Twitter-ing to Lose Weight?

This morning as I ate my cereal at the breakfast table I opened up the explorer and an unusual page opened up. The title was, "Using Twitter and Blogging to Lose Weight." Twitter and Blogging to lost weight huh?? I was thoroughly confused for a little bit untile I actually read the article. It talks about how people are using Twitter not just to keep in contact with friend and see where the latest celebrities are and what they're up to. They're actually using Twitter to keep track of their calorie intake and fat count. Isn't that weird? I've heard of the iPod application that keep track of your calories, but Twitter? Oh and get this, people have actually testified to have lost TONS of weight doing this application! Social networking is gaining new things everyday. Using a social network to lose weight?? Soon we won't just live on the Internet, the Internet will consume us!

Early, Early, Early Rough Draft for Paper

Arzu Molubhoy
English 1302

Paper # 3

Early, early rough draft!

SOME SORT OF INTRODUCTION GOES HEREEE Students tend to read popular series book such as Twilight and Harry Potter that help them escape into a fantasy world, but students do not seem to read classics such as The Great Gatsby or The Tale of Two Cities. They think reading such classics are “un-cool,” and would classify them as nerds. However, that is totally misinterpreted because reading classics helps broaden students’ vocabulary skills and improve their writing. Even celebrities encourage reading and try to show our fellow students that it is “okay and cool” to read.
FIX CLAIM!!

II. Students and reading series

a. The phenomena of Harry Potter and Twilight and why students enjoy reading them to escape from school and into another world where there is a life of fantasy. Students engage their imagination by creating the characters in their minds.
b. NEED TO FIND SOURCES TO SUPPORT
Students need to read and be able to understand the significance of what they are reading, whether it is for fun or for a class. Without reading, vital writing and comprehension skills are forgone and students do not develop techniques they need to be successful in the world outside of the realm of academics. According to the National Endowment of the Arts annual report on academic life, students who read for fun have a higher average writing score (chart 7D). Reading also aids in the world of work. Comprehension and writing are vital skills that are considered an upper hand on resumes. According to the NEA report “Employers now rank reading and writing as top deficiencies in new hires. (77). And reading does not only help in reading and writing, but it also helps in many other subjects as well. To be frankly honest, students like myself, are lazy, and if something is not put directly in front of them they will not take the effort and look for it. Parents can encourage reading at home by exposing their students to more text reading then online reading. While having more books in the household, students see books in front of them and are in some cases inspired to pick it up and thumb through. For example, math, science, civics, and history scores are higher for 12th-graders who report having books in the home (71). In math, science, and history students who are exposed to more books, meaning there are more books present at home, have a higher score in their knowledge of that subject versus students to do not have a high volume of books at home (Chart 7E and 7F). Just being exposed to literature encourages reading.
a. Bauerlein also notes this fact on pg. 58.
b. NOW TALK ABOUT BAUERLEIN AND HIS IDEAS ON PG. 58
IV. How can we make reading cool?
a. Celebrities read and they read on their own time
i. Celebrities have read the classics but they also read many scripts and many articles to keep themselves up to date with the news. They also read Twilight and other books for roles in films. There are celebrity posters encouraging students to read and they follow the advice they preach. Maybe a graphic would go here such as a poster showing celebrities encouraging reading?
ii. NEED TO FIND POSTER WEBSITE ABOUT READING!
V. Conclusion

Comment!

I liked the article “Who Cares if Johnny Can’t Read.” First off, I was shocked when she said that Americans are reading much more than they did about fifty or so years ago. I would think it would be totally opposite because of the technology era and TV shows. Yes Twilight and Harry Potter are totally fiction books that could never ever happen in real life, but that fantasy life is what attracts audiences. Last summer when Twilight was becoming huge, if you asked any girl what the best part of the book was, she would say "Edward Cullen is ridiculously good looking." Now tell me, how can a character in a book be ridiculously good looking? The bottom line is even though these books don’t help our vocabulary or our understanding of the economical world, they get people thinking and imagining and that’s the biggest thing any book can do!

Comment!

I commented on Professor Channel's blog about Is Bibliophobia a Social Disease?. I agree with Mark Bauerlein's argument. People, especially students nowadays do not read and don’t really care if they read or not. And as Professor Channel said, they’re proud of it. However, besides just not reading, students feel pressured that if they do read something out of the norm, they’ll be labeled as the “nerds” in the group. To steer away from this stereotyping, students look for books such as Twilight and Harry Potter, to read and relate to other kids about. One person reads this book and realizes how great and interesting it is, then a chain reaction sparks and other kids start reading--a social phenomenon is created.

Comment!

I commented on EAF's blog about the legalization of Marijuana. I'm not totally sure if I agree with his/her stance. I'm not sure where my views on this issue are actually. It is a very tough issue to comment and even harder to act upon. I guess, you could say it is up to the individual and their beliefs to say if it should be legalized. However, to make your argument persuasive, I would show the other side of the argument. Why doesn’t the government legalize the use of pot and other drugs? I do agree that because of the medicinal purposes; it should be made legal for those patients that need marijuana to sustain their life. It is an interesting topic to think about.