Report on Debates 

I think that the debates were overall very impressive and informative. I’m grateful that I listened to them, and wouldn’t have thought of sitting down and actually listening to a whole debate if I hadn’t taken this class. The first debate I watched was the Democratic Debate in Flynt Michigan.

One of the things that impressed me the most was Bernie Sander’s history with civil rights issues. Sanders was arrested in Chicago in the 60’s for trying to desegregate the schools in protests. He has a lot of “street credibility” on these issues. I believe that Hilary was also sincere when she talked about seeing Martin Luther King speak when she was 14 years old. I believe that is what makes the Democrats in some ways more likeable than the Conservatives is their ability to converse about race more honestly. When they talked about the anti-crime bill of 1994, Bernie Sanders made a great point overall about bills- that they have good and bad issues within them. A man was saying that because of that bill, more black men were incarcerated. But Bernie pointed out that if he had voted against the bill, it could be said that he voted for assault rifles and violence against women. I believe both candidates are excellent speakers.

In the Democratic debates, Bernie Sanders brings up over and over again the loss of the middle class. He talks about having been to Mexico and seen people working for .25 a day. He believes Hillary sided with Wall Street, and if she's going to say anything against them she shouldn't be giving speeches for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Hilary defended herself to claiming that Sanders is a one sided candidate and criticized him for not seeing the whole picture on many issues, and for voting against the Export import banks. Bernie believes that we have to do all that we can to avoid jobs going overseas so that the “fatcats” can save money by employing slave laborers.

On the 2^nd amendment issue, they had the father of a 14 year old girl who was nearly killed by a man with a gun in an Uber car in Kalamazoo Michigan. HE pointed out that the man who shot his daughter had no mental illness or record in his past. I think that this issue is complex but I agree more with Sanders. They both feel that guns should be restricted. Where it seems they differ is that Sanders doesn’t believe that gun sellers should be punished if somebody buys the gun and uses it. Hilary seems to want to completely outlaw guns where it seems that Sanders has a more realistic view, and even though he is “not popular” with the NRA doesn’t believe in completely outlawing guns.

On March 10, 2016 there was a Republican Debate. It seems like they behaved themselves a bit better than other debates but there was a lot of arguments

One thing that impressed me about Cruz was taking a stance against Common Core. My ex girlfriend is a school teacher in Pacoima California and believes that Common Core is not useful in increasing knowledge and productivity. It seems to add more confusion than anything. I think it’s great that Cruz took such a strong stand against it, saying that he would end it as soon as possible.

I know that a lot of people think that Trump is full of it, but I think he has a pretty accurate grasp on a lot of things. I like that he says that we are too easy on other countries that we Trade with. He says that as a businessman, he can’t believe what a bad deal we have China. He says China makes it very difficult to do business in over there, and yet we make it easier for them. He seems to be interested in evening out the playing field. As a business man it seems like he thinks that America has been getting screwed.  I agree with him that we should build more products in America.

Regarding Islam, Rubio makes a very good point that a lot of people who serve in the armed forces are Moslems. Trump feels that there is “tremendous hate” from Islam and points out how horribly women are treated. I think it’s a very complex problem. . I thought it was cool when Rubio countered Trump by saying he was interested in being politically correct, but just plain correct. When I was in India I knew a lot of Muslims who weren’t radicals. Rubio believes we need to work with the Sunnis to try and improve our relationship with Muslims. I think Trump takes a harsher position with them, which makes him popular with the conservatives.

Short Essay - Position Paper:  Throughout the semester, students will be researching their debate topic.  The internet assignments will supplement other research materials and the arguments used in Taking Sides by focusing attention on the civil liberties/civil rights aspect of the question, the ideological and partisan dimensions, and the involvement of interest groups and the branches of government.  By the end of the semester, it is hoped that each student will have significant mastery of the topic and the issues involved, as well as being prepared to take a personal, well-reasoned position on the policy question under discussion.  Students are not expected to defend their assigned debate position, but rather formulate their own stance on the issue. It is at this point that the student should compose a three to five double-spaced page position paper on their topic.  The paper is worth 60 points and the bibliography is worth 30 points.  Peer review is worth an additional 10 points.

 

The following format should be used:

Opening paragraph:  The first paragraph of the essay should briefly define the issue being addressed. (what policy is under review) and state the thesis.  The thesis in this instance should include the student’s position on the issue linked to the most compelling support for the selected positon.  It should sum up the main idea the student wants to make about the position chosen to defend.  The thesis statement serves as a working guide to organize the defense of the selected position.  The best opening paragraph begins with a general statement, followed by a clarifying statement or two, and ends with the thesis sentence.  Some introductory paragraphs pose questions that are explored in the discussion of opposing points of view.

Supporting paragraphs/Body of the Paper: 
For each of the main arguments (review the debate worksheet), write a paragraph that supports the position.  As applicable, identify those who advance this argument and the rationale they use in making the point.  The paragraphs in the body of the essay break down the central point

or thesis into manageable parts, discuss each part, and relate each part to the others.  For each paragraph include a general statement or topic sentence, a specific or clarifying sentence and sentences that provide details or examples.  Remember that this is a good place to cite sources.

Paragraphs to Discuss Opposing Views/Body of the Paper:  For each of the main arguments that run counter to the student’s selected position, write a paragraph that first lists the opposing perspective and then refutes it.  Be careful not to criticize unfairly those who hold opposing views, but rather explain why the argument is not convincing, may be irrelevant, or only be partially true.  Again include in each paragraph a general statement or topic sentence, a specific or clarifying sentence, and sentences that provide details or examples.  As applicable, identify those advance this argument and the rationale they use in making the point.  Remember that this is a good place to cite sources.

Concluding paragraph:  The final paragraph should restate the thesis as the student summarizes their main assertions or points.  Make certain that any questions posed in the introduction are answered and that a course of action based on the evidence presented is suggested.  

Sources Cited:  Sources used in the essay should be cited either in the text or in a bibliography (any academic format is acceptable, but MLA is preferred).   A separate link to Purdue University’s online writing lab is shown as a resource separately.  This gives excellent guidance on how to cite your sources in the text and to complete a solid bibliography.  The SRJC Writing Center (in Emeritus) is available to assist students less familiar with academic citations and bibliography formats.  Remember that citations and bibliography is thirty points out of the total grade for this assignment.  Spend enough time on this part of the assignment to get all your points.

 

 

Should corporations be awarded religious freedoms? For me, as a libertarian, this is a difficult question. I feel that we as a society should not inflict our religious beliefs on each other in the workplace. But I also feel that business owners have the right to run their business as they see fit. I guess these views are not fully compatible. Through some soul searching that I've taken, I'm more on the side of the businesses to choose how they want to run themselves in terms of religious freedoms as opposed to the employees and their need to be taken care of. If the corporation is upfront about their position from the very beginning, A person can choose not to work for them.

 Business owners and entrepreneurs are up against a lot in this nation. Various codes are stringent and one can easily lose their ability to do business. Permits are costly. It takes a lot of courage to start a business or corporation. I feel like they should have the right to run it how they see fit. As much as I wish I was more liberal on the subject, I just can't seem to side with the employees in most cases. Although a person who is running a business has no right to inflict their views on other people, I think it's worse to go work for somebody and then expect them to capitulate to your demands regardless of how they feel about this. At the same time, I feel that the business or corporation needs to be honest with their employees from the get go so that they know what is and isn't available to them.

As I argued in my debate, Hobby Lobby offered several forms of contraception for their employees. They just didn't want to participate in anything that would be damaging to an embryo anytime post-fertilization, including sponsorship of the morning after pill.

 

 

Neuroplasticity and Nicholas Carr's book "The Shallows."

In Chapter Two of The Shallows, which is titled “The Vital Paths,” Nicholas Carr presents a thesis whereby he presents an example of the ability for our tools, or “writing equipment” to inspire the way we create. There is almost a sense of Pathos when he discusses the suffering of Fredrich Nietzsche, his illness and desperation that nearly drive him over the edge until he buys a typewriter! But this typewriter wasn’t just any old contraption. It was “A Danish made Malling-Hansen Writing Ball,” one of the cutting edge instruments for writers of the day. “It resembled an ornate golden pincushion. Fifty-two keys, for capital and lowercase letters as well as numerals and punctuation marks, protruded from the top of the ball in a noncentric arrangement scientifically designed to enable the most efficient typing possible.”  (17)

Could it be that in imagining Nietzsche sitting down for the very first time in front of this new work of Art, the author reminisces about the first time he himself had ever sat down in front of a computer? In contrast to the times, although A PC or A Mac is worlds away from a typewriter, consider that the year Nietzsche received his was 1882. So   Carr,  is, I believe, meaning to convey how similar that  was to his experiences with Computers, laptops, and even smartphones in current times. Before he felt a need to write this book, he had written articles like “Is Google making us stupid?” in a bid to be a rare case of somebody who’s career was in Technology, yet criticizing that very thing that was his bread and butter at the same time. He understands the seduction of game changing technology and the allure of something that can jump start a project or even a career. Yet it now seemed like he was acknowledging the danger of it also.

Even Nietzsche’s close friend Heinrich Koselitz “noticed a change in the style of his writing. Nietzsche’s prose had become tighter, more telegraphic. There a new forcefulness to it.” It leaves questions about the fate of Nietzsche’s work. Would he have become the literary giant that he had become without this Malling Hansen Writing Ball? Would Nicholas Carr have written a book criticizing technology if he hadn’t been educated backwards and forwards on the subject? I think not.  Maybe both Nietzsche and Carr would have created works altogether different without their tools. It reminds me of playing a guitar verses playing a guitar through an amp, with pedals and effects. Sometimes a different tone will inspire a whole different direction, a melody that would not have been thought of by just playing a guitar by itself.

The tone I sense from Carr’s writing is not one of regret, because I think he’s intelligent enough to know that he may have reached new heights partially due to the same technology he is gently criticizing. He presents facts about neuroplasiticity,  how even “during the twentieth century, neuroscientists and psychologists also came to more fully appreciate the astounding complexity of the human brain. Inside our skulls, they discovered, are some 100 billion neurons, which take many different shapes and range in length from a few tenths of a millimeter to A few feet.” His ethos is definitely one of a scientist first and foremost, but one who has an omniscient sense of the cosmos. I feel intuitively that the author is so in awe of human potential that he has decided, at one point, to try and figure out how to strike a delicate balance between the world of technology that he knew so well, and a more natural landscape that he may have felt he and many of his peers had definitely been lacking. In some ways I feel that “The Shallows” could be the instruction book for a 12 step program of Internet addiction. Even though that sounds sarcastic of me, due to the highly addictive nature that often comes with being in this human form, I accept and am grateful to Nicholar Carr for this book, and the message of his which resounds so deeply within me.

This book, and particularly to me, this chapter, succeeds in laying foundations subtly and entertainingly. We are drawn into the stories of Nietzsche, of Scientists, Biologists, and Psychologists discovering insights into the brain and mind that had never been considered before. And than his autobiographical meanderings turn what some could have seen as an anti technology rant into A search for meaning, A nuanced, sensitive journey into striking what may be A perfect prescription for creating peace within ourselves, without a sense of repression.

 He goes back to being a child and watching “Marshall Mcluhan and Norman Mailer” (24) debating on the television, and we follow his own research into neurology, and the possibility of adapting our brains no matter what we previously had gone through. It’s sort of a strange coincidence to me, because I am interested in everything he’s talking about.

 We are on a journey and we all do the best we can. Nicholas Carr became an IT specialist, and then he realized he was spending too much time in front of a computer screen. Through his studies not only of scientists, but of philosophers as varied as Aristotle, Hippocrates, and Descartes, he has finally come to the conclusion, after much doubt, that “A computer, a mere tool, could alter in any deep or lasting way what was going on inside my head.” I believe this is a man who is grateful. He has figured out that gifts have their limits.  And that “The brain- and the mind to which it gives rise- is forever a work in progress.” (38) At the same time, he is not disparaging. He is fortunate, to have been able to discover, amidst his intellectual pursuits, and his career, a philosophy that has positive implications upon the reader.

Overall, I feel Carr’s message is one of inspiration and change. The fact that, as James Olds puts it,  our brains are “very plastic,” (26) conveys that no matter how damaged we are we can improve.  “The brain has the ability to reprogram itself on the fly, altering the way it functions.”(27) I find this magnificent! It is riveting and thrilling to believe that we can change. For years when I was younger I thought it would be fun to play tennis. But for some reason I was terrible at it! When I lived in Los Angeles I played a smaller version of the game, Paddle tennis. I was really bad at first, but for whatever reason I loved the game. I didn’t feel the same pressure I felt growing up with three brothers who were much more athletic than I was. I played a lot and got better and better- for me. And than when I came to visit my family and friends in Santa Rosa, I slowly but surely started playing regulation tennis. I can even beat my brother once and a while, which was impossible before. I’m even taking a Tennis class. Even though I’ll never be Andrew Agassi, I love the game and feel that it benefits me. And I also feel like the neural pathways in my brain must be different than they were when I could barely his the ball over the net. I didn’t realize it, but on a certain level, I was practicing neuroplasticity. I knew I had limits, but I also knew I could somehow improve. I didn’t know than that my brain was so adaptable. I have heard others talk about it, but this book shines a light on it in A way that is educational yet not so overbearing to understand. And I’m grateful I decided to continue my educational journey so that I can build neural pathways in other ways I abandoned because the challenge felt too great for me at earlier. I was diagnosed many years ago with having attention deficit disorder. I know it’s a pretty common analysis, but my therapist recommended that I go on medication. I never went on medication but have tried to influence myself positively through diet and exercise. A psychiatrist had me try Omega 3, since I don’t eat a lot of meat, he thought I should try fish oil tablets. I believe that my brain has been repairing. I have been on a journey for a long time- one that has had peaks and valleys, and one where I started out with a lot of promise but also with a lot of failure regarding my academic life and other aspirations. I remember after finding out that several mercury cavities in my mouth were dangerous to me, according to a holistic dentist I trusted, I wondered if that could have contributed to some of the brain fog I felt and my inability to concentrate for long periods of time.  I began A journey of saving up money through various jobs to get the fillings removed.  How much did that affect my brain? How much harder do I have to work on this paper because of brain fog? How much better would I be at Math and Sciences if I hadn’t been poisoned? I’m not expressing this as a victim and I understand how much are we all poisoned to a certain degree in this society. On the flip side, maybe the poison tuned me into a creative world where I could madly write poetry and songs for hours on end. And maybe now that I KNOW about neuroplasticity and the brain’s ability to do heavy lifting, I can push myself much harder than I would have if I never felt handicapped from years of  attention deficit disorder, A complete inability to focus, and now the fog finally being lifted. I somehow feel that if my brain had been in perfect working order all those years, I wouldn’t still be attempting a career in the arts, as strange as that seems.

In Chapter Two of The Shallows, which is titled “The Vital Paths,” Nicholas Carr presents a thesis whereby he presents an example of the ability for our tools, or “writing equipment” to inspire the way we create. There is almost a sense of Pathos when he discusses the suffering of Fredrich Nietzsche, his illness and desperation that nearly drive him over the edge until he buys a typewriter! But this typewriter wasn’t just any old contraption. It was “A Danish made Malling-Hansen Writing Ball,” one of the cutting edge instruments for writers of the day. “It resembled an ornate golden pincushion. Fifty-two keys, for capital and lowercase letters as well as numerals and punctuation marks, protruded from the top of the ball in a noncentric arrangement scientifically designed to enable the most efficient typing possible.”  (17)

Could it be that in imagining Nietzsche sitting down for the very first time in front of this new work of Art, the author reminisces about the first time he himself had ever sat down in front of a computer? In contrast to the times, although A PC or A Mac is worlds away from a typewriter, consider that the year Nietzsche received his was 1882. So   Carr,  is, I believe, meaning to convey how similar that  was to his experiences with Computers, laptops, and even smartphones in current times. Before he felt a need to write this book, he had written articles like “Is Google making us stupid?” in a bid to be a rare case of somebody who’s career was in Technology, yet criticizing that very thing that was his bread and butter at the same time. He understands the seduction of game changing technology and the allure of something that can jump start a project or even a career. Yet it now seemed like he was acknowledging the danger of it also.

Even Nietzsche’s close friend Heinrich Koselitz “noticed a change in the style of his writing. Nietzsche’s prose had become tighter, more telegraphic. There a new forcefulness to it.” It leaves questions about the fate of Nietzsche’s work. Would he have become the literary giant that he had become without this Malling Hansen Writing Ball? Would Nicholas Carr have written a book criticizing technology if he hadn’t been educated backwards and forwards on the subject? I think not.  Maybe both Nietzsche and Carr would have created works altogether different without their tools. It reminds me of playing a guitar verses playing a guitar through an amp, with pedals and effects. Sometimes a different tone will inspire a whole different direction, a melody that would not have been thought of by just playing a guitar by itself.

The tone I sense from Carr’s writing is not one of regret, because I think he’s intelligent enough to know that he may have reached new heights partially due to the same technology he is gently criticizing. He presents facts about neuroplasiticity,  how even “during the twentieth century, neuroscientists and psychologists also came to more fully appreciate the astounding complexity of the human brain. Inside our skulls, they discovered, are some 100 billion neurons, which take many different shapes and range in length from a few tenths of a millimeter to A few feet.” His ethos is definitely one of a scientist first and foremost, but one who has an omniscient sense of the cosmos. I feel intuitively that the author is so in awe of human potential that he has decided, at one point, to try and figure out how to strike a delicate balance between the world of technology that he knew so well, and a more natural landscape that he may have felt he and many of his peers had definitely been lacking. In some ways I feel that “The Shallows” could be the instruction book for a 12 step program of Internet addiction. Even though that sounds sarcastic of me, due to the highly addictive nature that often comes with being in this human form, I accept and am grateful to Nicholar Carr for this book, and the message of his which resounds so deeply within me.

This book, and particularly to me, this chapter, succeeds in laying foundations subtly and entertainingly. We are drawn into the stories of Nietzsche, of Scientists, Biologists, and Psychologists discovering insights into the brain and mind that had never been considered before. And than his autobiographical meanderings turn what some could have seen as an anti technology rant into A search for meaning, A nuanced, sensitive journey into striking what may be A perfect prescription for creating balance. He goes back to being a child and watching “Marshall Mcluhan and Norman Mailer” debating on the television, and we follow his own research into neurology, and the possibility of adapting our brains no matter what we previously had gone through. It’s sort of a strange coincidence to me, because I am interested in everything he’s talking about.

 It reminds me of my own theories I came up with upon finding out that the nine mercury cavities in my mouth were dangerous to me, according to a holistic dentist I trusted.  I began A journey of saving up money through delivering pizzas to get them removed. And now, also the attempt to clean the mercury out of my body? How much did that affect my brain? How much harder do I have to work on this paper because of brain fog? How much better would I be at Math and Sciences if I hadn’t been poisoned? On the flip side, maybe the poison tuned me into a creative world where I could madly write poetry and songs for hours on end. And maybe now that I KNOW about neuroplasticity and the brain’s ability to do heavy lifting, I can push myself much harder than I would have if I never felt handicapped from years of   attention deficit disorder, A complete inability to focus, and now the fog finally being lifted. I somehow feel that if my brain had been in perfect working order all those years, I wouldn’t still be attempting a music career, as strange as that seems.

We are on a journey and we all do the best we can. Nicholas Carr became an IT specialist, and then he realized he was spending too much time in front of a computer screen. Through his studies not only of scientists, but of philosophers as varied as Aristotle, Hippocrates, and Descartes, he has finally come to the conclusion, after much doubt, that “A computer, a mere tool, could alter in any deep or lasting way what was going on inside my head.” I believe this is a man who is grateful. He has figured out that gifts have their limits.  And that “The brain- and the mind to which it gives rise- is forever a work in progress.” (38) At the same time, he is not disparaging. He is fortunate, to have been able to discover, amidst his intellectual pursuits, and his career, a philosophy that has positive implications upon the reader.