TOW#16: (Article) Smoking Is Worse Than You Imagined By The Editorial Board

Smoking is Bad You Say?

Remember when smoking was "in" and you could see 12 year olds with cigarettes? That's because they didn't know how bad it was back then. However, as may people looked into what cigarettes were composed of, they became aware of the negative effects it has on people's lives. Therefore, many people began to quit cigarettes and began to refrain from them. Today, however, people haven't been as cautious as they used to be. Little did they know that cigarettes are much worse for them than they learned in elementary school. The author appeals to ethos and logos to show that smoking is much worse for one's health than one may perceive.

The author appeals to logos by using factual information from professional health researchers. These days smoking a fewer cigarettes has higher risk of cancer than smoking more cigarettes back in the 1960s. The reason for that is because the ingredients are different than they used to be. The author reports that, "... the risk of developing adenocarcinoma of the lung, the most common type of lung cancer, has increased substantially over the past several decades because of changes in the design and composition of cigarettes. These include ventilated filters that lead to more puffing of noxious materials and blended tobaccos that contain carcinogenic nitrosamines." 

The author appeals to ethos by where the author posted the article. It was posted on the New York Times. New York Times is very credible and known throughout the entire world. Because of its status and reputation, many people are going to see this article and take it seriously. The author, being aware of new trends, wanted to inform people that smoking is still bad and just because medicines have improved, it doesn't mean that the harmful effects of smoking is any less.

The author's purpose was to show that smoking is serious and people are forgetting that, since these days all the famous rappers smoke and it seems cool again. By appealing to ethos and logos, the author is able to convey his stand on the detrimental effects of smoking and that people should take caution.

What's in a cigarette?

http://www.nysmokefree.com/Subpage.aspx?P=0&P1=40

TOW#14: Text "Potato Chips: Are You Eating This All-Time Favorite "Cancer-in-a-Can" Snack?"

"Potato" Chips

Many people are familiar with potato chips, the delicious and crunchy snack that can be found in any average American home. What most people do not know is, is that these "potato" chips may not even contain a lot of "potato". Rather it is more of flakes of potato.

Dr. Mercola writes an article about how these chips are not only healthy, but also hazardous. They contain an ingredient called Acrylamide, which can cause cancer. This ingredient is not intentionally put into the chips but created when carbohydrate-rich foods are cooked at high temperatures. She wants to show these facts about these chips in order to warn people about what they are consuming and feeding to their own children by appealing to logos and ethos.

Dr. Mercola appeals to logos by quoting the Food and Drug Administration. She says, "For instance, according to the FDA's data, Ore Ida Golden Fries contained 107 ppb of acrylamide in the regular fried version and 1,098 when baked." This was to show that baked chips are not any better than fried chips. In fact, she states this fact to convey that these baked chips are much worse for a person than regular chips. She most likely refers to the baked chips because she knows that people who read this article may think that they can switch to baked chips, since they are "better" than regular chips. Dr. Mercola is aware that this is incorrect. So she explains that these chips, in general, are not good for people. 

Dr. Mercola appeals to ethos by her name "Dr.". Because she is "Dr." Mercola rather than "Mrs./Ms." Mercola, she establishes ethos. Her name shows that she has the right to criticize different types of food for health purposes. Also, because of her name, she shows that she has knowledge of this subject and that she is not stating her opinion based on other websites and combining the information into her own. 

Who knew that chips were so disgusting? Many people were familiar with the fact that these chips were unhealthy for the way they were cooked, not for what was actually in them. Dr. Mercola discusses her position on these potato chips and states that they are much worse for people's health than many may presume. She appeals to logos and ethos because of her use of facts and her status. 

Pringles- one of many types of chips

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/07/the-shocking-true-story-of-how-pringles-are-made.aspx)