Nicole+Reed

Although the idea of a Muslim mosque that unites Islam, Christianity, and Judaism under one roof sounds pleasing to those of us who have been swept up in the liberal movements of today, several holes appear in this plan when it is futher analyzed. The location of this potential building, "Cordoba House", is a mere two blocks away from Ground Zero, where the Twin Towers were destroyed by Muslim Extremists. Are the two sites a little too close for comfort? An overwhelming amount of Americans seem to think so. To make matters worse, Feisal Abdul Rauf, the man heading the construction of the mosque, will not admit who is funding the project (perhaps terrorists?). Also, he is being sued for his involvement in a New Jersey fire. Rauf was apparently the landlord of two apartments, neither of which he maintained. Although tenants complained of mold, insects, fire hazards, and more, Rauf did not acknowledge their complaints and let the apartments sink into a slum-like state. Due to his negligence, one of his apartment buildings burned to the ground and all the residents were left without a home. According to rumor, he is now being sued for his actions, or lack thereof.

With this man's record, is it any surprise that he is having difficulty earning the trust of the American public?

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__Friday September 24th, 2010__

__Not many teenagers are banned from the United States, especially on the grounds of dissing the President. Luke Angel, 17, found fame through such an acccomplishment, after sending Obama an angry email in which he respectfully referred to our nation's leader as a "prick" instead of "Mr. President". If only we all had the power to punish name-calling with such forceful measures.__

__**P Great thoughts! You certainly have a good voice in your writing.**__

__**C How would we punish the name callers... what about the first amendment? I'm not sure you supported your opinion enough. It seems a bit clipped. Perhaps it was meant to be that way, but I don't think so.**__

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Friday October 8th, 2010

I believe the execution of Theresa Lewis was horribly wrong. It is my personal belief that murderers' feelings should be validated and worked through in rehabilitative programs, because the desire to kill another stems from deeply rooted emotional issues that have taken control of the person and driven them to do terrible deeds. The person lacked the resources to cope with their personal demons, and this ultimately drove them to become a homicidal wreck. Are they completely responsible for the way that they are? Do they deserve death?

The death penalty solves nothing; it is one of the greatest cop outs and is a sad excuse to keep from confronting a problem. Theresa Lewis was, for lack of a better term, mentally ill, and mental illness is regarded worldwide as no more than a taboo topic. It is a problem that no one wishes to discuss, because no one wants to discuss what they do not and likely cannot fully understand. The execution of Theresa Lewis is something our country should be ashamed of, because it represents the thousands of people (over 4,500 in the United States since 1930) who have been put to death because no one wished to recognize the frightening fact that murderers are also victims who need our help.


 * I dislike when paragraphs end in a question. Provide something thought provoking that will lead me into the theme of the next paragraph. A question is really just a technique to use when you don't have anything better to say to help lead into the next paragraph. At that point, it becomes very formulaic. Paragraph, question, next paragraph and so on. Does that make sense? Also, when you provide your own feelings, you need to support them with evidence or further research. "Death penalty is one of the greatest cop outs..." If it is one of the greatest cop outs, you must have reasons for saying that. Otherwise, what would make it so great?**


 * Although my comments are verbose, you need to try not to be (nor should you, like me, end your sentence with a preposition). Otherwise you allow yourself to become very robotic, structured and predictable. It's a good writing exercise to say what you mean in as few words as possible. It's very challenging.**


 * Ie. Hemmingway wrote a short story once (many times actually)... It goes as follows: "For Sale: Baby shoes. Never worn." That's a whole story in 6 words. See what I mean?**

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

Carol Buncy was the last of nine siblings to celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary last week. While most of us might feel prompted by unwritten social codes to respond with awws and 'how-wonderfuls' to such a quaint, traditional observance, I counsel you to look deeper into the dark, twisted innards of the marriage custom, to dig further through the pre-nups and the custody concerns, through the legal hoops and moral obligation, and decide for yourself whether marriage is always the wedding snapshot of the blushing bride and polished groom, and if it's likely for all nine of Buncy's siblings to be living out fulfilled and fruitful marriages. One person tolerating another for fifty years is a huge accomplishment in itself, not to mention sustaining some sort of affection for them. For two people to share that same connection for half a century -- well, that's nothing short of a miracle. For nine couples in the same family to be under such a spell? That spells suspicion, plain and clear. Simply said, I have my doubts that Buncy's siblings are happy as pie with their significant others, and if they weren't so morally or financially paranoid, half the clan would split from their partners in a heartbeat. Why so cynical, you ask? Just ask the //National Center for Health Statistics:// 50 percent of all marriages in which the brides are 25 or older result in a failed marriage.