Blog Comments 3-30-17

Charles: https://20charlesl.blogspot.com/2017/03/political-article.html?showComment=1490903269384#c8317939492719950362

DJ: https://djsbloge1.blogspot.com/2017/03/political-article.html?showComment=1490903412388#c134801195460428053

Political Article Response

       The article titled " Louisiana Sales Tax System now Ranks Worst than Last Place" by Tyler Bridges summarizes the current predicament of the state sales tax system. Throughout the column, Bridges questions the confusing parts of the system such as only keeping the increase for two years and then returning it. Other interesting and mostly unfair parts are that only certain items are taxed such as commercial fishing supplies but not Crawfish production supplies. Bridges contests that the government wins this system as consumers are forced to pay more money and businesses are forced to change their technology to include the new sales tax. Quotes from rebound economists sprinkled over the duration of the article show that Louisiana's intriguing tax system has made the process even more behind the other states across the nation.

       My opinion of the system is somewhat similar of Brooks' but with slight differences. I believe that the only winner is accountants and consultants as they are able to increase their profits from the raised tax. This tax is bad for consumers who would either have to pay more or travel to another state with a lower tax rate like Mississippi with 7 percent instead of almost 10, which therefore would give the government no money at all. The group who really gets the short end of the stick is businesses especially the small ones which would lose money by losing customers and having to pay technicians to include the new tax into their technology could ultimately lead to their closure. A quick disclaimer is that I do not have much depth inside this whole situation as this is just my opinion and could possibly learn more through interviews with owners of small businesses. I came across this topic by hearing my Dad complain about it at dinner and I found the article by assuming that the local newspaper would have something written about the tax system online.

Here is a link to the article: http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/legislature/article_b82b895a-0e5c-5cdf-abd8-2d2015e5b1d1.html

Blog Comments 3-23-17

Charles: https://20charlesl.blogspot.com/2017/03/free-post-320.html?showComment=1490309874491#c3954954069113434945

DJ: https://djsbloge1.blogspot.com/2017/03/my-thoughts.html?showComment=1490314456274#c4218378707631867935

Free Post- March Madness

       My free post topic this week is on the wonderful lure that is the March Madness brackets.

For the few of you who do not know March Madness is is a massive men's college basketball tournament where arguably the top sixty four teams in the country square off. There are usually many upsets that occur over the duration of the tournament which provides the excitement along with rooting for your favorite team. These games are a very big deal as they are some of the most watched televised broadcasts of the year. If you thought this was all it is only just the beginning of what really is March madness. 

       Now that you know the background information I can write about the most important piece which  is the brackets. The second week of March is when almost every guy in the country is hustling and researching to fill out their predictions of the whole tournament on sports websites such as ESPN and CBS. Now this seems like not a big deal but even the one in a gazillion chance at achieving a perfect bracket is too good to be true. This is why in the third week of March every participant is consistently checking their phone with either relief of still being undefeated on the annual depression of another bracket lost. As far as I know no one has ever achieved a perfect bracket although this still will not stop me and millions of others from trying again next year.

Last Quarter

       Through 3/4 of the way of the year I have learned that I am a little bit of a lazy student. Sometimes I struggle to find the inspiration to get my work done on time or even at all. I have also come to know that I become distracted easily while doing my work. This means I would rather think about doing much pleasurable things than school work. The first step in improving yourself is figuring out and admitting to your faults.

       Now that I have found my scholarly flaws I can figure out ways to fix or at least help with them. To prevent laziness I have really changed my mindset about school so I can become a more studious student. I have also figured out that to get work done I need a quiet environment and have to focus on blocking out distractions. A good night's sleep is also quite beneficial from what I hear. Hopefully some of these strategies will allow me to become a better student and to utilize time wisely.

Blog Comments 3-9-17

Charles: https://20charlesl.blogspot.com/2017/03/free-post-36.html?showComment=1489092213042#c2660228409503534436

DJ: https://djsbloge1.blogspot.com/2017/03/my-mardi-gras-break.html?showComment=1489092388101#c120393518118632278

Mardi Gras Break

       Mardi Gras break is definitely one of the best times of the year. Mine consisted of plenty of sleep and relaxing. It is great to have a break in the middle of the school year and this makes me want to bring nap time back to school. It is also really funny that only some schools in Louisiana have this break while everyone else in the country is still waking up at six for school. It was definitely nice to catch up on some much needed sleep before school started.

       I almost forgot about the best part of Mardi Gras break, the parades. The stuff they throw out from beads to toilet paper makes it very entertaining. Also the grilled food there is much better than a bowl of cheerios at home. It also is fun just to meet new people and to socialize with friends at the parades. The break was very fun and stress free for me so I am sad that the grind of schoolwork resumes tomorrow.

Analyze a Song

      The song "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon has a very interesting analysis.  It contains some cacophony when the song goes "bone digger, bone digger." This is meant to show the harshness of the graveyard which is mentioned. The song also consists of assonance in the phrase "Woe my nights are so long." This creates the sound oh which is meant to sound sorry and make the audience sad for the character. The sound patterns of "You Can Call Me Al" help clarify the meaning of the song to the listener.

       This song also consists of different rhyming patterns and figurative language to make the lyrics flow smoother and help interpret the meaning of the song. It contains internal rhyme like when he says "Woe my nights are so long." This creates smoothness in the song and creates a euphony feel to the lyrics in that phrase. Next, it is made of lots of imagery like when Paul Simon writes "dogs in the moonlight." This sentence gives the reader a picture of what is going on in the song. "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon is about a man questioning his weaknesses and searching for comfort which is one of many conclusions of the song.