Partly Cloudy Patriot

    In this article, the thing that most struck me was the thought that America has phases of extreme patriotism, and phases where the term patriot is loathed.  I'm only 20, but I remember 9/11.  I was home schooled for a few years, so I was at home working on school-work when a family friend called and told us to flip our TV on.  I remember watching the footage of the twin towers falling, and not really comprehending what was going on.  I remember sitting on my mom's bed while my mom stared at the television and cried.  She was born on Staten Island, and I think she took the attack personally.  I most vividly remember the extreme patriotism that exploded in the aftermath of 9/11.  We didn't even own a flag or pole pre-9/11, and finding a flag afterwards was no easy task.  Everywhere I looked, everything was decked out in red, white, and blue.  I had never felt such strong patriotism.  I remember crying at a local song and dance show that was traditionally part of my city's summer festival when they wheeled veterans out onto the stage while singers belted "I'm Proud to be an American".  I felt as though I truly understood the lyrics for the first time. 
     A decade has come and gone now, and with it a lot of questions have been asked about the honor of this nation.  We're still at war, and we're in an incredible amount of debt.  To me, this decade feels a little like the way I imagine the post-Vietnam war 70s must have felt like.  The 99% movement is rampant, and patriotism just isn't cool anymore.  We feel cheated and disillusioned.  I'm sure though, that it's just part of the cycle.  Patriotism will inevitably come back in style, and then make its exit once again.  This is the United States of America.  As Americans, we have a right to express ourselves however we please, and patriotism is simply a part of how we express our freedom of speech.

Assignment 2, first draft

Assignment 1, first draft

Notes: Writing project 2

• 900-1200 words
• Pitch an ad campaign for a fake project
• could be satire, absurd product
• Ex:
• Gonzo's Frozen Pizza
• Media
• TV?
• Newspaper fliers?
• Posters?
• What are your markets?
• How are you trying to appeal?
• Issue advocacy journalism (internal citations as much as possible)
• Local or national
• Broad or narrow
• Gun control, contraception, gay marriage
• Equal pay for women
• Keep it from being boring
• Political speech for a specific candidate in a specific forum
• Could be satire
• Journalism on a UT campus issue
• MLA works-cited type page, especially put sources for the pictures

Notes: 2/26/12

• Citations
• In an article from May of this year, Newsweek's Rob Day noted...
• Don't need footnotes, works cited, etc.
• Don't underestimate the value of putting your audience where you are
• Bibliography page for David's sake, not necessarily how it'd be in the magazine if you don't list it in the article
• Above title, write who it's for (title of magazine, type of magazine, etc.)

Notes 2/7/12

• Write
• human interest article for popular magazine--use pathos
• something related to your major
• an opinion piece
• Hold back on pathos when you are trying to be scientific, etc.
• Hold back on logic in matters of beauty and faith
• Word choice is extremely interesting
• Hyperbole- extreme overstatement
• Needs to be 900-1200 words

Assignment 3

“All You Need is Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust!”

            Once upon a time, there was a magical man with an incredible imagination. His name was Walt Disney.  What began as a few simple cartoons of a lovable little mouse mushroomed into a gigantic enterprise of theme parks, movies, a radio station, a television channel, and endless merchandising.  Every child in America grew up watching classics such as Cinderella, Winnie the Pooh, and the Lion King.  As children outgrow these animated movies, Disney was there for them with endless television shows and movies for every age group.  Disney taught us that all our wildest dreams could come true, if we could only believe firmly enough in them.  So what if that dream is to become a Disney child star just like the ones we worshipped?  The process is fairly straightforward, but requires a very specific kind of child to fit the Disney mold.

            First of all, to become a Disney child star, you must forfeit your own childhood.  It may seem ironic that to work for a corporation so targeted toward the youngest generation that this step is necessary, but it is a price that must be paid.  Few child stars have the luxury of attending main-streamed schools, opting for home schooling in their free time between takes instead to accommodate their hectic lifestyles.  They miss out on events most of us took for granted like high school football games, school dances, extra-curricular activities, and lazy summers spent goofing

off with friends.  Acting becomes their full-time job years before their peers are even thinking about their future careers.  They are placed under an extraordinary amount of pressure to out-perform other stars in every area. While other kids are spending their free time riding bikes with neighborhood

friends or attending their high school prom, Disney kids are stressing out over call-backs and Hollywood premiers.  They are expected to grow up overnight, and the world seems to forget they are children who are bound to make childish mistakes.

            Let’s be honest—even the most dedicated actor may not cut it as a Disney child star unless they have the “look” that Disney strives for.  Possibly even more important than talent, perfect hair is a definite must.  Beginning with the classic characters like Snow White, Prince Charming, and Cinderella, Disney stars must have radiant, flowing locks worthy of shampoo and conditioner commercials.  In one of Disney’s latest animated films, “Tangled” the heroine, Rapunzel, uses her magical hair for everything from rappelling out of her tower to saving lives to attracting a dashing young man with equally gorgeous locks.  Facebook groups such as “Disney gave me unrealistic expectations about hair” and blogs of a similar idea discuss how having such hair defies the laws of physics.  However, Disney continues to produce a long lineage of actors and actresses with incredible, superhuman, movie star hair.  Disney stars are not known for being unnaturally skinny, but significantly overweight aspiring actors and actresses must understand that they will be cast as the funny best friend, and have little chance at a leading role.  They also may be expected to appear on commercials promoting healthy habits.  Disney seems to especially appreciate hosting ethnically diverse casts, so minorities may have an advantage. 

            To be a Disney star, you must also possess a wide-range of talents as Disney’s children are known for their extreme versatility.  While most stars are content to simply act or sing, Disney kids seem unfailingly to think they can do it all.  They use their acting careers as trampolines into the music industry.  For example, 90s pop sensations Brittney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christiana Aguilera all got their starts as children on the Mickey Mouse Club show.  More recently, Miley Cyrus’s entire show (“Hannah Montana”) revolved around the idea that she was a girl leading a normal life by day, but a pop star by night.  This show launched a huge musical career featuring songs by both Cyrus’s TV personalities Miley and Hannah Montana.  Although the show “Hannah Montana” has since been cut, (and an oddly similar new show “A.N.T.” has taken its place) Cyrus continues to pursue a music career.  Nearly every Disney child star releases a single, if not an entire album to showcase their singing talents.  Whether or not they are actually talented is certainly up for debate, but children lack the ability to discern good music from bad and eagerly buy the CDs because they love the shows and movies the singers were first famous for.

            Another trait that indicates a successful childhood career with Disney is having the potential for psychological meltdown later in life.  Perhaps it is due to the incredible amount of stress placed on these child stars, or maybe the rumored “Disney curse” is true.  In any case, Disney has developed a reputation for producing children who make uncommonly bad decisions as young adults.  According to NY Daily News, Demi Lovato, the star of Disney’s TV movie series “Camp Rock”, television show “Sonny With A Chance”, and budding musician, went into rehab in October of 2010 after punching a backup dancer while on tour with Disney boy band, the Jonas Brothers.  She cited depression, a long-time eating disorder, cutting, and drug/alcohol abuse as reasons for her admittance.  Christina Aguilera, Zac Efron, and Shia LaBoeuf, have all had run-ins with the law in relation to alcohol abuse, per Salerno and Associates Criminal Defense.  The Examiner recounts the crimes committed by perhaps the most famous Disney child star gone bad, Brittney Spears.  Brittney’s record includes everything from a 55 hour marriage, attacking paparazzi, shaving her own head, admitted marijuana use, and multiple psych ward admittances.  The list goes on.  The reality is that the majority of child stars will not enjoy the same level of success post-puberty.  Many stars cannot cope with this fact or have not adequately prepared themselves for the future.  Regardless of the reason behind these incidents, Disney consistently produces an ultra-high level of psychological meltdowns as compared with the rest of society.

            To be sure, being a Disney star has its rewards.  The fame and fortune associated with being a part of such a successful corporation at such young ages is virtually unparalleled.  It takes huge sacrifices, however, and is debatable whether these payoffs are even remotely worth it.  Becoming a Disney child star requires a lot more than “faith, trust, and pixie dust.”  Unless, of course, by “pixie dust” Tinker Bell was referring to crack.  In that case, she might just be pointing you in the right direction.  

Works Cited:

"Disney Stars Gone Bad." Salerno and Associates: Criminal Defense. Salerno and Associates. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. <http://www.avscriminallaw.com/article.php?id=76>.

Everett, Cristina. "Demi Lovato Confesses to Cocaine Use before Rehab, Blames Promoters for Supplying Free Drugs." New York Daily News. New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2012. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. <http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/demi-lovato-confesses-cocaine-rehab-blames-promoters-supplying-free-drugs-article-1.1066069>.

Schleffler, Amanda. "Demi Lovato Enters Rehab - Is There a Disney Curse?" Examiner.com. Examiner.com, 3 Nov. 2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. <http://www.examiner.com/article/demi-lovato-enters-rehab-is-there-a-disney-curse>.

Assignment 1

I’m In Love With Tim Tebow

Written by Katie Hogue, US Magazine Journalist

   Atheletic.  Passionate. Christian.  Kind-hearted.  All these words describe my ideal man.  I had almost decided that such a remarkable man did not exist until one day when I was a junior in high school I found my perfect match.  My newfound love was a college quarterback who is passionate about living out his faith whether on the football field or halfway around the world serving at his dad’s orphanage in the Philippines.  He has done all this while keeping respectable grades, becoming the first sophomore to receive the highly coveted Heisman Trophy, leading the University of Florida football team to two national titles, and being drafted into the NFL by the Denver Broncos during the first round of picks.  He seemed almost too good to be true.  Yet, this is exactly who Tim Tebow is.  As a born-and-raised Tennessean, falling for a Florida Gator was traitorous.  Then again, for a seventeen year old such forbidden love only intensified the thrill

       At 6’3 and 236 pounds with beautiful brown hair and striking blue-grey eyes Tim Tebow is everything any girl could want in a man and more.  I make it known to anyone who will listen that he and I are clearly destined for one another.  My relatives found out about my crush my senior year of high school and give their whole-hearted approval.  After all, how could I possibly do better than Tim Tebow?

      My freshman year of college, my dad bought tickets for he, my brother, and I to go to the Denver Broncos verses the Tennessee Titans game in Nashville, Tennessee.  I was thrilled beyond belief.  Since it was his rookie year in the NFL, Tim was still benched as second string quarterback to Kyle Orton.  I watched Timmy run up and down the sidelines, cheering for his teammates, deliberating with the coaches, and keeping his body warmed up in case they decided to play him.  Dad and I even walked down to the front row of the stadium to snap a quick picture and I swear I couldn’t have been but ten feet away from my true love.  Unfortunately, that is as close as I’ve ever gotten to him, but I am certain that my day will come.

       My family members aren’t the only ones on board with my Tebow infatuation.  The mission director at my church found out about my love for Timmy.  He is trying to get Tim to come in for a conference, but apparently my football player’s schedule is pretty packed.  This past summer, Danny even suggested that I “accidentally” fall off a ladder I was using to paint the side of a house as part of a mission project.  Clearly if I were in the hospital, injured while serving others, my knight in shining armor would come rushing to my bedside. 

       Of course, I have had to deal with my fair share of skeptics.  There will always be those who have to remind me that he might not be as wonderful as he appears.  Even if he is, our personalities might not connect.  Athletes are nothing but trouble—have you SEEN the latest on (insert athlete scandal here)!  The reasons go on.  Personally, I think these are mostly just people who are jealous of our clear connection.  There are also those who think I’m just plain crazy.  They think my celebrity crush is completely ridiculous.  How many girls though, have guys like John Mayer, Taylor Lautner, and David Beckham covering their computer screens, bedroom walls, and cell phone screens.  My crush is clearly much deeper than these shallow infatuations.  Tim Tebow is more than just a pretty face who can sing or act.  I’m convinced that if he and I ever met, we would fall instantly, deeply, madly in love with each other.  The Denver Broncos will inevitably win Super Bowl XVIII, and when they ask Tim Tebow what he’s going to do now that he’s won the Super Bowl, instead of selling out to Disney World he will get down on one knee and propose to me.  We will then spend the rest of our lives together, saving the world, becoming the inspiration for the greatest rom-com movie of all time. 

        Okay, so maybe it is all just a LITTLE far-fetched.  Chances are, even if I ever meet Tim Tebow, we will not get married.  In fact, we probably won’t ever even have a real conversation. I cant help but think though, that in a world though where girls are constantly being told they aren’t sexy enough to attract a man, that they need to lower their standards and lose a few pounds, is it such a terrible thing to be reminded that guys like Tim Tebow can and do still exist?  Even celebrities are starting to notice that there is something different about this Superman of a quarterback.  Pop singer Katy Perry, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, and former playboy bunny Jenny McCarthy have all recently revealed that they have crushes on Tebow.  Anyone who knows anything about his standards knows that the chances of his actually dating any of these girls is about the same as Prada putting out a line at Wal-Mart.  The fact remains, though, that Tim Tebow is clearly a different sort of celebrity than we are used to.

       Tebow realizes that he is a prominent public figure, whether he asked for it or not.  He recognizes that he is a role model for millions around the globe.  He uses his whole life as an inspiration.  When his mom was pregnant with him, she was advised to abort her baby in order to save her own life.  As adamantly pro-life Christians, Tim’s parents refused to end the pregnancy.  In what could only be described by doctors as a miracle, Tim was born a healthy baby and his mom survived as well.  His entire life, Tebow is constantly told that he is not “quarterback material”.  His body type, athleticism, and style do not match up with the conventional quarterback model.  Many skeptics thought he would not be drafted into the NFL, but first round the Denver Broncos decided to take a chance.  He ended up being their starting quarterback halfway through his second NFL season.  This year he led his team to many last minute fourth-quarter victories that make spectators feel more like they are watching the newest Disney movie than a football game.  Tebow has been defying odds his entire life, and always gives God the glory.  The name Timothy means “honoring God” and this is something he takes very seriously.  The world needs more people like Tim Tebow.  There is something seriously wrong with a society where scandals such as Tiger Woods,  Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Charlie Sheen are more the rule than the exception. 

        In his memoir, “Through My Eyes” Tim explains that he doesn’t have a girlfriend because incredible women in his life—his mom and sisters—set a bar that is hard to measure up with.  Realistically, I probably won’t marry Tim Tebow.  The effect though that he has had upon me and so many others is radical and inspiring.  Tim’s life inspires us to raise standards both for others and for ourselves.  Tebow refuses to be held back by society’s status quo and is constantly pushing boundaries.  He openly lives out what he believes with no apologies.  He’s only 24 years old but he’s had more impact on the world than most people do in a lifetime, and I can’t wait to see what he does next.  In the words of former football coach Tony Dungy, ““Football though, has never been the biggest part of his life.  His leadership and Christian values set an example not just for his teammates, but for all young people.  Tim has already demonstrated that he is a young man of uncommon ability, determination, and, most of all, character.”  I can only hope that I will one day marry a man like Tebow, but more importantly that I will be half the inspiration and witness to people in my life that he has been in mine. 

Assignment 2

Katie Hogue
3/13/12
Eng 255 

                                                    Bringing Justice to the Least of These 

      “Where you live should not determine whether you live.” This very thought is the basis for the latest viral YouTube video. Called simply “Kony 2012,” the 30-minute video put out by the organization Invisible Children aims to educate the world on who Joseph Kony is, and to inspire them to take action to stop the atrocities he is committing in central Africa.  Released for free online streaming via YouTube on March 6th 2012, the video had over 32 million hits by March 8th, and at last count on March 13th had 76,774,007 views. Invisible Children was started in 2005, but with the release of “Kony 2012” the movement has recently exploded, making itself and Joseph Kony a household name. Of course, with such fame, there are sure to be critics. Within a few days of the most recent video posting, everything Invisible Children has ever done or posted has been questioned. Many of these criticisms are coming from individuals who do not even really understand Invisible Children Inc., Joseph Kony, or the complex situation facing those affected by his army. To be fair, many of those who quickly re-posted the video on facebook, tweeted #makekonyfamous on twitter, and pinned graphics of Kony 2012 on pinterest were also not fully educated about the cause.     
     The history of the Invisible Children is, admittedly, extremely complex and
confusing. Everyone should take the time to at least watch the first video put out by the organization, known as “Invisible Children: Rough Cut”. To summarize as simply as possible, the Invisible Children website explains that a war began in 1936 when a woman, Alice Lakwena, formed a group known as the Holy Spirit Movement (HSM) to protest the new president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni. Lakwena was captured and exiled by the Ugandan government, and Joseph Kony, a distant cousin of Lakwena stepped in to take her place. He quickly changed everything about the group. Now known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), the organization created to end oppression of Northern Uganda turned into an even greater oppression than the Ugandan government itself. Kony could not find enough supporters for his cause, so he resorted to kidnapping children, brainwashing them, and forcing them to fight for him. Boys were handed guns and forced to kill others, even their own families. Girls functioned as sex-slaves. Out of desperation, children in Uganda would commute to cities every night, sleeping in huge make-shift camps to protect themselves from abduction. The whole situation was largely unknown to most of the world until three young boys from California stumbled across one of these camps during their quest to find a story. 
            Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole were three newly graduated college students with a passion for film eager to use their newly acquired abilities. In 2003, on the day the war began in Iraq, they set off to Africa to find their story. The boys were fully aware of the danger they were placing themselves in, but were hungry for adventure and felt called to Africa. Through a series of chance events, they found themselves tossed into the middle of a sea of children whose lives were controlled by the fear of abduction. They immediately began documenting the subject; talking to anyone they could, trying to gather information about situation at hand. When they returned to the U.S., they showed their video to all their friends and family, but knew they wanted to do more. Out of this, Invisible Children Inc. was born in 2006.
     Despite efforts, and many instances of false hope, the war in Africa continues. Kony has moved out of Uganda and the LRA into primarily the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Central African Republic. Joseph Kony is listed as the number 1 most wanted by the International Criminal Court, and currently, about 100 U.S. soldiers have been deployed to Uganda to assist the Ugandans in capturing Joseph Kony. Invisible Children’s latest campaign is to make sure people know who he is, creating support for those trying to bring Kony to justice. 
            As mentioned previously, the latest video, “Kony 2012” has sparked debate about the legitimacy of Invisible Children. One of the biggest issues is that of finances. Invisible Children is primarily marketed to young adults, with the videos being shown in high schools and on college campuses. Events are targeted towards the younger generation. As such, it is understandable to question where the resources collected from the youth are being used. Invisible Children is very transparent about their finances and the people who question it are simply not doing their research. By visiting www.invisiblechildren.com, and clicking on the “financials” link, yearly financial reports are available since the organization’s creation. The largest portion of the budget goes towards programs in central Africa, and only 16.24% of the budget goes towards “management and general,” Even of this relatively small portion, it is important to recognize that 95% of Invisible Children’s leadership and staff are native Ugandans. Invisible Children truly seeks to create a thriving, successful, self-sufficient Central Africa. They know that extensive American intervention a crippling hindrance rather than a solution.
            Another critique of the Invisible Children movement is that sending millions of dollars to the Ugandan government is a waste. What these individuals appear to misunderstand is that this is simply not the case. Invisible Children is not mindlessly funneling money into a failing government. They are founding schools to educate the Ugandan children, help locals to learn trades to support themselves, and have rehabilitation facilities equipped to help child soldier refugees work through their troubles and re-enter the world, living lives as normal as possible. The leaders of Invisible Children have done extensive research into the social situation in Uganda and the surrounding areas. They have more experience and knowledge of the situation than the vast majority of naysayers.  
             One of the biggest issues facing Invisible Children since its founding has been U.S. involvement. The war in Central Africa has no effect on U.S. economy or national security. With so much controversy over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, why get involved somewhere new? At the same time, Joseph Kony is an evil man on the level of criminals like Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. He is the most wanted person on the International Criminal Court’s list. Joseph Kony most directly affects society’s most vulnerable members, and he must be stopped. Justice must be served. 
             Shortly after the release of “Kony 2012”, came perhaps the most shocking announcement. Per a website called Trust Law, the film was shown to an audience of native Ugandans in Lira, Uganda. Their reaction was far from positive, and they reportedly grew so angry that they threw stones at the screen. These were the very people this movie was supposed to be saving! If they felt this negatively about it, it must be a horrible organization. Upon closer examination, however, it is clear that this is not the case. Since Invisible Children Inc.’s foundation in 2003, Uganda has made vast improvements. Kony is now primarily a threat to the DRC, CAR, and South Sudan. They felt that the film did not accurately represent present day northern Uganda. (On a side note, it would be interesting to see a video on how Uganda has improved since the creation of Invisible Children Inc.) Also, we must realize that what these people and their ancestors endured was a hellish nightmare that they do not wish to re-live. They want to move on with their lives, not to dwell on the atrocities committed against them. Showing them the film was sure to invoke feelings such as they expressed, but does not mean that they hate Invisible Children as an organization. It means that they hate what they have been through and want to be recognized for how far they have come, and rightfully so. 
             Another issue raised by the “Kony 2012” video is the use of founder Jason Russell’s son, Gavin. Towards the beginning of the film, Gavin’s birth is shown. Throughout the movie, clips of Gavin are included and Jason even films himself trying to explain to the child who Joseph Kony is and what Jason does for a living. Some individuals feel this is an exploitation of Jason’s son. However, the point of Gavin’s inclusion is not to add “cuteness points” but to make an important line of reasoning. Had Gavin been born halfway around the world, he just as easily might be a child soldier. Gavin did not choose to be born or where he was born. Humans are innately entitled to live without fear of abduction, without fear of slavery, without fear of the violence that so many children in Central Africa face.
       Evil will exist as long as the earth does, but this is no reason to sit back and do nothing. If Joseph Kony is stopped, others will rise to the top of the criminal list. However, does this make the injustices in Central Africa any less cruel? I learned about Invisible Children as a junior in high school. I was immediately drawn in; horrified that such a crime could be taking place today. At 16, with no car, no job, and hardly allowed to move without consulting my parents, I felt powerless. This is exactly the attitude that Invisible Children seeks to squash. They are very direct in explaining how we can help the movement through their use of social media and films targeted towards youth. They explain that every penny helps, sell products made in Africa, encourage youth to contact government officials about the situation, and sponsor events aimed at raising awareness and creating change in Central Africa. Invisible Children is translucent about what they do, and for anyone with lingering uncertainties about what they do, I would encourage you to visit their website and especially to check out their “critiques” tab.  Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but remember that human lives are at stake.  According to World Vision, as of 2007, more than 30,000 children had been abducted in Uganda alone by the LRA.  We can only guess at how many more have been affected since Kony moved into other areas of Central Africa.  The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated in 2010 that 2.1 million Ugandans had been displaced by 2010, and in 2011 they reported that 440,000 people in the DRC, CAR, and South Sudan had been displaced by 2011.  Additionally, do not ignore the U.S. lives who are choosing to be involved.  People worry about leaving the world in the hands of “this generation”, but these young adults are standing up for what they believe in and fighting for it.  The youth of America are convicted that this tragedy in Central Africa is unfair, and that something must be done to stop the injustices.  As the Bible says in Matthew 25:40, “The king will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”  They know that they must help the ‘least of these’ who cannot defend themselves.  They realize that WHERE you live, should never determine WHETHER you live.

Photo credit: http://mtakavitu.wordpress.com/2012/03/05/joseph-kony-the-father-of-ugandas-invisible-children/

Works Cited

Anzia, Lys. "Criticism over KONY 2012 Video Continues as Ugandan Women Wish to Forget

the past." TrustLaw. Trust Law, 22 Mar. 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. <http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/news/criticism-over-kony-2012-video-continues-as-ugandan-women-wish-to-forget-the-past/>.

 “Invisible Children.” Invisible Children Inc. Web. 14 Mar. 2012.

            <http://www.invisiblechildren.com/history.html>.

Invisible Children: Rough Cut.  Perf. Bobby Bailey, Laren Poole, and Jason Russell. 2006. DVD.

“Kony 2012.” Invisible Children. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. http://www.kony2012.com/>.

“KONY 2012.”  YouTube. YouTube, 05 Mar. 2012. Web. 14 Mar. 2012.

            <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc>.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. LRA Regional Update: DRC, CAR, and

South Sudan. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.  Aug. 2011. Web. Mar 2012. <http://www.worldvision.com.au/Libraries/3_1_1_-_Issues_-_Children/Child_soldiers_Uganda.pdf>.

World Vision. “Child Soldiers: Uganda.” World Vision, 2007. Web. Mar 2012.

<http://www.worldvision.com.au/Libraries/3_1_1_-_Issues_-_Children/Child_soldiers_Uganda.pdf>.

In-Class Writing Assignment 2/9/12

Katie Hogue
2/9/2012

English 255

The Best Time of Your Life?

            “My senioritis is so bad, I don’t know if I’ll even make it to graduation!”  I can’t even begin to tell you how many times these words escaped my mouth during my senior year of high school.  Everyday my friends and I would talk about how excited we were to be out of high school, out of our dinky little town, out from under our parents’ houses, and away from the crazy drama of our teenage lives.  Sure, we’d heard that college was stressful and had been told that we were going to miss this time of our lives—our hometown, our parents, even our high school.  We were convinced that we were somehow the exception to this rule .  I had been ready to move out since the 9^th grade, I certainly was not going to have second doubts now!  College was going to be the best time of our lives, it would solve all our problems, and I was convinced that at the end of four years I would be screaming the words of Ashton Roth’s song ‘I Love College’—“Do I really have to graduate?  Or can I just stay here for the rest of my life?”

            Now, as a sophomore at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, I’ve learned a few things.  It turns out, that adults actually do know what they’re talking about and my friends and I are really not really that different from anyone else.  After being on campus for one weekend, I realized that the orientation leaders lied to us—there is no such thing as a “dry” college campus.  Freshmen are out from under their parents for the first time, with a practically unlimited supply of alcohol thanks to the all too accommodating upper classmen.  The only things “dry” about UT’s campus are the lectures given by the history department.   As someone who doesn’t drink, this still annoys me.  I know that I can have fun on the weekends with my friends without getting wasted.  In fact, I’m happy to say that I’ll actually remember the fun I had here.  The choice is yours—don’t succumb to peer pressure.  The great thing about college is that you are no longer confined to the cliques of high school.  Decide who you are going to be, and don’t let anyone convince to be someone else.  Find friends who are like-minded. 

            At first, college feels like an extended summer camp.  Most colleges don’t even start class for several days after freshmen move-in.  As soon as classes start though, the stress begins.  The instant your professor hands you your syllabus, you will realize your life is now theirs.  Knowing the exact dates of exams, term papers, etc. is helpful in planning but also means that the next assignment is always looming over your head.  I had friends who would spend five or six hours a day in the library, still never feeling like they were fully prepared.  The hardest thing about classes is finding a balance between doing your best and going utterly insane from stress. 

            Hard as it may be to understand, you will miss home.  You might not miss the drama of high school—cliques are annoying, but knowing where you belong is also strangely comforting.  In high school I was the drum major of our band my senior year.  I had danced for 14 years at the same studio.  I played flute with the same teacher since 6^th grade.  I went to a high school were everyone knew your name, your siblings, and parents too.  Going to a university where hardly anyone knew who I was took some getting used to. 

As a high school student, few people are more annoying than your parents.  You feel old enough to take care of yourself, yet they are constantly breathing down your neck, checking to make sure your homework is done, telling you when you have to be home, and demanding to know who you’re hanging out with.  When you get to college, though, you quickly realize how much they did for you.  On top of your stressful classes, you have to take care of getting your own food, doing your own laundry, and cleaning your room.  You will quickly learn all the annoying habits of your roommates and suddenly your siblings are not so annoying after all.  By the time November rolls around, it seems like every student is singing “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”, the lyrics holding a new deeper message we never thought possible.

            College is awesome.  Please don’t let me lead you to believe that it’s some torture that the world invented, forcing us to be miserable for four years before we can get a job (and paycheck) in the field we really want.  All these things that make college so hard are also what make it so much fun.  You get to be whoever you want—sure, it might be lonely for the first few weeks or even months but once you find friends, you’ll wonder why you ever missed all your high school friends.  Classes are hard, and you have to study to make good grades, but if you go to the library with friends it can actually be pretty fun.  You will learn to appreciate your parents and family at a whole new level.  The mistakes you make will turn into some of your best stories.  College probably won’t be the best time of your life, but if it was, how depressing would that be?  To have to live the rest of your life after college always wishing to go back?  Live in the present, appreciate every day, and make the most of the opportunities you have, wherever you are! 

Baby Sign Language Brochure

Notes 4/19- Essays, letters, and other text

Essays, letters, other text

• Interesting
• Meaningful/insightful
• "Flow"- ideas proceed naturally and logically, prose is clear and appropriate  
• Stays on topic
• Not meant to limit or define the way to talk about a subject, but don't go off onto topics so that your audience doesn't know what you're talking about.
• "Correct" grammar
• Usually use standard English
• Mechanically correct
• To not punctuate correctly is like a speech impediment--always be mechanically correct. 
• Clear purpose
• Generally through stating it in one sentence, generally a thesis statement.
• Clear audience
• Tone
• Appropriate to your purpose and your audience

Comic--The Big Orange Screw

In-Class Writing Assignment 4/12

How To:  Make Your Schedule Without Becoming Victim to the Big Orange Screw

Since the birth of the university, students everywhere have had to endure the often nightmarish scheduling of classes.  Scheduling classes is often stressful and frustrating, but by using these 10 tips you can avoid at least prepare yourself as much as possible. 

 1.      Print off the list of classes you must take each semester for your major, and research the classes and your options for general requirements.

I brought in 6 hours of AP credit.  I will also have some summer credits, and had a few semesters when I took over 15 hours.  I realized my sophomore year that I hours-wise I could graduate a semester early.  As a speech pathology major, I have to go to graduate school.  I thought that I could use this semester off to save up money and take a break from classes.  As I looked into my classes, however, I realized that many of my classes are only offered in either the fall or spring semester, and that many of them require pre-requisites.  If I had planned earlier, I could have re-arranged my schedule and graduated early.  Instead of making money for a semester, I have to pay for that last semester just because I can’t get two three-hour credits until spring semester of my fourth year.  Even if you are an undecided major, research what classes are required by most majors (especially those you might be interested in) and take those until you decide on a major.  Find a list of majors and their requirements here: http://catalog.utk.edu/content.php?catoid=11&navoid=960

2.     Realize your advisor is not perfect.

As a freshman at orientation, I let my advisor talk me out of taking honors calculus.  Math was my strongest subject in high school and I had already taken college-level calculus my senior year.  I ended up taking a much easier math class to fulfill my math credit.  It was extremely easy and I made over 100 average, but I know I could have made an A in honors calc.  I need 7 honors credits to graduate in the Chancellor’s Honors program, and this would have been an easy way to knock one out.  Also, it seems like almost every semester my advisors arrange my schedule around a class that ends up not being offered.  Check with other students in your major (older students, preferably) and professors to make sure you’re taking the best classes for you.

3.     If you plan on taking summer classes or studying abroad, start researching your options ASAP.

If you’re a business major, you have more options for study abroad.  However, most majors do not have study abroad trips that allow you to earn upper-level credits.  Especially if you want to spend a semester abroad, realize that your best option is to set aside 12-15 hours worth of gen-eds so you don’t throw away a semester an put yourself behind.  As for summer classes, UT requires all students to take their last 30 hours on campus.  For many majors, their schedule does not plan for a 30 hour senior year, that way you have time to interview for jobs, write your thesis, or apply to graduate programs.  This means that any classes you plan on taking off campus (at a community college, at a college in your hometown, or on a study abroad) must be taken the summer between your sophomore and junior year, not your junior and senior year.

4.     Not all professors are equal.

Just like there were notoriously terrible teachers at your high school, there are some professors who are much better than others at college too.  The difference is that you now have a choice in which professor you take.  Research professors and talk to your peers.  You are not going to get an award for taking the hardest professor.  Take the professor you can learn the most from while keeping your grades up.

5.      Before the day you can register for classes, write down all the CRNs for the classes you want to take.

The CRN is the blue number listed to the left of the classes when you search for them.  Write out all the dates and times of your classes to make sure there aren’t any conflicts, and then write down a list of the CRNs.  Then, on your registration day you can simply type those numbers onto Banner without taking the time to search for each class individually.  Since Banner is notorious for crashing during registration, being able to sign up for classes in the small windows of time it is open for is extremely helpful. 

6.     Check your myutk page several weeks before registration to make sure you have no holds on your account and to make sure your registration time is when it should be. 

Once semester, several of my friends did not do this, and did not realize until they were signing up for classes that UT had forgotten to give them the priority registration that is one of the biggest perks honors students receive.  Luckily, the problem was fixed quickly, but it caused a lot of stress that could have been easily avoided.

7.     Sign up for more hours than you intend to take.

UT allows you to register for up to 19 hours.  Even if you do not plan on taking more than 15 hours or even 12 hours, you should register for at least 18 hours.   At least half of the semesters I have been at UT, I have had at least one class dropped.  This past semester, UT pulled an honors class I was registered for less than a week before classes started.  Also, you can drop classes for the first couple weeks of class without being penalized.  This is extremely helpful if you realize the class is harder than you thought, and more than you have time for that semester.

8.     Have back-up options

It’s probably safe to say that no student in the history of UT has ever gotten every exact class they want on their first try.  By knowing in advance what options you have, you can still take as many hours as you need, keeping you as on-track to graduate as possible. 

9.     Don’t be afraid of waitlists.

I made this mistake my freshman year.  My advisor told me that all beginner Spanish classes were already full, so I didn’t bother to put myself on a waitlist.  Since Spanish 111 is only offered in fall, this put my Spanish one whole year behind.  Now, while I have finished almost all my other general education requirements, I still need both my intermediate Spanish credits, and will have to take them as a junior.  Trust me, you do NOT want to deal with a class as time-consuming as Spanish when all your other classes are within your major. 
 

10.  Know yourself!

If you aren’t a morning person, don’t sign up for 8am classes.  Your parents aren’t going to come and drag you to class every day.  You have to be responsible for getting yourself to classes.  Also, know that most college students stay up until at least 1am, so 8am is going to feel a LOT earlier than it did in high school.  This doesn’t make you lazy, it makes you human.  Also, if you know you won’t pay attention if you take class with your best friend, don’t sign up for classes with your best friend.  If you do better when you study in groups and having friends in class will motivate you to go to class, then do sign up with friends.  It’s all about being honest with yourself, and making your schedule accordingly. 

Analyzing Documentary Photography- 4/4

My mom is an avid photographer.  She shoots with a Nikon D-90, which is the same camera many professional photographers use.  It feels like every second of my life is documented in photographs, and her favorites are put into the 30+ lovingly made and carefully designed scrapbooks that fill a hutch in our living room.  Also in the hutch are several antique cameras which my mom inherited from her grandfather, also a photographer.  My mom is always looking at photographs, explaining to me how it should be clearer or how to crop the photo to get the right effect or what the best lighting for a given situation is.  She has won several awards for her nature photography, and our family jokes that Ritz Camera is her equivalent to the bar in the t.v. show "Cheers".  Everyone there knows her name, and one woman even has her phone number memorized.  My entire life I have grown up immersed in photography.  So, when reading this chapter on analyzing photography, a lot of it was about things that come second-nature to me. 

What struck me the most when reading this chapter was the idea that photography forces us to look at a scene from the perspective of the photographer.  This made me think about all the things that go un-photographed in our lives.  There are millions of photographs of beautiful ballerinas, yet few that document the anorexia that is more common among dancers than even models.  Photos of cities like New York, London, and Paris are the subject of the posters on my apartment walls, but the picture they paint shows nothing of the homeless, the drug addicts, or the prostitutes that lurk just around the corner.  Getting a little more personal, my facebook page has 76 albums full of pictures, supposedly documenting my life since I joined facebook my sophomore year of high school.  These pictures show most of the best times I have had.  They help me to remember the things and people I valued most at any given point in time.  However, they leave out millions of moments that went undocumented, either because I did not have a camera or did not wish to remember these moments.  I have no pictures of me when my high school boyfriend (who happened to also be my best friend) broke up with me, and I experienced true heartbreak for the first time.  No camera accurately photographed the feeling of combined triumph and sadness I experienced when I danced for the last time with the studio I had grown up with.  I have no pictures of the moments when I cried in my dorm room my freshman year, wondering why in the world I had chosen UT.  I have no pictures of the countless nights I have spent in the library.  Conversely, in high school, I worked harder than I had ever worked in my life to get the position of drum major in the band, but there was no camera to capture the moment when I found out I had gotten the spot.  I have no pictures of my best friend dragging me out of the library to go to the movies with him countless times, forcing me to forget school for at least a little while.  When I finished my first 8K road race, my mom snapped a picture of me crossing the finish line, but there is no picture that can show the extreme sense of accomplishment I felt running the last 50 feet of the race I had trained so hard for, or how finishing the race felt from my viewpoint.  There are no pictures that show how a student-led bible study I attended in high school called Project 217, completely changed my life forever.

Photographs are extremely interesting to me.  They usually show only the best of ourselves, helping us to feed our egos and remember the great times we've had while forgetting the bad.  The quote "the older I am, the better I was" rings so true in relation to photography.  Of course, there is photography of the devastation caused by wars, the starving children of Africa, the victims of Hitler's infamous concentration camps, and countless other horrifying moments in the world's history, but these still force us to look at events from the photographer's perspective.  Regardless of the picture, photos always give us a somewhat distorted sense of reality.  This can be a powerful way to make a point, a way to save a precious memory,  or it can present us with a false truth.  Obviously, photography is very near to my heart.  I am a very visually-oriented person so photos are to me what poetry or paintings are to others.  It is important, though, to remember when both viewing and taking photos that the photographer has complete control over what we see.

Ethos, Logos, and Pathos as writing strategies; 2/7

Ethos, logos, and pathos are important strategies in writing effective papers.  Essentially meaning ethics, logic, and feeling, respectively, I have always used these themes in my writing without being formally introduced to the terms ethos, logos, and pathos.  After reading this article, I feel that I can more effectively read against texts, whether I am analyzing my own writing or someone else's.  This skill is of utmost importance in improving my writing abilities.

Finding a subject/Finding a voice 2/23

Recently, I read the popular book and now movie, "The Help".  The book is about the hidden side of African-American maids of the 50s, doing everything for affluent Southern families from cleaning their toilets to raising their children.  With this story so freshly on my mind, I was interested to read an article about a young black girl who chose to speak up about the racial injustices in America and particularly the South.  While laws were supposedly in place against discrimination by the 1950s, they were rarely enforced.  The fact was that the majority of blacks knew that they were unwanted in the white world and did not want to mess with the powerful whites who controlled their chance at jobs, their government, and held the power to ruin their lives if they so desired.  It's interesting that Clarissa, the girl who wrote the article, mentions that simply by speaking up to the NCAA she became the face of thousands of other African-Americans too scared to risk their lives and speak out against the injustices committed against them.  I know that there are still racial issues in the U.S., but reading articles like "The Plaintiff Speaks" reminds me of how terrible things were less than a hundred years ago.  It reminds me that to cause change, we must confront our fears and speak out about the things we believe in. 

Posters Reading 4/3

Everyday, one of the first things I see when I wake up is a poster of pop-country singer Taylor Swift.  As I walk into my kitchen to start a cup of coffee, I walk through my living room and see three more posters--one of Big Ben and a red double-decker bus in London, one of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and one of the actors from the TV show "Friends".  When I walk back into my bathroom to put on makeup and fix my hair, I pass a poster of Disney's "The Little Mermaid".  Shortly thereafter, I will walk out of my apartment building and across UT's campus to class, bombarded by  various posters everywhere I go.  I pass all these posters, but I never really give a second thought to why they were designed the way they were.  In my apartment, we chose the posters because they remind my roommates and me of where we want to travel in the future, of our favorite t.v. characters, my roommate's favorite childhood movie, and my favorite singer/songwriters.  The article I read on posters made me realize just how much thought goes into posters.  The graphic designers contracted to create them carefully orchestrated the posters to draw our eyes in a specific direction, to get our attention, and to give us the information they want us to have.  They control our thoughts without us even thinking twice about what we are doing.  The graphics, and often the type, capture our attention and draw us in.  Posters are iconic, giving us a little glimpse of what was going on when the poster was created through their use of imagery, colors, style of type, and the message conveyed.  To me, the most interesting thing about this reading was realizing just how much thought goes into the posters that I see on a daily basis.