101 and 102 Grades Link

Students in 101 may now view grades at the link below. A few of the grades might be revised as I finish reading "freebie" papers.

All grades were calculated mathematically based on the points you received for your papers, notebook score, class attendance, etc.

View grade online. Scroll down to " How To View Your Grades Online Using E-Services."

p.s. Attention cat lovers. Click on my Christmas card picture above to make it bigger.

Students in 102: Twenty-two grades have been submitted and are at the link above. I am awaiting one "freebie" late paper and then all grades will have been submitted.

101 Cause/Consequences Worksheet

Fill in this worksheet on your computer. Print out two copies: one to work from, one for me to assist you during the work session.

102 A Poem with Hyphens

Davie, Donald: Hyphens
[from Collected Poems (1990), Carcanet]

1 You remember Rossignano
2 Solvay, impossible hybrid,
3 Italian-Belgian? The hyphen
4 Was stretched to breaking.
...

21 There too the hyphen stretched
22 In him to breaking, out of
23 Maremman cities where his Fiat spun
24 In week-end pieties
...

29 Holding these halves together,
30 His Tuscan strove
31 For a coining of new compounds:
32 Firm-transient, chemical-civic.

1402 Monday

Here's a link to Monroe's Motivated Sequence.

101 Computer Lab Booked

I was successful in getting a computer lab at the library for our cause/consequences writing session. We will meet at the library computer labs downstairs on Friday.

Be sure to do the readings on cause/consequences in the Glenn book.

Writing 102

On Dec. 3, you will be receiving your Point 2 and we will be knitting it together with transitions in our "Workshop on Transitions." You will need both Point 1 and Point 2 for tomorrow's class. Also, please have the Lester book on research with you.

As I said in class Friday, we will be working with Lukeman. At least have the section on hyphens and dashes read. I will be handing out a worksheet on the use of this punctuation mark.

Demonstration of a picture for 4:45 p.m. students

1402 Happy Thanksgiving

In class this week, I talked about finding images for speeches. The Thanksgiving image at right was found by going to the Kean Library web site, clicking databases -->Visual and Performing Arts-->Grove Art Online -->Bridgeman Library. The search term I used was "Thanksgiving."

This image is an ad for the magazine "Harper's Bazaar." Published in 1894, the magazine still exists today (click picture to website).

Noodletools Seminars Booked for 101 and 102

Please put the appropriate date on your calendar:

102: November 26, 9 a.m.

101: November 28th, 8 a.m. and 10:10 a.m. classes

On edit:

Here is the link to the library instructor's calendar. Click the link and it tells what room number. See Week 48.

Initials and Grades?

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- A study conducted by two U.S. researchers purports to show the initials of a person's name are directly linked with their performance in certain areas.

...

The second study took into account letter grades in academia in relation to students' initials and again a link was found.

By looking at the grade point averages of M.B.A. students from an unidentified university during the last 15 years, they found students with names starting with "C" or "D" typically had lower grade point averages than those whose names began with "A" and B."

http://www.newsdaily.com/TopNews/UPI-1-20071114-19233900-bc-us-initials.xml

Blue Cloud Darts Around Gas Station

Since Halloween, we've been talking about weird things that show up in photography. Here is a blue cloud that darts around a gas station. It's certainly one of the weirdest things I've ever seen.

My Roman Columns

Years ago my neighbor in the mansion put in new columns. She gave me the old ones.

Nothing gets a gardener with an artistic bend more excited than old columns, especially if the paint is cracked in unusual patterns. One can do so many interesting things in the garden with columns.

I put vinca vine in a container on top of the column. I love the way it trails down the column.

At Christmas, I will often put garland around the columns .

1402 Monday

We chose persuasive topics and changed the dates of presentation for both informative and persusasive.

Informative speeches will be presented on November 26. Outlines must be sent to the instructor by November 19.

Persuasive presentations will take place on December 3. Outlines must be sent to the instructor by November 26.

Next week, November 12, four groups will give their group symposiums (groups headed by Jeff, Mike, Ashley, and Carolyn) .

A nonverbal communication field trip was assigned. We watched a video illustrating some of the nonverbal communication that the form asks students to observe. The assignment is due Nov. 19.

102 Dates for Research Paper

Nov. 14 is Point 1 due
Nov. 28 is Point 2 due
Dec. 5 is Point 3 due
December 10 final paper due
December 14 is return paper

101: Activities-Assignments Nov. through Dec.

Download document.

Hard copy will be provided in class.

Absolute Worst/Best Reason in the World for a Topic Selection

A student comes up after class and says "I want my topic to be on the death penalty."

"Why?" the instructor asks.

"Because I checked Google and there are tons of sources on it."

[Instructor pounds desk with fist, stifles scream.]

The idea is to actually learn something about research. If all that's done is to grab a few sources off a Google search, what was learned?

At some point in life, one may need to find some hard-to-find information. What if the research skills have not been developed? Research is learned by tackling subjects that are outside one's own comfort zone, which is why this instructor provides topic lists.

Absolute Best Reason for Topic Selection

A student stops by after class to ask questions about a topic that was chosen and which she has already started researching. The student says, "I don't know what these acronyms stand for but I'll find out." She rifles through papers, showing printouts of research. In the margins are notes. Some of the text is underlined.

The instructor offers some information on what the acronym stands for. Referring to the topic list, the student remarks that she could have chosen an easier topic, but instead she challenged herself with one that was outside her usual interests.

The instructor's heart beats with joy. Imagine! A student who is actually interested in learning instead of just getting a grade. Somebody who wants their intellect tested. Someone who is confident enough of to step outside the comfort zone and do some hiking on some rocky terrain. If the instructor were a cat, she would purr.

102 Theatre Paper

Literary Terms

Writing Assignment for Drama

Using the glossary of literary terms, choose five that you think are appropriate and apply them to the play.

Approach:

1) read through the terms at the link posted at the blog

2) write a paragraph about each, discussing how the term applied to what you saw in the play

3) Go back over your paragraphs and find a way to organize them into a discussion of the play. Add an intro and conclusion.

Paper should be two pages and do internal citations and a Works Cited.

1402 Tuesday Thursday Topic Selection Page

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pg51JTtDy1kkShwQ5d0smTw

I will be updating as the topics come in so check the topics lists before you send me your email.

Added at 7:50 p.m.

New Google spreadsheet page for persuasive topics. Notify me of your topic and I will put it on the page.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pg51JTtDy1kn0jnHzquPvJQ

Here are the new topics I talked about in class today. On these topics, there will be a printed copy of the research to get you started. If you want one of these topics, let me know before Thursday so I can bring the photocopies ot class for you.

• Make your own household cleaning products to avoid toxic elements in grocery store cleaning aids.
• Should people buy organic food because it has more nutrients?
• Should packaging practices be changed to save energy?
  
• Should cotton be discarded in favor of hemp? (for clothing)
• Should coffee trading practices be changed?
• People should buy seafood only from Marine Stewardship Council certified retailers.

No 1402 Class Today

No 1402 at all--I had hoped to make it at 2 but I'm still too sick.

101, 102, & 1402 Monday Classes

While on my trip, I've become quite sick with some type of respiratory flu. Maybe it's just a bad cold/sore throat. Whatever--for sure I will not be in class on Monday a.m. The 8, 9, and 10 a.m. classes are cancelled.

I am going to try to make 1402 but we will probably only meet half the class. At the moment, I am thinking a start time of around 2 or 2:15.

I will e-mail students upon my arrival in NJ Sunday evening, but I wanted to let as many people know in advance as possible. If you see this and can pass along the news to your colleagues, please do so.

1402 Persuasive Topics

Persuasive Topics List

Same list but with leads.

In addition, here is another topic:


Should parents/schools devise a means to make sure children spend more time outdoors?

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/22/4739/

101 Blog Topics

I'll be adding more topics to this, so check back.

Topic 1
Who is the protagonist in “Stranger Than Fiction?”

These terms and links will help you answer.

From Wikipedia:
A protagonist is a term used to refer to a figure or figures in literature whose intentions are the primary focus of a story. Classically protagonists are derived from good will, however, this does not always have to be true. Protagonists cannot exist in a story without opposition from a figure or figures called antagonist(s).

Topic 2:

Who is the antagonist in “Stranger Than Fiction?”

These terms and links will help you answer.
From Wikipedia:
The main character is often faced with a "foil", a character known as the antagonist who most often represents obstacles that the protagonist must overcome. As with protagonists, there may be more than one antagonist in a story. (Note that the term antagonist in this context is much more recent than the term protagonist, and rests on the same misconception as the use of protagonist to mean proponent. See below.)Sometimes, a work will initially highlight a particular character, as though they were the protagonist, and then unexpectedly dispose of that character as a dramatic device. Such a character is called a false protagonist.

101 Argument and Persuasion Essay Documents

While you will be provided a hard copy in class, I am posting the links to documents here.

Assignment Sheet for Argument and Persuasion Essay

Sources Worksheet (due Oct. 31)

Persuasive Topics List

Same list but with leads.

1402: China research groups

Here's an article link to a topic on which many students are working:

http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/health/612152,CST-NWS-CHINA20.article#

Trader Joe's says it will eliminate products from China.

FYI only. Use if it's appropriate.

101 Reaction Paper

Here are the questions from my lecture notes:

Prewriting for Your Reaction Paper

The following statements could be used in a reaction/response paper. From the list below, complete as many statements as possible about the film you saw.

My Reaction to What I Just Saw Is That ...

I think that

I see that

I feel that

It seems that

In my opinion,

Because

A good quote is

In addition,

For example,

Moreover,

However,

Consequently,

Finally,

In conclusion,

What you've done in completing these statements is written a very rough reaction/response paper. Now it needs to be organized. Move ahead to the assignment sheet.

Note to 101 students: the library session for next Friday is canceled. You will have this time to work on sources for your argumentation paper.

102: Look! An "Apology" Cento

I was reading the NY Times editorials and I see that someone has composed an apology made up of other apologies. Each number is a link to the actual apology and who made it:

October 14, 2007

Op-Ed Contributor

Regrets Only

By HENRY ALFORD

I WANT to make it clear that everything you've heard and read is true.(1) I can also no longer deny to myself that there are issues I obviously need to examine within my own soul, and I've asked for help.(2) So if you're so thin-skinned that you took offense to a slip of the tongue that I had, then I offer my apology. I am, am sorry that you were offended.(3)

We admit that several members of our organization allowed an internal power struggle to cloud good judgment.(4) We should have done better.(5) I sincerely apologize and hope people realize that conversations can be easily manipulated in print.(6) And I don't care that he's black or green or purple or whatever.(7)

More at their site.

102 Outline Requirements

Regarding your research paper, use the research that you have gathered to date and write the following:

Topic

General purpose

Specific purpose (what you want your readers to walk away with after they've read your paper)

Tentative thesis statement

and

Three main points (this is the main points that the body of your research paper will discuss).

1402 Outline Guide

On the handout, it says to model your outline on pages 309-12.. A better model is the one on page 239. Just label topic, general purpose, specific purpose, thesis statement, and main points.

101 Works Cited Training Session in Library

On Friday, October 26, we will meet in the library for software training on Noodletools. This software will help you do in-text citations and Works Cited for your argument and persuasion paper, an important paper that is worth 15% of your grade. While the above link allows you access to certain free parts of the Noodletools, our library is a subscriber and this allows you to use a more extensive version of the software.

Go directly to the library. Your instructor will be Susan Bissett and the room is L-105.

You will be given assignment sheet soon. In the meantime, you might be thinking about a topic on which you would like. Any topic related to abortion or religion is out, however.

Please put this on your calendars now.

101 Blog Topic for Tuesday

This is from the reading in Glenn, page 357:

Think of the last time you used comparison and contrast to make a choice--maybe about which movie to see, which person to go out with, or which shirt to buy. In a single paragraph, write about your decision. What was the basis for comparison? What were the points of comparison or contrast? What was your final decision?

102 Vote for Best Haiku

Vote for only one and it can't be your own.

101 Blog Topic for Monday

Observing contrast:

If you are involved in a math or science course of any type, solve a problem given to you by your instructor. You can also select a problem that's in your math text. This could be current or something offered in the past. As you work on the problem, take note of how your mind works to solve the problem.

Now reflect on a composition effort you've made in this class. Go back over a paper you've written or a blog entry. See if you can observe a difference in how you thought about the intellectual process involved in writing vs. that of solving a mathematical problem.

Find one or two differences and contrast them. How are they different?

Note to students not in a math course:

Here is a problem for you to solve:

A census taker goes to a house for some information. The lady says she has 3 kids, and the product of their ages is 36. The sum of their ages is equal to the address next door. He goes
and comes back for more information and she says the oldest one is asleep upstairs. What are their ages?

Note to everyone: you might take note of the similarities, too, just in case the same question is asked tomorrow about similaries.

101: Jersey Blogs Link

Did you know that the Star-Ledger maintains a list of Jersey blogs? There are all kinds of topics covered there, from some nut who pines about all the things she'd like to buy at some store that has Anthropology (Anthropologie?) in the name to someone who made up a picture page on how to make tomato sauce. Lots of sports blogs, too, but plenty on other topics.

101 Thursday/Friday Post Topics

The Ways We Lie, p. 319:

Without looking back at the essay, list as many of Ericsson's ways of lying as you can remember. Which one "stung" you? Why?

Friday:

Why does Ericsson believe that lies are necessary? Which kinds of lies do you believe are so?

101 Blog Topics

Tuesday is an open topic day. Write about any issue of concern to you.

Wednesday: make a generalization and back it up with a specific example, meaning a story that you know about from personal experience.

Thursday and Friday topics (soon to be posted) will be on the essay about ways we lie.

Attn: 1402 TTh

I'm feeling up to going to class, however, I cannot talk because I'm losing my voice. We will, therefore, watch a very interesting film today. I was planning to show it later in the class but I'll move it up to today because of my voice condition.

The name of the film is "Toxic Sludge is Good for You." It is an important film to see in developing your critical thinking skills and in alerting to you about phony news stories and sources.

I will be returning some "I Am" papers today.

Attn: 1402 TThu

Please check your email and/or this blog before going to class tomorrow. I am not feeling well. I was exposed to the flu last week. I will post back before 11 a.m. about whether I will be in class tomorrow. Chances are I will be there but I just wanted to give you a heads up.

101: Consistency with Person Worksheet and Blog Topic

Some people didn't get one. Download.

Today's blog topic is on the Stepp reading, p. 310. Are there male equivalents to the alpha girls? Beta girls? Gamma girls? What might they be--and what might their qualities be? (Choose one of the three, alpha, beta or gamma.)

101 Monday, Oct. 1 10 a.m. class

We will spend Monday's class time reviewing papers: descriptive, exemplification, and division/analysis/classification. Please be sure you have your Hacker guide with you as you will be looking up proofreading symbols.

We will be putting many papers into our notebooks, so anyone who can bring an extra three-ring punch, please do so. I will bring one, too.

101 Blog Topic for Friday

This topic is based on "My Circle of Friends" by Jessica Moyer, p. 306.

Who is your "most complete and complex friend?" (307). Write a few paragraphs where you describe the friendship, as Moyer has done in paragraphs 6 and 7.

101 Topics for w/o 9/24

This week's blog topics are:

Write about the pressures you feel as a college student. Do you feel pressure from the four kinds of pressures Zinsser describes (economic, parental, peer, and self-induced)?

Segal classifies excuses from college students in an essay that was written for The Chronicle of Higher Education. How would you identify her tone? (We will discuss tone in class.) If she were to re-write this essay for college students, how might she change her tone?

Re Saunders. Write a character sketch of someone you know who is a "girly-girl" or a "macho man." Using exemplification, show your readers why you've classified this person as such.

Saunders writes about sexuality in a way that makes one realize that the way gender is expressed is highly individual. If one were to take his proposal seriously, how would you feel about having to become more "female" or more "male?" What aspects of yourself would you have to change and how would you do it?

Note: blog links have been updated and corrected.

1402

Points for "I Am" paper (20 each):

Content (organization of material, editing, writing style)
Number of interviews and quotes
Insight
Grammar, spelling, mechanics
Field notes

Extra credit: Integration w/text

bounced emails

Here is a list of student e-mails that are coming back as undeliverable:

levonasl@ken.edu
maximal@ken.edu
veigaa@ken.edu
moya9082@yhoo.com
hollyweesooly@yhoo.com
jcoballers@yhoo.com

Note: I took one letter out of the domain to foil the email crawlers. These students should contact me via phone or another email box to straighten out the matter. Also, you can bring it up to me after class.

1402 China files

Group Symposium: China files 1; China files 2

These links are also in the Links entry, which you can access by putting "Links" in the search engine.

102

"How to Read a Poem" file in .rtf format (rich text format), which you can open in Word, Works, and many other programs. In addition, you will need page 1416.

This link will also be posted in the "Links"

101 Friday, Sept. 21

To do for next class:

Some students will be outlining:

101 8 a.m.:
Jessica G, Gabrielle, Tiffany, Adobi

101 10 a.m.:
Jessica D, Patrick D, Magnola, Gabrielle, Angela, Victor, Victor A

All students: read Hacker, 64-67 on commas
Readings for the week from the assignments sheet (classification/division).

We will be doing a division/classification exercise in class.

Writing assignment for week of 9/24:

Question 5, p. 291 (first section):

Draft a 1-2 page essay in which you divide life into three categories or parts and develop each of them. Keep the following questions in mind as you draft: What is your purpose? Your thesis statement? Your ruling principle (p. 285)? Your organizational pattern? What information does your conclusion provide beyond that provided in your introduction? As you draft and revise, refer to the guidelines on the lower section of p0. 291 for checking over the use of classification and division.

What we did in class:

Instructor brought class up to date on Colin Duffy.

Discussed essay for classification and division.

Reviewed blogs and who is current with them.

102

Friday, Sept. 21

To do for next class:

Continue reading at poets.org for the genre topic for paper


What we did in class today:

Poetry assignment. The instructor gave out a one-page assignment and an evaluation sheet. The instructor will post the poetry file and also e-mail it.

Genre selection is due by next Wednesday. If students want to be assured of their genre, they should mail their selection to the instructor and it will be posted on a spreadsheet. The link will be featured here and on the links post. You can get to the links post by putting "links" in the search blog feature above.

Reviewed Ch. 1 in Lukeman, where the value of short and long sentences was discussed.
Class exercise: wrote a sentence that went for half of a page. The punctuation marks that can be used to extend sentences are: ; ; , and --. Ellipsis may also be used in a limited fashion to indicate omission.

Topic selection for research paper was submitted. Instructor will advise on topic next week. We will also be learning ohow to do an annotated bibliography next week.

1402 TTh

REMINDER: Thursday, Sept. 27, we will be at the library learning how to use electronic databases. The room is L-141. Go directly to the library.

What we did in class on Thursday, 9/20:

Instructor passed out list of presentation dates through the end of the term.
URL for presentation dates:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pg51JTtDy1kmk_VPUmi3-Yg

Instructor showed how to document using MLA citation. We will also learn APA and use APA for the persuasive speech.

Students learned how to document in the outline (internal citation).

Instructor showed how to do a Works Cited page.

Students broke down into five groups for the symposiums.

Students were assigned an annotated bibliography that will be due on 9/27. The "I Am" paper will be due at the upcoming Tuesday class.


Students should have their outlines ready to show the instructor when they arrive next Thursday. In addition, they will turn in the annotated bibliography at that time.

At our upcoming Tuesday class, the instructor will demonstrate how to do an MLA online citation. Be sure to have the worksheet that was given in today's class. It should be put in your notebook under "Style Guide."

1402 Policies

General rules concerning outlines:



Write the main point of each paragraph as succinctly as possible.



Try to limit notes on the reading assignment to one page per section.



Label every section. Example: Ch 3/56-76. If you go over a page, label the chapter and pages on the second page.



Bold-faced terms should almost always be considered the main point or part of the main point.



Chapters 1 & 2 should be done by the week of Oct. 17



Outlines will be checked in the week following the reading. For example, outlines for the readings from Sept. 17-21 will be checked on Sept. 24.



Do the work with your brain, not your pen.



Benefits to you:



1) Become an efficient reader. You will realize how main points are made in sentences and how to grasp the main point quickly

2) Become a better writer. You will see how professionals structure paragraphs and develop points and support.

101 Exemplification Assignment

Due this Friday.

This assignment can be found on page 209 of Glenn:

Write a generalization about a group or class of people or animals. You might start out writing about your own family: 'The Glenns like to ..."; or you might write about a group different from one to which you belong: fraternity brothers/sisters, working mothers, college graduates, computer "nerds," rich people, poor people, and so on. After you've made your generalization, back it up with three specific examples.

101 Blog Topics

"The American Man, Age 10," essay by Susan Orlean is online. If you do not have the link, you can read and work from this until you get your book.

Blog topics: Wednesday-Friday (9/12-14) are to write description. Try out the exercises on the description assignment. If some of them work out, use them in your paper.
Blog topics for the week of 9/17 are from the Glenn text. Write about Colin Duffy, the "American Man, Age 10." What do you have in common with Colin? What are your differences?

Visit The New Yorker Magazine Web site (for whom Susan Orlean writes). Look at the various articles. What interests you and what does not?

If you do not like these topics, feel free to explore your own using the items at the end of the essay in the Glenn text.

101 & 102 What We're Doing Monday, 9/17

101/8 a.m.

1) call for papers will be on Monday. Should have notes with them.
2) check notebooks (people with a check next to "P")
3) finish group discussions on "American Man" (pages 68-79 in

Glenn)
4) keep up with reading from the reading schedule

101/10 a.m.
1) call for papers will be on Friday. Should have field notes attached to the assignment on Friday.
1a) you will get another paper assignment next week, so try to get the description paper done over the weekend
2) check notebooks (people with a check next to "P")
3) finish group discussions on "American Man" (pages 68-79 in

Glenn)
4) reading from the reading schedule

102
not mandatory but students should bring rough draft of DT paper
paper, final of which is due Wednesday

102: Dylan Thomas Thesis Statements

Two possible thesis statements.

“Do Not Go Gentle” is quoted in the movie "The Rundown" and in "Dangerous Minds." Write a paper that examines the meaning of the poem in either or both of the movies. Based on our classroom explication, did the screenplay writer understand the meaning of the poem?

or

Make the case for “Do Not Go Gentle” being not only a poem to his father, but a commentary on himself. Is Thomas the “wild man?” Research Thomas’ background to support your case.

In addition, here is a link from the BBC where the poem is examined. There are comments on the poem from people all over the world. I only read half of them but found them to be a rich source of ideas for thesis statements. Finally, take a look at the Wikipedia entry on the poem. You may find ideas there.

101 Blogger URLs

For both 8 and 10 a.m. classes.
Please put this link in your bookmarks:

http://tinyurl.com/2khwl2

This is the link to visit other student blogs. For now, visit only the blogs of students in your class. You should comment back after you read a post. If you can't think of anything to say, that's fine. Move on and visit more posts and comment on the ones to which you have a reaction.

At this stage, we are not critiquing. I will show you how to critique at a future class.

Attn: 101 and 102 Students

8 a.m. 101: In the very last section of the notebook, the notebook handout says to put in two categories, "Research Paper" and "Literary." Do not make these categories. Instead, make one category for this second section. It should be called "Rhetorical Forms."


102: Dylan Thomas thesis statements will be posted here (after 5 p.m.) for the desperate. All papers for this class will be due on Wednesdays

Note: 102 students in need of a thesis statement: I cannot find the Dylan Thomas thesis statements and will have to search hard copies.

102 students will also receive the file called "How to Read a Poem" by 9 p.m. this evening. The email list is not complete so I will be sending the "Poem" file later this evening.

Writing Topics for 101 Students/Mon-Tues

Monday: write a detailed post about your high school English courses. Discuss the literary works you read and the types of papers you wrote. Tell about the teachers and their techniques. What were some of the assignments that helped you learn the most?

Tuesday: Why is writing important? Why should you be a good writer (or not)? In what area would you like this course to help you the most?

Entries should be approximately three paragraphs each.

Forward This Article to Whomever is Financing Your Education

Important:

Congress Passes Overhaul of Student Aid Programs
By DIANA JEAN SCHEMO

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 — Congress gave final approval to a broad overhaul of federal student loan programs Friday, sharply cutting subsidies to lenders and increasing grants to needy students.

...It also raises the maximum Pell grant, the basic federal grant for middle- and low-income students, to $5,400 from the current $4,310 over the next five years. To pay for the changes, the bill reduces federal subsidies to lenders by roughly $20 billion over the same period.

This is a positive development. It means that money that was going to the banking industry is being redirected back to student aid.

Read the rest of the article.

Note: NY Times. Registration required. If you don't want to register to get the complete article, go to www.bugmenot.com and enter NY Times for a quickie password.

Gardener's Car Goes to the Car Wash

The laughs alone were worth the $20!

Full of leaves and twigs from its many hauls to the recycling center, the Garden Car needs to turn from a pumpkin back into a carriage. School starts in two days. Before I left I said to Jim, "How many minutes into the car wash do you think it will take for someone to say 'Lady, you don't need a car wash, you need a leaf blower'?"

I thought about cleaning it myself but a more considered look told me the car wash was a better bet.

The Main Street Car Wash taught me all about the body language of car wash guys. There is, for example, a look that tells the others that "this one's a disaster!" There was a cluster of guys to clean it but there were others doing different tasks around the premises who sauntered over to take a look. The looks on their faces were priceless as they meandered by, trying to look inconspicuous. I could hardly stand it: I burst out laughing.

Pretty soon the vacuum guy announces "The vac's plugged up!" He had to take it apart to fix it.

Next they looked at the trunk. It was $1 extra for this service and well worth it. They were so puzzled over how to handle the leaf detritus that they assembled a conference of six guys. The trunk cover can be removed, they discovered, so that's what they did; then they cleaned and shampooed it.

The rest of the car wash was pretty much routine, and I drove out of there in a clean car. I was so disoriented from the new environment that I went out the entrance and a lady in a station wagon gave me a rude gesture. A clean car! I barely found my way home!

p.s. I did tip them well. Like I said, the laughs alone were worth the $20.

Links to Textbook Sites, Others

Students should bookmark these sites:

All Students in 101, 102, and 1402:

Persuasive Topics List


Writing 101 students:

Assignment Sheet for Argument and Persuasion

Sources Worksheet for Argument and Persuasion paper (due Oct. 31)

You will need this link for various grammar exercises. Hacker.

About our textbook author, Cheryl Glenn. Text web site for Making Sense.

Student blogs.


Writing 102 students:

Literary Works:

How to Read a Poem (.rtf file)
Page 1416 (How to Explicate a Poem)

"Do Not Go Gentle"
Project Gutenberg
Short Story Index
Academy of American Poets
Selected Shorts

Noah Lukeman's A Dash of Style

Grammar exercises, usage guide, MLA (& other) style guide: Hacker

Speech 1402 students:

Group Symposium: China files 1; China files 2

Maybe: My Communications Lab

Speech topics.

Increase Your Vocabulary with Word a Day

At dictionary.com you can sign up for an e-mail that will bring you a new word each day. It's fun to read about the word when it comes in and then try to find a way to use it at some point in the day. Here's an example of what an e-mail looks like:

Word of the Day for
Wednesday, August 29, 2007

cajole \kuh-JOHL\, transitive:

To persuade with flattery, repeated appeals, or soothing words; to coax.

If Robert had been an ordinary ten-year-old he would have cajoled and whined, asked and asked and asked until I snapped at him to keep quiet.
-- Anna Quindlen, Black and Blue

One of Virgil's great accomplishments was his ability to charm, cajole, weasel people out of their bad moods, especially when their bads moods inconvenienced him.
-- Anthony Tommasini, Virgil Thomson: Composer on the Aisle

Whiz kept to himself and spent long hours every day studying financials and technical charts and reading impenetrable economic publications. Even the warden had tried to cajole him into sharing market tips.
-- Belfry Holdings, The Brethren

Cajole derives from Early Modern French cajoler, originally, "to chatter like a bird in a cage, to sing; hence, to amuse with idle talk, to flatter," from Old French gaiole, jaiole, "a cage," from Medieval Latin caveola, "a small cage," from Latin cavea, "an enclosure, a den for animals, a bird cage," from cavus, "hollow." It is related to cave, cage and jail (British gaol).

Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for cajole


So later that day I used the word with my cat Luna, who is constantly "cajoling" me for food. Luna hops up on my shoulder when I am working at the computer and purrs in my ear. Then she nuzzles my ear and purrs louder and louder. It tickles and it makes me laugh. Sometimes she makes a sound like a horse when it whinnies.

"You're quite the little cajoler," I said to her as I opened up a new can of salmon Florentine.

But then I wondered if I used the word correctly. Could it become a noun? To answer my question, I clicked the link above ("Dictionary.com Entry...") and saw that it indeed could be a noun:

—Related forms

ca·jole·ment, noun

ca·jol·er, noun

ca·jol·ing·ly, adverb

A friend who knew I was writing about this word observed, "You rather enjoy the cajolement."

Download Microsoft Compatibility Pack

Class members will be exchanging files with each other and the instructor, so everyone who is using Microsoft 2003 or 1997 should download this compatibility pack.

If you don't have it and you encounter a .docx file, you'll be unable to open it.

If your computer has Works, you'll have to save as an .rtf and paste the contents into the e-mail dialogue box or send as an attachment.

A Link to Put in Your Writing Bookmarks

The Writer's Almanac by Garrison Keillor. You can read or listen.

He puts one out each day. By listening, you'll expand your horizons of writers and writing.

Write Every Day!

The best way to become a good writer is to write every day. By writing once a day--even if it is just a few paragraphs--you will have a chance to put into practice what you learn about writing in this course.

See the syllabus for guidelines about blog posts.