Profile Practice Writing Exercise Tiffney

Cieria Burgett at English 2367 Class.

I met Cieria Burgett in English 2367 class on September 28, 2016 at Ohio State University Marion Campus. We were practicing interviews for our upcoming essay on the American Experience Profile. So we each took turns interviewing each other. Let me introduce to you the story and the background of Cieria Burgett.

Cieria Burgett is a 2013 graduate of Ridgedale High School. She moved out of her parents house at the age of 17. Cieria said “I was the Valedictorian of my graduating class”.That is a very high honor to get when you graduate from high school and even college.That is the one thing we both had in common. After high school, she started going to college here at Ohio State. Cieria also said “This is my fourth year here at Ohio State”.

It is interesting to learn that much about a person in very little time. Sometimes you just never know that you can have a lot in common with another person. In the interview we ask a couple of questions that related to the theme of visionaries. I asked her “Do we need leaders with futuristic visionary qualities to lead us forward and why”? She said yes. That society is being pushed forward and people with ideas create progress.

Next, I asked her, do we need leaders who can clearly see the here and now and who would listen the peoples’ vision of democracy and act accordingly?  Well she said no and that our democracy maybe good but people are afraid of change and are afraid to grow. That we both agree on. We all want change but, now days we are afraid what the outcome might be. This is why we need to stick up for what we believe in and never give up hope.

Word Count: 300

Profile-specific questions from Holding On for our interviews. From Mike

One of the two partners should use the Comments feature here to share your best questions related to a profile in Holding On.

Contribute Dreamer, Visionary, Eccentric, Creativity questions here. From Mike

Using the Comments feature, one person from each pairing should post your two best theme questions here.

journal 4 chelsey

Sandra Bland (dead) in her mug shot

Sandra Bland (alive) and beautiful

I read the article on the police fatally killing African Americans and other minority groups. These stories have been all over the media and the news. People say there is two sides to every story, and most of the time there is. However, in most of these cases that I have seen and thoroughly looked into, the story is in the authority's favor. To me police brutality against black people in today's society is a huge issue that needs to be addressed and resolved.

Because of these videos, articles, news cast etc. my activism issue I chose is the black lives matter campaign. This campaign is for awareness of the discrimination and numerous acts of fatal violence against black lives. The point of saying black lives matter is not to say other lives don't matter, its to say that there is an issue rising against black lives  that needs to be addressed. In New York city there are placards on walls of all different buildings that say BLACK LIVES MATTER. People in society that are offended by this campaign need to educate themselves on the situations at hand. I am very strong hearted person so these things anger me and scare me at the same time, because this is the society we as young adults are growing up in, this is the society our younger siblings, or children are growing up in, and I don't think people are concerned enough about the violence that is going on in this nation.
I also think that people are getting upset at the black lives matter campaign because, peaceful protest have done nothing and people see that so African Americans are giving up and getting impatient and angry causing the protest to be more of a riot. This is not right at all, but I understand the frustration of the families, friends, and other people that want justice for their loved ones lost.

I've done some research on a story of a young African American woman, Sandra Bland. This was a very heartbreaking story. She was pulled over for a traffic stop, and somehow the traffic stop escalated and she was taken to jail. Then "found" dead in her jail cell. However, medical personnel have said that she was dead before she was put in her jail cell. The picture of her mug shot that was posted clearly was staged and she was dead in the shot. My mom is a nurse and she used to work for a hospice company, sad to say but she knows what people have passed look like. She herself agreed with other co workers and professional medical examiners that she was dead in the picture. The angering thing about this story is that even with medical personnel saying that she didn't kill herself in her cell, that she was already dead, but still no charges were filed against the police. Only a money settlement, which is not justice for her losing her life, for not using her turn signal.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/21/us/texas-sandra-bland-jail-death-explain/
This is a link to her story.


http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/27/us/christopher-dorner-manhunt-officers-cleared/

This is another link to a more recent story. A mother and daughter her shot at from behind in the back of their pickup truck, 107 times by 8 police officers. Thankfully it wasn't fatal, but the mother was shot in the back and chest.

Part 2. In Holding on I found Lydia Emry's profile really interesting. I loved that she became a doctor even when the odds were basically against her, and also how inexpensive she charged for her services. I am all for females in society beating the odds that are against them, so I was really excited and happy while reading her profile.

Journal 4 Wil Lathrop

Part I
     The Reading I found most interesting was about the Pipeline in North Dakota and how companies have failed to consult with the local tribes before building the pipeline even though it would run through their land and destroy their main water source.  This isn't as surprising as it should be since there have been many instances in our history as a nation where companies have ignored the laws regarding preservation of National historic land.
     My activism issue is on the use of water and how we as a country aren't doing enough to keep it clean and using only what we need.  In the western side of the United States there are issues with droughts because of old "Use it or Lose it" laws which make it so as long as you are using the same amount of water one year you are allowed that much the next year, because this law came to exist people started using more and more water so that next year they would be allotted the same amount even if it was clearly over using.  This has lead to many issues including the Colorado river no longer reaching the ocean there for by definition not making it a river.
                               

This is a picture from National Geographic two years ago when the when the Colorado river touched the ocean for the first time in 16 years.

Part II

     In our reading Holding On I found Percy Brigham to be interesting because he chose to scaffold fish even though the dams were being built. Even after the dams were constructed when he believed that it was the "end" of him he continued fishing though he had to use a boat for a while.  He eventually got back to scaffold fishing even when he started breaking down and had gone through surgeries.  This really clicked with me because he is so passionate about the way he fishes that he doesn't stop even when his body can't really handle it anymore.  This is inspiring to me because even when it was winter and he knew he was going to be in debt for a while it didn't stop him from pursuing his passion and wait out until next spring when he could fish again and pay off his debts.

Journal Four-Young

Part I
     I read the article discussing the new Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) and, to be frank, I was rather disgusted. In my mind, after considering the various lands and laws that this pipeline will violate, the fact that it is even in question amazes me. This pipeline will destroy land that is imperative to Native American heritage, wildlife reservations, and endanger the clean water sources for thousands of Americans-- it also violates more than one federal Acts. I believe that the monumental danger that this pipeline presents, and the fact that it is in blatant disregard of federal and local law, is not being given enough attention or gravity. In fact, the dangers of our dependence on fossil fuels in general are glossed over too often. I understand that this pipeline would make the processing of this oil cheaper and easier, but at what cost to the land? I also believe that this issue should spur the country on to consider cleaner sources of energy.
     This brings me to my activism issue of choice--clean energy, especially here at home in Ohio. I looked into solar energy specifically. This issue is so important to me because I believe that not only can solar energy be a valid, dependable substitute to fossil fuels, but that it can also grant normal people agency over their energy consumption. By this I mean that investing in solar panels, whether for businesses, schools, or residential homes, can grant local people control over their source of electricity, Exploring and expanding this field would also create a whole new market of jobs. I used the Solar Energy Industries Association website to look more into the issue--I was curious as to just how easy it was to actually install solar panels on a typical residential home. I found this site particularly helpful and I appreciated that it includes information on several panel installers and statistics about solar energy in general. It also breaks down information by state so that the facts and figures are specific to the area, which makes the aspect of solar energy seem almost personable, and very reachable.

David and Darlene Norman, residents of Clintonville, OH, with their 5.6 kW electric system purchased from Ecohouse Solar

Part II

     In our reading of Holding On, I found Lydia Emery's profile to be rather striking towards the end. Of course, she is amazing for the simple fact that she became a doctor during a time when women did not have much room to advance, especially academically. She is amazing for charging such small fees for her skilled services, knowing that it would ease some the financial strain of her clients. Yet, what I find most amazing about her is her position on women's rights and monetary equality--that they are not nearly as important as her work as a doctor.

     Emery told Issay about another female doctor, a peer of hers, that disagreed with how much she charged for her fees. This other doctor said that Emery was "projecting the wrong image" of women in the medical field because she did not charge as much as male doctors might. Emery responded to this, "But I was very upset by that, because to me, medicine should be a measure of what you're doing, now how much money your're making". The fact that she didn't see this as a gender rights situation was the ultimate view of equality to me--she wasn't worried about not making as much as a man, she was worried about taking care of her patients. It was a statement that made feminism irrelevant in the face of a larger, more important issue.

Journal 4 Taylor

Part 1: The most interesting thing I learned about the Native American fighting the new pipeline was how these big companies are getting away with a lot of the damage they are inflicting on the environment over a resource that won't be around very much longer. In an environmental science class I am currently taking, we learned that there is only about 20 more years left of oil if we keep drilling the way we are. One would think that this would cause drillers to rethink their ways but instead they push to have more pipelines added. I am inspired by the determination that the native americans and land owners have across this area when it comes to protecting what is theres. This kind of determination is needed if we are going to save our planet from this dreaded tipping point, we are rapidly approaching. I think there needs to be more spotlight put on items like this and less about what presidential candidates are tweeting.

An activism issue that has caught my eye is actually a poster with deeper meaning behind the illustrations. I like posters because they make the viewer think more into the topic than what is seen at first. The poster that means the most for me is an illustration that has a book and before the last page says "THE END" and the meaning behind it is how a lifetime smokers life is cut short on average of 15%. This means a lot to me because my dad has smoked for as long as I can remember and it would hurt me if he were to pass before his "story" were over. This posters credibility comes into question when you first look at it. The poster does not say who produced it but does have a number on it for smokers to call if they want to prolong their life more by quitting smoking.

"THE END. If you smoke, statistically your story will end 15% before it should. For help with quiting call QUITTLINE on 0200 00 22 00″

Part 2: The profile I found interesting was Zimmermans. I liked how he was hitchhiking one day after leaving home and saw these mines and knew he was going to live there. The theme of this profile, to me, was how if you think about it, all of the items around us, junk or not can be used for something else. I really liked how he made each room/mine a different experience and allowed people to use their imagination when staying there by figuring out how to use the items around them. 

Journal Four- Alexis Hensel

   Part One: When reading about Colin Kaepernick's activism towards the death of black people across America it enlightened me on a topic that I have heard of recently, but did not investigate further. Police brutality is something that occurs everyday, to people of all ethnicities and religious groups. However, why is it that the cases involving the police and African Americans are mainly the ones publicized? After asking myself this question, I began looking into statistics in regards to the number of white versus black people killed by police. I was surprised that in 2015, police killed twice as many white people than African Americans. I'm not saying that this makes police brutality okay, it just made me wonder what we are not told in the media. The articles about Colin Kaepernick put me in a difficult spot. Is he disrespecting our country by kneeling during the national anthem, or is he using his freedom of speech to do the right thing. Honestly, I believe he is doing both. By using his platform to speak out for others that do not have this privilege, he is able to bring attention to such an important topic. I found it interesting the different opinions that people had toward Kaepernick's actions, but as long as people are speaking on this issue, whether is be positively or negatively, at least it is being talked about.    
     An activism issue that I think everyone should look into is cyber bullying. In today's society, a large amount of entertainment, news, etc., are online, which gives people behind a computer screen the ability to hide their identity and post negative comments without facing consequences. This topic has not specifically effected me, but I have witnessed what cyber bullying does to people's self-esteem. Some people feel that they are not worthy of living and that is no way to live your life. In order to improve people's understanding on this issue, I believe that everyone should take a step back and think twice about what they are posting and encourage others to do the same. The source that I chose was stopbullying.gov, a website that speaks on many different types of bullying. I chose this source because of it's credibility, and the fact that I had heard of this source before. This particular website has different tabs on different bullying types which gives people the option to learn about different types of bullying all in one place.

                                 

     This photo perfectly depicts what a person feels like when experiencing cyber bullying. Negativity is something that becomes unbearable, and questioning self-worth begins. 

   

      Part Two: Lydia Emery’s profile was my favorite one assigned for today. Her dedication to helping people is very admirable. I was very surprised that she only charged one dollar for an office visit, and two dollars for a house call, because health care today is very expensive. A lot of people go into medicine to help people, but the amount of money that they make is definitely another reason that people may decide to go into medicine. Relating Lydia’s profile to today shows the difference in the cost of healthcare. Recently, the price of an Epi-pen increased 600%, making it impossible for some people to pay for. However, Lydia decided to price her services based on the events that occurred in her town, such as a plywood mill burning down, which would make healthcare difficult to be payed for. She realized that healthcare is a necessity, and one deserves the right to be served, no matter how much money someone has. When she says, “You don't say, I’ll do a plain appendix sew-up on you and I’ll make fancy stitches on someone else,” shows that she sees everyone equal, and that the money that she can make is not what drives her passion to helping others.

Journal 4- Seth Wicker

A black lives matter banner used in a rally in Greenville

Part 1

     Prior to reading the New York Times article on Kaepernick I was unaware of the surround support from other player via the use of the raised fist. I find it interesting the they chose to use this form of symbolism in order to raise awareness of the cause they are "supporting". To me this seems like a poor choice of actions to be taken. Raising awareness for a cause should be done with respect and dignity. Part of giving respect is understanding the full grasp of ones actions and the historical relations to those actions. These athletes are taking a stand because of mistreatment of the African American race, but they are doing so in a hostile fashion which will only increase the issues rather than improve them.

     The activism issue I chose to research further was the black lives matter campaign, which is a campaign designed to raise awareness of mistreatment of African American citizens. It has further been adopted to be used as a form of raising awareness of multiple race, gender, and ethnic groups they are being mistreated. I believe that the heart of the phrase is "Lives Matter", As a society and as a human race it is important that we never forget the importance of equality in every aspect of our lives.

Part 2

     For my Holding On profile I chose Dugout Dick Zimmerman. I chose his profile because of how different Dick's lifestyle is from today's society. Dick is a cave man with no communication or technology which is what our generation is saturated with day to day. One of my favorite parts of the reading is when Dan, the occupant of Cave #1 mentions that he enjoys the reclusiveness of the caves. I can agree with him on this statement because I can personally think of times in my life where all I needed was some time alone to be with my thoughts and not be distracted by those around me.

Journal 4: Shel Collum

Part One:
I find the articles and videos of Colin Kaepernick to be very appealing to me because I'm a huge sports fan and to see what Kaepernick is doing, making it more than a game and using it to bring issues directly to people, is very courageous. Although Kaepernick's performance as the the backup QB isn't very strong, his performance on and off the field as a human is much, much better. This NFL Quarterback is known for his stance against the oppression of black people, the corruption of police and the candidates for presidency. He "stands up" for his rights and the rights of the oppressed by taking a knee  or sitting on the bench during the playing of the national anthem before the start of each game. I 100% support Kaepernick because he is protesting in a nonviolent way and I truly believe in the issues that he is bringing up. In regards to the stance against the police, I agree mostly with him but my thoughts differ in a slight way. I believe that there are good and bad cops, just like there are good and bad people. But, cops are suppose to uphold our freedoms and protect them, so they are put in more of a spotlight and watched closer than other people. Every account of injustice or brutality is put in the light for everyone to see. Many riots and protests have come about from the videos of black people being treated cruelly and inhumane by cops. This has really made tensions between the police and the people they are suppose to protect high. Kaepernick has received death threats from people for his protests and for him speaking out against injustice. To me, this issue is a lot of societies' problems in one and I think that's why Kaepernick is receiving all the hate that he is. Calling out both presidential candidates, racism and police brutality, all by taking a knee during the National Anthem.

Colin Kaepernick sitting down during the national anthem to protest against the discrimination of black people
http://insider.foxnews.com/2016/08/27/nfl-quarterback-colin-kaepernick-sits-during-national-anthem-protest-america

Part Two:

Percy Brigham is a scaffold fisherman in Celilo Falls, Oregon. He is also a Walla Walla Indian and lives in a community of natives. Percy talks about how this area where he fished, Celilo Falls, was completely submerged under water after the government had offered money to the natives that didn't fish as the Walla Walla Indians who did fish were gone. Brigham states "Celilo was the greatest fishin' that the Indians ever knew". This profile is relevant today because the government offers the same deals to people so the can take land away for something else. A popular topic right now is the North Dakota Pipeline, which would cut into Indian land and possibly be harmful by getting toxins in their water.

Journal 4 Jessica Onate

Part One: Most of the links I read on the blog were about police officers discriminating against blacks, and about the videos that have caused a lot of controversy in this past year. I liked the article that talked about quarterback Colin Kapernick and his protest against police brutality towards blacks. He was criticized by former players and fans for speaking out on the issue. The topic of police brutality is significant because it causes a division among people and between races. On one side, it is very wrong to use unnecessary force against blacks, and stories of some of them losing their lives are very sad. On the other hand, it is not right to stereotype all police officers as racists. 

One activism issue I found interesting was the issue regarding food deserts. Food deserts are parts of the country that have vast shortages of fresh fruits and vegetables, and these areas are typically urban and impoverished with mainly processed foods available. Michelle Obama began an initiative named Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) to help finance grocery stores and other retailers that provide healthy foods for these areas. The source I found is an article that talks about how USDA defines a food desert. The article is from the American Nutrition Association, which is a national association.  http://americannutritionassociation.org/newsletter/usda-defines-food-deserts

To support this issue, one can raise awareness and take part in the HFFI. I picked this issue because I care a lot about nutrition. I enjoy going to the gym every day, staying active and eating nutritious foods.  Taking care of my health helps me feel good physically and mentally.

It’s sad that people in impoverished areas like the picture above have to go out of their way just to buy healthier alternatives for their food supply. What you put in your body ultimately reflects your health.

Part Two

One of my favorite profiles for this week was Dugout Dick Zimmerman. I liked this profile because it represented a simplistic yet meaningful way of life. I like how Dick cares so much about appreciating solitude and nature. I like the very last quote, “It gets sort of awkward trying to describe the idea of living in a cave in Idaho, but for some people it makes a lot of sense”. Today with such a modernized world it’s difficult for some of us to get away from our occupations and just enjoy nature or have time for ourselves. I think it is necessary for us to get away once and awhile to think about life and just re

Journal 4 by Ben

Part 1: One of the parts I found most important was that with the Dakota pipeline issue that the government was seriously doing what they wanted because the pipeline would make a lot of money. They seemed to have no concern for the reservation and local tribal lands that they would disturb or the several complaints about eminent domain in Iowa. The thing about eminent domain is that the government can legally take your land and pay you back for taking it if they really needed it for building a highway or reservoir or other public utilities. However a private oil pipeline is neither a public utility or owned by the government, so it is kind of frightening to see the government abusing its power to do what they want.

The activism issue that I think may be worth your time and interest is Eating disorder awareness. There are quite a few young adults who seriously struggle with their eating habits and have self worth issues because of how they have been treated by other people or just how they view themselves is skewed.

Many people don't get treatment because of their fears of being judged
 or proven right about their views of themselves
but there is no shame in taking care of yourself.  

Part 2: The profile that really stuck out to me for this time's reading was Dugout Zimmerman. I found it interesting how he made his own kind of cabins that people can rent out of mines that he personally dug out of the mountain and using junk he got from the nearby junkyard. It connects to today in that there are quite a few people who look for places that they can go on vacation that are really off the grid, and I don't know much more places off the grid than a shack on the side of a mountain with nothing more than a bed.

Journal 4 Shelby Weber

Tomato being genetically modified with injection from another species.

Part 1:
The blog link I read was about the Native American tribe that is protesting the oil pipeline in North Dakota. I had seen this topic in the news lately, but I had never read much into it. The protest has been rather peaceful. Although several people have been arrested. Even after construction has started, if Standing Rock prevails in court on Wednesday, all construction will come to a halt.

http://www.livescience.com/40895-gmo-facts.html


The topic is chose is GMOs. There are a lot of people that believe GMOs in our food is bad for your health. I honestly wasn't sure until I started researching. GMOs are used most in agriculture, but they can be used in many other types of food. In this article, it states that researchers have modified apples to not bruise and tomatoes to not freeze. There are so many different combinations that can be used to make an organism the way we want it to be. In a way I think this is a good thing, but like the article said, altering the original organism so much can cause extinction of the original organism.
Part 2:
The profile that stood out to me the most was Lydia Emery. Emery had so much determination to finish school even though during that time girls rarely went to college. She had an office in her kitchen which I thought was interesting. I figured as a doctor she would make lots of money. Until I read further and realized she was still charging one dollar for her visits. One woman was even upset with her for not charging more. In the profile, Emery says, "Like one of my colleagues, a woman doctor up the valley. I didn't know her, but one of my nurse friends told me that she was very upset with me because I didn't charge more, that I was `projecting the wrong image`, that a woman doctor should make just as much as a man doctor- which I don't disagree with for one minute." Emery also said she thought about raising her rates one time, but then the plywood mill burned down so she just never raised them. Today, no one would be able to survive off of one dollar a visit. Also, doctors make very high salaries and most of the time go to school for the high pay and care for patients.

Journal 4: Andrew Joseph

I didn't realize it was this long until I hit "Publish".  -_-

I read the link on Kaepernick, the Police Videos and the NCAA stripping NC of college championships because of un-equal rights. I found these three to intertwine just based off discrimination and oppression. Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the National Anthem, the excessive brutality brought on by police, and the penalization of an association to a state because of a newly contested law. I, personally, believe in one unified body of the nation made up by all of its inhabitants (us, as human beings). I also believe that there is oppression everywhere we look. It can be found in race, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, job rankings and so on. I can’t help but connect these topics to freedom of speech as well. For the sake of equal rights Kaepernick takes a knee or doesn’t stand for the National Anthem for the the people who lost their lives, because of the color of their skin. He has the right to use his voice and stand up, metaphorically in this case, for what he believes in. The NCAA revoked North Carolinas right to host championships because of their resistance to a law in regards to transgendered and gay rights. They are all NCAA championships the Association has the right to do what they wish with their own championships. As I said before I believe in a unified Nation where we all stand together regardless of our differences. I think something else could be done by Kaepernick rather than kneeling or sitting down. Maybe start a foundation for the lost lives of the people and their families. Instead of just kneeling. I believe that the National Anthem and our Nation is something that binds us all together with respect and honor. Even honoring the soldiers who have fallen to give us the freedoms we have. As someone who has sang the National Anthem for sporting events, it gives you a new perspective. I love to see everyone from all over rise from their seats, take off their hats, and take pride in the country they reside in. Our differences and actions may separate us, where we come from will bring us back together. To see everyone from opposing sides stand and actually do something as one, gives me hope that one day we can all stand side by side regardless of who we are inside and out. Linked below I put a version of the national anthem that I believe is powerful and full of pride. How can we kneel or not feel honor coming from USA while hearing something like this? (WARNING: She doesn't sing it "correctly", as my mother would say, but nonetheless its powerful.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5tRiz6gA_U

The activism issue I chose is a group of people, consisting of three women, who identities are unknown. They are known as the Guerrilla Girls. These three individuals go around and peacefully protest injustice for women around the world, while wearing Gorilla masks to protect their identities. What they do is they either make their own posters or billboards and put facts about the injustice that women face in art communities or creatively inclined communities to bring about awareness of the wrong doing. These women print off the posters in bulk and tag buildings around these communities where the artists are known to travel. In 2015 they did a huge movement in New York where they shined one of their posters on a jumbo-tron and the whole city saw. These women are diverse in their protesting, traveling all over the world and bringing about social change wherever they can. That means they print these posters off in many different languages. The Guggenheim Museum in New York City was having a huge exhibition that was crashed by these women. They tagged buildings all around where the perspective art viewers (some of them buyers) were waiting to see the new creations. The Guerrilla's posters gave statistics of the number of women artists in the mid 1980's as compared to the stats in 2015, needless to say nothing had changed. Leaving the Guggenheim's head count for the exhibition lower than what they had waiting in line earlier in that evening. Their hands are all over the fire of injustice when it comes to women. In the UK they are apart of the Amnesty International's Stop Violence Against Women campaign. They posted Anti-Film Industry billboards in Hollywood, right before the Oscars. They have been featured in the New York Times and on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. I chose these women as the activist issue because I believe in what they are doing. I can't help but think of the world telling my daughter she can't do something when she has more than the skills and the capabilities to do it, and maybe even more qualified than the people doing it already. The Guerrilla Girls have a website were they give you info on there previous protests and the interview with Stephen Colbert.

The Guerrilla Girls make posters like these to bring about change were they see discrimination. Their peaceful protesting has gained attention from all over the world. They travel city to city, country to country to help people of the oppressed nature with a focus on women.

The profile that I have chosen to respond about is the one from Dugout Dick Zimmereman I liked it because he had a "what do I have to lose." kind of attitude that resonated with me. My favorite part was his explanations of the "tourist attraction". He says "It's a pretty good deal if you want to rough it a little. I only charge two dollars a night for a room. No swimming pool but we got a hot springs over that hill. No TV but I play the guitar, and the people seem to like it." His place of rooms kind of reminds me of something straight out of a John Wayne movie, surrounded by nothing but sand and hills. Comparing it to today I find that we as people dive into our phones or computers and can't connect to anything or anyone else but wifi. I think that we might not be able to do that so easily because we're afraid of what we might see of our selves if we became alone and introverted. "I like the solitude, the reclusiveness. I'm away from town. Bars. Out here I have to become introverted, and thats a scary damn deal - looking at yourself. Really scary." One final note that I have is how happy his picture looks. Apparently what he found out there wasn't so bad.  

Journal 4 Cieria

    The Colin Kaepernick story is something that has gotten quite a lot of media coverage lately.  The first episode of this season of South Park even had reference to it.  I had not yet seen the video that was posted here on the blog, so I got to learn what he personally had to say about his protest.  His point was to get conversations started, and I would say that he has succeeded in that.
    I decided the most fitting issue to relate to the Kaepernick story would be the link between CTE and football.  I don't particularly even watch football, but I have known enough people that played when they were in high school.  I learned about this issue from the show Adam Ruins Everything, and I would recommend the show in general to anyone.  It is a show about using facts and statistics to challenge conventional thinking on a wide range of topics.  The link that I am posting is quite credible because it not only lists the sources used, but also has them as links that you can just click on to learn more or see where the argument came from.  The general idea is that even hits to the head that don't cause concussions still cause CTE (which if you are unfamiliar, is a degenerative brain disease). That means even just harmless looking tackles in youth football can be harmful if they are tackling at all.  Most people say "just get better helmets", but that will not work.  The problem is because of the space between the brain and the skull, not the skull and the blow.  Many famous former players won't even let their kids play.  To get rid of CTE, the game of football will need to change how it is played drastically.
http://www.trutv.com/shows/adam-ruins-everything/blog/adams-sources/adam-ruins-football.html

"My grandson knows he's not allowed to play football. And knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have played either. "
--Harry Carson, former NFL player

    The profile I am choosing to respond to is Lydia Emery.  She talked about how hard it was for her to get all the way to becoming a doctor.  Women at that time had a hard time being able to go to school at all. She even says that "it was the goodness of [her] father that he decided [she] could live in town and go to high school."  She also had people telling her that she should go into nursing, and she responded that she would "rather be a doctor".  Her determination to prove that she could become a doctor was very inspiring.  There are still many jobs that still thought to be for just men, and not to bring up politics, but it has taken until 2016 for a woman to be a major party presidential candidate.  I think that Lydia's policy to keep her prices the same as in the 1940s sounds nice and helpful, but has a definite down side.  It is one thing for her to not want to make a profit, but equipment and supplies cost money.  She may have been giving nearly free healthcare, but perhaps at the cost of good quality treatments and diagnoses.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Journal 4- Kenzie

Part One:
I read the blog links about police violence towards African Americans and the articles about Kaepernick. I had not really looked much into the Kaepernick story before I read the articles, I knew the general idea, but not many details. I found out that he was doing it to protest oppression of African Americans and learned that he did not stand during the national anthem. While I understand why this could upset some people, I think that it is a great way to PEACEFULLY protest something. I think Kaepernick wants to gain peace, less unfair violence and treatment of African Americans, so I think it is a good example on how to peacefully take a stand against something.

After listening to Mike speak about his project on campus to bring more food here, and GOOD food, it reminded me of this documentary that I watched on Netflix recently called Food, Inc. It gives an inside look at the processing behind the food we eat and all the dramatic changes that the food industry has gone through in the last 50 years. The first thing I learned when I watched it was that there are a few major companies that have almost complete control over how our food is made. For example, McDonald's is the biggest buyer of potatoes, so basically any way that they want the potatoes is the way that they will be made. That is in regards to the various processes that potatoes go through until they are ready to be sold. It also showed some of the very disgusting conditions that the animals are raised in. I remember the chickens were shown. Many of the farmers would not even allow cameras to go in and see. The rooms are PACKED full of chickens and a dirty environment would be an understatement. The chickens live in their own feces and there are just dead chickens that are left in the rooms until someone gets around to removing them. My thought is that we have these animals living in very dirty and unsanitary conditions and then we eat them. I feel like that can't be the best option for your health. What you eat has a huge impact on your life; it effects your mood, skin, weight, fatigue, and many other things. I think it would be very beneficial to have farmers markets in smaller areas (such as Bucyrus or Marion), or have them in a closer radius so more people would have the opportunity to get more whole, fresh, and nutritious food. Not only would we be putting better food in our bodies, but we would help support local farmers. Farmers who sell to big companies only receive 10 cents of the retail food dollar. I picked the documentary because I really enjoy watching documentaries about things that interest me and I felt like if it is credible enough to be a documentary very accessible to the public they must have pretty accurate information. I thought the link I provided below is good because it just talks about things that aren't talked about often in the food industry and I just think they are great things to consider when purchasing your food!


This is a picture from the Food, Inc. documentary. As you can see, she has to wear a mask to enter the room.
 

This is a link that provides more information about the benefits of farmers markets.
http://www.cuesa.org/learn/10-reasons-support-farmers-markets

Part II
I really enjoyed the Lydia Emery profile. It was a great example of how women did not have equal right as men in the early and mid 1900's. She explained how most girls were not even expected to go to high school, let alone medical school. She had to jump through many hoops to get the education that she received, so she must really value education. I also found it interesting how she had to hide that she was trying to go to medical school to become a doctor from her parents. She said, " My folks were getting kind of old, and you want to shelter them from some of the hard facts of life, so I just didn't say anything." I thought it was interesting that that was the type of thing that was taboo or looked down upon for a women to do in that time. I know that my mom likes to share with people that I am even in college, most parents would be thrilled and proud to have a child ambitious and dedicated enough to go through medical school! I also loved that she was still charging people her original 1940s fees of one dollar for an office visit and two dollars for a house call. That makes me think that she truly just likes to help people and she did not go into the profession for the money. I think  that the profile ends with a great quote that is very powerful and true! Lydia said," The qualities like a sound basis of knowledge and good clinical judgment and diagnostic acuity and empathy and compassion - that's what medicine is about. And gender doesn't enter into that, and neither does money!"





Journal 4: Kristen

Part One:  I think the story about Colin Kaepernick was really interesting because I remember hearing a little about it but really didn't have a good understand about what was really going on. I think the most interesting thing about this story is I agree 100% with standing up for what you believe in and wanting to voice your own opinion. I think he had the right idea voicing his opinion because he is such a high profile person but one thing I really disagree with is kneeling during the National Anthem. I think it's very disrespectful thing because I was learning in my African American History class that I'm taking this semester that the minorities actually used to do most of the fighting for the United States. I think that racism is a MAJOR issue in our world, but I think he needs to handle it in a different way rather than kneeling during the National Anthem.

As I was reading this article, I thought about the Michael Brown case. I thought it was a huge deal when talking about Activism because there was many people who died because people starting rioting and there were many policeman that were blamed for what one policeman did. I think there is a lot of stereotypical talk about policeman these days because of the Michael Brown case. I picked this case because I believe there is both good sides and bad sides to it. I think it was wrong what happened, but I do disagree with there being riots and burning down companies because of it.This is the situation that really stressed the Black Lives Matter movement as well. There has been a lot of action taken by fellow Americans because of this case. This link is very interesting and I hope you decide to read it!

Michael Brown's Senior Picture

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/08/13/us/ferguson-missouri-town-under-siege-after-police-shooting.html?_r=0

Part Two: I think the reading about Dugout Dick Zimmerman was the most interesting to me. I thought that it was interesting how Dick Zimmerman said, "I started out as a hermit, but I'm in the tourist business now." I like that when he originally moved to Idaho, he had no intentions of anything. Dick was simply hitchhiking his way and made it to Idaho. I think it would be interesting to see this place because in today's world, we're so used to having luxuriates and I honestly don't think our society would be able to "rough it". I just couldn't see our generation staying in a place with a wood-burning stove made from a trash can and I thought it was funny how the more deluxe rooms had an old school-bus seat for a couch. I thought he was inspiring in a way because I admired that he lived such a simple life and he seemed completely happy with it. He loved to also share what he loved with other people and seemed to love when people would come visit.

Journal 4 Tiffney

Part One:

     I think what I found most interesting was the protest against the new oil pipeline in North Dakota.  The company Dakota Access was given by the Army Corps to put a new iol pipe line. This pipeline would start from North Dakota and go all the way through Illinois and be shipped to the east coast for sales.  The company also wants to put a pipe line under Missouri River. This is what upset the Native Americans.  The pipe line would bring danger and disturbance to the rivers and wildlife perserves. The Native Americans believe that ground and the water are sacred and belong to mother earth. So a whole bunch of Native Americans started protesting along the roads and where the pipeline would be put into the Missouri River.

     The activisim issue that means the most to me is the Oil pipeline in North Dakota.  The reason this means the most to me is that I have a little bit of Native American blood in my family. On my mom's side of the family, is my great great grandmother who was a Cherokee Indian. She believed mother nature needed to be takn care of. That is why I believe that the government needs to respect the beliefs of the native people and let the land be. The government needs to do more research before proceeding with this project or move to another location.  According to the source I found, the timeline goes back to Feburary 2015 on this issue. The company sent a letter sent to the native people requesting permit for the project on that land. But that led to no where and soon led to all the protest.

Native Americans camping out in protest of the new pipeline.

Part Two:

     The profile I chose in Holding On is Lydia Emery. She grew up in a small town with a small population around 800.  The small town didn't believe that girls should not get a high school education or even go to college. Emery went against all odds finish high school and went to Pre-Med at a local university. Back then it was hard for a woman to be accepted into Pre-Med. At first her did not know she was in med school. She graduated from medical school in 1941. After she finished school, she went and joined up with the United States navy.

     She met her husband in the navy and moved to Yoncalla in 1946. That is when she set up a medical office and people started coming to her for small medical problems. Lydia was only charging 3-5 dollars for a office visit. Her friend who is also a doctor was charging twice as much as she was. Lydia's friend was upset with her because she wasn't charging very much. Her friend said  your "projecting the wrong image: That women should make the same amount as men doctors do. According to Lydia it's not that she didn't want make money but she just wanted to help people. She was very compationate for people. It was in her beliefs that gender didn't matter when it to medicine.

     Now days, all doctors seem to care about is making money and not very compationate for their patients. The payments to see a doctor now days is $20.00 - $30.00 just to see your primary care doctor and $40.00 - $60.00 for a specialties. That is just right out crazy. Only wish doctors could go back to caring for patients at a reasonable price that people can afford.
   

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/09/dakota-access-pipeline-protest-timeline-sioux-standing-rock-jill-stein

Journal 4: Katie Shower

Part One:  
     In the blog links provided I think the most important message for all of the protests was--stand up for what you believe in. I think this because the Native American's fought over an oil pipeline that was going to do damage to their sacred land so they were fighting to get it taken down. In another protest, the 49ers back-up quarterback was kneeling during the national anthem because he felt there was still racial inequality in this country. He was standing up for what he believed in, as were the Native American's.
     The activism issue I researched was pro-life vs. pro-choice. This issue sparked my interest because I'm a feminist and I believe women should have control what is done to their body. Although, I do believe that women should protect themselves if they don't want to become impregnated. This means they should use condoms, birth controls, etc. Abortion should not be a form of birth control. Women should be properly taught sex education from a young age so they understand the consequences.
http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/what-is-choice/abortion?

I thought this picture was very interesting because it shows what I think many people
 struggle with when choosing between pro-life and pro-choice. People say these things
and it makes sense in our heads so it's hard to pick a side. 

Part Two:
     The profile I found most interesting for today's reading in Holding On was Lydia Emery's, the country doctor. Just the caption saying she was a country doctor caught my attention because I'm going into the medical field myself, and I'm from a rural, small, country community. I thought this profile was different because back in her day, women didn't get good jobs and finish school. She made that really clear so she hid from her family that she was going into the medical field because she didn't want her dad especially to freak out on her. She also says that other doctors were mad at her because she didn't charge her patients an arm and a leg. She says "The qualities like a sound basis of knowledge and good clinical judgement and diagnostic acuity and empathy and compassion--that's what medicine is about. And gender doesn't enter into that, and neither does money!" I think that's cool, she was a genuine person and just wanted the best for the people she treated and that's essential in the medical field to make a good doctor.

Journal 4: Katie Wagoner

Part One:
In reading the blog links, I found the links about the protest in North Dakota the most interesting. I have never heard of this issue. The fact that there are instances of the pipelines contaminating the water, and yet companies are still trying to put in motion more pipelines, is baffling. And like Mike Lohre mentioned in class tonight, I'm surprised the news does not advertise this type of information more.

An activism issue that I recently have been thinking more about is education. I have been attending college for about 4 years now and have been studying for my bachelors degree in social work. Well, recently I got hired for my first job ever. This job is in the social work field. When I signed up/ applied for this job I thought, 'I got this. I've been in college for FOUR long years studying on this subject; I will be fine.' I was completely wrong. I have a very small basic understanding about the job. I am currently in training to learn everything for the job; its like taking another long, intensive college course! I spoke about this with my boyfriend the other night and he stated feeling the same way as me. He is in the tech field. He went to school at MyComputerCareer for about 6 months and got all the certifications that was needed to have this career. He also thought that with all his certifications, that he would know what to do in his job, at least know the majority of what to do. He was proven wrong also. I don't understand why we pay some much money and time towards going to college if when we get a job we know nothing and have to learn everything anyway. I much rather spend the two months learning how to do the job, then to go to college for four years to know nothing about the job. I think college is important and I good thing, but I think something needs to change about education. I thought some more about this topic. I realized that after all my education years from kindergarten to college graduation, I was never taught about how taxes work, what work benefits are, how insurance works, and just basic things about life and becoming an adult. Now, sure some people's parents taught them these things, but not everyone. If the government or the U.S believes so much in educating, preparing our future population to be successful in life, and to become the inventors of tomorrow, then why aren't we teach them about basic living skills.

It should be the parent's responsibility, but what are we going to do about the kids who don't have parents that "do their job"? What if a parent doesn't know themselves how to prepare their children? Can schools help?

I feel like these things aren't taught enough. Cooking, cleaning, paying taxes, voting, insurance, benefits, and so much more that I can't even think to type them all out, are things we should be teaching. If parents aren't willing or able, then maybe school should stand up. What if there was a way to create a class for each stage of education (K-12), where in each class they learn new living skills that are understandable and usable for them at that age? Now I have heard of some schools trying to incorporate a few classes like this. I would like to hear more about it and see it being used more, even used in secondary education. Like I mentioned, I gained this interest though my own experience, but I found other education activism approaches that sort of go along with what I believe. One resource states, "Together, these organizations help students develop the skills needed for the competitive job market while making their educational experience relevant to the world they will experience as adults." (http://horizon.unc.edu/projects/issues/papers/School_to_Work.html). I want to see more thinking like this; where we are concerned with making students successful in the competitive job market. However if we did change education would it have a negative effect or reaction like Common Care education does? Another resource states "And rather than backing off in the face of these unhappy consequences, the nation’s policy makers were ratcheting up the stress levels on students, teachers and families by imposing an untested, poorly formulated set of Common Core Standards on school districts throughout the nation with breakneck speed." (https://www.laprogressive.com/education-activism/). I still feel there is more research to be done on this.

I have never read this text but I found the name of the title prefect. "Overloaded and Underprepared", that is actually how I feel now between college and my first time job. 

Part Two:

The Holding On profile that stuck out the most for me was the story of Dugout Dick Zimmerman. I found myself wanting to highlight practically every word that was said in that profile. I really enjoyed hearing about his sense of connection with nature. The fact that he is comfortable with living in a cave is amazing. I would love to try this myself. I love that turning his man made caves into homes just seemed to come naturally to him, like it was a normal thing to do. When Dick stated, on page 139, "I only charge two dollars a night for a room", that baffled me. I would stay there a night for two dollars! This could even be a great place for those homeless in Idaho to stay at. To go on, I also liked the imagery that Isay gave in this profile. It brought the cave homes to life. "Each has a wood-burning stove made from a trash can, and a box spring and mattress. The more deluxe rooms have an old school-bus seat for a couch, and an empty icebox in which to hang clothes."(page 139). I really want to see these homes.

Journal 4 by Betsy Lyons

Part One:

One of the links that was the most interesting to me was the link about how the NCAA left North Carolina. The NCAA is not allowing their games, including March Madness, to play in North Carolina anymore. This poses the question as to why the NCAA would do this. The new legislation regarding the LGBTQ community has become the cause here. North Carolina decided instead of staying with the federal government, they decided to take their own stand within their state government. This proved to be different than the stand of the federal government because North Carolina is now allowing transgenders to choose whichever bathroom they allow. I thought this article was interesting because even though the federal government has given the LGBTQ community more rights, people are still against it when states are trying to provide equal rights to all people. This is a disappointment to the state of North Carolina and the people that live there because more than 200 games have been played there for the NCAA men's basketball and they have championship games scheduled there in the coming months.

One activism issue that I believe is worth our time is the discrimination of the LGBTQ community. This issue is important to me because everyone deserves equal rights. A lot of society believes that being apart of the LGBTQ community is a choice and that it is against the Bible, but our country does not run based on religion. We keep church separate from state, so when the federal government finally gave approved gay marriage throughout the whole country as opposed to letting states decide, people were upset. These people are the same ones that elected our federal government into office so how can they really be upset? They chose these politicians and lawmakers to make and pass legislation based on their beliefs and to speak for the people, which I believe is what they were doing. The source I found comes from the Civil Rights Leadership Conference. The source shows the timeline that the LGBTQ community has become apart of, where they started and where they hope to be. There are now laws including hate crimes, and human right campaigns in order to keep going on the right track that the LGBTQ community wants to go on. The source also brings in court cases that were addressed to the Supreme Court, and how the LGBTQ community has won.

http://www.civilrights.org/resources/civilrights101/sexualorientation.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

Protesters protesting Gay Rights near the Capital Building

Part Two:

One of the profiles that I found interesting while reading this section of Holding On is the profile about Dan Field, the marriage broker. I found this profile interesting because not many people are real life marriage brokers. People actually came to Field and told them certain traits or characteristics that they want their spouse to be or do. He says, "'My friend, I'll put her in a mold, we'll take her out, and we'll give her to you'" when someone came to him asking for his help to find a woman he could potentially marry. Dan Field started doing this profession because it was passed down from his dad and his grandfather. He has been doing this for over thirty years and he has arranged thousands of marriages. You could say Dan Field is an expert in matchmaking. As technology advanced, people seek companionship online. Nowadays people can online date using sites like Eharmony, or Match.com. There is no more human contact anymore unless they set up dates with someone. You click through profiles to find one nearest to what you are looking for, and then maybe they like your profile as well and hopefully it works out between the two of you. Throughout this profile I've learned that you cannot change the inside of someone, so even if you meet them and think they are good looking, if they have an ugly personality, you will not last very long together. According to Dan Field, "If you want the outside to be changed you have to be able to convince them!"