38. Housebound

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2013/06/should_one_person_always_stay_at_home_an_economist_considers.html

Writing about whether having one parent always at home or not make is more efficient, Emily Oster writes an article on June 3^rd explaining that it doesn’t really change anything. She starts off her article with a story of a friend of hers from elementary school. She explains that his mom made the best cupcakes every, in her opinion it’s the top 5 favorite dessert. Unlike her mother who would say “Get the list first, and sign up for soda and f you miss…sign up for plates.” Oster goes on to explain that in her house, her parents split everything 50/50. She explains that in a feminist view the women is the one who does everything, but she says that after a cover story at the Atlantic on gay marriage, they don’t have this indifference because they don’t have any feminist baggage to worry about and it’s not a good idea to have one. Oster then talks about her household, she says that there are many people in her house like nanny, her, her husband, the cleaning lady, and her daughter, but the difference that it all works is that her and her husband split time between child care and work. While others only do one at a time, which is not a very good choice. Oster ends her article explaining that “specialization insight” doesn’t necessarily mean that one parent has to be home all the time, but is certainly makes it easier.

In this article Oster uses irony in her writing, to illustrate her opinion, making her point; that it doesn’t really make a difference, stronger and vivid. She uses irony when talking about how her parents would split everything “50/50” even the cooking, but she says that her dad was not any good at cooking but they would still split everything with each other. She also uses irony to end her article by saying that she does not blame her mother for not doing the cupcakes but she does blame her for not getting someone else to do it for her. She also ends her article by rephrasing her beginning point, in the beginning she talks about how she loved Mikey’s moms cupcakes but her preferred taking sodas or plates, then ends by saying she does not blame her mom for this but she does for her mother not finding someone who could do the cupcakes. Oster uses many of personal touches tough out her article to interpret to the audience that she knows what she is talking about. Although she uses personal pronouns, she maintains a formal diction, which enables her audience to comprehend her and make her words flow.

37. The Starbucks of Pot

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2013/05/jamen_shively_and_the_starbucks_of_pot_obama_should_let_big_business_marijuana.html

In this article Dominic Holden writes an article on May 31st, about how marijuana is becoming bigger and bigger and Barack Obama should let it prosper. He begins the article by saying that Jamen Shively tore a page from the Starbucks handbook and he realized that they have “high-end product that satisfies America`s craving for a mild buzz.” He doesn’t end there, he continues to say that that it is not coffee anymore, know the “high-end product” is pot. Holden says that there is a project of $100 million investment to establish a new brand in an industry that doesn’t exist. He goes on to show that states such as, Colorado and Washington have already legalized marijuana, but he says that in California has allowed marijuana for medical use. Holden also explains, if Obama tried to stop the states from legalizing or authorizing the use of marijuana he would surely loose legally and later on politically. Then Holden shows that ex President of Mexico, Vicente Fox, wanted to legalize the use of marijuana, he says this because he believed it would cut crime. Fox says that criminals would no longer have the ability to gain money for pot, because they would be available anywhere for a lower price. Holden expresses his feelings towards smoking marijuana but he also says that it would be a good thing for the market, but sellers would as for ID and would have to pay for taxes. Holden ends his article by saying that if Obama and Holder tried to stop this progress, they would not have anything to offer but more years of failed war on drugs, “the president and his attorney general should let them do what the White House can’t—beat the black market at its own game.”

In this article Holden talks about the new upcoming market of marijuana. He explains throughout his article the affects it has had in society and explains the mad and good outcomes. He does allusions to Obama, Holder and the ex Mexican President Fox. Holden does comparison and contras of the effect the government would have if President Obama tried to confront the legalization of marijuana in the states, he explains that if he tried he would loose. He also shows the viewpoint of Fox to promote the legalization by saying that if it where legalized, crime could be reduced. He uses statistics to make his point clear. His diction is very formal and easy to understand, this makes his article flow and easy to understand what he has to say. Over all, Holden explains that he doesn’t agree with the smoking of marijuana, but he explains that even so, it may be a very good outcome for the nation.

39. 3 Veteran Storm Chasers Killed by Oklahoma Tornado

http://nation.time.com/2013/06/02/3-veteran-storm-chasers-killed-by-oklahoma-tornado/

 

Three veteran storm chasers died in the Great Plains. Tim Samaras and his son as well as a friend Carl Young, died Friday with 13 others when an EF3 tornado with 165 mph winds hit them in Oklahoma City.   The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma said, “They put themselves in harm’s way so that they can educate the public about the destructive power of these storms.” Tim Samaras had told people before that tornadoes were unpredictable. His brother said, ““I don’t know if I would say I worried about it because one of the biggest things he stressed was safety… He knew what to look for. He knew where not to be and in this case, the tornado took a clear turn toward them.” Time Samaras had been featured on Discovery Channel and received multiple meteorology grants. The Storm Prediction Center was sad to hear of Samaras’ death, “Samaras was a respected tornado researcher and friend … who brought to the field a unique portfolio of expertise in engineering, science, writing and videography.” Since his death, those who knew him remember Samaras’ bravery and love for his job.

Authors Kelly P. Kissel and Thomas Peipert inform readers on more death tolls in the recent tornado in Oklahoma. This time, it is a story of sorts about a storm chaser named Tim Samaras. As such, they have quotes from family and people he worked with. The article emphasizes the bravery and caution the late Samaras practiced. The article even mentions the fascination of storms when Samaras was young and watching The Wizard of Oz. There is a sad repetition of the fact that Samaras died doing what he loved. Overall, the tone of the article is quite somber.

39. How to Hold a Pen Correctly

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/05/hovv-yov-ovght-to-hold-your-penne/276366/

                Megan Garber, the author of the article " Hovv Yov Ovght to Hold Your Penne," basically presents with readers some writing tips and advice from 1611. The author talks about how writing itself is a difficult task - from getting a pen and writing symbols and signs to actually sitting on a chair. A long time ago, the physical act of writing was a form of technology since no one knew how to hold a pen, how to position the elbow, or how to position the paper. Richard Field published a book in 1611 called A Nevv Booke, containing all sorts of hands vsvally written at this day in Christendome, as the English and French Secretary, the Roman, Italian, French, Spanish, high and low Dutch, Court and Chancerie hands: with Examples of each of them in their proper tongue and Letter. Also an Example of the true and iust proportion of the Romane Capitals. Collected by the best approued writers in these languages. The book basically says to sit in an upright position, the elbow should not be too close or too far away from the body, and softly hold your pen. 
                  The author uses several rhetorical devices. The author's purpose is informative (exposition). The tone and diction all point that the author has light humor regarding the book. The title of the article shows light humor as it is written as if it were in 1600s. The main point of the article is to talk about a book published in 1611 which not only has a funny and long name, but it's content is also very funny. The article itself is structures as a how-to organization; it shows how the book describes how to perform the act of writing correctly. The author includes quotations from the book and then plays with the different language with the last sentence to create a sense of humor: "Hold your pen 'very gently in the hand without gripping," because to fail to do this would mean that "command of hand' gets 'vtterly lost.'"

39. "Climate Change's Psychological Milestone"

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/new_scientist/2013/06/carbon_dioxide_at_400_parts_per_million_the_keeling_curve_milestone_measurement.html

On June 2, 2013 Catherine Brahic wrote an article to Slate newspaper about the climate changes the world is now facing. Brahic interviewed scientist Ralph Keeling and he explains why it is important to measure CO2. Scientist Keeling said that every year the concentration goes up by 2 ppm per year. With the rise of this, he believes that the sea levels have dropped significantly, forests have become smaller, and now more sea ice. He also believes that we are in a climate danger zone because the concentration is now 400 ppm when it was first 280 ppm. When Brahic asked Keeling if these levels can drop again, he said that their is a possibility, however the possibility of the concentration staying the same or rising is much greater. 

This article has a few rhetorical devices that you are able to catch right away. The first one is the fact that this article is based on an interview gathered directly from the scientist, Ralph Keeling himself, which makes the importance of the information much greater. With that said, the author uses the interview to his advantage and is able to ask personal questions about his father's invention and what he is doing to make sure it keeps on working. Also, the author is able to get straight to the point. Instead of developing 30 questions to ask, she figures out a way to get everything answered in 10 which does not bore the reader. 

37. America's Top Colleges Have a Rich-Kid Problem

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/05/americas-top-colleges-have-a-rich-kid-problem/276195/

On the article published on May 24, Jordan Weissmann addresses the issue of Top Colleges consisting mostly of students from wealthy families and criticizes their systems of lacking diverse economic levels within the school communities. By beginning with a graphical set of statistics on the Socioeconomic Distribution at Colleges, by Selectivity, Weissmann presents the audience with evidence of his arguments later on in the article. By this, the audience is likely to quickly absorb and understand the claims and implications without questioning the validity of the information. Weissmann notes the problematic issues that follow this trend, supporting why this socioeconomic distribution in colleges is a troubling fact. For instance, he states, "If you think that higher education should be a ladder for upward mobility, then you should regard these numbers as a disgrace." Wiessman continues to use logos by referring to numerical data, other writers and experts, such as Josh Freedman, who had written about the high costs of Universities, the economists Caroline Hoxby and Christopher Avery, and the circle graph on "High achievers by family income quartile."

Jordan Weissmann discusses this topic of the lack of economic diversity in colleges to alert the public, and perhaps even the colleges, about its unfairness to the poorer but still intelligent students who do not have equal opportunities as the rich students. His article does not require a higher level of education to be understood, and his audience consists of the general readership, especially adults and young adults directly affected by the issue. Weismann successfully informs and concerns the audience with his main use of logos and a easily comprehensible tone of assertion.

39. Fears of Google Glass Are Unfounded

http://ideas.time.com/2013/05/22/fears-of-google-glass-are-unfounded/

     There has been a lot of buzz around the production of the Google Glass.  Many people seem to be put off by the new gadget, as they see that it produces a threat to privacy and things alike.  The author, Brad Keywell, provides many reasons throughout the article over how many arguments against Google Glass are biased and untrue.  While people seem to be scared about their privacy, it has been diminished greatly in public places with the invention of the security camera.  There are also many other things, such as phones, that can take pictures and videos without anyone knowing.  With the Google Glass, voice commands are necessary for it to preform any of the privacy-deteriorating functions.  Back in the day, the Kodak camera was banned from places for similar reasons, we can see how that worked out now.

     In order to show that the release of the Google Glass may not be as bad as the public thinks, Keywell also wants to teach his readers that we need facts to back up our fears and assumptions.  Through evidence and many historical facts, he does this.  Also, by pointing out other things that impose on our privacy, Keywell makes a good point.  Overall, his article is strong and very convincing ending with a quote from Helen Keller, "The heresy of one age becomes the orthodoxy of the next," kind of like the Kodak camera.