Lauren Valle and Tim Profitt

The original story is here.

Right there, I just went to full on pissed. I really don't care what the people in the video say, that's just messed up. The really depressing bit is here, though. This complete bastard, I mean scum of the earth level animal, has the nerve to ask the person he stomped on for an apology!

There really aren't words for this guy.

P.S. This is just a rant, it has nothing to do with English.

Essay 4 topic

I think I'm going to write about school uniforms. I'm not yet sure what side I'll take, but I think that the topic will work.

anyone seen any good resources? anything would be helpful at this point.

thanks!

Essay three edits

I took into account what I found and the comments, and here's what I have:

Escaping Malthus: The Contraceptive of Prosperity

            The English economist Thomas Malthus is well known for creating the branch of population thought known as Malthusian theory. His theory about the behavior of the human population is, “It may safely be pronounced, therefore, that population, when unchecked, goes on doubling itself every twenty-five years, or increases in a geometrical ratio” (Malthus). That is the definition of Malthusian theory. He was right in his time, the late 18^th century, but has become wrong. As stated in Malthus’s An Essay on the Principle of Population, human population does tend to increase rapidly, but that rate of increase has slowed to a near halt in economically developed countries (Eberstadt). Something has clearly changed about the human condition since Malthus wrote his commentary. The 18^th century to 2010 is a rather large time span, but two particular factors which contribute to the fertility drop in developed countries can be isolated. This drop in fertility is called the demographic-economic paradox (Klingholz) Broadly, they are the economic and social components, more specifically, economic structure as opportunity cost, along with religion as social norms.

            The economic structure of what are now called the ‘developed’ countries is highly specialized, with people working in one skill area (Glossary). Those developed countries also have a much higher percentage of inhabitants in urban areas than in developing areas (Urbanization). Those factors, together, tend to contribute to a high cost of living for developed countries. Because of that high cost of living, any action tends to have more of what is called “opportunity cost”. Opportunity cost is, in economics, the loss incurred by a person by taking a specific action over another, or doing nothing (Opportunity). Before the urbanization of the developed countries, there was great incentive to have many children, as each child was a net economic gain at a very young age. This is because they might work on a family farm or contribute to a family-run business (Kröhnert, Klingholz). Now, the opportunity cost of children continues to rise.

            That cost reached new heights recently; a child born in 2009 will cost a middle-class family roughly one-quarter million dollars to raise to the age of 18 (Lino). Even as the cost of raising a child increases, the opportunity cost for the mother also increases. Currently, women have a much greater chance of earning more money than men, meaning they are giving up much more should they choose to take leave to have or raise a child (Fry, Cohn). Those factors are very important to a person when deciding to change their life as much as a having a child will. On a standard psychological scale of 0-100, with 100 being the death of a spouse, pregnancy was rated a 40 in terms of stressful life events, with stress used here to mean ‘change in routine’ (Fontana). With that type of change in routine, it is very likely that a person would consider the long term consequences. This analysis, however, takes into account only impersonal economic factors, not ideals. Religion, or lack thereof, is also strongly correlated to the demographic-economic paradox

            The Washington Post columnist Nicholas Eberstadt offers a well phrased indictment of only examining the economic factors:

The main explanation for the U.S.-European fertility gap may lie not in material factors but in the seemingly ephemeral realm of values, ideals, attitudes and outlook. In striking contrast to Western Europe, which is provocatively (but not unfairly) described as a "post-Christian" territory these days, religion is alive and well in the United States (Eberstadt).

His statement is very clear, and supported elsewhere. Three psychologists conducted a study which found that the decisively religious are far overrepresented among those with the largest families. After controlling for confounding variables, they found that religiosity continued to be the sole strong correlation (Blume et. al). Their argument concludes with a pithy explanation, “…it is a matter of the readiness to pass up on options. Making no decision often amounts to a decision against having children. Becoming a bit pregnant is literally an impossibility (Blume et. al).” In essence, as people become less religious, their attitudes toward children become more ambivalent, as opposed to the strident pro-natal attitudes fostered by almost all religions.

            From that information, it is safe to say that the demographic-economic paradox is fostered by a combination of economic and associated social factors. As the economy becomes more active and vibrant, cities tend to develop, bringing the higher opportunity cost of children and the lower immediate benefit of the same. The secularization of society which tends to accompany economic progress also contributes to the drop in fertility. In short, rising economic prosperity creates conditions which make having children costly and cause ambivalent social attitudes toward having children (Blume et. al). This combination of causes leads to the obvious effect of escaping Malthus’s dire predictions for humanity- his indictment of the human state, “…the constant tendency in the human race to increase beyond the means of subsistence (Malthus).” The escape is very striking in scope; there may be additional effects, namely the demographic transition of the world population. This transition is that from a young populace to an older one; it is caused mainly by the decline in fertility currently occurring in the developed world (Gavrilov, Heuveline). Shifting demographics have the potential to remake the world, so their causes deserve far more analysis than has been given. Greater attention to this topic is needed in order to understand the demographic-economic paradox and its possible effects on the world.

Rally to Restore Santiy

Is anyone else going to this? I think it'll be awesome.

Rally to Restore Sanity

I'm considering bringing a funny protest sign. Say like, "citation needed" or "anyone for scrabble?".
Maybe, "Does this sign make me look stupid?" or "Member of the Militant Middle"

If you have some time to kill, searching, "funny protest signs" or starical protest signs is usually worth a laugh.

This cartoon is funny, one about protest signs.
xkcd is a pretty good timewaster, also. The cartoons about angular momentum and Spirit are my favorites.

final essay three.

This is the final, what I'm planning to turn in. Comments, it goes without saying, are welcome.

Escaping Malthus: The Contraceptive of Prosperity

            The English economist Thomas Malthus is well known for creating the branch of population thought known as Malthusian theory. His beliefs about the behavior of the human population are, “It may safely be pronounced, therefore, that population, when unchecked, goes on doubling itself every twenty-five years, or increases in a geometrical ratio” (Malthus). He was right in his time, the late 18^th century, but has become wrong. As stated in Malthus’s An Essay on the Principle of Population, human population does tend to increase rapidly, but that rate of increase has slowed to a near halt in economically developed countries (Eberstadt). Something has clearly changed about the human condition since Malthus wrote his commentary. The 18^th century to 2010 is a rather large time span, but two particular factors which contribute to the fertility drop in developed countries can be isolated. Broadly, they are the economic and social components, more specifically, economic structure and opportunity cost, along with religion.

            The economic structure of what are now called the ‘developed’ countries is highly specialized, with people working in one skill area (Glossary). Those developed countries also have a much higher percentage of inhabitants in urban areas than in developing areas (Urbanization). Those factors, together, tend to contribute to a high cost of living for a specific area. Because of that high cost of living, any action tends to have more of what is called “opportunity cost”. Opportunity cost is, in economics, the loss incurred by a person by taking a specific action over another, or doing nothing (Opportunity). Before the urbanization of the developed countries, there was great incentive to have many children, as each child was a net economic gain at a very young age. This is because they might work on a family farm or contribute to a family-run business (Kröhnert, Klingholz). Now, the opportunity cost of children continues to rise.

            That cost reached new heights recently, a child born in 2009 will cost a middle-class family roughly one-quarter million dollars to raise to the age of 18 (Lino). Even as the cost of raising a child increases, the opportunity cost also increases. Currently, women have a much greater chance of earning more money than men, meaning they are giving up much more should they choose to take leave to have or raise a child (Fry, Cohn). Those factors are very important to a person when deciding to change their life as much as a having a child will. On a standard psychological scale of 0-100, with 100 being the death of a spouse, pregnancy was rated a 40 in terms of stressful events (Fontana). With that type of change in routine, it is very likely that a person would consider the long term consequences. This analysis, however, takes into account only impersonal economic factors, not ideals. Religion is also strongly correlated to the fertility drop, or lack thereof.

            The Washington Post columnist Nicholas Eberstadt offers a well phrased indictment of only examining the economic factors:

The main explanation for the U.S.-European fertility gap may lie not in material factors but in the seemingly ephemeral realm of values, ideals, attitudes and outlook. In striking contrast to Western Europe, which is provocatively (but not unfairly) described as a "post-Christian" territory these days, religion is alive and well in the United States (Eberstadt).

His statement is clear, but not necessarily well-supported. It is supported elsewhere, however. Three German psychologists conducted a study which found that the decisively religious are far overrepresented among those with the largest families. After controlling for confounding variables, they found that religiosity continued to be the sole strong correlation (Blume et. al). Their argument concludes with a pithy explanation, “…it is a matter of the readiness to pass up on options. Making no decision often amounts to a decision against having children. Becoming a bit pregnant is literally an impossibility (Blume et. al).” In essence, as people become less religious, their attitudes toward children become more ambivalent, as opposed to the strident pro-natal attitudes fostered by almost all religions.

            From that information, it is safe to say that the demographic economic paradox is fostered by a combination of economic and associated social factors. As the economy becomes more active and vibrant, cities tend to develop, bringing the higher opportunity cost of children and the lower immediate benefit of the same. The secularization of society which tends to accompany economic progress also contributes to the drop in fertility. In short, rising economic prosperity creates conditions which make having children costly and cause ambivalently natal social attitudes (Blume et. al). This combination of causes leads to the obvious effect of escaping Malthus’s dire predictions for humanity- his statement that, “…the constant tendency in the human race to increase beyond the means of subsistence (Malthus).” This escape is now so striking that there may be additional effects, namely the demographic transition of the world population. This transition is that from a young populace to an older one, and is caused mainly by the decline in fertility currently occurring in the developed world (Gavrilov, Heuveline). Shifting demographics have the potential to remake the world, and so the causes of them deserve far more analysis than has been given so far. Greater attention to this topic is needed in order to understand the force of decreasing fertility with increasing prosperity and its possible effects on the world.

number three

This is what I have so far, sans conclusion, though. It also lacks a clever title- I'm working on it. Comments, as always, are appreciated.

           The English economist Thomas Malthus is well know for creating the branch of population thought know eponymous as Malthusian theory. His beliefs about the behavior of the human population are, “It may safely be pronounced, therefore, that population, when unchecked, goes on doubling itself every twenty-five years, or increases in a geometrical ratio” (Malthus). He was right in his time, the late 18^th century, but has become wrong. As stated in Malthus’s An Essay on the Principle of Population, human population does tend to increase rapidly, but that rate of increase has slowed to a near halt in economically developed countries (Eberstadt). Something has clearly changed about the human condition since Malthus wrote his commentary. The 18^th century to 2010 is a rather large time span, but two particular factors which contribute to the fertility drop in developed countries can be isolated. Broadly, they are the economic and social components, more specifically, economic structure and opportunity cost, along with religion.

            The economic structure of what are now called the ‘developed’ countries is highly specialized, with people working in one skill area (Glossary). Those developed countries also have a much higher percentage of inhabitants in urban areas than in developing areas (Global Change). Those factors, together, tend to contribute to a high cost of living for a specific area. Because of that high cost of living, any action tends to have more of what is called “opportunity cost”. Opportunity cost is, in economics, the loss incurred by a person by taking a specific action over another, or doing nothing (Britannica). Before the urbanization of the developed countries, there was great incentive to have many children, as each child was a net economic gain at a very young age. This is because they might work on a family farm or contribute to a family-run business (Kröhnert, Klingholz). Now, the opportunity cost of children continues to rise.

            That cost reached new heights recently, a child born in 2009 will cost a middle-class family roughly one-quarter million dollars to raise to the age of 18 (Lino). Even as the cost of raising a child increases, the opportunity cost also increases. Currently, women have a much greater chance of earning more money than men, meaning they are giving up much more should they choose to take leave to have or raise a child (Fry, Cohn). Those factors are very important to a person when deciding to change their life as much as a having a child will. On a standard psychological scale of 0-100, with 100 being the death of a spouse, pregnancy was rated a 40 in terms of stressful events (Fontana). With that type of change in routine, it is very likely that a person would consider the long term consequences. This analysis, however, takes into account only impersonal economic factors, not ideals. Religion is also strongly correlated to the fertility drop, or lack thereof.

            The Washington Post columnist Nicholas Eberstadt offers a well phrased indictment of only examining the economic factors:

The main explanation for the U.S.-European fertility gap may lie not in material factors but in the seemingly ephemeral realm of values, ideals, attitudes and outlook. In striking contrast to Western Europe, which is provocatively (but not unfairly) described as a "post-Christian" territory these days, religion is alive and well in the United States (Eberstadt).

His statement is clear, but not necessarily well-supported. It is supported elsewhere, however. Three German psychologists conducted a study which found that the decisively religious are far overrepresented among those with the largest families. After controlling for confounding variables, they found that religiosity continued to be the sole strong correlation (Blume et. al). Their argument concludes with a pithy explanation, “…it is a matter of the readiness to pass up on options. Making no decision often amounts to a decision against having children. Becoming a bit pregnant is literally an impossibility (Blume et. al).” In essence, as people become less religious, their attitudes toward children become more ambivalent, as opposed to the strident pro-natal attitudes fostered by almost all religions.

Essay three outline modification

facts are annoying- they don't change for my convenience

Body 1:
Economic structure and urbanization

Body 2
Opportunity cost and social norms

Body 3
religion as a social norm and motivator. more accurately, how secularism is associated with lower birth rates.

the intro and conclusion stay roughly the same, but the available research didn't make my original organization helpful or useful.

Essay three outline

Here's a thought for what my essay might look like;

Intro:
Define terms
Present statistics
frame the guiding question- what factors cause the drop in fertility?

Body 1
Social norm role in family size
Define term, discuss pressures to have many children (biblical? or otherwise?)
What caused this to diminish? I.e., why did the social norm move?
Present economic factors as an explanation

Body 2
Economic pressures to have many children in a developing/third-world country
How they are removed and even reversed in a developed/first world contry

Body 3
Not sure what to put here, or even if I need it... My essays run a little long anyway.

Conclusion
String the causes together in one, coherent, concise statement
Reestablish exigence with a quotation about possible effects of this drop.

Comments?

Essay three topic

Assuming I can find the information I need, this is my topic.

I want to analyze why fertility rate declines with increasing wealth- what are some various explanations for this phenomena. It will focus on causes, because there isn't really enough information in the concrete to say anything with authority about effects of that declining fertility.

EDIT: There is enough credible speculation on possible effects, so I might focus on them instead- or change my topic completely.

Essay two

This is what I plan to turn in. Comments would be appreciated! Thanks!

The Fourth Estate: From Traditional to Digital Journalism

            In 2008, the Internet passed newspapers as a source of news for Americans. Television remains atop that heap, but only when the population is all Americans. When the population of interest is age 18-29, the Internet is the primary source of news (Internet). This change in the fourth estate may very well change the American democracy at its very core, for without the press, democracy is impossible (Carlyle). With those stakes, this shift can hardly be ignored. The shift can be broadly termed the change from print to digital. The crucial components of news journalism are its focus, ethics, and accuracy. Examining these points will lead to a better understanding of how the shift of news to the internet may affect the world.

            The focus of news, in this context is what stories that news outlet deigns cover. Orwell outlined the concept extraordinarily well in his novel 1984; the concept is that of an “unperson”. An “unperson” is someone who has been simply removed from history, for all practical purposes, they never existed (Orwell). If an event is not covered by reporters and distributed, a similar effect occurs- the event never happens. As news organizations have finite resources and space, they cannot cover all stories, so some news is not distributed. Depending on who it is that pays for the news, the focus shifts correspondingly. Currently, newspapers charge significant amounts for content, in the form of subscription fees, as opposed to relying solely on advertising (Conde). A proposal from the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism makes a case for hyperlocal blogs as the news of the future (Hyperlocal). The hyperlocal blog would cover only local events, this would shortchange the public information function of journalism (Kovach, Rosenstiel). Without national and international news, as provided by the current model of news, citizens are sorely uninformed. The focus of digital news is, in CUNY’s scenario, shifting to a local standpoint. This shift makes a significant contrast with traditional news.

            The ethics of news reporting is concerned primarily with conflicts of interest (SPJ). In traditional journalism, the journalist is identified by name, has received training about ethical journalism, and is monitored by their employer. The Internet guarantees none of these things (Rigby). While there are other aspects of ethical journalism, there are no ways to enforce or even discover them without some sort of identifier of the author. In regards to another aspect of conflicting interests, the Society of Professional Journalists says that journalists are to avoid hybrids of news and advertising absolutely (SPJ). There are reports of illegal paid for “news” articles which are actually advertisements; this genre of writing is commonly called the “advertorial” or “promotional news” (Erjavec). The contrast here is that without identification of an author, there is no fear of posting blatantly false information online in the guise of news.

            The journalistic concept of ethics is closely related to that of accuracy. The Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics and the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism agree that an extremely important obligation of the journalist is to the truth; very much akin to Sgt. Friday’s, “All we want are the facts” (Mikkelson). Without ethical practices, the journalistic commitment to accuracy dissolves quickly, as shown by Shirley Sherrod’s edited and misinterpreted speech. Andrew Breitbart, one of these new, digital, journalists, released a heavily edited cut of Sherrod’s comments, with the accusation that she was a racist(Blood; Breitbart). Had a traditional journalist been contacted by an anonymous source and given an edited video, if he had the commitment to the truth that journalists base their profession on, he would have attempted to verify that information. No such attempt was made (Boone, Garner). This sharp contrast with a traditional journalist’s approach, in this case presented by Bill O’Reilly. He apologized after it was clear that the video was incomplete, saying that he, “should have done his homework” (Stolberg et. al.). Such a difference in approach to journalism could prove extremely potent, if lax fact-checking become standard, stories like the Sherrod controversy could become more common.

            Contrasting traditional and digital journalism in theory and in practice shows that while there are effective, ethical, digital journalists, there are also rouges. The inherent anonymity afforded by the Internet could, in the future, allow for even less oversight of those who report the news. Without identifiers, the Sherrod controversy might have been amplified further, and the question of who will watch the watchers becomes startlingly relevant. Because of its crucial importance to the American system of government, the evolution of the news media is a worthy topic of discussion (Carlyle). The Internet as a source of news continues to grow in prominence, especially among the youngest Americans, therefore digital journalism must rise correspondingly (Internet). The news companies must realign with their audience; this means digital news will continue to rise, barring a shift in how their audiences prefer news. In order to survive, the Fourth Estate must change, but in order to remain the Fourth Estate, in will need to keep its guidelines which made it what it is today. Examining the differences between traditional and digital news shows where both lack, and demonstrates that the solution is likely a middle path. Digital journalism, to continue to inform the public, should broaden its focus to include national and international stories, in order to fill the gap left by declining traditional sources. Digital journalism, in short, must mature, much as print journalism evolved through the yellow journalism period. If it does so, and adopts the ethical guidelines that traditional journalism did, the Fourth Estate will continue to be more important than all (Carlyle).

Comp-contrast in progress

WARNING- this essay under construction- hard hats required, dangling modifiers may fall any moment.

            In 2008, the Internet passed newspapers as a source of news for Americans. Television remains atop that heap, but only when the population is all Americans. When the population of interest is age 18-29, the Internet is the primary source of news (Pew). This change in the fourth estate may very well change the American democracy at its very core, for without the press, democracy is impossible (Carlyle). With those stakes, this shift can hardly be ignored. The shift can be broadly termed the change from print to digital. The crucial components of news journalism are its focus, ethics, and accuracy. Examining these points will lead to a better understanding of how the shift of news to the internet may affect the world.

            The focus of news, in this context is what stories that news outlet deigns cover. Orwell outlined the concept extraordinarily well in his novel 1984; the concept is that of an “unperson”. An “unperson” is someone who has been simply removed from history, for all practical purposes, they never existed (Orwell). If an event is not covered by reporters and distributed, a similar effect occurs- the event never happens. As news organizations have finite resources and space, they cannot cover all stories, so some news is not distributed. Depending on who it is that pays for the news, the focus shifts correspondingly. Currently, newspapers charge significant amounts for content, in the form of subscription fees, as opposed to relying solely on advertising (Conde). A proposal from the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism makes a case for hyperlocal blogs as the news of the future (CUNY). The hyperlocal blog would cover only local events, this would shortchange the public information function of journalism (Kovach, Rosenstiel). Without national and international news, as provided by the current model of news, citizens are sorely uninformed. The focus of digital news is, in CUNY’s scenario, shifting to a local standpoint. This shift makes a significant contrast with traditional news.

            The ethics of news reporting is concerned primarily with conflicts of interest. In traditional journalism, the journalist is identified by name, has received training about ethical journalism, and is monitored by their employer. The Internet guarantees none of these things.

Comments are welcome and wholeheartedly appreciated- thanks!

Comp-Contrast Outline

I have changed my three points, yet again.

They are currently: focus of news; ethics; and accuracy.

I am comparing the traditional news with digital news.

I. Intro
Statistics about news- perhaps where people get their news
Importance of news to a functioning democracy
Narrow to thesis: The changes of news can be broadly termed the change from print to digital. The crucial components of new journalism are its focus, ethics, and accuracy. Examining these points will lead to a better understanding of how the shift of news to the internet may affect the world.

II. Focus
Traditional first:
National-international stories
Digital:
Local

III Ethics
Overview of journalistic ethics
What is required for such ethics?
How do the two sides differ in their execution (or lack thereof) of journalistic ethics)

IV. Accuracy
Traditional:
Mechanisms in place for correction of mistakes (describe)
Digital
No such constraints, anonymity
Twitter hoax, Shirley Sherrod

V. Conclusion
Mention importance to democracy again.
Show how parts of each side need to be integrated in order to have a functioning fourth estate


There's an outline with thesis.
Thoughts? please?