AOW 12/19: Manning's Colts

This week's article comes from Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star. He writes about the effect of Peyton Manning being out for the whole season on the performance of the home town Indianapolis Colts. The Colts are currently 0-13 and are one or two losses away from securing the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft. It is much more significant because the guaranteed number one pick this year is Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, arguably the best prospect out of college since John Elway. Kravitz's purpose is to explain how Peyton Manning was the foundation of the Colts and how Luck could affect the future of the Colts. The main audience he writes to are football fans, especially Colts fans. He appeals heavily to logos and basically shows the pros and cons of the many options the Colts are going to have in the offseason. He logically explains the steps and concludes by selecting an option that would be best for the Colts. His claim was for the franchise to cut ties with Manning and begin the Luck Era in Indianapolis. He uses some syllogisms to support a claim that Manning is the NFL's most valuable player without taking a single snap. He supports this claim by showing that the Colts are good with Manning then shows the minor premise that they are horrible without him. He connects these ideas effectively together and shows that Manning was the reason why the Colts have won a Super Bowl and exhibited great success in the past decade. He also supports his point by bringing in examples of the Patriots team who lost Tom Brady for the season. Even though they did not make the playoffs, the Patriots went 11-5 and exhibited success without their franchise quarterback. By using that example as a reservation, he was able to support his initial assertion. He accomplishes his purpose because he stresses how Manning is the reason why the Colts were good even with other good players around him. He also stresses how Andrew Luck could change the Colts.

AOW 12/12: Moneyball 1

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, is written by Michael Lewis and follows the 2002 Oakland Athletics, who are trying to revolutionize the game. After losing big free agents and facing a tight budget, A's General Manager Billy Beane and assistant GM Paul DePodesta begin to use advanced statistics to help scout and build their team. Their usage of  sabremetrics, advanced statistics, help Beane put together a relatively inexpensive team. Their faith in sabremetrics goes against the "rules" of old baseball; they don't factor in physical traits about the player, such as build, personality, and mentality. Lewis also writes briefly about the baseball superstar that was not, Billy Beane. He writes about his brief career and how he transitioned into the head of the Oakland Athletics. Lewis writes many books about economics, now mostly concerned with the downward economy, but he writes Moneyball with the approach of discussing baseball economics. His inspiration for the story came from him following the low-budget A's in 2002 and also the story of Bill James. James is baseball's most renown expert in sabremetrics and has established many of the stats and guidelines still used today. Currently James is an team sabremetrics advisor for the Boston Red Sox. He uses diction that combines these two ideas, he uses many terms that would be found in the front offices of baseball and other professional sports teams, but he also includes many terms and connections that could be found in the offices of stock brokers, financiers, and economists. He effectively shows the syllogisms expressed from Beane's philosophy, "'We want players who get on base.' 'But Billy he isn't in Baseball America's Top 25 catchers.' 'But he gets on base and walks, a lot'" This syllogistic thinking of Billy Beane shows that in order to succeed with a low budget, statistical measures must be taken to ensure success. Lewis accomplishes his goal because he is able to use conversations from Beane that show the economic factor of baseball.

AOW 12/05: Goldilocks Planet

This week's article comes from Dennis Overbye of the New York Times. In this article, Overbye discusses the findings of a "Goldilocks" planet, a planet that is not to hot or too cold that would be able to sustain life. He cites many scientists who are both optimistic and pessimistic about the new findings. He says many scientists are beginning to search for as many "Goldilocks" planets within a viewable of Earth. This article was written because of the recent announcements of new planetary discoveries. Scientists have been continually researching planets that are "Earth Like." He writes this for the purpose to inform people about the progressive research of planetary bodies that may be able to sustain life. He is able to do this through his diction by describing the components of each planet found. He confirms the findings by saying the new found planet is the right distance away and has the proper atmosphere that could sustain life. He also uses quotes and opinions of other scientists to qualify the claims of the optimistic scientists. He says that scientists will be able to find planets, but it will take a long time to find them. He also discusses the limitations of scientific equipment, because much of that equipment cannot see further into the universe. He effective uses the Toulmin Model because he creates a claim with valid grounds (testimonies, reports) and qualifies his claim as well. He writes this article to higher educated audience as shown by his diction. Overbye uses a lot of technical terms and uses them to help support his claim or explain a concept of his claim. He does define some of the jargon, but the reader would need further education to fully grasp the concepts mentioned. He accomplishes his purpose because he is able to inform the audience about both sides of a controversial and progressive topic. By using the Toulmin model, he was able to address both sides and fortify his claim about the possible existence of life-supporting planets.

Unit 2 Reflection: Machiavelli Persuasive

The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli is one the most influential pieces of writing about civil government. He discusses the qualities leaders must possess in order to rule effectively. When I first read the piece, it was very straightforward, told exactly what qualities are needed, and was organized into sections that grouped certain points. I was able to understand this and I think that is one of the main reasons that this piece is so influential. It does not go on and on, but Machiavelli is clear and concise. I also how true his points hold today. He discusses that leaders are very secretive and must do certain things to hold their power. The ideas from this piece are profound, yet they are a staple of how many leaders rule.

Machiavelli discusses a wide range of qualities needed to rule. He says leaders must do certain things, although unethical, to protect their power and/or kingdom. I see this very often in the news, many government officials are making deals with lobbyists for money and other privileges. Congressmen do not reveal these deals because many people see them as abuse of power and corruption. They do these deals in order to gain benefit for themselves or the people. Congressmen will keep these deals quiet because they do not want to get involved with conflict and also they protect their reputation. Machiavelli also states that a ruler must be prepared for war. He must study the battleground, history, and arsenal. He states a ruler must have arms to protect the land and the citizens. If he is unarmed and they remain idle, the citizens will be angry at him and opens vulnerability. He also discusses by having understanding of war, the soldiers will remain loyal to the ruler and the land. I notice this very often, countries are developing new weapons and technology to benefit them during war. Many people have expressed displeasure with the US withdrawal from Iraq because it could leave the US vulnerable. Many leaders must decide where to keep troops and what weapons to use. Machiavelli discusses the balances leaders must have. A leader must be feared, but not to the point he is hated. He also must not be loved as his opposition will find him weak. He also must find a balance of charity. He must give to the less fortunate to gain support, but he must not give to much that he could not live the life he is able to live. Machiavelli says a great leader will manage these balances and by doing so, he will hold his power, position, and land. This is shown today, as the government has many programs for the lower class, but Congressmen and Congresswomen hold high salaries along with the bonuses they may receive. Since they can manage these balances, they remain in Congress and still retain all rights that belong to a government official.

Machiavelli's piece is well known today and well understood. His concise diction create a sense of power to his ideas and many leaders embrace these ideas. He discusses how the leaders must not present the truth, but the truth that will be pleasing to the people. This is a radical idea at the time, but many leaders practice this philosophy, because if the people knew the truth, chaos would break out. His use of strong diction with these radical ideas magnifies the message of the prose. It influenced politics and many people know that what they see is not the whole truth. They understand the leaders cannot reveal the entire truth. When I read this piece, I understood what he was saying and realized that this is the truth and this is how our government operates today. By connecting the two, Machiavelli's ideas were easy to understand.

AOW 11/28: Apple Inc. Ad

This weeks article (ad) comes from a recent Apple ad campaign for its personal computer, the iMac. This ad campaign came in 2006 and ended in 2010. The ads showed two different people, one of whom portrayed a PC (who ran on the Windows operating system) and one of whom portrayed a Mac. The Mac character was more casual than the PC character who was in business attire. Many of the commercials showed a conversation with the characters that involved the Mac telling the PC that he was able to do the same things but even better. The commercials aired when Windows released the Windows Vista operating software. Apple then decided to counter that campaign with this campaign. This campaign was targeted at everybody who used a computer, whether it was for business or pleasure. The different commercials talked the wide variety of uses and capabilities of the iMac. The main rhetorical device used in all of the commercials was juxtaposition of the characters. The Mac character wore jeans and t-shirt compared to the PC character who wore a business suit. In the way they speak they also were very different. The Mac character was very calm and did not get excited or overenthusiastic, whereas the PC character would get excited and frustrated about the Windows product. He often was against the Mac product, whereas the Mac was stating more people were switching to him because of the iMac's speed and simplicity. The structure is also very similar. Every commercial began with, "Hello, I'm a Mac. Hello, I'm a PC." After the same introduction, it followed with PC stating a claim about Windows great features followed by the Mac refuting his claim and stating Macs have the same thing and it is quicker and simpler. Apple accomplished its purpose because sales of Mac and all Apple products grew and Windows sales fell. Many people also knew the ads well and enjoyed their humor.

AOW 11/21: "Occupy" Cartoon

This weeks political cartoon shows the recent developments of police brutality in the "Occupy Wall Street" movements. The picture depicts an average looking protester setting up tents in a park. He says he is protesting against many of the evils in corporate America. The next box shows him being dragged away and shouting in distress of losing his things. It is then shown he has products from: Gap, Coca-Cola, Taco Bell, Nike, and McDonalds. The author, Brian Fairrington of Cagle Cartoons, shows irony because the protester is against big corporations, but he has many of their new products and spends money towards them. He places the large police officer higher than the protester to show the officer's power. Fairrington is puts him in there, because of the recent news stories of police brutality at many of the "Occupy" protests. He is trying to show that there is brutality, but that many of the protesters are acting hippocratic because of their possessions from many of the corporations they are protesting against. He is trying to show many of the people who watch the news and are learning about the brutality, that the protesters are not fully supporting their cause. He tries to elicit a person's pathos and logos to show the illogic and anger towards the protesters. His message is to show that these people are fighting against corporations, but they still support them by purchasing their products. The illogic arises because many protesters don the apparel of Nike, Gap, etc. He draws anger from the fact many people do not like them already and the fact many people do not like Hippocratic people. He accomplishes his purpose because he has clear irony and draws from current issues of police brutality and makes those issues minute in his message. He thinks the police are not the problem, but the problem is the protesters and their hippocratic views.

IR Choice MP2

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
Michael Lewis
Preface- Ch 4/ Ch 5- Ch 9/ Ch 10-End
I found the topic to be interesting especially because of its prevalence today in baseball.

AOW 11/14: Penn State Plays After Turmoil

This week's article comes from Rivals.com, a division of Yahoo Sports. AP writer, Nancy Armour writes about the game between Penn State and Nebraska this past Saturday. Besides the high quality of the teams, it was the first game after news broke of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. A lot of speculation and discussion occurred about the absence of coach Joe Paterno and how the players will play in the wake of the scandal. Armour tries to describe the moments of the game that directly related to the Sandusky scandal. She rarely mentions any part of the game other than the final result. She writes this article to a wide audience, anybody who is interested in college football or has been following the news of the Sandusky scandal. She wanted to describe how the fans and players reacted to the scandal and how that would affect the traditional game-day environment at Beaver Stadium. She appeals to a person's pathos by describing many of the emotional events of the day. She does this effectively by using quotes from many people who were close to Paterno. His son, Jay Paterno, sent a letter to his dad before the game that talked Jay's experiences growing up and how his father made him the person he is today. She also describes in detail about the prayer at midfield for the victims. Both teams, Nebraska and Penn State, led a prayer for the victims of the scandal and were accompanied with the fans in silence. She also mentions about how Penn State must learn to live without Paterno and continue the rest of the season and start a new era for Penn State. She used strong diction to display the change that is needed and the emotions regarding the game and the scandal. Armour accomplishes her purpose because she described everything surrounding the game, but not the game itself. She also brought out the emotions of the fans in attendance as well as the emotions of the players and coaches.

AOW 11/07: IR 2

In the second half of The Man Who Made Wall Street, the author, Dan Rottenburg continued to discuss the events of Anthony J. Drexel and Drexel & Co Bankers. The last section of the book discusses the exponential growth of Drexel & Co, as well as the up and down economy of the United States. He describes the main event in great detail about the uniting of Drexel & Co. in Philadelphia, with J.S Morgan & Co. in London. In this "merge" two financial powerhouses pool together their vast capital and assets to create the most prevelent and most powerful private bank of the late nineteenth century. Rottenburg carefully choses which areas of Drexel's life he wants to examine to provide researchers and readers the best description of Anthony J Drexel. He connects many parts of the story through the people involved in each situation. When the railroad boom began in the late 1800s, he mentions the Northern Pacific Railroad, headed by Jay Cooke, because Drexel & Co's connection to Cooke and other railroads. He details the relationship between Drexel and Cooke, which was strained during the Civil War when Cooke was selling Treasury Bonds at full price through a false patriotism campaign. The Northern Pacific Railroad eventually declared bankruptcy, thus pleasing Tony Drexel and close companion George Childs, whom also had a brief spat with Cooke. He uses a lot of jargon that is involved in the financial industry (i.e. call all coupons, capital reserves v. capital funds) that help researchers understand the actions that were executed by Drexel & Co. He briefly discusses the detail of different financial language, but still holds true to his purpose of providing detailed information to researchers. Rottenburg appropriate concludes Drexel's biography with the details of his death and the aftermath of his ancestors, estate, and Drexel, Morgan and Co. He concludes by talking about the present and how Drexel changed and sculpted the landscape of modern finance as well as America, thus supporting his intial claim of the change brough upon by Drexel.

AOW 10/31: Editorial

This week's editorial comes from the USA Today. The article's opinion is derived from a diverse group of individuals who decide on the entire board's opinion and also require all editorial pieces to examine all sides of an argument to allow the audience to make their own conclusion with all available information. This allows a broader range of audience to read the article that states an opinion an Editorial Board composed. This allows people of different social standing to form separate and unique opinions. The editorial discusses to difference between a flat tax and a simple tax code. The author discusses how a flat-tax means that all individuals pay a certain percentage of their income to the government. This benefits the rich because they would pay a lower rate than they currently do. A simple tax code involves the different deductions and breaks available to each tax bracket. This editorial was written shortly after Rick Perry and Herman Cain had announced their  flat-tax plans in push for the GOP nomination for the November 2012 general elections for President. Cain's plan involves a flat 9% tax on sales, corporate, and income tax. Perry's plan is more complex, individuals have the option to pay based on the old tax code or pay a new flat tax of 20%. They use Juxtaposition to show the differences in the complexity of Cain's plan and Perry's plan as well as the comparison of a flat-tax versus a simple tax code. Their argument is that the flat-tax plan, such as Perry's, is very complex because the lower class would have to calculate two sums they would have to pay and decide which one to chose. The author tried to portray the message that flat-taxes are still very confusing and give most benefits to the upper class. The author also states that the middle and lower class will struggle to determine what tax amount they would pay if Perry's plan is put into effect. The author accomplishes their purpose by juxtaposing the differences in the recently composed plans and how each presents their own level of complexity.

AOW 10/24: New Libyan Government

This week's article comes from the Associated Press in Beijing and discusses the future of Libya, the Libyan people, and their government. This article was written in the wake of of former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's death. They discussed Gadhafi's forty-two year rule and how his death will lead to radical change. The author does this to provide a global view of what new developments in Libya are going to occur and what other nations believe what is needed to establish a Libyan democracy. The author also quotes leaders from various countries around the world and collects their opinion about Gadhafi and the former Libya he ran. The author Juxtaposes the viewpoints of western nations versus the less developed nations who had closer ties to Gadhafi and the former Libyan regime. The author wrote this to the Chinese people as well as other people who subscribe to the Taiwan News. Since the article was written by the Associated Press in China, the article talks more in depth about the viewpoints of China and the Chinese people. Many said that it was sad that Gadhafi was killed the way he was and that he will always be remembered as a great leader. This article appeals to a person's pathos and logos because of the memory used and the strong quotes from many international leaders. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez went as far to call Gadhafi a martyr. This intrigues a reader from a country such as ours, because our perception is much more different than the Venezuelans. It appeals to our pathos because we have strong joyous emotion for Gadhafi's death, but other nations are grieving his death. This appeals to logos because the author begins to mention a reconstruction plan of Libya, which has been an ongoing discussion on how it can establish their own democracy. The author proves her purpose by using quotes from various leaders and explains how other nations are already helping out. The author effectively shows that Libya will face a tough road ahead and that many democratic nations will support their goal of democracy.

AOW 10/17: iPhone 4S Advertisement

The video discusses Apple Inc's new product the iPhone 4S. This video highlights some of the key features that are included on the iPhone 4S. They are discussed by high ranking members of the corporation. They overview the key features of the phone and then go in-depth about each one. This video was released the same day as the announcement of Apple's new fall product line. This video was also released for those who wanted to learn about all of the phone's key features, but did not want to watch the entire Apple Keynote. This was released directly through Apple, who is able to highlight the key features and how people can use them. This was created to demonstrate the key features of the phone as well as to sell the phone and its features to the viewer. They also wanted to build up excitement and suspense to the October 14th release in stores. They follow the classical argument structure by introducing the phone by highlighting the previous model's accolades. Following the introduction they briefly state the key features that were widely requested by current iPhone users. They talk about the specifics of each feature and then say why that is very useful and also refute the usage of other iPhones by talking about the advance capabilities the iPhone and downplaying other phone's capabilities. They conclude with their idea of how the iPhone will change the way people use their smartphone. They accomplished their purpose by describing the key features of their phone and downplay other phones and appealed to their viewers by telling them about the key features that they wanted. They were able to downplay other phones and send the message "this is the best phone on the market and it is only worth while if you the iPhone 4S."

Assignment Question Reflection

When we had a lesson on the rhetorical triangle and broke it down piece by piece and added information to each part of the triangle. I found that to be very helpful because it helped me understand how to write with the right style and ideas based on the subject and audience. This lesson also broke down different rhetorical strategies that are involved with each part of the triangle. After reading chapter 1 in Everyday Use I was confused by the meaning of genre and paired it with subject. After that lesson I learned that genre is the type of writing such as a lab report or a memoir. This lesson also gave notes on words that were unknown to me and made sense to me after the lesson was done. This was helpful because I now know what to use to effectively write rhetorically and understand what I am writing and why.

Essential Question Reflection

Effective arguments show your opinion and can qualify, refute, or support another claim made. To show your point clearly many rhetors will use the rhetorical triangle to rhetorically write to their specific audience about a specific topic. They will prove a different point to satisfy their audience depending on the topic. If the subject is abortion, the speaker's intention could change if he is talking to different groups of people. His paper will change if he is talking to high school students or new families. It can definitely change if he speaking to a group of pro-life republicans rather than a group of democrats in favor of pro-choice. He may have to change his diction and style to create a more appropriate speech that will disturb the audience. By knowing his audience and topic he can effectively get his point across.

The author also has to appeal to his audience and he does this by using the appeals: ethos, logos, pathos. The rhetor can appeal to the audience's sense of logic and emotions and they also show credibility by appealing to ethos. By appealing to logic, the rhetor can get the audience to think their idea through. This can convince the audience to believe in their idea. By appealing to emotions the rhetor can create a connection with the audience and they will connect with the rhetor and believe in the same idea because of the connection created. Using these appeals they can convince the audience to share a common belief

AOW 10/10: Steve Jobs the Tyrant

This weeks article comes from David Streitfeld of the New York Times. Streitfeld's article summarizes the mourning and memorial that has taken place since the death of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Jobs had stepped down as Apple's CEO back in August while battling a rare form of pancreatic cancer. Along with Jobs' passing was Apple's announcement of the iPhone 4S, a Jobs created device. One day after the announcement Apple Inc. announced Jobs' passing on their website. Streitfeld wrote about the memorial, mourning, and life of Jobs by using quotes and examples from his close friends in Silicon Valley. To convey how much impact the death had on many people he used potent diction to describe scenes of memorial, such as those at Apple Stores across the country. He also used effective quotes with strong language to show what kind of person Jobs was like, "Stories of him forcefully telling... (“You’ve baked a really lovely cake,” he told one engineer, adding that the hapless fellow had used dog feces for frosting)." Those words said by Jobs to an employee showed how finicky he was with the product detail, but also wanting the best out of his company and products. It also showed his powerful managing style with the harsh treatment of engineers and developers, Jobs would want them to make it smaller and better. He wanted to educate people about how Jobs lived his life and how he managed one of the largest and fastest growing companies of the past decade. Many people have shown extreme interest in Jobs' because of their close connection with Apple's products such as the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Many people on social media websites have posted sentimental wishes to Jobs, Apple, and Jobs' family describing their shock and sadness of the news. Streitfeld accomplished his purpose because he gave keen insights on how Jobs managed Apple in private and how he showed this attitude and mentality throughout his life. Streitfeld was accurate in telling his reader that Jobs strived for excellence and was determined to get there. 

Article of the Week 10/3: IRB 1

For this quarter's IRB, I am reading "The Man Who Made Wall Street" by Dan Rottenberg. Rottenberg used to write a financial column in the Philadelphia Inquirer from 1978 to 1997. Another financial history book he wrote was "Revolution on Wall Street." Many years ago Rottenberg served as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. This section introduces the biography and Rottenberg discusses briefly about how Pierpoint (J.P.) Morgan was credited with the exponential growth of Wall Street, but he would not have done so if it were not for Anthony Drexel who mentored him for many years. He also talks about how Drexel's father Francis made a living as a painter and eventually moved on to currency exchanged. This influenced Anthony to enter the financial industry. He wrote this with the idea of educating people about a little known man in the financial industry who was one of the builders of Wall Street today, but many do not know about him besides his affiliation with Drexel University. Rottenberg wrote this book for educating many researchers and historians about Drexel and his contributions to Wall Street. His audience is the researchers and historians about Wall Street and those who are interested in the origins of finance. He accomplished his purpose by using full detail in stories and developments of Drexel's life. He also uses vivid imagery to show what 19th century America was like and how this impacted the financial industry.

Article of the Week 9/26: Economic News Cycle

This weeks visual is a political cartoon is from Joe Heller of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. The cartoon depicts an average looking man, probably American, watching a news channel that discusses the new piece of bad news that arises each day. It is satirical because at the end of the week the TV says, "So the week ends with nothing but bad news. Coming Monday, how will the market react?" This pokes fun at the economic news because it is the same news that happens for an extended period of time. The purpose he was trying to convey was that the economy has been in a cycle where, companies do poorly on the market, the have to employees, the government then spends money on the newly unemployed, and the debt continues to rise, thus leading back to a declining market. He is speaking to all Americans in the government, business, and the public, he tells them that everything wrong is a cause-and-effect and that it will continue to get worse until we hit bottom or try and fix one the failing areas. He uses repetition to show that each day a new piece of bad information is brought up. The man in his drawing also shows the same depressed look while watching the news. He also uses cause and effect by referring back to the previous day's news. I think he accomplished his purpose because he was able to show a link between all of the days and creating a cycle.

AOW 9/19: Word's with Strangers

This week's article comes from Meg Wolitzer of the New York Times.  Wolitzer wrote this article recently, also during this time "Words with Friends" has been one the most popular games on Apple's App Store. Although the game has been out for a few months this article was written about the mental aspects of different people who play the game. There are people who rarely talk or those who want to learn about their opponent. The purpose of this article was to state an opinion of playing strangers in online Scrabble as well as friends and family. Wolitzer talks about one game she was playing someone from Galveston, TX, she uses imagery and imagination to describe what her opponent could looks like and what he is doing at the present moment. She uses imagery to describe how her old, traditional games of Scrabble with the old mahogany board and the turntable board. She appeals to peoples emotions when she talks about her friendly games of Scrabble with her cousin. She uses diction to show her emotion about the games of Scrabble she plays. "And then a message comes up that so-and-so “has put you in their no-play list.” Again I feel slapped." When she says she feels slapped, it is an insult to her and slap is a powerful word that shows her distaste of her opponent. She talks to her audience about her stories and that those stories can be related to the common person who plays "Words with Friends" with family or friends. She accomplished her purpose by connecting with her audience by using multiple anecdotes and imagery to convey her ideas.

IRB Choice MP 1

The Man Who Made Wall Street: Anthony J. Drexel and the Rise of Modern Finance Written by Dan Rottenberg

Article of the Week 9/12: 9/11 Threat

This week's article is written by Susan Candiotti of CNN.com and discusses the heightened security and safety precautions that are taking place in New York and Washington DC. She writes about the discovery of intelligence founded by key U.S officials and from the raid at Bin Laden's compound in Pakistan. Revenge is also discussed from al-Qaeda since the U.S Military captured Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda officials in the past few months. This piece was written to describe and discuss the precautions and sources for a possible 9/11 anniversary attack. She uses a variety of government sources to prove credibility of the topic and possibility of a threat. Many officials, including Vice-President Biden, have spoken about the intercepted communications from Pakistan and other sources, "'This is the first ... credible piece of information we've gotten,' Biden told NBC's 'Today' show." She uses these specific quotes to tell her audience that the government has found key information regarding a possible attack and they are taking the proper steps to prevent an attack from doing horrific damage. She tells the general public that the government is controlling the situation by declaring it a priority for the weekend. She uses euphemisms to calm the reader down and does not try to create panic among the audience. "No changes have been made to the president's schedule for the weekend," this quote assures the reader that the President is not concerned with the possible threat of an attack and will continue his schedule activities for the weekend. The audience feels secure because how Candiotti shows the President's confidence in his safety without saying anything about how the possible threat could change his plans. Candiotti demonstrated her purpose by explaining what was going on this weekend with the threat of an attack, but also reassured her audience that the government has taken precautionary steps to keep both New York and Washington DC safe.