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Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Standarded Arguments #2 (Critique at will, they need some work :) )

Lessons of a Cancer Scare

    1. The skin cancer mistake at the Ottawa hospital is a frightening demonstration of what can happen when a medical staffing levels are allowed to slip, especially as technology becomes more complex.

2.         2. At the time the doctors were involved in several difficult tasks and were sometimes working 60 hours a week

          3. People make mistakes even competent medical physicists especially when they are under pressure

4.      4. Medical technology is getting increasingly complex, yet the staffing guidelines haven’t kept pace

 

Therefore

      5. Any organization is prone to errors when staff are over worked and technology advances   

 

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/editorials/story.html?id=2a40d2f2-d27b-475f-b01b-09b5acfe5de7

Standarded Arguments #1 (Critique at will, they need some work :) )

Running Away From Disease

1.         1. Although a high functioning health care system is essential, a better way to achieve longevity is not getting sick in the first place

2.         2. Knowledge that exercise brings good health and is a good way to control stress and emotional problems is a key reason for it to be part of every bodies regime

         3. Studies show that exercise in mid to late adult hood can decrease the risk of cancer

4.          4. More then 22,000 Canadian women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year and more than 5000 die annually

5.     5.  As the benefits of physical activity continue to mount, it becomes clearer that our health is in our own hands

 

  Therefore

6.        6. If people exercise they will feel better and in turn reduce the number of future patients looking for a cure

 

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/editorials/story.html?id=8a46253b-c63d-49ed-942a-6c5bacb206dc

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Assonance

Definition: Assonance is The use of similar vowel sounds repeated in successive or proximate words containing different consonants.

Assonance is repetition of vowel sounds to create internal rhyming within phrases or sentences. When Assonance is paired with alliteration and consonance it tends to serve as one of the building blocks of verse. For example, in the phrase "Do you like blue?", the "oo" (ou/ue) sound is repeated within the sentence and is assonant. Assonance is commonly used in (mainly modern) English-language poetry, and it tends to come into play a lot in Old French, Spanish and Celtic languages.

Examples from outside source

"Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage, against the dying of the light."

(Dylan Thomas, "Do not go gentle into that good night")

My Examples

Example 1- Sitting in my chair making assonance work/ Bar after bar I continue to lurk/ For the punch line that will make the mind hurt/ While it struggles to find the meaning in time/  Something that is so intellectual that it not only rhymes/ But defines/ the meaning of the word line after line/ The prime/ example has been shown above/ So perfectly it resembles the figure of a dove/ Now the point is a apparently across/ So this is considered a win not a loss!/

Example 2- Don’t really know what to create/ I think in a prehistoric state/ I dig deep for meaning like archaeologists in Australia Mate/ I win in debates/ hands down/ I have a sound/ state mind frowned/ upon by brainless who are aimless/ with their words/ and are just very absurd/

Rowe, Bev. "assonance." Wikpedia. 28 October 2008. Wikimedia. 2 Nov 2008 .

Nordquist, Richard. "assonance." grammer and composition. 2008. about.com. 2 Nov 2008 .

Two Wrongs Make a Right

Latin Name: Duos Nefas Planto a Vox

Definition: Two wrongs make a right is a type of logical fallacy. This fallacy generally occurs when it is assumed that if one wrong is committed, another wrong will cancel it out.

Syllogism:

If person B would do X to person A. It is believed that it is acceptable for person A to do X to person B (when A's doing X to B it is not necessary to prevent B from doing X to A)

This sort of "reasoning" is often considered fallacious because when a person performs an  action that is wrong it is still considered wrong even if another person would also do it. This might want to be used in today’s world for a few reasons. The first reason is it is an easy and one of the most well known ways to make your actions look justified. This form of logical fallacy is one of the most common ways out of something it is usually picked up in the early stages of life. Another reason why it can be used today is because it is being used by everybody around us, including role models such as George Bush.

Examples

Jon borrows Alex’s soccer ball and forgets to return after his spare one day. Jon feels it is not such a big deal to keep Alex’s ball because Alex would have probably done the same to him. (This is an example of two wrongs make a right because since Jon thinks Alex would take his own ball he feels its acceptable to take Alex’s ball)

Chocola asks Rupert for help on his math assignment. Since Chocola didn’t help Rupert last time he needed help, Rupert lies and says he hasn’t started it. Rupert believes this is fair because Chocola left him stranded  in his time of need so its only fair to leave Chocola stranded this time. (This is another example of two wrongs make a right because since Chocola did something to Rupert, Rupert thinks its right to do the same thing to Chocola)

Examples in media

Example #1

Ever heard of "two wrongs don't make a right"?

Apparently, Vanity Fair hasn't. All the furor over the New Yorker's Obama "satire" cover led them to conclude that... they needed to do exactly the same thing! This time, of course, the target had to be McCain, and it had to be just as offensive. Because, you know, the most mature way to handle the offensive Obama cover -- even though just about every conservative and Republican anywhere derided it -- is to do the exact same thing to McCain!

Here's the cover:

http://wizbangblog.com/content/2008/07/24/ever-heard-of-two-wrongs-dont-make-a-right.php

Yes, that's McCain with bandages on his head, presumably mocking his injuries as a POW in Vietnam. Yes, he's got a walker -- making fun of his age, how original! Yes, Cindy's got an armful of prescription pills. Yes, that's President Bush above the fireplace. And yes, it is what you think it is burning in the fireplace.

No one praised The New Yorker for the Obama cover. They got slammed for it. So why on Earth would the editors at Vanity Fair feel like attacking McCain on their cover was a good idea? Again, ever heard of "two wrongs don't make a right"? Of course, we have to remember there's a difference here.

Example #2

Brent Scrowcroft Says, In Iraq - Two Wrongs Make A Right

On January 7th, 2007, Washington Stakeout asked Brent Scrowcroft, the NSA advisor for first Bush administration, 'Where are the weapons of mass destruction?' and why did the sanctions against Iraq continue if Saddam complied with disarmament? This argument shows how the government tried to use the fallacy two wrongs make  a right to cover up their attack on Iraq.

http://www.washingtonstakeout.com/index.php/2007/01/10/brent-scowcroft-on-iraq-sanctions-lead-up-to-war-in-iraq/#more-20 (This is a link for the Washington stake out which includes the transcripts and video footage of a Brent Scowcroft interview about Iraq sanctions, lead up to the war.)

 

Selected References

Fiano, Cassy. "Ever heard of "two wrongs don't make a right"?." WizBang. July 24, 2008 - 9:12 PM. Unknown. 25 Oct 2008 .

Bradley, Matthew . "Brent Scowcroft on Iraq sanctions, lead-up to war." The Washington Stakeout. Wednesday, January 10th, 2007 at 6:56 pm. Unknown. 25 Oct 2008 http://www.washingtonstakeout.com/index.php/2007/01/10/brent-scowcroft-on-iraq-sanctions-lead-up-to-war-in-iraq/#more-20.

Unknown, "Fallacy: Two Wrongs Make a Right." The Nizkor Project. 1991. The Nizkor Project. 25 Oct 2008 .