Controversy...

Works Cited

Shaffer, Helen B. "Insanity as a Defense." Editorial Research Reports 1964. Vol. I.
Washington: CQ Press, 1964. 41-60. CQ Researcher. Web. 28 Oct. 2011.

This article focuses on the issue of whether or not pleading insanity in a criminal trial is justified in the U.S. court system. The majority of the article focuses on past murder trials, particularly ones involving the assination of U.S. presidents. The article sheds light on the mental character of these assasins, for example Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby. There is a huge contraversy involved in the case of these murderers because they both pleaded insanity in their murder cases, so the question of what constitutes insanity and the means in which it can be determined were major factors. Personally, I believe that pleading insanity has definately changed throughout the years moreso for the worst because since insanity defense has become more frequent in modern day murder trials, it is less likely that the defendant was actually mentally impaired at the time of the crime.

Thompson, Roger."Sexual Revolution Reconsidered." Editorial Research Reports 1984. Vol.
II. Washington: CQ Press, 1984. 509-28. CQ Researcher. Web. 28 Oct. 2011.

This article was generally about the sexual revolution, specifically between 1950-1970, and the similarities and differences in sexual behavior amongst women from then and now. One of the main points made throughout the article was how some of the trends of the sexual revolution have drastically changed. For example, in the 1950's, women who had sex before marriage were frowned upon and greatly criticized; however, now 58% of Americans say sex, with love, before marriage is acceptable. The issue in this article is whether or not these changes in sexual behavior have beneficial or counterproductive effects. My stance on the issue is that the sexual revolution has actually benefitted women overtime due to the fact that the freedom associated with premarital sex opened the flood gates for mass opportunities, like, for example the introduction of female writers and females actually playing some role in society and suddenly becoming significant.

Worsnop, Richard L. "Fashion World." Editorial Research Reports 1971. Vol. I.
Washington: CQ Press, 1971. 267-86. CQ Researcher. Web. 28 Oct. 2011.

Finally, this last article is about how fashion has changed along the years. It makes special notation specifically on how in the past, clothing defined who you were and what role you played in society if any at all. For example, the classification system during the middleages segregated the surfs from the rich and in turn their clothing would be a defining characteristic. The rich wore intricately designed clothing while the slaves or poor people wore practically rags. Some of these trends in fashion have stuck in society today in the sense that the wealthy can afford the Marc Jacobs and the poor may settle for "less quality" clothing such as the Gap, or Old Navy thus, the differences in social class can be represented by fashion and is obviously a problem we face today.

Smart Water vs. Deer Park

Smart Water
The design of Smart Water bottles comes off as sleek and sophisticated. The narrow shape of the bottle accomplishes the goal of standing out amongst other water bottles. The tall size of the bottle accomplishes this as well, allowing for a more modern look. The unique tallness of the bottle may take away from functionality, however, because it can be a pain to hold for extended periods of time, and is more easily to fall over when it is sat down on a flat surface. Nevertheless, the small diameter and elongated structure makes for a sophisticated and modern looking water bottle that you would love to be seen drinking. In addition, the bottle material is made of a hard plastic that isn’t malleable, so the shape of the bottle remains constant despite any pressure. The Smart Water logo accommodates the sleekness of the bottle shape as well. The picture of the blue water drop and the white and blue lettering comes off as extremely simple, but the lack of extravagant design gives the bottle a clean and neat look. Overall, the design of Smart Water stands out in a way that is revolutionary, and gives off a “high-tech”, cool impression that we all crave.

Deer Park
The design of Deer Park water bottles can be considered rather traditional, in a sense that it is shaped like most other water bottles. The shape of the bottle is short and relatively wider than that of Smart Water. The larger diameter allows for a more traditional look, and great functionality. The wider shape lets the bottle remain upright when resting on a flat surface and the shortness of the bottle allows for easier storage and holding, easily fitting into backpacks and significantly easy to hold. The bottle contains a steep indentation near the center of the bottle, for easier accessibility and drinking so the indentation feels rather comfortable for the drinker. The material of the plastic is very thin, however, so the bottle bends out of shape rather easily compared to Smart Water bottles. As for the logo of Deer Park water bottles, it is quite elaborate, with a mural of a sunset against the green forest. This picture gives the water bottle a “traditional-looking” appearance that people can feel comfortable with. Overall, Deer Park water bottles are one-of-a-kind in the fact that it gives off a “homey” vibe with its traditional design and intricate logo.

The Female's Bible: Cosmo Mag

Evaluation:
My evaluation will be on Cosmopolitan Magazine, which is a magazine typically known for its raunchy articles. I read almost every Cosmopolitan magazine that comes out, and I know that plenty of my friends do as well. This is why I feel as though upon evaluating Cosmo, there would be merit because almost every teenage girl, especially in college, reads it. Also, it’s very popular on a greater spectrum because I know that my mother and all her friends read it as well. The content in the magazine is very controversial in most issues, so I think that would also establish merit.
I would say that Cosmopolitan Magazine is in the category of an international women’s magazine. Cosmo includes colorful pages of topics covering women’s beauty and fashion, health and careers, interviews and most exclusively, sex! These are appealing topics that women all over the world love to discuss and learn more about. For each issue of Cosmo magazine, you can usually find a sexy, half-naked, sometimes voluptuous celebrity posing on the front cover, almost begging you to buy it. I think this is a huge way that Cosmopolitan magazine draws in most of their female buyers, because in reality, most women want to look as well as live the lives of these hot young celebs we idolize.
One piece of the criteria I would use to compare with Cosmo magazine would definitely be the number of sales it makes per year. I think this would be a great component because looking at the sales gives you an idea of how successful the magazine is. Another piece of the criteria would be the credibility of the writers and editors who are also known as the magazine contributors. This would show how much readers should trust the content of what they are reading. Cosmo magazine is filled with statistics and interesting articles, so the credibility of the contributors is important. A third piece of the criteria used to evaluate Cosmo magazine would be the type of language that is used. For example, the level of “consumer-friendly” language would be important when it comes to the audience the magazine is written for because the audience should be able to understand easily what they are reading. A fourth piece of the criteria would be the layout of the cover. I think a good cover layout can make or break the sale, as well as the overall feel of a magazine. In most cases, the cover of anything—whether it is a magazine or book or even a brochure, determines whether or not someone will spend their money on it, which makes perfect sense. Therefore, a bright, eye catching cover is vital in accomplishing this. Last but not least, a unique element would be a piece of the criteria for evaluating Cosmo magazine. I say this because every magazine needs to have that special ZING to it, because if otherwise, the mag would blend right in with all the other magazines. For example, Cosmo magazines unique characteristic (amongst other women’s magazines) would be the explicit, sometimes taboo, subject matter that it addresses, which in turn, peaks the interest of potential buyers.

Now introducing: 2.0!

I think the design of my blog is pretty neat. I actually put some thought into the aesthetic the first time I created it. I went through several rounds of editing, switching back and forth through different layouts and font and so forth. Initially I had several pictures along the sides of the layout. However, I realized that some of the pictures weren’t relevant to the material that would be on the blog so I decided to pick one picture that satisfied this. I chose a picture of the book in the forest (the picture right next to the blog entries) for a couple reasons:
1. It was pretty :)
2. It was relevant to the blog itself, since it was a book.
3. And most importantly, because I thought the book (as well as the Vogue magazine background) would help me convey the overall theme of the blog which was that “Fashion: In & Out”— represented my passion for clothing and the fashion, or style, in which we (as writers) portray in our literary work such as novels, memoirs, etc…
I think my blog is pretty easy to read in terms of clarity. I made sure I had a dark background against the pink font so readers can understand the content easily. I used a less “business” style font so that my readers wouldn’t be intimidated. As explained in the NFG, typefaces affect how text is perceived, and I didn’t want readers having a wrong perception of the blog.
I think my design is also appropriate for a college classroom about rhetoric and writing, mostly for the same reasons I mentioned earlier. Overall, I think my blog accomplishes it purpose when it comes to the design.

REDESIGN
There are several things I decided to change on my blog. One of the changes was the color of the font which is now black (previously light pink). I, personally, thought it was pretty easy to read; however, after my roommate told me it in fact, was NOT easy to read, I figured a simple black font would be best. In addition, I changed the style of the fonts on the headers and titles to something more refined, more edgy. Before, the fonts were all one simple color but I played with different color schemes and came up with one that suit the color of the background picture. I decided to keep the picture of the book in the forest simply because I love it. In the end, the little changes that I made, I think, had a big effect on the “flow” of the blog. It looks more sophisticated because I actually matched up the fonts and colors on the headers and titles so they were the same. As explained in the NFG, a consistent design is key in creating a good visual tone.

I came across two websites that helped inspire “Fashion: In & Out” 2.0:
1. http://thesuperficial.com(this is actually a site I go on every day)
And…
2. http://amygrindhouse.com

In the end, I believe that all my editing and refining satisfies the English 15 blog more appropriately because it contributed to the larger rhetorical situation a little better than it did before.