Works Cited

Works Cited
Celizic, Mike. "Octuplet mom defends her ‘unconventional’ choices." Today. 06 Feb 2009. MSNBC.com. 16 Feb 2009 .

"First look at 2 week old octuplets." Interview with Ann Curry. Today on msnbc.com. 9 Feb. 2009. 23 Feb. 2009 .

Mohajer, Shaya. "Nadya Suleman, Octuplets Mom, Identifies Fertilization Clinic." The Huffington Post. 09 Feb 2009. 16 Feb 2009 .

"Ocutuplet Mom: "All I wanted was children"" Interview with Ann Curry. Today on msnbc.com. 6 Feb. 2009. 23 Feb. 2009 .

Smiley, Xan. "Iraq wants its sovereignty back." The World in 2009 65-66.

"War in Iraq." BarackObama.Com. ObamaBiden. 16 Feb 2009 .

Zdechlik, Mark. Back in the U.S. 11 July 2007. Minnesota Public Radio. 23 Feb. 2009 .

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The woman who had octuplets has been running the news for the past several weeks. Little was known in the beginning news breaks, but now the facts have started to surface slowly. Nadya Suleman went through the process of in vitro fertilization in order to have her children. However, she did not receive the normal one or two embryos that most women do, she received six fertilized embryos. Two of the embryos developed into twins and she birthed a total of eight children on January 26. Despite the cheerful reception by people and news in the beginning, the question of ethics came into mind after digging deeper. Nadya Suleman is a single mother who already has six children. She has no current income and lives in a three bedroom house with her parents.

In the interviews with Ann Curry of NBC, Suleman said that she has always wanted a large family and that she thought her kids would want the same. Is this a selfish move on her part though? Was her motive for the company siblings would provide to one another or was it only her lifelong dream? Will her kids really want to share the attention of the mother with thirteen others? “NBC contributor and psychiatrist Dr. Gail Saltz added that there will be emotional issues to deal with as well. “Undoubtedly these eight children are going to have issues: at the minimum, the issue of neglect,” Saltz told Lauer” (Celizic). An even a bigger concern across the medical field is her children’s physical health. Was her dream of a large family worth the physical and mental complications that occur during large number births like hers? None of the children have fully developed and when they do some of them will most likely have a physical or mental disability. It seems as though her want for a large family overshadowed what is best for her children. Another topic on everyone’s mind is how Nadya Suleman will support these children? She already has six to pay for, but now eight premature babies as well. The hospital bills alone would make anyone cringe, but what about basics when they are able to go home. Food, clothes, and even a proper place to sleep are all necessities when raising children. Granted, there will probably be sponsors that want to donate to her, but surely that will not cover everything. “‘I know I'll be able to afford them when I'm done with my schooling,’ the 33-year-old single mom replied” in the interview with Ann Curry of NBC; she seems to think that she is going to school in the fall for some outstanding reason. Does she think she will actually have time? Perhaps she is just hoping that someone will want to buy her story or be the next “Jon and Kate Plus 8”, and it has surfaced “that her client is being deluged with offers for book deals, TV shows and other business proposals, but has not decided what she might do other than care for her children, her newly hired spokeswoman said Monday” (Celizic). However, she continues to emphasize that her family, friends, and church will support her through this and that she will be able to afford her children and their hospital bill; a huge bill which will surely be over one million dollars and could be footed by the taxpayers because of her lack of funds and insurance. Contradicting herself though, she has created a new website, www.thenadyasulemanfamily.com, which accepts donations of baby items or conveniently accepts money from Visa, MasterCard, and other major credit cards.

What about the clinic where she received the in vitro fertilization? Did they know that she had six other children? Suleman went to the West Coast IVF Clinic in Beverly Hills, California and had the same doctor perform her in vitro fertilization for all of her children (Mohajer). Dr. Kamrava, a controversial doctor already, is now under the eye of the public. “Medical ethicists have criticized the implanting of so many embryos. National guidelines put the norm at two to three embryos for a woman of Suleman's age, except in extraordinary circumstances” (Mohajer). The implanting of six embryos is nearly unheard of especially for someone who already has six children at home with no income coming into that home. It seems as if there should be a process to make sure those children can be care for and support if they do all develop.

I think that this rare occurrence should begin the making of requirements and certain qualifications for those who want to receive in vitro. I think that income and the ability to support and provide for the children should be assessed. Financial and emotional support should be looked at before a mother or couple can receive in vitro fertilization. I sincerely hope these children will receive the life that they deserve and will enjoy, but I also hope that other occurrences like this can be prevented. It just seems selfish and harmful to these children that because their mother wanted a large family now they will have to share the attention and money of their mother. I hope that new regulations will be placed on the in vitro fertilization process. Also, regulations on in vitro fertilization clinics should be created. Doctors, like Dr. Karmrava, should be limited on the number of embryos that can be planted at once. It is safer for the mother and the children to not have so many multiple births.

Visual Rhetoric

Coming Home from War?


Despite what you think of the war in Iraq or Afghanistan, when a soldier returns home walking off a plane and not in a wooden box it is a happy, cheerful moment. The war started 8 years ago after September 11, 2001 and America was in search of Osama bin Laden and Al Queda. Somehow the war spread to Iraq as well. This war has lasted longer than World War I, World War II, and the Civil War. The cost of the war exceeds 1 trillion dollars and the cost is only rising. Aside from the numbers of the war, the lives of those in the military and those that they left behind have changed drastically. Four thousand have lost their lives will serving in the Middle East and sixty thousand have been injured. Now the question that arises for many Americans is when will troops be sent back home?
An answer to this question is very hard to find and when you do find answers, they are all different. Now that Barack Obama has been elected president and taken office, he hopes to “safely redeploy combat brigades from Iraq at a pace of 1 to 2 brigades a month that would remove them in 16 months. That would be the summer of 2010 – more than 7 years after the war began” (“War in Iraq”). The summer of 2010 is not far away which makes Obama’s word seem somewhat doubtful. It seems to me like he would not put an end date on it because as soon as he announces 2010 people will not settle for anything later. There are sons, daughters, husbands, wives, and siblings over there that people are only waiting for. Another empty promise of safety is not what this country needs. I agree that we should slowly return brigades from Iraq, but I do not think it will take only sixteen months. Neither does Xan Smiley of the magazine, “The World in 2009”, “Though the new president will reiterate his desire to withdraw all American troops as soon as possible, he will almost certainly concede that a rigid timetable cannot be adhered to. Much will depend on the situation on the ground” (Smiley). Obama’s hope to pull troops out of Iraq is often only half talked about. He plans to leave “a residual force will remain in Iraq and in the region to conduct targeted counter-terrorism missions against al Qaeda in Iraq and to protect American diplomatic and civilian personnel” (“War in Iraq”). How large is a residual force? Is it 2,000 troops? 5,000? 10,000? This residual force could always serve as the reason for troops remaining in Iraq; it could be a way for the president and his personnel to cover all their bases in the end. Hopefully, Obama’s promises to the public and the troops will be carried out because it is time for out for the forces in Iraq and Afghanistan to dissipate and return to the United States. The U.S. cannot serve as the mediator for every worldwide conflict. While this war started as a response to the terror attacks on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, the goal of the war has now moved to establishing a government in Iraq and controlling terror groups in Afghanistan. While some forces in Afghanistan maybe necessary, we are not the government of Iraq and should not intercede their problems.

A1 and A2 Paper

A1. The student interviews a close relation about his/her (the student’s) learning development. In this interview, I asked my dad some questions about my learning development.
What subjects was I interested in as a child? Disinterested in?
“Math and history were your favorite. You never really liked English besides the reading part.”
What did I struggle with in school?
“Not much. I guess you never studied that much.”
What are some of the best ways that I learn?
“Just by reading with music on in the background.”
What did I do outside of school?
“You played sports. Soccer and basketball took up most of you times. You played outside in the neighborhood, too with all the kids.”
What was I like as a student?
“You were dependable and self-disciplined.”
A2. Student’s personal reflection on his/her own development as it relates to the course strands
In my previous English classes, I have mostly analyzed literature which was mostly novels and poems. I liked reading the books a lot, but analyzing everything made it much worse. I have never been very interested in English, but I always have and still like to read just for fun. When I write my papers for classes, I usually start with an outline of what I want to write and then write a rough draft. I give myself about a week before it is due because sometimes nothing sounds good when I write it. The conclusion is always the hardest part to write. I feel like I just repeat everything I have already said and I hate repeating myself. Persuasive writing is my favorite to have to turn in because I can use facts to back up what I write and there is always information on both sides of the story.
My earliest experience with technology was when I used to play solitaire and block breaker on our family computer. When I was in middle school, I used the AIM chat to talk to my friends. Now I use technology every day. I use my phone all the time for texting or talking, I don’t need a cell phone for anything else. I do not even have a camera phone or have any games on it. I also use e-mail and Facebook all the time. It seems weird to think I used to not have a computer for any of this. I don’t know how to run many programs however. I know how to work Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, but that is all. I have never needed to learn the other programs

Pathos

A child in rumble from the Palestine/Israel Conflict.