Annotation project

When was the picture made?
Who made it?
What was the purpose?
Did it have any effects?
Who was the target audience?

Here are some links to the history of Uncle sam











The history of Uncle Sam

Uncle Sam; A brief history of America's Greatest Symbol

War on Terror-Global Issues

How Patriotism can save America

picture

Edited Summary

The oil we eat
By: Richard Manning

The Oil We Eat by Richard Manning is an essay about life and the civilization that comes along with it that we create. “All animals eat plants or eat animals that eat plants. This is the food chain…” This means that the circle keeps going around and round. We as humans, eat animals that eat plants. The circle of life is one thing that will never change. If plants weren’t there, chances are we wouldn’t be here either. Plants are very essential to our lives. They create energy and are a very prized possession to the human society. If the cow can’t graze the field and grow bigger, the human can’t eat as much. In the essay, Richard manning presents a surprising statistic. Humans consume 40 percent of all living things (including plants) on the earth. That is a big number if you break it down into how many animals and plants that really is.
This essay is primarily about the problem in an examination of modern agriculture, oil, and soil. Richard manning speaks on how Hunting and gathering, the occupation of early humans, is stated to have produced healthier people than today. He stresses the fact that we rely on machines to make our food which uses our earth’s oil is almost to a point where it’s not healthy anymore. Human beings now a day’s sometimes only rely on McDonalds to get them through the day. This isn’t healthy nor is it good for our environment. He does make truthful statements that should be realized by many people in our society. Manning also drills into the readers head the fact that oil is not what it used to be. There is a bigger demand but less of the product. More production of vehicles such as SUV's, require more gasoline and consume more of the oil supply.
My opinion on this essay is like most others. We agree but also disagree on some points. Robert Manning is too worried about the stresses of life and his surroundings than it seems he enjoys life. He brings up great arguments that are completely accurate, but what can we do about it? Well, we can try to reduce global warming and save fuel so we don’t drive as much. Maybe some of us will stop buying processed food and learn that natural or organic foods are far more healthier for us. We can sell the SUV and buy a compact car that gets 60 miles to the gallon rather than 12. In the essay it seems he is nervous about the production of oil, like there is none left. We are at our peak for oil usage, but why can’t we drill anywhere else on our planet? Africa or the Atlantic Ocean. This could be done and could possibly change the minds of many individuals that are nervous about the loss of oil.

Ethnography

The Laundromat

I chose to write an ethnography about the Laundromat. I chose this because I know that nobody else was going to choose it. I figured it was a random place to write about and people would be interested.
As I take my laundry out of my car from my thirty second car ride, I enter Delkin’s Laundromat. The smell of detergent breezes past your nose as you walk by the washing machines. The first person you see is the cashier; she is usually watching divorce court or a sitcom. The room consists of large and small washing machines, and large and small dryers. There is also folding tables, couches, and plenty of magazines to read. I walk over to the regular small washing machine I normally use, spread out my colors and whites and throw them into the machine. I choose to bring my own detergent, most people I see, don’t. I see many people buying detergent from the machine that usually costs them about two dollars. This doesn’t make sense to me, because you can go to Wal-mart and buy an 80 oz. of Downy for around five dollars and it will last you about a month and a half. As I pour my detergent I say to myself, “I wish I owned a washer and dryer, it would be so much easier.” I’m sure everyone who goes to the Laundromat says this.
The atmosphere of the Laundromat is pretty calm. After awhile you will get used to the rumbling and tumbling of the colors and whites. The couches could be more comfortable, and the magazines could be a bit more updated, but it is a recession right? Aside from aesthetics, the people all seem to be relaxed. It appears that there isn’t any rush. There really isn’t a need to rush because the machine is timed, and we all know you can’t control time. You can tell the differences between the experienced from the amateurs. I remember the first time I went into the Laundromat, about 2 months ago. I just moved to Fall River and I had always had a washer and dryer living in the suburbs. I had a reason to ask ten questions in five minutes. I kept the cashier busy with all of my questions while the little old lady sat in her corner and knitted a sweater. She was very helpful as she laughed at my jokes about not knowing how to work it like it was some sort of unidentified spacecraft. After the second time I visited the Laundromat, I had it down like the back of my hand.
As I went there to do my research and of course to do my laundry, I learned a lot about people. Some put their laundry in and leave, come back and finish their laundry. Others stay. I usually put the laundry in and go back and forth from my house because it is very close to the Laundromat. This time, I did my people watching and took down my notes. Like I said, it is a very calm atmosphere, until the little kids come and play tag down the aisles. Their mother ends up screaming at them as the lady knitting her sweater gives them the evil eye. There seems to always be at least one college student, not including me. I can tell they go to college because of their age and their clothing (wearing college sweatshirts). This is not a surprise to me, or to anyone else. When you walk into a Laundromat you could expect a college student and not to sound ignorant but a family struggling with money. You just don’t walk into a Laundromat and find a successful business man there very often. It’s the truth. I do find it a little weird when people are folding their laundry on the folding tables. They always look around to see if anyone is watching them fold their clothes, almost like they are nervous. This was strange to me, but I guess I did the same as I folded my clothes.
I spend about an average of Three dollars and fifty cents each time I visit the Laundromat, that includes using that cup of detergent. If I were to go out and buy an energy star washer and dryer from Wal-Mart, it would cost me around two-thousand dollars. Going to the Laundromat every two weeks and spending three dollars and fifty cents would equal about one hundred dollars a year, plus however much detergent would be every 2 months. Point being, spending the money on a washer and dryer combination would be well worth it in the long run. Especially if you have a big family, having the machines would help out greatly on time and money. Being a recession and there are many job losses, I would think the Laundromat business would expand. If people are losing their jobs, why would they go out and spend two thousand dollars on a washer and dryer when many Americans are struggling to pay rent each month. Fortunately my mother and I don’t mind driving thirty seconds to the Laundromat; all in all it takes about an hour from getting in the car to folding our laundry. That isn’t too much time out of the day to go get your laundry done.
In conclusion I’ve found that the social norm in the Laundromat is quite consistent. It seems to be more middle class based, rather than having the “successful business man” come in and find him doing his laundry. This ethnography I researched and wrote helped me better understand the social norm of the middle class. Even though it is a very small chunk of middle class, it gave me a lot of information and knowledge that could maybe be used to my advantage in the future.

Persuasive Essay

The Laundromat

As I take my laundry out of my car from my thirty second car ride, I enter Delkin’s Laundromat. The smell of detergent breezes past your nose as you walk by the washing machines. The first person I encounter is the cashier; she is usually watching divorce court or a sitcom. The room consists of large and small washing machines, and large and small dryers. There is also folding tables, couches, and plenty of magazines to read. I walk over to the regular small washing machine I normally use, spread out my colors and whites and throw them into the machine. I choose to bring my own detergent, most people I see, don’t. I see many people buying detergent from the machine that usually costs them about two dollars. This doesn’t make sense to me, because you can go to Wal-mart and buy an 80 oz. of Downy for around five dollars and it will last you about a month and a half. As I pour my detergent I say to myself, “I wish I owned a washer and dryer, it would be so much easier.” I’m sure everyone who goes to the Laundromat says this.
The atmosphere of the Laundromat is as calm as the beach believe it or not. After awhile you will get used to the rumbling and tumbling of the colors and whites. There is not much going on besides clothes getting cleaned. In a way it is relaxing. The couches could be more comfortable, and the magazines could be a bit more updated, but it is a recession right? Aside from aesthetics, the people all seem to be relaxed. It appears that there isn’t any rush. There really isn’t a need to rush because the machine is timed, and we all know you can’t control time. You can tell the differences between the experienced from the amateurs. I remember the first time I went into the Laundromat, about 2 months ago. I just moved to Fall River and I had always had a washer and dryer living in the suburbs. I had a reason to ask ten questions in five minutes. I kept the cashier busy with all of my questions while the little old lady sat in her corner and knitted a sweater. She was very helpful as she laughed at my jokes about not knowing how to work it like it was some sort of unidentified spacecraft. After the second time I visited the Laundromat, I had it down like the back of my hand.
As I went there to do my research and of course to do my laundry, I learned a lot about people. Some put their laundry in and leave, come back and finish their laundry. Others stay. I usually put the laundry in and go back and forth from my house because it is very close to the Laundromat. This time, I did my people watching and took down my notes. Like I said, it is a very calm atmosphere, until the little kids come and play tag down the aisles. Their mother ends up screaming at them as the lady knitting her sweater gives them the evil eye. There seems to always be at least one college student, not including me. I can tell they go to college because of their age and their clothing (wearing college sweatshirts). This is not a surprise to me, or to anyone else. When you walk into a Laundromat you could expect a college student and not to sound ignorant but a family struggling with money. You just don’t walk into a Laundromat and find a successful business man there very often. It’s the truth. I do find it a little weird when people are folding their laundry on the folding tables. They always look around to see if anyone is watching them fold their clothes, almost like they are nervous. This was strange to me, but I guess I did the same as I folded my clothes.
I spend about an average of Three dollars and fifty cents each time I visit the Laundromat, that includes using that cup of detergent. Being a recession and there are many job losses, I would think the Laundromat business would expand. If people are losing their jobs, why would they go out and spend two thousand dollars on a washer and dryer when many Americans are struggling to pay rent each month. Fortunately my mother and I don’t mind driving thirty seconds to the Laundromat; all in all it takes about an hour from getting in the car to folding our laundry. That isn’t too much time out of the day to go get your laundry done.
In conclusion I’ve found that the social norm in the Laundromat is quite consistent. It seems to be more middle class based, rather than having the “successful business man” come in and find him doing his laundry. This ethnography I researched and wrote helped me better understand the social norm of the middle class. Even though it is a very small chunk of middle class, it gave me a lot of information and knowledge that could maybe be used to my advantage in the futu