unit 4 blog

Group C Planning for Unit 4

2)Roberto- Discussion and Planning
Mark- Presenter
Mason-Preparation of the visual product
3) Roberto: recorder- writing everything that we do in our group discussions and distributing the material to the professor

Mark: Presenter- Writing and knowing the material for the presentation to present it on Wednesday.

Mason: Creating the visual element: creation of all the visual aspects of the project.
5) Transportation- Tcu shuttle.
Plus and minus grading system.
Meal Plans.

We decided on using the TCU Shuttle- transportation issue. We believe that this would be a great option for TCU students to transport themselves free of any kind of danger.

6) Our target audience would be the TCU students. The purpose will be to make the TCU shuttle service by adding more routes and providing more options to TCU students. The best visual arguments for this topic would be a mix of visuals, billboards, stickers, t-shirts.

7) The best visual argument would be a billboard advertisement displaying a bus and the possible places that it can take TCU students in downtown or the stockyards. It would be kind of a poster. Another good option would be a billboard on the side of a bus.

8) Roberto’s homework would be to email this document and other future documents to group members and teacher.

Mason’s homework is to brainstorm more ideas for the visual argument.

Mark’s homework is to start preparing the presentation in writing.

2nd group Meeting: April 29, 2009

We are brainstorming on how our billboard and bus advertisement could look like. Also, we are planning our first draft argument for the final presentation. Our argument is that TCU does not provide enough transportation for its students.

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday May 5, 2009. Until then every group member will be working in their parts individually. The meeting’s purpose will be to put all our work together and organize it. We will also be working on the last few things to finish our work and have the presentation ready for Wednesday May 6, 2009.

authors note on portfolio

This is my author's note for the final drafts of my portfolio. Overall I feel really good about all of my drafts. The on that I like the most is the OP-Ed. I think I successfully exposed all of my thoughts in an organized manner. My humorous argument really applies to my topic and i think that it is funny. On my letter to the editor I am basically responding to the article and how I feel about its lack of information and how it should go about to be a better article. This Murcia issue is something that really captures my attention. It makes me angry how the government managed all this issue. This is why i decided to choose this as my topic. Working through this portfolio I had the opportunity to learn more on the topic. I hope that this is what you were looking for. I took my work to the writing center and got it revised. I do not think it was of much help. Because the person who helped me was in some kind of hurry or at least that is what he made me think. 

my humorous argument

for my humorous argument, I decided to actually draw by hand. In my argument, You will find David Murcia with the map of panama on his shoulder and Martin Torrijos ( the president). What I am trying to explain here is that David Murcia did exactly what he wanted when he wanted and got away with everything until the day he got caught. He Bought Martin Torrijo's administration and gave money to fund the upcoming presidential election.

humor argument

For my humor argument I decided to make some funny drawings portraying Martin Torrijos( the president of Panama) along with certain people of his administration; and David Murcia ( the money laundering lord). In the drawing I am actually making fun of Martin torrijos and his lack of knowledge. He made the wrong choice by sending david Murcia back to colombia. 

I am not a good drawer and I am not creative at all. So, this assignment has been challenging for me in these two areas. Moreover, it is very challenging for me to make something funny about this issue, because it is a very serious issue. My concern is that people who do not know about the issue, or are not panamanian may not understand my humorous argument. I will try my best to work on these challenges. 

humor

First of all humor is a unique thing in each person. Everyone has a different sense of humor. For example, since I came here to TCU  I have noticed that people form the united states have a totally different sense of humor than the one we Panamanians have. I personally believe that humor needs to have a touch of sarcasm. From what i read on the book, humor on arguments need to have timeliness and lively details that make it more fun and makes the reader connect with the author in order to create humor to the argument. They also have to talk about day to day topics. For example, political issues or religious views,etc... 

oped first draft

Money launderer, David Murcia Guzman, came to Panama and did exactly what he wanted whenever he wanted. Murcia is a Colombian native that came to Panama when he founded DMG Holdings. This company was found to be managing illegal businesses such as money laundering and a Ponzi scheme. Through this company, Murcia stole from people while promising high and ridiculous returns. He enriched himself in such colossal way that he was able to enjoy living a millionaire’s live for 2 years. He owned 3 boats, 1 private jet and 7 or 8 cars from which 2 where Ferrari, 2 Masserati, 2 Lamborghini and the others Mercedes-Benz. Murcia was living such an extravagant live that people started to suspect that he was in the wrong business. Although people suspected Murcia’s wrongdoings, he was able to manipulate high-powered people in Panama’s government and electoral campaigns.
Reportedly, Murcia “donated” 6 million to the PRD to help finance the political campaigns of Roberto “bobby Velazquez” and Balbina Herrera. I chose to put the word donated in quotations because for Murcia this was not a donation but an investment in cash that will give him various advantages and contracts with companies that will help his money laundering business more successful. He was also protected by the SPI, which is an Institutional Protection Service in charge of protecting high-ranked people and the president. It is against the law for the people who work for the SPI to provide this service to people not appointed by the president. Therefore this was corruption and proves that money can do anything. Murcia did whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. I have not found information linking the president to David Murcia but I believe that, Martin Torrijos, the president did not manage this whole Murcia situation the way he should have.
As soon as Murcia was caught in November 2008, Martin Torrijos ordered the authorities to send this money launderer back to his country. I think this was a huge mistake because Murcia committed various felonies in Panamanian therefore he should abide by Panamanian law. Our law system is good and it should have taken action over Murcia. Moreover, a lot of things were left unclear after he got caught. For example who worked for him and with him on his company (DMG), who else did he gave money to finance campaigns and did the president knew all along about Murcia? How did he contact the SPI(Protection Service) to work for him. These are just one of the various things that were left unclear and should have been resolved before the president decided to send Murcia to Colombia.
Author’s notes:
This is my first draft for the op ed. I am not sure if I’m I the right track. What I have written so far is kind of an introduction to who Murcia is and what he did. My argument is questioning why Martin Torrijos( Panama’s president) ordered the authorities to send Murcia back to Colombia without resolving various issues that need to be answered. For this draft I will like recommendations on how to address this issue and if im on the right direction.
roberto

op ed prewriting

I read an op ed that was written by a former alcoholic and his experiences as an alcoholic and the hard times he has had on building a new life now that he is sober. The article is written to alcoholics or former alcoholics so they can reflect on whether their behavior is similar or appropriate. At the end, I read most of the comments posted by people who read the article. And it is incredible how most of them where familiarized with the feeling of relapse and alcoholism. This is not an op ed from my chosen venue because I could not find an op ed in el Panama America.

A good issue I can discuss in my op ed is why did panama let go david Murcia so easily. Without making a trial or asking how did he do that and who were the ones involved with him. Supposedly he donated money to a presidential candidates campaign. So, it makes no sense that the Panamanian government did not ask more questions or made him confess who worked with him in the government.

Well the only thing that can be done to address this issue is to go to Colombia to interrogate this money launder lord. This is the only way to get the information the Panamanian governments needs. Or ask the president of Colombia to extradit David Murcia to the united states where he can be trialed and interrogated as it should be.

What will work the most for me to make this op ed a good one good representation of ethos and logos. Good facts about the situation will be key for my oped to be effective and informative about the situation. I will have to make some research on the topic but the article is good enough fo me to respond to it.