Deeds lost because he a) never threw out the olive branch to the supporters of Moran and McAuliffe and b) never told the independent voters of Virgina (the ones who actually decide elections) why they should vote for him. When he finally got around to trying to do that, it was too late. He never got the campaign off the ground, he never found a cohesive message, and he failed to excite the base that he needed to help go spread the message around the Commonwealth. I hope that the “professional consultants” that helped to engineer the Deeds campaign never work for a Democrat in Virginia again. They have absolutely no clue as to what they are doing. McDonnell had the race handed to him in a handbasket with a bow on it, and all he really had to do with his televised ads was try to look like a nice guy. It doesn’t get any easier than running against an opponent who runs a boring and uninteresting campaign. I still have no idea why, other than because McDonnell looked like he could possibly be a Pat Robertson puppet, anyone should have voted for Deeds. Will the Virginia Democrats learn from this enormous tactical mistake? Only time will tell.

Paraphrase

Deeds lost because he never made it clear why independents and opposers should vote for him and his last efforts were too little too late.  He never clearly gathered his thoughts and arguments enough to help spread the message around.  The cause of this could have been his professional consultants who didn’t do him justice.  He had the win within his grasp but his lack of campaign brought him down. Hopefully the Virginia Democrats will learn from this mistake.

Considering that the police have treated it from the start as an accidental shooting, Haugh said he did not anticipate charges of murder, which requires malice on the part of the shooter, or voluntary manslaughter, which assumes that the shooting was a deliberate act.

Compound Convergent

Children, including newborns, and young adults up to age 24 are among those at highest risk for contracting the flu virus. Statewide, more than 16 percent of all emergency room and urgent care visits during the week ending Oct. 17 were by people ages 5-24 with flulike illnesses. That number is rising, according to state health officials.

Compound Serial

Based on predictions that Virginia will reduce contributions to the state employee retirement fund, Wheeler said Poquoson is facing a $200,000 shortfall in next year’s budget, excluding whatever associated impacts would be felt by the school system.

Compound Divergent

If the district receives its shipments over the next two weeks, it will hold after-school clinics Nov. 2 to Nov. 9 for elementary school students and their families, and Nov. 10-19 for middle and high school students. Parents can have all of their children immunized at one clinic, regardless of their grade level.

1 2
If you can prevent them becoming homeless, it’s cheaper and better on the family.

2———->1

This is a simple, strong argument because the claim is broad.

Convergent

1                                                                                   2                                                                              3

Brian Lapp was arrested on Burke Avenue. He had fired a rifle across the street. He refused to come out when police arrived at his home.

2

>        1

3

This is a convergent, strong argument because the claim is broad.

Serial

1                                                                                      2                                                                                               3

International Paper Co. will close its Franklin paper mill, resulting the loss of 1,100 jobs and ending more than a century of operation at the city’s hulking, iconic mill, the company announced Thursday.

1—————–>2——————>3

This is a strong, serial argument because the claim is supported by undisputed evidence that occurs based on the information previously stated.

Linked

1                                                                                                                                2

The best economic stimulus is a high school diploma. If the class of 2009 who dropped out had stuck it out to graduation, they would, over their

3

lifetimes, have added $8.7 billion to Virginia’s economy. High school dropouts hurt the economy.

1  + 2 = 3

This is a strong, linked argument because the claim is supported by hard evidence.

Divergent

1                                                                            2                                                                                         3

Drop outs are vulnerable students. Those who fall behind early never catch up. They feel no connection to school or anyone in it.

2

1           <

3

This is a weak, divergent argument because the claim is to bold.

Few flu-related absences so far in area schools, October 1, 2009, page online

Statements of fact

a.  Schools reported sending home 97 students with flulike symptoms of a fever and/or cough or sore throat.

b.  Across the district, 17 parents called their schools to report their children had the flu.

Statements of opinion

a.  I would expect we will see more cases in the weeks ahead.

b.  I just hope when the vaccination becomes available the people who have been worried and afraid will get it.

6.  Distinguishing Argument and Inference

A.  Portsmouth police look for suspect in an attempted abduction, October 6, 2009, page online

Narrative

Police are looking for a man who attempted to lure a 10-year-old boy into his vehicle on a Portsmouth street yesterday afternoon.

Descriptive

The driver is described as a white male between 18-25 years old, with a pointy nose and tattoos on both forearms. He was wearing a black stocking cap and a white tank top undershirt.

B.  Arguments

Crash Course on Texting While Driving, October 5, 2009, page online

Premise (slashed through is premise)

Someone texting is eight times more likely to crash than someone not doing so, according to studies at the University of Utah. That’s twice as dangerous as gabbing on the phone while driving.

No Premise

“I know it can be deadly,” said Johnson.

C. Inferences

Crash Course on Texting While Driving, October 5, 2009, page online

Premise (slashed through is premise)

A study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety shows that one in seven drivers admitted to texting while driving. Young drivers are the ones most likely to text and drive.

No Premise

As cellular devices become more commonplace and as more states stiffen laws regulating talking and texting while driving, local school systems are grappling to find the most effective ways of teaching teenagers the importance of focusing on the roadway rather than their phones when they are behind the wheel.

(The inference is that schools feel the need to teach teens about not texting while driving)

D. Explanation

Justification

Going into the summer we anticipated a decline because of the economy, so right now things are right in line with what we expected,” Padgett said.

No Justification

It would be easy to miss a stop sign or a deer leaping across the road in front of him if he’s looking at his cell phone.

Kent orders Cheese and Anchovies.

Tom orders Cheese and Pepperoni.

Fred orders Cheese, Pepperoni and Sausage.

Trina orders the works.

Willie orders Cheese.

Betty orders Cheese and Bacon.

No suspicion:

“By now no doubt you’ve started to see the public health announcements urging you to get your seasonal flu shot. And, if all goes as expected, many people will see similar announcements about the H1N1 vaccine in mid-October.”

Suspicious:

“Police say he acknowledged that he was trying to start the truck to remove his impounded vehicle. Authorities said in court records he had been arrested on a drunken driving charge at 5 p.m. Sunday but did not say in what jurisdiction.”

Analysis: (Suspicious statement) Police say he acknowledged that he was trying to start the truck to remove his impounded vehicle.

It sounds like they are saying he started the same vehicle that he was trying to remove but really they are two different vehicles so it is consistent.

Inconsistent:

“West continued his streak of odd VMA behavior Sunday, hopping onstage when Swift won for Best Female Video for “You Belong With Me” to congratulate her—with one minor caveat. “I’m really happy for you, I’ll let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time,” he said, putting an end to Swift’s moment of glory and prompting a chorus of boos the next time his name was mentioned. Beyoncé, in turn, invited Swift back out to “have her moment” when “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” was crowned Video of the Year. A repentant West took to his blog shortly afterward, offering up an all-caps mea culpa to his fans and MTV and promising a more formal apology to the 19-year-old object of his disaffection the following day. But he still undeservingly cut himself some slack by pointing out that he “is a fan of real pop culture,” and therefore just had to tell it like it is.”

Analysis: A repentant West took to his blog shortly afterward, offering up an all-caps mea culpa to his fans and MTV and promising a more formal apology to the 19-year-old object of his disaffection the following day.

vs. (contradicting statements)

But he still undeservingly cut himself some slack by pointing out that he “is a fan of real pop culture,” and therefore just had to tell it like it is.

Logical Assumptions

“Charges are pending against Lewis Donald Weedon Jr. for shooting Becky Lynn Wilkerson multiple times on Saturday morning in the 1700 block of Hillmeade Square, said Lt. Shawn Martyak of the Frederick Police Department. The circumstances surrounding Weedon getting shot are under investigation, Martyak said. Weedon had been shot once in the head and was found in the area of Springfield Lane. The department is not releasing how many times Wilkerson was shot, Sgt. Jason Keckler said. Detectives know what caliber gun was used in the shooting, but Martyak did not reveal whether the gun had been found. Wilkerson, 34, remained in critical condition Monday at R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma in Baltimore, according to a hospital official. Washington County Hospital in Hagerstown would not release a report on Weedon’s condition Monday. Weedon had been upgraded to good condition early Monday, and a detective was at the hospital to speak with him, Martyak said. The motive for the shooting is believed to be a domestic dispute, police said. Wilkerson applied for and was granted a temporary protective order from Weedon in August. She wrote in the document that she felt “very unsafe and unprotected with Mr. Weedon freely walking the streets.” The couple, who have two children, lived together from January until June. Wilkerson wrote that Weedon had threatened to hurt her in telephone calls and text messages.

Those messages included:

n “You better meet me for lunch or things won’t be good for you and you know what I mean.”

n “The best thing you can do is answer your phone because I’m not in a good mind state.”

n “I don’t give a (expletive) about anyone on your job, I’ll come through their door and get you.”

n “Stop playing with me, I will get you later.”

Wilkerson’s final protective order was denied because she “could not meet required burden of proof,” the document states.

Wilkerson had previously applied for a protective order against Weedon three other times, according to the state’s judiciary case search.

One such time was in September 2006 but was denied because she did not show up for the court date. Two were applied for in Washington County in August 2008 and April this year. She was denied a final order each time. One denial was because neither Wilkerson nor Weedon showed up to court, and the other was for lack of evidence.”

Assumptions

statement: Charges are pending against Lewis Donald Weedon Jr. for shooting Becky Lynn Wilkerson multiple times on Saturday morning.

assumption: Lewis Donald Weedon Jr. had a gun.

This is assumed because if Weedon was chargd with shooting someone, he had to have a gun to shoot them.

statement: The circumstances surrounding Weedon getting shot are under investigation.

assumption: It is not known why Weedon was shot.

Due to the fact the circumstances are still being investigated, demonstrates all the facts about Weedon being shot are not known.

Think they are assumptions

statement: Wilkerson applied for and was granted a temporary protective order from Weedon in August.

Think is assumed: Wilkerson needs protection from Weedon.

People might think this is assumed because there needs to be some threat of danger for protective orders to be sought. This is not really assumed because it is not known for sure that Weedon would come after Wilkerson.

statement: Washington County Hospital in Hagerstown would not release a report on Weedon’s condition Monday.

Think is assumed: Weedon’s condition was really bad.

People might think this is assumed becasue a bad condition is not explained in detail typically in the media. This is not really assumed because there is no evidence to exactly why his condition would not be released.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/breaking/dp-biz_unemployment_0902sep02,0,2483839.story

Implied

1. A. Most of the improvement was due to students leaving the labor force.

B. Students take away valuable jobs.

2. A. The region still lost 3,800 jobs, a majority of which were in government and education.

B. Jobs in government and education were over populated.

Contradictory

1. A. The numbers also reflect an increasing number of job seekers.

B. People are not seeking jobs.

2. A. The number of new jobless claims in Hampton Roads also dropped in July to 6,334.

B. The number of new jobless claims heightened.

Consistent

1. A. You’ll start to see some of those jobs come back once school starts back.

B. Jobs will increase with increased spending.

2. A. A summer upturn in tourism-related jobs and a small rebound in the region’s trade-and-transportation sector helped buffer the jobless figures.

B. The warm weather of summer brought in tourists.

Sabo, M. Gloucaster armed robbery results in two arrests. Daily Press. August 31, 2009.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/breaking/dp-local_glorob_0901sep01,0,4903925.story

Implied

1. A. No one was injured in an armed robbery.

B. The robbery did not cause physical harm.

2. A. Two women were walking from the store to their vehicle.

B. The vehicle was in walking distance of the store.

Contradictory

1. A. The man yelled for the two women to get down and then took their purses from a shopping cart loaded with groceries.

B. The women were holding their purses.

2. A. Items taken in the robbery were strewn a few feet from the van.

B. The items from the robbery were locked in the van.

Consistent

1. A. Warren is being held in the Gloucester County Jail without bond.

B. Warren has his own cell in the jail.

2. A. A Gloucester sheriff’s sergeant was checking local hotel parking lots.

B. The sheriff was patrolling in his vehicle.