him and this event allowed him to introduce the main topic of the article because he realized that he is also a victim of sleepiness after a overwhelming event. Throughout the article, he used several examples to defend his arguments such as the situation of LeAnna and Daniel who both had a difficult past which caused them to fall asleep after a stressful experience. He also used some credible sources such as John Sharp a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Rebecca Spencer a professor at the University of Massachusetts Department of Psychology and Dr. Edward Pace-Schott professor at Harvard Medical School’s Division of Sleep Medicine. He quoted some of commentaries of these experts so that it increases the reliability of his article and it also allows the readers to have a deeper understanding of this subject. In addition, he also described a experiment that had two groups of dogs and they were both put into a threatening situation but the only difference is that one group had the chance of escaping while the other did not. This experiment allowed the readers to fully understand the concept of the article and the main argument of the author. The only negative aspect of this article is that the author should have summarized the main points on the last paragraph because this article offers so much information that it is confusing for the readers. If Wolfson had summarized this article in his concluding paragraph, then it would be less confusing and a more organized conclusion. Overall, his writing strategy was good and suitable for his audiences who are mainly toward the adults since they are mostly the ones who are undergoing a lot of stress. 

 http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/12/why-some-people-respond-to-stress-by-falling-asleep/282422/

18.Why Families Fight During Holidays

In this article by Olga Khazan she explores why families fight during holidays. She has four main subtitles that she explores throughout her essay. Her thesis is to prove why families are more prone to fight during Christmas and the New Year. First she talks about The Narcissism of Small Differences and gives the example of civil wars. Usually when there is a tight knit community of similar people the fights are over minuscular differences and according to Sigmund Freud they are done in order to focus on the things that are different form each other because they all seek uniqueness. Social allergens according to Joe Palca who wrote a book on why people get annoyed, repetitive gestures that can cause a big reaction. The accumulative amount of these annoyances can lead to huge fights. Thirdly there is the passive aggressions “"Some of the people being demeaned as passive-aggressive are in fact being extremely careful not to commit mistakes, a strategy that has been successful for them," Dr. E. Tory Higgins, director of the Motivation Science Center at Columbia University, told the New York Times.” Lastly there is sibling rivalry that does not end after childhood, actually it continues until their adulthood even if they do not live with their parents anymore. Khazan ends her article talking about how to avoid these conflicts and how to have a truly mery christamas.

Khazan does an exceptional job in proving her thesis. She uses credible sorces such as Sigmund Freud, Joe Palca, and Dr.E. Torry Higgins in order to support her ideas. She also is very organized in exposing her main points. Subtitles are always an effective way to convey different subtopics in a large essay. She made good use of her language and used quotes in order to prove her points. Overall this is a very effective essay because it conveyed its message that was the reasons why there are family fights and used credible sources to back it up.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/12/why-families-fight-during-holidays/282584/

18. I Refuse to Feel Bad About Letting My Children Watch TV

Michael J. Petrilli wrote an article confessing that as a father, he does not feel bad about letting his children watch TV. The reason was, "Pop culture, even "low-brow" entertainment, paves the way for appreciating the classics, and it'll help my kids connect with people who aren't just like them.". Unlike what he thinks monstly other parents would be against, he declared that TV including commercials and "crappy" programs can be helpful to their kids. Yes, he wants his children to also know classics, read books, play catch with friends outside, but he wasn't necessarily seeing television as a bad thing. He gave three arguments: the kids programs actually had value and were all related to the world's epics,  that an introduction to other epics (even via pop culture) will lay a sturdy foundation that will make their engagement and enjoyment of classics much more likey, and this kind of interchange betweent he kids and the culture can unite the "coming apart" social world going on in the U.S. 

Petrilli's introduction was pretty ordinary. He introduced his own situation of his kids starting winter break, and the concern of many other parents that are probably worried about the same thing; children watching television. Readers might wonder what's wrong with letting kids watching some tv, so Pretilli goes straight into explanation of what he exactly wants to say. He uses direct words to implicate beforehand of what he will argue about and which side he is on. By giving specific and clear reasons, it makes his points seem simple and easy to understand. As an ordinary father himself, he definitely knows how to provoke "father reader"s' sympathy and get them to agree with him. Another method that he uses to get the readers to feel sympathy is that he mentions the names of the exact TV programs that people watch. Overall I think Petrilli's article was fairly straightforward therefore I was able to quickly grasp the main point and understand the context. Although it wasn't as interesting as it could've been if he had included some humor, I think Petrilli's article delivered well of the author's message and succeeded in accomplishing its main purpose.

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/12/i-refuse-to-feel-bad-about-letting-my-children-watch-tv/282547/#comments

17. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

                Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela died this December 5, 2013 with the age of 95, and with the reputation of a great leader. He was imprisoned and badly treated but he overcame all of those difficulties being able to become president of South Africa. Once president, one of the first things he changed, was abolishing apartheid. He was a key figure in helping to decrees the racism that still exists in that country. Mandela was known by his tribe and supporters as Tata Madiba, and was also dedicated songs from contemporary African American singers.  His death greatly impacted not only South Africa, but also the entire World. Many see him as a great example of ruler and leader, one they can count on and look-up to.

                The author is from South Africa, so his purpose in righting this article is of expressing his deep affection. He explains that the times to come for South Africa will not be easy because of Mandela’s tragic death. Because Mandela cooled off the burning heat of racism during his rule, once he died there is a chance of the heat rising up again. But with great care and sympathy, the author effectively informs the readers what happened and right after expresses his feelings toward the event. The article is both informational and opinionated. 

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/december-web-only/died-nelson-mandela-south-african-leader-stood-against-apar.html 

13. Frozen

          Frozen is another new contemporary Disney Princess movie. it is about two sisters how after an accident, have to grow up apart. After some years have passed, suddenly there parents die at sea and the older sister is crowned queen. The problems really only start once the youngest, Anna, appears engaged with a Price Charming and the oldest, now Queen, objects. After a heated argument the oldest releases her secret powers of controlling ice, and scares everyone. Being scared and frightened, she runs away and builds a castle of her own where she can be free with her powers. Anna immediately decides to go after her sister to help both her and the kingdom how is doomed with eternal snow. And that’s when the journey starts, filled with adventures and new characters.

The author being a dad, is worried about the content of the movie he goes to see with his son and niece. He comments that both kids are old enough to be influence by the movie especially the girl. Yet the author not only gives his personal opinions, but he briefly yet with detail, summarizes the movie and its main plot. The article is efficient both for people how want to know what the movie is about, and to know if it is appropriate for their kids or not. Overall the author effectively summarizes and gives his opinion on the Disney movie Frozen.  

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/december-web-only/frozen.html?start=2 

17. Facebook Considers Adding a 'Sympathize' Button

Facebook is considering a new tool on their social network, the "Sympathize button." Idea brought by the engeneer of facebook mentioned that its not the first time they plan on creating this tool, but the idea had been rejected on the past. Now it seems as a useful tool that the people would enjoy having access to, for example when liking is not the most appropriate action towards the post, a "sympathize" button that means "I've seen this" would come into handy.
The author is direct on his essay and writes it with great knowledge of the subject. The target audience are people inside the social medias and the author approaches them appropriately with an interesting introduction. However this post does not give too much information. It explains the title and itsd reasons, but it might have not been appropriate to such a news website such as theatlantic.org. It is a topic that would bring a lot of feedback despite the modern interests so the post could have more information.
The author uses a list in the middle of his writing piece to show in what occassions using the sympathyze button would fit well, so they helped the support the "sympathize" button. In his conclusino he does not lean towards the button or not, he leaves it as a question to the reader decide based on what he read.
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/12/facebook-considers-adding-a-sympathize-button/282126/

14. India's Dating Sites Skip Straight to the Wedding

    This article published by The Atlantic and written by P. Nash Jenkins, is about a Indian website that is unlike any other online dating website. Unlike online dating websites, this Indian websites skips all the dating part and goes straight to marriage. It is a fast way to have an arranged marriage. The user meets another user and, if both users like each others profile information,  automatically already start planning their wedding. The huge need to get married for social standards is what gets the website running and so popular, it is a easy and fast way to find a husband or wife.The majority of the users are middle class Indians who are looking to find their future husband and wife to go up on social statuses.
   This is very informal. The author writes it as if he was speaking to the reader, using personal pronouns and telling personal experiences and stories to the reader. It uses analogies as well. It talks about other online dating websites, such as eHarmony and also mentions Grindr, Tinder and GayRomeo , which are apps for finding dates as well. He also comments on studies made by colleges such as University of California-Berkeley about online dating and the risks that it brings. He also gives many statistics about online dating websites, stating that "There are 44 million Indians who now have smartphones, giving casual-encounter-driven 'hookup apps' like Tinder a huge market. "  Also, Jenkins tells anecdotes about different people who have been beneficiated by these social networks and apps, for example Kevin, who is an homosexual Indian who found his husband through a social network. Over all, the article had as a purpose to inform the reader about all the new technological ways to find your "soul mate" and encourage the reader to try these, even though the author states that it never worked for him.


http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/12/indias-dating-sites-skip-straight-to-the-wedding/281817/

16. Brian is returning to “Family Guy”

          Article to the salon.com regarding the coming back of Brian one of the protagonists of the tv show Family Guy. Seth McFarlene is still doing the voice over Brian and the character comes back to life on December 15th after many angry fans with the decision of the director Steve Callaghan. After 10 thousand people signed the petition after Brian´s death in November 24th in the episode called "Life of Brian" the director thought the idea os "shaking up thing a bit" was a failure for upseting the fans. The comeback of the character is not really well worked on but they fitted the accident to Stewie´s plan. For being a Family Guy fan I expected more for the comeback of Brian, and surely did not expect his death as the author mentined it.
         This article is well written however very brief. Based on its own statistics, about 10,000 people were awaiting this response to the petition done, and a simple article of 3 paragraphs is way too short. What the author has down for the article however is good, he is direct to his points and easy its to understand. Its main idea and purpose are strong but lacks examples and descriptions.

http://www.salon.com/2013/12/06/brian_is_returning_to_family_guy

15. Why Are Colleges Getting So Expensive?

          This article was  presented by the atlantic in a video response to the question "Why Are Colleges Getting So Expensive?" they make an analogy answering that is it a vague question such as asking "What does food taste like?" There are 6900 colleges in America, from many varieties, college isn't as expensive as we think. The average cost of a college is 3000 per year but prices are constantly increasing. Tuition and fees have doubled from the past years, in small public colleges to ivy league schools the prices vary. The state support has gone down lately so price increased. Most research colleges are spending more money in entertainment and expecting us to pay up for it. So prices are increasing because of colleges making improvements in infrastructure and research and in research. As years go buy we are paying more.
          Derek Thompson the author of this post by the atlantic uses an not frequent way to express his research. With a short introductory paragraph followed by a video he answers the question "Why Are Colleges Getting So Expensive?" Thompson is direct to the point and breaks the beliefs and taboos of the "cliche question." Than he goes off telling the reasons that colleges are becoming more and more expensive these years, and the differences between small and big college prices. In his video he could provide more graphs and statistics, so his project earns more credibility. His concluding thought is accurate and says exactly was is happening with the prices of tuition in college.

http://www.theatlantic.com/video/archive/2013/12/why-are-colleges-getting-so-expensive/282027/

14. Brian is Returning to "Family Guy"

"Family Guy" is a popular TV show that's recently lost one of its main characters, the intellectual anthropomorphic dog Brian. The article, written by Prachi Gupta, explains that producers thought it would be interesting to kill off Brian, but the uproar was so huge that they intend to revive the dog around Christmas. There was even a signed petition made by fans to bring him back to the show.

The article is incredibly short, which is rather disappointing considering the popularity of the topic. The article does mention some good details and makes accurate descriptions, but besides the date they plan to bring Brian back, the whole article was just a lengthening of the title. Very little use of rhetorical devices.

http://www.salon.com/2013/12/06/brian_is_returning_to_family_guy/

13. The Big Sleep

The article, written by Ian Parker, talks of the possibility of a revolutionary drug for patients who suffer from insomnia. It's been tested on various laboratory animals, and the results presented to the FDA a while ago. The scientists working on it gave an odd presentation about it, listing the various side effects related to the drug, which included delusions and anxiety. The article explains that the FDA is growing increasingly intolerant of drug-related side effects, making it a major concern. The article also explains that the drug will have to compete with other drugs that are cheaper and already in the market.

The article is a long one, but very well-written; the author had plenty of space to play with words and make his writing more creative. The author made detailed descriptions, which made it more story-like instead of a super speedy, straight-to-the-point article. The article incites the curiosity of the reader, which is nice, but for those just looking for the facts it might be a bit boring. The part where the author describes some of the odd side effects made the article take a bit of a tangent, but it worked.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/12/09/131209fa_fact_parker

12 Is America Less Moralistic Now, or Has Its Code Just Changed?

          This article written to the atlantic.com by Cono Friedorf  debates if America today is less moralistic or if it has simply changed. Friedorfs starts off stating an article and research about Douthat "But both have been made possible by the same trend in American attitudes: the rise of a live-and-let-live social libertarianism, the weakening influence of both religious conservatism and liberal communitarianism, the growing suspicion of moralism in public policy." He mentions the difference opinions of libertarians and the traditionalists and how they do not understand each others point of view. Lots of things fall under the moral codes, so if 61% as it is in America, found casinos morally acceptable, it would not be enough to legalize it because it falls downs the moral codes. Traditionalists would agree that moralism is dead but the author still thinks that any offense against moralism is strongly unobjectionable.
         This article is well written, the author has credible facts to prove his argument, but the main of the essay was to inform because the writer is not trying to convince the reader of anything. The author worked his way through in the introduction by getting the public attention than gathering information. In the conclusion however he could have portrait his opinion on the cause with more details, he basically explains his view with one sentence. He shows statistics for both sides he debates, but does not favor any, allowing the reader to connect to the viewpoint he feels more comfortable with.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/11/is-america-less-moralistic-now-or-has-its-code-just-changed/281105/

11. Can you guess someone’s gender based only by handwriting?

The author claims "it was often easy to distinguish between male and female handwriting, whether through the curve or slant of a letter or word." In this survey, researchers "used five male and female samples of the phrase “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog,” and asked 3,100 respondents to identify the gender." Female handwriting, after analysing the results, is trickier than male handwriting, so "as respondents had better luck guessing male samples by a score of 61% to 47%." " Also,"[m]en identified male handwriting successfully 64% of the time, whereas women correctly identified male handwriting writing 59% of the time. Likewise, women were more successful than men at identifying female handwriting by a margin of 49% to 45%." However, "this isn’t a definitive or conclusive survey," but raises doubts on how the Internect affects handwriting.

The author begins with a question: "Remember when you were younger, and learning cursive was a big deal?" It has an informal tone, since it includes personal pronouns, but not orally informal. It has a straightforward language, without making any metaphores or such, mentions the results of the surveys accurately, and effectively informs the reader. However, the author weakens the relevance of the essay by stating that "As mentioned, this isn’t a definitive or conclusive survey, since all of the participants were from the Bay Area" in the conclusion.

http://www.salon.com/2013/12/08/can_you_guess_someones_gender_based_only_on_handwriting_partner/

12. Amazon, Applebee’s and Google’s job-crushing drones and robot armies: They’re coming for your job next

The author went to an airport, and noticed there was a sea of iPads. He sat down for a meal, but didn't know what to do, because "any substantive distinction between the boarding area and restaurant had been annihilated and [he] didn’t know where to turn." He later realized that he had to use the iPad to order what he wanted. Later, the waitress came with his order, but "[they] exchanged hardly a word." He's worried by this fast advance in technology, but at the same time, claims technology is still underdeveloped in relation to the year we are at. He even makes an observation on the advance: "We are doing everything in our power to take the human out of the equation. (...) When the humans are gone, what’s left?" He finds the replacings "an efficient and sensible way of organizing logistics," which is something natural, but dangerous. He also notes the difference between the change of wype of work: "Industrial Revolution is that the initial technological advances of the 18th century created jobs for unskilled workers, while today’s robot armies are increasingly replacing the jobs of unskilled workers." He later jumps into the conclusion that "In this future, we’re all drones," because everyone is becoming individualistic. 

The author starts by telling a short anecdote that made him realize the main point of the essay; he writes: "Why was the airport bothering with any human touch at all? Why wasn’t a drone bringing me my bacon? I mean, isn’t that the obvious next step?." He then goes on citing some of human-replacing drones' news. The author writes many questions, speeding up the overall flow of thinking. He cites some personal anecdotes, however not abundantly, facts, statistics, and especially news. His placing of main phrase statements in each paragraph is quite peculiar, because he puts them in the middle, and not in the start as usual or in the end. His essay follows a strong logical flow in the statements, guided by his abundant questions, analysis of anecdotes or news, and its conclusions. The author uses a bit of humor and irony in the essay, arriving in the conclusion  that "And so Google’s robot armies will march everywhere."

http://www.salon.com/2013/12/06/triumph_of_the_drones/

13. My inappropriate relationship

"The summer [she] turned 12, [she] went to sleepaway camp." She met Nathan there, "the 20-year-old swimming counselor." The author developed a "secret crush on Nathan." She notes that him, like her, "didn’t quite fit in." Her crush on him "flowered into something more raw and persistent" when "one morning in the chilly lake, Nathan swam up behind [her] to correct [her] stroke and an electrical charge passed between [them] that was unlike anything [she] had ever felt before." After that, she "wanted to kiss him; (...) thought about it constantly". One night, she went out of her bunk and went to his after a "long walk across camp" in the middle of the night. She "reached out and touched his bare shoulder" and "he cradled [her] face in his hands and leaned in to kiss [her]." After that, she continued to do this every night, even though she was confused, until they got caught and "he got fired." The camp's director asked a bunch of questions, and she answered "I love him," and she claims until now, as a grown up woman, that it was really love. When she came back to school, she had gone "from a girl who had never been kissed to a notorious slut." Although the "Department of Health and Human Services" difines it as a sexual abuse, she still finds it hard to identify herself as a victim, because she "asked for it." 

The author begins by telling the reader what she calls that incident, and makes an allusion to the movie "I Know What You Did Last Summer," raising the curiosity of the audience. She continues until the introductory 2nd paragraph, when, at the end of the paragraph, she writes "The real reason is because I believed I asked for it." On the next paragraph, she implies by giving examples that, as she turned 12, she dawned on the topic of sex, which introduces another similar topic she wrote about on the first and second paragraphs. It's noticeable that she lacks some quoting reminders when she cites rumors and her thoughts. There are some descriptive paragraphs, where, for example, the author describes Nathan, and some narrative paragraphs where she weaves her story and knits it with her feelings. She also has a small use of questions, which mainly focuses on her thoughts. Althought chronologically, she cuts some parts out, but without compromising the reader's understanding. She uses the "Department of Health and Human Services" as a reference, which makes her points stronger, but at the same time, weaker, because although the circumstances fit into the category of sexual abuse, she claims it wasn't sexual abuse. She writes another anecdote, but its utility is doubtful. Even though her essay is well written, the last paragraph and the main point of the essay are weak.

http://www.salon.com/2013/03/24/my_inappropriate_relationship/

12. Modern Moms Aren't as Busy as 1960s Moms Were

Modern Moms Aren't as Busy as 1960s Moms Were
Written by OLGA KHAZAN, she presented an article on how moms today aren't busy as moms were 50 years ago. There were lots of surveys and research results in the article to prove that moms are far less active then they were in the 1960s. It is mostly likely due to the development of technology and internet. As dishwashers and washingmachine were invented, that reduced a whole lot on the amount of calories moms were burning. Also the entertainment on TV and internet are keeping moms busy instead of doing the laundry or vacumming the house. As entertainments are keeping them busy, so are work that they do. Staying at the office throughout the whole day definitely keeps them inactive.

Khazan included many informational data, statistics, percentages and even graphs to show the readers how moms nowadays are inactive as they were a few decades ago. Since there are so many numbers having to do with this subject, the words were kind of confusing but Khazan managed to keep her article organized by separating the information in many paragraphs. Her evidence to support her claim was very sufficient and convincing. Since it's mostly statistical evidence, readers can't really argue about them. She was persuasive in her writing and used humorous concepts when explaining things about moms.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/12/modern-moms-arent-as-busy-as-1960s-moms-were/281997/

11. How Teenage Behavior Predicts the Future of Technology

How Teenage Behavior Predicts the Future of Technology

by Derek Thompson

Derek Thompson's article is about how teenage behavior on the applications or social networks they use predict the future of technology. Facebook, the number one used social network by people in the world was frist created only for college ivy league students. Then it spread to other colleges, countries and soon across the globe. At first, adults did not understand why their kids were so stuck to this "dumb" online social network. However, just a few years later they also joined in and became Facebookers. Thanks to the teens, the social network companies are prospering unbelievably. Now they can't be called "dumb" anymore. 

Derek Thompson's article on how teenage behavior predicts our future on technology caught my attention from the eye-catching photo of teens holding their electronics in a very crowded place screaming something. The subject of techonology itself probably relates to most of the readers. Thompson's article was addressed toward adults-parents, to show that what they used to think "dumb" of their kids isn't dumb anymore. Mark Zuckerberg, the billionare who took Facebook to success was mentioned in the article as well as a popularity graph of the four most popular social network system. Statistics were well explained and the situation today of adults using SNS. I think Thomspons main idea was well delivered to the readers. It was well organized, and the graph probably helped a lot of readers understand how the social networks are used by millions of people today.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/12/how-teenage-behavior-predicts-the-future-of-technology/282031/

17.How to Take a Picture of a Single, Ultra-Magnified Snow Flake

       In this essay Megan Garber writes about snowflakes. She says that no snoflake is exactly like the other and how unique each one is. In her first paragraph Garber introduces her topic and in the second one she talks about Wilson Bentley and  Alexey Kljatov ,  college students that are specialized in photographing snowflakes. She defines what they are saying that they are invisible to the human eye and that ony a microscope or a a very specialized camera can see it. She gives a small tuturial teaching how anyone could actually take a picture of a snowflake with a camera and simple objects anyone can find at home. In the end she exposes various pictures of beautifual and detailed snowflakes that the camera captured.
    The authors purpose was to inform about snowflakes and also teach the readers how they could take a picture of one at their own homes. Garber achieves her purpose because she sucessfuly and objectively informs the reader about snowflakes. In a very concise yet effective essay she is able to get her message across and tell the reader about her topic. The pictures that she exposes are very entertaining and explicative. It could be argued that the pictures composed a great portion of her essay because they ere a type of magnet that attracted the reader to the essay. She also quotes how the experiment was made, this helps in Garber's credibility because she gets information from other sources and makes it evident that her ingormation is trustworthy.
     







http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/12/how-to-take-a-picture-of-a-single-ultra-magnified-snow-flake/282050/

17. Male and Female Brains Really Are Built Differently

Women's and men's brains are built differently. A study held by Proceedings of the  National Academy of Sciences shows that men's brains have more connections inside each hemisphere while women have more connections between hemispheres. This prompts men to be more direct and use action while women will use logic and intuition when facing a problem. The differences are not very apparent in children but they become more prominent in teenagers. Studies show that it is more likely for men to have autism while women are more likely to get migraines. However, discovering new things about both men and women's brains has never been a good thing. In the past, women were considered less intelligent because of the size difference or as men with pesky hormones and emotions. However, finding these new things could be the first step in destroying the stereotypes surrounding men and women.

Olga Khazan writes her article for two purposes. The first purpose is to inform the public that there are differences between the male and female brain other than size. The second purpose is to persuade the readers that the differences do not make women inferior to men, just different. She starts her article with humor but it was not very well done as it had nothing to do with the rest of her article. She provides pictures of the studies which are the scans of the brains with the connections highlighted. These pictures help the readers understand what she was saying concerning the brains. She uses straightforward language and her paper is not confusing in its topic or purpose. However, she does use some medical jargon which can be confusing for certain readers if they are not familiar with them. She also has an underdeveloped conclusion, she summarizes and restates her main point but she does not fully explain it which leaves the ending weak. Overall, she wrote a strong essay that successfully conveyed her message to the audience.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/12/male-and-female-brains-really-are-built-differently/281962/

17. Train Accident in Bronx Kills Four and Leaves Several Injured

The article written by James Barron talks about the train accident that took place today in Bronx, NY. According to his reports, from around a hundred passengers that were on the train at that time, more than 60 were injured and four died in the accident. The author begins his essay by describing how the passengers probably were before the event, following to explain what probably caused the accident, and finally ends his article by quoting statements from superiors responsible to the train systems.

The purpose of this article is fully informational, and is accompanied by a rather informal tone. Barron begins his essay by using narration, describing what the passengers were probably doing before the accident. By doing so, he gains the audience's sympathy towards the people involved in the crash, and consequently making them curious of what happened later. He later on provides resources such as speeches given by both the passengers and the responsibles of the train systems, that support and give more credibility to his work. After that, he describes the most likely causes of the accident and explains that the real one is yet to be discovered. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/02/nyregion/metro-north-derailment.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&hp

16. Another Reason The Hunger Games Is Awesome: Katniss Is Taller Than Peeta

Just like in the first Hunger Games movie, it was no big deal in Catching Fire that the actress was taller than the actor. There are scenes in Catching Fire that show how Jennifer Lawrence is slightly taller than her fellow actor, Josh Hutcherson. Although it may not seem like much, the Hunger Games series showing a woman being taller than a man is "equal parts transgressive and reassuring." It is very rare to find couples where the woman is taller than the man. Different studies and research data show that a couple like that is found one in twenty-nine couples. Most women find it more attractive and appealing for men and themselves when the men are taller than they are. The Hunger Games movies having a taller female is a small step. A small step to showing that women can be on the same footing as men and not have it be a weird phenomenon.

Ashley Fetters wrote this article to congratulate the Hunger Games movies use of a taller actress and not a taller actor. Fetters writes a very short article but it was also very concise and straight to the point. She used a vocabulary that was fresh and young, it seemed like her target audience was the generation of teenagers and young adults. The purpose of her article was to say how it is fine for women to be taller than men or stronger than men. She wants people to start getting used to the idea of equality between the genders, her article is very for feminism. She inserts her opinion throughout the article and she backs it up with studies and researches. However, because her article was so concise her conclusion lacked some development. Overall, Fetters wrote a strong article that proved her point and conveyed it to her audience.

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/11/another-reason-em-the-hunger-games-em-is-awesome-katniss-is-taller-than-peeta/281826/

17. Christians prepare to face increasing persecution in India

The increasing rates of Christian persecution has been arising in India recently. If India goes into the power of Hindu Nationalists government, Christian persecution will increase. The upper-caste Brahmins hold significant economic power. Many attacks have happened in the past; none of this is new. "In Kandhamal, Odisha, in 2008 attacks were carried out on "tribal" Christians and the agencies that helped them, with 38 Christians killed, 18,000 injured and 50,000 displaced." World Vision team was forced out of India. Centre for Religious Freedom  recently held a seminar regarding to the issue of Christians in India. A Religious Freedom Support Group  would be put into force in these six levels of attacks .

1) Spiritual support providing spiritual and crisis counselling and prayer support
2) Media and information
3) Legal rights- providing details of making legal complaints nationally and to international for a
4) Developing good relationships with the police for protection and action
5) Developing good relations with community leaders so that churches can be seen as a benefit to their communities 6) Direct relief – providing contacts for relief support and places of refuge

To look closer into the issue, the main reason to the increase of Christian persecution in India was due to the hope that Christians were bringing to the lower class people in India including Dalits and Tribals. 

Christians have hope to find the groups  "to address the spiritual, legal, political, social and development issues that such persecution raises."

This article was simple and informative. However it was not persuading at all.  Even informative essays should have a little bit of persuasion with the author's point of view. The author, who it may be, didn't use figurative language to entertain and to keep the readers on track of what is being said. It is too informative that it is soporific.Overall, the author could have added some rhetorical devices and made the article more entertaining, but  it was a easy article to analyze and comprehend.  

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.prepare.to.face.increasing.persecution.in.india/34866.htm

17. The Edible Instagram

Megan Garber, staff writer at the Atlantic, writes about the new gastronomical and photographical idea, the Stickygram. She starts out by addressing the “issue” at hand, which is that “You can’t eat them, [the Instagrams].” Garber explains that they are not usually considered edible things, since they are not exactly material things in the first place. But she presents the solution, which is the U.K. firm Boomf that spray-paints Instagram pictures on 9 square marshmallows for £12. Also, Garber reassures the reader that these Stickygrams "taste… exactly like marshmallows." However, she does warn that they might not be the best way to celebrate someone if their picture is going to be eaten.

Megan Garber does a fantastic job in her essay, since she keeps it interesting and fun, which is why the reader finds himself engaged in the writing. She begins her article with a narrative which is used as a hook to bring the reader inwards and grab his attention. The author also uses humor throughout her essay. For instance, she says “Be careful how you use them, though: That black-and-white photo of your dog may be adorable, but there are also lots of other ways to celebrate Baxter than by sticking him on a twig, toasting him in an open flame, and mashing him between two graham crackers.” In this passage, she references the use of marshmallows in the making of s’mores. Garber jokes that one would not want to celebrate someone else by adding their picture on marshmallows only to melt their picture later on. This usage of humor keeps the pace flowing and keeps the reader’s attention fixed. Additionally, the article’s tone is informal and its style is very conversational. The style and the short and quick paragraph organization resemble a conversation between the author and the reader. Also, due to the usage of slang and modern topics, it is suggested that the audience of this article is mainly young adults.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/11/the-edible-instagram/281900/

17. I Was an Illegal Second Child in China

Ning Hui presented an article about birth control in China, which also affected his family specifically. Due to excessive population in the country of China, until just a few years ago they had a regulation that if each family had more than one child, they'd have to pay a fine. The fine would increase as more child would be born, and the author Hui was one of the children that was born illegally. His main point of the article was to point out the problem of the balance between men and women in China: "As I ponder the extent to which the government will guide my love life, I think about one huge effect of the policy: the plethora of male only-children that are my age."  Men are the ones that recieves down the family name, but according to some research there are 24 million more men than women which means the majority of these men will die without a spouse to continue on their family's generation.

I think Hui's article was written to persuade readers that do not have much background information about birth control issues in China. Hui gives a lot of information about the regulation and explains them in a simple way so that even those that have do not know or never heard about it can understand the situation just by reading his article. Hui expresses his opinion but does not really "fight" to persuage the readers. He rather gives a suggestion to the solution. I'm also assuming that the readers seem to be supportive as to how Hui does not use connotative language, nor does his tone sound strong to confrontate his readers. If his goal was to persuage the readers, I don't think he would'be suceeded because this article sounded more for an informative purpose although he did argue back and gave his opinion about it. 

http://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/11/i-was-an-illegal-second-child-in-china/281873/