Month: March 2020

Hello, dear students!

Since we’re on an instructional recess, you don’t have to do anything, but please review the PowerPoint and use it to help you proofread your next draft of the writing project.

Go to OpenLab and download the PowerPoint PDF titled “ENG1121 3.30.20 Class Session” and study its contents.

Review your U2 Writing Assignment and check for clarity, grammar, and mechanics (issues that I cover in the PowerPoint). If you have a family member who’s a picky reader, ask them to look at it as well!

If you have questions, I’ll be available during our office hours on Monday (10-11:30 am).

Homework?

The NEW due date for the Unit 2 Writing Assignment will be 11:59 PM (that’s just before midnight) on Sunday, April 5. 

I will be instructing you how to turn in your final draft in a later post! 

Be safe and well!

Hello, dear students!

Some (or all) of you may know about the email the chancellor of CUNY sent out late Wednesday afternoon. The email instructed all CUNY schools to have another recess from instruction in order to distribute laptops and other devices to students. (You’ll remember an email I sent about this earlier.) I’m going to honor the chancellor’s announcement with some slight changes for ENG1121 ONLY.

Please READ THIS CAREFULLY:

From March 27 to April 1, there are to be NO assignments or exams. This is to give time for those who don’t have computer or internet access to receive the devices or access.

Before the chancellor made this announcement, I had a due date of 11:59 PM tonight (March 27) for peer reviews to be completed. Most of you have already completed this assignment. If you are one of those students who responded to my earlier email and haven’t been able to complete this task because of a lack of a computer or internet access, please email me.

If you have access to a computer and internet, please be kind to your partner and complete the peer review by tonight. If you’ll be a little late, let both of us know.

That also changes a significant due date for your final draft of the Unit 2 Writing Assignment, which was going to be Wednesday, April 1.

The NEW due date for the Unit 2 Writing Assignment will be 11:59 PM (that’s just before midnight) on Sunday, April 5. 

I will be instructing you how to turn in your final draft in a later post! 

The “recalibration” period covers both classes next week, but since those classes cover proofreading (March 30) and reflection (April 1), I feel that we don’t have to “skip” those classes. I will be posting on both Monday and Wednesday, but you will not asked to do anything to receive participation points!

That said, please review both posts for guidance on revising (before April 5) and reflection (after April 5).

I will maintain the office hours for this class next week: 10:00-11:30 am on both Monday and Wednesday. Email me with questions or if you’d like to do a hangout session!

Once again, if you are having issues with maintaining tonight’s due date or any other issue, reach out to me at my City Tech email or my gmail account for this class: monwedeng1121@gmail.com. We’ll work through it.

Be safe and well this weekend!

cars research

Page 1

Viman Gunawardana

ENG1121

Word count: 1,395

23^rd of March 2020

Research Paper

Cars are one of the most important pieces of technology in today’s modern world. It is the most popular form of transportation used by millions of people across the United States. In fact, there are more than 274million vehicles registered in the United States alone. Some people mainly use a car to go from point A to point B. However, it is a different story for people like me. We use cars for the pleasure and excitement. In order for this to happen, we tend to modify our cars to the way that we want. We do this because we want to stand out from the crowd and look different than the average car you see on the road. There is not just one way of modifying a car. In fact, there are so many ways to modify your ride that the possibilities are endless. However, car modifying is a very expensive hobby, where you can dump upwards up to $300,000, depending on the car of course. There are many aspects of modified cars, everything from high to low and fast to slow.

One popular section of modified cars are drift cars. Their drive line is rear-wheel-drive (RWD for short). The body type for these types of cars are mainly 2 door coupes, but they can also be 4 door sedans, however it really is not as popular as drifting a coupe. The most popular types of drift cars are the Nissan 240sx, Ford Mustang, and BMW 3-series coupes just to name a few. These cars can never stock because these cars come with an open differential from the factory. If you try to drift with an open differential, you will most likely fail to drift because only

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one wheel does the work, also known as a “one-wheel-peel”. To prevent that from happening, you have to get an aftermarket Limited slip differential. Therefore, this makes your car modified. This is also a first modification for drifters, making it the most common modification on any drift car. Besides the Limited slip differential, common modifications on drift cars are but not limited to, exhausts, intake, lowering springs, wheels, turbos, superchargers, intercoolers, spoilers, dual brakes, and a secondary handbrake. You can expect to find all of these items on your average drift car. The most common thing drifters do to their cars are do engine swaps. They would do a V8 LS3 motor swap (Chevrolet Corvette motor) or a I6 2JZ motor swap (Toyota Supra motor). There are many other engine swaps, but those are just the most popular ones. All these items are a must have in order to consider your car to be a drift car, or to be a drift car.

Another popular section of modified cars are stance cars. Literally almost any vehicle you choose can be a stance car. In fact, stance cars are the least modified types of car. You will only need 3 modifications minimum in order to consider your car a stance car. These modifications are air suspension or lowering springs (cannot be both, choose between one or the other), wrap, and custom wheels. Once you have all of those 3 modifications on your car, your car will be considered as a stance car. Stance cars are also known as the cheapest types of modified cars because they do not require as much modifications as other cars. Stance cars are mainly modified for the looks. Other optional modifications are camber arms, exhaust, sound system, and intake. The most common type of stance cars are but not limited to Volkswagen GTI, Toyota 86, Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ, Hyundai Genesis, Audi A4, and Honda Civic. Those are just to name a few, but like I said, nearly any car can be a stance car.

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Another type of modified cars are race cars. This is my personal favorite modified car scene because I love going fast and going past the speed limit. I also love it when the adrenaline kicks in when I am in the driver seat of the race car. The most common types of race cars are but not limited to Nissan GT-R, Chevrolet Corvette, Toyota Supra, Dodge Viper, Acura NSX, Ford Mustang GT, Lamborghini Huracan, McLaren 720S, and Ferrari 488. If these cars are modified and tuned to perfection, you can make at least 1000 Horsepower (HP for short) or more depending on your budget. If you want at least 500 HP, look to spend around at least $25,000 or more into performance modifications. If you’re trying to be in the 1000 HP club, be willing to drop at least $90,000 into performance modifications or more depending on the car. Common modifications are but not limited to turbos, superchargers, crankshafts, intake, blowers, cams, headers, transmissions, short-throw shifters, clutch, drag radials (slicks), spoilers, and wheels. Out of all the modified vehicles, this route is by far the most expensive and time-consuming. It can take anywhere from 3 months all the way up to 2-and-a-half years to modify your race car. It also depends on the parts that are available for your car and the amount of time you have to wait to get those parts made and shipped to you. However, when you end up modifying your race car, they usually do not pass emission standards, so they become illegal for the streets. This means that you become prohibited from driving that car on the streets. Because of this, there are places known as tracks, it is where you can go beyond the limits of your car and have fun as much as you want. The most popular type of track is the drag strip. It is where two cars go head-to-head and see who has the fastest car. The drag strip can range anywhere from ¼ mile to a 1-mile strip.

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Another popular track is a regular racetrack. People that go on the racetrack compete against each other to find out who is the fastest driver. Just like drag strips, people also race to set their personal records. The other difference between drag strips and racetracks are that racetracks have a lot of bends and curves, while drag strip race in a straight line.

Another type of modified vehicles is Off-Road Jeeps. These vehicles are strictly Four-Wheel-Drive (4WD for short). These types of vehicles are practical for driving on any type of terrain or weather. The most common type of off-road Jeep is the Jeep Wrangler. Jeeps aren’t really fast. These Jeeps aren’t big in HP either; however, it is all about the torque. The torque is what helps these modified Jeep Wranglers conquer any type of terrain, everything from getting out of the mud to climbing huge mountains. The most common modifications you would need in your off-road Jeep Wranglers are but not limited to lift kits, big beefy tires, custom wheels, rocker panels, custom off-road bumper, LED light bars, winch, custom side runners, custom rear bumper, roof rack, light guards and a mud jack. You can go off roading in a stock Jeep Wrangler, but it will not be as affective and will not be as safe either.

Another type of modified vehicles are diesel trucks. Unlike off-road Jeeps, some diesel trucks are unpractical. Diesel trucks can be any drivetrain, RWD or 4WD. Common types of diesel trucks are but not limited to Chevrolet Silverado Duramax, Ford F-250 Powerstroke, and Ram 1500 Cummins just to name a few. Common modification among these trucks are but not limited to custom head lights, custom taillights, massive lift kit, 22-inch wheels (at least), 22-inch tires (at least), smokestacks, custom exhaust,

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skid plates, and a custom grill. When you have these modifications on your diesel truck, they also tend to become show trucks.

All in all, People tend to modify their cars because not only do they want to stand out from the crowd, it is also to show the world their passion and creation of what they have made with their car.

Works Citied

Wagner, Ian.” Car Drivers-Statistics and Facts” 21 May 2019, https://www.statista.com/topics/1197/car-drivers/. Accessed 23 March 2020

@1320video.” Why we love cars” 29 October 2016, Instagram video. Accessed 23 March 2020

@thehoonigans.” the essentials of a drift build” 30 June 2017, Instagram video. Accessed 23 March 2020

Video games are a big part of most peoples’ lives. They bring out their best and their worst. They can give them peace of mind through simple and fun activities, encourage competitive spirit, and help people find friendships and relationships. There are many kinds of video games out there, some more popular than others. There are puzzle games, strategy games, simulation games, etc.. But one genre of games brings out the true competitive nature resting in most gamers: fighting games. There are many popular and successful fighting games played today, for fun or for the glory of being a champion. Everyone has a reason to be playing fighting games.

The fighting game genre has been around for decades, and during its early years it was pretty underdeveloped compared to today’s fighting games. For example, in 1976, the first hand-to-hand fighting game “Heavyweight Champ” was released, but it was not very popular, and didn’t get much acknowledgement for being a fighting game. “Though Heavyweight Champ was the first game to introduce the concept of fist fighting, and one-on-one combat, it wasn’t until the now defunct Technōs Japan Corporation’s 1984 title Karate Champ, and Konami’s 1985 title Yie Ar Kung-Fu that the fighting game genre was popularized, and the basis for modern fighting games was introduced.” After Karate Champ, we see more of the traditional fight games that modern day games take after, such as the first installment to the Street Fighter series, Street Fighter. Though it did gain popularity, it didn’t do as well as its more popular sequel, Street Fighter II. Later on, Mortal Kombat was released, proving to be a big rival for the Street Fighter series, and was well known for its bloody gameplay and gory finishing moves. The amount of violence made parents question if video games were safe for their children, however it did not halter the success of Mortal Kombat. There have been more successful games of the fighting game genre released as the years went by, with each game improving upon itself in some way, either through graphics, gameplay, or character roster, and each change attracts more people to them.

There are many fighting games out there that people play. They all have something that makes them unique, something that you can’t find in the rest. However, they all share something that makes them “fighting games”. On the surface, the thing they all share could be the fact that they’re 2D games in which you attack your opponent until their health drops to 0 using creative combos, or the flashy special moves you can use to beat your opponent.This isn’t necessarily wrong, however there is more to it. “The Washington Post asked a variety of experts, including esports pros, game developers and executives, journalists and streamers, this deceptively simple question and three obvious trends emerged: It needs to be fast. It should make you feel as if you’re amazing. And it needs to have a compelling story or theme to keep you engaged for hours.” (Goldberg) Fighting games such as Dragon Ball FighterZ, Mortal Kombat 11, and Street Fighter V have noticeable differences, but the intense, high-paced gameplay that keeps you on your toes is what makes them great fighting games.

While there are many popular and unique fighting games, one game among them is a rather curious one: Super Smash Bros Ultimate, from the Super Smash Bros series. There has been a long debate about whether or not this game is a fighting game or a party game. This is because Super Smash Bros Ultimate, or any installment of the Super Smash Bros series for that matter, does what a traditional fighting game does. For one, instead of bringing your opponent’s health down to 0, you attack your opponents to increase their damage percentage, which in turn increases their launch rate so that you can send them flying off the stage. Also, the stages you play on vary in formatting, so the areas you play on change, and it’s up to you to adapt and win. To add on, instead of the usual 1v1 most fighting games have, up to 8 people can play at a time, for true chaos, but that isn’t all. “Teams of three or five can go to battle, or players can work their way through an increasingly difficult tournament.” (Bonfiglio) There are more things about Super Smash Bros Ultimate that make it unlike other fighting games, which is what drives the argument that it is a party game rather than a fighting game, however it was still able to attract the fighting game community’s (FGC) attention, and even won an award for Best Fighting Game of 2019.

In conclusion, the fighting game genre is a genre of complex and unique games that can excite and entertain anyone with a competitive spirit. There are many popular and successful fighting games played today, either casually or competitively. Everyone has a reason to be playing fighting games.

WORKS CITED

Gilyadov, Aleksander. “KO: The History Of Fighting Games.” CGMagazine, CGMagazine, 30 Jan. 2019, www.cgmagonline.com/2015/04/15/ko-the-history-of-fighting-games/.

Goldberg, Harold. “We Asked the Experts What Makes a Great Fighting Game. Three Clear Concepts Emerged.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 30 Apr. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/04/30/we-asked-experts-what-makes-great-fighting-game-three-clear-concepts-emerged/.

Wilson, Jeffrey L. “Yes, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Is a Real Fighting Game.” PCMAG, PCMag, 11 Jan. 2019, www.pcmag.com/opinions/yes-super-smash-bros-ultimate-is-a-real-fighting-game.

“The 8 Best Fighting Games to Make Enemies of Your Friends.” The Daily Dot, 21 Aug. 2019, www.dailydot.com/parsec/best-fighting-games/.

Hello, dear students!

We’re on to the next session, and doing well so far! A couple of things to note:

1. Please carefully read the posts and email messages I write. Many questions will be answered there. If you still have questions after checking your email account (the one that you have linked to CUNYfirst) and this website, feel free to contact me!
2. Everyone is stressed and inhibited in various ways by this turn of events, so if you’re having personal issues, trouble connecting to the Internet, or other concerns, please let me know. City Tech is working on providing support (both technical and emotional), so don’t be silent! The college and I are both here for you.

On to today’s topic: Peer Reviews.

There is no PowerPoint presentation today. Your participation points depend on what’s listed on this post. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION CAREFULLY!

I’ve created two documents that are available on OpenLab:

1. A list of the partners I’ve created for the Peer Review is now on OpenLab. Email your General Analysis & Focused Analysis to me (monwedeng1121@gmail.com) and your partner by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, March 25 (that’s midnight on Wednesday–not noon on Wednesday, LOL). THIS EMAIL IS WORTH 50 POINTS AND COUNTS AS YOUR PARTICIPATION POINTS FOR MARCH 25!
   • If your partner does not send their U2 Writing Assignment by the deadline, ask a friend or family member to complete the Peer Review Worksheet for you.
2. A Unit 2 Peer Review Worksheet is also on OpenLab. Download and fill out the entire worksheet for your assigned partner. Email the completed worksheet to me and your partner by 11:59 PM on Friday, March 27 (again, midnight on Friday, not noon on Friday). THIS COUNTS AS YOUR PARTICIPATION POINTS FOR MARCH 30!
   • If your partner didn’t send their U2 Writing Assignment to you, and you had a friend or family member complete it for you, send the completed worksheet to me and let me know what you had to do.

KEEP READING! 🙂 

For today’s homework and a peek into what’s next, please refer to the updated schedule, available on OpenLab.

If anyone has questions or wants my feedback on the writing assignment, please email me. We can set up a time either during the class office hours or otherwise to do a Google hangout or phone call.

Be safe and well!

Hello, dear students!

First of all, I hope everyone is taking care of themselves (both physically and emotionally). If you are feeling stressed out by these new challenges, know that you’re not alone–not that this improves the situation in the slightest, but sometimes it’s good to know that many, if not all, of us aren’t in an Instagram kind of mood. To be honest, I huddled in bed waaaay past my alarm this morning. The thought of getting up filled me with dread and a fervent wish for a magic potion to leap forward several months.

Second, since I’ve never taught an online course before, this will be new territory for me, so if you have taken online courses before, be warned that the class will not be as fancy and shiny as your previous online courses.  Also, since not all of us are computer savvy and/or have a computer/tablet/internet/tons of cell data at our disposal, I’m keeping the format as simple as possible.

For an explanation of homework and how the class will be run, keep on reading!

Here are the 3/23/20 Homework Assignments:

1. If you haven’t already, go to this link (https://forms.gle/FuxyoVE5wt8RcgDE9) and type in your five sources (minimum) within 24 hours after our scheduled class meeting (3/23, Monday at 10:00 AM). Remember, you don’t have to use the sources you post if something better comes along! This is just to make sure you’re on track.
2. Continue working on Unit 2 Writing Assignment. The Rough Draft is due on 3/25. I’ll be in touch about how we’ll run the Peer Reviews of the Rough Drafts soon.
3. On the OpenLab “files” site, I’ve uploaded a version of the PowerPoint presentation (in a pdf file) I would’ve used had we met in person. Please review it and answer the questions on the second slide (titled “Steps 3 & 4: General Analysis & Focused Analysis”) via email. Email the answer to this address: monwedeng1121@gmail.com. Be sure to send it within 24 hours after our class meeting (Monday at 10:00 AM). More on the new email address is below. 
4. Following the second slide, I’ve listed the most common MLA in-text citation methods and how to format the Works Cited page. Please review these carefully. If you’re still unsure about citations or the Works Cited page after a lot of research, contact me.
5. Post on this website a paragraph or two of how you are dealing with the current situation. The title is up to you. You can make it private (so just you and I can see it) if you’d like. Answer one (or all) of these questions, and feel free to discuss something beyond these questions:
   1. How are you doing physically/mentally/emotionally?
   2. What is surprising about how you or others are reacting?
   3. What have you had to do because of/in spite of what’s going on?

This doesn’t have a due date. This is a way for you to connect with your peers and me in a personal way. I’m planning on posting something soon.

So, how’s this class going to run? Here’s a few constants on the class format:

1. A few students have asked if we are going to use Blackboard or Zoom for this class. I’m not planning to use either right now. That may change, but I’ll let you know far in advance via email. Instead, I’ll send you the day’s topic through PowerPoint presentations that I’ll give you a link for and/or questions through this website, which means we won’t “meet” online at a specific time. That said, you can meet with me over Google hangouts or a phone call during office hours or other times (if the office hour doesn’t work for you). Be sure to ask your other professors (if they haven’t contacted you yet) how their classes will be run.
2. A new syllabus schedule has been posted on the “files” section of the OpenLab profile page. Deadlines have been changed. How I will be awarding some grades have changed and are listed at the end of the new schedule–particularly the “participation” points–so be sure to read the entire document.
3. You will be responsible for all homework mentioned on the syllabus and on this website. Email questions about either the syllabus or homework, but try to find the answer through research first.
4. Each “class” will have an online post like this on our usual class days. I plan on posting the message before our scheduled days/time. Make it a habit to check the website by that time on our usual class days.
5. Each web post will have a discussion question that you will need to respond to within 24 hours after the post in order to earn your “participation” points. Sometimes it will be a question that will require an email response, sometimes it’ll be an answer you can simply post as a comment on this website.
6. I will still be holding “office hours.” My office hours for this class will be Mondays and Wednesday from 10:00 – 11:30 AM. I’ll be available during these times via email, Google hangout, or cell phone. If you have questions that can be answered briefly (for example, if a source is acceptable), email me at this address: monwedeng1121@gmail.com. I’ll try to answer those within the office hour or very soon after. If you need to talk about something in depth (for example, a further explanation of a topic or a review of a writing assignment), we can do a Google hangout session. If you don’t have access or technology fails us, we can arrange an old-fashioned phone call.
7. You’ll note that the above email address is different from my City Tech address. This is my way of keeping each of my three City Tech classes separate, since you’ll need to send me various items throughout the semester. I’ll still be checking my City Tech email, of course, but this means I’ll be able to keep everything organized!

This is a lot of information to  digest, which is why I’m posting this early. If you have questions or trouble connecting to any of the content I’ve linked, please comment on this site–others might have the same questions or problems–I’ll respond/correct as soon as possible. (If you comment late at night, know that I probably won’t respond immediately! LOL.)

Be safe and well during this time!

Gilbert,Elizabeth.

Joseph Ellis
English 1121
Professor Penner
2/21/20
Word Count: 724
The Discourse Community of Christianity

Christianity, one of the oldest religions is supported by Christians all over. They believe in making Jesus Christ their central focus in their own personal and corporate lives. At first, I didn’t know Christians were known for replicating Jesus’s life, but they actively walked in God’s will. Christians also refer to God as father, since he taught them Christians destination and destiny is to enter God’s Kingdom. The kingdom is a major subject in the New Testament and it’s a unique goal for Christians to reach. To gain more knowledge about Christianity I researched about the religion online and I interviewed a family member who is a heavy follower of Christ.
While researching this religion I realized that Christians worshiped Jesus Christ because he sacrificed his own life for the people’s sins. They praise him through music, speech, and with scriptures from the bible. A bible is the Christian book that holds scriptures and it explains how Christians should communicate with one another plus it consists of the Old and New Testaments. The bible is also the account of God’s action in the world, and his purpose with all creation
Christians also communicate through prayer, meditation, and worship.
Christians not only communicate with speech with their mouths, they also communicate something deeper which is with their heart. Christians mainly use the English language to communicate with one another. Christians do the majority of their communicating in churches with one another. Christians try to interact with the outside world by enlightening others that are not Christian about the beliefs of the religion. But Christianity is often rejected and mocked by the outside world, which is why Christians use churches as sanctuaries. Which then leads to churches being used to fight culture by continually pointing to god. So, you could say Christians communicate well with the outside world, they just may have different opinions or beliefs on certain subjects.
Christians believe that even after mistakes God will love you, because Christianity is all about forgiveness and loving others. According to a Christ worshiper, to be considered a full time Christian you must attend and participate in services frequently in churches. Churches are where Christians come to praise God with others. To become a member of this Christian discourse community you have to have a friendship and belief in Jesus Christ himself. You may also have to realize that everyone has sinned and cannot live up to God’s standard of Holiness, understand that the penalty of our sin is death, and to accept God’s gift which was his son Jesus Christ who died in our place so we could be spared from hell.
The Christian discourse community seems like it’s an easy one to join and practice. I learned that Christians even believe that it’s “okay” to change your beliefs. Christians never judge anyone, which is refreshing to hear, since most people are judgmental. Christians also believe there is life after an early death and that spiritual experiences in this life will give us an idea of what eternal life will be like. When doing research about Christ followers something that surprised me was that they are monotheistic. Which means that they believe in only one god instead of believing in multiple gods like other religions. That detail confused me while doing research because even though they only believe in one god, that god consists of three parts which are, the father god, the son of god (Jesus), and the Holy spirit. The way I first perceived Christianity changed a little while researching this discourse community. That’s because even after making mistakes in life God and other Christians still love you, and won’t judge you because of the things you did in the past. At first, I didn’t realize how forgiving Christians were but after doing research I have realized why Christianity is one of the most popular religions to date.

Work Cited:
• “Living Stream Ministry.” THE GOAL OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE, Witness Lee, 2014, www.ministrysamples.org/excerpts/THE-GOAL-OF-THE-CHRISTIAN-LIFE.HTML.
• Leveille, Kimara. Personal Interview. Feb 2020
• “Religions – Christianity: The Basics of Christian Beliefs.” BBC, BBC, 14 Aug. 2009, www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/beliefs/basics_1.shtml.

Click on the link and enter your Research Sources List by 3/16: https://forms.gle/tKg4xJWuNj4GuTph8

Click on the link and write about one of the lines/paragraphs that interested, confused, or annoyed you in “Navigating This Perfect Storm”: https://forms.gle/ToJLZeHaWPsSgLg57