Article 4/6 - Why is college so expensive?

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303870704579298302637802002?KEYWORDS=college&mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303870704579298302637802002.html%3FKEYWORDS%3Dcollege

This article from the Wall Street Journal talks about the increasing expense of college. It gives a shocking statistic that from 1978-2011 the expense of college has increased at a rate practically double that of the average family income (7.45% vs 3.8%). The author accredits this problem to the increased involvement of the government in the college process. By providing grants and other forms of aid, the government forces colleges to raise their own prices in order to counter. The article says that because of such high costs, it forces students to take majors that are overall less expensive, and or go to a public or community college vs a private institution. Another possible option is the increased use of online education. Overall, I found this article very interesting being that it provided a great deal of statistical evidence. It is unbelievable the amount of debt the average college graduate is in. The author of this article is uses a strategy of statement then specific evidence very well in order to prove his point. The intended audience are students are parents looking at colleges and those interested in economic studies. The purpose of the article is to draw a source of the high expense of today's colleges.

Article 3/23 - [Witty Post Title]

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304256404579449180386537694?mod=trending_now_4

This article from the Wall Street Journal talks about how comedy is beneficial and keep our brains healthy. The author states that comedy puts an odd twist on the way the brain normally functions. The brain "jumps the gun" and expects the ending but is then surprised by the result. The article gives the example of the Groucho Marx joke, "I just shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas I don't know." The author then goes into specific case studies of how comedy helps our brains think more creatively and also deal with pain and stress. The only kind of humor not healthy is dark humor when the speaker is the subject. Overall I thought this article was interesting and well, comical. The intended audience is those interested in the brain and readers of the WSJ. The purpose is to inform the audience of real benefits of comedy and to spark curiosity in how the brain functions. The author uses exemplification by starting out with the broad statement of comedy being beneficial to the brain and then going into specific examples and studies. The author uses logos as well with the numerous examples and studies. 

Article 2/23 - Not the hominy!

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304675504579391143240721978?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304675504579391143240721978.html

This article from the Wall Street Journal is a comedic critique of today's man and how he needs to earn back his manhood. The article starts out with how we live in an age of convenience and everything is at our fingertips. By having things so easily, we become helpless without our numerous internet devices and such that makes our lives run smoothly. For example, he states when a cash register is not working no one can do the mental math to figure out change needed because, to his point, we do not use our brains very much. He then goes on to define what real manliness is, being the things settlers and mountain men did to survive in the wilderness, not spinning classes and working on core. He then goes on to give a guide on what all men should know how to do including, cooking a steak on a grill, how to survive in the forest, and how to jump a car that is not starting. The purpose of this article is to critique as well as amuse. The intended audience are men, specifically those who are not "manly". The author uses satire in his section on knowing how to do manly things, by giving steps but in these steps are critiques of today's society and that do not actually giving helpful suggestions. For example in the section on how to survive in the wilderness, "23. If you are anywhere in North America, within 20 minutes you will come to a Starbucks." By doing this he makes the point that men today do not know how to do any of those "manly" things that our predecessors completed before. Overall, I found this article amusing and enjoyful to read especially the section where he mentioned the spinning classes and doing core, because being a runner, that's a lot of what I do.

Artilce 2/16 - Dunder MIfflin

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303704304579379431532672924?mod=trending_now_4

This article from the Wall Street Journal talks about the common complaint of a poor work environment and how it can surprisingly be beneficial. The article starts out by naming the classic problems of the workplace that everyone can relate to: the narcissists, the passive aggressives, the gossipers, and the workaholics. Everyone has the same problem that they love their job but they hate their coworkers. The article continues though to state that each of these personalities actually does have a benefit to the workplace by providing evidence through research done in previous years. The article then concludes with the statement that by realizing that you could be a disruptor yourself, you become a better worker as well as worker. This article's purpose is to inform about the positive effects of having a diverse personality workplace. The intended audience is those who work which is the majority of the adult population. This article first uses an allusion the the television show The Office which allows an easy understanding of the point the article is trying to make. Then the article uses a series of deductive reasoning. The author points out a common stereotype office worker and then refutes the reasoning of no benefit with data from conducted studies. Overall this was an interesting and informative article to read. 

Article 2/2 - And it's a wagon

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303519404579350732473411304?mod=trending_now_5

This article from the Wall Street Journal is a review of the new, quirky station wagon from Mercedes Benz. This is not the normal old Subaru Forester or Volvo wagon we all remember as kids; this is "a family hauler as 'roided-out as the company's performance division, AMG, can feasibly make it." The AMG goes a maximum 186 mph and 0-60 in 3.6 seconds. It's engine is a 5.5-liter biturbo direct-injection V8 producing 577 hp. Despite a few downsides, this car is a supercar in a wagon's body. The purpose of this article is to inform and review a new car. The intended audience is those who are interested in cars or other readers of the WSJ. What appealed to me most about this article was the author's style and tone. His purpose appears to be both informative and comedic. His use of vivid descriptions as well as humorous comparisons makes the reader want to keep reading even if they are not a car nut. For example "In this car you leave the grocery store with eggs in a bag and come home with an omelet," which makes you laugh a little to yourself while reading. Overall, the author uses description, similes, metaphors, analogies, and logos to write a comedic but effective review of a new Mercedes station wagon.  

Article 1/20 - All you need to do is cry

http://money.cnn.com/2014/01/17/technology/innovation/google-contacts/#tech?hpt=tech_zite1_featured

This article from CNN talks about the new development from Google that would help diabetics. Surprisingly this help would come in the form of contact lenses. How these lenses work are that they have tiny glucose sensors in them that measure the the glucose levels every second. This would be a great alternative to having the daily routine of using blood test strips. The person would not have to prick their fingers every time they wanted to test their blood levels. The lenses are still currently in development. These lenses are coming from the same division of Google known as Google X Labs. This division also is working on the famous driverless cars and balloons that transmit Wifi. Overall this article was interesting because you would not think that the solution to avoiding test strips for diabetes would be in your eyes. The purpose is to inform about a new development by Google which would help diabetics. The intended audience is those interested in medical technology and Google itself. One interesting aspect of the article is that the author appears to almost glorify Google. 

Article 1/5 - A way to actually keep your New Year's Resolution

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304137304579290631043862634

This article from the Wall Street Journal talks about a new fitness app, called FitStar, which uses algorithms to create workouts based on your own inputted feedback. The app also can receive personalized data from fitness devices made by Fitbit and Jawbone. With the help of NFL player Tony Gonzalez in instructional videos and motivational input, the app pushes you to complete the goals that you input. How it works is after every workout you choose either "too easy", "just right", or "brutal", and with that data the app calculates what your next workout should entail. The app is currently only available on the Appstore, but it is free and costs five dollars a month for all of the features. The company is currently working on including warmups and cool downs along with the workouts, as well as injury recovery which has been requested by users. The purpose of this article is to inform about and review a new app called FitStar. The intended audience is those interested in mobile technology, or those looking to get into shape. The author establishes ethos because he used and rated the app himself. He appeals to pathos by talking about the struggle to stay in shape that everyone can relate to. Furthermore he establishes logos by providing examples and data to back up his overall review of the app. Overall I think this is a cool app and I might use it over the summer as a extra workout.