Money for school!

Young writers!

Up to $1,500 available in this essay contest on the OSU-Marion campus only.  I encourage you all to enter.  What a great opportunity and what a cause!

Mike



http://osumarion.osu.edu/mlk

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Final Exploration

     The Idea of a Local Economy by Wendell Berry is a very power essay.  It tears apart the current economical crisis, and shows us a solution to the oversimplification we are now facing; and that solution is, in itself, quite simple.

     The balance between human nature and the nature that surrounds and sustains us has shifted dangerously as we have absent-mindedly strip ourselves of our own basic needs.  We continue to pound away at our environment, at a feverish paced, while preaching about how each of us need to work to prevent our own demise.  But preaching about it and doing something about it are two entirely different things. 

     We have allowed ourselves to give up our lands and livelihoods to large corporations, cutting out the "mom and pop" businesses for mass production and efficiency.  At the top of page 13, Berry states "[we] have given proxies to the corporations to produce and provide all of [our] food, clothing, and shelter."  He also adds that we have given them the ability "to provide entertainment, education, child care, care of the sick and elderly, and many other kinds of 'services' that once were carried on informally and inexpensively by individuals or households or communities".  This leads us to see the environmental crisis as a "corporate" problem, since they are the ones that must have caused it.  Berry believes that we need to take ownership of our individual actions rather than rely on these "proxy-holders" to fix our economy.
 
     Berry speaks of the "free market" as a way for corporations to work without boundaries, allowing them to sell cheap stuff at a high price.  He makes a clever analogy be saying "it is pretty much as if all the rabbits have now been forbidden to have holes, thereby 'freeing' the hounds."  He brings to light the World Trade Organization, ruler of the global economy, and how it was formed to control the free market. 

     His solution?  A local economy. Using local good and services, in their own communities, will enhance each local community and separate them from the corporate economy that does not serve them well.  People doing for people.  Neighbors helping neighbors.  A community united.

     I believe the idea of a local community is spot on.  Let's take it back to the basics.  Transform "Corporate America" into what it was and should be..."the United States of America"...where we are all free to make choices and help each other live better lives.


     In the Nobel Prize speech A Planetary Emergency (2007) by Al Gore, he talks about the climate change of the earth and how it is our fault that our planet is being destroyed.  He begins his speech with a very powerful statement:  "We, the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency - a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive potential even as we gather here."  That set the tone for a speech that pleaded with every person on the planet to stop and look around at what we are doing to our home. 

     Pollution is causing our planet to become choked out.  Carbon Dioxide is building up faster than the rainforests can convert it back to oxygen.  Toxic gases are building up in our atmosphere, and the sun is heating these particles, causing temperatures to rise.  Polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate.  We are on the verge of a global catastrophe, and we did it to ourselves. 

     But he says this can be prevented, but only if we act now, quickly, and all together.  I'm not convinced the human race cares enough to stop it.  We live too much "in the now" to worry about the future, but what we may not realize is that we may not have a future if we continue to ignore the warning signs.

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Final Exploration

     When I was reading "The Idea of a Local Economy" I didn't understand what point they was trying to get through at first, but then i kept on reading more and more then it made perfect sense to me what I was reading and I got a very clear understanding about what this article was about. Wendell berry talks about the life crisis that is happening to the world. See one thing that I don't understand is that people say that global warming is caused by us humans and other problems too, but if they say that we humans cause it and there isn't much we do about it to stop this from hurting the world we live in now. In the end the world we love will be gone if we don't take care of it starting now. That's the main point he was trying get through to people. This quote I'm about to talk about is one quote that i find very significant and it is "People will think they have made a sufficient change if they have altered their 'values,' or had a 'change of heart." What this means is that people not only got to change on how they feel about this world and say that they need to change how everything is going but actually change and make a difference. 
     
     Dalia Lama's inner peace and human rights is what I read about. Dalia Lama throughout the speech is talking about how to find inner peace and human rights. "Inner peace is the key; if you have inner peace, the external peace do not affect your deep sense of peace and tranquility." What this means to me is that if you as a human have and find true inner peace within you that nothing else in this world will matter and nothing can affect you. Another thing is that everyone should be treated equally and have their human rights to do what ever one feels like doing with out one saying he or she can't. We are not going to have true inner peace or human rights if everyone does get to have their own human right to say and do what whatever.

final exploration

The Idea of a Local Economy

I enjoyed reading the essay “The Idea of a Local Economy, by Wendell Berry. In the beginning he states “we have to be aware that as issues rise into popularity they rise also into the danger of oversimplification“.  This idea comes with the face that we now allow big business to market anything that they want to us. It should be that those businesses are working for us, but in fact they are just working for their own.

What I also thought to be an outrageous is the way that he lumps together communism and capitalism. These are both two very different forms of government, but he claims that they are the same. They are both working for “the greatest good of the greatest number.” Which means that they re working to benefit as many people as possible, for the future. He points out that what keeps these systems going is the thought of a brighter more prosperous future, but only if that future stays as far into the future as possible.  I believe what made this a good read was how different his views were from many today and the fact that he is not afraid to speak his mind on important issues.

The Noble Peace Prize 1989 awarded to the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso.

In the speech of the Dalai Lama, he tries to teach the way of peace and protect human rights. He states, "Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free." I thought that this was very interesting because he is basically telling us that even if we are not at war, we are still not at peace until every single human is respected with certain human rights that should never be taken away.  What surprised me the most is that he is praying and preaching for peace for his home land of Tibet, while he is not even allowed to step foot there. 

 

final expo

I enjoyed reading the Idea of a Local Economy by Wendell Berry. I thought that it brought up things that most people don't know about and aren't really concerned about.What I got out of the reading that that the world economy is run by big corporations and that they these companies can send the work over seas and even replace workers with machines. It compared sentimental communism to sentimental capitalism. I found it funny how capitalism is supposed to be much better communism but when the reading compares them, they both run off the same idea of everyone sacrificing for the betterment of the future for the many. Another thing Wendell Berry brought up that I never thought about is the power the people possess. Wendell Berry said, " If the government does not propose to protect the lives, livelihoods, and freedoms of its people, then the people must think about protecting themselves. How are they to protect themselves? There seems, really, to be only one way, and that is to develop and put into practice the idea of a local economy." He says that the people will make their own local economy if ever their government fails to protect them.

I read Dalai Lama's inner peace and Human Rights. In this speech, The Dalai Lama talks about finding inner peace. He says, "Peace , in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold." I never thought about that and now that I do, I must say there is a lot of truth in it. What it is saying is that there isn't peace until there is no war and everyone is sheltered and fed. He also talks about creating change in a peaceful way. He claims that it is the best way. He mentions that he was exiled from his home country of Tibet while they were being colonized by China. He says the colonization is violent and that more than 6 million people died. He has built monasteries and schools to keep his heritage and hope for the Tibetan people alive.

The Idea of A local Economy

The Idea of a Local Economy by Wendell Berry was slightly difficult to understand. I think I understood most of it but not entirely. The most important ideas were his criticism towards capitalism, free trade, and a global economy. Even though he slightly criticizes communism, I feel the hate is mainly geared towards capitalism. When talking about the specialization and the global economy the author says, "Whatever may be said for the efficiency of such a system, its result is to destroy local production capacities, local diversity, and local economic independence. In my opinion I think he has some good arguments like the destruction of land and maybe some others but I don't agree with the main things that he attacks like free trade, free markets, and a global economy. In my opinion it does not make sense to criticize something that has worked well this far and the only future danger that I see is the destruction of land. The destruction of land would occur anyways whether it was because of free market or not. A couple of months ago I read that countries with free markets most of the time have more income per capita than  communist economies so this is another thing to keep in mind. Finally, I believe that this article raises some important concerns but I disagree with a significant amount of what was said.


I read the story titled humanitarism. The story was about an organization named doctors without borders. The goal of this organization is to bring medical help to people in underprivileged places throughout the world. The most important ideas that this writing brings up is the importance of keeping humanitarian organizations separate from the government. It also talks about the importance of having both government help and help from these organizations. A quote that I really like was when he said, "humanitarianism occurs where the political has failed or is in crisis". The writing then goes on to talk about both political and these organizations having their place in helping people.

Final Exploration

The idea of a Local Economy was about how big corporations are not only destroying the environment by the people as well. That by supporting local companies it will lead to growth and the community will be able to strive." without prosperous local economies, the people have no power and the land no voice." By this he means that by supporting local businesses it will allow the community to grow and become stronger. He goes on to say that big corporations don't have the local community best interest at heart and that they only care about profit. 

The Nobel Peace Prize that i did was "Inner Peace and Human Rights". This speech was about the Dalai Lama and how with inner peace you can find happiness and have the ability to overcome challenges. "Responsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with hose who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job.It lies with each one of us individually." I agree with this quote because it is up to us as a whole to decided what should be done not just one person.

Last Exploration for English 1110
      I liked that Wendell Berry stated the comfort and assurance that comes with having locally based economies.  In one excerpt of the essay, Wendell stated a point from Albert Schweitzer's view of the Ogowe region of in Africa, "Whenever timber trade is good, permanent famine reigns in the Ogowe region because the villagers abandon their farms to fell as many trees as possible . . . These people could achieve true wealth if they could develop their agriculture and trade to meet their own needs".  The point Berry is trying to make is that the goal of the villagers was to make as many as possible - similar to sentimental capitalism, and the solution should be to satisfy not the prophet of a supranational corporation and justify it as global free trade or as the villagers were shooting for produce as much as possible, but to focus on satisfying what is important in a local market.  I agree wholly with Berry, it makes total sense to have dependencies locally because in the event of troubles near the plants making supranational goods, the local goods will still be available.  Moreover, the point Berry goes onto make is that it will protect from prices fluctuating up and down - a big company can't corner the market and make things overly expensive if local stores are prevalent.  The competition that comes with small businesses is what will subvert people being taken advantage of - for the gain of big company prophets.
     The Nobel Peace Prize essay I picked was Five Hundred Years of Mayan Oppression by Rigoberta Mencu Tum.  The Nobel speech largely concerned the oppression Native American Mayan civilizations experienced with the coming of the European explorers, as well as the current, albeit 400 year overdue push towards equality.  I firmly agree with Tum that if clashing cultures, i.e. cultures upon/around one another should do anything but wage discrimination and war.  I believe that the benefits of uniting cultures are greater than disparaging one for the gain of another.  I mean, it makes sense because although the two distinct cultures deviate from their entirety, something beautiful comes from their absolution - not only is a new culture created, but in the reasonable way of conflict it's almost inevitable - something that shouldn't be fought but embraced.  Moreover, she goes in depth over she asserts the importance to respect nature for the sake of future generations, "If the world does not learn now to show respect to nature, what kind of future will the new generations have"?  Tum's assertion comes with the reprieve that in order for the continent to function, it must hold the obligations of basically getting along with one another and respecting the natural world around people as if it were a culture of people.  Tum concludes that in order to progress as a society we need to unite and expand with respect for other cultures and the environment, and I wholly agree.

Last Exploration

I thought that "The Idea of the Local Economy", by Wendell Berry, was both eye-opening and interesting.  It brought up many ideas that I had not thought of before.  I think that the last sentence in the article sums it all up.  "Without prosperous local economies, the people have no power and the land no voice."  In order to improve our economy, we need to rely on ourselves instead of other countries.  Berry mentions that he is with a guy by the name of Albert Schweitzer when he said that, "These people could achieve true wealth if they could develop their agriculture and trade to meet their own needs..."  This idea is called a "local economy".  We need to develop and put into practice the idea of a local economy.  That will solve a majority, if not all, of our financial problem

 I chose to read about Rigoberta Menuchu Tum.  Tum was the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1992.  She grew up in Guatemala.  She talks about how there is a lot of tension between descendants of European immigrants and native Indian people.  Another thing that she talks about is the death of her brother, mother, and father. Tum writes about her Nobel Prize speech in "Five Hundred Years of Mayan Oppression" .  In the speech, Tum first talks about the civilization of the Mayas.  They developed a very rich style of life whether it be of political organization or economically.  Who knows what else they could have done if they had not been conquered. Mun later goes on to say that she interprets the Nobel Prize given to her as a gift for the Mayas that are no longer alive. She then makes the speech something bigger.  She starts talking for every Indian in the world. "... in the American Continent, for indians as well as for non-indians, whether they be racially mixed, blacks, whites, or Asian.  The whole society has the obligation to show mutual respect..."  She says that if everyone would have gotten along to start, society would have been more advanced.  Her goal is to make like less unequal.

Exploration 9: Last Blog Post

In the essay "The Idea of a Local Economy" the author was trying to outline the major problems in our current economy. He starts off by explaining how there is a danger of oversimplification. "We will be wrong if we attempt to correct what we perceive as environmental problems without the correcting the economic oversimplification that caused them." This idea of oversimplification is created by big business corporations to make us believe that we should allow few large businesses to produce large quantities to the majority of the population. This gives power to a few people who make decisions that do not benefit the society and environment as a whole. When we give up our proxies to corporations we forget that we are destroying nature to consume these products. Because we do not see the true story behind the overproduction of our natural resources we continue to overuse products and continue to feed these giant corporations. The last segment of the essay promotes local businesses and highlights the term subsistence. When a local economy is able to provide for itself there is less waste and more benefit to that society.

The 1989 Noble Peace Prize was awarded to the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. In his speech he talks about inner peace and human rights. He explains that peace is not as simple as we think. "Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free." This gives us a better grasp on what peace actually is. Peace requires more than just the absence of war, it basically requires that all humans are treated with respect. Inner peace is a state of being where external problems do not effect your state of happiness and can be dealt with reason. The Dalai Lama explains that if we are immersed in peace then we create a contagious peaceful environment. So it is our serious responsibility to individually promote peace and reach inner peace with ourselves. He ends his speech with the problems occurring in his own country of Tibet. Chinese settlements are destroying the Tibetan culture and he pleads that their development must be reversed to save their spiritual culture of peace.

Last Exploration Response

"The Idea of a Local Economy"

Wendell Berry talks about the danger of oversimplification and how a local economy should be the answer. Berry talks about the destructiveness of our relationship to nature. I think we do abuse nature. He adds in that efficiency can be harmful because people are not working to do something they love anymore. People will do just about anything as long as they get paid. Efficiency also leads to low wages and many workers or on the other hand, machines taking the place of workers leaving people without jobs. Berry notes that, "This moral and economic absurdity exists for the sake of the allegedly 'free' market, the single principle of which is this: commodities will be produced wherever they can be produced at the lowest cost, and consumed wherever they will bring the highest price" (16-17). This statement is very true and sad at the same time. Products are made so cheap and sold for a ridiculous amount. The main point is that Berry believes in a local economy. He says we need to shorten the distance between producers and consumers. Berry makes sense-- It's crazy that most people don't know the history of the products they use. Everything we use is usually foreign, but we buy it because it is cheaper than local goods. He says that we should have a viable neighborhood, providing for one another then cherishing and protecting what we have in common. I think overall Berry makes a good point but this solution isn't something people can get used to very easily. His solution would take a lot of time and effort to make succeed but in the long run, it would probably benefit our country.

The United Nations in the 21st Century (2001) by Kofi Annan

I read the speech by Kofi Annan about why and how to better our relationships within countries and the world in general. Annan worked for the United Nations and felt very strongly about peace within the world. He said, "A forum was created-- the United Nations-- where all nations could join forces to affirm the dignity and worth of every person, and to secure peace and development for all peoples." This quote not only speaks for the corporation but also for Annan himself. Annan believes that human diversity is very important and that we gain strength by combining the foreign with the familiar. This is very true and I can relate. We learn from other people, we don't usually teach ourselves. Annan's speech was very inspiring and relates to everyone. He genuinely cares about our world's unity. He has reminded us that each and every member of a community is important.

Final Exploration

In "The Idea of a Local Economy" I thought it was kind of confusing. At some points I didn't understand what he was talking about and it was hard to follow. I have to agree with this in the first paragraph where there are problems with pollution and loss of wilderness. The corporations are hurting our world and our nature, "The 'environmental crisis' has happened because the human household or economy is in conflict at almost every point with the household of nature". The finances of a corporation are huge and they affect a lot of what we do.
The Nobel Peace Prize speech that I read was "The Revolution of Spirit" which was given by Aung San Suu Kyi sons because she was on house arrest. I felt bad because she couldn't accept her speech, like she wasn't aloud to because she was on house arrest. I don't fully understand why she was on house arrest because I didn't see anywhere of her doing anything wrong, but I believe her sons gave a good speech. When they first start talking the say how their mother would say this and say that but then they went into what they thought. I think the speech was well presented and presented Burma and everyone who is living their well. "It only remains for me to thank you all...but it is our hope for the future that we celebrate today." This was the last paragraph of the speech, I thought it was inspiring and a good way to end the speech. It just shows how wounded and hurt Burma is and how many people wish to see it heal.

Final Exploration

After reading The Prescense of Fear by Wendell Berry, I had one lingering idea in my head and that was if a local economy gives up its ability to be subsistence farmers and using their time to produce goods for another economy.  To me this is crazy to think that a logical person could do this.  But for many it seems the only option to survive day to day. This does not happen alot in the United Sates, more frequently in empoverished nations. "They (Ogowe villagers) gave up their local means of subsistence, and imposed the false standard of a foreign demand" (Berry 32).  To me a logical thought would be if I am a poor farmer, I would produce for myself and my family, then export any unneeded surplus to another nation much like Schweitzer discussed.  Why produce for another nation when your own family cannot produce for itself?

I read The Revolution of Spirit by Ms. Kyi's Son.  This essay held alot of weight as I read for one big reason, the person who the Nobel Prize was awarded to was under house arrest and her son was accepting it in her abscense.  This just seemed crazy to me, this peaceful woman was a prisoner in her own home not even being able to see her husband berfore he died, just because she stood up peacefully for the nation she loved.  At the begining of the speech her son speaks of the tragic events that happen in their beloved country of Burma.  "the hope of Burma, dying of malaria in the jungles to which they have fled; that of the Buddhist monks, beaten and dishonored" (Bloom 596). This struck me as awful and disgusting, these monks are signs of peace and non-violence.  The idea that someone could do harm against these men is unthinkable and wrong.  Anyone who can rationalize these actions is unstable and needs to be put in a mental institution.  I understand Miss Kyi has been relaeased from her house arrest and I can not wait to see what she can do for the future of Burma. 

final exploration

     "The Idea of a Local Economy" was very eye-opening, in my opinion. Wendell Berry connects our economy and our values as humans to our "environmental crisis" and that continuing with our current ways is not going to work out in the end. My favorite part is when he discusses how people may look around and realize that our world needs to change. Some of these people will change their daily lives to help the environment as soon as they realize the world is in danger. What Wendell Berry warns of is people who see that the world needs help and they change their values, but their practices stay the same. For example, some people who see how animals are slaughtered to make our food become vegetarians. Others, will say to people that animal slaughtering is wrong, as they're in line at McDonald's. In the words of Wendell Berry, "People will think they have made a sufficient change if they have altered their 'values,' or had a 'change of heart.'"
      I also read the Nobel speech given by Al Gore. He was very concerned with our contributions to polluting the atmosphere. "Today, we dumped another 70 million tons of global warming pollution into the thin shell of atmosphere surrounding our planet, as if it were an open sewer." This statement is very alarming. 70 tons a day is a lot of pollution. most people probably can't even imagine how much that really is. It's just a number, so people ignore it. "The earth has a fever." I thought that this line was very clever. In a way, the earth really does have a fever. Temperatures are rising and the weather is getting worse. The temperatures are the fever and the weather is the symptoms, like a runny nose or sore throat. Al Gore has a very important point, but people are too inconvenienced by the solution. People are unwilling to change their lives, even in small ways, to help the environment. Riding a bike for twenty minutes is too time consuming when you can drive in five minutes. Something truly scary is going to have to happen before the masses change their lifestyles.

Last Exploration

The Idea of a Local Economy had many different ideas that I thought were very interseting. The idea was basically that we should stop supporting huge corporations and try to support our local smaller businesses in our own community. Big corporations are not concerned with people, their only concern is making a bunch of money. Whereas, smaller business in our communities are there to help the common good of the community and by supporting these businesses it helps the community thrive. Berry states in the article that " without prosperous local economies, the people have no power and the land no voice."

The Nobel Peace Prize speech that I read was by  Kofi Annan and his speech was called The United Nations in the 21st Century.  Kofi Annan spent his entire career in the United Nations and he felt that it was very important to achieve worldwide peace. In the beginning of his speech Annan notes that even though the charter for the United Nations begins with "we the peoples" that is not entirely true. Sometimes the interest of an individual must be sacraficed for the "common good" of the state or nation. A very important quote in his speech is " peace must be sought, above all, because it is the condition for every member of the human family to live a life of dignity and security. The speech basically wants to remind all people that we need to be tolerant of one another and not single out one specific person or group. All be are equal and all people deserve equal respect. He says, "We can love what we are, without hating what- and who- we are not." I think that is a very important concept that more people need to understand and adapt into their own lives.

Last Exploration

I thought that, The Idea of a Local Economy, was very interesting. After reading this I have been thinking a lot and I agree with him on many of his ideas. I really got the sense that Wendell Berry really did not like the idea of corporations. He says, "A corporation, essentially, is a pile of money to which a number of persons have sold their moral allegiance." I thought that this quote was important because it shows that Berry believes that corporations are stealing peoples lives. He says that  corporations are controlling everything and are taking advantage of the people that are working for them. I agree with him. I believe that corporations are too big and don't care about their employees. They are strictly focused on making money and nothing else.

The Nobel Peace prize speech that I chose to read was, Inner Peace and Human Rights. This speech was about Dalai Lama and his fight for the right of the Tibetan people. They are being suppressed by the Chinese government and have no rights. My favorite line from this speech is, "Inner peace is the key: if you have inner peace, the external problems do not affect your deep sense of peace and tranquility." I thought that this was such a great line because he goes on to say that although his people are being treated terribly they still have there inner peace and that is what is helping them carry on. I believe that if more people would get involved with this issue the Tibetan people would be free again and wouldn't be controlled by the Chinese.

Last Exploration

The Idea of a Local Enomy by Wendell Berry was very good, it actually reminded me a lot of my last years Government class. It shared a lot of the same ideas we talked and learned about. I agree with the writer when he says the "environmental crisis is prety well established as a fact of our age." I agree with him because over the past twenty to thirty years we have done nothing but destroy the landand I'm pretty sure there wont be enough usable land left if we keep going at the pace we are at. His thoughts were very insightful and brought up old topics that I onced learned about so i enjoyed reading it. The Noble Peace Prize article I read was by Kofi Annan who won the prize in 2001 along with the United Nations. In his speech he talks about we need to care for the individuals because they are the ones the shape who we are. In his speech he says "In this new century, we must start from the understanding that peace belongs not only to states or peoples, but to each and every member of those communities." What this means to me is we shouldn't just give power to the nation or even the states as a whole but to the individuals because they are the ones that hold the power. Without these individuals we would be powerless as a whole grroup. I certainly agree with Mr. Kofi Annan because the individuals are often thrown to the side and ignored. Instead of ignoring them we need to come together and give the individuals the power that way everyone will support their rights and work together.   

Last Exploration prompt for English 1110

Please write a response to "The Idea of a Local Economy" and the one Nobel Prize speech that you choose to read.  Tackle the most important ideas or emoitions that these writings bring up.  Share your own input, experiences and reactions in relationship to these texts. Communicate with your classmates effectively and let us know your ideas.

• Use one direct quote from each essay in your response.



This is helpful to remember.  Keep an open mind, and I still believe if you seek, ye shall find.

• Write comments to three other writers in the class, and let's make sure everyone gets some feedback and response.

  

  Mr. Berry is a poet, farmer and activist from Kentucky.

One of our Nobel Prize winners: Ms. Kyi from Myanmar.

Pay It Forward for Lorenzo

Students, we have a student at OSU-Marion, Lorenzo, whose family is from the Philippines and has suffered great losses in Hurricane Haiyan this past month, including the deaths of two family members.

I always say knowledge without heart or understanding is not complete.  I also believe in an old OSU tradition in that yes, we are going to school for personal improvement and success, but we also believe in paying it forward and helping others.  We believe that we as Buckeyes are a community who have great opportunities to help each other, and others.

In this tradition, if you would like to sign a card for Lorenzo and his family, I will bring one to our last class on Monday and pass it around.  I will also take donations for his family to give to him, and you can give these to Travis on Monday if you have a few dollars you would like to contribute.

This is of course absolutely voluntary and you do not have to sign the card and donate money!  And there is no pressure or judgement if you do or don't.  This is simply an opportunity to help, if you wish.

Thank you for any consideration you will give for Lorenzo and his family.

Mike Lohre

It will be a long road back for communities in the Philippines after this historically destructive typhoon.

Mr.MoneyMustache " Obama care: Friend of the Entrepreneur and Early Retiree"

This topic I picked is very important to my family and to all of the families in America today. We seen in the election between Obama and Romney on who has a better idea for the American citizens about their health care program and that was a major factor to families across America. They both had two different ideas and their plans had a positive side and a negative side to it. So what Mr.Moneymustache was saying in this post of his was on how to have a good health insurance by saving and choosing the right plan for your family. Some plans works better for families that are larger then other families and others work as well too for smaller sized families. He was saying how you can double your amount of money you get by changing it to another plan if you make a certain amount then you can also choose to put a certain amount in your health care.
He is saying in this topic that the health care people trick you into getting a higher and expensive health insurance sometimes they say its better for you but in reality its the same thing basically. He is teaching us how to not get tricked by them and save more money by having a plan that's just as good as the expensive one. The health care plans that he should and their statements are mostly false but some could go either way depending on your family income and size too. Their is weaknesses in and strengths in all the plans.Obama care some people don't like it but its for people that can't afford to have a good living so it works out for them just great.

https://www.healthcare.gov/
This website shows more details about on what health care is good and bad for your families. I learned more from just looking through the site.

Getting Rich With... Bikes

The main idea of this article that MMM was trying to get across was that by riding a bike you can not only save money but can also get into shape and health. He was also trying to say that you will not only save money on gas but on maintenance as that bikes maintenance is cheaper and  easier to do. To me the idea is only workable if the person works in a city or can easily get to where they are going. I have a 45-50 min. drive by car to school with a backpack that ways a ton. Its strength is that you can save alot of money but its weaknesses is that weather can affect it to even where you are trying to go.

I like this source because it shows both the ups and downs of using a bike. It tells us how it can save us money and even keep in shape/
http://www.affordableschoolsonline.com/riding-my-bike-to-work-to-save-money-and-lose-weight/

Mr. Money Mustache. "Fear is just a chemical"

In the article, "Fear is just a chemical, Mr.Mustache lets us know just that. He explains to his audience that most of the fear in our lives is just absurd. He tells about the hormones that are released when we are afraid and how we snap back into reality soon after it goes away . the main idea that he is promoting is that there is a lot in life to be gained when we realize that most of our fear is nothing to be feared at all, in fact it is just chemical, and as soon as the hormones have been spent throughout our body we are back to normal. He then talks about some of the common fears that shouldn't be, things such as applying for a new job, or buying a new house. The most common is people having fear to try new things. He ends his article by challenging his audience to remember that we should not let this control our lives. I believe that all of his ideas are practical and conventional. It is a simple idea, but if we keep it in mind it can change the way we react to the little things that bother us. The biggest strength of this article would be in the simplicity of the main idea, but its weakness would be that it can't force people to change. that is something that we need to do on our own.

In this link below, there is additional research of the fact that fear is a chemical. It talks about the things that we fear and how most of them are just because of our brain.

http://www.scepticthomas.com/fear/fear.htm

Mr. Money Mustache: How to fix a car

In the blog post "How to Fix A Car" Mr. Money Mustache talks about how to handle car problems on a budget. He goes on a trip in his van, and it seems to be having some problems. there is a squeaking sound coming from on of the tires. So instead of taking it to the mechanic he does some research on the internet, and figures out what is wrong with it by him self. Then he buys the part and fixes it himself and it only cost him a fraction of what it would have if he would of taken it to the mechanic.

Mr. Money Mustache is telling us that with a little bit of research and work you can fix car troubles by your self and save a lot of money. This was a very conventional method of thinking; he didnt want to pay some one else so he did it him self. this was a very practical idea, and it worked out very well in the end for him because it was just a minor problem and he was able to do it himself.



 autorepair.about.com/od/fixityoursel this is another website that can help you fix a car.

luxury is just another weakness

he is describing sitting around his house all day doing nothing kinda like living the high life. but its actually bad for your bones and organs to do that. it also talks about taking out and borrowing money to buy a car at which 90% of americans do that today. He is wanting you to understand the concept of luxury is a drug! having luxury is a good thing from time to time in a way but to live the high life every single day like someone addicted to drugs is something you cant afford.

 the idea he is trying to get across is very workable and doable. it makes perfect sense you don't need to live the high life to be happy. you can live in luxurary every now and then but not every single day. the strengths is that it saves you lots of money in the long run if you were to do that along with it they have weaknesses like people felling low on the pole not rich if they are. but what they don't know is if they live the crazy lifestyle like that they wont be rich for long.

From Mike Lohre: Retrain the Brain

RETRAIN THE BRAIN: Technology links to read and contemplate.

Dear English 1110.01 students:

Please read or view/read at least three of these links, and write a comment on this post where you respond to one of the links.  Use a quote from the material in the link somewhere in your response, but give me your ideas and interpretations on this subject, please.  Make it your own.

Reading and surfing is not just about finding and regurgitating information.  It's about interpreting it and giving it meaning and application in our own existence and in our own communities.  Yes, information is everywhere and knowledge is at our fingertips.  Yet there are no shortcuts to wisdom.  You have to put in the work, the time, and the thought.  I truly hope you understand this notion deeply, and strive to take your work and yourself seriously.

Your thoughts and ideas matter.  Your creative actions matter, and every chance to write is a chance to write well.

I look forward to your responses.  Remember, just respond in the Comments section of this post so all our responses are in one place and we can see what everyone is thinking.

Sincerely,

Mike Lohre

8 Links to follow, and our food for thought:

Lavabits is an e-mail service that offered privacy, but is now in a fight with our government.
http://www.nytimes.com/video/technology/100000002488802/a-conversation-with-lavabits-founder.html

This is a classic irony.  James Clapper, the Director of National Intellegence at the NSA, will lead the inquiry into his own agency's abuses and lies.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/13/james-clapper_n_3748431.html

And here's an editorial calling for Clapper to be fired.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/2013/06/fire_dni_james_clapper_he_lied_to_congress_about_nsa_surveillance.html

Comedian Louis C.K. on cell phones.  Warning: there is some crass language in this.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HbYScltf1c

This one got over 25 million hits on You Tube and was made by a young woman just trying to illustrate the distractions in tech life.  It's called "I Forget My Phone"
http://youtu.be/OINa46HeWg8

This video is from Rap News, out of Australia.  The same guy plays all the characters and two guys compose the lyrics, which take on a lot of alternative ideas on the internet and politics.  Some of the language and gestures are crass, so be warned.
http://youtu.be/o66FUc61MvU

Finally, from OSU's student newspaper The Lantern.
http://thelantern.com/2013/10/commentary-kindness-human-interaction-lost-technology/

One of the above links is from a source (Rap News with Robert Foster) that tries to use You Tube, music, and clever, pop-culture-based writing to promote both critical thinking and their point of view, of course.

As mentioned in the James Fallows essay, "Tinfoil Underwear".  They are an advocacy group for privacy and technology rights.

https://www.eff.org/

P.S.
Notice the style of this content.  This the New York Times, and is a pretty remarkable example of the way composition is being changed by the internet.

http://www.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/2013/10/13/russia/?ref=global-home

Exploration 8

1. To me the ending was sad because of what Rose of Sharon. The Joads have faced many obstacles while on their travel to find a better life. The Joads had to face family break ups to death within the family and traveling with what little money they have.

2.I think that the future of the Joads will be a tough road ahead of them but if they stick together I am sure that they will be able to overcome it. They have taken many blows and faced many hardships that would have crippled many people but through thick and thin the Joads have always been able to stick together and make it through. The Joads are tough and they have the will to survive and it is because of that that i know they will be ok.

Get Rich with the "ChaChing" Instinct

What separate Mr. Money Mustache from other people is even at a young age he had "just in case money"You have two types of people when dealing with money and purchases. You have the savers and you have the big spenders. An article on NBC news came up with a study that showed the brain activity in peoples minds. The ones who are able to image the future in detail are better able to make smarter purchases. This happens to fit Mr. Mustache perfectly because he is a "compulsive future immaginator". In order to save money it is key that you be a compulsive saver instead of a compulsive spender. You have to think wisely of your spending choices. A saver will say “I just avoided a purchase, and I am richer because of it. Cha-CHING!!” A spender will say  “Hey! I wanted this thing and I don’t get to have it! Waaaaah, Waaah!!” Mr. Money Mustache suggest that budgets are for beginners. With budgets and saving techniques you learn how to cut it off before you do too much spending damage. Saving up is a game of becoming stronger and  creating a ChaChing Instinct.

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/06/04/get-rich-with-the-chaching-instinct/

Mr. Money Mustache: Top 10 Cars for Smart People

This blog post was helping to decide what cars give you the best return on your money.  The point of the article was to suggest the best options for a small sized car that would be fuel efficient and practical.  The whole point of getting a smaller car is to save money initially on the price of the car and also save money on the fuel economy.

Some of the cars that are suggested on the blog are not appealing visually but that's the main sacrifice when trying to cut cost. The conventional way of buying a car is to buy the most flashy and slick car you can buy for the amount of cash you have saved for it.  The idea is definitely practical and would increase efficiency in our own personal choices for automobiles. Buying a car that is efficient in multiple aspects is great for the wallet. Paying for a 15,000 dollar car that has a MPG of 30+ is probably the most effective use of your money.  Not only are you saving on your initial purchase of the actual car but you are also saving on the variable cost of fuel. Cars that were suggested also had good cargo space and hatchbacks to make them more versatile tools. The weakness of this articles suggestions is the actuality of the consumer's choice. It is most likely that a twenty year old bachelor will not buy a Prius or Honda hatchback willingly. However, the style and functionality of affordable cars are becoming better and better as the market for these cars grow.

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/most-affordable-fuel-efficient-cars#slide-4

This link is a alternate list to the one posted on Mr. Money Mustache. This source has additional automobiles that are also good choices for efficiency.  

Mr. Money Mustache: New Cars and Auto Financing: Stupid, or Sensible?

In this blog, Mr. Money Mustache describes buying a new car and whether or not it is reasonable.  He says that there is no point in wasting all of your money, let alone more than all of your money.  He says that the key to optimizing your automotive expenses is in thinking about total cost per year and cost per mile rather than cash outlay per month.  That is ONLY if  you have enough money saved up for one.  He says that it is necessary to live close to work and walk or ride your bike when possible.  He says these things are the most important.  Nobody should depend on their car.  Think of it as a luxury instead of a needed appliance.  Mr. Mustache stongly advises buying a new car, but if you must you should make sure you're much more than financially stable. 

Mr Mustache thinks that buying a new car is not financially smart, but if you must buy a new car, look at the long-term costs.  I agree with Mr Mustache, but it is hard to follow.  The idea is both workable and practical.  Having a new car would be helpful in a few ways, but also bad in a couple ways.  A new car could be great in many ways.  First off, cars are normally good for 200,000 miles.  If you keep a car its entire life it will last you a very long time.  A new car is also a cool thing to show off to your friends.  The cons about having a new car is mostly just the expenses.  Cars are obviously expensive.  They can financially wreck a person.  On top of the expected monthly car payment and insurance and other things like that, there are unexpected expenses.  What if something goes wrong with your car? A tire can blow or maybe you just want to make it look nicer.

the surprising effect of small effort over time

Mr. Money Mustache recounts his experiences building a house addition for his friend over four and a half months. He explains that he only worked on the addition in his free time during hours his son was in school. When it was finished he realized that all his small efforts over time accumulated and built something great. MMM says that small good things in life over time lead to a good life. He even says doing things that may seem scary like trying something new, like cutting off your cable and getting a library card. Little things add up and amount to things we could have never imagined. Which certainly can apply to our life. Working out thirty minutes a day over the span of a year can lead to someone being healthy. Saving up a little money every day or every week can lead to a surplus of saving. Its shocking what little effort can do to change your life.

www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/08/13/the-surprising-effect-of-small-efforts-over-time/

Fasting: a Fast Way to Greater Badassity?

This post was mainly about fasting and Mr. Money Mustache and one of his blog reader's experiences while fasting. It starts off with MMM saying claiming he is a wimp when it comes to eating so he would like to try to fast for three days. It later talks about the benefits of fasting and how it can prevent cancer. The last big portion of the article is one of MMM readers experiences while fasting for three days.

Starting off, MMM makes the topic of fasting seem like an impossibility. I guess that is what most people think when they hear no food for a certain amount of time. After some research, it is easy to see the practicality and usefulness of fasting as it makes you a healthier person and helps to prevent cancer cells from growing. Those could be the strengths that relate to fasting while negatives could be the constant thinking of food.

This link will help describe the benefits of fasting a little better.http://voices.yahoo.com/10-incredible-health-benefits-fasting-11621130.html