I really liked this commercial because it was not only very interesting, but it was different in how it described how to make a commercial inside of a commercial. I'm not sure how persuasive it was in getting more people to use fed-ex, though. I was definitely paying attention the whole time because I was interested in it, and maybe that is how to make an effective commercial. I've seen commercials that are very persuasive, so people buy/use the product. In addition, though, I have seen commercials where they are just funny, so people want to buy or use the product because they were interested in the commercial. What do you think? Do you think the steps in this commercial are really what makes a good commercial?

Arodgardner. "Fed Ex Superbowl Commercial with Burt Reynolds." 10 Aug. 2006.  

Photo Essay

This photo essay is called "Winter's Snowy Bite," and it expresses the main reason of why I moved south for college. The man in the first picture, Dennis Hayes, looks absolutely miserable with his frosty beard and basically frozen glasses. I really like the third picture with the sign really big in front and the cars really tiny and far away trying to drive in the snow and fog. The only picture in which the snow does not look really terrible is in the sixth picture, where the frost is pretty on the fence, and the house looks really warm in the background. I just don't understand how some people love the cold weather that much to endure blizzards and ice storms that can occur weekly or daily. Don't you think people would get tired of that?

Grammar

One question about grammar that confuses me is when to use "however." Sometimes people use it at the beginning of a sentence, and sometimes people use it in the middle of the sentence. I was taught to use it in a sentence like this:

I didn't want to go to school at all; however, I had an exam that day so I needed to.

I never see people use it like this, so I researched the right way to use it. In a site called words-work, <http://www.words-work.co.uk/topicdetails.asp?lblref=ww030&topicID=49&pic=FAQs>, people are taught to use "however" in two ways. The examples that the website gives are as follows:

1. "The analysis made with this report, however, concluded that there is very little difference between the two approaches in practice."

2. "Numerous references can be found to the environmental benefits of water transport. However, there are few specific studies defining the benefits that water transport has over other modes."

Neither of these ways was how I was taught to use it, so maybe there are different ways that other people have learned to use it too?