My teams video...

Thanks Guys! It has truly been a pleasure this semester!

Grammar websites

I've spent the last hour or so surfing from website to website trying to find some good material to post on my blog, and the only thing I have to show for it is being slightly older and closer to my death.
I think there is a difference between true grammatical errors and simply being knit-picky. I understand that literacy is a big issue, but some of the people that are correcting grammar are just plain emotionless and quick to find mistakes. It is much easier to be a critic than it is to be an artist. Maybe everything is not meant to be perfect -and that includes English.
I'm not saying that it is okay for people to live illiterately or to have the reading and writing skills of a 5th-grader, but some errors just are not that bad.
Ex. Good vs Well.
I don't want to sound like a tea-drinking, crumpet-eating Olde Englishman (although, I passionately enjoy tea and crumpets -especially after a late night of drinking).

http://hubpages.com/hub/Grammar_Mishaps__I_feel_good_vs_I_feel_well

Grammar Post!!!!!!!

"Its not the cards your delt in life its how you play them"

Even thought the artwork in this particular tattoo is actually quite amazing, I'm thinking that the artist should "brush" up on his grammar.

There are a few mistakes in the text.

Let's start with its vs it's.
Its shows possession whereas it's is a conjugation of "it" and "is".
This problem is a reoccurring theme throughout the tattoo.

I understand that everyone makes mistakes -that's why white-out was invented. However, there are a few times -like this one- when getting things right is crucial. "Your" shows possession while "You're" is a conjugation between "you" and "are". He should have used the latter.

Next, we'll move onto a blatant mistake. "Delt" is slang for the deltoids -a muscular structure. What they really should have inked on this guy is the word "Dealt". Dealt, according to the dictionary, is the the past tense and past participle of deal.

Another problem, not necessarily applicable, is the sentence in its entirety -it's a run-on sentence. To remedy the problem, a comma should be placed between "It's not the cards you're dealt in life" and "It's how you play them".

I think that's about it. 4 permanent mistakes.

OOPS!

my choices of writing

The two styles I am most interested in tackling are prop/opp and analytical writing.

Prop/opp interests me because it assumes a neutral position on any issue, and provides an equal outlook on both sides of any issue. It is a good way to address the pros and cons of any issue and allows a non-biased take to turn into a persuasive mode.

I could not find a site dedicated to prop/opp so here is the def of both:
Propositional: http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/Pr/Propositional.html
Oppositional: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/oppositional

from what I gather, it's a pro/con way of doing things.

Analytical writing can be found here: http://home.comcast.net/~tgeorges/write/fore.htm

I am pretty sure I will be using the analytical form.

Why I regret voting....

So far, I've seen nothing from the current administration besides tax loans for failing, previously-wealthy, corporations, an increase in military activity, and unclear plans for our economic and political future as a country.
It's nights like tonight when I remember why I hate voting in the first place -I feel somewhat responsible for the current state of affairs. Maybe my mood-congruent perception will change if our situation as a country changes, but for now, I'm stuck with a sick feeling of regret.
I'm not saying I hate our country, or that I am anti-American; I love where I live. I'm just not sure anyone wins in a bipartisan system.
It seems that everyday, we grow closer to our economic demise. Tonight I saw a news section on "Shanty Towns". In one city alone, over 2100 people are homeless. There is something wrong, or unbalanced, when we are spending 4.2 Million on a single M1 Abrams tank (LATP: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/lima.htm#prof), rather than investing that money in education programs, scientific advancement, or domestic aide. After doing some simple math, I figured that 4.2 Million could provide $40,000 to 105 different families, organizations, and beneficial social programs -mere pocket change compared to our current inventory of military accumulations, governmental agency spending/investments and national debt.
Of course, I recognize that our current president was handed the keys to a broken down '08 Chevy and told to turn it into a smooth running Lamborghini, yet I still feel like he is responsible for the newer problems that have risen from his choices as president.
However, I do feel that some of the social pressure the United States had been experiencing under the old administration has diminished somewhat. I think that could largely be due to the simple fact that we elected an ethnic president. At least we have moved passed that old stigma, but we really should be focusing on the challenges we are all faced with -our economic survival as a "United State".
My enthusiasm diminished with every dollar misspent on unnecessary militaristic investment, on every dollar wasted on corrupt corporations, and with every dollar that sucked the working class dry. Perhaps Obama isn't the change we needed -it surely wasn't McMaverick McCain and his funny-talking affair-wanna-be running-mate Sarah Palin either.

Ohwell, 4 more years of Hell isn't so bad compared to living in Cuba.

3 = Periods and commas go inside of " "

Needless to say, the re-occurring problem I see popping up in my writing is the inability to quote inside of a paper correctly.

So, this is wrong....

"All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume".

Notice how the period is outside of the parenthesis? I did. And it's wrong.

"All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume." This quote was brought to you by Noam Chomsky.

Notice how the period is inside the parenthesis? That is the correct way to rock a sentence.

So... like my title says: Periods and commas go inside of the parenthesis

For further assistance in this matter, click over to the following website:
http://wps.ablongman.com/long_faigley_penguinhb_1/0,7325,506571-,00.html

Thanks, enjoy

GRAMMAR POST EH!!!

This is so amazing on so many different levels! Yep my friend, Mexicans "are" the problem.

Okay, part of me feels sad for this man, but I mostly think it's hilariously sad.

The author of the amazingly well-written sign apparently can't distinguish between "are" and "our".

Here's the definitions:

Are: to have the quality of being; to be identical to; to be someone or something; have an existence, be extant. The list goes on and on. (a state of being)

Our: belonging to us; of us (shows possession)

Now you know! Don't be like our favorite man of the day -use correct grammar.