Monday, May 31, 2010

Dear Reader Letter

Hello viewer! You have come across the English 98 e-portfolio of Rick Hartelius. I was born and raised in the great state of Washington and have no plans to ever move away from this beautiful state. This is my first quarter back at Everett Community College (EvCC) in about 5 years and im really happy that I made the decision to come back to college. During my first go around I had just graduated from high school and the only reason why I was going to school was because all I had for years was people pounding in my head that I had to go to school, there was no choice in the matter. So I didn’t really give it my all and my grades reflected that. Shortly after I started my mom and I found out that my dad had cancer and that took a lot of my attention away from school. After the spring 2005 quarter I decided to stop pursuing my college education. Over the next 5 years my dad passed away and I just kind of hung out not really doing much with my life and finding a little place in life where I could just make some money and just be happy doing that. In November of 2008 I lost my job and realized that I didn’t want to be doing crap jobs for the rest of my life so I decided to finish what I started and get my college education. My goal is to get my two years in here at Everett on the Business path and then transfer to either the University of Washington or University of Washington Bothell campus to finish my 4 year degree.

Starting back at college I really wanted to take some refresher courses since it has been a long time since I have written any type of academic paper. So I signed up for English 98 and im really happy that I did. English has never really been a problem for me. I can write a decent paper, not a good or a great one but a decent one fairly quickly. My goal with this class was to try and get back into the college mind set and learn how to write a really good if not a great paper and I really wanted to learn how to write a good paper on a subject I’m not really interested in. There will be times in my upcoming college career that I will be asked to write an in depth paper on a subject that I would probably have no interest in outside of class. I’m one of those people where if I read a book and I don’t really like it I will struggle with it and have a hard time remembering anything about the book and I did run across that in this class. The book Three Cups of Tea I tried to read but I just could not get into it. So I did struggle with it and solution I found was to take it in smaller chucks and do a little of it at a time so I can remember more of the story. The other book we read was The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and I really enjoyed this book and was not a problem for me at all. I think its important to be able to write a good paper, especially since I’m going into the business field. There will be times I will have to write reports on whatever they ask me too and I will need to write a good, clear, concise paper that looks well organized and easy to read.

Now I am happy to show you four pieces of writing that I have done of the past ten weeks of this quarter that I think reflect my best work. I think these four pieces show how much I have learned and how much I have grown in such a short time. The first piece I choose is our Major Writing Assignment 3 (MWA) the argument essay which I wrote about the controversy of the Keyarena and I think this reflects the passion I have when im interested in the subject. The next piece will be out MWA 2 paper were I had to write about one word and I think this shows how my analysis skills have come along. The next piece will be the MWA 1 paper which I think will help people realize that the UW is so much better than WSU and my last piece is a paper I wrote for my DevEd course where I had to take to ideas from a book and apply it to the movie Iron Man.

Although this class is only ten weeks long I think that I have learned a lot from this class. I feel more confident going forward to English 101 and English 102. I believe I have developed better writing skills and better analyzing skills. Now enough talking on my part, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the writing.

Argument Intro

This was my absolute favorite paper to write. I feel so strongly about this subject it was really hard for me to keep it to just 4 pages. I am a hardcore Seattle sports fan and the day the Sonics were taken away from me was a sad day indeed. A big part of them moving was the Keyarena and how old and small it is. This paper was not just a essay for school it was how I really feel about the subject and I can tell you I just don’t feel this paper did it justice but I did the best I could with 4 pages.

Argument to destory Keyarena

The year is 1996, its game 7 of the NBA western conference finals. Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone is at the free throw line and misses both of his shots thus sending the Seattle Supersonics to the NBA finals for the first time since they won the 1979 NBA championship. Keyarena went crazy for the beloved Sonics. Little did any of us know that twelve years later the team would be stolen from Seattle and we would be left with an empty arena. Many reasons were cited for the reason why the team was moved but the most talked about one was Keyarena. It’s too old, it’s not big enough, and it doesn’t make enough money were just some of the reasons. It would be expensive to demolish Keyarena and build a new arena in its place, but the benefits of a new arena would far outweigh the cost of building it.

Keyarena opened its doors in 1962 as the Washington State Pavilion and was part of the new Seattle center. After the fair was over it was renamed the Washington State Coliseum and in 1967 Seattle got its first ever pro sports team the Seattle Supersonics. The arena also held many notable concerts such as The Beatles on August 21st, 1964 and Elvis Presley on November 12, 1970. In 1994 people started to realize that the Coliseum was getting old and needed to be renovated thus between 1994 and 1995 the Coliseum was rebuilt bringing up to the standards set by the NBA for a professional sports arena. The Arena was renamed the Keyarena and the year after it opened it hosted the NBA finals when the Seattle Supersonics took on the Chicago Bulls. Even thought the Sonics lost the series the city of Seattle was Buzzing. Over the next twelve years the arena would be host to a WNBA team and a Minor league hockey team. Now in 2010 the hockey team has left to play in a new arena Kent and the Seattle Sonics played their last game on April 13, 2008 and up and moved to Oklahoma.

Keyarena has had some amazing history happen in it and has been a part of not only the Seattle sports scene but a part of the city for a very long time but I think its time for the Keyarena to sing its last song and go into the quite night. On both sides of the argument is money, money, and more money. But has anybody thought about what a new arena might bring to the community, city and state. Because of how old Keyarena is not just the city of Seattle but the state of Washington lost its only pro-basketball team. Not everybody cares about sports but the Sonics were here for 41 years and were a part of the city. I remember being a kid and my dad taking me to a Sonics game which started a lifelong love for the team that lasted all the way until they left in 2008 and it makes me sad that other kids will not be able to experience the same thing with their father. Demolishing and rebuilding a new arena will cost a lot of money but Keyarena is very old. Yes it was renovated in 1995 but the doors on the arena opened in 1962. There are not very many pro teams in any sport still playing in a arena older than Keyarna except the Boston Redsoxs. Not only did we lose the Sonics, but the hockey team that played there, the Seattle Thunderbirds, now play in a new arena in Kent. And a lot of musicians will not come and play in Seattle because the only place they can play at is Keyarena which is hard to get too and is a really small venue. There is one event that will come and be in the Keyarena still and that’s the shows for the World Wrestling Entertainment or better known as the WWE. I went to one of their shows at Keyarena and it was great but you can tell how small the venue is getting as the years go by.

The fight to try and get a new arena funded has been going on for many years. But it didn’t really become public knowledge until the Sonics were sold to an out- of- state ownership group. Owner Clay Bennett wanted the city to fund a new 500 million dollar world class arena but Seattleites were just burned out about the subjects of new stadiums. When the Seattle Mariners wanted to build their new field the city put it to the voters and the voters turned it down but it was forced on the city anyway. People were not as soured by the building of Qwest field because Paul Allen, owner of the Seattle Seahawks said he would also put up money for the new field. (Jessica Kowal. "As Sonics Pack to Leave Town, Seattle Shrugs. " New York Times 13 Nov. 2006, Late Edition (East Coast): New York Times, ProQuest. Web. 23 May. 2010.) Here it is 2 years of the Sonics have left and the fight to build a new arena continues. Back when everybody was fighting to keep the Sonics in town the C.E.O of Microsoft Steve Ballmer came forward with a group who were willing to buy the Sonics and put up $150 million to help fund a new arena and the public would only have to raise $100 million. Well there is a new package out there now were the public would not have to pay any money at all. Basically along with the Ballmer money what they would do is a user/entertainer fee. What that means is let’s say the Boston Celtics come to town to play basketball, well the players on the Celtics would pay a fee to play here and any entertainer who would come to Seattle would also pay a fee and some of the price would also be worked into the ticket price. (http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=319603)

Back in 1962 when the Coliseum was built it was a state of the art building, and back in 1995 when it was remolded and renamed Keyarena it was a state of the art building once again. Keyarena will always hold a special place in the heart of every Seattleite just like the Kingdom does but let’s face it Keyarena is getting very old. With a new arena not only could Seattle get its basketball team back but there might be a good chance that we could get a professional hockey team here as well. Why do I think we should build a new arena? Because not only does it bring in money to the city by having a pro sports franchises in town but it also brings a since of community, togetherness and gives a place where everybody can go and really behind their favorite team.

Definition Essay intro

This was probably the hardest essay I have had to write. Taking one word and defining it is easy right? Yes it is. Now taking a word and defining it by writing a 3 pager essay on it is really difficult. I think the essay shows my critical thinking skills and how I can take one word and use many differ examples not only from books but from history to try a define it. So pleas read on and enjoy.

Belief?

We have all been asked about it, we have all thought about it and some of us still don’t know about it. It has brought people together and it has been the start of most of the wars in history. It is a broad term that crosses over into many aspects of life. Some think its dedicating yourself to a higher power. Some think it’s taking a stand for what you know to be true. I think a belief is the way a person view him or herself and the world around him or her. A belief is a big part of human interaction and how we get along with one another. No matter what you think or what you feel we all have a belief in something.

What is a belief? A belief is something you hold true to yourself no matter what anybody else says. Some people have even been known to die for their beliefs. If you look it up in the dictionary belief has 3 definitions. 1. A state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing, 2. Something believed; especially: a tenet or body of tenet held by a group, 3. Conviction of truth of some statement or reality of some being or phenomenon especially when based on examination of evidence. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belief). Although it’s a technically accurate definition of belief it has a cold feeling to it. You can’t just define your belief by a dictionary definition. Belief means so many different things to so many different people. Cultures have been formed around a common belief and religions have been from around a common belief.

When traveling to different places around the world or even around our own country different beliefs can cause somewhat have a culture clash. This was no more evident than in the book Three Cups of Tea. The author of the book Greg Mortenson was attempting to climb the mountain K2 and found himself lost and stranded. When he was found and on his way back down the mountain he wasn’t pay attention and got lost again. He came across the little village of Korphe. The people of the town known as the Balti were very kind to Greg. I think it surprised Greg when the man at the gate took him inside the village “he escorted him through the gate with the hospitality that is unforgivable for the Balti not to extend” (Mortenson 24). I think this took Greg by surprise because back in the United States this would not happen in most situations. The Balti belief system tells them to be kind to strangers and the belief system that Mortenson comes from tells us to also be kind to strangers but people never act on this.

When belief systems come in contact with each other for the most part it never ends well and a lot of histories major wars started over beliefs. The Crusades was one of the biggest conflicts in history was fought over religious beliefs. It started in 1095 when Pope Urban II met an assembly of churchmen at Clermont, France. (history-world.org/crusades.htm) The war was fought buy the Christians of Europe namely France and England and the Muslims of the Middle East. It was fought for control of Jerusalem. When all was said in done there were 4 crusades that went to Jerusalem with the last one ending in 1270. (http://history-world.org/crusades.htm) Here you had two different religions, Christians and Muslims, were fighting over a city because it was the center to each of their beliefs and both felt it was important enough to kill and die for. I think the biggest clash of beliefs happened in the mid-20th century with the rise of Hitler. Hitler and the Nazi party came to power in January of 1933 and soon poisoned the minds of the people telling them that all the struggles that Germany was going through was the fault of the Jewish people. Out of this belief that was embedded in the German people came what Hitler called his final solution, we know it as the Holocaust. The Holocaust was Hitler’s solution to getting rid of the Jewish people by sending them to concentration camps where they were to be killed. Millions of Jewish people paid the ultimate price all because of one man’s belief that he spread to other people.

So what exactly is a belief? A belief can mean many things to many different people. There isn’t one explanation that can sum up the word. Is it good or is it bad? I don’t think it’s either of those things because anybody can believe anything it’s how people act on beliefs that make them what they are. So now ask yourself this question, what are your beliefs?

UW or WSU? An intro

If you don’t know which school is better between the UW and WSU, than this is the paper for you. This paper was just really fun to write because I am such a diehard Huskies fan and I got to write a compare a contrast essay about the UW and WSU. I looked up information on both the schools and although it was hard I did say some nice things about WSU. So if you’re still confused as to which school is better than read on and you will soon find out.

The Evergreen State Rivalry

Those who live in Washington State know this rivalry very well. It has been decades in the making and is one of the most storied rivalries in all of college. Those outside the state have only heard rumors, people who have just come to Washington State will soon know of it and the people who live here know this rivalry very well. Separated by a thin line known as the Cascade Mountains, on one side you have the University of Washington Huskies and on the other side you have the Washington State University Cougars. Both are excellent schools but in the end only the University of Washington Huskies will be left standing.

It happens every year for high school students, time to choose a college to attend. In Washington State most students will choose between the University of Washington (UW) and Washington State University (WSU). The UW is located on the Western side of Washington State in the city of Seattle and was founded in 1861. Since its founding the UW has grown into a very well known university. It is now made up of 3 different campuses with the main one being in Seattle and the other 2 being in Bothell, Washington and Tacoma Washington. Students come from all around the world to attend the UW. In 2009 the freshman class was little over 5,000 students strong which represented 44 states and 27 different countries. (admit.washington.edu/numbers) WSU is located on the Eastern side of the state in Pullman Washington and was founded in 1890. WSU has 4 different campuses around the state. The main campus is in Pullman, Washington with the other 3 being located in Vancouver, Tri-cities and Spokane. Thou not as big, WSU freshman enrollment for 2009 was little over 3500 students. (http://www.ir.wsu.edu/docs/wsufacts.pdf) For the new people this is where the rivalry begins, but for those who grew up in this state this has been a ongoing process and for most it comes down to one thing, athletics.

For as long as the two universities have existed there has been a lot of heat between the athletic programs and specifically the football programs. The UW has for the most part always had one of the best football programs in the nation. The Rose bowl and Orange bowl are 2 of the nation’s highest football title games, both are right below the national championship. The Huskies have won the Rose bowl eight times and won the Orange bowl once. On top of that the football program has also won 2 national titles in 1960 and 1991 and they also have the longest winning streak in NCAA history with 63 consecutive games won. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Washington#Athletics) Although WSU does have a football team they have never been as successful as the UW. WSU football has been to the Rose bowl but they have never won one and have never won a national championship. The biggest game of the year for both schools is the Apple Cup. The Apple Cup is the yearly football game that takes place between the schools and is the palace were the rivalry heats up the most. The first Apple Cup took place in 1900 and the UW holds the lead over WSU with a record of 65-31-6. Although the athletics are a big part of the rivalry with football being the main focus the little known one is academics.

In the field of academics both schools could not be any more different in what their main focus of study is. The UW is very well known for its research into the medical field. For example the UW school of medicine was ranked first in the nation in 2008(USnews.com) and the nursing school has been ranked number one since 1984. (http://www.son.washington.edu/about/pr_3-30-07.asp) But that’s not all the UW has also been ranked 12th in the nation for business schools for entrepreneurship out doing such schools as Stanford, MIT and even Harvard. (http://admit.washington.edu/Numbers) WSU may not be ranked as high as the UW but it is ranked none the less. WSU is ranked 22nd among public research universities without a medical school and 82nd overall among public and private research universities. (National Science foundation) WSU is known for its agricultural research and it research into the area of clean technologies.

This rivalry has been going on for more than 100 years with no end in sight. Ask and 5 people that go to the UW and WSU why they don’t like the other school and you will probably get 5 different answers. But no matter what happens the University of Washington Huskies will always come out on top. So like the beginning of the Husky fight song says Washington State University will always BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON!!!

Intro to Iron Man

I used this paper because I think it shows how I have taken the skills I learned in English 98 and used them in my other classes. I had to take two habits from the book “The 7 habits of highly effective people” and apply them to the main character Tony Stark. I really liked writing this essay not only because I’m a huge Marvel comics nerd, but I like how I was able to take a character I really like and was able to apply him to what I was learning in class.

Iron Man Paper

The movie Iron Man is a great action film and a great comic book film loved by a lot of people the world over. It did very well at the box office and was one of the better recent comic book movies like not only by comic book readers but by non-comic book readers as well. Iron Man is about the super genius and weapons manufacturer Tony Stark. Tony Stark is a very smart, very rich play boy who makes weapons for the United States military through his company Stark Industries. He doesn’t really have a care in the world, he does whatever he wants and doesn’t really turn a blind eye but he just doesn’t see what’s really going on with his own company. When he goes to Afghanistan to show off his latest missile the Humvee he was riding in was attacked and he was critically wounded by one of his own weapons. After he escapes from his captor and is rescued he makes a big change not only with his company but in his life as well. Instead of make weapons he now sets out to destroy, with his advanced Iron man suite, what he once made. By watching how Tony Stark is in the beginning he has the Win/Lose mentality where he is the only winner. When he is captured and realizes where his weapons are going and he makes a huge paradigm shift from being the Win/Lose rich playboy to being the Win/Win hero.

Through the first half of the movie Tony Stark is you typical rich guy. He’s in Las Vegas at an award ceremony, well he is supposed to be at the ceremony but instead he blows it off to go gamble at the casino. Here he has the Win/Lose mentality which Covey states “Win/Lose is a authoritarian approach: “I get my way; you don’t get yours” (Covey 207) and at 7 min. 45 sec. in the movie he is confronted by a reporter that starts to question whether he is a war profiteer he manages to spin and turn it around so he end up looking like the good guy and Winning the conversation and she loses because he gets what he wants from her and throws her out the next morning. When he goes to Afghanistan and finds out the very weapons he was creating to protect American lives was being used against them something inside of him changes. When he is rescued and returns to the United States turns away from the Win/Lose mentality and turns it into a Win/Win mentality which is “A frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions”. (Covey 207) When he was captured his eyes were opened and he realizes that the world needs more than just weapons that kill people, the world needs a hero and that’s what Tony Stark becomes. He makes the paradigm shift from being a being the playboy who just wants to have fun to become a man who feels he has a purpose in life to help people who can’t help themselves.

Once Tony Stark makes the shift to a Win/Win he is very proactive about doing what he feels is right. Covey says that being proactive “is why we can evaluate and learn from other experiences as well as our own. This is also why we can make and break our habits” (Covey 68) I think nothing shows this more than at the 1 hr. 28 min. make when his assistant Pepper Potts comes down a threaten to quite if he doesn’t stop doing what he is doing and he explains to her that he has finally figured out what he was meant to with his life.

I really like the character of Tony Stark not only because I’m a Marvel comic’s nerd, which I am, but I think he shows that yes people can change. He went from being some super smart rich playboy guy who only cared about himself to becoming a selfless hero for the peoples. Although it’s not quite as big as Tony Stark I have make a huge paradigm shift myself over this past quarter. No, I’m not flying around in a gold and red suite saving the world but I have made a change in the way I study and do my homework. I have passed classes before in college but I have never done this well and I have never passed all of my classes in a quarter either. This will be the first time I have done it and I think I have done it very well. Yes, like Tony Stark I think I made a huge paradigm shift but the only difference is the one I made was real and it will help me out for a long time to come.

Looking Back

As I look back on my time in English 98 I realize how I have improved as a writer and how my critical thinking skills have improved. I took this course so I could get refreshed on how to write a paper and not only did I do that but I learned a lot as well. I have met a lot of interesting people and we have all had a lot of laughs this quarter. So as English 98 comes to a close I look ahead to the next challenge English 101.