Summary 1:
It seems counterintuitive to give out heroin freely, and safely to heroin addicts. However this is exactly what the city of Vancouver is doing. After dealing with the heroin epidemic for years, Vancouver decided to give out pure, and clean heroin to anyone dependent on it. Addicts can visit a “safe zone” called Insite. These addicts are getting safe dosages of heroin, which satisfy their needs, so they won’t be out in the streets trying to pull together as much money as they can to get high. If someone breaks into cars to steal money for heroin, then they won’t have to do that anymore. However there is a darker side to this already dark use of heroin. Thompson says, “he needs free heroin or he’ll break into a car.” This sentence accurately depicts how this program is blackmail. The individuals addicted receiving heroin are already addicted to heroin, and its not like this program gets them clean, since they are still receiving the drug. This method does not guarantee a solution for people to quit the drug completely. By giving addicts an easy way to get high the city is really “killing the addicts with kindness.” This solution just digs the already-addicts deeper into a pit of heroin usage. There is no hope for them getting off of it, and by having it easily available it might just worsen their terrible habits.
Summary 2:
It seems counterintuitive that multivitamins, a product that is supposed to be beneficial for you, can be harmful if eaten too frequently. It would be tough to fathom the fact that the 28 billion dollar supplement industry has been feeding us fake vitamins. Millions of Americans take a multivitamin, however there is no evidence that ensures the positive effects of taking them. In fact some nutritionists believe that vitamin deficiency in the U.S is very uncommon. According to a study most people taking vitamins get enough nutrients from food alone, even if their diet consists of fatty, salty, or sugary foods. Most food sold at the supermarket today is packed with extra vitamins and minerals due to the advancements in the food industry over the past years. If someone takes both a vitamin and eats enough of certain foods, they can get an excess of nutrients in the body which can be detrimental to overall health. It can lead to heart disease, and even birth defects.
Summary 3:
It seems counterintuitive that sanctions should be imposed on Iran to de-escalate its nuclear and military state, based on the failures from sanctions on South Africa. The sanctions on South Africa many years ago proved to be successful in disarming its nuclear program, and shifting it to a state of democracy. However it devastated both the economy and the black population. When a sanction is applied the economy does substantially worse. Its growth and development are both affected and in the case of South Africa, many industrial workers were put out of work. The skilled labor force then became the dominant player in the workforce. The skilled laborers were made up of Whites, not blacks. Many analysts argue that sanctions “weaken civil society and strengthen the state.” Others think that sanctions will wipe out the middle class, and have them merge with the lower class. All this very well could happen in Iran after the sanctions have been enforced.
Counterintuitive 
1. KevinBacon, this first summary is very nice. You write well, and your ideas for the most part are well articulated. I wonder though why you spend so much time warming up to your “thesis.” You don’t owe the original material nearly as much space or credit as you give it. More than half of your work is devoted to describing the advantages of a program you clearly don’t condone. The beauty of Purposeful Summary is that you can dispense with the troublesome “other sides” of an argument in favor of your own.
Counterintuitive ideas aren’t necessarily good ideas, so if you think the notion is inane, you can and should say so without hesitation.
2. Your multivitamin summary is fine but again wordy and overlong. It also “shows its bones.” You’ve pretty clearly written it while reading the original, laying out the claims in the order in which they appear in the original.
The result is repetitions such as:
—Early: most people taking a vitamins get enough nutrients from food alone, even more than those who don’t take a vitamin
—Later: The majority of individuals get enough nutrients from eating their normal diets, even if it consists of fatty, salty, or sugary foods.
—Early: If someone takes both a vitamin and eats enough of certain foods, they can get an excess of nutrients in the body which can be detrimental to overall health.
—Later: The majority of individuals get enough nutrients from eating their normal diets, even if it consists of fatty, salty, or sugary foods.
—Later: The main concern is receiving too many nutrients and this could be an issue for people who get enough nutrients from food.
If your Summary were the original article, a good Purposeful Summary would reduce its length by 50% or more.
3. Forgive me if this feels like a third hammer blow, KB, but I think I can help you trim your paragraphs in stages. They’ll be much more effective when you make your claims once and clearly.
The original:
You want to establish an analogy between the failed sanctions imposed on South Africa and the failed policy of threatening new sanctions on Iran. That’s a really good idea.
You want to establish that in both cases the US had two goals: to de-nuclearize and to urge the country toward democracy. That’s another really good idea.
You blame sanctions for devastating the economy of South Africa and predict a similar outcome for Iran. Again, right or wrong, the claim is a strong one.
Combined:
I hope that was helpful and not intrusive. If you found it worthwhile, the best way to continue to receive feedback is to let me know you appreciate it.
If you’d prefer just grades and not so much critique, ignoring my early feedback is very effective. 🙂
I’d appreciate a link to your 3rd article, KB. It’s something I’d like to read.
Thanks.
LikeLike
Thanks for the feedback! I wasn’t sure how much detail to put in the summaries but I probably added a little too much.
LikeLike
3rd Article Link: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/beheshteh-farshneshani/iran-sanctions-south-africa_b_1379355.html
LikeLike
Thanks for the link. The Iran/South Africa analogy is fascinating (but it’s no secret that general economic sanctions ALWAYS hurt the most vulnerable populations worst).
LikeLike
Your welcome! And I went back and revised each summary by cutting out unnecessary detail, and using your advice. Thanks for the help!
LikeLike