Abby White
October 22, 2012
Journal #1- Identity
Each of us is living our own life story. All of us have had different experiences, been different places, had different friends, and different perspectives. But each of us occupies a piece of other’s stories whether we realize it or not.
I always marvel at how many stories intersect when I attend big events like a concert. Each story there intersects at the exact same place at the same time. I always wonder if people realize that they are a part of each person’s story in a situation like that.
I heard a story on the news the other day about this couple at a Target who couldn’t pay their bill. A quiet stranger paid their bill for them. They were overwhelmed with gratitude. The man then gave 20$ to the next person in line to reciprocate the gesture. This kindness spread and left the cashier crying all the way home when her shift was over. (www.kval.com)
Have you ever wondered what small acts of kindness can do for people, or how it can change their identity or their life story? I always think about when you stop to help someone how it can impact their life for the better.
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” ― Jim Rohn (http://www.goodreads.com) While the science behind this quote could be debated, I think the premise is true. The people we spend time with have a huge impact on our own personal identity and our story. Burton’s human needs theory puts identity at number 1, being the most important human need that we have. I think that surrounding ourselves with people who challenge us to be better can have an exponential affect on our lives and the lives of others that we help or affect in some way. If we are trying to be better people and channel it into helping others, think of the “pay it forward” affect this behavior can have. If you help 3 people, and those 3 people help 3 more people, your life has a ripple effect on people you have never met and will never know. We can have a profound effect on the life story and identity of people without even meeting or coming into contact with them.
Question: Have you ever changed a part or all of your identity based on the example of someone else, or an observed behavior?
Retrieved from:
Nochlin, Erica. (October 19, 2012) “Kindness really is contagious. Customers at Target pay it forward”. KVAL 13. Retrieved from: http://www.kval.com/news/local/Kindness-really-is-contagious-Customers-at-Target-pay-it-forward-175036691.html.
Rohn, Jim. (October 22, 2012) “Quotable Quotes”. Good Reads. Retrieved from: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1798-you-are-the-average-of-the-five-people-you-spend.
Nobis, Linda. (2007). “Human Needs Theories in Conflict Analysis” PPT.
Reflection
From doing this journal it really made me become more aware of how I treat others, or even how my behavior may affect other people that I don't even know. I realize that as humans we are all connected and whether or not I realize it, I have an affect on the world around me. I have since begun to be more mindful of my attitude towards other people and I have tried to give others the benefit of the doubt as much as possible. I can't really go out and pay for someone's groceries at this point in my life, but I can do other selfless acts of service when I see a need. On Thanksgiving I ran in a 5k for the Utah Food Bank. I paid $15 to be in the race, which was matched 8 time by sponsors, making my total donation $120. I think finding events like this is awesome because I feel like I am a part of something bigger, something outside myself. I have realized in my life that I am the most happy when I am doing something for someone else. It makes me feel good to be a part of something greater than me. I also think that it is paramount in life to surround ourselves with positive people who challenge us to be better and help us to reach our goals. I am lucky to have a support system around me with people who not only believe in me, but also support me in the things that I am involved in. I think that being in a situation like this has helped me to find more success than I would have all by myself.
October 22, 2012
Journal #1- Identity
Each of us is living our own life story. All of us have had different experiences, been different places, had different friends, and different perspectives. But each of us occupies a piece of other’s stories whether we realize it or not.
I always marvel at how many stories intersect when I attend big events like a concert. Each story there intersects at the exact same place at the same time. I always wonder if people realize that they are a part of each person’s story in a situation like that.
I heard a story on the news the other day about this couple at a Target who couldn’t pay their bill. A quiet stranger paid their bill for them. They were overwhelmed with gratitude. The man then gave 20$ to the next person in line to reciprocate the gesture. This kindness spread and left the cashier crying all the way home when her shift was over. (www.kval.com)
Have you ever wondered what small acts of kindness can do for people, or how it can change their identity or their life story? I always think about when you stop to help someone how it can impact their life for the better.
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” ― Jim Rohn (http://www.goodreads.com) While the science behind this quote could be debated, I think the premise is true. The people we spend time with have a huge impact on our own personal identity and our story. Burton’s human needs theory puts identity at number 1, being the most important human need that we have. I think that surrounding ourselves with people who challenge us to be better can have an exponential affect on our lives and the lives of others that we help or affect in some way. If we are trying to be better people and channel it into helping others, think of the “pay it forward” affect this behavior can have. If you help 3 people, and those 3 people help 3 more people, your life has a ripple effect on people you have never met and will never know. We can have a profound effect on the life story and identity of people without even meeting or coming into contact with them.
Question: Have you ever changed a part or all of your identity based on the example of someone else, or an observed behavior?
Retrieved from:
Nochlin, Erica. (October 19, 2012) “Kindness really is contagious. Customers at Target pay it forward”. KVAL 13. Retrieved from: http://www.kval.com/news/local/Kindness-really-is-contagious-Customers-at-Target-pay-it-forward-175036691.html.
Rohn, Jim. (October 22, 2012) “Quotable Quotes”. Good Reads. Retrieved from: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1798-you-are-the-average-of-the-five-people-you-spend.
Nobis, Linda. (2007). “Human Needs Theories in Conflict Analysis” PPT.
Reflection
From doing this journal it really made me become more aware of how I treat others, or even how my behavior may affect other people that I don't even know. I realize that as humans we are all connected and whether or not I realize it, I have an affect on the world around me. I have since begun to be more mindful of my attitude towards other people and I have tried to give others the benefit of the doubt as much as possible. I can't really go out and pay for someone's groceries at this point in my life, but I can do other selfless acts of service when I see a need. On Thanksgiving I ran in a 5k for the Utah Food Bank. I paid $15 to be in the race, which was matched 8 time by sponsors, making my total donation $120. I think finding events like this is awesome because I feel like I am a part of something bigger, something outside myself. I have realized in my life that I am the most happy when I am doing something for someone else. It makes me feel good to be a part of something greater than me. I also think that it is paramount in life to surround ourselves with positive people who challenge us to be better and help us to reach our goals. I am lucky to have a support system around me with people who not only believe in me, but also support me in the things that I am involved in. I think that being in a situation like this has helped me to find more success than I would have all by myself.
Abby White
November 21, 2012
Biography of Andrew McMahon
Andrew Ross McMahon was born on September 3, 1982 in Concord, Massachusetts. As a musician he has been in two different mainstream bands: Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin. He is also a successful solo artist.
Andrew’s childhood involved a few moves to different places. He lived briefly in New Jersey, and then in Ohio where he attended elementary school. The most significant move was when his family settled in California to support his mother’s family after the loss of her brother. Andrew now has a tattoo in remembrance of that uncle. His uncle was a musician and following his death, Andrew began to explore his interests in music and started to teach himself to play the piano.
Andrew began playing the piano at age 9. He performed piano solos by himself before he could even read music. Andrew says, "My mother was a good player and I started playing by ear. After a year of that, I began writing songs, and found outlets to perform them at school assemblies. Eventually, I got lessons."
Andrew’s musical influences are varying. He says, “I listened to Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, U2, The Greatful Dead, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers and Eric Clapton. I was a huge fan of Billy Joel and the Counting Crows and eventually gravitated towards Weezer, Ben Folds, Superdrag, Travis and many others.”
In 2000, Andrew became the front man of the band called Something Corporate. They released a ten song demo album called Ready…Break which led them to a record deal with Drive Thru Records. They released their debut album in 2002 called Leaving through the Window. Record company executives were intrigued by Andrew’s vocals and the incorporation of the piano into their music. Something Corporate released another album in 2003 called North. They briefly toured around the United States and then split up. Just after the split, Andrew started the band Jack’s Mannequin.
Jack’s Mannequin has a different sound than Something Corporate which originated from a song that Andrew had written by himself. He decided if he were ever to release the song, it would have to be with a different band because the sound was so different.
After working to put together an album with Jack’s Mannequin in 2005, Andrew received a harrowing diagnosis of leukemia. He cancelled all of his upcoming concerts at this time and focused on receiving treatments and recovering from his disease. Finally he received a stem cell transplant from his sister and was able to recover. He wrote a song for his sister as a show of gratitude to her for helping to save his life. The song is called, There, There Katie. As Andrew was going through treatments for his leukemia, Jack’s Mannequin went ahead and released their first album, Everything in Transit, in August of 2005. After the success of this first album, Andrew began writing songs for their second album, The Glass Passenger which was released in 2008. The Glass Passenger featured most of its songs about Andrew’s battle with leukemia. The sound of the album is more tumultuous and darker than its predecessor, Everything In Transit. After the success of his second album, Jack’s Mannequin put out a third and final album called People and Things in 2011. In addition, Andrew founded a foundation in 2006 called The Dear Jack Foundation which raises money for cancer research. The primary beneficiaries are the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Most recently, in August of 2012 Andrew McMahon decided to distance himself from Jack’s Mannequin and to release music under his own name.
Musical Composition Selection
1. My Racing Thoughts- 4:19. This song was released with the 2011 album, entitled People and Things. The song was released as the album’s first single on July 29, 2011. It was released under Sire record company. The album featured: Andrew McMahon – Vocals, Piano, Percussion, Keyboards; Bobby "Raw" Anderson – Guitar, Background vocals; Jay McMillan – Drums, Percussion; Tim Pierce – Guitars; Jamie Muhoberac – Keyboards; Chris Chaney – Bass; and Patrick Warren – Keyboards. The premise of this song is that Andrew is married and although he has a complicated mind, his wife is able to read him. He said of this song, "Marriage is a bit of a beast to tackle in a pop record but when I wrote 'My Racing Thoughts,' it became clear how powerful and loaded a subject this kind of love is and somewhere in that moment I began to lock into the broad concept for the writing sessions to come." He is referring to marriage being the loaded subject.
2. Annie Use Your Telescope- 3:08. This is one of Andrew’s preferred songs, and he even said it may be his favorite on the album The Glass Passenger. The album was released on September 30, 2008. He said, "There are songs that I think are maybe bigger accomplishments and might even be more musically evolved but that song is like, just from its writing to its recording, everything about it was very natural. You have these songs that you struggle with and you spend months figuring out how to work it out and make it happen. That was a song that was just like from the second I wrote the first words till it was done, to the second we were in the studio - there was no resistance anywhere. We just charged right down the path and when it was done we were all just like 'yeah it sounds so good.' So I have to say that one is pretty cool, it's a pretty simple song." This song is more introspective, and thought to be about Andrew’s battle with leukemia.
3. Caves- 8:19. This song is a beautifully written experience of Andrew’s. This is also included on The Glass Passenger album. Caves represents his stay in the hospital while being treated for leukemia. At the time that he was diagnosed, the doctors were hopeful that he would survive, however he still spent a good portion of time in the hospital. This song illustrates the feelings of a vulnerable patient in the hospital with little or no control of one’s own fate. The song begins quiet and vulnerable. As the song progresses, the theme becomes more hopeful and it represents his recovery and how it changed him as a person.
Listening Guide
1. My Racing Thoughts
0:00 Introduction: begins with guitar, drums, and keyboard. Is in major mode and has a light texture. It sounds like they may be using bells as well.
0:15 Verse 1 begins: singing begins mezzo forte and stays the same throughout the verse. Upbeat rhythm with a light texture and continues to use keyboard, guitar, bass, and drums.
0:38 Bridge begins: rhythm speeds up a bit, and singing speeds up as well. The melody has a wider range as it bleeds into the chorus.
0:45 Chorus begins: The singing is now forte, with the addition of electronic sound effects from the keyboard.
1:00 you can hear a little back up singing in addition to the main singer, harmonizing with the melody.
1:22 Verse 2 begins: The tempo slows down, singing goes down to mezzo forte and the other instruments back off and leave just the piano for a few beats.
1: 40: melody becomes more versatile as well as a little bit of impromptu singing. The keyboard is more prominent.
1:46 Chorus 2 begins, same words as the first chorus, more emphasis on lyrics and stronger vocals, forte again.
1:54 addition of electronic sounds again that sound like bells
2:13 repeats a portion of the chorus again with same vocal strength and vigor.
2:20 tempo slows down again and you can hear keyboard and drums more prominently without the electronic sounds and guitar.
2:31: tempo slows again, and singing turns to a hum with just the keyboard in the background. Dynamics go down to mezzo piano.
2:38: harmony among voices with the addition of the electronic sounds from the keyboard.
2:42: chorus 3 again, begins with just the vocals and no accompaniment, which makes the vocals sound stronger at a forte.
3:15: vocals begin to repeat “My racing thoughts” and the melody changes slightly each time it is repeated. Tempo slows down and vocals go to mezzo forte
3:25: melody changes slightly and goes up instead of down on the repetition part
3:27: tempo speeds up again
3:29: addition of back up singing, repeating the same words
3:40: harmonizing between voices, as lead vocals begin to sing “ah” as the backup voices sing a rhythmic “You can read my racing thoughts”
Voices slowly begin to fade and become softer.
2. Annie Use Your Telescope:
0:00 Introduction: Begins with piano softly playing with interesting rhythm playing along, sounds like a hand drum of some sort. Texture is light and somewhat mysterious.
0:11 Verse 1 begins: mezzo piano vocals, passive and relaxed.
0:17 Guitar begins to play, Bridge begins, tempo speeds up and vocals become stronger.
0:23 Chorus begins: accompaniment stops for a second and returns with vigor, guitar and piano with the same rhythm still playing but in a fuller texture.
0:27 Accompaniment begins playing a different melody with a wider range
0:34 richer chords with deeper bass notes make the chorus sound more full and rich in texture.
0:37 Verse 2 begins; instruments begin playing the same melody from verse 1, slightly louder than verse 1.
0:44 Bridge begins, as tempo speeds up and instruments begin to play louder, addition of violins or other stringed instruments.
0:51 chorus Begins: same words as the first chorus, same style and texture
1:11 Other voices begin to sing different words as the lead vocals repeat, “Annie, use your telescope”
1:20 vocal repetition stops
1:21 Other instruments fade out and leave just the piano and drum
1:25 tempo slows and vocals sound faded and vulnerable
1:39 the music converges
1:40 the original melody begins again with the piano, guitar, and drums
1:51 music fades and is building up for the last chorus
1:53 just drums
1:55 Chorus begins again
1:59 all instruments back in, forte and full chords and full sound
2:08 2 voice parts again singing different melodies, complimenting each other with harmony
2:33 vocals faded out to pianissimo and only accompaniment is left
2:54 other instruments fade out and leave just the piano playing chords
3. Caves
0:00 Introduction, sounds like faded voices talking
0:01 piano begins with an ascending melody with a circus-like sound to it, mezzo piano. Texture is light and somewhat morbid but playful.
0:10 light harmony with the melody playing between two piano parts
0:18 addition of some bass clef notes to make the piano sound more substantial
0:22 Verse 1. Singing is mezzo piano, very vulnerable and exposed
0:25 piano begins to play more chords rather than legato melody
0:46 melody goes from high to low, vocals get a bit stronger
0:55 tempo slows and piano and vocals stop for a moment
1:00 two chords are played
1:01 the original melody begins again, this time mezzo forte
1:04 addition of an ethereal sound effect, breathy voices
1:10 playing of a full chord and addition of the breathy and pianissimo voices
1:15 Verse 2, somewhat louder
1:31 piano continues to play full chords, mezzo forte as the vocals become increasingly stronger
1:51 repeat of the chorus, with the ethereal sounds in the background
2:08 beginning of an instrumental interlude
2:11 addition of strings to the instruments makes the music sound more full and expressive
2:24 Verse 3 begins with accompaniment of strings, piano
2:31 music begins to crescendo
2:38 vocals begin to be louder and more fervent
2:40 tempo speeds up a but
2:45 decrescendo
3:03 music slows and stops as well as the vocals, a moment of calm
3:06 the word “saved” is sung without accompaniment
3:07 piano beings with a wild and expressive melody
3:13 a second line of harmony is added to the piano
3:22 tempo continues to speed up and music continues to crescendo as the mode becomes more upbeat with a lighter texture
3:24 a third melodic line is added to create 3 different melodies being played harmoniously at the same time
3:28 added musical effects like the ethereal sounds heard previously
3:31 large glissanado/portamento begins to build to a new theme in the song
3:42 one chord is held while all other music stops
3:46 Verse 4 begins with a new texture of upbeat music with guitar, piano, and drums, and a major mode
4:07 melody becomes sassier and vocals are forte and very strong. Words have changed from being vulnerable to being strong and confident.
4:23 melody continues to become more confident
4:29 chorus begins again
4:31 chorus has the addition of the guitar, drums, and piano
4:40 chorus continues with slightly different melody, ascending rather than just a small range
5:06 drums play a little interlude and melody changes again
5:08 instruments change again to more electronic keyboard and guitar with rhythm
5:11 melody become an arch as more of a rock and roll sound
5:27 instruments decrescendo and fade away to just drums and guitar
5:38 addition of the tambourine
5:44 music begins to crescendo
5:46 chorus begins with even stronger chords and vocals, fortissimo
5:51 full instruments, fortissimo
6:17 piano begins to emerge more prominently in the accompaniment
6:26 music decrescendo’s quickly and stops
6:28 piano begins to play the melody from the beginning of the song, mezzo piano
6:39 addition of deep bass nots
6:40 addition of drums
6:42 drumroll
6:50 melody begins back to the introductory melody
6:54 rhythm becomes a triple meter rather than a duple meter, sounds like a waltz rhythm
7:05 ethereal sounds begin again
7:07 tempo begins to slow and decrescendo
7:15 tempo continues to slow until the music fades and stops.
November 21, 2012
Biography of Andrew McMahon
Andrew Ross McMahon was born on September 3, 1982 in Concord, Massachusetts. As a musician he has been in two different mainstream bands: Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin. He is also a successful solo artist.
Andrew’s childhood involved a few moves to different places. He lived briefly in New Jersey, and then in Ohio where he attended elementary school. The most significant move was when his family settled in California to support his mother’s family after the loss of her brother. Andrew now has a tattoo in remembrance of that uncle. His uncle was a musician and following his death, Andrew began to explore his interests in music and started to teach himself to play the piano.
Andrew began playing the piano at age 9. He performed piano solos by himself before he could even read music. Andrew says, "My mother was a good player and I started playing by ear. After a year of that, I began writing songs, and found outlets to perform them at school assemblies. Eventually, I got lessons."
Andrew’s musical influences are varying. He says, “I listened to Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, U2, The Greatful Dead, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers and Eric Clapton. I was a huge fan of Billy Joel and the Counting Crows and eventually gravitated towards Weezer, Ben Folds, Superdrag, Travis and many others.”
In 2000, Andrew became the front man of the band called Something Corporate. They released a ten song demo album called Ready…Break which led them to a record deal with Drive Thru Records. They released their debut album in 2002 called Leaving through the Window. Record company executives were intrigued by Andrew’s vocals and the incorporation of the piano into their music. Something Corporate released another album in 2003 called North. They briefly toured around the United States and then split up. Just after the split, Andrew started the band Jack’s Mannequin.
Jack’s Mannequin has a different sound than Something Corporate which originated from a song that Andrew had written by himself. He decided if he were ever to release the song, it would have to be with a different band because the sound was so different.
After working to put together an album with Jack’s Mannequin in 2005, Andrew received a harrowing diagnosis of leukemia. He cancelled all of his upcoming concerts at this time and focused on receiving treatments and recovering from his disease. Finally he received a stem cell transplant from his sister and was able to recover. He wrote a song for his sister as a show of gratitude to her for helping to save his life. The song is called, There, There Katie. As Andrew was going through treatments for his leukemia, Jack’s Mannequin went ahead and released their first album, Everything in Transit, in August of 2005. After the success of this first album, Andrew began writing songs for their second album, The Glass Passenger which was released in 2008. The Glass Passenger featured most of its songs about Andrew’s battle with leukemia. The sound of the album is more tumultuous and darker than its predecessor, Everything In Transit. After the success of his second album, Jack’s Mannequin put out a third and final album called People and Things in 2011. In addition, Andrew founded a foundation in 2006 called The Dear Jack Foundation which raises money for cancer research. The primary beneficiaries are the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Most recently, in August of 2012 Andrew McMahon decided to distance himself from Jack’s Mannequin and to release music under his own name.
Musical Composition Selection
1. My Racing Thoughts- 4:19. This song was released with the 2011 album, entitled People and Things. The song was released as the album’s first single on July 29, 2011. It was released under Sire record company. The album featured: Andrew McMahon – Vocals, Piano, Percussion, Keyboards; Bobby "Raw" Anderson – Guitar, Background vocals; Jay McMillan – Drums, Percussion; Tim Pierce – Guitars; Jamie Muhoberac – Keyboards; Chris Chaney – Bass; and Patrick Warren – Keyboards. The premise of this song is that Andrew is married and although he has a complicated mind, his wife is able to read him. He said of this song, "Marriage is a bit of a beast to tackle in a pop record but when I wrote 'My Racing Thoughts,' it became clear how powerful and loaded a subject this kind of love is and somewhere in that moment I began to lock into the broad concept for the writing sessions to come." He is referring to marriage being the loaded subject.
2. Annie Use Your Telescope- 3:08. This is one of Andrew’s preferred songs, and he even said it may be his favorite on the album The Glass Passenger. The album was released on September 30, 2008. He said, "There are songs that I think are maybe bigger accomplishments and might even be more musically evolved but that song is like, just from its writing to its recording, everything about it was very natural. You have these songs that you struggle with and you spend months figuring out how to work it out and make it happen. That was a song that was just like from the second I wrote the first words till it was done, to the second we were in the studio - there was no resistance anywhere. We just charged right down the path and when it was done we were all just like 'yeah it sounds so good.' So I have to say that one is pretty cool, it's a pretty simple song." This song is more introspective, and thought to be about Andrew’s battle with leukemia.
3. Caves- 8:19. This song is a beautifully written experience of Andrew’s. This is also included on The Glass Passenger album. Caves represents his stay in the hospital while being treated for leukemia. At the time that he was diagnosed, the doctors were hopeful that he would survive, however he still spent a good portion of time in the hospital. This song illustrates the feelings of a vulnerable patient in the hospital with little or no control of one’s own fate. The song begins quiet and vulnerable. As the song progresses, the theme becomes more hopeful and it represents his recovery and how it changed him as a person.
Listening Guide
1. My Racing Thoughts
0:00 Introduction: begins with guitar, drums, and keyboard. Is in major mode and has a light texture. It sounds like they may be using bells as well.
0:15 Verse 1 begins: singing begins mezzo forte and stays the same throughout the verse. Upbeat rhythm with a light texture and continues to use keyboard, guitar, bass, and drums.
0:38 Bridge begins: rhythm speeds up a bit, and singing speeds up as well. The melody has a wider range as it bleeds into the chorus.
0:45 Chorus begins: The singing is now forte, with the addition of electronic sound effects from the keyboard.
1:00 you can hear a little back up singing in addition to the main singer, harmonizing with the melody.
1:22 Verse 2 begins: The tempo slows down, singing goes down to mezzo forte and the other instruments back off and leave just the piano for a few beats.
1: 40: melody becomes more versatile as well as a little bit of impromptu singing. The keyboard is more prominent.
1:46 Chorus 2 begins, same words as the first chorus, more emphasis on lyrics and stronger vocals, forte again.
1:54 addition of electronic sounds again that sound like bells
2:13 repeats a portion of the chorus again with same vocal strength and vigor.
2:20 tempo slows down again and you can hear keyboard and drums more prominently without the electronic sounds and guitar.
2:31: tempo slows again, and singing turns to a hum with just the keyboard in the background. Dynamics go down to mezzo piano.
2:38: harmony among voices with the addition of the electronic sounds from the keyboard.
2:42: chorus 3 again, begins with just the vocals and no accompaniment, which makes the vocals sound stronger at a forte.
3:15: vocals begin to repeat “My racing thoughts” and the melody changes slightly each time it is repeated. Tempo slows down and vocals go to mezzo forte
3:25: melody changes slightly and goes up instead of down on the repetition part
3:27: tempo speeds up again
3:29: addition of back up singing, repeating the same words
3:40: harmonizing between voices, as lead vocals begin to sing “ah” as the backup voices sing a rhythmic “You can read my racing thoughts”
Voices slowly begin to fade and become softer.
2. Annie Use Your Telescope:
0:00 Introduction: Begins with piano softly playing with interesting rhythm playing along, sounds like a hand drum of some sort. Texture is light and somewhat mysterious.
0:11 Verse 1 begins: mezzo piano vocals, passive and relaxed.
0:17 Guitar begins to play, Bridge begins, tempo speeds up and vocals become stronger.
0:23 Chorus begins: accompaniment stops for a second and returns with vigor, guitar and piano with the same rhythm still playing but in a fuller texture.
0:27 Accompaniment begins playing a different melody with a wider range
0:34 richer chords with deeper bass notes make the chorus sound more full and rich in texture.
0:37 Verse 2 begins; instruments begin playing the same melody from verse 1, slightly louder than verse 1.
0:44 Bridge begins, as tempo speeds up and instruments begin to play louder, addition of violins or other stringed instruments.
0:51 chorus Begins: same words as the first chorus, same style and texture
1:11 Other voices begin to sing different words as the lead vocals repeat, “Annie, use your telescope”
1:20 vocal repetition stops
1:21 Other instruments fade out and leave just the piano and drum
1:25 tempo slows and vocals sound faded and vulnerable
1:39 the music converges
1:40 the original melody begins again with the piano, guitar, and drums
1:51 music fades and is building up for the last chorus
1:53 just drums
1:55 Chorus begins again
1:59 all instruments back in, forte and full chords and full sound
2:08 2 voice parts again singing different melodies, complimenting each other with harmony
2:33 vocals faded out to pianissimo and only accompaniment is left
2:54 other instruments fade out and leave just the piano playing chords
3. Caves
0:00 Introduction, sounds like faded voices talking
0:01 piano begins with an ascending melody with a circus-like sound to it, mezzo piano. Texture is light and somewhat morbid but playful.
0:10 light harmony with the melody playing between two piano parts
0:18 addition of some bass clef notes to make the piano sound more substantial
0:22 Verse 1. Singing is mezzo piano, very vulnerable and exposed
0:25 piano begins to play more chords rather than legato melody
0:46 melody goes from high to low, vocals get a bit stronger
0:55 tempo slows and piano and vocals stop for a moment
1:00 two chords are played
1:01 the original melody begins again, this time mezzo forte
1:04 addition of an ethereal sound effect, breathy voices
1:10 playing of a full chord and addition of the breathy and pianissimo voices
1:15 Verse 2, somewhat louder
1:31 piano continues to play full chords, mezzo forte as the vocals become increasingly stronger
1:51 repeat of the chorus, with the ethereal sounds in the background
2:08 beginning of an instrumental interlude
2:11 addition of strings to the instruments makes the music sound more full and expressive
2:24 Verse 3 begins with accompaniment of strings, piano
2:31 music begins to crescendo
2:38 vocals begin to be louder and more fervent
2:40 tempo speeds up a but
2:45 decrescendo
3:03 music slows and stops as well as the vocals, a moment of calm
3:06 the word “saved” is sung without accompaniment
3:07 piano beings with a wild and expressive melody
3:13 a second line of harmony is added to the piano
3:22 tempo continues to speed up and music continues to crescendo as the mode becomes more upbeat with a lighter texture
3:24 a third melodic line is added to create 3 different melodies being played harmoniously at the same time
3:28 added musical effects like the ethereal sounds heard previously
3:31 large glissanado/portamento begins to build to a new theme in the song
3:42 one chord is held while all other music stops
3:46 Verse 4 begins with a new texture of upbeat music with guitar, piano, and drums, and a major mode
4:07 melody becomes sassier and vocals are forte and very strong. Words have changed from being vulnerable to being strong and confident.
4:23 melody continues to become more confident
4:29 chorus begins again
4:31 chorus has the addition of the guitar, drums, and piano
4:40 chorus continues with slightly different melody, ascending rather than just a small range
5:06 drums play a little interlude and melody changes again
5:08 instruments change again to more electronic keyboard and guitar with rhythm
5:11 melody become an arch as more of a rock and roll sound
5:27 instruments decrescendo and fade away to just drums and guitar
5:38 addition of the tambourine
5:44 music begins to crescendo
5:46 chorus begins with even stronger chords and vocals, fortissimo
5:51 full instruments, fortissimo
6:17 piano begins to emerge more prominently in the accompaniment
6:26 music decrescendo’s quickly and stops
6:28 piano begins to play the melody from the beginning of the song, mezzo piano
6:39 addition of deep bass nots
6:40 addition of drums
6:42 drumroll
6:50 melody begins back to the introductory melody
6:54 rhythm becomes a triple meter rather than a duple meter, sounds like a waltz rhythm
7:05 ethereal sounds begin again
7:07 tempo begins to slow and decrescendo
7:15 tempo continues to slow until the music fades and stops.
May 28, 2012
To: Mrs. Barney
From: Abby White
Subject: Information- Gathering Interview
Attachments: Thank you letter, evaluation form
I. The purpose of this memo is to provide a summary of my information-gathering interview for Comm. 1010. I interviewed someone who works in public relations so that I could gather information about the career, since I am interested in entering that field when I am done with school.
II. Facts about the job/environment
In talking to Christie, I learned that she definitely enjoys her career choice. She is able to work from home if she wants or work in the office-she manages an online forum/community. She feels like she has some good options as far as flexibility which is nice for her since she has kids.
III. Facts about personal life and attitudes
Christie feels like she helps to make a difference for people because the online forums she manages have to do with medical problems. She feels like she is a tool in helping people to get information from others who have firsthand experience with the things they are talking about. She told me that getting internships or other related experience would be a great idea if I want to have a job right out of college. She said that she thinks the market for public relations will grow in the future and she feels a good sense of job security. She says the industry is growing, but to enter the field a person would need to have impeccable skills and an impressive resume to get a good job right now.
IV. Analysis of Interview
A. In listening to Christie talk about her job, I felt that this industry would be a great place for me. I feel this way because the public relations/journalism field is so diverse and every job is different. I feel that this attribute would keep things exciting for me and also provide challenges along the way. I like the fact that she has the option of working from home because that would be great if I had a family.
B. I learned that I need to be more of an active listener. For example, I listened to her but I was concerned about making sure it looked like I was listening, so I concentrated on nodding my head and things to make sure I made a good impression. In doing this, I forgot some of the things she said because I was so concentrated on looking the part. I also learned that it is important to control the conversation but to also try to find common ground with the interviewee so that the conversation flows naturally and it is a worthwhile experience.
V. Conclusion
In my information-gathering interview, I was able to gather more knowledge about the job and environment of public relations, and about Christie’s personal life and attitudes about her specific career. Overall I learned some interesting things about the job and some things that I can do to make myself a better candidate for it. I also learned about how I can improve my interviewing skills for the next time. In conclusion, I wrote this memo to summarize the information that I was able to gather in my interview.
To: Mrs. Barney
From: Abby White
Subject: Information- Gathering Interview
Attachments: Thank you letter, evaluation form
I. The purpose of this memo is to provide a summary of my information-gathering interview for Comm. 1010. I interviewed someone who works in public relations so that I could gather information about the career, since I am interested in entering that field when I am done with school.
II. Facts about the job/environment
In talking to Christie, I learned that she definitely enjoys her career choice. She is able to work from home if she wants or work in the office-she manages an online forum/community. She feels like she has some good options as far as flexibility which is nice for her since she has kids.
III. Facts about personal life and attitudes
Christie feels like she helps to make a difference for people because the online forums she manages have to do with medical problems. She feels like she is a tool in helping people to get information from others who have firsthand experience with the things they are talking about. She told me that getting internships or other related experience would be a great idea if I want to have a job right out of college. She said that she thinks the market for public relations will grow in the future and she feels a good sense of job security. She says the industry is growing, but to enter the field a person would need to have impeccable skills and an impressive resume to get a good job right now.
IV. Analysis of Interview
A. In listening to Christie talk about her job, I felt that this industry would be a great place for me. I feel this way because the public relations/journalism field is so diverse and every job is different. I feel that this attribute would keep things exciting for me and also provide challenges along the way. I like the fact that she has the option of working from home because that would be great if I had a family.
B. I learned that I need to be more of an active listener. For example, I listened to her but I was concerned about making sure it looked like I was listening, so I concentrated on nodding my head and things to make sure I made a good impression. In doing this, I forgot some of the things she said because I was so concentrated on looking the part. I also learned that it is important to control the conversation but to also try to find common ground with the interviewee so that the conversation flows naturally and it is a worthwhile experience.
V. Conclusion
In my information-gathering interview, I was able to gather more knowledge about the job and environment of public relations, and about Christie’s personal life and attitudes about her specific career. Overall I learned some interesting things about the job and some things that I can do to make myself a better candidate for it. I also learned about how I can improve my interviewing skills for the next time. In conclusion, I wrote this memo to summarize the information that I was able to gather in my interview.
Abby White
April 12, 2012
Personal Life Philosophy
In constructing my own personal philosophy of life, I have been able to consider quite a number of different viewpoints of life and how to live it. I believe that considering other viewpoints that I may or may not agree with helps me to really clarify what I do believe in, and also to identify some things that I do not believe in. I believe that putting together a philosophy about life is important because it helps to remind me what I am working for, living for, and certain qualities that I try to emulate. It is sometimes easy to forget what I believe in when I’m placed in certain situations that might compromise my beliefs, and it is hard to stand up for those beliefs. Having my life’s philosophy in writing helps to cement my beliefs and will hopefully help me to find courage when I need to defend my beliefs.
First, I believe in the principle that God created each of us for a specific purpose, and put us here on earth at a perfect and specific time to enable us to accomplish the things that we were meant to do here on earth. I believe that we have a pre-mortal existence in which we all lived with God, and I also believe that we can live with Him again after our lives on earth are over. As a part of this, I believe that our purpose on earth is to have a family and raise productive and healthy children. I believe that this life is meant for us to learn everything we possibly can, experience the most things possible, and it is used as a test to see if we can be righteous and learn from our mistakes. I also believe that God provided a Savior, Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins so that although we are imperfect, we can repent and become perfect. This principle has been confirmed in validity to me by the way that I feel when I think about it or talk about with someone else. I honestly know that it is true. In addition to this, I believe that each person has a spirit within them, a conscience, which conveys to each of us what is right and wrong. I believe that we can communicate with God through prayer and be able to feel his presence within our spirits, and that God can also give us revelation that is specific to our own needs at a given time. For example, a thought that just pops into my head for an unexplained purpose, or a feeling that I need to do something; I would describe these instances as being personal revelation from God. I believe that when I act on this revelation that I will continue to receive more of it, because God can see that I feel it is important and I carry it out. “Behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation…this is thy gift, apply unto it, and blessed art thou…” (1). this passage of scripture describes what I feel to be personal revelation from God. My belief in God and my development of a personal relationship with Him has helped me to have a good perspective in life and has given me strength and maturity when I have needed it.
Another principle that I am passionate about is being healthy and treating my body with respect. I feel that my body is a gift-it is not mine to abuse or to neglect, and it houses my spirit which is holy because it came from God. Therefore, I should keep my body as clean as possible and treat it with respect and keep it as healthy as possible. I feel passionate about this because there are millions of people right now suffering from preventable diseases such as: diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, etc. I really feel that we were meant to enjoy our lives and that our bodies are the vehicle in which we can be on earth and experience things. It is important to me to eat foods that are natural and minimally processed. Lately I have been researching the Paleo diet, in which you only eat meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Basically you eat like a caveman would have because our bodies have not evolved into being able to digest and utilize the chemicals and additives in processed foods. (2) I might begin eating like this and see how I feel when I do. Even if I don’t decide to follow the Paleo diet, I do believe in eating clean, meaning fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat (chicken/fish), and using healthy oils like coconut, avocado, olive, and safflower oils. I also believe in the importance of getting adequate rest, which I think is something that Americans do not do. Humans used to go to bed early after sundown because they didn’t have electricity to power their projects into all hours of the night. Now, we have technology at our fingertips, and we stay up later and later to get more things done. I really believe that going to bed early is incredibly beneficial to one’s health. Overall, I just believe that we need to take a step back in our culture and eat only when we are hungry, only eat things that came from the earth with little to no processing, and get enough sleep to manage stress and help immunity.
Additionally, I believe in sustainability. “Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony that permits fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.” (3) To be more specific, I believe that we should practice sustainability in our environment, in business, in our homes, and overall in our lives. I believe in being resourceful and reusing items for different purposes. I believe that we should show our respect to nature and to the immense resources that the earth gives us to live off of. I think that there are many different ways to respect the earth, and a lot of them have benefits in other areas of life. For example, riding a bicycle to the grocery store can save a lot of emissions from a car, and can also help to keep your body healthy. Simple habits like this one can really make a big difference. I am fascinated by the technology that has recently been developed to help our cars be run by electricity, or using solar panels for power, and other similar inventions. I really believe in using these methods if you can because it is so important to protect our natural resources. I believe that it is our duty as a generation to take care of the earth so that the future generations have the opportunity to enjoy it just like we do now. So, to me sustainability is a way of looking at life with regards to the future and how my decisions today will affect my future. In a broad sense, this includes the way I treat the earth, the way I run my business and manage my money, and also it can even span to the way that I treat people. With a long-term perspective like this, things seem to be more trivial, and it is easier to focus on what I find to be important in my life, such as: family, schooling, and enjoying myself. In addition, living a sustainable life includes being able to treat people with respect as well as my environment. I believe in forgiveness, and I think that the sooner we can forgive each other, the better our society can and will be.
Lastly, I believe that we are here on earth to learn and that we need to learn to enjoy nature and the outdoors. I believe that the knowledge that we acquire on earth will be carried with us into the next life. So, I have placed a high priority on getting a satisfactory education even though it is hard and expensive, I believe that the learning is invaluable. However, I also believe that most of what we learn actually comes from life experiences-if we allow those experiences to teach us something. It is important to be mindful of what we are doing, and to be observant for the things around us so that we can learn every day regardless of whether or not we are in school.
I believe that going out in nature is one of the best ways to learn about ourselves, because it is quiet and there are minimal distractions. I believe that being outside is so incredibly important for having a good life and being healthy in body and mind. “Steven and Rachel Kaplan, of the University of Michigan, and Terry Hartig, of Uppsala University, have shown that nature experiences relieve mental fatigue. As a balance of too much directed attention, nature offers intrinsic interest and a sense of fascination. The restorative effects of a natural environment (whether time in a wilderness setting or a walk in a local nature preserve) leads to renewed attention and positive affect. For example, after 45 minutes of taxing mental work, a walk in a natural area led to better recoverty than a walk in an urban area or reading magazines and listening to music (Hartig). Merely looking at pictures of nature scenes (compared to urban scenes) leads to increased sense of well-being. This increased awareness in natural environments ties nature experiences to the strong body of research on Gendlin's Focusing, sensory awareness, and mindfulness (Gendline; Schroder; Sewall).” (4) As you can see, there have been studies on the benefits of nature and one can infer that experiencing natural settings can be incredibly healthy for our minds and bodies. This brings back the belief that I have in sustainability and why it is so important to keep the earth healthy; because the earth in turn keeps us healthy as well.
In conclusion, I feel that my life’s philosophy is well summarized within the points that I have mentioned in my paper. First, I believe in God and that we can receive revelation from Him. Second, I believe in keeping our bodies healthy and eating natural foods. Third, I believe in practicing sustainability in order to protect ourselves and the earth, and having a long-term perspective in life. Finally, I believe in learning each day and experiencing diverse places in nature. I feel that these points accurately paint my picture as a person and can show my priorities in life. Constructing this philosophy has given me a concrete set of values and things to care about. I believe in a whole host of other things as well, such as being honest, loyal, and loving. I believe that these traits and others that I believe in can be encompassed by living the principles that I have pointed out in this paper-since I stayed broad in my definitions and specifications of each principle. Lastly, I believe that my life’s philosophy will not always be the same, and I believe that we as humans must be open to change and improvement in every facet of life, because that is why we are here on the earth: to leave it better than we found it and become better people along the way.
Works Cited:
1. 1979. The Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, UT. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
2. Pedro Carrera-Bastos, Maelan Fontes-Villalba, James H O’Keefe, Staffan Lindeberg, Loren Cordain. 2011. The Western Diet and Lifestyle and Diseases of Civilization. http://thepaleodiet.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Res-Rpts-Clin-Cardiol-2011-Bastos-3.pdf.
3. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2011. What Is Sustainability? http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm
4. John Davis, Ph.D. J.D., 2008. PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF NATURE EXPERIENCES: RESEARCH AND THEORY with Special Reference to Transpersonal Psychology and Spirituality. http://www.johnvdavis.com/ep/benefits.htm.
April 12, 2012
Personal Life Philosophy
In constructing my own personal philosophy of life, I have been able to consider quite a number of different viewpoints of life and how to live it. I believe that considering other viewpoints that I may or may not agree with helps me to really clarify what I do believe in, and also to identify some things that I do not believe in. I believe that putting together a philosophy about life is important because it helps to remind me what I am working for, living for, and certain qualities that I try to emulate. It is sometimes easy to forget what I believe in when I’m placed in certain situations that might compromise my beliefs, and it is hard to stand up for those beliefs. Having my life’s philosophy in writing helps to cement my beliefs and will hopefully help me to find courage when I need to defend my beliefs.
First, I believe in the principle that God created each of us for a specific purpose, and put us here on earth at a perfect and specific time to enable us to accomplish the things that we were meant to do here on earth. I believe that we have a pre-mortal existence in which we all lived with God, and I also believe that we can live with Him again after our lives on earth are over. As a part of this, I believe that our purpose on earth is to have a family and raise productive and healthy children. I believe that this life is meant for us to learn everything we possibly can, experience the most things possible, and it is used as a test to see if we can be righteous and learn from our mistakes. I also believe that God provided a Savior, Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins so that although we are imperfect, we can repent and become perfect. This principle has been confirmed in validity to me by the way that I feel when I think about it or talk about with someone else. I honestly know that it is true. In addition to this, I believe that each person has a spirit within them, a conscience, which conveys to each of us what is right and wrong. I believe that we can communicate with God through prayer and be able to feel his presence within our spirits, and that God can also give us revelation that is specific to our own needs at a given time. For example, a thought that just pops into my head for an unexplained purpose, or a feeling that I need to do something; I would describe these instances as being personal revelation from God. I believe that when I act on this revelation that I will continue to receive more of it, because God can see that I feel it is important and I carry it out. “Behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation…this is thy gift, apply unto it, and blessed art thou…” (1). this passage of scripture describes what I feel to be personal revelation from God. My belief in God and my development of a personal relationship with Him has helped me to have a good perspective in life and has given me strength and maturity when I have needed it.
Another principle that I am passionate about is being healthy and treating my body with respect. I feel that my body is a gift-it is not mine to abuse or to neglect, and it houses my spirit which is holy because it came from God. Therefore, I should keep my body as clean as possible and treat it with respect and keep it as healthy as possible. I feel passionate about this because there are millions of people right now suffering from preventable diseases such as: diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, etc. I really feel that we were meant to enjoy our lives and that our bodies are the vehicle in which we can be on earth and experience things. It is important to me to eat foods that are natural and minimally processed. Lately I have been researching the Paleo diet, in which you only eat meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Basically you eat like a caveman would have because our bodies have not evolved into being able to digest and utilize the chemicals and additives in processed foods. (2) I might begin eating like this and see how I feel when I do. Even if I don’t decide to follow the Paleo diet, I do believe in eating clean, meaning fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat (chicken/fish), and using healthy oils like coconut, avocado, olive, and safflower oils. I also believe in the importance of getting adequate rest, which I think is something that Americans do not do. Humans used to go to bed early after sundown because they didn’t have electricity to power their projects into all hours of the night. Now, we have technology at our fingertips, and we stay up later and later to get more things done. I really believe that going to bed early is incredibly beneficial to one’s health. Overall, I just believe that we need to take a step back in our culture and eat only when we are hungry, only eat things that came from the earth with little to no processing, and get enough sleep to manage stress and help immunity.
Additionally, I believe in sustainability. “Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony that permits fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.” (3) To be more specific, I believe that we should practice sustainability in our environment, in business, in our homes, and overall in our lives. I believe in being resourceful and reusing items for different purposes. I believe that we should show our respect to nature and to the immense resources that the earth gives us to live off of. I think that there are many different ways to respect the earth, and a lot of them have benefits in other areas of life. For example, riding a bicycle to the grocery store can save a lot of emissions from a car, and can also help to keep your body healthy. Simple habits like this one can really make a big difference. I am fascinated by the technology that has recently been developed to help our cars be run by electricity, or using solar panels for power, and other similar inventions. I really believe in using these methods if you can because it is so important to protect our natural resources. I believe that it is our duty as a generation to take care of the earth so that the future generations have the opportunity to enjoy it just like we do now. So, to me sustainability is a way of looking at life with regards to the future and how my decisions today will affect my future. In a broad sense, this includes the way I treat the earth, the way I run my business and manage my money, and also it can even span to the way that I treat people. With a long-term perspective like this, things seem to be more trivial, and it is easier to focus on what I find to be important in my life, such as: family, schooling, and enjoying myself. In addition, living a sustainable life includes being able to treat people with respect as well as my environment. I believe in forgiveness, and I think that the sooner we can forgive each other, the better our society can and will be.
Lastly, I believe that we are here on earth to learn and that we need to learn to enjoy nature and the outdoors. I believe that the knowledge that we acquire on earth will be carried with us into the next life. So, I have placed a high priority on getting a satisfactory education even though it is hard and expensive, I believe that the learning is invaluable. However, I also believe that most of what we learn actually comes from life experiences-if we allow those experiences to teach us something. It is important to be mindful of what we are doing, and to be observant for the things around us so that we can learn every day regardless of whether or not we are in school.
I believe that going out in nature is one of the best ways to learn about ourselves, because it is quiet and there are minimal distractions. I believe that being outside is so incredibly important for having a good life and being healthy in body and mind. “Steven and Rachel Kaplan, of the University of Michigan, and Terry Hartig, of Uppsala University, have shown that nature experiences relieve mental fatigue. As a balance of too much directed attention, nature offers intrinsic interest and a sense of fascination. The restorative effects of a natural environment (whether time in a wilderness setting or a walk in a local nature preserve) leads to renewed attention and positive affect. For example, after 45 minutes of taxing mental work, a walk in a natural area led to better recoverty than a walk in an urban area or reading magazines and listening to music (Hartig). Merely looking at pictures of nature scenes (compared to urban scenes) leads to increased sense of well-being. This increased awareness in natural environments ties nature experiences to the strong body of research on Gendlin's Focusing, sensory awareness, and mindfulness (Gendline; Schroder; Sewall).” (4) As you can see, there have been studies on the benefits of nature and one can infer that experiencing natural settings can be incredibly healthy for our minds and bodies. This brings back the belief that I have in sustainability and why it is so important to keep the earth healthy; because the earth in turn keeps us healthy as well.
In conclusion, I feel that my life’s philosophy is well summarized within the points that I have mentioned in my paper. First, I believe in God and that we can receive revelation from Him. Second, I believe in keeping our bodies healthy and eating natural foods. Third, I believe in practicing sustainability in order to protect ourselves and the earth, and having a long-term perspective in life. Finally, I believe in learning each day and experiencing diverse places in nature. I feel that these points accurately paint my picture as a person and can show my priorities in life. Constructing this philosophy has given me a concrete set of values and things to care about. I believe in a whole host of other things as well, such as being honest, loyal, and loving. I believe that these traits and others that I believe in can be encompassed by living the principles that I have pointed out in this paper-since I stayed broad in my definitions and specifications of each principle. Lastly, I believe that my life’s philosophy will not always be the same, and I believe that we as humans must be open to change and improvement in every facet of life, because that is why we are here on the earth: to leave it better than we found it and become better people along the way.
Works Cited:
1. 1979. The Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, UT. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
2. Pedro Carrera-Bastos, Maelan Fontes-Villalba, James H O’Keefe, Staffan Lindeberg, Loren Cordain. 2011. The Western Diet and Lifestyle and Diseases of Civilization. http://thepaleodiet.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Res-Rpts-Clin-Cardiol-2011-Bastos-3.pdf.
3. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2011. What Is Sustainability? http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm
4. John Davis, Ph.D. J.D., 2008. PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF NATURE EXPERIENCES: RESEARCH AND THEORY with Special Reference to Transpersonal Psychology and Spirituality. http://www.johnvdavis.com/ep/benefits.htm.
__
_
Cover Letter
To whom it may concern,
Hello. We are writing in behalf of obese men, women, and children. We are writing in order to educate the population more fully on aspects of obesity that are not widely known or accepted. We intend to change the way Americans view and perceive obesity and also elicit change in the way we live our lives so as to provide better examples and more hope for future generations.
Our group members are:
Janet Torres: social impact of obesity
Taylor Reich: obesity related diseases
Matthew Snyder: diet pills…good or bad?
Jackie Sites: diet & exercise options
Lauren Gutierrez: government regulations (FDA)
Julianna Winder: economic impact on health care
Shelby Goff: campaigns and people who speak for obesity
Abigail White: childhood obesity
Thank you for your time and considerations on this issue. We feel strongly that Americans need to take a look at what they are eating, why, and how often. We suggest a big change in America as far as the way we eat, our traditions, and why we are the way we are. If we fight back against obesity, Americans will spend less on health care and be more productive and happy individuals.
Cover Letter
To whom it may concern,
Hello. We are writing in behalf of obese men, women, and children. We are writing in order to educate the population more fully on aspects of obesity that are not widely known or accepted. We intend to change the way Americans view and perceive obesity and also elicit change in the way we live our lives so as to provide better examples and more hope for future generations.
Our group members are:
Janet Torres: social impact of obesity
Taylor Reich: obesity related diseases
Matthew Snyder: diet pills…good or bad?
Jackie Sites: diet & exercise options
Lauren Gutierrez: government regulations (FDA)
Julianna Winder: economic impact on health care
Shelby Goff: campaigns and people who speak for obesity
Abigail White: childhood obesity
Thank you for your time and considerations on this issue. We feel strongly that Americans need to take a look at what they are eating, why, and how often. We suggest a big change in America as far as the way we eat, our traditions, and why we are the way we are. If we fight back against obesity, Americans will spend less on health care and be more productive and happy individuals.
_
Abby White
English 2010 Louise Brown
October 3, 2011
Childhood Obesity Position/Proposal
Position
Is childhood obesity a growing epidemic of disease, or a bad lifestyle adopted by a huge percentage of people in America? Is obesity even a disease? Many argue that obesity is not a disease; rather it is a consequence of a wrongful lifestyle filled with unhealthy decisions.
Obesity is a disease
Obesity is considered a disease with side effects that are just as life changing as other diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, or other diseases. According to the American Medical Association, “Obesity, like other diseases, impairs the normal functioning of a body. People who are obese have excess adipose (or fat) tissue that causes the overproduction of certain molecules and mediators in the body, which lead to abnormal regulation of food intake and energy expenditure.” (1) In addition, according to the Prospective Studies Collaboration, “Obesity decreases a person's life expectancy or can cause death, like other diseases. Obesity in adults can lead to three years loss of life. Extreme obesity can shorten a person's life span by 10 years--comparable to the decrease in years of life from smoking” (2) this shows that obesity has giant effects like other diseases and is comparable to the years of life lost as a smoker. As you can see, these quotes illustrate that obesity does have effects like any other disease and it can dramatically change a person’s life if they become obese.
As you can see in figure 1, the effects of obesity are dramatic and life altering. In addition to having a higher risk of pulmonary disease, children can experience gallbladder disease, coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, and a host of other incredibly uncomfortable health problems. These problems can affect children not only physically, but emotionally and developmentally.
Government entities including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have affirmed that obesity is a disease(2). This confirms that obesity is not something to be taken lightly. It shows that obesity is such a problem that government agencies do confirm that it is a disease. In addition, “Obesity is not just a recent phenomenon resulting from the modern environment. Physicians from as early as the 17th century has referenced obesity as a disease” (3) this shows that obesity is not just a recent discovery and it has been diagnosed before. However statistics do show an increase in obesity as a major problem in the United States.
Obesity is not a disease, but a consequence of lifestyle choices
On the other hand, obesity is a direct result from eating too many calories and not using all the energy that is put into a body. Obesity comes from these habits and can be reversed if habits are changed. According to the National Institutes of Health, “Obesity is the result of sedentary lifestyles and not illness. For example, compared to 40 years ago, people today spend more time commuting, sitting in front of a computer, watching television, playing video games, and generally exercising less.” (4) Obesity stems from and is a consequence of poor habits of being sedentary and not nourishing the body properly. As you can see, obesity can stem from behaviors as simple as driving more places instead of walking or riding a bicycle. This is just one example of a lifestyle change that must occur for people who want to stay away from being obese. In addition, “Obesity does not have characteristic signs or symptoms like diseases typically have. The only characteristic sign of obesity is excess fat, which is the definition of obesity itself. There are also no symptoms for obesity.” (5) Obesity is not a condition that people can be born with. Obesity is a direct result from behavior, and thus it does not have symptoms nor does it need to be tested for or diagnosed. Obesity is excess fat which is visually obvious and requires no blood tests or monitoring to figure out.
Conclusion
In short, obesity is definitely a disease and it does have a variety of treatments to eliminate it in the lives of children and adults. However, the way obesity is diagnosed is by measuring how much excess fat a person has. Also, obesity is not a disease that is contracted like polio or the measles. Obesity comes directly from a host of habits such as overeating, being sedentary, and basically taking in too many calories and not burning enough off. Obesity is a treatable condition but it does require a good amount of participation on the patient’s part. Obesity is definitely a disease, and it needs a great amount of attention and prevention.
Proposal
Childhood obesity is a disease and can be identified by children who have excess fat and who live a sedentary lifestyle. Childhood obesity is absolutely preventable and it is also a completely curable disease. In order to reduce the percentage of obese adults, prevention and the education of healthy lifestyles should start at a young age, with children. Children are resilient and if healthy habits are formed and reinforced at an early age, it is more likely that these children will grow and develop normally and become healthy adults.
Prevention
Prevention is a key factor in eventually eliminating the epidemic of childhood obesity. If children learn how to eat healthy and nutritious food early in life, they will create those habits and more likely stick to them later in life. In addition, the prevention of childhood obesity should be a national public health concern. According to an article by the Committee on Prevention of Obesity in Children and Youth entitled, “Preventing Childhood Obesity; Health in the Balance”(6), there are many grassroots campaigns and organizations working towards helping families and children prevent obesity by promoting healthy lifestyles early in life.
The media is an extremely influential tool that is used in advertising to children. Kids cannot distinguish between something that is being advertised and something that is real, as in kids cannot tell that the product being advertised is being blown out of proportion. As a result, many children want to try foods that are not necessarily nutritious but because of a persuasive ad campaign, they are sold. In addition, media influence can also be incredibly positive on children. Examples of people eating and living healthy can impact a child more than we know. Prominent children’s shows such as Sesame Street, promote healthy living in a very positive way, persuading children to be like their favorite characters on television. The media should create more positive campaigns for healthy living since television, books, movies, and commercials have such a huge impact on children.
In addition, community based and non-profit organizations should place a bigger emphasis on being healthy. After school programs should serve healthy snacks with fresh produce. Also, programs like this should be encouraging children to play outside, walk, bike, hike, run, and just be physically active in general. In addition, communities should add access to local farmers markets and playgrounds, even adding community gardens to encourage people to eat fresh and organic food. Children should have opportunities to learn how to grow and harvest fresh food, and understand how plants grow and how they nourish the body. One example of this is in Sugar House, an old tennis court was converted into a community garden where citizens can come a grow food and also participate in an educational experience of growing plants. The location was perfect as it was adjacent to the Boys and Girls Club. This way, children had a large exposure to this and were able to participate. (http://sugarhousecommunitygarden.blog.com/) (7)
Prevention of childhood obesity is the best way of making sure the nation’s harrowing statistics change. Preventing obesity is a much more practical approach over treating already obese children. Changing habits is incredibly hard to do.
What about kids who are already obese?
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Parents are the ones who buy the food, cook the food and decide where the food is eaten. Even small changes can make a big difference in your child's health.
Change needs to occur not only in individual families, but with communities and local governments and even the national government. People need to realize that childhood obesity is 100% preventable and it is our responsibility as Americans to give our next generation all the tools possibly to live happy, healthy, and productive lives. This will start with us teaching and promoting healthy lifestyles. Go and do it.
Works Cited
1. American Medical Association (AMA), "Report 4 of the Council on Scientific Affairs (A-05)," www.ama-assn.org, June 2005
2. Prospective Studies Collaboration, "Body-Mass Index and Cause-Specific Mortality in 900,000 Adults: Collaborative Analyses of 57 Prospective Studies," Lancet, Mar. 28, 2009
2. ProCon.org. "Obesity ProCon.org." Obesity.ProCon.org. ProCon.org, 5 Aug. 2011. Web. 3 Oct. 2011.
3. David B. Allison, PhD, et al., "Obesity as a Disease: A White Paper on Evidence and Arguments Commissioned by the Council of the Obesity Society," www.obesityjournal.org, Apr. 2008
4. National Institutes of Health (NIH), "Understanding Adult Obesity," win.niddk.nih.gov, Nov. 2008
5. Stanley Heshka, PhD, and David B. Allison, PhD, "Is Obesity a Disease?" International Journal of Obesity, Oct. 20, 2000
6. Institute of Medicine (U.S.) Committee on Prevention of Obesity in Children and Youth, “Preventing Childhood Obesity, Health in the Balance”, http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=2SUDUbGquk4C&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=preventing+childhood+obesity&ots=MKRPYTWuXX&sig=_gQuwThj7G9yggJajM3g2v3i9lo#v=onepage&q&f=false, Copyright 2005
7. Sugarhouse Community Garden, a Project of the Community Foundation of Utah, http://sugarhousecommunitygarden.blog.com/ , October 3, 2011
8. Mayo Clinic, “Treatment and Drugs,” http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/childhood-obesity/DS00698/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs, Oct. 9, 2010
Abby White
English 2010 Louise Brown
October 3, 2011
Childhood Obesity Position/Proposal
Position
Is childhood obesity a growing epidemic of disease, or a bad lifestyle adopted by a huge percentage of people in America? Is obesity even a disease? Many argue that obesity is not a disease; rather it is a consequence of a wrongful lifestyle filled with unhealthy decisions.
Obesity is a disease
Obesity is considered a disease with side effects that are just as life changing as other diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, or other diseases. According to the American Medical Association, “Obesity, like other diseases, impairs the normal functioning of a body. People who are obese have excess adipose (or fat) tissue that causes the overproduction of certain molecules and mediators in the body, which lead to abnormal regulation of food intake and energy expenditure.” (1) In addition, according to the Prospective Studies Collaboration, “Obesity decreases a person's life expectancy or can cause death, like other diseases. Obesity in adults can lead to three years loss of life. Extreme obesity can shorten a person's life span by 10 years--comparable to the decrease in years of life from smoking” (2) this shows that obesity has giant effects like other diseases and is comparable to the years of life lost as a smoker. As you can see, these quotes illustrate that obesity does have effects like any other disease and it can dramatically change a person’s life if they become obese.
As you can see in figure 1, the effects of obesity are dramatic and life altering. In addition to having a higher risk of pulmonary disease, children can experience gallbladder disease, coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, and a host of other incredibly uncomfortable health problems. These problems can affect children not only physically, but emotionally and developmentally.
Government entities including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have affirmed that obesity is a disease(2). This confirms that obesity is not something to be taken lightly. It shows that obesity is such a problem that government agencies do confirm that it is a disease. In addition, “Obesity is not just a recent phenomenon resulting from the modern environment. Physicians from as early as the 17th century has referenced obesity as a disease” (3) this shows that obesity is not just a recent discovery and it has been diagnosed before. However statistics do show an increase in obesity as a major problem in the United States.
Obesity is not a disease, but a consequence of lifestyle choices
On the other hand, obesity is a direct result from eating too many calories and not using all the energy that is put into a body. Obesity comes from these habits and can be reversed if habits are changed. According to the National Institutes of Health, “Obesity is the result of sedentary lifestyles and not illness. For example, compared to 40 years ago, people today spend more time commuting, sitting in front of a computer, watching television, playing video games, and generally exercising less.” (4) Obesity stems from and is a consequence of poor habits of being sedentary and not nourishing the body properly. As you can see, obesity can stem from behaviors as simple as driving more places instead of walking or riding a bicycle. This is just one example of a lifestyle change that must occur for people who want to stay away from being obese. In addition, “Obesity does not have characteristic signs or symptoms like diseases typically have. The only characteristic sign of obesity is excess fat, which is the definition of obesity itself. There are also no symptoms for obesity.” (5) Obesity is not a condition that people can be born with. Obesity is a direct result from behavior, and thus it does not have symptoms nor does it need to be tested for or diagnosed. Obesity is excess fat which is visually obvious and requires no blood tests or monitoring to figure out.
Conclusion
In short, obesity is definitely a disease and it does have a variety of treatments to eliminate it in the lives of children and adults. However, the way obesity is diagnosed is by measuring how much excess fat a person has. Also, obesity is not a disease that is contracted like polio or the measles. Obesity comes directly from a host of habits such as overeating, being sedentary, and basically taking in too many calories and not burning enough off. Obesity is a treatable condition but it does require a good amount of participation on the patient’s part. Obesity is definitely a disease, and it needs a great amount of attention and prevention.
Proposal
Childhood obesity is a disease and can be identified by children who have excess fat and who live a sedentary lifestyle. Childhood obesity is absolutely preventable and it is also a completely curable disease. In order to reduce the percentage of obese adults, prevention and the education of healthy lifestyles should start at a young age, with children. Children are resilient and if healthy habits are formed and reinforced at an early age, it is more likely that these children will grow and develop normally and become healthy adults.
Prevention
Prevention is a key factor in eventually eliminating the epidemic of childhood obesity. If children learn how to eat healthy and nutritious food early in life, they will create those habits and more likely stick to them later in life. In addition, the prevention of childhood obesity should be a national public health concern. According to an article by the Committee on Prevention of Obesity in Children and Youth entitled, “Preventing Childhood Obesity; Health in the Balance”(6), there are many grassroots campaigns and organizations working towards helping families and children prevent obesity by promoting healthy lifestyles early in life.
The media is an extremely influential tool that is used in advertising to children. Kids cannot distinguish between something that is being advertised and something that is real, as in kids cannot tell that the product being advertised is being blown out of proportion. As a result, many children want to try foods that are not necessarily nutritious but because of a persuasive ad campaign, they are sold. In addition, media influence can also be incredibly positive on children. Examples of people eating and living healthy can impact a child more than we know. Prominent children’s shows such as Sesame Street, promote healthy living in a very positive way, persuading children to be like their favorite characters on television. The media should create more positive campaigns for healthy living since television, books, movies, and commercials have such a huge impact on children.
In addition, community based and non-profit organizations should place a bigger emphasis on being healthy. After school programs should serve healthy snacks with fresh produce. Also, programs like this should be encouraging children to play outside, walk, bike, hike, run, and just be physically active in general. In addition, communities should add access to local farmers markets and playgrounds, even adding community gardens to encourage people to eat fresh and organic food. Children should have opportunities to learn how to grow and harvest fresh food, and understand how plants grow and how they nourish the body. One example of this is in Sugar House, an old tennis court was converted into a community garden where citizens can come a grow food and also participate in an educational experience of growing plants. The location was perfect as it was adjacent to the Boys and Girls Club. This way, children had a large exposure to this and were able to participate. (http://sugarhousecommunitygarden.blog.com/) (7)
Prevention of childhood obesity is the best way of making sure the nation’s harrowing statistics change. Preventing obesity is a much more practical approach over treating already obese children. Changing habits is incredibly hard to do.
What about kids who are already obese?
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Parents are the ones who buy the food, cook the food and decide where the food is eaten. Even small changes can make a big difference in your child's health.
- When buying groceries, choose fruits and vegetables. Convenience foods, such as cookies, crackers and prepared meals, are often high in sugar and fat. Always have healthy snacks available. And never use food as a reward or punishment.
- Limit sweetened beverages, including those containing fruit juice. These drinks provide little nutritional value in exchange for their high calories. They also can make your child feel too full to eat healthier foods.
- Sit down together for family meals. Make it an event — a time to share news and tell stories. Discourage eating in front of a screen, such as a television, computer or video game. This leads to fast eating and lowered awareness of how much you're eating.
- Limit
the number of times you eat out, especially at fast-food
restaurants. Many of the menu options are high in fat and calories.” (8)
Change needs to occur not only in individual families, but with communities and local governments and even the national government. People need to realize that childhood obesity is 100% preventable and it is our responsibility as Americans to give our next generation all the tools possibly to live happy, healthy, and productive lives. This will start with us teaching and promoting healthy lifestyles. Go and do it.
Works Cited
1. American Medical Association (AMA), "Report 4 of the Council on Scientific Affairs (A-05)," www.ama-assn.org, June 2005
2. Prospective Studies Collaboration, "Body-Mass Index and Cause-Specific Mortality in 900,000 Adults: Collaborative Analyses of 57 Prospective Studies," Lancet, Mar. 28, 2009
2. ProCon.org. "Obesity ProCon.org." Obesity.ProCon.org. ProCon.org, 5 Aug. 2011. Web. 3 Oct. 2011.
3. David B. Allison, PhD, et al., "Obesity as a Disease: A White Paper on Evidence and Arguments Commissioned by the Council of the Obesity Society," www.obesityjournal.org, Apr. 2008
4. National Institutes of Health (NIH), "Understanding Adult Obesity," win.niddk.nih.gov, Nov. 2008
5. Stanley Heshka, PhD, and David B. Allison, PhD, "Is Obesity a Disease?" International Journal of Obesity, Oct. 20, 2000
6. Institute of Medicine (U.S.) Committee on Prevention of Obesity in Children and Youth, “Preventing Childhood Obesity, Health in the Balance”, http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=2SUDUbGquk4C&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=preventing+childhood+obesity&ots=MKRPYTWuXX&sig=_gQuwThj7G9yggJajM3g2v3i9lo#v=onepage&q&f=false, Copyright 2005
7. Sugarhouse Community Garden, a Project of the Community Foundation of Utah, http://sugarhousecommunitygarden.blog.com/ , October 3, 2011
8. Mayo Clinic, “Treatment and Drugs,” http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/childhood-obesity/DS00698/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs, Oct. 9, 2010
_
Abby White
November 3, 2011
Louise Bown English 2010
Profile
The Beginning
Mom comes home from work today, carrying a bag from McDonald’s which holds my favorite meal, a double quarter pounder with cheese and no onions. My salivary glands react as well as my stomach, both telling me how pleased they are with the meal ahead. “Perfect! Thanks, mom” I exclaim, as my forearm becomes swallowed by the bag. I sink into our couch, accidentally sitting on the TV remote. “Oh well, I’ll get it when I get up next”, I say to myself. I take out the fries, add some extra salt, and savor my dinner like it was my last. I polish this meal off, including my large sized soda, and take a cleansing deep breath. Eating food is an experience for me, so I didn’t even need the TV, because I was fully engrossed in eating my food.
This narrative describes the thoughts of one Collin Robinson, who at age 11, was severely obese weighing in at 249 pounds. Although Collin was obese, he still enjoyed playing video games, goofing around with his friends, and he also enjoyed going to the theatre. It was obvious that Collin needed to get some help and lose weight if he was going to continue with those activities. So, Collin’s mother, Krista decided she would take matters into her own hands.
The Breaking Point
Krista sat down at the computer, fed up and feeling hopeless about the weight problem that she and her son had. Thinking of anything drastic to lose weight, she typed in “fat camp” on her Google search engine, not realizing that these few strokes of the keyboard carried the power to change her life forever. Krista was worried because she and Collin both had some potentially serious medical problems on their doorstep. "His doctor told me at his last physical, which was about a year ago, that I needed to do something immediately," she recalled. "Some of his cholesterol numbers are starting to climb up. And that ... was really an eye opener for me. I've always felt like people look at me like I'm lazy, or, like, 'how could she let her son get to that point,' or 'doesn't she see?' And I do, I do see those things." Krista knew she was making the right choice in researching ways to lose weight. Little did she know she would be attending Wellspring Family Weight Loss Camp later that year, instead of her summer vacation?
The Camp: Life Change or Two Week Weight-Loss Dream?
Krista and Collin arrived at the Wellspring Family Fitness Camp, not knowing what to expect but excited to learn and experience what losing weight could feel like. They stepped into a total immersion program where, "There are transformations for some, and there's dramatically increased awareness for others," said Susan Borgman, the camp's clinical director. On the first day, the Robinson’s were introduced to something very foreign to them: exercise. The participants were encouraged to take 10,000 steps a day and were given a pedometer. In addition, every morning there is a two-mile walk. "Before Wellspring, it was pretty much walking back and forth to the car, before and after school," said Collin. On the walk, he eagerly led the front of the pack, but Krista could hardly keep up with up the group. Later that day, she had a meltdown with her son. Krista felt extremely discouraged and wanted to quit, but Collin wouldn’t let her.
While at Wellspring, the Robinson’s definitely increased their awareness and learned many different things. Among those things was about nutrition, psychological and cognitive behaviors that affect weight loss, and keeping a food journal. These things helped them to really think about what they were putting into their bodies. Collin bravely tried a veggie burger one day, and surprisingly said, "If I had a choice between this and a cheeseburger, I would pick this," he said. "Because it's healthier and it tastes a little bit better."
The Final Weigh In
After being at the fitness camp for two weeks, the Robinson’s definitely gained the confidence to make a big lifestyle change. But, did it pay off? At the final weigh-in, (a week later) Collin lost five more pounds, and Krista lost another six. The overall weight loss is dramatic – both were down 16 pounds each in just two weeks. With those amazing results, the Robinson’s felt ecstatic! However, their leaving the fitness camp carried with it some bittersweet emotions. Saying goodbye to all their new friends was hard, and Krista said, "My concern is we walk through the door of our house... and do we fall back into the same routine?" said Krista, questioning their continued commitment. "And that's what we need to nip in the bud. That's going to be the hardest part, maybe those first couple weeks at home."
Krista and Collin came home from the camp changed people. They threw out all of their junk food in lieu of more healthy alternatives. They walk everyday together, and they feel like their lives are more on track and more exciting now. Collin revealed that having an overweight mom used to worry him deeply. "I was worried she wasn't going to make it until she could lose the weight, but I tried not to think about that," he said. Now, instead of that worry is a newfound sense of confidence and excitement.
So far, Collin has lost 27 pounds and Krista a whopping 33. They both say they are excited to continue this lifestyle and become healthier individuals. The best part, you ask? They did it together.
Works Cited
1. Patria, Melia, and Eric Johnson. "Anti-Fat Camp: Tackling the Pounds One Family at a Time." ABC Nightline. ABD News, Aug. 31, 2009. Web. 3 Nov 2011. <http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=8348714
2. White, Sarah. "“Nightline” shows off family’s weight loss journey." CalorieLab. CalorieLab, January 6, 2010. Web. 3 Nov 2011. <http://calorielab.com/news/2010/01/06/nightline-shows-off-familys-weight-loss-journey/
3. "Family Weight Loss Camp." Wellspring Camps. Wellspring Camps, n.d. Web. 3 Nov 2011. <http://www.wellspringcamps.com/familycamp/>.
4. Donaldson, Jackie. "Mother and Son Slim Down Together." That's Fit. That's Fit, September 14, 2009. Web. 3 Nov 2011. <http://www.thatsfit.com/2009/09/14/mother-and-son-slim-down-together/>.
November 3, 2011
Louise Bown English 2010
Profile
The Beginning
Mom comes home from work today, carrying a bag from McDonald’s which holds my favorite meal, a double quarter pounder with cheese and no onions. My salivary glands react as well as my stomach, both telling me how pleased they are with the meal ahead. “Perfect! Thanks, mom” I exclaim, as my forearm becomes swallowed by the bag. I sink into our couch, accidentally sitting on the TV remote. “Oh well, I’ll get it when I get up next”, I say to myself. I take out the fries, add some extra salt, and savor my dinner like it was my last. I polish this meal off, including my large sized soda, and take a cleansing deep breath. Eating food is an experience for me, so I didn’t even need the TV, because I was fully engrossed in eating my food.
This narrative describes the thoughts of one Collin Robinson, who at age 11, was severely obese weighing in at 249 pounds. Although Collin was obese, he still enjoyed playing video games, goofing around with his friends, and he also enjoyed going to the theatre. It was obvious that Collin needed to get some help and lose weight if he was going to continue with those activities. So, Collin’s mother, Krista decided she would take matters into her own hands.
The Breaking Point
Krista sat down at the computer, fed up and feeling hopeless about the weight problem that she and her son had. Thinking of anything drastic to lose weight, she typed in “fat camp” on her Google search engine, not realizing that these few strokes of the keyboard carried the power to change her life forever. Krista was worried because she and Collin both had some potentially serious medical problems on their doorstep. "His doctor told me at his last physical, which was about a year ago, that I needed to do something immediately," she recalled. "Some of his cholesterol numbers are starting to climb up. And that ... was really an eye opener for me. I've always felt like people look at me like I'm lazy, or, like, 'how could she let her son get to that point,' or 'doesn't she see?' And I do, I do see those things." Krista knew she was making the right choice in researching ways to lose weight. Little did she know she would be attending Wellspring Family Weight Loss Camp later that year, instead of her summer vacation?
The Camp: Life Change or Two Week Weight-Loss Dream?
Krista and Collin arrived at the Wellspring Family Fitness Camp, not knowing what to expect but excited to learn and experience what losing weight could feel like. They stepped into a total immersion program where, "There are transformations for some, and there's dramatically increased awareness for others," said Susan Borgman, the camp's clinical director. On the first day, the Robinson’s were introduced to something very foreign to them: exercise. The participants were encouraged to take 10,000 steps a day and were given a pedometer. In addition, every morning there is a two-mile walk. "Before Wellspring, it was pretty much walking back and forth to the car, before and after school," said Collin. On the walk, he eagerly led the front of the pack, but Krista could hardly keep up with up the group. Later that day, she had a meltdown with her son. Krista felt extremely discouraged and wanted to quit, but Collin wouldn’t let her.
While at Wellspring, the Robinson’s definitely increased their awareness and learned many different things. Among those things was about nutrition, psychological and cognitive behaviors that affect weight loss, and keeping a food journal. These things helped them to really think about what they were putting into their bodies. Collin bravely tried a veggie burger one day, and surprisingly said, "If I had a choice between this and a cheeseburger, I would pick this," he said. "Because it's healthier and it tastes a little bit better."
The Final Weigh In
After being at the fitness camp for two weeks, the Robinson’s definitely gained the confidence to make a big lifestyle change. But, did it pay off? At the final weigh-in, (a week later) Collin lost five more pounds, and Krista lost another six. The overall weight loss is dramatic – both were down 16 pounds each in just two weeks. With those amazing results, the Robinson’s felt ecstatic! However, their leaving the fitness camp carried with it some bittersweet emotions. Saying goodbye to all their new friends was hard, and Krista said, "My concern is we walk through the door of our house... and do we fall back into the same routine?" said Krista, questioning their continued commitment. "And that's what we need to nip in the bud. That's going to be the hardest part, maybe those first couple weeks at home."
Krista and Collin came home from the camp changed people. They threw out all of their junk food in lieu of more healthy alternatives. They walk everyday together, and they feel like their lives are more on track and more exciting now. Collin revealed that having an overweight mom used to worry him deeply. "I was worried she wasn't going to make it until she could lose the weight, but I tried not to think about that," he said. Now, instead of that worry is a newfound sense of confidence and excitement.
So far, Collin has lost 27 pounds and Krista a whopping 33. They both say they are excited to continue this lifestyle and become healthier individuals. The best part, you ask? They did it together.
Works Cited
1. Patria, Melia, and Eric Johnson. "Anti-Fat Camp: Tackling the Pounds One Family at a Time." ABC Nightline. ABD News, Aug. 31, 2009. Web. 3 Nov 2011. <http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=8348714
2. White, Sarah. "“Nightline” shows off family’s weight loss journey." CalorieLab. CalorieLab, January 6, 2010. Web. 3 Nov 2011. <http://calorielab.com/news/2010/01/06/nightline-shows-off-familys-weight-loss-journey/
3. "Family Weight Loss Camp." Wellspring Camps. Wellspring Camps, n.d. Web. 3 Nov 2011. <http://www.wellspringcamps.com/familycamp/>.
4. Donaldson, Jackie. "Mother and Son Slim Down Together." That's Fit. That's Fit, September 14, 2009. Web. 3 Nov 2011. <http://www.thatsfit.com/2009/09/14/mother-and-son-slim-down-together/>.
_ Abby White
Reflective Essay
I enjoy writing and reading, especially about subjects that I am passionate about. I feel passionate about childhood obesity and obesity in general because it is a disease that can widely be prevented if people really work at what they are doing.
That being said, I feel that I have made a contribution to our discussions because of the passion that I feel about this issue. I have participated in each discussion and peer review, trying to give constructive criticism to my peers about their writing. I also have received some great ideas pertaining to my writing as well.
As the group leader, I have tried to be one of the first people to post in the discussion space each week so that my group knows I’m committed and able to be the leader. I also try to read everyone’s papers although I only need to edit two of them. I have benefited from my peer’s comments on my papers and I have changed a lot of details because of those comments. One of those is to add more pictures to my writing. I haven’t ever been a big fan of using pictures, but when talking about obesity I think pictures really get the job done as far as emotionally engaging the reader. Pictures really speak to a person especially when it is depicting a person who should not be in the situation that they are in. It makes people feel a sense of duty and empathy to see these pictures, which is a great way of convincing people that they should join our cause. I really appreciate the suggestions to add more pictures.
I feel that I also contribute to my peer’s papers by trying to give them suggestions that would help me if I were in their situation. I try to give them insightful suggestions and really think about what they are trying to accomplish in their writing. I feel that I have done this successfully and I have contributed to the group in this capacity.
Reflective Essay
I enjoy writing and reading, especially about subjects that I am passionate about. I feel passionate about childhood obesity and obesity in general because it is a disease that can widely be prevented if people really work at what they are doing.
That being said, I feel that I have made a contribution to our discussions because of the passion that I feel about this issue. I have participated in each discussion and peer review, trying to give constructive criticism to my peers about their writing. I also have received some great ideas pertaining to my writing as well.
As the group leader, I have tried to be one of the first people to post in the discussion space each week so that my group knows I’m committed and able to be the leader. I also try to read everyone’s papers although I only need to edit two of them. I have benefited from my peer’s comments on my papers and I have changed a lot of details because of those comments. One of those is to add more pictures to my writing. I haven’t ever been a big fan of using pictures, but when talking about obesity I think pictures really get the job done as far as emotionally engaging the reader. Pictures really speak to a person especially when it is depicting a person who should not be in the situation that they are in. It makes people feel a sense of duty and empathy to see these pictures, which is a great way of convincing people that they should join our cause. I really appreciate the suggestions to add more pictures.
I feel that I also contribute to my peer’s papers by trying to give them suggestions that would help me if I were in their situation. I try to give them insightful suggestions and really think about what they are trying to accomplish in their writing. I feel that I have done this successfully and I have contributed to the group in this capacity.
FHS 1500 Signature Assignment
_
Abby White
November 2, 2011
Chapter 12 Assignment
If I had a friend who was seriously considering dropping out of college I would definitely want to have a serious conversation with them. First, I would ask this friend why they want to drop out. There are definitely a lot of different concerns that students have when attending college. First, the concern of money and the tuition costs along with living expenses and books. Second, there are concerns of what types of employment schooling will lead to, if it is worth it to go to college, and what to study in school. These are just two examples of a long list of concerns for college students, and I would definitely want to find out why my friend is concerned and what they are concerned about.
The advice that I would offer would be that you can never underestimate the value of an education. Education can offer so many possibilities in life and better jobs with better pay. Although going to college is hard, it is a lot easier to do it before other things in life get in the way like getting married or having a family. It does take a lot of effort for a student to excel in college but it is worth it to do your best and see what opportunities come because of the hard work that you have put into it.
A point that I would bring up is how much does education matter? If you were to have children, you would want them to pursue a successful education career? I think that most people, when things are put into that perspective, would say yes that they would want their kids to pursue an education. When the question is answered, I would also ask, wouldn’t it be easier for you to help your children deal with college if you had done it yourself? Wouldn’t your children be more apt to listening to you if you had done it yourself first? I would hope that these questions would put things into perspective for my friend and help them consider that dropping out of college has a lifetime of effects, on people that we may not even know yet.
In conclusion, if I had a friend who was considering dropping out of college, I would definitely try to tell them of all the great possibilities that college can bring to your life. In addition, there are a lot of opportunities for personal growth and experience in college. College is a unique time in life where a person can do a bunch of different things in order to find out what they like best and help them to choose a suitable path in life that will be satisfactory for them. It is best to do these things while young because it becomes infinitely harder to do when married or if you have children. In addition, an education is invaluable and it is also important to set an example for future children or others who you care about.
Reflection
This assignment pushed me to think about what education means to me and how much of a priority that I have made for education in my life. SLCC's learning objectives all have roots in making education a priority in life and the possibility of finding success because of hard work in college. I have placed an incredibly high priority on school and I feel that education is vital in life. We are here on earth to learn and experience as many things as possible, and going to college gives me an opportunity to learn about things that I normally wouldn't learn from experiencing things in life. I have supported myself through college, I haven't had the luxury of having rich parents who gave me all the money that I need for school. This is not a negative situation for me. I feel that because I have supported myself in school, I have placed an infinite amount of value on gaining an education and I feel that it is incredibly important. Studying human development in this class has connected me with all the other people in this world who don't even have the option of going to school or learning about things they are interested in. It has made me take school more seriously and realize that going to college is an opportunity, not a right.
This course has connected me with other general education courses that I have taken, namely: communication, family and human studies, and sociology. All of these classes blend together because they are mainly about humans, the development of people, how they act toward each other, how society works and how it affects people, and how families and marriages affect and have been affected by society as a whole. This knowledge has pushed me to look at people differently, and try to understand better what people are going through and thinking in their lives. I feel that general education is in place so that students can build upon classes and concepts that are already learned. I feel that this concept has worked well in my school experience because the classes I have taken have been similar in topic, so I have been able to incorporate knowledge from past classes into classes that I am currently taking.
November 2, 2011
Chapter 12 Assignment
If I had a friend who was seriously considering dropping out of college I would definitely want to have a serious conversation with them. First, I would ask this friend why they want to drop out. There are definitely a lot of different concerns that students have when attending college. First, the concern of money and the tuition costs along with living expenses and books. Second, there are concerns of what types of employment schooling will lead to, if it is worth it to go to college, and what to study in school. These are just two examples of a long list of concerns for college students, and I would definitely want to find out why my friend is concerned and what they are concerned about.
The advice that I would offer would be that you can never underestimate the value of an education. Education can offer so many possibilities in life and better jobs with better pay. Although going to college is hard, it is a lot easier to do it before other things in life get in the way like getting married or having a family. It does take a lot of effort for a student to excel in college but it is worth it to do your best and see what opportunities come because of the hard work that you have put into it.
A point that I would bring up is how much does education matter? If you were to have children, you would want them to pursue a successful education career? I think that most people, when things are put into that perspective, would say yes that they would want their kids to pursue an education. When the question is answered, I would also ask, wouldn’t it be easier for you to help your children deal with college if you had done it yourself? Wouldn’t your children be more apt to listening to you if you had done it yourself first? I would hope that these questions would put things into perspective for my friend and help them consider that dropping out of college has a lifetime of effects, on people that we may not even know yet.
In conclusion, if I had a friend who was considering dropping out of college, I would definitely try to tell them of all the great possibilities that college can bring to your life. In addition, there are a lot of opportunities for personal growth and experience in college. College is a unique time in life where a person can do a bunch of different things in order to find out what they like best and help them to choose a suitable path in life that will be satisfactory for them. It is best to do these things while young because it becomes infinitely harder to do when married or if you have children. In addition, an education is invaluable and it is also important to set an example for future children or others who you care about.
Reflection
This assignment pushed me to think about what education means to me and how much of a priority that I have made for education in my life. SLCC's learning objectives all have roots in making education a priority in life and the possibility of finding success because of hard work in college. I have placed an incredibly high priority on school and I feel that education is vital in life. We are here on earth to learn and experience as many things as possible, and going to college gives me an opportunity to learn about things that I normally wouldn't learn from experiencing things in life. I have supported myself through college, I haven't had the luxury of having rich parents who gave me all the money that I need for school. This is not a negative situation for me. I feel that because I have supported myself in school, I have placed an infinite amount of value on gaining an education and I feel that it is incredibly important. Studying human development in this class has connected me with all the other people in this world who don't even have the option of going to school or learning about things they are interested in. It has made me take school more seriously and realize that going to college is an opportunity, not a right.
This course has connected me with other general education courses that I have taken, namely: communication, family and human studies, and sociology. All of these classes blend together because they are mainly about humans, the development of people, how they act toward each other, how society works and how it affects people, and how families and marriages affect and have been affected by society as a whole. This knowledge has pushed me to look at people differently, and try to understand better what people are going through and thinking in their lives. I feel that general education is in place so that students can build upon classes and concepts that are already learned. I feel that this concept has worked well in my school experience because the classes I have taken have been similar in topic, so I have been able to incorporate knowledge from past classes into classes that I am currently taking.
FHS 2450 Final Project
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Abby White
Cathy Carey FHS 2450
Final Project
Love in the Media
I picked five music videos that will represent an array of different types of love for this assignment. The songs I picked are:
Brown-Eyed Girl: Van Morrison
Just a Kiss: Lady Antebellum
Love Like Crazy: Lee Brice
The Way I Loved You: Taylor Swift
U Got It Bad: Usher
1. In the medium you viewed and recorded, are the portrayals mostly companionate or passionate love or some combination of the two?
The portrayals in the songs represent a mixture of companionate and passionate love. First, it is important to define these types of love to make it simpler to realize. Companionate love is defined as, “A type of love characterized by friendly affection and deep attachment based on extensive familiarity with the loved one”. In addition, passionate love is defined by a “State of extreme absorption in another person. Also known as romantic love” .These songs show a variety of different feelings expressed in love and different viewpoints on being in and falling in love as well. For example, in the Usher song he expresses passion as he sings about how badly he wants his girl (he’s got it bad for her) and the video depicts a fight between the couple, but Usher still wants her and feels very passionate about getting her back and feels the torture of not having her around, showing absorption in his girlfriend. Similarly, the Taylor Swift song depicts similar feelings of wanting a passionate love. She sings about being “comfortable” with her current relationship but she misses the passion and fire that she had with her previous love interest. However, in the song by Lee Brice, he sings about how a couple made their marriage and relationship work for 58 years by “being a best friend”. This shows companionate love by illustrating a friendly and deep attachment. In addition, the song by Lady Antebellum is about saying goodnight to someone and just kissing them, nothing more, because she wants to take the relationship slow because it is so important to her and she wants to “do this right”. This shows commitment before intimacy which is a characteristic of companionate love, showing there can be romance but also that fostering a deep attachment is important. In addition, the Brown-Eyed Girl song is about a deep love for either a wife or daughter, and how pure and special that can be, presenting a deep familiarity and trust.
2. Do you think your selected medium “clips” portray a realistic view of love and partnership? Why or why not?
Some of these songs portray a fairly realistic picture of love and partnership. The one that portrays the most realistic view is “Love Like Crazy”. This song talks about how somebody asked the husband how he was able to have a successful marriage after getting married so young. The entire song is about a few things that can make a relationship work, “Be a best friend, tell the truth, overuse ‘I love you’, go to work, do your best, don’t outsmart your common sense; never let your prayin’ knees get lazy, and love like crazy”. I think this song is the most realistic out of all of them because it is a believable story and it is the most down to earth as well. In addition, the “Brown-Eyed Girl” is realistic as well, depicting a strong and deep love of either a father or husband. This love seems less romantic and more about spending quality time with a person and being familiar with them. I feel that this is realistic because that depicts companionate love well, showing that not all love needs to be romantic. The Lady Antebellum song is a bit unrealistic because although a good idea, there are not very many people out there who would just kiss someone they love because they want to “do it right”. This portrays a mixture of passionate and companionate love showing that Lady Antebellum wanted to become more familiar with her love interest before getting physically intimate. Taylor Swift’s song is realistic in the way that everyone has feelings of missing an ex-lover and the way the relationship was with them. Although people can be happy in a relationship, I think everyone feels a twinge of regret or missing someone, even though that relationship didn’t work out. As far as the Usher song, I feel that in his life this is realistic, the fact that the media blew his love life out of proportion, and in passionate love situations it seems that relationships are shorter than in companionate love situations. Also, Usher seems consumed with the problems with his relationship, showing a passionate feeling of love. In addition, the fact that Usher is feeling so consumed by the fight with his girlfriend and worrying about a potential break-up; shows a realistic situation for someone who is feeling passionate love.
3. What are the dangers of relying on media definitions of love and relationships?
Relying on media to define love for oneself is dangerous in a few different ways. First, in these music videos the drama is way larger than life. If someone were to live their life like the people they see acting in a music video, there would be a lot of problems because the videos are meant to be incredibly dramatic. It is important to realize that the things depicted in music videos are meant to be memorable, shocking, or an over-the-top way of expressing feelings. Second, although everyone in life is looking for a companion at one point or another, the media tends to find people who have trouble keeping relationships or being in steady partnerships. This focus gives a misrepresented view on relationships that they cannot work out. It is also dangerous to rely on the media because it cannot take the place of personal experience. People need to get out there and experience things for themselves instead of watching others. Life is about trial and error and people may “fail” in relationships, but it is important for people to experience those things first-hand and to learn from their mistakes and carry those lessons into future relationships, instead of watching others and wanting to replicate someone else’s experience. In addition, the media can be incredibly dangerous for younger teenagers because they lack the maturity to realize that the media picks up on disasters, and tends to blow things out of proportion. If teenagers and younger demographics grow up having these unrealistic views on relationships it can deter them from trying things out later in life, and can set a trend in their lives of not being able to keep healthy relationships.
Cathy Carey FHS 2450
Final Project
Love in the Media
I picked five music videos that will represent an array of different types of love for this assignment. The songs I picked are:
Brown-Eyed Girl: Van Morrison
Just a Kiss: Lady Antebellum
Love Like Crazy: Lee Brice
The Way I Loved You: Taylor Swift
U Got It Bad: Usher
1. In the medium you viewed and recorded, are the portrayals mostly companionate or passionate love or some combination of the two?
The portrayals in the songs represent a mixture of companionate and passionate love. First, it is important to define these types of love to make it simpler to realize. Companionate love is defined as, “A type of love characterized by friendly affection and deep attachment based on extensive familiarity with the loved one”. In addition, passionate love is defined by a “State of extreme absorption in another person. Also known as romantic love” .These songs show a variety of different feelings expressed in love and different viewpoints on being in and falling in love as well. For example, in the Usher song he expresses passion as he sings about how badly he wants his girl (he’s got it bad for her) and the video depicts a fight between the couple, but Usher still wants her and feels very passionate about getting her back and feels the torture of not having her around, showing absorption in his girlfriend. Similarly, the Taylor Swift song depicts similar feelings of wanting a passionate love. She sings about being “comfortable” with her current relationship but she misses the passion and fire that she had with her previous love interest. However, in the song by Lee Brice, he sings about how a couple made their marriage and relationship work for 58 years by “being a best friend”. This shows companionate love by illustrating a friendly and deep attachment. In addition, the song by Lady Antebellum is about saying goodnight to someone and just kissing them, nothing more, because she wants to take the relationship slow because it is so important to her and she wants to “do this right”. This shows commitment before intimacy which is a characteristic of companionate love, showing there can be romance but also that fostering a deep attachment is important. In addition, the Brown-Eyed Girl song is about a deep love for either a wife or daughter, and how pure and special that can be, presenting a deep familiarity and trust.
2. Do you think your selected medium “clips” portray a realistic view of love and partnership? Why or why not?
Some of these songs portray a fairly realistic picture of love and partnership. The one that portrays the most realistic view is “Love Like Crazy”. This song talks about how somebody asked the husband how he was able to have a successful marriage after getting married so young. The entire song is about a few things that can make a relationship work, “Be a best friend, tell the truth, overuse ‘I love you’, go to work, do your best, don’t outsmart your common sense; never let your prayin’ knees get lazy, and love like crazy”. I think this song is the most realistic out of all of them because it is a believable story and it is the most down to earth as well. In addition, the “Brown-Eyed Girl” is realistic as well, depicting a strong and deep love of either a father or husband. This love seems less romantic and more about spending quality time with a person and being familiar with them. I feel that this is realistic because that depicts companionate love well, showing that not all love needs to be romantic. The Lady Antebellum song is a bit unrealistic because although a good idea, there are not very many people out there who would just kiss someone they love because they want to “do it right”. This portrays a mixture of passionate and companionate love showing that Lady Antebellum wanted to become more familiar with her love interest before getting physically intimate. Taylor Swift’s song is realistic in the way that everyone has feelings of missing an ex-lover and the way the relationship was with them. Although people can be happy in a relationship, I think everyone feels a twinge of regret or missing someone, even though that relationship didn’t work out. As far as the Usher song, I feel that in his life this is realistic, the fact that the media blew his love life out of proportion, and in passionate love situations it seems that relationships are shorter than in companionate love situations. Also, Usher seems consumed with the problems with his relationship, showing a passionate feeling of love. In addition, the fact that Usher is feeling so consumed by the fight with his girlfriend and worrying about a potential break-up; shows a realistic situation for someone who is feeling passionate love.
3. What are the dangers of relying on media definitions of love and relationships?
Relying on media to define love for oneself is dangerous in a few different ways. First, in these music videos the drama is way larger than life. If someone were to live their life like the people they see acting in a music video, there would be a lot of problems because the videos are meant to be incredibly dramatic. It is important to realize that the things depicted in music videos are meant to be memorable, shocking, or an over-the-top way of expressing feelings. Second, although everyone in life is looking for a companion at one point or another, the media tends to find people who have trouble keeping relationships or being in steady partnerships. This focus gives a misrepresented view on relationships that they cannot work out. It is also dangerous to rely on the media because it cannot take the place of personal experience. People need to get out there and experience things for themselves instead of watching others. Life is about trial and error and people may “fail” in relationships, but it is important for people to experience those things first-hand and to learn from their mistakes and carry those lessons into future relationships, instead of watching others and wanting to replicate someone else’s experience. In addition, the media can be incredibly dangerous for younger teenagers because they lack the maturity to realize that the media picks up on disasters, and tends to blow things out of proportion. If teenagers and younger demographics grow up having these unrealistic views on relationships it can deter them from trying things out later in life, and can set a trend in their lives of not being able to keep healthy relationships.
Abby White
History 1700 E Portfolio Essay
The history of this nation has involved the relationship between two forces: conflict and consensus. As you look back on what you have learned in this course, which of the two forces would you argue has been most significant in the making of American history, and why? Please give at least three examples drawn from different time periods.
The relationship between conflict and consensus is complicated and history does is rich with examples of how both of these concepts have shaped the nation of the United States. Conflict can eventually lead to consensus, and vice versa. Consensus seems to keep the nation at a homeostasis type of level. However, it seems that the outcome of conflict teaches the nation to be stronger, gives more opportunities to more people, and tears down walls and encourages future success.
The Revolutionary War was one of the first significant conflicts in American History, and it still resonates today. This war helped us gain independence and pushed us to create a democratic government. Although America suffered by losing Britain as a primary source of trade, it experienced advantages because the trade laws were lifted. The war made America economically unstable but also pushed people to find creative and innovative ways of making new products, being more effective with their time, and finding different aspects of trading with different countries. In addition, America found new independence and had to trust the members of the government to create a stable, functioning system so that America could flourish. The Revolutionary War created positive stress on the country to excel to new heights and accomplish many things in a short period of time.
The War of 1812 also created the same kind of stress discussed earlier, as it forced the United States to become an even stronger entity to fight off Britain again. As the United States had overcome their foe before, they felt stronger and more united to accomplish the same goal again. The War of 1812 led to the writing of the Declaration of Independence, and the Star Spangled Banner, two documents that united and changed American history forever.
Another conflict that had a giant impact on the United States was the Civil Rights Movement. As an independent nation, the concept of slavery was always a controversial topic. Although slaves were freed during the days of Abraham Lincoln, this did not change the attitudes and beliefs of people against African-Americans. The inter-racial conflicts finally became public and as Martin Luther King Jr. announced his “I Have A Dream” speech, nobody could ignore the cries of these people, pleading for more equality. This conflict was not an overseas war, and it didn’t necessarily affect the general population. It started with a select group of people and quickly rose to a national level. The movement broke down barriers for blacks in areas like education, job potential, transportation, and so forth. It reiterated what was said in the Declaration of Independence that “All men are created equal”, and led the country to have more successes and bright futures for the general population, black or white. This conflict changed our nation and gave the tools to African Americans to excel and change our country for the better.
Similarly, the Feminism movement affected the nation profoundly. The ladies who went on hunger strikes, picketed, and spent time in jail used these strategies to produce an extremely innovative Constitutional Amendment to have the vote. The movement showed that the more outspoken the women were and the more they showed their investment and their strong opinions, the more they gained supporters to finally change the tides for women. Although it took many years for the 19th amendment to pass, it showed that the persistent nature of the feminists and the constant conflict was too much to resist.
In studying the history of the United States, it has become obvious that conflict has lead our country to learn its most important lessons and also make the most profound and meaningful strides for the people here. The importance of peace is paramount in having a successful nation but it has been proven through history that through conflict, the United States has risen out of adversity, exceeded bounds, and made life better and more optimistic for the citizens who tirelessly fight for what our country stands for. Although it would be ideal to have peace on earth, it is just as important to learn from times of war, and it shows the strength and unity of a nation when we can deal with the conflicts and come out on top.
Works Cited:
The Effects of the Revolutionary War. December 6, 2010 <http://revolutionarywar2.tripod.com/index.html>
History 1700 E Portfolio Essay
The history of this nation has involved the relationship between two forces: conflict and consensus. As you look back on what you have learned in this course, which of the two forces would you argue has been most significant in the making of American history, and why? Please give at least three examples drawn from different time periods.
The relationship between conflict and consensus is complicated and history does is rich with examples of how both of these concepts have shaped the nation of the United States. Conflict can eventually lead to consensus, and vice versa. Consensus seems to keep the nation at a homeostasis type of level. However, it seems that the outcome of conflict teaches the nation to be stronger, gives more opportunities to more people, and tears down walls and encourages future success.
The Revolutionary War was one of the first significant conflicts in American History, and it still resonates today. This war helped us gain independence and pushed us to create a democratic government. Although America suffered by losing Britain as a primary source of trade, it experienced advantages because the trade laws were lifted. The war made America economically unstable but also pushed people to find creative and innovative ways of making new products, being more effective with their time, and finding different aspects of trading with different countries. In addition, America found new independence and had to trust the members of the government to create a stable, functioning system so that America could flourish. The Revolutionary War created positive stress on the country to excel to new heights and accomplish many things in a short period of time.
The War of 1812 also created the same kind of stress discussed earlier, as it forced the United States to become an even stronger entity to fight off Britain again. As the United States had overcome their foe before, they felt stronger and more united to accomplish the same goal again. The War of 1812 led to the writing of the Declaration of Independence, and the Star Spangled Banner, two documents that united and changed American history forever.
Another conflict that had a giant impact on the United States was the Civil Rights Movement. As an independent nation, the concept of slavery was always a controversial topic. Although slaves were freed during the days of Abraham Lincoln, this did not change the attitudes and beliefs of people against African-Americans. The inter-racial conflicts finally became public and as Martin Luther King Jr. announced his “I Have A Dream” speech, nobody could ignore the cries of these people, pleading for more equality. This conflict was not an overseas war, and it didn’t necessarily affect the general population. It started with a select group of people and quickly rose to a national level. The movement broke down barriers for blacks in areas like education, job potential, transportation, and so forth. It reiterated what was said in the Declaration of Independence that “All men are created equal”, and led the country to have more successes and bright futures for the general population, black or white. This conflict changed our nation and gave the tools to African Americans to excel and change our country for the better.
Similarly, the Feminism movement affected the nation profoundly. The ladies who went on hunger strikes, picketed, and spent time in jail used these strategies to produce an extremely innovative Constitutional Amendment to have the vote. The movement showed that the more outspoken the women were and the more they showed their investment and their strong opinions, the more they gained supporters to finally change the tides for women. Although it took many years for the 19th amendment to pass, it showed that the persistent nature of the feminists and the constant conflict was too much to resist.
In studying the history of the United States, it has become obvious that conflict has lead our country to learn its most important lessons and also make the most profound and meaningful strides for the people here. The importance of peace is paramount in having a successful nation but it has been proven through history that through conflict, the United States has risen out of adversity, exceeded bounds, and made life better and more optimistic for the citizens who tirelessly fight for what our country stands for. Although it would be ideal to have peace on earth, it is just as important to learn from times of war, and it shows the strength and unity of a nation when we can deal with the conflicts and come out on top.
Works Cited:
The Effects of the Revolutionary War. December 6, 2010 <http://revolutionarywar2.tripod.com/index.html>
Communication Final Paper
Interpersonal Communication
December 3, 2010
Final Relational Change Report
Overview
In efforts to have more satisfying conversations, I have taken it upon myself to be an empathetic listener; that is to refrain from criticizing the speaker and remaining neutral and non- judgmental of the way people speak. Strategically holding my tongue during conversations and concepts of self-talk came into play. There were challenges of feeling frustrated because of the difficulty in understanding certain words that were spoken, and the undying need to correct the pronunciation. Luckily there were many situations in which I had an opportunity to practice listening with empathy. In addition, starting trends of successful listening and empathy practices proved to be more worth my time than correcting the words that were said in such conversations.
Unwanted Communication Pattern
Throughout my life I have been an articulate and fast paced speaker. I would often find people uninteresting to talk to if they could not keep up with me. When I met my husband, I actually did something that was unlike me, and I listened very well to his stories. Unlike everyone else in my life, my husband talks slowly and often misuses words and doesn’t understand their meanings. Part of this problem comes from his family. His parents are farmers, not the most educated people in the world, and they use different words for things than I have heard. It is often frustrating trying to have conversations with my husband and his parents because I feel the need to correct them as to which words they should use to describe things. For example, they tend to use one or two words to describe something, rather than saying an entire sentence. In addition, they use terms and words that only people in their family know, and they say it is okay because the people who need to hear what they say can understand them. In the case of my husband, he does have word habits that are incorrect regardless of the terminology that is used. He says things such as, “Because of” instead of just “because”; or he uses non-descriptive words like, “weird”, “kinda”, and so forth. It is frustrating to understand what my husband is trying to say because he uses “dead words”, a concept I learned in tenth grade English. Since I value the importance of words in my life, this situation has become a source of contention in our marriage because I can’t bear to listen to my husband, and he is unconfident that he can talk to me. I feel the concept of active listening (142) is a strength and weakness for me. Responding mentally, verbally, and nonverbally to what my husband says can divide us and offend, instead of unite us. I tend to respond nonverbally the most, thinking of a better way to phrase their sentences so that they make sense to everyone. I seem to become critical of the way they talk, which leads to me becoming critical about other things involving his family as well. This trend is poisonous and I knew that I needed to change the way that I listened to them.
Strategies
In order to change my unwanted behavior, the first strategy I employed was becoming mindful and aware of when I was behaving in the unwanted way. At first, I would notice myself correcting my husband after it had already come out of my mouth. However, becoming more aware of what I was saying, it became easier to recognize my nonverbal responses before I put them into words. I read about the concept of listening with empathy (142), and I knew that this concept could significantly help my situation. Daniel Goleman wrote a book, Emotional Intelligence, which explains that people who are emotionally intelligent have better interpersonal relationships. I actually checked out this book from the library, and I really took this concept to heart. The strategy of being other-oriented and feeling my husband’s feelings definitely helped me to realize that my husband doesn’t understand that what he says is wrong; and it isn’t. I realized that I should stop correcting him as if he is wrong, but clarify that it is hard to understand him when he uses uncommon words to explain himself. Another strategy that came into play was the concept of avoiding personal attacks, or “gunny-sacking” (244). When my husband and I would discuss our communication barriers, we both brought up old conflicts that were not yet resolved. This habit made both of us extremely frustrated and brought us away from the point of our conversation. Avoiding this trend should help us to have more productive conversations. In addition, I used the concept of self talk (244) frequently. My non verbal reactions to my husband were not obvious, and so I honestly had conversations in my head, telling myself “it doesn’t matter, it’s not worth upsetting him over a silly word”, and other things like that. “In most cases, escalating emotional tension decreases the likelihood that the conflict will be managed smoothly and effectively” (245). I realized that expressing frustration every time my husband said something wrong was ineffective, that I needed to choose my battles wisely. In addition, I had to make a conscious decision about whether to express my anger or hold it in (243). This concept was unfamiliar to me, but I realized that my husband would not be motivated to talk to me unless I was a fun person to talk to. Nobody wants to feel less than they are by talking to someone. I realized that I should encourage my husband and only express frustration when it was a big deal that I tell him. These strategies should help to create an environment of safety and acceptance when my husband and I talk, leading to deep conversations that are enjoyable for both of us.
Constraints
While it seems straight-forward, my listening better to my husband, there are and were times when I became extremely frustrated and fell into my old habits. For example, one day we went shopping with Matt’s mother. Originally, I did not want to go, but Matt insisted that he wanted me to be there. So I went and I felt excluded and upset. Matt sat in the front seat of the car leaving me alone in the back, unable to participate in any conversations. I felt extremely angry and I didn’t understand where we were going or what we were doing. In addition, I was embarrassed when his mom asked me if I was okay. This situation was escalated in my head, but it discouraged me from continuing my quest to communicate better with my husband. Also, another challenge I faced is the fact that many of our conversations happen quickly over the phone. When my husband is talking quickly, I cannot understand him and he doesn’t necessarily give a lot of thought to what he is saying. This causes confusion and frustration. Lastly, my husband has a hard time expressing how he feels without me asking. I feel frustrated when I try to have a conversation with him and he just agrees with me, without telling me his opinion. I believe this habit stems from the fact that I would correct his use of words during such conversations. It is frustrating to show him that I am trying to change, and for him to trust that I will listen and not correct him all the time.
Implementation
After putting an extremely large amount of thought into this change, I found it difficult to actually implement my ideas into real conversation. However, I decided that I would just stop cold turkey, correcting my husband. Although I would still have thoughts about him using the wrong words, I told myself that I would not say them out loud. Well, this worked for about a week, until I found the urge to correct too strong and I couldn’t’ handle it. The concept of listening empathetically, I did well however. Even though I still corrected my husband, I was thinking more about the way he must feel at any given time. For example, one night he came home and complained about being sore and tired. I realized that if I were telling him the same thing, I would expect him to help me relax. So, I gave him a back massage and he was so incredibly grateful! I realized that if I were able to empathetically listen more often, I would have more opportunities to show my husband that I really do listen to him. In addition, I decided during the situation with Matt’s mother previously mentioned, that I would not approach Matt about why I was upset until later when it was just us two alone. This turned out well because I had his full attention and it wasn’t embarrassing for anyone involved because we talked it out privately. Even though I was extremely frustrated, I felt accomplished because I did exhibit self control and self talk and waited until we had a good opportunity to talk. A change that I have yet to see happen is the amount of trust that Matt has that I will not correct him as often. Even though I have been doing well, I still slip sometimes and correct him. I know that I will need to establish a trend and a trust between us before Matt will express his feelings to me without me asking. I know he still feels uncomfortable because if he were to open his heart and tell me his feelings, he is still nervous that I may shut them down by correcting him. This is a concept that I hoped to achieve but haven’t yet, because this will take consistent and mindful behavior on my part to establish good rapport with my husband.
Results
Undertaking this big change in my communication patterns has been time consuming, and thought provoking as well as difficult. However, there are many positive consequences that I have seen. First, my husband and I now have more productive and enjoyable conversations. We both feel a sense of deeper trust in each other and our marriage is a sanctuary where we can tell each other anything. Second, I have enjoyed my conversations with my husband and his family significantly more than before. I have been able to push past my superficial thoughts, and use empathy to listen to family members. I also understand them better because I have spent more time with them and I have listened and remembered the words they use. Going into this project, I hoped that my husband would reciprocate my efforts to listen to him with empathy. Although he has showed me that he is listening, I am a little disappointed that he hasn’t shown more initiative to become empathetic and listen better. Although I still feel frustrated when I talk to my husband and his family, I still feel like this project was worth my time. I know that I cannot expect my husband to change and I have realized that through this project. I cannot expect him to be empathetic with me, or to change the words he has used his whole life. I feel like this lesson above all, has helped me to be more satisfied with the fact that I have no control over the way my husband talks. I will still encourage him to use better words to describe things, I feel like the concept of being empathetic includes letting someone be themselves without trying to change them. I wouldn’t say that my situation is the best example to use according to the concepts in the text, because it is complicated and it involved many separate concepts. It would be hard to illustrate my situation with just one concept from the text. The text led me to expect having a “better interpersonal relationship”. While this outcome seems vague, I would say that I definitely have a better relationship with my husband because of my changes. I still plan to work on this with more tact into the future, but as of right now I am satisfied with the progress we have made together. I know that this will be an ongoing topic in my mind to think about, but I believe that it will become easier as time goes by.
Recommendations
In the future, I will definitely continue my goals of listening better without criticizing the speaker. I will continue to be mindful of my nonverbal reactions to what people say, and I will need to monitor myself before I speak. Concepts of self talk and being other-oriented will definitely help me to control my thoughts. I will continue my course of action, but add to it by using the concept of active listening (142). I will not only control my non verbal responses, but I will be more invested in providing supportive and encouraging responses verbally and in my actions. I believe that involving this theory will improve my husband’s trust that I’m sincerely listening to him with the intent to encourage and understand him. Hopefully these actions will lead to more interactions together, and more personal conversations that help us get to know each other better and creating a stronger relationship.
Works Cited
Beebe, Steven. Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others. Boston, Mass.: Allyn & Bacon, 2008.
Marriage and Family Relations Signature Assignments
Based on your life experiences, what makes a good parent? What makes a bad parent? Does your definition of what makes a good or bad parent change depending on the age of the child? Should our parenting styles or techniques change as our children get older or should they stay the same? Explain. In your family of orientation, what child-rearing attitudes (authoritarian, permissive, or authoritative) predominated? What impact did your parents child-rearing attitudes have on you? Interview either one or both of your parents. If you do not have access to your parents, interview the parents of a close friend or relative. Ask them to describe their greatest joys and challenges as a parent. If they had to do it again, what would they do differently? What would they do the same?
Student Response: I believe good parents posses a lot of patience, and are able to understand and read their children. This requires time spent with the child, and being able to play with them as well as discipline them. A good parent guides their children, teaches them correct principles, and motivates/challenges them to be better. I don't think that telling children exactly what to do makes a good parent. Parents should respect their childrens independence, and create a secure environment so that children can explore the world and create their own identity. I think that parenting styles definitely need to change as children change. Obviously if a parent treats a teenager the same as a two year old, there is a definite problem. I think parenting is understanding. So, to obtain an understanding of a child will have to change every time a child needs their parent. Being able to communicate with a child and have an open and honest relationship is important. While I was growing up, my parents adopted an authoritarian way of parenting. While they were strict on some things like movies, curfews, internet, etc. my parents did allow my to be with friends and other important things to me. I think my parents impacted my life and made me an independent person. They taught me that education was important, and I feel like they helped me when I needed help, but stood back when I didn't. The greatest joys of being a parent is watching your child succeed. Challenges include, motivating your child, standing back and letting them make their own mistakes, and when they make a bad decision. My parents are divorced, and they realize how big of an effect that had on the kids. My mother feels successful and she doesn't think of anything she would have done differently. My dad had a temper when we were growing up, and he says he would have learned to control it better.
It is important to decide how you are going to handle your money in a relationship. If you are committed to a long-term relationship, you may do this assignment on yourself. If not, find a couple that are in a long-term relationship and ask them the following questions: Do you believe that all your assets belong to both of you and that all your debts are your joint responsibility? Do you expect to share equally in financial decisions? If not, how do you plan to make financial decisions? Do you plan to use a budget? Why or why not? How do you feel about each partner's having a personal allowance for which he or she is not accountable to the other? How do you feel about buying on credit? Small items? Large items? What will (did) you do about the debts each of you bring into the marriage? Who will be (is) the bill payer? check writer? bookkeeper? investor? Student Response: I would like to think that my husband and I have an egalitarian way of handling our finances. Both of us have credit cards (from the same account) and we generally ask each other before we buy anything. I know this sounds silly, but a simple text message to tell my husband I'm buying gas shows consideration and also helps to cut down on useless spending. It's like when you keep a food journal and realize you just ate ten minutes ago. Same idea. We discuss buying things and paying bills, my husband tells me how much money he makes every single day in tips, and we both take responsibility for paying bills and keeping each other reminded of when things are due. We do consider our individual income's to be "ours", as well as the debts we both brought into our marriage to be ours. We use credit cards to obtain the reward points on them, but we pay them off every month in full. My husband has an amazing memory when it comes to money. He owns his own small business and is involved with some side jobs and he keeps track of his business finances down to the cent. If he owes somebody money, he thinks and talks about it until he has paid it back. My husband is definitely on top of things when it comes to money. We don't necessarily budget our money, but we do limit our spending to things that we "need". We both work a lot and are extremely busy, and I think that helps us not think about spending money because we don't have the down time to go out and shop or go out to dinner. We were both raised to be frugal and to save money. My husband has his own IRA account and I feel confident that we are on the right track. We both keep each other in check about purchases we make, and I don't think it is necessary to hold each other to an allowance because we are both grounded and logical enough to decide whether or not we should buy something. With our debts, we have been paying them off starting with the smallest one. Then when that is paid off, we apply that payment of the small debt to the next smallest, increasing the payment and getting it paid off faster. Luckily, neither of us had a significant amount of debt, just school and my wedding ring. Overall, I feel like my husband and I are great at handling our money as a team, and it has been working out wonderfully.
Throughout this semester, I have learned and thought about many issues facing families today. There are many subjects in this class that I have hardly thought about, but now I think about regularly. I believe choosing these assignments shows a variety in the subject matter of the class, as well as important concepts to think about, especially in a time when I will soon be preparing for a family. This class definitely helped me in other classes that I took this semester. The statistics about marriage and divorce helped me in a project for my Sociology class. Thinking about marriages and families helped me to connect different thoughts in my Interpersonal Communication class. All three of these class covered similar subject material in different ways. This class helped me to think about these concepts as they apply to me, or my personal viewpoint of them, and it was also helpful to learn classmate's insight about the same subjects. This class as made me more aware of the issues that surround families today. It will help me in the future to refer back to what I learned in this class when I am trying to raise my own family. It was great to have a class that will help me earn my Associate's degree and also helped me to learn concepts in other classes. This was a great class to take to reiterate subjects that were taught in other classes. It helped me to learn the subjects better and I will remember them for future classes.
The assignment about being a good parent I believe is a signature mission for the class itself. This class taught me about what families are, statistics about marriages, how marriages work, and what parenting techniques work better than others. It was great to think about what I believe a good parent is, because it will set the foundation for my parenting in the future. It was a great assignment to read other people's responses and see what they thought a good parent resembles. Good parenting is the paramount need in families with children. I believe that the way parents treat their children will control the way the family functions, and how the children will turn out in adult hood. Parenting is such a huge responsibility and I think this class addressed many different aspects of being a parent.
The assignment about handling money is a huge deal for many families. I read that one of the most argued subjects among married couples is money. I feel that the way my husband and I handle money works out for us, but I was also incredibly interested to see how other people do with handling their own finances. It was a great assignment to step back and look at handling money from an outside point of view. It was useful to see how my husband and I could save more money, and also learning different ways to do things helped a lot as well. I feel like this class is very helpful to people who are facing some of these and many other issues right now, or who plan to have a family in the future. I uncovered many resources about marriages ad finances, as well as parenting skills. Overall I think this class challenged me to think about different and controversial concepts, and apply my opinions and my learning into my life.
Student Response: I believe good parents posses a lot of patience, and are able to understand and read their children. This requires time spent with the child, and being able to play with them as well as discipline them. A good parent guides their children, teaches them correct principles, and motivates/challenges them to be better. I don't think that telling children exactly what to do makes a good parent. Parents should respect their childrens independence, and create a secure environment so that children can explore the world and create their own identity. I think that parenting styles definitely need to change as children change. Obviously if a parent treats a teenager the same as a two year old, there is a definite problem. I think parenting is understanding. So, to obtain an understanding of a child will have to change every time a child needs their parent. Being able to communicate with a child and have an open and honest relationship is important. While I was growing up, my parents adopted an authoritarian way of parenting. While they were strict on some things like movies, curfews, internet, etc. my parents did allow my to be with friends and other important things to me. I think my parents impacted my life and made me an independent person. They taught me that education was important, and I feel like they helped me when I needed help, but stood back when I didn't. The greatest joys of being a parent is watching your child succeed. Challenges include, motivating your child, standing back and letting them make their own mistakes, and when they make a bad decision. My parents are divorced, and they realize how big of an effect that had on the kids. My mother feels successful and she doesn't think of anything she would have done differently. My dad had a temper when we were growing up, and he says he would have learned to control it better.
It is important to decide how you are going to handle your money in a relationship. If you are committed to a long-term relationship, you may do this assignment on yourself. If not, find a couple that are in a long-term relationship and ask them the following questions: Do you believe that all your assets belong to both of you and that all your debts are your joint responsibility? Do you expect to share equally in financial decisions? If not, how do you plan to make financial decisions? Do you plan to use a budget? Why or why not? How do you feel about each partner's having a personal allowance for which he or she is not accountable to the other? How do you feel about buying on credit? Small items? Large items? What will (did) you do about the debts each of you bring into the marriage? Who will be (is) the bill payer? check writer? bookkeeper? investor? Student Response: I would like to think that my husband and I have an egalitarian way of handling our finances. Both of us have credit cards (from the same account) and we generally ask each other before we buy anything. I know this sounds silly, but a simple text message to tell my husband I'm buying gas shows consideration and also helps to cut down on useless spending. It's like when you keep a food journal and realize you just ate ten minutes ago. Same idea. We discuss buying things and paying bills, my husband tells me how much money he makes every single day in tips, and we both take responsibility for paying bills and keeping each other reminded of when things are due. We do consider our individual income's to be "ours", as well as the debts we both brought into our marriage to be ours. We use credit cards to obtain the reward points on them, but we pay them off every month in full. My husband has an amazing memory when it comes to money. He owns his own small business and is involved with some side jobs and he keeps track of his business finances down to the cent. If he owes somebody money, he thinks and talks about it until he has paid it back. My husband is definitely on top of things when it comes to money. We don't necessarily budget our money, but we do limit our spending to things that we "need". We both work a lot and are extremely busy, and I think that helps us not think about spending money because we don't have the down time to go out and shop or go out to dinner. We were both raised to be frugal and to save money. My husband has his own IRA account and I feel confident that we are on the right track. We both keep each other in check about purchases we make, and I don't think it is necessary to hold each other to an allowance because we are both grounded and logical enough to decide whether or not we should buy something. With our debts, we have been paying them off starting with the smallest one. Then when that is paid off, we apply that payment of the small debt to the next smallest, increasing the payment and getting it paid off faster. Luckily, neither of us had a significant amount of debt, just school and my wedding ring. Overall, I feel like my husband and I are great at handling our money as a team, and it has been working out wonderfully.
Throughout this semester, I have learned and thought about many issues facing families today. There are many subjects in this class that I have hardly thought about, but now I think about regularly. I believe choosing these assignments shows a variety in the subject matter of the class, as well as important concepts to think about, especially in a time when I will soon be preparing for a family. This class definitely helped me in other classes that I took this semester. The statistics about marriage and divorce helped me in a project for my Sociology class. Thinking about marriages and families helped me to connect different thoughts in my Interpersonal Communication class. All three of these class covered similar subject material in different ways. This class helped me to think about these concepts as they apply to me, or my personal viewpoint of them, and it was also helpful to learn classmate's insight about the same subjects. This class as made me more aware of the issues that surround families today. It will help me in the future to refer back to what I learned in this class when I am trying to raise my own family. It was great to have a class that will help me earn my Associate's degree and also helped me to learn concepts in other classes. This was a great class to take to reiterate subjects that were taught in other classes. It helped me to learn the subjects better and I will remember them for future classes.
The assignment about being a good parent I believe is a signature mission for the class itself. This class taught me about what families are, statistics about marriages, how marriages work, and what parenting techniques work better than others. It was great to think about what I believe a good parent is, because it will set the foundation for my parenting in the future. It was a great assignment to read other people's responses and see what they thought a good parent resembles. Good parenting is the paramount need in families with children. I believe that the way parents treat their children will control the way the family functions, and how the children will turn out in adult hood. Parenting is such a huge responsibility and I think this class addressed many different aspects of being a parent.
The assignment about handling money is a huge deal for many families. I read that one of the most argued subjects among married couples is money. I feel that the way my husband and I handle money works out for us, but I was also incredibly interested to see how other people do with handling their own finances. It was a great assignment to step back and look at handling money from an outside point of view. It was useful to see how my husband and I could save more money, and also learning different ways to do things helped a lot as well. I feel like this class is very helpful to people who are facing some of these and many other issues right now, or who plan to have a family in the future. I uncovered many resources about marriages ad finances, as well as parenting skills. Overall I think this class challenged me to think about different and controversial concepts, and apply my opinions and my learning into my life.
Marriage and Family Relations Signature Assignments
Based on your life experiences, what makes a good parent? What makes a bad parent? Does your definition of what makes a good or bad parent change depending on the age of the child? Should our parenting styles or techniques change as our children get older or should they stay the same? Explain. In your family of orientation, what child-rearing attitudes (authoritarian, permissive, or authoritative) predominated? What impact did your parents child-rearing attitudes have on you? Interview either one or both of your parents. If you do not have access to your parents, interview the parents of a close friend or relative. Ask them to describe their greatest joys and challenges as a parent. If they had to do it again, what would they do differently? What would they do the same?
Student Response: I believe good parents posses a lot of patience, and are able to understand and read their children. This requires time spent with the child, and being able to play with them as well as discipline them. A good parent guides their children, teaches them correct principles, and motivates/challenges them to be better. I don't think that telling children exactly what to do makes a good parent. Parents should respect their childrens independence, and create a secure environment so that children can explore the world and create their own identity. I think that parenting styles definitely need to change as children change. Obviously if a parent treats a teenager the same as a two year old, there is a definite problem. I think parenting is understanding. So, to obtain an understanding of a child will have to change every time a child needs their parent. Being able to communicate with a child and have an open and honest relationship is important. While I was growing up, my parents adopted an authoritarian way of parenting. While they were strict on some things like movies, curfews, internet, etc. my parents did allow my to be with friends and other important things to me. I think my parents impacted my life and made me an independent person. They taught me that education was important, and I feel like they helped me when I needed help, but stood back when I didn't. The greatest joys of being a parent is watching your child succeed. Challenges include, motivating your child, standing back and letting them make their own mistakes, and when they make a bad decision. My parents are divorced, and they realize how big of an effect that had on the kids. My mother feels successful and she doesn't think of anything she would have done differently. My dad had a temper when we were growing up, and he says he would have learned to control it better.
It is important to decide how you are going to handle your money in a relationship. If you are committed to a long-term relationship, you may do this assignment on yourself. If not, find a couple that are in a long-term relationship and ask them the following questions: Do you believe that all your assets belong to both of you and that all your debts are your joint responsibility? Do you expect to share equally in financial decisions? If not, how do you plan to make financial decisions? Do you plan to use a budget? Why or why not? How do you feel about each partner's having a personal allowance for which he or she is not accountable to the other? How do you feel about buying on credit? Small items? Large items? What will (did) you do about the debts each of you bring into the marriage? Who will be (is) the bill payer? check writer? bookkeeper? investor?
Student Response: I would like to think that my husband and I have an egalitarian way of handling our finances. Both of us have credit cards (from the same account) and we generally ask each other before we buy anything. I know this sounds silly, but a simple text message to tell my husband I'm buying gas shows consideration and also helps to cut down on useless spending. It's like when you keep a food journal and realize you just ate ten minutes ago. Same idea. We discuss buying things and paying bills, my husband tells me how much money he makes every single day in tips, and we both take responsibility for paying bills and keeping each other reminded of when things are due. We do consider our individual income's to be "ours", as well as the debts we both brought into our marriage to be ours. We use credit cards to obtain the reward points on them, but we pay them off every month in full. My husband has an amazing memory when it comes to money. He owns his own small business and is involved with some side jobs and he keeps track of his business finances down to the cent. If he owes somebody money, he thinks and talks about it until he has paid it back. My husband is definitely on top of things when it comes to money. We don't necessarily budget our money, but we do limit our spending to things that we "need". We both work a lot and are extremely busy, and I think that helps us not think about spending money because we don't have the down time to go out and shop or go out to dinner. We were both raised to be frugal and to save money. My husband has his own IRA account and I feel confident that we are on the right track. We both keep each other in check about purchases we make, and I don't think it is necessary to hold each other to an allowance because we are both grounded and logical enough to decide whether or not we should buy something. With our debts, we have been paying them off starting with the smallest one. Then when that is paid off, we apply that payment of the small debt to the next smallest, increasing the payment and getting it paid off faster. Luckily, neither of us had a significant amount of debt, just school and my wedding ring. Overall, I feel like my husband and I are great at handling our money as a team, and it has been working out wonderfully.
Throughout this semester, I have learned and thought about many issues facing families today. There are many subjects in this class that I have hardly thought about, but now I think about regularly. I believe choosing these assignments shows a variety in the subject matter of the class, as well as important concepts to think about, especially in a time when I will soon be preparing for a family. This class definitely helped me in other classes that I took this semester. The statistics about marriage and divorce helped me in a project for my Sociology class. Thinking about marriages and families helped me to connect different thoughts in my Interpersonal Communication class. All three of these class covered similar subject material in different ways. This class helped me to think about these concepts as they apply to me, or my personal viewpoint of them, and it was also helpful to learn classmate's insight about the same subjects. This class as made me more aware of the issues that surround families today. It will help me in the future to refer back to what I learned in this class when I am trying to raise my own family. It was great to have a class that will help me earn my Associate's degree and also helped me to learn concepts in other classes. This was a great class to take to reiterate subjects that were taught in other classes. It helped me to learn the subjects better and I will remember them for future classes.
The assignment about being a good parent I believe is a signature mission for the class itself. This class taught me about what families are, statistics about marriages, how marriages work, and what parenting techniques work better than others. It was great to think about what I believe a good parent is, because it will set the foundation for my parenting in the future. It was a great assignment to read other people's responses and see what they thought a good parent resembles. Good parenting is the paramount need in families with children. I believe that the way parents treat their children will control the way the family functions, and how the children will turn out in adult hood. Parenting is such a huge responsibility and I think this class addressed many different aspects of being a parent.
The assignment about handling money is a huge deal for many families. I read that one of the most argued subjects among married couples is money. I feel that the way my husband and I handle money works out for us, but I was also incredibly interested to see how other people do with handling their own finances. It was a great assignment to step back and look at handling money from an outside point of view. It was useful to see how my husband and I could save more money, and also learning different ways to do things helped a lot as well. I feel like this class is very helpful to people who are facing some of these and many other issues right now, or who plan to have a family in the future. I uncovered many resources about marriages ad finances, as well as parenting skills. Overall I think this class challenged me to think about different and controversial concepts, and apply my opinions and my learning into my life.
Student Response: I believe good parents posses a lot of patience, and are able to understand and read their children. This requires time spent with the child, and being able to play with them as well as discipline them. A good parent guides their children, teaches them correct principles, and motivates/challenges them to be better. I don't think that telling children exactly what to do makes a good parent. Parents should respect their childrens independence, and create a secure environment so that children can explore the world and create their own identity. I think that parenting styles definitely need to change as children change. Obviously if a parent treats a teenager the same as a two year old, there is a definite problem. I think parenting is understanding. So, to obtain an understanding of a child will have to change every time a child needs their parent. Being able to communicate with a child and have an open and honest relationship is important. While I was growing up, my parents adopted an authoritarian way of parenting. While they were strict on some things like movies, curfews, internet, etc. my parents did allow my to be with friends and other important things to me. I think my parents impacted my life and made me an independent person. They taught me that education was important, and I feel like they helped me when I needed help, but stood back when I didn't. The greatest joys of being a parent is watching your child succeed. Challenges include, motivating your child, standing back and letting them make their own mistakes, and when they make a bad decision. My parents are divorced, and they realize how big of an effect that had on the kids. My mother feels successful and she doesn't think of anything she would have done differently. My dad had a temper when we were growing up, and he says he would have learned to control it better.
It is important to decide how you are going to handle your money in a relationship. If you are committed to a long-term relationship, you may do this assignment on yourself. If not, find a couple that are in a long-term relationship and ask them the following questions: Do you believe that all your assets belong to both of you and that all your debts are your joint responsibility? Do you expect to share equally in financial decisions? If not, how do you plan to make financial decisions? Do you plan to use a budget? Why or why not? How do you feel about each partner's having a personal allowance for which he or she is not accountable to the other? How do you feel about buying on credit? Small items? Large items? What will (did) you do about the debts each of you bring into the marriage? Who will be (is) the bill payer? check writer? bookkeeper? investor?
Student Response: I would like to think that my husband and I have an egalitarian way of handling our finances. Both of us have credit cards (from the same account) and we generally ask each other before we buy anything. I know this sounds silly, but a simple text message to tell my husband I'm buying gas shows consideration and also helps to cut down on useless spending. It's like when you keep a food journal and realize you just ate ten minutes ago. Same idea. We discuss buying things and paying bills, my husband tells me how much money he makes every single day in tips, and we both take responsibility for paying bills and keeping each other reminded of when things are due. We do consider our individual income's to be "ours", as well as the debts we both brought into our marriage to be ours. We use credit cards to obtain the reward points on them, but we pay them off every month in full. My husband has an amazing memory when it comes to money. He owns his own small business and is involved with some side jobs and he keeps track of his business finances down to the cent. If he owes somebody money, he thinks and talks about it until he has paid it back. My husband is definitely on top of things when it comes to money. We don't necessarily budget our money, but we do limit our spending to things that we "need". We both work a lot and are extremely busy, and I think that helps us not think about spending money because we don't have the down time to go out and shop or go out to dinner. We were both raised to be frugal and to save money. My husband has his own IRA account and I feel confident that we are on the right track. We both keep each other in check about purchases we make, and I don't think it is necessary to hold each other to an allowance because we are both grounded and logical enough to decide whether or not we should buy something. With our debts, we have been paying them off starting with the smallest one. Then when that is paid off, we apply that payment of the small debt to the next smallest, increasing the payment and getting it paid off faster. Luckily, neither of us had a significant amount of debt, just school and my wedding ring. Overall, I feel like my husband and I are great at handling our money as a team, and it has been working out wonderfully.
Throughout this semester, I have learned and thought about many issues facing families today. There are many subjects in this class that I have hardly thought about, but now I think about regularly. I believe choosing these assignments shows a variety in the subject matter of the class, as well as important concepts to think about, especially in a time when I will soon be preparing for a family. This class definitely helped me in other classes that I took this semester. The statistics about marriage and divorce helped me in a project for my Sociology class. Thinking about marriages and families helped me to connect different thoughts in my Interpersonal Communication class. All three of these class covered similar subject material in different ways. This class helped me to think about these concepts as they apply to me, or my personal viewpoint of them, and it was also helpful to learn classmate's insight about the same subjects. This class as made me more aware of the issues that surround families today. It will help me in the future to refer back to what I learned in this class when I am trying to raise my own family. It was great to have a class that will help me earn my Associate's degree and also helped me to learn concepts in other classes. This was a great class to take to reiterate subjects that were taught in other classes. It helped me to learn the subjects better and I will remember them for future classes.
The assignment about being a good parent I believe is a signature mission for the class itself. This class taught me about what families are, statistics about marriages, how marriages work, and what parenting techniques work better than others. It was great to think about what I believe a good parent is, because it will set the foundation for my parenting in the future. It was a great assignment to read other people's responses and see what they thought a good parent resembles. Good parenting is the paramount need in families with children. I believe that the way parents treat their children will control the way the family functions, and how the children will turn out in adult hood. Parenting is such a huge responsibility and I think this class addressed many different aspects of being a parent.
The assignment about handling money is a huge deal for many families. I read that one of the most argued subjects among married couples is money. I feel that the way my husband and I handle money works out for us, but I was also incredibly interested to see how other people do with handling their own finances. It was a great assignment to step back and look at handling money from an outside point of view. It was useful to see how my husband and I could save more money, and also learning different ways to do things helped a lot as well. I feel like this class is very helpful to people who are facing some of these and many other issues right now, or who plan to have a family in the future. I uncovered many resources about marriages ad finances, as well as parenting skills. Overall I think this class challenged me to think about different and controversial concepts, and apply my opinions and my learning into my life.
Abby White
HLAC 1096-
November 23, 2010
HLAC - Lifelong Wellness Application Paper
Write a paragraph on each of the following:
1. What did you learn about “lifelong wellness” from taking this activity class?
Being healthy takes a significant amount of work, but it is worth it. It is extremely important to be healthy and to maintain a good regimin of nutrition and exercise for the entirety of my life. I have learned about the importance of stress managment. Stress contributes to many diseases and disorders and it is completely preventable. Good stress can help and is needed in life, but it is important to be able to control stress that can turn ugly. Also, nutrition hass proven to be extremely important in maintaining health. Eating foods low in calories and high in nutrients is important for a healthy and high-functioning body.
2. How would you apply this information to your life? I have become more mindful of what I eat, how often, and the amount of exercise in relation to food. I am aware of the habits I need to change, and I am looking forward to feeling healthy for years to come. I have begun trying to meditate as a method of stress control, also using yoga and deep breathing methods I have also tried to create a consistent sleeping schedule for my body so that I can get enough rest and be able to have energy during the day to exercise.
3. What is your intention to continue to exercise in your life and why?
I want to continue exercising because I know how much easier life will be if I do. It will help with bone density later on life, help with cardio-pulmonary function, and I will feel better overall and be capable of doing more physical things. My life will be more enjoyable, and the fact that I completely control the outcome of my exercise, will create a responsibility for myself. I feel that it is important to improve my physical fitness not only for myself, but for my family as well. Being able to rely on my body and knowing my strength will greatly reduce worry as well.
4. General ideas for improving this course?
This course was pretty easy to figure out, the instructions were clear and easy to understand. It might help to send out an announcement with a reminder of which assignments or tests we should have completed, just to keep students on the right track. I liked the videos and resources that were used to enhance the topics that we learned about.
HLAC 1096-
November 23, 2010
HLAC - Lifelong Wellness Application Paper
Write a paragraph on each of the following:
1. What did you learn about “lifelong wellness” from taking this activity class?
Being healthy takes a significant amount of work, but it is worth it. It is extremely important to be healthy and to maintain a good regimin of nutrition and exercise for the entirety of my life. I have learned about the importance of stress managment. Stress contributes to many diseases and disorders and it is completely preventable. Good stress can help and is needed in life, but it is important to be able to control stress that can turn ugly. Also, nutrition hass proven to be extremely important in maintaining health. Eating foods low in calories and high in nutrients is important for a healthy and high-functioning body.
2. How would you apply this information to your life? I have become more mindful of what I eat, how often, and the amount of exercise in relation to food. I am aware of the habits I need to change, and I am looking forward to feeling healthy for years to come. I have begun trying to meditate as a method of stress control, also using yoga and deep breathing methods I have also tried to create a consistent sleeping schedule for my body so that I can get enough rest and be able to have energy during the day to exercise.
3. What is your intention to continue to exercise in your life and why?
I want to continue exercising because I know how much easier life will be if I do. It will help with bone density later on life, help with cardio-pulmonary function, and I will feel better overall and be capable of doing more physical things. My life will be more enjoyable, and the fact that I completely control the outcome of my exercise, will create a responsibility for myself. I feel that it is important to improve my physical fitness not only for myself, but for my family as well. Being able to rely on my body and knowing my strength will greatly reduce worry as well.
4. General ideas for improving this course?
This course was pretty easy to figure out, the instructions were clear and easy to understand. It might help to send out an announcement with a reminder of which assignments or tests we should have completed, just to keep students on the right track. I liked the videos and resources that were used to enhance the topics that we learned about.
Marriage and Family Relations Signature Assignments
Based on your life experiences, what makes a good parent? What makes a bad parent? Does your definition of what makes a good or bad parent change depending on the age of the child? Should our parenting styles or techniques change as our children get older or should they stay the same? Explain. In your family of orientation, what child-rearing attitudes (authoritarian, permissive, or authoritative) predominated? What impact did your parents child-rearing attitudes have on you? Interview either one or both of your parents. If you do not have access to your parents, interview the parents of a close friend or relative. Ask them to describe their greatest joys and challenges as a parent. If they had to do it again, what would they do differently? What would they do the same? Student Response: I believe good parents posess a lot of patience, and are able to understand and read their children. This requires time spent with the child, and being able to play with them as well as discepline them. A good parent guides their children, teaches them correct principles, and motivates/challenges them to be better. I don't think that telling children exactly what to do makes a good parent. Parents should respect their children's independence, and create a secure envoironment so that children can explore the world and create their own identity. I think that parenting styles definitely need to change as children change. Obviously if a parent treats a teenager the same as a two year old, there is a definite problem. I think parenting is understanding. So, to obtain an understanding of a child will have to change everytime a child needs their parent. Being able to communicate with a child and have an open and honest relationship is important. While I was growing up, my parents adopted an authoritarian way of parenting. While they were strict on some things like movies, curfews, internet, etc. my parents did allow my to be with friends and other important things to me. I think my parents impacted my life and made me an independent person. They taught me that education was important, and I feel like they helped me when I needed help, but stood back when I didn't. The greatest joys of being a parent is watching your child succeed. Challenges include, motivating your child, standing back and letting them make their own mistakes, and when they make a bad decision. My parents are divorced, and they realize how big of an effect that had on the kids. My mother feels successful and she doesn't think of anything she would have done differently. My dad had a temper when we were growing up, and he says he would have learned to control it better.
Throughout this semester, I have learned and thought about many issues facing families today. There are many subjects in this class that I have hardly thought about, but now I think about regularly. I believe choosing these assignments shows a variety in the subject matter of the class, as well as important concepts to think about, especially in a time when I will soon be preparing for a family. This class definitely helped me in other classes that I took this semester. The statistics about marriage and divorce helped me in a project for my Sociology class. Thinking about marriages and families helped me to connect different thoughts in my Interpersonal Communication class. All three of these class covered similar subject material in different ways. This class helped me to think about these concepts as they apply to me, or my personal viewpoint of them, and it was also helpful to learn classmate's insight about the same subjects. This class as made me more aware of the issues that surround families today. It will help me in the future to refer back to what I learned in this class when I am trying to raise my own family. It was great to have a class that will help me earn my Associate's degree and also helped me to learn concepts in other classes. This was a great class to take to reiterate subjects that were taught in other classes. It helped me to learn the subjects better and I will remember them for future classes.
The assignment about spanking was a great example of a subject that I had not thought about. I actually did some research and read a few articles about spanking before I formed my opinion about it. It was interesting to me to learn about the effects that spanking has on children and parents. I learned that punishing children by spanking them does not help, in fact it deters children from developing emotional relationships with their parents. I feel that this subject is extremely important for parents to be educated about. A small action can turn a relationship into a dysfunctional and frustrating experience. If we as future parents know the facts about issues like this, we can change the way that our families function in the future.
The assignment about handling money is a huge deal for many families. I read that one of the most argued subjects among married couples is money. I feel that the way my husband and I handle money works out for us, but I was also incredibly interested to see how other people do with handling their own finances. It was a great assignment to step back and look at handling money from an outside point of view. It was useful to see how my husband and I could save more money, and also learning different ways to do things helped a lot as well. I feel like this class is very helpful to people who are facing some of these and many other issues right now, or who plan to have a family in the future. I uncovered many resources about marriages ad finances, as well as parenting skills. Overall I think this class challenged me to think about different and controversial concepts, and apply my opinions and my learning into my life.
Throughout this semester, I have learned and thought about many issues facing families today. There are many subjects in this class that I have hardly thought about, but now I think about regularly. I believe choosing these assignments shows a variety in the subject matter of the class, as well as important concepts to think about, especially in a time when I will soon be preparing for a family. This class definitely helped me in other classes that I took this semester. The statistics about marriage and divorce helped me in a project for my Sociology class. Thinking about marriages and families helped me to connect different thoughts in my Interpersonal Communication class. All three of these class covered similar subject material in different ways. This class helped me to think about these concepts as they apply to me, or my personal viewpoint of them, and it was also helpful to learn classmate's insight about the same subjects. This class as made me more aware of the issues that surround families today. It will help me in the future to refer back to what I learned in this class when I am trying to raise my own family. It was great to have a class that will help me earn my Associate's degree and also helped me to learn concepts in other classes. This was a great class to take to reiterate subjects that were taught in other classes. It helped me to learn the subjects better and I will remember them for future classes.
The assignment about spanking was a great example of a subject that I had not thought about. I actually did some research and read a few articles about spanking before I formed my opinion about it. It was interesting to me to learn about the effects that spanking has on children and parents. I learned that punishing children by spanking them does not help, in fact it deters children from developing emotional relationships with their parents. I feel that this subject is extremely important for parents to be educated about. A small action can turn a relationship into a dysfunctional and frustrating experience. If we as future parents know the facts about issues like this, we can change the way that our families function in the future.
The assignment about handling money is a huge deal for many families. I read that one of the most argued subjects among married couples is money. I feel that the way my husband and I handle money works out for us, but I was also incredibly interested to see how other people do with handling their own finances. It was a great assignment to step back and look at handling money from an outside point of view. It was useful to see how my husband and I could save more money, and also learning different ways to do things helped a lot as well. I feel like this class is very helpful to people who are facing some of these and many other issues right now, or who plan to have a family in the future. I uncovered many resources about marriages ad finances, as well as parenting skills. Overall I think this class challenged me to think about different and controversial concepts, and apply my opinions and my learning into my life.
Future.
Hi internet friends! This website is a chronicle of some assignments from my general education courses at Salt Lake Community College. They call it an "E-portfolio" and it proves that I actually did do homework during my reign at SLCC!