APA Exercise

Signal Phrase:

Journalist Michael Adams reports that "The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences said it removed saccharin as a potential cancer causing agent because tests that showed it caused tumors in rats did not aplly to humans."

Reference Entry:

Adams, M. J. (2000). U.S. report adds to list of carcinogens. The New York Times, p.F4

Adding and Subtracting Words:

"The institute also removed ethyl acrylate...from the list" (Adams, 2000, p. F4)

Tipping Point Final Questions

1. I think that one social change needed in my community would be a reduction in racism. My town is a small town made up of white middle and lower class people, many of them farmers. In my high school there were only two black kids and needless to say they weren't really accepted by most of the other kids. I feel that that needs to change. Because we are such a small town many people don't get to experience life outside of it. I think that accepting and befriending others that aren't like us is a way to learn about the world. It's a good way to get an idea of what else is out there away from our small piece of the world. I think the only way to help tip this social epidemic is to be one of the people who start it, and get my friends to as well. Once we get to know other people we can tells others about them and help change people's views.

2. I think the most important chapter was chapter 3, about the stickiness factor. Anyone can cause a social epidemic, it's getting it to stick that's a big issue. I like the example they gave about the magazines competing with the gold treasure boxes and getting people to interact with advertising to get them to remember it.

3. Again, I think the stickiness factor is something I can take with me. After college I plan on being a teacher and I think by using the stickiness factor I will be able to help my students not only learn better, but remember it. It's important for students to take the information they learn with them throughout life.

The Tipping Point: The Power of Context

1. In my opinion, Bernie Goetz was a murderer, not a hero, and should not have been let free. He opened fire of four black youths just because he was getting bad vibes from them, and thought they were going to rob him. Some saw him as a hero for shooting those guys, while others saw him as a criminal. I agree with the criminal side. I think his actions were completely unjustified. The boys did nothing wrong to him. If he thought anything was wrong with them, why not move to a different car instead of just shooting them? People thought he did a good thing because the guys had criminal backgrounds and people felt they would just cause more problems. This too, does not justify what he did. It's the police's job to capture criminals, not Bernie's. He should have reported them instead of killing them.

5. I honestly don't know whether improving prison conditions will lead to better inmate behavior, but part of me thinks that we shouldn't improve the conditions because the inmates are there to pay for their crimes, not to relax and enjoy luxuries. I think the conditions need to stay as they are to teach the prisoners the lesson they are there to learn.