Class 07 TUE FEB 07
Riddle: Transporter 3
What’s wrong with the buoyancy solution?
Counterintuitive Questions
Can we Democratize Water? Will we be Allowed to?
Update: Government intervention in collecting rainwater?
Color-coded map to rainwater collection restrictions
A book about Water privatization: Water Wars by Vandana Shiva
PBS Documentary California’s Latest Water War
Book: Manual for Water Harvesting
The Failed Ransom Note
What can a ransom note teach us about making bold, clear, persuasive claims?
Click to launch the full Ransom Note Illustration
Let’s Argue
Click here to launch the “Panhandler Argument“
In-Text Citation Workshop
Link to a breakdown of some common punctuation and grammar errors, PLUS, an invitation to correct yours before you receive feedback.
Hypothesis Illustrated:
Self-Directed Lecture (with Task)
- Brief Introduction
- USAID tested the theory that direct aid to the poor would improve childhood nutrition more than trying to engineer nutrition programs for them, on the theory that the poor know what to do; they simply lack the resources.
- Link to “The ‘Give Directly’ Hypothesis”
- Contains a Brief “Discussion Exercise”
- Link to “The ‘Give Directly’ Hypothesis”
Hypothesis Hint
- First check out the “Hypothesis Feedback” Lecture page.
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Counterintuitive Spring 2023 
Make yourself sound like everything your saying is one hundred percent correct and justified, convince the reader that you know everything about your argument.
Have ATLEAST THREE conferences with David, you need to make sure your being clear and specific with your work (we all know I can’t, but no one knows who I am lol).
The “Give Directly” hypothesis was not a fail, not just as an experiment but as a research paper. Daniel Handel’s experiment did help prove that give cash did benefit the family, just not in the way it was initial intended. Although this would still make people weary of giving out cash in fear that “they can’t be trusted to spend it wisely.”
Although the idea of having a million people in a forest with leaf blowers is a funny thing to imagine (and loud to think about), it allows others to think of more cost effective and environmental safe ways to help prevent something as catastrophic as an uncontrollable forest fire. Giving a problem that has occurred one too many times a solution that may have multiple benefits. Think slightly out of the box may help in figuring out a research prompt.
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You should never include “in my opinion” in your essay. It is, by definition, an expression of your opinion. You dismiss your authority to the reader when you say something like that.
We discussed the connection between malnutrition and poverty, and whether or not “cash-benching” programs are successful and helpful. Using a study regarding the poor citizens of Rwanda, we discussed how to improve your hypothesis once you have discovered that the evidence does not support it. If the evidence does not support your hypothesis, you must rework your hypothesis or find a new one.
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-Never tell the reader that the essay your writing is your opinion
-Make your writing seam like fact
-Use an authoritative voice to help convince the reader
Stone Money Lecture:
-whether the hypothesis is proved or disproved the experiment is a success in way that you’ve learned either way
-The Stone Money experiment was a success but the program being tested was a failure.
-Money is an abstract concept
-Try to connect the idea of money to real world values
-Read the articles that are linked and watch the stone money video to research about stone money before writing
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opening:
– we don’t need to remind people in our essays that it is our opinion, we need to persuade them to believe our conclusions are facts
– never water down your authority in the essay
professor conferences:
– meeting in person would only be available Tuesday and Thursdays, but will be difficult
– there will be 3 mandatory zoom conferences and the first one is due by Oct 7th
– at the end of the semester we will meet about our grades
– sign up in the charts on google docs and set the agenda
hypothesis:
– some of the hypotheses are too broad; will need a lot of work
– the purpose of the hypothesis is to establish if a question has an answer
Give Directly answers:
– the authors of the study didn’t necessarily fail; even though they got different results than expected, they still learned something from the experiment
– proving that the cash-equivalent grants are as beneficial as an education program would qualify as success because it is still helping families feed their children
– the authors also succeeded this way because they were still obtaining results from the experiment
– The authors could not conclude this because some families have debts that they have to pay off first before they can do anything else, this doesn’t mean they don’t know how to correctly spend money. They are still using the money for something important
hypothesis feedback:
– don’t give up on your hypothesis too early; stay open to the possibilities to the change of plans and to the changes others offer towards you
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When writing you want to eliminate telling the audience too much that what your writing is opinion. You will be more persuasive if you leave that out.
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9/23 Notes
We never should tell the readers our opinions in the essay we are writing.
We should give an impression of what we are writing, a fact, rather than an opinion.
Our goal of writing is for the readers to believe what we are saying.
Zoom meetings (Mandatory)
1 in the semester
1 near the finals – to discuss my grades
Hypothesis
An investigation of things we do not know rather than something we do know.
Every experiment is a successful solution. After each experiment, you do learn something.
Such as giving people money and expecting them to help feed their children.
The experiment did not fail but the program failed. (Give Directly)
The cash does not change, rather than the value. (The price of a product will change based on the stocks.)
The person who is selling apples changes the price. (But who decides?)
(The market, the government?)
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We don’t have to tell the person reading our essay that the essay is our opinion. Instead, it is better to give the impression that what we are delivering facts. It doesn’t help to water down our authority with statements such as “it seems to me” and “in my opinion”. All we have to persuade out readers is our voice and our reasoning.
A hypothesis is an investigation into something that we don’t know. Anything you learn from an experiment is a success. If the results are not what you wanted to accomplish the experiment is still a success.
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In class today we touched on the topic of how your essay is an expression of your opinion, however, it is not necessary to state that it is your opinion. This will undermine the authority of your work. We then discussed the mandatory zoom conference calls throughout the semester which can be scheduled using the Google Docs form. Next, we explained that the purpose of a hypothesis is to research something we don’t know instead of proving something we do know. Any outcome of testing a hypothesis in which we learn something is considered a successful experiment. If direct aid was given to the poor to feed children and ensure proper nutrition, the experiment is successful whether the money was used for the intended purpose or not. Do not give up on your hypothesis if you do not have enough evidence, but instead modify it to fit the evidence you do find. We then discussed the Stone Money assignment and the resources that can be used. Lastly, we reflected on the actual and perceived value of different mediums of money.
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Today in class we discussed that you should never state your opinion as is and should portray it as fact. Next we discussed conferences from the remaining semester and that they would be on zoom. Then we discussed hypothesis and what would be deemed a success when testing a bold idea by giving poor people money instead of training them with programs. Next we discussed what to do if you hypothesis isn’t supported by initial evidence. If you hypothesis isn’t supported by initial evidence I would develop my hypothesis further or spin it a way that you could get evidence. Next, we discussed money for our upcoming essay on money. The discussion included matters such as Bitcoin, all the way to inflation and how much your dollar was worth at any given moment.
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Class notes: 9/23/21
Never say or write “in my opinion” because our expression as a writer is seen as an opinion by never telling the readers. These are our facts that don’t undergo authoritarian methods but through persuasive means to get the reader on your side. Conference with Professor on Zoom with teleconference chart.
Hypothesis Illustrated to establish a question must have an answer whether or not it might be what it seems to be as the result becoming a success as it is conducted fairly and being more experienced from the hypothesis. Make a new idea that is related to the topic, but doesn’t have the same opinion as any of the articles while questioning more about the hypothesis and get something eventually brand new.
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English Comp II Lecture Notes (9.23.21)
Beginning
• Our essays are expressions of our opinions
o does not help to water down our authority by saying “in my opinions”, etc..
• If we sound authoritative and find lots of (good/detailed) evidence we will be believed
• “Weak Suggestion of Independence”
o “it seems to us that…”
o “advisable”
o “act as if they deserve”
o stronger
o “when…”
o “it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve…”
o “and to assume…”
• Professor Conferences
o first of three (mandatory) zoom meetings by October 7th
Develop and Defend your Hypothesis
• by October 7
Evaluate your Thesis Progress
• by November 4
Final Grade Conference
• during finals week
Hypothesis Illustrated: Self-Directed Lecture
• (brief) purpose: an investigation of what we don’t know
• What is a successful experiment?
o even if we are initially wrong, it is still successful because we learned something
o trial and error
• “Give Directly” Article
• “Stone Money” mini lecture
o Tues. 29th mini essay due for “Stone Money”
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Schedule conferences for developing hypothesis before October 7 and thesis before November (THREE CONFRENCES TOTAL)
Anything you learn from the experiment is a success.
Market decides how much money is worth.
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1. No, the authors did not fail because they learned what is not helpful in the experiment. The authors didn’t fail but the program did.
2. No, it would not qualify as a success unless they gave them the money they need for basic nutrition and hygiene.
3. Yes, it was not was they intended to prove, but they did figure something out
4. They didn’t prove whether or not they can trust them with the money to buy things that will be good for them.
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essays are your own opinion. but write them as your own truths to convince your reading that you are correct.
– sound credible
never say that it is your opinion or it seems to you just write it in the most positive light you can. don’t remind them that its your own point of view.
share your convictions
Professor Conferences
mon tue wed thurs for conferences . First of three is mandatory by THU OCT 07.
hypothesis is not a claim you’re trying to prove true its an experiment that you want to test.
no failure in proving your hypothesis false.
Poor citizens direct cash experiment. people need the resources instead of being taught how to use the resources.
a hypothesis cannot fail. if you prove it right or wrong you succeed.
Thomas Edison reference. every failure gets you 1 step closer to success.
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Never say it seems to me
Never let the reader know that what you’re writing is your opinion, make it clear that it is an unwavering fact
Use authority and seem valid
Be confident and don’t remind people that it’s just your point of view because then people will take your word rather than qualifying what you’re saying by undercutting your authority
Declare things to be true
Hypothesis isn’t something you’re trying to prove, but an experiment you’re trying to test
A hypothesis is just an experiment we don’t know the answer to
The value of money is the belief that another person will accept it
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Good Notes, Ziggy
3/3
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9/23 notes
In class today, we talked about the benefits of getting one on one feedback. By October 7th, develop and defend hypothesis. By November 4th, evaluate your thesis progress. During finals week, we will have a final grade conference. Then, we talked about our hypotheses. A hypothesis is a claim you are trying to prove an experimenter you are trying to test. If you prove or disprove your hypothesis, you succeeded. A hypothesis cannot fail, it is just an experiment that proves something. After discussing the “give directly” article, we got a new study task, “stone money.”
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Good Notes CN
3/3
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Essays are your own opinion, but you want to write it as a fact. When you have no true expertise in the section you’re writing about, all you have is your voice. Rather than making your essay a conversation, make it a declaration.
Professor conferences are available in the syllabus plus section. Use the google doc to set a conference, zoom link is offered within the document.
“A hypothesis is not a claim you’re trying to prove, it’s an experiment you’re trying to test.” If you prove your hypothesis is true or false, both are successes.
Given a 1000 word essay task due next Wednesday @11:59. Stone Money task.
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Today in class, we started by listening to Queen. After that, we talked about how all we have is the authority of our voice when writing an essay. We don’t want to remind people that it is our opinion when writing an essay. Instead, present it positively, and if we stop telling people it is our opinion, people will like it more. The professor has office hours, and we can find the teleconference chart in the syllabus plus menu. Three face-to-face conferences over zoom to go over our work. The hypothesis cannot be too broad. We then went over what we would be doing during the meetings and how the grading process would go. A hypothesis is not something you are trying to prove; it is an experiment you test. A hypothesis cannot fail because whatever happens, we prove something. Finally, we did an in-class assignment where we answered the question about a hypothesis written by USAID. We then talked about the stone money assignment.
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Essays are our own opinion but we want to convince people that they aren’t. How to convince people of our thoughts when we are writing and if we write unconfident and without authority, it will be less believable. We also went over the 1 on 1 conference, how often they are and how to sign up for them. When writing a paper with a hypothesis the goal should not be to prove your hypothesis, it should be instead to research and conclude based on the information that is found. A hypothesis is just an experiment we don’t know the answer to yet, and it cannot fail. Money’s inherent value is only from the assumption that it will be able to be further exchanged for other goods.
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9/23 notes
An essay is your best opportunity to make a reader believe that what you are writing about is true rather than what you believe is to be true. The last thing we want the reader to know is that it is your opinion. Do not write “in my opinion.” Your essay reflects your personal opinion supported by facts. We discussed where we can find the professor conferences. The first of three is mandatory by October 7th. Three conferences are required. Hypothesis is a claim you are not trying to prove. It is evidence you are trying to test. Every single failure gets closer to success because people can cancel out every reason why it is not working. Hypothesis can not fail. We learned through the “give briefly” article that The article did not fail. The program did fail. That the cash-equivalent grants were as beneficial as the education program that it would have qualified as Success because they would’ve found a new way to help people and it would give new knowledge. They didn’t fail, but this isn’t the response they were looking for. If the people did not benefit from the cash in a certain way, that can eliminate what people do and don’t need the cash for to get to a conclusion. They proved something even if it wasn’t the point they intended on proving.
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Never say ” in my opinion” when writing an essay. The goal is to make the reader believe your opinion is true, We then went over the schedule for our zoom meetings. After the zoom meetings we went over the hypothesis illustration. After that we discussed how money Is nothing but a belief that the next person will want it. It is just a piece of paper with no value.
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Using qualifiers and declaring everything you say to be your opinions will undermine your argument.
The first teleconference with Prof. Hodges must take place within the next two weeks (develop and defend hypotheses by then.)
The truth or falseness of a hypothesis does not determine success or failure, as long as experimentation produces information about it.
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Opening:
-Essay’s are your own opinion, but the goal is to convince people that your opinion factual
-Do not remind people that it is your opinion
-Present your opinion in the most positive light
-Use authority in your voice
-Do not remind people that your convictions are personal
Hypothesis:
-Not a claim you are trying to prove, but an experiment you are testing
-No failure in proving that your hypothesis is false
-A hypothesis cannot fail
-A hypothesis is simply an experiment you do not know the answer to
“Give Directly” Hypothesis:
-Experimented to see if directly providing the resources to malnourished families would be more effective than financing programs to educate them about nutrition
-Although the experiment did not achieve its primary goals, a successful hypothesis was still evident
-Any answer, regardless of being positive or negative, is a successful result
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What I learned in class today:
-Writing is your own opinion, yet you should write like it is factual and sound like you know what you’re talking about
-Hypothesis is not a claim you are trying to prove, but an experiment you are trying to test
-It is ok to have your hypothesis wrong it’s just an experiment
-Hypotheses never fail
-Make your hypothesis authoritative
-Stone Money podcast due Monday
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Was taught that:
Essays are opinionated.
Truths are self-evident.
Learned about teleconferences.
Hypothesis illustrated:
Read the “Give directly” hypothesis
Discussed the outcome of the hypothesis
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We started class today with the fact that an essay is our own opinion
– Opportunity to take fact and opinion and put it into one space
– Never “say it seems to me” or “this is my opinion”, just say it
– The founding fathers didn’t ask for agreement, they just declared it
We discussed making appointments to have professor – student conferences
– We will meet a minimum of 3 times by the end of the semester
– The first conference of 3 is mandatory by October 7th
– Develop and defend your hypothesis
The second conference out of 3 is mandatory before Thursday November 4th
– Evaluate your thesis progress
The third conference of the semester is mandatory during Finals Week
– Final grade conference
A hypothesis is not a claim that you’re trying to prove its an experiment your trying to test
– If you prove that your hypothesis is not true, that is still as much as a success as if you prove that your hypothesis is true
– It is very possible for you to start with one hypothesis and end up proving or disproving another unwritten hypothesis just in the midst of research
A hypothesis was tested in Rwanda: If you give people the money they need, they’ll improve the health and nutrition of their kids because they already know how to, they just don’t have the money to
– 4 different groups are made
– The first group was the control group and had no help
– The second group got health and nutrition trainers to come speak
– The third group was given $114 (the cost it would take to pay for the teaching program)
– The fourth group was given $500
If the 3rd and 4th groups nutrition and hygiene improved, that would prove the hypothesis true, but if it is proved false, it doesn’t matter because you still learned something, that’s the whole point of a hypothesis – you can’t fail
– The talk about giving money without giving money didn’t do anything, but the $114 didn’t make much of a difference either, in fact most of them used the $114 to pay their own personal debts because that was their bigger concern
– However the only group where it made some difference was the one that received $500 because they were able to pay personal debt AND improve health and nutrition
“Money has value” is a very abstract concept
Even though it’s just a piece of paper, you’re able to trade for it and the only reason it is accepted is because we know the next man will accept it also
Trading goes back to the beginning of civilization
Currency traded for goods
Money isn’t about anything other than whether the next guy will take it or not
If you offer 20 $1 coins over a 20 dollar bill, you’re most likely not going to accept it because you know the next person won’t either. They’d rather have a 20 dollar bill because they can and they also know they can just move to the next and get the paper bill they want
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To begin the lecture today, Prof. Hodges stressed that the main point of an essay is to express your opinions (based on research) in such a manner that they come across as fact. To accomplish this, a confident, strong voice is required – after all, how can the audience fully believe something that the speaker himself is not even convinced of? This was followed by a reminder to schedule an appointment for the first mandatory professor conference, in which I will be expected to develop and/or defend my research hypothesis. Naturally, a discussion of what exactly goes into a good hypothesis ensued, in which it was demonstrated that a hypothesis is not to be proven but merely investigated. To find that it is untrue is not a failure, but instead an elimination of an unworthy solution. This point was further driven home through a real-world example of an experiment conducted by the USAID regarding methods to best deliver nutritional assistance to Rwandans. Although neither of the primary solutions tested achieved the goals of the program, they further narrowed the search for the one that did. Another example – that of the search for a successful forest fire prevention method in California – demonstrated how to parse through common opinions to find one that is uncommon (the goal of the hypothesis assignment). Class concluded with a brief overview of the topics to be covered in the Stone Money assignment.
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-By definition, an essay is automatically your opinion. You don’t have to say “In my opinion” or anything of the sorts; your essay should be so convincing and persuasive that a reader will believe what you are saying is facts
-We have 3 mandatory conferences we will have to indulge in, where we can set our own agenda and discuss whatever we would like to in that meeting
-The purpose of a hypothesis is to establish that a question may have an answer, and through research you figure out if that answer is found
-Anything that you learn from an experiment you perform is a success, because you are trying to answer a question and even if something seems bad it is just one step closer to finding out a solution
– “” are on the outside of a quote, use the ‘’ for quotes on the inside of the original quote
-You are allowed to change your hypothesis, and to stay open to changes in your original hypothesis. You can subtly alter for the better
-Who really decides what things are worth? ex) who chooses how many apples you can buy with a dollar? Are they in or out of season, who is the seller? ex) how much is bitcoin really worth; it’s insured by no one.
-There is a faith in others to accept a certain currency and recognize how much it is actually worth; shows how others interpret different things
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It does no good for us to explain that what we are saying in our essay is our opinion, rather, we should write as if we are stating facts. It doesn’t help to water down authority with phrases like “it seems to me”, “I believe”, etc. The essay is an expression of our opinion so we should be confident and persuasive in our language. If the Declaration of Independence was written with such weak phrases, it wouldn’t have the same effect, so we should keep that in mind while writing our essays.
The purpose of a hypothesis is to establish a question and through research, find out if the question is accurate or not. An example of a hypothesis is instead of spending $150 on nutrition education, directly handing people $150 would do more good. However, even if this money isn’t used to help children, that would still be a successful experiment because things are still being learned. Try different methods to get to a result that lines up with the hypothesis. The results of this experiment prove that aid programs do not work, but a large amount of direct cash does. This is important because it still gives a valuable result.
In class, we also discussed the true worth of money-does it have any meaning? Who decides what it is worth? We had a long discussion about the value and purpose of money.
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1. It’s important to never refer your essay is an opinion, as you should use your writing to attempt to convince the reader that you’re right
2. Whether or not the hypothesis is proved to be true or not, an experiment is considered successful as long as something is learned.
3. We spoke about the truth of value of money. Does it really have a worth or is a social construct deciding if we value our current currency at the moment? If a major corporation stopped taking $20 bills, would it be as valuable?
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-The riddle was really funny. The guy in the movie and his car were sinking in the water, and his solution was to release the air from the tires into a couple of bags to pull them up. The reason why this would not work in real life is because he also used a lot of that air to help him breathe, and even less air then there were already in the tires to fill up the bags. Yet, it somehow pulled them up. This would NOT happen in real life.
-Rainwater collection restrictions have already begun in several states in the US.
-Some restrictive states allow use of rainwater for non-potable purposes, meaning, activities that do not allow drinking.
-Ownership of land and property is a really interesting concept. Rainwater can fall anywhere, and some states are really restrictive as far as collecting rainwater. However, if it falls on your roof and on your land, you could technically say that you own that rainwater. Also, if rainwater falls at a public space, but it also falls on your shirt or coat, and they suck in that water, you could say that you technically own that rainwater and can do whatever.
-It is important to make your argument very descriptive and attention grabbing to the reader. You do not want the reader to be confused or wonder.
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I’m so glad you found the riddle funny, GM.
Seems you and I are both mystified by the concepts of land ownership, rain rights, . . . .
I know I quibbled with your Panhandler claim, but I’m no different, always on the alert for signs I could be conned. I usually give anyway. You probably do, too. Beautiful Notes.
5/4
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The riddle in class was related to transporter 3’s buoyancy issue, the fact that the air that took the car up already existed within the tires. We answered the counterintuitive question of whether or not water should be democratized. In Colorado, you can’t collect rainwater for drinking purposes. I think water should be democratized because for the greater good of the ecosystem of the state overall, not just personal ownership. The lesson learned through the ransom note exercise is the value of being direct and concise in your writing. It changes its tone and the message communicated about the writing. We had an argument about the ethics of panhandling.
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Hmmmm . . . seems to me democratizing water permits individuals to make personal use of the water that falls on “their land,” which could be considered antagonistic to the “greater good of the ecosystem” or the “state overall.”
4/4
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– We watched a movie clip that showed a man using his air tire to float back up to the surface of the body of water. Which after discussion, we said makes no sense.
– We discussed where we can find the link to the conferences sheet, our next mandatory meeting deadline is February 23.
– Can we REALLY democratize water? The process has already begun, there are actually books being written about this idea. An example of a book being written is “Water Wars” by Vandana Shiva.
– We looked at the restrictions in Colorado about collecting/drinking rainwater.
– The failed ransom note: we discussed to not arguments like the ransom note because things can get lost in translation. It is better to have a straightforward claim, and to not beat around the bush.
– We talked about panhandlers and whether or not we should give to them under certain circumstances.
–
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Was it a worthwhile class, RL? I can’t tell from your Notes. Did you take away something of value? What was it?
I do wonder about democratizing water, but what I mean by that is empowering people to gather or produce their own. When you say the process has already begun, I think you mean the opposite: that restrictions are already in place.
3/4
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We begin class by watching a movie scene from Transporter for a riddle and the riddle is there is not enough air to fill up the buoys. The seen is very interesting because the way he tries to save himself is very clever, but in reality, it would never work. Following our class last week with the counterintuitive question “Can we democratize water?” The professor researched this, and it slowly has already begun to happen in the U.S. After this we go over what makes a good ransom note with it having to have a clear premise, step by step logical “proof”, and specific information. An argument should not reflect the format this ransom notes because it is not very clear about the information. After this we talk about panhandlers and us argument if it’s worth giving them the money.
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Your comments on the two exercises earned you the 4/4
4/4
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We started class today listening to Ethiopian jazz to set the mood.
Richard Feynman had our quote of the day, “There are two rules in life: 1) Never give out all the information.”
Riddle for today is Transporter 3. We watched the underwater scene, the riddle having to do with buoyancy. Using the air from the tires to fill up the bags, that wouldn’t make the car float back up to the surface.
Housekeeping: our first announcement on canvas has the blog link in case anybody has a hard time getting back to the blog.
Counter intuitive question: “Can we Democratize Water? Will we be Allowed to?”
23 of the states that have no restrictions on collecting rainwater, 16 states (including New Jersey) offer incentives, and 11 states (like California) have restrictions. Colorado has two laws passed in 2009 that are allowed to use rainwater for non-potable purposes. In 2016 a house bill was passed that residents can collect two rain barrels with a combined 110 gallons to be used only on the property it was collected from and for outside purposes only such as gardening.
Definition argument – water being a public resource, you could have a rule that rain that falls on public land, is not usable.
The Failed Ransom Note: a good argument has a bold clear premise (thesis and hypothesis), step by step logical “proof”, and specific details to emphasize and illustrate the reasoning.
The writer tells Mrs. Robinson that involving the police will change the outcome. The professor was trying to tell us not to write arguments vaguely like the ransom note to Mrs. Robinson. An updated version on the ransom note to Mrs. Robinson makes a clear claim that her husband is abducted. If she doesn’t withdraw $9,000 from both bank accounts, they will harm her husband.
Lets argue: panhandling. Giving money to a panhandler is very 50/50 for most people. Different ways people respond to panhandlers such as smiling at them, only giving money to women, giving panhandlers food are some approaches people use.
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Your Notes are always thorough, OMV, but I have trouble sensing the purpose in these. What’s your take on democratizing water?
4/4
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Writing a good ransom note
-A good argument has a bold clear premise, step by step logical proof, and specific details to emphasize the reasoning.
– A bad ransom note has no clear premise and follows no logic
– We learn from this to always be specific with details and straight to the point with our message to retain our audience’s attention.
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Good enough, Anonymous.
Was that it for the whole 75 minutes?
3/4
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Today we begun class by discussing a quote. “There are two rules. The first one is not to give out too much information.” This quote represents how important information is in an information age. Then we talked about the democratization of water. Basically, certain states have out restrictions on collecting rain water. We talked about what we can learn from a ransom note. A good ransom note is very much like a good hypothesis. You want to get straight to the point. We talked about what makes something an effective or successful ransom note. The next topic was panhandlers. When panhandlers seem like they have something in return to offer people giving them money, they become pretty efficient panhandlers.
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Fascinating. I would never have explained the quote that way.
No Reply to the Panhandler exercise?
3/4
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Today in class, we first watched a scene from the movie transporter 3. It’s quite unlikely that even the smartest person would think of the solution the character made when being stuck in the water. Also, how would the same air from the tires cause the car to float when just being transferred to bags. It’s the same amount of air.
We then discussed if we can democratize water. In Colorado there are restrictions allowing residents to use rainwater for non-potable purposes, non-potable means it’s not drinkable.I think it’s weird that there is restriction on rain water, how is it illegal? Water can’t be owned, it’s natures, not peoples to claim. Although there is issues with water, in places like desserts, there shouldn’t be rules on how you could use rain that lands on your land. Nature is doing its own thing, if any area is dry, it’s for a reason. If there isn’t enough water for people in an area than their should be a limit of people allowed to live there. People should’t get in trouble for taking water that lands on their land but of course its quite the opposite of this, its become a law. I believe that laws are being created for the littlest things when there are bigger problems to deal with.
We talked about how we should properly set up an argument or a persuasive claim. You shouldn’t take too long to get your point across because the reader could get bored quick. You want to get the readers attention in the beginning.
We then talked about if we’d give to panhandlers in certain situations. I hate to see homeless people so I try to help as much as I could. But you never know who’s faking it and isn’t in need. They may be using it for something but not something that’s needed. I wish I could help all but its impossible.
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These are good Notes, Blueeee. They show active engagement with the subject matter, not mere recording of the topics discussed.
5/4
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For today’s riddle the answer as to why the movie scene was completely wrong and made no sense. The scene shows how one of the characters tries to lift himself up as he and his car are submerging, the issue with this has he used the air in the tire and a tarp to lift it altogether. It may sound smart but the issue with this was, how is releasing pressure from the tires going to be enough for the car to be lifted. It was for entertainment purposes and had no kinds of calculations. Should collecting rainwater be illegal, for some states there are limited restrictions on how people should deal with rainwater, for example, in Colorado, there are some restrictions for rainwater collection and how to use rainwater, such as for non-potable reasons and watering plants. How to write a good ransom note, bold clear premise, step-by-step logical proof, and specific details to emphasize and illustrate the reasoning. Refraining from broad statements gives suspense and energy so that the reader anticipates what your going to do next. Understand the difference between arguing and trying to get your point of view out.
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I don’t recognize that final commandment. Must be yours, Water. It’s a good one.
4/4
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1. We start todays class by watching a clip from the movie Transporter 3 which was the riddle. The clip was ridiculous and as the main character is about to sink into his car he fills up two bags with air from the tires which allow his car to float back up. The problem with this is that he only used the air from the tires and the car was already sinking.
2. Situation with democratizing water in the United States from last week, isn’t horrible however many states have restrictions on collecting rainwater.
3. Make your claim bold and clear so that it’s easier to prove and use specific details to emphasize and illustrate the reasoning. The ransom note was hard to understand and not very clear about what they wanted and how they were threatening-try not to make our arguments sound like the note because it wasn’t very clear and very vague. We risk losing the reader’s attention by not making our argument clear and bold.
4. we start an argument about panhandlers: what should be the determinants if you are going to give a panhandler money?
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Good enough, SC.
4/4
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Mandatory Conferences (Housekeeping)
-Second conference in two weeks (around end of February)
The Failed Ransom Note
-arguments must have a bold, clear premise
-need to be able to follow steps and reasoning
-specific details to follow and understand the reasoning
-‘The Failed Ransom Note” was used as an example to show how specifics impact an argument and how one can lose the reader’s attention if a claim is too vague
The Panhandler Argument
-how a nuanced argument can be interpreted by different people with different morals, values, and ethics
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Vague like the first Ransom Note.
“how specifics impact an argument”
“how one can lose the reader’s attention”
“how a nuanced argument can be interpreted by different people”
3/4
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The riddle is that no more air is put in the tire, so why would less air from two tires take the car out of the water.
Not allowed to use rainwater for drinking water.
In the ransom note, they misspell continue.
What i actually do is pass them
What i wish i could do is make sure the money i give them would not feed into their habbit
we learned about ethical values and panhandlers
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Attended class.
2/4
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-Link to the blog can be found on the first announcement in the Canvas
-Do not collect rainwater in Colorado!
-Definition Argument: argument using a series of reasons
=Example: once rain hits the ground, it’s on public land, and cannot be collected
-Make bold first claims when starting an argument, avoid being indirect
Argument: There are certain conditions upon whether we decide to give to the homeless
-We like to give to panhandlers that offer something in return (Ex: an insult, gratitude)
-It’s better to give a panhandler food than money, to parry scammers
Purposeful summary due midnight tomorrow
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Good enough for full credit.
You could really make these sing with a little more commitment.
4/4
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Today, our counter-intuitive discussion focused on the question, “can we democratize water?”. We specifically discussed how different local administrations in the US criminalize the collection and use of rainwater to varying degrees. The question of whether this was really possible or even desirable was discussed. Water can be considered a public resource, and therefore regulated. Can people own the water above that falls on their land? Can people really even own land? This lead into a discussion over the concept of public resources and to what extent that can be regulated.
Next, we looked at a somewhat cartoonish and horribly constructed ransom note. Its vague wording does not communicate its presumed threatening intention competently. The second example uses much stronger writing which gives clear indication of what is required and expected of the recipient.
The next discussion was over the “panhandler argument”. Professor Hodges shared an anecdote about a time a panhandler sold a gag for a dollar. The class then mostly left their hands raised for the next segment, indicating that most of the class gives to panhandler at least under some conditions. We then looked at a list of conditions under which one might give to a panhandler. The range of opinions on how one should interact with panhandlers varied widely.
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Your Notes are always worth reading, Gracchus. Thanks for that.
5/4
Keep your punctuation inside the quotation marks.
—Today, our counter-intuitive discussion focused on the question, “Can we democratize water?”
(That’s it. End of quote. End of sentence. No period at all.)
The next discussion was over the “panhandler argument.”
(Whether the quotation marks set off a complete sentence, directly quoted material, or a simple highlighted phrase, double quotes are used and periods go inside.
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Riddle- the movie the transporter 3 poses the thought of using bags and filling them with the air in your tire, but by doing that you are not getting any more air then what is already in the tires to begin with.
Ransom note talk- the purpose of the ransom note discussion was to show how important it is to be specific and purposeful when writing. We saw this through the examples of ransom note 1 compared to ransom note 2
Reply to ransom- To find the ransom note page go to agenda for feb 7 and scroll down to the heading failed ransom note and click on the link, once your there you need to reply in the reply box at the bottom
Panhandler argument/discussion- This discussion served the purpose of argument and how not everyone is going to agree with the same ideas, hearing out different sides of argument can help to provide a different perspective you otherwise wouldn’t see. Some believed we should give to panhandlers while others shared their experience of exactly why they don’t give to panhandlers.
Reply- You will need to reply to the panhandler discussion about your take on the argument. (go to agenda feb 7 scroll down to panhandler argument and click the link)
For class Thursday feb 9 you should have your purposeful summary done as well as listen to the 1 hour podcast on stone money.
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Good
4/4
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-The scene in the movie was flawed and didn’t make sense because the main character in the film tried to lift himself and his car using air from the tires and a device he happened to have on him. Releasing pressure from the tires wouldn’t be enough to lift the car. The scene would never happen in real life and was for movie purposes.
-In some states, collecting rainwater is restricted, such as in Colorado where there are limitations on how rainwater can be used for non-potable purposes and watering plants. Talking about different ways of the whole rainwater debacle makes you really form an opinion on it.
-The ransom note made me think about having a bold and clear premise, providing specific details to support your reasoning. Do not use vague statements and be clear.
-The panhandler discussion makes you think about forming an opinion which then turns into an argument. What should you do for these people and what circumstances would you actually give to them?
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In both cases, you have a chance to state an opinion in a few words and you choke:
1. -Talking about different ways of the whole rainwater debacle makes you really form an opinion on it.
2. -The panhandler discussion makes you think about forming an opinion which then turns into an argument. What should you do for these people and what circumstances would you actually give to them?
3/4
Make bold claims, PhilsFan
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To start off Richard Feynman says, “There are two rules in life: 1) Never give out all the information.”
Riddle: Transporter 3- what is wrong with the buoyancy solution? The car is taking 4 big bags of air down. If a car is going to sink with four balloons displacing some air into bags won’t bring it to the surface.
Can we democratize water? Will we be allowed to? Already government interventions over collecting rainwater. 23 states where collecting rainwater is not restricted. 11 states have restrictions on rainwater harvesting. Colorado has a prohibition against potable use- allowed to harvest rainwater for non-potable purposes.
The ransom note: The ransom note discussion allows you to see the importance of being specific when writing. Reply in the reply box at the bottom of the ransom notes. The first ransom note is very vague and has no claim. The updated ransom note is bold and to the point.
Panhandler: We had a group discussion of who would help the homeless. Most students wouldn’t give money, they said they’d offer food. Most students would give money if there were a child present or animal. Reply to the panhandler argument on your own thoughts on this situation.
Thursday February 9 – have your purposeful summary done, listen to 1 hour podcast on stone money.
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Thoughtful and thorough, PinkHeart.
4/4
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Transporter films (transporter 3)
A guy dresses the same every time
Long suffering french issues
He’ll take you anywhere you want or anything you want anywhere (cash transactions)
Transports women that ends up being the package
He’s wearing an explosive bracelet that if he steps away from his car for a certain amount of time he will explode
He drives off into the water to escape fire but now his car is sinking and if his cars sicks he cant swim up because he will blow up
What’s wrong with the car sinking scene
The tires already are not enough to keep the car from drowning so putting that air in different bags won’t do anything
No restrictions on harvesting rainwater in Nj
You can also collect in colorado however only on your land and you may not drink it
Owning land
Sounds outdated
Plates will shift without any care of what we made on top (we don’t own land)
Ransom note 1
Horrible random note
Doesn’t clearly communicate any instruction or consequences
Ransom note 2
States what she wants her to do and the consequences if she doesn’t
Giving to the homeless
What’s the requirement? A mom? Gender? What does the sign say?
At a minimum, go on the record about:
1.What you actually do
Keep granola bars in my bag so i’ll give them that
2.What you wish you could do
Give them a job
3.What you know you should do
I’m not quite sure what the morally correct answer is. Varies on the person that is asking for money, i’ll never know if what they actually need is what they are asking for.
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Maybe catch a Transporter movie over the weekend? Report back if you do.
4/4
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-we started off by talking about water and if you can democratize it. Went over laws of states and compared it to other things and try to see why these laws are and in place and what is the benefit of them.
-then went over to ransom notes and how to make effective and what a good and not so good ransom note looks like
-then talked over panhandlers and what we would and to think deeper about panhandlers motives or if they’re genuine.
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This is pure (undesirable) “talked about” language, Anonymous. You name three topics and their points without sharing any actual content.
Here’s how it looks:
—Can Water Be Democratized?
——State laws vary
——Compare to other commodities
——Benefits of such laws
—Ransom Notes
——Good (Effective) vs. Bad
—Panhandlers
——Their Motives
——Our Reactions
If you were presented with this Agenda, it wouldn’t give you any answers, only preview the topics to be discussed.
Good Notes should show the benefit of having participated in the material, should share insights, conclusions, not just reproduce the agenda points.
The Agenda does that.
2/4
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With the Transporter 3 riddle: If the air from the tires wouldn’t be enough to lift the car how would moving the air into bigger balloons help? It is interesting that some places democratize water. When thinking about land and water and gathering or selling, it is weird. Especially when talking about land and selling land when in reality it is an imaginary idea of ownership. The first ransom note was very wordy, short of details, and didn’t prove any points. The second ransom note gets right to the point and it makes the instructions clear. With the panhandling, I would much rather give them food rather than money.
Due next class is purposeful summaries.
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Interesting. And weird. Anything else?
3/4
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