English 111 - Technical Writing

Writing Project Reflection

2006-12-05T17:40:00.000-08:00

For this recent project, actually starting it was the hardest part. When I read it, I already knew what position I was going to take, but it was hard to express it. The only thing I can think of that could have helped was to write everything down first.

I'm very proud of my teammates that've come through in the project. I was worried initially, but I realized that everyone's schedules are varied and chaotic, and therefore it was kind of hard to adjust, as I was used to the kind of teamwork that requires sitting down and discussing the problem. I learned how to communicate between people to get some ideas going, as well as try conveying my opinion.

I have a good feeling about this project, and no matter what, I will know that I gave it my best shot.

Interview of Individual in your Profession

2006-12-05T15:04:00.000-08:00

Ok, I did an interview with a teacher here at Chander/Gilbert. His name is Ted Wolter, who also does graphic design freelance. also Since this is the last day of class, I might as well get this over with.

What kind of technical writing do you do?
Mostly e-mail communication...setting up meetings, asking printers what they need, such as what file format do they want a picture in [a pdf as opposed to an JPEG]. As far as for teaching goes, I write the course descriptions, syllibi, surveys, and reports.

Reports?
They are reports for the school in regards to the art department, such as class enrollment, or results from a survey.

What do you have to consider in your writing in regards to audience, purpose, etc?
Clarity, accuracy, and no persuasion. I'm supposed to satisfy what the client wants, not what I want. I might make a recommendation [for the project], but if they say "I want this text over here", then I have to do it.

What issues do you encounter with writing?
If something isn't clear enough, but I'll try rephrasing it if necessary.

Why is writing important in this field?
It is essential to be a good communicator, especially if you are applying for a job. If you can't express yourself well, it doesn't matter how well your portfolio looks. Graphic design in particular also have to take writing in consideration. They have to consider the way text looks and is laid out.

In essence, technical writing is not only limited to the base, technical aspects, but the visual as well.

To: Ted Wolter
From: Monica Arceo
Re: Interview

Thank you for taking your time for the quick interview regarding technical writing, and especially showing me an example of what you write on a daily basis. I found it very interesting and applicable for what I want to study.

Sincerely,

Monica Arceo

Final Grammar Diagnostic and Reflection

2006-12-04T17:13:00.000-08:00

First, my grading:

Sentence Grammar: 13 out of 17
Basic Grammar: 7 out of 9
Punctuation & Mechanics: 16 out of 18
Usage & Style: 4 out of 6

Total: 80%

I checked the first one, and I realized that I got the exact same score! >___<

From the score, I felt that I had stayed in the same place from where I started. However, as I took the last diagnostic, I felt more confident with the answers I chose than the first time I did it. I felt I got more wrong because it was something I really didn't know rather than guessing. I only wish I could check the individual scores of the first test, so I could see in what areas I actually improved on.

Deadline reflection (11-28)

2006-11-29T21:11:00.000-08:00

Ok, I've gotten into contact with Tim and Josh so far, but I think my project's going good so far.

I'm surprised at how many people have dropped in the past week or so D: I'm actually kind of shocked. But kudos to the people who've stayed the course! (augh that's such a pun when you think about it)

Alright, now to get this class over and done! *sparkles*

Elizabeth: http://wwwtoshi.blogspot.com/2006/11/november-28-hw1-reading-reflection.html

Jeff: http://gorf959.blogspot.com/2006/11/october-31-hw55-evidence-and-research.html

Tim: http://rayburn78.blogspot.com/2006/11/october-31-hw-1-reading-reflection.html

Sam: http://www.xanga.com/RohanRider762/550578630/eng111-1121-deadline-reflection.html?nextdate=last

Onita: http://onita-eng111sec2538.blogspot.com/2006/11/from-workplace-literacy-chapter-9.html

FURL activity (11-28)

2006-11-29T20:05:00.000-08:00

I decided to group this into one blog post. More detailed notes are found on my Furl...what the heck, I'll copy and paste:

General Writing Site: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
This is the OWL (Online Writing Lab) from Purdue University. It gives tips and instructions on handling the writing process, as well as to cite your paper. It also discusses various forms of writing, such as creative and job searching. It is very good for helping you learn how to write anything.

The Writing Process: http://www.studygs.net/writing/
This is a very thorough, step-by-step guide to the pre-writing process of writing. It starts off with suggesting how to start a thesis, audience, and how you will address your topic. Then, you can start outlining your ideas; in other words, brainstorm. Then, it gives tips on how to start writing the draft. Revision comes next. It gives several questions to consider while you proofread. This site is a wonderful guideline for the writing process.
Prewriting: http://www.esc.edu/ESConline/Across_ESC/WritersComplex.nsf/3CC42A422514347A8525671D0049F395/CE2B510E7D9975AE852569C3006ACCCC?OpenDocument
This is a very good guide on how to prewrite. Some people have trouble organizing their ideas or don't like making maps or trees. This page gives alternatives, as well as starting points as to where you can develop your own ideas to get started on writing. This is helpful for writing any future papers.

Planning: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/Users/ssfj3/study2.html
This is like pre-writing, but more of a "structure planning" method. Most formal writing will break ideas into three points, topped with an introduction and conclusion. It gives a very good example of how to stucture your ideas when you write a paper.

Drafting: http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/partopic.html
This is helpful for writing a "topic sentence", which will state the thesis of your paper. In other words, the main idea of your paper. It breaks down a sample paragraph and states how the topc sentence connects the ideas in the paragraph. This is good for helping you develop your main idea in a formal paper.

Revising: http://www.teachertidbytes.com/Teacher_St_Tutorial/Writing/TheWritingProcess/rewriting.html However simple this guide is, it helps give general guidelines on proofreading. It also suggests keeping some questions in mind as you proofread a paper, such a if the ideas flow with each other. It's a good starter for someone who doesn't know what to look for while revising.

Drafting: http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/acen/writerslab/handouts/computer.htm
This is a small guide warning to not rely solely on computer proofreaders. They can pick out simple grammatical and spelling errors, but not complex ones, such as usage. "Which" and "witch" are spelled correctly, but if you use "witch" in place of "which", then it is incorrect. Also, it suggests that if it makes a suggestion that you don't like, you shouldn't keep it anyway just because it said to. This is something everyone should read, since lots of people are notoriously dependent on them

Annontated Bibliograpy (11-28)

2006-11-29T17:37:00.000-08:00

Work with headers and footers. Retrieved 29 November 2006 from the Microsoft Website: http://office.microsoft.com/training/Training.aspx?AssetID=RP011217011033&CTT=6&Origin=RC011217001033

This webpage was a tutorial on how to add headers and footers on PowerPoint slides. I decided to chose this because it could come in handy for this presentation, or a future one. Besides, I had no idea you could put page numbers or headers on a PowerPoint slide. Anyway, it starts off by explaining what you can use the headers and footers for, and where the option for adding them are. Then, it gives step-by-step explanations on how to add and edit them. Also, it teaches about special situations. For example, if you wanted to make a title slide, but not include a page number on it, you can click a box to prevent this. Finally, it prompts you to download a temporary PowerPoint file to practice with.

Arrowood, J. Take the Pressure Off of your Presentation. Microsoft Office. Retreived 29 November 2006 from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/workessentials/HA100074301033.aspx.

This article talks about how to organize yourself for a stress-free presentation. This would fit more approapriately with oral presentations, but some of the tips would help with mine. Most people put all what they want to say on the slide itself, and expect it to "talk" for them. To solve this, you can make a notes section on the slide, and print it out with what you want to say, and leave hightlights on the slide itself. This way, the audience can focus what you are going to discuss. Secondly, reading off the slide can bore the audience. Instead on relying on just text, you can add animation, sounds, or pictures to liven the presentation. Audience engagement is not limited to your presentation. If you are doing a oral presentation, you can do quizzes, question and answers, activities, or just pass hand-outs. As long as your audience can feel like a part of the presentation, they will pay more attention to you.

Reading Reflection (11-28)

2006-11-28T17:21:00.000-08:00

I read Chapter 9 of Workplace Literacy, and it discussed tips on how you can effectively give presentations, and use PowerPoints.

First, it discusses the advantages of using presentations over written reports. I believe this is true, because more people will remember what a presentation said ather than glancing from a paper. Also, you can be more persuasive with body language and voice.

Then, it gives some tips, which some I learned about in my communications class! For example, I learned how giving an introduction, transitions, and conclusions help the audience make sense of your ideas. It also brings up how to effectively use visual aids, so they can help emphasize your message, not overpower it. I liked the examples of visual aids they give, and how you can use them to their full potential.

Finally, it goes into PowerPoints, which caught my attention. I took the tips they had into consideration, like how to add notes. I wasn't sure how to, but now I do! A lot of it I knew already, but it was good for a refresher, and there were some things that were new to me.

Annontated Bibliography x2

2006-11-21T11:37:00.000-08:00

Dombrowski, Paul. (2000). Ethics in technical communication. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

I have decided to use our book as a guide to help me understand my ethical dilemma. The first few chapters explains several "point of views" when it comes to making an ethical decision. In the back, it gives suggestions as to how I should approach it, but I have decided to read them and come up with my own conclusions instead. After all, two people can share the general point of view, but not the exact same one. For the group portion, it will be especially helpful, since the assignment calls to analyze the problem from the many "perspectives" such as Kant, Aristotle, or utilitarian.

Frankfurt, H. (1994). An alleged asymmetry between actions and omissions. Ethics, 104(3), 620. Retrieved Tuesday, November 21, 2006 from the Academic Search Premier database.

This article comes from a discussion of another article. Frankfurt discusses the "Moral Obligations and Omissions" article by Jeremy Byrd. The original article discusses how we can be morally responcible, even if we fail to act. Frankfurt's article comments on "Moral..." and puts his own thoughts into what Byrd wrote. For example, he made up a story about saving a drowning boy. Even if the boy was going to drown anyway, would we be morally obliged to attempt to rescue him? This is a good article discussing the basics of having moral responsibility without action.

Deadline reflection (11-21)

2006-11-20T17:13:00.000-08:00

Well, this week's been kind of busy, with starting WP#4 and all. Hopefully this coming one we can get it really rolling. I hope "Black Friday" is kind to me.

Anyway, I've been reading some interesting older posts. Good stuff with some digging around. It was kind of hard at first to find some good posts....

Jeff: http://gorf959.blogspot.com/2006/11/october-31-hw56-annotated-bibliography.html
Mirelle: http://rustybloggy.blogspot.com/2006/11/hw7-101706-deadline-reflection.html
Onita: http://onita-eng111sec2538.blogspot.com/2006/11/deadline-nov.html
Sam: http://www.xanga.com/RohanRider762/547491381/eng111-1031-eng111-blog-responding-to-question-5-pp-187-188-of-ethics.html?nextdate=last
Tim: http://rayburn78.blogspot.com/2006/11/october-24-hw7-annotated-bibliography.html

Reply to Ethics question #3 (11-21)

2006-11-20T16:35:00.000-08:00

The only person that has written a response so far was Wendy (http://wendymart.blogspot.com/2006/11/response-to-question-3-ethics-due.html). I'm sure there'll be more soon.

I liked her response on how we should consider how ethical both we and the employer need to be. Of course, we need to take responsibility for our actions, but the employer is at fault if they do something unsavory. The best thing we can do as writers is to chose the most ethical pathway.

Grammar Work (11-21)

2006-11-20T16:00:00.000-08:00

using tenses correctly 90%

pronoun reference 50%

gerunds and infinitives 85%

subject verb agreement: 40%

I was surpised with the first one, because I have problems using the right tense. The second one was one I definely felt good about working on. The third one I wasn't sure what gerunds were, but I kind of understood what they were after doing this exercize. The fourth...it was a fill in the blank :(. But it was very helpful, and from this, I can figure where I can improve with my grammar.

Deadline Reflection (11-14)

2006-11-14T14:11:00.000-08:00

Wow, I've been more caught up than ever! Everyone's been either in the same spot, or moved up one. I only wished I waited to reply to really new blogs, but the 21st is coming up! O___O

This past week was really busy with the WP#3 final to be done. The exercizes in MyCompLab were really helpful, as were the peer reviewers that've read my paper. I'm just getting acquainted with wp#4, and I really want to get things started fairly soon, since there's so much to do in all places...as you were.

Elizabeth: http://wwwtoshi.blogspot.com/2006/11/november-7-hw3-peer-review-reflection.html

Wendy: http://wendymart.blogspot.com/2006/11/response-to-question-3-ethics-due.html

Tim: http://rayburn78.blogspot.com/2006/11/october-24-hw-6-primary-secondary-and.html

Mirelle: http://rustybloggy.blogspot.com/2006/10/hw5-10306-reading-reflection.html

Charlene: http://charlenelusby.blogspot.com/2006/10/september-19th-hw-1.html

Ethics question #3 (11-14)

2006-11-14T13:57:00.000-08:00

After reading the chapter, and reflecting on the questions presented, I realized how optimism can lead to destructive consequences.

At what point does a healthy optimism become untenable and unethical?
Optimism for a project is crucial, because that is the one thing that keeps you working on it on the first place. But when the means to acheive the goal are beyond reach or comprehension, then it becomes nothing more than a fascade. The "Star Wars" project, on initial proposal, sounded like a wonderful idea, but as the technical details came out, there was either no way to prove it worked or could even be started at all. The project became just as fanciful as its namesake. I still can't believe they suggested using particle rays....

Though the data might not originate from us, at what point should we raise ethical questions about honesty, for example?
I don't think there should be a "point", but rather as soon as we hear of it. Data can be skewed to suit the self-interest of the author or audience. We should always be thinking critically as soon as we are presented with information, even coming from a position higher from us. To go along with an unethical statement makes us as unethical as the person coming up with the information.

At what point does innocently portraying your position favorably goes too far? And with whom does the responsibility lie, you or your employer?
I think it crosses the line when many people have criticized your argument, but you still perceive it as being true or ethical. Or, when it blindly follows the information, althought it could be incorrect or unethical. As for responsibility, it is your decision to believe the information, so it is your fault. Your employer can press you to believe a certain way, but you have the choice to accept it, or resign, such as David L. Parnas did when he could not stand the unethical argument of the "Star Wars" project

Writing Project Reflection (11-4)

2006-11-14T13:28:00.000-08:00

WP#3 was perhaps the one paper I've worked on the hardest this semester...but also the most engaging. I've never liked writing persuasive papers, although I've been told my work reflects the opposite. But, practice never hurts.

Anyway, this project helped me persuade to propose something I had to believe in. I feel that if you want someone to accept a proposal, you have to have faith in whatever you're proposing and present it in a manner that says "I believe in this because of this and that, and I think you should too". So I had to believe that graphic tablets were going to help students before telling someone who might not know what tablets are.

It also helped me write in a very precise and professional manner, a far cry from how I wrote in WP#2. I had to make sure I wasn't redundant or used awkward words.

Overall, I felt really proud of my paper, and almost can't wait for the next one. Almost lol.

Deadline reflection (11-7)

2006-11-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

Yay caught up!

Anyway, the grammar work we had to do was very helpful this time, and the reading too. The exercizes that I did with my rough draft were especially helpful. I got to pick out certain things I didn't notice until now. Plus, the annontated bibliographies helped me consider more resources I could use in my paper. I'll get to work on my final draft now ^_^

Elizabeth: http://wwwtoshi.blogspot.com/2006/11/november-7-hw4-grammar-work.html
Josh: http://jgrauer.blogspot.com/2006/11/october-24-hw9-deadline-reflection.html
Jeff: http://gorf959.blogspot.com/2006/11/october-24-hw49-primary-secondary-and.html
Wendy: http://wendymart.blogspot.com/2006/11/response-to-question-5-from-ethics-due.html
Tim: http://rayburn78.blogspot.com/2006/11/october-24-hw-4-writing-project.html

Reply to Ethics question #5 (11-7)

2006-11-11T19:39:00.000-08:00

So far only two people have posted, but oh well....

"A Frank Statement..." reveals that with just tone, you can either come off as believeable, or just trying to save your point of view from being torn to bits. Or protecting a lie that you believe in so much, you want it to become the truth for everyone else. This sort of thing is very unethical. In defending their stance, the tobacco companies have harmed many other people.

What Elizabeth said about the mice was interesting...I've always wondered about animal testing. Do they put mascara on a rabbit's eyelashes or what? lol

Elizabeth: http://wwwtoshi.blogspot.com/2006/11/october-31-hw4-question-5-from-ethics.html

Wendy: http://wendymart.blogspot.com/2006/10/response-to-question-5-ethics-due.html

Grammar Work (11-7)

2006-11-11T18:26:00.000-08:00

Parallelism: 60%
Inference from Speech: 63%
Common Spelling Errors: 100%
Semicolons, Commas, and Colons: 70%

Apparently, parallelism is balancing the tenses of the ideas in the sentences. For example, "I ate, played cards, and walked to the store". Each of the verbs are in the present tense.

What is inference from speech? Is that using the wrong verb based on what we use in daily speech? That's my impression anyway...

I was for sure I was going to miss something on "Common Spelling Errors", but I didn't. yay

I've been always wanting to work more with semi-colons and such. Perhaps I can revise my draft for any thing of the sort.

Peer Review Reflection (WP#3)

2006-11-11T17:44:00.000-08:00

So far, Samuel edited my WP#3 draft, and so has someone at the Writing Center at school, and I received some very good suggestions. For example, there were issues of audience clarity, and my rebuttle not being very strong. So I will focus on that. But, I also got complements of my tone and voice, which was important for me.

I edited both Onita's and Samuel's proposals on Exchange. Both papers had some good points, and were convincing, but there were some issues on clarity of certain ideas.

The first draft was slightly difficult, since I had to find good information, and try applying it to the paper. From what I learned, I need to "beef up" my paper, by possibly providing more information from outside sources.

Annontated Bibliograpy (11-7)

2006-11-11T12:40:00.000-08:00

O'Reilly, D. (2003). Intuos2 Goes Platinum. PC World, 21(8), 74. Retrieved Saturday, November 11, 2006 from the MasterFILE Premier database at http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=10213385&site=ehost-live.

This link briefly presented the features of the new Wacom Intuos2 graphic tablet model. The Intuos2 "platinum" model price for about $400, $200 more than the regular Intuos2 model. It does mention that it is better than mice in that it less likely to cause repetitive stress injuries, and it is more precise for any type of designing. The only thing that justifies the price is the software bundle and the free mouse thrown in. The only use this site has is researching models the companies make. I recommended Wacom tablets in my paper, but Wacom produces many models based on size, quality, and features. Finding reviews of different models helped me pinpoint which model I should consider.

Nice Mice. (2002). Fortune, Retrieved Saturday, November 11, 2006 from the MasterFILE Premier database from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=7698037&site=ehost-live.

Again, a very short article, but it gives some mentions of new models of mice and tablets. For example, it discussed the $300 Intuos model and its features. It does discuss some newer mice models that promise to be more high-tech. Ths would be a good page to compare models of different tablets and mice to compare/contrast features.

Baecker, R. "INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY." University of Toronto, 9 Feb 1998. Retrieved from http://www.dgp.toronto.edu/people/RMB/old/old318/318.lect9.pdf

Now this link is a very good one, albet slightly outdated. It is a lecture discussing different technologies that allow computer users to interact with the computer, such as tablet pcs and mice. In one section, Mr. Baekcer discusses mice and tablets. He describes how they work, and the advantages/disadvantages they have. For example, tablets are "position sensing" versus "motion sensing" like mice. But, tablet pens have a small button on the side, while mice have 2-3 buttons that cause strain from not being in the right position.

Reading Reflection (11-7)

2006-11-11T12:26:00.000-08:00

I watched the "Achieving Paragraph Unity" and "Achieving Parallelism" videos in MyCompLab, and they both give good advice for my paper.

"Achieving Paragraph Unity" discussed how to keep your central idea in your papers. For example, if you write about oil spills in the past decade, but one or two sentences discuss the harmful effects of ozone pollution, the unity of the paragraph is disrupted. So, in this case, you would omit the sentences dealing with ozone pollution, and make sure the other sentences are related to each other.

"Achieving Parallelism" is not like unity, as it would sound. Parallelism is based on the structure of the sentences. This one is a little harder to explain....but basically, if you write your sentences describing a subject in one way, the same format should stay the same for the other.

I'll keep these in mind as I work on my final draft.

Deadline reflection (10-31)

2006-11-08T21:58:00.000-08:00

I am officially very close to caught up! I think I'm missing an interview from October, but I'll get that done as soon as I contact someone. But otherwise I'm now on the November 7th deadline, where I should be just about. I should be able to finish it by this week. Overall, the other blogs are about where they were last time. again, sorry if I wasn't caught up enough, but now I am!

Elizabeth: http://wwwtoshi.blogspot.com/2006/11/october-31-hw3-annotated-bibliography.html

Jeannine: http://jeannine-madril.blogspot.com/2006/09/september-5-comprehensive-grammar.html

Jeff: http://gorf959.blogspot.com/2006/11/october-24-hw48-writing-project.html

Josh: http://jgrauer.blogspot.com/2006/11/october-24-hw4-writing-project.html

Wendy: http://wendymart.blogspot.com/2006/11/grammar-work-due-november-7.html

Ethics question #5 (10-31)

2006-11-08T21:12:00.000-08:00

I read "A Frank Statement to Cigarette Smokers", and I was almost floored by the straightfoward denial. In fact, the denial was not from ignorance, but deliberate so as to prove that their product is safe and to keep their customers.

The document might be ethical in that they refer to authority figures, but on the other hand, it was noted in the Ethics reading that many were influenced (and probably paid for) by the companies. Nevertheless, it distorts respectable information to its own means, which is unethical.

What was the most striking to me was the fact that it blatantly said, in a nutshell "there is no reason you should stop smoking because these products are safe, and any information stating otherwise is "inconclusive" or "wrong". They claim to put their customers before profits, but unfortunately, it seems the contrary.

Annontated Bibliograpy (10-31)

2006-11-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

My first piece of research comes from "Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning". It discusses how a teacher discovered the usability of tablets in the classroom. Now, it does not cover the artistic side of tablet use, but rather the general uses, such as note taking. However, I felt this was important nevertheless because more and more classrooms are becoming technologically advanced, and it would be important to note this in my paper.

The second, "Graphic Tablets" discusses the specifications and advantages of two Wacom tablet models, the Intuos and Graphire. Intuos is the costlier model, but is more professional in features and performance than Graphire. Graphire, however, is more affortable and perfect for a beginning user. This would help anyone considering which tablet they should purchase to either start out, or replace an older one.

Finally, I found a wikipedia on graphic tablets in general. It discusses an extensive history of graphic tablets and older brands. It also talks about uses, brands, and why they are sometimes preferred over mice. This article is good for someone who is learning about tablets, and the page gives links to the official sites for the major tablet companies, such as Wacom or Aiptek.

Colwell, K. ([2004]). Digital Ink and Notetaking. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 48(3), 35-39. Retrieved Wednesday, November 08, 2006 from the Academic Search Premier database.

Pittelkau, J. (2002). Graphics Tablets. Macworld, 19(2), 39. Retrieved Wednesday, November 08, 2006 from the Academic Search Premier database.

(2006). "Graphic Tablets". Retreived Wednesday, November 8 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitizing_tablet.

"Workplace" Chapter 4 (10-31)

2006-11-08T18:55:00.000-08:00

What kind of evidence and how would I collect this evidence to prove my point, asks the document? A lot, apparently. This chapter really pointed out how much more information I could look for. With that said, I can develop what I can look for and found:

-Convincing readers there is a problem

Problems with using mice with a more "naturally-based" computer program
Ergonomic concerns
Not using Corel Painter to its full potential

-How my solution is the best and most reasonable

How using a tablet will benefit the class
How tablets will bring Corel Painter into full usage
Most ergonmically comfortable
How Wacom brand is better than the other ones

And defending my points, such as costs, usability, and benefits.

The research can be conducted by interview with someone that knows about tablets, in this case, my art instructor. I also researched studies of ergonomics of mice versus tablets, and also opinions regarding brands of tablets in the market, from features to price range.

Reading Reflection (10-31)

2006-11-08T18:08:00.000-08:00

I read Concise Guide chapter 4, and it was interesting. It discussed how to research research, in a nutshell. What does that mean? Basically, it is being critical of research that you can find either in print or electronically. For example, if you are researching on abortion, you can find many websites, but the problem is, most of them come from anti and pro abortion groups, who are biased in the topic.

However, what really stuck to me was Ethics chapter 6. It discussed how the tobacco industry basically lied about the harmful effects of cigarettes, although they knew very well about them. Since the 50s, this has been going on, from their flat-out denial, to the coverups and eventual "redefining" of terminology and ideas. For example, they stated that cigarrette related deaths are coincedentally caused by cancer. This chapter displayed ignorance in the interest of self-protection.

What really got to me was the case of the Marlboro Man. His widow sued the tobacco industry based on the fact that her husband was addicted from making advertisements for Marlboro cigarettes. He was smoking up to 5 packs a day. Also, she claimed he had no idea of the bad effects of cigarette smoking, and was addicted by the time he was sick. Because of the greed and self-serving "facts" from a group of people, many people, including the Marlboro Man suffered greatly and still do.