Summary #4

Summary #4

The fourth article I am blogging a summary for in ENG 1520 at OCC this semester is “Don’t Blame the Eater”. Composed by David Zinczenko, “Don’t Blame the Eater” first appeared in the New York Times on November 23^rd, 2002. At the beginning of his article, lending creditability to his argument, is the fact that he used to be one of the many American’s that faced health related problems, which he contributed to poor nutritional choices and lack of nutritionally related information as a child. As a latchkey kid in the mid eighties it was easier for him to obtain lunch or dinner from the ever growing food fast myriad, causative to his obesity at the time.

The article “Don’t Blame the Eater” is really about the choices that we make every day in relationship to health-related choices. Sometimes fast food, or other bad choices are easier perhaps mainly because, fast food is, well, fast. In actuality, the amount of fat contained in most fast foods is nothing less than appalling, and the inevitable obesity that can follow causes health problems: diabetes, obesity, limb and joint problems, and even emotional disturbances – just to name a few.

Zinczenko makes the argument that we should know better and that it is our responsibility for making better nutritional choices; choices like limiting fast food intake and maintaining healthy levels of physical activity will combat such issues. After all when one travels to McDonald’s for fast, easily obtainable food, salads and less fattening grilled chicken sandwiches are also available as healthy alternatives.

The author of this article, exposed to healthy life in the Navy, now works for Men’s Health the magazine as editor-in-chief. He notes that before 1994, obesity related type 2 on-set diabetes was virtually nonexistent at only 5% of childhood cases being classified as obesity related. That statistic has now been estimated at 30%. In 1969, 2.6 billion dollars were spent in annual health care costs for diabetes, an amount that has skyrocketed to 100 billion dollars annually at present (They Say, I Say, pg. 154). In conclusion, however expeindiently simple it may to eat fast food it is important to limit one’s in-take of such towards the ideation healthy choices that will lead to both a healthier physically and financial futures for everyone.

Randy Johnson

ENG 1520 Sa 12-2:55

OCC Highland Lakes

Summary #2

The first article I choose to blog about this week for English 1520 at Oakland Community College Winter 2010 semester was written by Hady Amr. According to Wikipedia, policy analyzing and U.S to Muslim world relations authoring are a few important particulars to note about Amr, predominantly his focus on the Arab-Israeli conflict, Lebanon, Jordan, and economic/social development in the Arab World. Besides serving in Bill Clinton’s administration and fellowship at the Brookings Institution's Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Amr, a Lebanese-American is the founder and director of the Brookings Doha Center in Qatar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hady_Amr).

The central themes in Amr’s article revolve around derivations from a story told to him by a former co-worker friend whose family also emigrated from the Middle East. His derived argument is America’s global wane, as themed by chapter 16 of our English book (title: Is America Over?). His former coworker’s story took place in Northwest Pakistan where her brother, Imran, was abducted and apparently never seen again. When he stated that he would happily to do anything he could to influence U.S. governmental assistance in her debacle she considered the offer but, in the end, ultimately rejected U.S. assistance - an unquestionable, clear-cut example of the decline of United States global effectiveness, and reception, according to Amr.

Apparently, despite the fact that the U.S. has spent more than $10 billion dollars to aide Pakistan since September 11^th (They Say I Say p.460), the results have been mediocre and further U.S. intervention would not be wanted, welcomed, or prove any more successful than her own methods of dealing with “criminals, terrorists, or both” (They Say I Say p.461) in attempted negotiations to free her brother. Amr continues his argument by saying basically that its America’s own fault for this currently held popular U.S. view and, furthermore, that we have only ourselves to blame. But why is this, Amr says voting to war in Iraq on flimsy grounds doesn’t help and that America’s negligence towards other world issues as of late, i.e. the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, entrap America and further paint poor pictures of our compassion as a nation.

Amr concludes by contending that something has to revolutionize in America in order for vibrancies to return to a glory that past U.S. governments existed in and were revered for. As a direct quote then, in 1967, the year in which Hady Amr was born, ”… America was admired across the Muslim world as the shining light on the hill, breathing hope for a positive future…” but that today, “… we are loathed and distrusted by huge majorities” … “from sea to shining sea” (They Say I Say p. 462).

Randy Johnson

Eng 1520 (Sat) 12-2:55pm

Summary #3

The last article I choose to blog about for English 1520 at Oakland Community College this week was an opinion editorial titled “Perfecting the Union”. Written by Roger Cohen, the article appeared in the New York Times on November 5^th, 2008. According to Wikipedia, Roger Cohen (born August 2, 1955) is a British-born journalist and author as well as a columnist for The New York Times and International Herald Tribune. Supplementary, Cohen held foreign correspondent positions in fifteen different countries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Cohen).

According to our English book, the article “Perfecting the Union” was written one day after the inauguration of President Obama in 2008. Perhaps not entirely coincidental, chronologically speaking, for President Obama’s politically directed goals and aims to better America is the main topic of discussion in Cohen’s article from the Times. Mr. Cohen appears to generally be impressed with aspects of President Obama’s policies and for certain his eloquent use of the English language to convey messages to American’s has been a breath of fresh air. Auxiliary, Roger Cohen notes, the President’s rise from anonymity taking down “… two of the most ruthless political machines on the planet: first the Clinton’s and then the Republican Party… (They Say I Say 479)”, all the while proclaiming America can be better even than what it has been before.

At this point, I think I have to say that reading this article was enlightening, enjoyable if not even motivating. I say this mainly because I had no idea the extent of the positive topics and natures of some of the speeches given by Obama in his early presidency. Further, I can see that they do no doubt announce communiqué of hope, but that, in conclusion, and according to Cohen, though tough days do indeed lie ahead (They Say I Say 481) that the present nevertheless is a definitive moment in which to dream (They Say I Say 481), in spectacular fashion, towards the more perfect union spoke of in the Constitution; or towards perfecting the Union, as the title of Cohen’s November 2008 New York Times article reads.

Randy Johnson

Eng 1520 (Sat) 12-2:55pm

Summary #1

Summary #1 ENG 1520

The article I chose to summarize for ENG 1520 winter semester’s 2010 first blog was “The Decline and Fall of Declinism”, an article written by Alan W. Dowd. According to the biography presented at his website, “Alan Dowd is an award-winning writer with experience in opinion journalism, public-policy research and communications consultancy”, as well as being “nationally recognized for his commentaries (www.alanwdowd.com)”. According to They Say, I Say, our English book, Alan’s articles have appeared in American Legion Magazine, the National Review Online, in addition also to Policy Review. The article that I will be summarizing today, “The Decline and Fall of Declinism” appeared in The American on August 28^th, 2007.

No surprise it is that these are tumultuous times. America was hit hard this past decade. The September 11^th tragedy was a welcome present to the decade and other disasters such as hurricane Katrina, not to mention political strife and the war in the Middle East don’t create much more solace. These are the basis of Mr. Dowd’s article, but what he is actually arguing for is that America is not in as tragic of a decline as some might allude to. Armed with numerous financial statistics to prove his reasoning, Mr. Dowd sets out prove his stance - Declinists are, in his opinion, spreading misconceptions again (Dowd, p 405). In fact, with regard to the Cold War, Declinists stated that it was actually other nations, and not America, that lead the way towards victory. Apparently, the Declinists are arguing similarly again describing America’s current state as “the decline and fall of the greatest industrial republic the world has ever seen” (Pat Buchanan, p. 404); that Katrina exposed “a hollow superpower” (Polly Toynbee, p. 404); and that “It will not be the New American Century”, (Hassner, p. 404).

Early on in his article, and in accordance with recommendations from our English book, Dowd states his position, or argument: “The Declinists were wrong yesterday”, [continuing] “And if their record-and America’s-is any indication, they are just as wrong today” (Dowd, p. 405). Dowd’s main arguments presented were: 1) America’s enormous economy at 13.13 trillion dollars, comprising 20% of the entire world’s and larger than all of Europe combined; 2) That the U.S. economy is growing fast, faster than were it to be compared to even China’s young booming economy; 3) That the American worker is becoming ever increasingly more productive (statistically doubling circa 1996-2006) and; 4) that according to The New York Times, the current technology-driven “productivity miracle” thriving in America is still discernible in other nations (even in those of full economic maturity).

Dowd continues on with his own interpretation of current situations by asking what other country right now could survive such crises requiring such capital to correct recent quagmires. According to Dowd, the United States has dusted itself of and forged forward economically. Conglomerating his whole argument, America’s response and resilience has been nothing less than remarkable for a nation in such decline.

On a personal note, I was honestly not all that that familiar with declinist theory until reading these articles in our book. That is not to say that I have not however noticed economic and perhaps even sociological health-related differences in our current day and age when compared to, say, even the late nineties, the time frame with which I am most educated; and fond of truthfully. What I’m trying to say is that money isn’t everything and, in this author’s opinion, isn’t significantly determinate in of itself as a tell-tale sign of progress or well-being.

Randy Johnson

Eng 1520 (Sat) 12-2:55pm

Highlands Lakes