Group Rhetorical

For this final project our group will be using visual aids to argue that Living Learning Communities are not as great as everyone is making them out to be. Our group plans on using rhetorical strategies within our project because we are discussing Living Learning Communities and they are very relevant to our audience which is the TCU student community. We will be utilizing the tool of pathos because this should be a relevant topic to TCU students, and we will be using humor to get our points across.

Unit 4- Group Work

I am usually not a fan of group work.. but when I do I am usually good at doing the work before the presentation. I am usually good at creating an idea or getting most of the material together and having it ready for someone to present. I usually hate getting up in front of people and being the presenter, so I would prefer someone else to do that.. but I guess I would be willing to if nobody else wanted to. I am basically pretty easy going when it comes to working in groups and will do pretty much any task that I am given, despite the fact that I usually don't like working in them. I would prefer not to be the primary presenter, but I would be willing to do so if I had to....

Author's Note- Portfolio 3

I am happy to have finished portfolio 3 as I found this one to be different from the previous two. I do believe that I made my topics connect from the Letter to the Editor, Op-ed and to the Humor Argument. I found this one to be difficult because I had to have the same topic for each of the three aspects of the portfolio. When I chose my topic for the Letter to the Editor the idea of Luke McCown being replaced by Jay Cutler was a possibility while it was not when I wrote the Op-ed because he had been signed by the Chicago Bears in between the two pieces. This made my Op-ed a little more difficult because my main argument was going to be that the Bucs should keep trying to acquire him, however this was now impossible because a different team signed him. Therefore, I had to take my Op-ed in a different direction than I originally intended. As For the humorous argument, I found this one to be the most difficult because I did not really know how to make this issue into something humorous.I feel that the final result is a bit silly, but the feedback I got from it makes me believe that it is ok, despite the fact that most people did not really understand it because they were not part of my target audience.

My topic, since everything surrounding it seemed to change everyday, was difficult to create three things on over the span of the month and I am glad to have finished it. However, after the draft this weekend my argument was realized when the Bucs ended up drafting Josh Freeman with the 17th overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft. They traded up two spots to make sure that Denver did not steal him away, just as I predicted. So therefore I feel that my arguments were valid! Overall,I found this to be an interesting portfolio, and I am glad to finally be done!

4/22 Author's Note

After meeting with my group, my revisions to my humorous argument have made the collage a little better. I was instructed by them to adjust certain aspects to make the images more cohesive. I am still photo-shop illiterate so I will have to work on that in order to make the final draft look the best. My group ensured me that my argument is funny, however I really do not think that it is because I am usually not very good at being funny.. I think they just thought the kitten in the collage was humorous, but not the rest of it. Since my audience for the collage would be people who are fans of the Buccaneers and football, I did not really expect Kristen and Ellie to understand it, but they were supportive nonetheless. As for today, I hope to get more feedback from the class about what I should do to the collage to make it better. I think overall it has improved from the original idea that I started with!!

Humor Argument 4/20

For my humor argument I tried to make a funny photo-shopped picture of Luke McCown with a baby face being sacked by Julius Peppers. I am not artistic so I decided not to draw a picture, rather I tried to collage images together that I found on the internet. I am not very good at this type of stuff and it looks ridiculous... I have been extremely frustrated when trying to paste all of the images together because I cannot get them to blend correctly. The way I have it now looks pretty lousy, but I think that for the future I cut and paste them together by hand and then scan them onto the computer to make it look better. I think that the argument is pretty stupid, so I plan on using my feedback to create something a little bit more humorous and powerful.

Humor Argument

The closest thing I could find related to my topic was cartoon regarding the Miami Dolphins and their quarterback dilemma two years ago. I found the cartoon, located atwww.heraldextra.com/gallery/main.php%3Fg2_view%3Dcore, to be quite amusing as it featured John Beck who was to be the starting Quarterback of the Dolphins. Within the cartoon, it showed Beck on the edge of the dock saying, "Yes I get to start for the Dolphins" as his feet are in the middle of a block of concrete. His coach next two him replies to his statement by saying, "Or sleep with the fishes as we like to call it." I found this to be really funny as John Beck ended up starting for the Dolphins during that season and they were absolutely terrible going 1-15. John Beck was there draft pick that year and he ended up becoming the starter because their original starter, Trent Green, was awful and the second backup Cleo Lemmon was just as bad.I thought that this is related to my topic as I think the Buccaneers have a chance to be just as bad as the 2007 Dolphins if they rely on Luke McCown to be their Quarterback. John Beck in this cartoon is going to be the Josh Freeman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers if the Bucs are able to draft him in this coming draft. I am not quite sure if this works for my humorous argument, but it is the best that I have found so far!

Draft 1

After reading several Op-eds about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their current starting QB controversy, I realized that the tones are often heated because everyone has such strong opinions on the issue. When it comes to sports, especially football, people really get immersed into issues and they always have very strong feelings one way or another regarding them. I fit this description, and that is why I have such strong feelings as to who should be starting at Quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The current question: Is Luke McCown ready to the Bucs’ franchise Quarterback of the future? My answer is a resounding No.
I have worked with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two summers as I was a Training Camp Assistant in 2005 and 2006. I got to witness Luke McCown first hand and I never thought he was going to be the Bucs Quarterback of the future as he never really impressed me in camp. That was a few years ago, but obviously things have not changed because last year was a year that the Bucs struggled at the Quarterback position and Luke McCown was not even a thought. This is clearly evident by the fact that when the Bucs were struggling to find a Quarterback who could win they opted for Brian Griese and Jeff Garcia. Luke threw only three passes all of last year when the Quarterback position was one of controversy and lack of production. How could a guy who threw only three passes all year for a team with two lousy unproductive Quarterback really be the best choice for a team that wants to compete the next year.
For a player who has been with the Bucs’ for five seasons, and has yet to become the starter, there must be a reason for it. The reason as to why he has not become the starter yet is obvious: he is just not that good and that is also why he only threw three passes all year. Yes, there are some advantages to having someone start who has been the backup for a couple years as he knows the system better than anyone else, but this is not necessarily a good reason. It is not a good reason because Luke knows the old system the best. He knows the system that John Gruden implemented for the last seven years, but now there is a new coach in Raheem Morris. This means that there will be a new system. This therefore would be a perfect opportunity for a new player to come in and start fresh because everyone will be learning the new system, and therefore Luke would have little advantage over anybody else.
So who should the Bucs get to start at Quarterback? The Bucs will certainly try to acquire someone as they already tried and failed in obtaining Matt Cassell from New England who ended up in Kansas and Jay Cutler who ended up in Chicago. These attempts were similar to the attempt to get Brett Favre last year from the Packers as he ultimately ended up in New York. These highly publicized attempts to land these free agent giants is a clear indication that the Bucs’ have little to no faith in Luke McCown as the Quarterback of the future. If they are to not make a blockbuster trade before the season starts to acquire a new quarterback, it is clear that they will obtain one through a different means: the 2009 NFL Draft. According to Mel Kiper Jr. who has been the authority on the NFL draft for more than the last decade, the Bucs’ are going to gear up for the future by drafting Josh Freeman with the 19th overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft. Yes, this may enable Luke McCown to start the season at Quarterback, but when he begins to struggle which he most certainly will, Freeman will be waiting in the wings to become the Bucs Quarterback for years to come. Josh Freeman, being a rookie, will most likely sit behind McCown for most of the season, but he will get his opportunities when McCown struggles. He may not necessarily be the answer to the Bucs’ quarterback issue immediately, but he is definitely going to be the long term solution where Luke McCown certainly is not.

Authors Note:

I still am a little nervous that this is too similar to my letter to the editor. This is definitely only the rough draft and I know that I have a lot of things to add and edit. I feel that this may be a little choppy and I need to make it flow together better and get all my arguments organized in a better manner. I think that I have good ideas, but I really just need to make everything come together a little smoother!

PreWriting

Do not know why I did not post this..

After reading several Op-eds relating to my topic which is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their starting QB controversy, I realized that the tones are often heated because everyone has such strong opinions on the issue. When it comes to sports, especially football, people really get immersed into issues and they always have very strong feelings one way or another regarding them. These Op-eds are very interesting and entertaining because they are only about football, however people feel so strongly about the issues you would think they were talking about global events of the utmost importance.

As for my Op-ed, I will be writing about the Bucs’ current Quarterback controversy and if Luke McCown should be starting. Is Luke McCown ready to the Buc’s franchise Quarterback of the future? No. If he was going to be the franchise Quarterback he would have thrown more than three passes all of last year when the Quarterback position was one of controversy and lack of production. For a player who has been with the Buc’s for five seasons, and has yet to become the starter, there must be a reason for it. That reason is that he is just not that good. Yes, he may know the system the best, and be the best player on the current roster to be quarterback, but that does not mean he is a long term solution and savior for the Tampa Bay area when it comes to football.

What should be done about this? The Bucs will certainly try to acquire a better Quarterback and it was obvious as they were interested in getting Matt Cassell and Jay Cutler. This unfortunately went the same way as it did last year with their attempt to get Brett Favre: it failed. This year however, they are going to gear up for the future by drafting Josh Freeman with the 19th overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft. Yes, this may enable Luke McCown to start the season at Quarterback, but when he begins to struggle which he most certainly will, Freeman will be waiting in the wings to become the Bucs Quarterback for years to come.

As for rhetorical appeals, I will use logos/statistics from McCown’s limited NFL career as well as quotes from experts regarding the issue. I will also build ethos by talking about working with the Buccaneers for two seasons and witnessing Luke McCown play first hand. I believe that both of these rhetorical appeals will be the most effective while dealing with my audience. While trying to make my arguments I will need to compete against pathos because most of my audience believes McCown should start think so due to pathos. They believe that he has been on the Buccaneers long enough as a backup that it is rightfully his turn to get the nod and start at Quarterback.

Letter to the Editor draft 4-1

To The Editor of “McCown Eager To Prove He Is Bucs' Best Choice At QB”:

In Anwar Richardson’s article titled “McCown Eager To Prove He Is Bucs' Best Choice At QB” which was published on March 27,2009 the author argues that Luke McCown is trying to prove that he is the best choice for Quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and he should be given the opportunity to start. As a former employee of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who has worked the training camp in 2005 and 2006, I believe that McCown has always been “eager” to prove that he can start at Quarterback for the Buccaneers, yet he never has proven himself. I feel that McCown has been “patiently” sitting on the Bucs bench for the last five seasons not because he has been behind Pro-Bowl level quarterbacks, but rather because he has done little to “prove” that he would be a capable and efficient passer in the NFL. The article mentions that as a starter in the NFL, McCown is 1-6. This should be the end of the debate as to whether he has had success in the NFL. However, in that lone win, McCown beat the division rival New Orleans Saints in 2007 and threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns while setting the Bucs record for most consecutive completions with 15. My opinion on this is that if he was so good after this game, he would have kept it up and been named the Bucs starter for the next season. This was not the case obviously as in 2008 he only threw one pass all season and was the third string Quarterback behind Jeff Garcia and Brian Griese, who each were lousy throughout most of the season.
I just can’t see how a player who was on a team with such lack of production out of the QB position and threw only one pass all season makes his way into the starting role the next season. The article seems to concede that the Bucs are going to give McCown the opportunity to start and become the Bucs’ quarterback of the future, however I feel that the only way he is given a shot is if they don’t get another QB such as Cutler nor one through the draft. I feel that this is highly unlikely if the Bucs want to compete this coming season. I think that they would only start McCown if they want to concede to a rebuilding season and try to get an early draft pick next year when the Quarterback draft class is better. I think that this is highly unlikely as the Buccaneers have a fairly old team and they should try to be competitive this season, especially since they still were 9-7 last year and one win away from making the playoffs. I believe that the Bucs are still going to try and acquire another quarterback, whether they are somehow able to pry Jay Cutler away from Denver which they have been trying to do for months, or they will take a QB with their first round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.


-Matt Palombo


Author’s Note:
As this is my first attempt at writing a “letter to the editor” I am not sure that I have done it correctly. I am planning on getting feedback and editing it accordingly. I also think I can find more statistics on the issue and this would add to the logos. I think that I built up my ethos as I have worked for the Bucs so therefore I gain credibility in my letter. This was just a “rough” draft, but I think I am on the right track…

Article- 3-30-09

As I am from Tampa, Fl, I have chosen an article regarding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I am choosing an article from the Tampa Bay Tribune that was written by Anwar Richardson and was published on March 27, 2009. The title of the article is "McCown Eager To Prove He Is Bucs' Best Choice At QB". The article is about Tampa's quarterback dilemma and how former backup Luke McCown is ready to be the starter.
The quarterback dilemma is a hot topic in Tampa right now as the Bucs are the city's favorite sports team, and that is why I chose this article. I also chose an article related to the Buccaneers because I worked for them in the summer of 2005 and 2006, so therefore I have a personal attachment to them. I also was friends and neighbors with a former coach who was let go over the winter as he was part of the many "changes" that is happening with the team currently.

3-25 Topic Possibility

I am thinking about writing a response to an article regarding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their current quarterback controversy. Being from Tampa, the Bucs are the biggest thing in the city as everyone follows them very closely, especially after they won a Superbowl in 2003. When it comes to Tampa, the Bucs are the topic of the town, even though the Rays are gaining some ground after going to the World Series last year. I find football very interesting and I feel that if I were to write about football I would be involved in the topic. I was a very big Bucs fan for the last few years as my next door neighbor worked for them and got me a job as an intern. However, over the last few months the Bucs have been rebuilding their team and he, like many others, was let go. I now am not such a big Buccaneers fan because of this but I still think I would have a good time writing in response to these articles. As I have a personal connection to the Buccaneers, I feel that this topic would suit me the best..

Portfolio 2 Final Author's Note

I feel a great sense of relief now that I have completed portfolio number two. I feel that my final paper is where I want it to be, and that it has come together nicely. I believe that I incorporated all of my sources into my paper smoothly and that it hopefully is a well done rhetorical analysis of the issue of Facebook's Terms of Service.
I listened to the input from my peers when they reviewed my paper, as well as that of Ms. Patrick. I feel that I did a good job breaking up my larger paragraphs into smaller ones thus making the paper easier to read as well as more coherent. Hopefully I submitted everything that I was supposed to include in the portfolio, and I am very happy to have it all completed!!

Case Study Development & Author's Note 3/23

As I have been revising my Rhetorical Case Study, I have been listening to the suggestions of the people in my group as well as those of Ms. Patrick. Over the break I did not have as much time as to go over and revise my paper as I would have liked, but I have made some changes due to the suggestions and I feel that I will have a solid paper ready for Wednesday. My paper has developed since the earlier drafts because I feel that I am a bit more focused on my topic than I was earlier. By this I mean that I feel a little more secure about my topic, as my topic was one that seemed to be changing every day that I researched to do it being such a hot topic in the news.
I believe that I have a decent paper so far on my draft, and with some further revisions and additions today and tomorrow, it will be where I want it to be. I still feel that I need to break up my paragraphs better and analyze them as smaller individual ones. By doing this, it will make the paper easier to read and more concise. I also need to work on my conclusion a little bit more. Once I do these things I feel that my paper will be fine.

Author's Note 3/09/09

After writing my rough draft I feel that my paper has a lot of room for improvement. I feel that I need to incorporate all of my sources together more cohesively through transitions, as well as not focus on just giving descriptions. I think that I need to give more rhetorical analysis to my essay and explain how it relates to my community. I did not focus on these so much aspects so much so far, but I still need to add at least two more pages to my essay so this will definitely give me something to add and focus on. Overall I think that my paper is coming along OK considering it is just the rough draft, but I definitely have a lot to improve!

3-09-09 Community

I think that my topic of Facebook and its changing of Terms of Service has effected my community greatly. I think not only has it effected TCU, but it has effected college campuses throughout the nation. I believe this to be the case because Facebook has over 175 million users and most of them are of the college student age within the United States.
I know that this issue has effected the TCU campus directly because I first discovered the change of terms due to one of my friends telling me about it. This friend who told me was so moved by the change, that he actually deleted his account. I do think however that he overreacted a bit by deleting his account, but this does prove that my community in TCU had been effected by the change. I have recently noticed that a bunch of my friends have deleted there accounts in the last couple of months, however I do not know if this was because of the change in terms. I believe that it could be a mix of the changing of terms as well as the possibility of future employers looking at their profiles. The changing of the terms certainly did not boost Facebook's new member signups around college campuses!

3/4/09 Rhetorical Analysis

After writing each analysis of my sources, I realized that each source had similar information but took a different stance on the issue. The first analysis that I did was that of the Chris Kelly interview on CNN. His stance of the subject was very obvious as is the Chief Privacy Officer for Facebook so therefore he defended the site's change of TOS and said that the whole issue was a giant misunderstanding. I found this to be obvious because he had an invested interest in what he was saying because he works for Facebook. Within the other article I noticed that the source was saying that Facebook was trying to do something sneaky to make money through a new business model, but it failed.
Overall I think that I still need to add another source to get another perspective on the issue. I am thinking that I will get a source that is a reaction to the change by an actual member. This should not be difficult because there are so many users of Facebook who had such strong reactions to the issue. Like one of my articles said, the group on Facebook that is against the TOS was 88,000 strong by 2/18/09, so therefore I should be able to find a good blog by one of them that gets the feeling across. I feel somewhat more comfortable about my topic, but I still think I need some help and there is a lot of room for improvement.

Pre-Writing 3-2-09

What connects your sources?- My sources are connected through the issue of Facebook and its changing Terms of Service. Each source focuses on the issue about what the intention was by changing the TOS. One source was an interview by the Security officer of Facebook and he defended it as an innocent misunderstanding, another one was by the CEO of Facebook and he too defended it and made it seem that FB did not mean to cause the alarm that it did, and the third was that FB was trying to change the TOS in order to adapt to a new business model. Each source had its own arguments or reasoning’s for the change, but they all focused on the changing of the TOS of Facebook. I think Facebook changed the TOS because they are trying to adapt their network to its growing demands. Like the sources say, the TOS represent the terms for its members who belong to dozens of countries and speak dozens of languages throughout the world (controlling idea).

Organizing Sources?- I think that my sources should be organized in a way that presents the Terms of Service and its actual change in the first part of my essay. I think this will show the change before there is any influence because of the responses to it. Next I think it would be best to present the arguments for the outrage against the change, so that the thoughts and opinions about why this was so alarming would be heard. Then finally the sources that defend the change should be heard. I think that this would be the best way to go about it because not only does this seem fair, but it is also the chronology of the events. This would be how the events actually played out.
1.Terms of Service and Actual Change in Document
2. Testimonial/ User Response
3. Reuters Article
4. Interview with Chris Kelly
5. Zuckerberg and Facebook Blog

How to transition from source to source?- I think that my paper will transition very well because it is ordered in basically a chronological order as it is a sequence of events. I am starting the paper with the initial change in TOS, then going to a reaction source which describes the emotion and hostility of the issue, then to an article that explains possible reasons for the change including statistics, then to the defense of the change by a Facebook Security Advisor, and finally end with the blog done by the CEO that invites users to participate in the formation of a new TOS. It is a chronological sequence, but it also gives a fair assessment of the issue and it should make for a smooth transition.

3-2 Perspective

After researching my topic for over a week now my perspective has changed greatly due to my topic and its stance changing. When I began my research, my topic was very much up in the air as thousands of Facebook users were "up in arms" about the change of policy which seemed to have been done behind the users back. At this time, I to was concerned about my rights regarding Facebook and the content on it. At the time I believed that FB was saying that they owned and had access to sell all of our information and photos at will and this obviously scared me. After a day or two of my research, Facebook came out and said that this was not there intention and that the terms of service were temporarily going under reconstruction or editing.
I still am a little unsure about how everything with Facebook and its terms of service is going as it is still a volatile situation. While researching I came across so many arguments by so many different people that it was difficult to try and figure out which sources were legit and trustworthy (ethos). I decided that the best sources were those directly from Facebook themselves or someone who represented Facebook as these were official. I also think I should try and find some testimonials from anyone who has Facebook, as they are relevant as well because they are actual users so I guess that would make them credible to. Overall I feel my research is going well, and it is interesting to see updates on the issue almost every time I log into the site.

In Class 2/25

A couple things that are stressing me out right now about my research are that I am not sure exactly where my topic is going. By this I mean that because my topic is such a hot topic, it has not really taken a solid form yet one way or another. The issue of Facebook and its new Terms of Service are still being mulled over by its administration. I am a little nervous about not really having a solid topic at all. I am also nervous about my sources in relation to this. It seems that every day new sources or articles come out about my topic. I am not sure exactly which ones to choose...
---Facebook Blog
-This source is considered a primary source because it is a blog that is run and operated through Facebook and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg. It is officially linked to Facebook.
-I chose this source because it directly addresses my topic within the blog.
-This source is a blog that talks about Facebook and the issues that are at hand involving the website. For my topic, there are two blog entries by Mark Zuckerberg that address the issue of the changing of Terms of Service.
- The blog uses ethos well because Zuckerberg is a credible source as he is the CEO of Facebook. The blog's target audience is also those concerned about the changing TOS so therefore it hits its target perfectly.

--- Interview with Chris Kelly
- This source is a primary source because it is an interview with the Chief Privacy Officer of Facebook.
- I chose this source because it also directly addresses my topic because he is being questioned about the changing of TOS by a CNN reporter.
-The source is an interview about the changing of the TOS and why it happened. Kelly tries to say that it was not their intention to cause such a commotion about the changing TOS as it was not supposed to trick or go behind the back of the FB community.
- Kelly tries to comfort the audience by saying that the change of TOS was misunderstood. His intention was to try to influence the audience and convince them that they were not going to be taken advantage of.

--- Reuters Article
-This is considered a primary source because it includes quotations from CEOs of Facebook, as well as statistics involving the site and its user base.
- I chose this source because it involves an outsider on the topic, rather than someone who works for the benefit of Facebook like the other two.
- The source is about how FB tried to adjust its TOS to adapt to its business model. The source shows Facebook as a giant network that has many users that are capable of making a lot of money for the site.
- The author works for Reuters and therefore is credible through Ethos. He also does not have an invested interest in the issue like the other two sources as they both work for Facebook.

2/25- Research Experiences

While researching on the issue of Facebook's new Terms of Service, I found many news articles from many different sources. Some of the articles were from credible sources such as newspapers, while others were blogs by angry Facebook users. I discovered that this is an extremely hot topic as it has affected so many people worldwide due to the giant user base on Facebook. I found it interesting while reading a post from the Chief CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, that if Facebook were a country it would be the 6th largest in the world. When I read this I realized how big of a deal FB and a minor change in its TOS could be to so many different people.
After researching I decided that the most important pieces of research that I came across were an interview with Chris Kelly who is the Chief Privacy Officer for Facebook, the Blog of Facebook that was issued by CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the Bill of Rights of Facebook which is attached within the blog. These are two primary sources that are directly related to Facebook as they are done by people that are the most credible in relation to the policies of Facebook. I find it interesting also that due to the overwhelming responses of the users of FB, the site has reverted back to its previous TOS while it comes up with new terms. I am interested in seeing how things develop.

Unit 2 assignment

I have decided that for my next portfolio I want to look at and write about the new Terms of Services of Facebook. As a college student with Facebook, I think the new terms of service impact us all. According to Facebook and the new TOS, the site can own your information and do whatever it wants with it, even if you delete your account. This opens up the possibility that Facebook can use anything you have on the website for commercial gain.
After the Michael Phelps incident as of late, this is scary to think about. There may be a couple pictures on Facebook that if I become famous someday, I would not exactly like Facebook to be able to sell them out to the highest bidder. I have always been weary about Facebook and the photos that I have on there, but this now becomes a legitimate fear for anyone on the site. According to the site, even detagged photos and deleted messages are still part of Facebook forever and the company has ownership of everything. This seems crazy, and I will be very interested in learning more about this through the next five weeks!

Author's Note

After finishing my paper I feel that I have turned in a well written paper about the Rec Center. I think that I analyzed the space well and I added much insight into the building as a whole and its purpose within the TCU community. At first, I felt that much of my paper was just a research paper on the Rec Center as I just talked about it broadly, but after my revisions, I think that I found the argument that the Rec was trying to make. In my opinion, the Rec Center makes a statement that it is open to everyone, but it is centered around the TCU student community.
I believe that I analyzed the Rec Center well and I hope that it came out the way I had planned as I wanted to write a balanced essay that gave a description of the space, as well as an analyzation of it. Overall I feel a great burden lifted as I finally finished my first portfolio for this class. I now have to sweat out waiting for the grade, but at least I am done with the paper!

First Draft Revisions- 2/11/09

After reading the feedback that I received from the workshop, I realized that I had a lot of good information but I needed to structure it better. I felt that after my first draft I needed to find a little more direction with my paper, and after editing it according to the feedback that I got I think it is a little better. I think that my paper's organization is a little better, and that I am focusing on the purpose of the Rec Center a little bit more. I still think I need to find a way to bring in more analysis, but I feel that I have made significant improvements from the first draft.
After editing it, I think that my main concern now is going to be how I bring everything to a conclusion. My paper still needs a little bit more analysis, but because the Rec Center is such a complicated place I am deciding to just focus on the aspects that I have mentioned so far. I think that the weight room, basketball courts, games, and intramurals are key elements to understanding the audience of the Rec Center and they should be the focus. Hopefully I will be able to bring the paper together and make it work without much trouble..

Author's Note 2/9/09

I feel that I have a lot to cover in my paper, and after the first four pages I feel a little nervous. I am not sure that I am really arguing what I want to about the Rec Center, and I think my paper needs a little more direction. I hope to get some feedback today about what I can do to make my paper have a little bit more focus or direction. I have lots to say, I just want to make it all go together cohesively and with purpose.

2/4/09

The Rec Center's audience would be the TCU students, Faculty, Alumni as well as people that live near TCU that can acquire a TCU Community Membership. The Rec Center's main audience however is the TCU student population because that is who the building was built for, and they make up the majority of the patrons. The meaning of the Rec Center for its patrons is that it gives them a place to escape school and have fun doing whatever they choose to do whether it is working out in the weight room, playing basketball, swimming laps in the pool, playing racketball, or even chilling out and playing games in the downstairs lounge area. The Rec Center has a lot of options for the TCU community when it comes to what it offers. Its motto is LIVE LEARN PLAY and I think that the Rec does a good job offering all three parts to the motto. It helps you "live" by offering exercise and a healthy way of living. It helps you "learn" by providing another area to study for tests or relax if you need a break from school. The Rec also clearly offers a lot for "play" as the is an abundance of activities that you can participate in that would be considered "play." The Rec Center has a great meaning to its TCU Community because it something that some people may frequent every day, and it is a staple to many lives here at TCU.

Notes of Observation

1/29 6AM

The Rec Center opens at 6 am. There are 2 main entrances (front desk + westdesk). There is an initial rush of people headed in to workout before work (Community Members). At this time, most people at Rec are ther for Cardio and the cycling class at 6:15. There are few people in the weight room this early. At this time, there are even fewer people on the basketball courts or playing Racketball. The Rec Center has 3 main basketball courts that are separated by a divider. The farthest court, known as court 3, often has a volleyball net set up on it. However, people still play basketball on this court but do so playing half court games. Above the basketball courts is the cardio deck as well as the track which goes over the weight-room and the basketball courts. The track seems to be used frequently in the early morning, as well as the cardio machinery. Throughout the Rec Center you can notice that music is playing (workout music) to get the Rec Center patrons in the mood to work out I figure.
Swim practice also goes on early morning. The pool is open to regular members at 8:30 after practice is over with.
Rec Center also has two ping pong tables, two table soccer tables and two pool tables downstairs. In the downstairs area, there is a also a TV and lounge area by the game tables. The downstairs is also the area where the locker rooms are located. Also by the the staircase by the men's locker room is the Alcohol and Drug Education Center.


1/30 3 PM

At this time of the day, the Rec Center is packed. The main attractions at this time of the day are the weight room, basketball courts, and racketball courts. The weight room is swarmed with people, compared to the morning when basically every piece of equipment was available. The Racketball courts have a wait and the most of the racketball rackets are rented out. The climbing wall is a also in use as it was not open during the time that I observed the Rec Center yesterday. The basketball courts are the most busy however as every single basket is in use. The front two courts (1 & 2) are being used for full court 5 on 5 games while the back two baskets on court 3 are each being used by a few different people. I also noticed the Energy snack stand was open at this time of the day, and it is frequented by Rec Center patrons who want a smoothie or a gatorade after their workout. Another key observation made at the Rec was that everyone in the weight room is required to have a towel in order to prevent germs and sweat from spreading all over the equipment. As everyone is required to use a towel, many people do not. The main lobby I also noticed has some couches that are fairly comfortable, and have a TV that many people sit around and lounge at while passing time at the Rec Center. The building has a very comfortable and pleasant atmosphere to it. The staff, like me, is also very helpful.

Argument of Fact or Definition

An argument of fact that I noticed at the Rec Center was how the Rec Center tries to advocate living a healthy life. The Rec Center promotes exercise and health as opposed to other less healthy activities that go on at a college campus. It has posters and handouts that promote how to live a healthy and active life, as well as classes that you can participate in to do this.

Observation Reaction

After observing the Rec Center as 6 am Thursday, and 3 pm on Friday I noticed that Rec Center has two different lives. In the early morning the Rec Center is a quiet place for people to get their workout in quickly and then go to work or class. In the afternoon on a Friday the Rec Center is a busy social environment. In the afternoon people tend to go there to work out or play basketball and talk amongst themselves. In the morning most people seem to keep to themselves and get the most out of their workout. I found it interesting that the afternoon Rec Center goers were less focused on their workouts, rather they seemed to mostly there to hang out with friends.

1-28-09 Space Proposal

I plan to analyze the TCU Rec Center as my space. I chose this because it is one of my favorite places on campus and I feel that it is a good representation of what life at TCU is like. I often go there to workout and play basketball, as well as work there. I plan to observe the Rec tomorrow morning from 545-9 am and Friday afternoon from 3-6 because I work at these times. I also plan on going during the weekend sometime to play basketball so I will make observations then as well. I feel that I know a lot about the Rec Center already because I have worked there for two years, but I think that if I pay close attention to what goes on I will gather more information about the everyday atmosphere of the place. I will definitely have plenty of time to gather information because I will be there for at least six hours in the next couple days, and there is not much else to do while working besides making observations of what goes on in the Rec.

1/26/09

I consider myself a member of two local communities: Tampa, FL and Fort Worth, TX. I have been going to TCU for four years now for school and the place that I am most familiar with is the Rec Center. I am most familiar with the Rec Center because I have worked there for two years now at member services, and I also love to play basketball whenever I get the chance. The Rec Center is a great place to check out if you were to visit TCU and get the feel for the campus because it is only 5 or 6 years old, and it has two great pools, basketball courts, and a large weight-room for the school's size. I like going to the Rec Center to work, as well as exercise and I consider it one of my favorite spaces in Fort Worth.
When I go home every summer and break, I go to Tampa, Florida. I love going home every time I can because I get to see friends that I have not seen in months or years. When I go home, my friends and I always meet at a place called MacDintons. It is an Irish Pub and Restaurant that anyone from the Tampa area surely knows about. It has a great atmosphere as it has an outdoor bar that is fun to sit at when the weather is nice, as well as a great indoor area that has Karaoke at night when the place turns into a full bar. It is definitely a place that I know well and love going to when I go home and visit with old friends.

Sample Argument

I chose the topic of Mario Lemieux and why he is one the the best hockey players ever for my example of pathos, ethos, and logos. Within the article that I read, the author places Mario Lemieux at an almost divine level as he explains that Mario scored his first goal on his very first shift on his very first shot. He mentions that when Mario joined the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1984 they were the worst team in hockey, and within seven years Mario had them win two Stanley Cups. This argument is supposed to appeal to logos as Mario made a team that was terrible into a champion. The author also appeals to pathos because Mario had many terrible injuries throughout his career that shortened it. In 1989 he had a herniated disk removed from his back, as well as another back surgery in 1993. In 1993 he was also diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease and he was able to overcome this as well. Also appealing to pathos is the fact that on the day he completed radiation treatment, Lemieux returned to the team and still won the NHL scoring title despite missing two months of the season. All of these injuries occurred during the prime of his career, and he still put up incredible numbers by overcoming unbelievable hurdles. He retired in 1997 because of injuries and being tired of playing, but in 1999 he bought the Pittsburgh Penguins whom he loved and saved them as a franchise because they were going bankrupt. This is where the author talks about his character and his image of greatness as an appeal to ethos. The article ends with Mario coming out of retirement again in 2000 and becoming a force once again in the NHL. However, he still had more injuries and an irregular heartbeat forced him to retire for good in 2005. Overall, this article appeals to pathos a great deal because of all the obstacles that Lemieux overcame, ethos for his honest and credible identity which everyone recognizes him as being a great human being as well as a representative for the NHL, and logos because despite missing so many games and years because of injury, he still has some of the best hockey statistics of all time!


http://proicehockey.about.com/od/history/p/mario_lemieux.htm

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 was an interesting introduction to Everything's an Argument. I found it interesting that everything can be an argument, even you as an individual. This is evident through our blogs because our blogs make an argument about us individuals. The chapter also discussed arguments and their purposes. Arguments can often be used to try to persuade or just inform. An example that I found interesting was that of propaganda which is a form of argument that argues at all costs to try and persuade an individual into believing what the writer or propagandist intends for the reader or viewer to believe. I found it interesting that arguing encompasses a wide range of things that I usually would not associate with the word "argument".

One thing that I was not quite so sure was an argument was that of visual arguments to inform.. When I think of street signs or warning labels I do not really think of them as making an argument, rather I think of them as informative tools. According to this book however, everything is making an argument and these signs are part of an "argument to inform", but I do not really consider them to be arguments.

Matt Palombo

Hello-

My name is Matt Palombo and I am from Tampa, Florida. I am currently a Senior here at TCU and a Criminal Justice Major, History Minor, as well as a participant in the Honors Program. Being from Florida, I consider myself a Floridian much more than a Texan. Even though I have been in Texas for four years now, I am still trying to get used to it. I miss living close to the beach, fishing, and the weather being warm all the time in Florida, but Texas is growing on me more and more each semester that I am here.

I am taking this class because I have not taken it earlier in my college career like I should have, however I am also interested in learning how to advance my argument and writing skills because I am planning on going to Law School when I graduate. I felt that this English class out of all of the choices seemed the most interesting because of this. I have written many papers and arguments for my classes throughout my four years at TCU, especially within my History Minor, and I feel pretty confident with my writing abilities. I also frequently write emails and messages to friends online through facebook. I also text message constantly, but I will be sure not to do so during this class because it is a pet peeve and is rude :).

I consider myself part of the TCU community here at school in Texas, but I do not quite feel like a Texan yet. I was born in New York City, but I consider myself a Floridian the most as I had lived there for all of High School before going to college and it is where my family still lives. I was born in New York and lived there for 2 years, then Pennsylvania for 5, Connecticut for 8, Florida for 4, and now Texas for 4. Even though I only really lived in Florida for 4 years, I say "I am from Florida" and this shows that I identify myself with that state the most out of all of the places that I have lived. Within TCU, I consider myself part of the Honors Community, Criminal Justice Community, Rec Center Community where I work, and the Study Abroad Community as I went to Florence, Italy last spring.

After reading the first chapter of Everything's an Argument, I have come to realize that my blog is indeed making an argument. I feel that by writing my blog and starting it with a "Hello", I am inviting people to come read about me, and the argument that is being made is that my blog deserves to be read. In a not so persuasive way I am also making an argument about who I am and where I am from. My argument is not to convince anyone of anything significant, rather I am just giving a brief background of myself.

I have read, understand, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus.