Doc Roldan's Blog: Writing on Writing

“A Third of Life”

lwalk89 — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:56:27 +0000

As humans, we spend approximately a third of our life sleeping. We live in a “sleep-sick society” that relies on alarm clocks to get up and devalues sleep as unproductive and a waste of time. As a culture, we are indifferent to the subject of sleep since there is an abaence of knowledge on the subject in the general public, medical world, and literature. Though, all mammals display the act of sleep. Some animals can have unihemisopheric sleep, where one side of the brain is awake with an open eye and the other side is asleep, in order for them to be alert in case of danger. I find this article very interesting in how it shows the various sleeping habits of humans as well as animals. Marin states “When we are awake we all inhabit a common world, but when we sleep each of us occupies a world of our own”, showing how complex and much of a personal experience sleep is. Since sleep is a necessity, I think its important for society to study and learn more about the dangers of sleep deprivation and some how change our habits to get longer nights.

I do like free speech! Unless its offensive..

theAnnie — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 04:56:19 +0000

I believe that today’s society is easily offended due to the fact that it overanalyzes everything. If someone is even a tad politically incorrect then their essay is sent to the publisher’s guillotine. Many thoughts and ideas are probably denied publication due to the fact that they offend other people. Think about how many ideas, unorthodox, funny, or insightful that may have been too different to publish. Different ideas are what keeps society moving ahead, but how can those ideas make it to the world if they’re censored?

coming apart dorm society

xgravex — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 01:58:29 +0000

The personal anecdotes Edward Peslman presents in his analysis paper “The Coming Apart of a Dorm Society” felt like something out of one of those over the top teen dramas. I did, however, enjoy the story about his effeminate floor mate Benjamin. The macho dudes in the dorm would always question his sexuality, but little did they know that he had a secret lady friend! It seems you can’t judge a book by its cover! The truth is sensitive guys always get the girls!

Television and Attention Disorders

xgravex — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 01:57:29 +0000

I think that Paulo Ludivici does a decent job in critiquing Derrick Jackson’s column on “Kids, TV and the Risk of Attention Disorder”. Jackson may have made an extreme comparison by comparing TV to Cocaine but I think Ludivici makes the mistake of believing that television has redeeming value. TV has become a cesspool for liberal biased rubbish and pornography. Just watch CNN news and Desperate Housewives! Utter filth.

MLA APA CMS CSE

xgravex — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 01:56:41 +0000

All of these crazy documentation systems are driving me crazy! Why do we need fifty different documentation systems in order to cite sources for a paper? What is so wrong with having one universal system for all types of papers? These Documentation systems are way too complicated when it comes to in-text citation and works cited or references page. There are too many rules to remember and the rules change between the systems! And what is all this business about losing 10 points if I forget the “s” at the end of references?

A Brief History of Malls

xgravex — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 01:55:45 +0000

People back in the day had the right ideas when it came to malls. For example, the Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851 was entirely walled and roofed in panels of crystal glass! Its design was like a giant garden complete with fountains and full-grown trees. People from all walks of life jostled through long aisles, entertained by passing parades and spectacles. Today’s malls, however, no longer hold such a high standard in beauty and entertainment. The mall by my house is a total blowout. The design is plain and there isn’t even an upstairs! On top of this, the most expensive store is the Banana Republic! How pathetic.

“America’s Sleep Deprived Teens”

jorgitopm — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 02:11:27 +0000

This article focuses on the fact that America’s teens sleep less than they should. The article presents a series of statistics that sound very alarming. For example, 28% of high school students fall asleep in school while 22% falls asleep doing homework. Even worse, teen drivers are driving drowsy to school. According to the statistics, 15% of adolescent drivers in grades 10 thru 12 drive drowsy to school at least once a week. This sounds very true, taking into account that I have also gone thru the same situation.

The Science of Sleep

jorgitopm — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 01:21:58 +0000

I learned that sleep is divided into two major phases. The first one is called quiet sleep. The second one is called dreaming sleep, which is also known as REM. During quiet sleep, most physiological activities and thinking slow down, but some body movement can still occur. On the other hand, during REM sleep the brain activities speed up and so does thinking and dreaming. In fact, while dreaming takes place the eyes start moving and rolling from side to side. For this reason, REM stands for “rapid eye movement.” REM sleep, of course, is the deepest sleep of both.

A Third of Life

jorgitopm — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 01:10:24 +0000

I learned that humans spend a third of life sleeping. Is that my case? I am not really sure that I spend one third of my day asleep. In fact, I usually sleep less than four hours a night. I am just one more in this “sleep-sick society.” It is very true that our society has devalued the importance of sleep. What else can you expect from a society that spends most of its time seeking the fulfillment of its own ambitions that in anything else? What else can you say about a society where its people spend more time worried about tomorrow than living today? This is a fast society with a fast economy, to sleep less would imply that consequently the economy will also slow down. So, is it worth it? Yes, since “sleep”= “life”.

The Mall as Refuge

jorgitopm — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:59:24 +0000

In this article George Lewis deals with the issue of malls as community centers. The author argues that many people think of malls as community centers, yet people that usually go to malls spend more time shopping than in socializing with others. However, the author points out that for the elderly and for teens malls have become centers for the social life. I agree with the author since I have gone to malls to meet with other friends too. The large theaters and game centers (such as Dave and Buster’s) usually present in most major malls attract the youth. In my opinion, it’s better to go to a mall than to a club for example.