Lee McKinnis (57)
Kristina Marynczak (37)
Killian Noonan (36)
Melissa Castillo (32)
NikoVelazquez (27)
Shannon Ratzel (23)
Michelle Reyes (22)
Kyle Barczak (21)
Maura Bilek (21)
Susan Bayaa (21)
“Making Love with Your Writing” is by far the most hilarious title of any journal I’ve ever seen in my life. This was written by Anthony Stafford, who I greatly admire because of his amazing writing technique. It is obvious that Anthony does not hold back anything he feels the need to write. I also thought it was clever that Anthony saved the title explanation until the end of the journal, which made me want to read the entire thing. Anthony begins explaining the importance of being able to write. No matter how computers and technology gets, humans are the ones capable of creating words and expressing thoughts and feelings. He also explains that becoming a good writer may take some lessons and failures. He tells the reader that Mark McGuire was one of the hardest professors he has ever had, and he did not do as well as he had anticipated in his class, yet it took this class in order for Anthony to truly master the art of writing. He uses great metaphors comparing this situation to that of Michael Jordan’s. Although Michael may have had some failures in his life he became one of the best basketball players of all time due to the fact that he did not quit. Now, to get to the meaning of the title the reader has to read past these sections of the journal to the last two paragraphs. In these paragraphs Anthony compares good writing to sex by explaining that anyone is capable of having sex (writing), but in order to have a passionate meaningful relationship (a great piece of work) it takes effort. I thought this was genius. Anthony is definitely the kind of writer that is easily capable of grabbing the attention of his audience. I was really moved by what he had to say because of the way he described things and the way used different writing skills to get his point across.
DeVillez, Eric, Michael McGuire, Thomas Dow, and Troy Swanson. “Why White Rice.” Why Dracula Sucks. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2010. Print
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Amber Bey
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Amber Bey
A short article by Eric DeVillez called, “To All the Good Ones Along the Way, We Salute You,” made me think about the great experiences some of my teachers gave me. Eric wrote about a specific teacher, Mrs. Seymour, who made his third grade experience so much more enjoyable. This was the case because of the fact that she actually seemed to care about his effort and his work. Because of the fact that Mrs. Seymour made such a big deal about Erics effort in school, Eric seemed to go above and beyond what he needed to do to pass the third grade. He even found his creative side and wrote poems and painted because of the encouragement of his teacher. He states that he still has a painting that he made to this day hanging in his office. Eric goes on to say that many children miss out on these experiences because of the fact that they do not have faith in their own abilities. I truly believe that a great teacher makes all the difference in a child’s learning experience, but I also believe that at a point in our lives we decide to either sink or swim. This is the decision to believe in one’s self or undermine one’s abilities. This brings me to think about a time in second grade where I constantly told myself I was not cut out to do math. I would put myself down and get frustrated on every little math problem that gave me a challenge. This was the beginning of my math struggle. I had problems with math up until seventh grade. My math teacher Ms. Shalvis is defiantly to thank for my turnaround. She would constantly tell me I was good at math and all I needed was a little extra studying for certain problems. Ever since then I have had a great math career because I believe that I am as good at math as the next person, I just needed to put a little effort into it and stop complaining.
DeVillez, Eric, Michael McGuire, Thomas Dow, and Troy Swanson. “Why White Rice.” Why Dracula Sucks. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2010. Print -
Amber Bey
Mission Accomplished
Introduction
I find it terrible that I have never volunteered before communications 102. After doing volunteer work I realize how great it is. The experience is really like no other. Getting the chance to make a difference in the world, even if it is not the biggest, is something that I can definitely say I’m proud of. I am glad I got the chance to finally volunteer; I never thought I would actually say it, but I truly had a great time during both projects. It was awesome that I got the chance to meet new people as well. These people were like nobody I have ever met. They were not only welcoming and kind; they dedicate their lives to helping others. I respect these people and what they do to the fullest. Although doing the volunteer work was exciting, I can honestly say it was difficult for my partners and me to do everything on our own for the last volunteer project.
Getting Started
My partners and I originally based our project on something nature related. My partner Taylor frequently worked with her high school biology class volunteering for nature preserves, so she figured we would be able to work with her former biology teacher. We thought we had everything planned out, but then we found out that her teacher had not yet scheduled any volunteer projects. We realized that we really should have had a plan B. Thankfully, someone in the class mentioned a place called The Little Red Schoolhouse nature center. This was our last hope, since we really did not know of any other places to volunteer. We researched the little red schoolhouse and found that they did tons of volunteer work in forest preserves around the Chicago land area. This seemed like the perfect place to volunteer for a nature related project. After contacting Julie, the manager of the little red schoolhouse, we found out the days which we could volunteer. The only problem was that all of the volunteer days were on weekends, and my group members and I work on weekends. This seemed to put us in an impossible situation. Luckily, one of my group members and I were able to take off last minute on the Saturday before the volunteer fair. There was one last volunteer opportunity at the Portage forest preserves on 97th and Harlem. We were very thankful that everything worked out ok in the end.
Service
It was a gloomy, cold morning on Saturday April, 21. Taylor and I were praying that the volunteer leader would not call and cancel; this was the last chance we had to volunteer before the fair. The Portage forest preserves were on 42nd and Harlem. It was a pretty long drive, but we talked about what we thought we would be doing in the forest and how dirty we were going to get trudging through the damp mud and shrubs. I really wasn’t as worried about the dirt as much as the bugs. When we arrived at the forest preserve, there were only a few other cars belonging to the volunteer leaders John and Paul. John was from the Little Red Schoolhouse, and Paul was a part of the Portage nature preserve group. There were also a few other regulars that volunteer with them every month. When we asked John what we were going to be doing he told us we were going to pick garlic mustard seed. We didn’t know what that was so we asked him for some background information on the plant. He told us that garlic mustard seed is a native plant of Europe. It was brought here by travelers and began to take over forests in the United States. They call these plants invasive species. These plants are unhealthy for the environment; they inhibit native plants to grow due to the amount of space they take up in the forest. Our job was pulling them out by the roots and burning them. He also told us that every plant makes two thousand seeds, so there is a chance that one plant can create two thousand other plants. When we walked a long, winding trail into the forest there were tons of pretty white flowers; I later found out that these were the plants that we would be pulling. It was kind of sad to have to get rid of them since they were pleasant looking, but there were so many that they took over the entire forest. I realized we had a ton of work on our hands. Surprisingly, in the end it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. The rain came to our advantage, making the roots easier to pull out of the dirt. After pulling out the mustard seed, we put them in garbage bags to dry them out in order to burn them. It was fun to get around the fire after working and take pictures with the group.
Difficulties
There were not many problems during our service, but we did run into a few things—literally. While pulling the mustard seed, we came across little thorn shrubs. It was hard to avoid them because they were unnoticeable next to the mustard seed. They grew so close to them that when we went to pull the mustard seed we would get a handful of thorns as well. It was also hard to walk through the forest without running into them or stepping on them. It was a little painful. Something else that I did not plan for was the weather. It seemed to have gotten a lot colder once we started working, due to the fact that everything around us was damp from the rain. It was a good thing Taylor remembered to bring gloves; the only problem was that they were not waterproof. I was thankful that we did not run into too many problems, and I was especially grateful that there were a minimal amount of bugs.
Volunteer Fair
We created a poster for the volunteer fair using photos that we took during our service. We also went on the little red schoolhouse website and found facts about the nature center along with the portage forest preserves. I was happy that we were finally able to meet Julie Woulfe at the fair, since she was unable to attend the service at the portage site. She was a sweet lady. I felt like we accomplished our task when Julie kept complimenting us on our work. She was proud of our poster and all of the work we put into researching the little red schoolhouse. Julie also told us a little background information on the portage forest preserves. There is a large statue standing in the entrance of the forest preserves and I was curious what it was. Julie told us that this statue represented Jolliet and Marquette; European explorers who founded the land connection between the great lakes and the Mississippi river. It is a statue of the men carrying their canoe across portage forest preserves. I thought it was great that Julie was very knowledgeable about everything. It was very helpful. It also felt great to be able to tell people about our service and get others to want to join the volunteer group.
Conclusion
Sometimes life throws things at you that you may not be prepared for. Service project five was definitely one of these circumstances. This entire project was difficult for me, since I am not always the most organized person. Knowing this project required a ton of planning and organizational skills, I did not properly prepare myself. I realize that if I had been a little more prepared it could have been a less stressful experience, and I could have gotten a lot more accomplished. Although my partners and I did not get as much completed as we wanted to, I do look at this project as a learning experience.
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Amber Bey
Why Dracula Sucks is an article in chapter 8 of “Why White Rice.” I decided to write about this article because of the title, of course. I actually found that it is a great article, and it is actually relevant to my life. This article is about learning how to take chances in life. Troy Swanson writes about a presentation he did while he was in school. He named the presentation “Dracula Sucks.” He knew that the teacher that would be grading this presentation did not have the most outgoing, playful personality, but he took a risk and decided to go for it anyway. Although neither the teacher nor the class seemed to find the presentation amusing, he received an A in the class. He states that he will never forget that presentation. It was a point in his life where he decided to take a chance for himself. I feel this article is relevant to my life because of the fact that I am constantly playing it safe. For example, if I was to write a paper on Dracula, I would never even consider naming it “Dracula Sucks.” I would be way too nervous about what my teacher and my classmates would think of me. Another example would be choosing between a solid color shirt and a shirt with a pattern. I would instantly go for the solid color. I feel that I am almost incapable of taking chances. After reading this article it made me realize how much I would love to be like those people who are big risk takers; life seems like it would be a lot more fun. I think one day soon I will realize that being comfortable with myself and my choices will bring me to be more of a risk taker.
DeVillez, Eric, Michael McGuire, Thomas Dow, and Troy Swanson. “Why White Rice.” Why Dracula Sucks. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2010. Print -
Amber Bey
In chapter two of Why White Rice, I saw that there was a journal entry made by Troy Swanson. It had a very strange title, so I decided to write about it. The title of this entry is called “The Machine That is Replacing Me is Getting Cheaper Every Day.” Troy Swanson talks about how the learning experience is what you make of it. He explains that people who constantly remind themselves how terrible and boring school is will never be able to enjoy the overall learning experience. He goes on to asking the reader about their high school experience, in order to help the reader see how they perceive school and learning. One of the questions that stood out to me was, “Did you always agree with your teachers in high school?” I instantly responded with an “absolutely not” in my head. Then I started to think about which teachers I did not agree with and why. This caused me to realize that most of the teachers that seemed mean and unfair were the teachers that actually taught me something important. In high school I was in mostly honors classes, so I was loaded with work on a daily basis. I was also on the volleyball team, which made it even harder to get work done. At the time I really did not appreciate the fact that I had such a busy schedule, but now that I am an early graduate I realize that it was worth it. I am glad that I was burdened by too much work, mean teachers, and volleyball; if I wasn’t I would not be in college right now. Sometimes, being too busy is a good thing; it helps you refrain from wasting time.
DeVillez, Eric., Michael McGuire, Thomas Dow, and Troy Swanson. “Why White Rice?”. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2000.Print. -
Amber Bey
When I began to read an article called “You Can’t Dodge All the Bullets” in Why White Rice, I initially thought it was going to strictly be about writing. Kate Kinsella began the article by using a personal life situation in order to illustration her thoughts on how important it is to be able to express one ’s self through writing. I thought it was a great way to get her point across, and then suddenly Kate completely changed subjects. This definitely caught my attention because she hit a topic that definitely pertains to me. She began talking about the fact that nothing good in life comes easily; in order to get through tough times, you need to problem solve. She states that “The difference between people who succeed and those who don’t is how well you problem solve.” Those who give up in life are the ones who will not succeed. She randomly threw this topic into the article to express how writing is not always the easiest thing to accomplish in life. Just because a difficult task comes along in life does not mean you should set yourself up for failure. The best way to handle the situation is to believe that you can handle it, and do whatever you can in order to get through it. Kate states that it is ok to flail your arms, stomp your feet, scream into a pillow, and cry, because the potholes in life will find you as much as you try to avoid them. The important thing is getting through these tricky life situations, no matter what it takes.
DeVillez, Eric, Thomas Dow, Michael McGuire, Troy Swanson. “Why White Rice.” Kinsella, Kate “You Can’t Dodge All the Bullets.” Pg. 80. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt, 2010. Print -
Amber Bey
When I began to read Bobby Harro’s “The Cycle of Civilization” all I could think about was his preciseness in the way he described society. I was absolutely amazed at some of the details he got into. People are being judged daily by traits they are unable to control. We are all born with certain genes and traits which we have to live with every day; people are constantly being discriminated against because of these things. It is amazing how society has been shaped to judge people by gender, race, sexuality, and social class. We are all human, so what is the point of acting a certain way towards someone who has a slightly different genetic makeup than you? It seems to make absolutely no sense. I thought it was interesting how everything that Harro stated about discrimination is something that I have previously heard in my lifetime. It is unethical how so many people could think in the same negative manner. I believe that I feel so passionate about this piece because I have had personal experience with discrimination and inequality. I find it ironic that Harro says something about how black people are followed by store clerks because they are known to steal more, because I have had first-hand experience pertaining to this statement. Being that I am half African American and half Italian, I am mistaken for a lot of different races. When I was hired at Hollister Clothing Company, one of the first things I was told to do by my manager was to watch out for African Americans, because “they are bad news”. I was so taken back by this statement that I was unable to respond. I knew the right thing would have been to tell my manager that racism was unnecessary, but I was embarrassed and in shock. Little did he know I was half African American. I still wish I would have told my manager how I felt. Harro makes a good point that most people are too afraid to stand up for what they really believe because of the fact that they could become perceived as non-conformists or troublemakers. I know this is half the reason I did not speak my mind. I believe if more people were not afraid of being “troublemakers”, then the society would have a chance of becoming more equal.
Harro, Bobby. “The Cycle Of Socialization.”(2012): 15-21. Splatter.writing101.net. Web. 21 Mar. 2012 -
Amber Bey
A Walk in Their Shoes
Having never volunteered in my life, I was a little hesitant about what this experience might have in store. I had never heard of Share Your Souls before this class, but I knew that it must be a wonderful place after seeing the video on the splatter website. I knew I wanted to do this service project after learning about what it entailed. I was always the kind of person that took shoes for granted, with an entire closet full of shoes and not even wearing half of them; I knew this would be the perfect time for me to give back. I had a feeling that this experience would teach me a good lesson, and would give me a chance to give my shoes to those who desperately needed them. I am glad that I gave my shoes away, especially after seeing where they go.
Before going to share your souls, I was not really sure what to expect. I knew it was located inside a warehouse because my mom informed me before the trip, but I was still unsure about how the experience was going to be. I was curious about what I would be doing as a volunteer, and how many other people would be there to volunteer. I wondered how they organized the shoes and what they did with them. The day before the service project I was a little nervous. I was thinking about if I would be of any help at all, since I can barely lift a ten pound weight. I was hoping I wouldn’t have lift a bunch of heavy boxes of shoes, or anything else for that matter, because I knew I would probably end up ruining something. Knowing how clumsy I can be, I do not trust myself with tasks like that. I cannot believe I actually made myself nervous about volunteering.
On the day of the service project I was quick to get over the fact that I could potentially be of no help. I realized that even if I was weak or uncoordinated I was still there for good intentions. They would be able to find something for me to do. When I arrived at share your souls about ten minutes early, I was surprised by the fact that only a few cars were parked in front of the door to the warehouse. I started to think that maybe I had the wrong day or time. I double checked on the splatter site to make sure I was not mistaken. A few minutes had gone by of listening to music and sitting in my car when finally more people began to show up. I noticed a few familiar faces, so I was relieved to know that I would not be the only person from moraine valley. Standing at the door of the warehouse waiting for someone to open up, I was observing some of the other people beside me. Nobody looked overjoyed to be there. Some of the boys were even making rude comments and complaining about the volunteer project. Even though this made me a little agitated, I knew I should just keep my mouth closed and let them look ignorant. I was hoping that I would not have to listen to them for a whole three hours.
I was very glad when they finally opened the doors. I was expecting to walk directly into a warehouse, but surprisingly there was a cozy little room leading into the warehouse. We were directed towards a small cluster of chairs and a television in the back corner of the room. Before the volunteering started, we had to watch a video on the details of Share Your Souls. The beginning of the video explained how Mona, the maker of Share Your Souls, took a trip to central Africa and saw children, with no shoes, painting tar on their feet. This immediately made me feel awful for always taking material items for granted. I was very taken back by some of the images that were shown of the people who would be receiving these donated shoes. Most of these people were children, much younger than me, who were constantly on their feet doing daily chores outside. I thought about how much pain these poor children are in after a long day of fetching water miles and miles away from their homes without shoes. I thought about how much I complain on a daily basis about little things like having a bad hair day or not getting enough sleep, and then I put myself in the position of these children. I could not imagine having to carry buckets of water on top of my head miles back to my home, much less without any form of support on my feet. This is how these children survive. They do not think about complaining or being ungrateful because these routines are their life. I felt like crying after the video, realizing how selfish and unappreciative I can be sometimes. I do not think about how hard life would be without a little thing like shoes. With all of these sad thoughts flowing through my head, I was eager to start helping as much as possible. Knowing that Mona’s organization can make such a difference made me feel thankful to have a chance to be a part of it.
As we were walked into the warehouse, I was amazed by the amount of shoes there were. There were boxes, bags, carts, and bins piles with shoes. I was also pretty amazed when Mona walked in. I was not expecting to meet the owner of the entire organization. If I could describe Mona in one word it would be incredible. Mona is definitely a one of a kind person; there are not many people like her on this planet. She was not only a caring, selfless person; she was also very funny and down to earth. Mona said that the girls were going to be helping with the shoe sale that she was going to be having this past weekend. She decided to do this shoe sale in order to make money to keep the organization going. Especially since Mona was getting ready to move the location of Share Your Souls. She was having trouble keeping the warehouse, so she was thinking of an alternative site. I was glad that we would not have to work with the boys I had heard earlier. Mona asked our opinion on where we thought the shoe sale would be most appropriate; the choices were in the warehouse or in the front room where we initially walked in. We all decided on the front room because it looked like more of a store-like location. I thought it was awesome how Mona kept asking our opinions and actually cared about our thoughts. It showed how much she cared about her organization and the people that have a part in it.
Since we decided to do the shoe sale in the front room, we had to move tables into the room to put the shoes on. This was one of my favorite tasks of the day, because everyone was working together and bonding. We sorted the shoes by size, put them into boxes, and moved them into the room onto the tables. We put table clothes down on the tables to make them look more appealing. We lined the shoes up in size order, polished the shoes, and put price stickers on them. I thought these tasks were fairly easy, and it was fun to get to talk to different people. It felt great to know that I was making a difference in someone else’s life.
After volunteering, I felt like I really made some kind of a difference. I was glad to know that I could help Mona, since she has helped so many people in her lifetime. I am so glad to have met her. I hope to see her again sometime soon. Volunteering also made me realize how fortunate I am. Taking material items for granted is something that I have ceased doing after experiencing this service project. I learned to appreciate every little thing that I have in life. I also hope to volunteer much more in my lifetime.
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Roberto Kobik
PEER REVIEW
This Reflection project you wrote about share your soles. Before reading your paper I imagined how volunteering would be over there. I did Imagine the sorting of shoes by size and gender and packing them. After I read your paper I found out that is exactly what they did. You also helped prepare a room for a shoe sale. This is one thing that got me thinking a little. You did say that there are many children world wide that need shoes and would all appreciate having them because walking barefoot is an annoying task that is hard to do. You also did say one location that is in need of shoes is Africa. You wrote about how you saw children walking barefoot for water and also saw people painting tar on the bottom of their feet. So my question after reading your paper is if these places are in such need of shoes why are the shoes being sold in an Illinois warehouse? That automatically confused me because I was expecting the shoe to be sent to different areas around the world. People can buy used shoes in a flee market if they want so why is there a sale here? Also after reading your paper I got a clear description of what you went through that day. It is as if I lived that day and was recollecting a memory. I think that you organized your paper well and painted a nice picture with all of the visual descriptions you made. I think maybe I should include a little more of those in my paper. I focused more on the feeling of the trip. I think you are a god descriptive writer and did a good on on this paper. Also through reading this paper I noticed that you learned a few new things. Not only fact wise about people in need of shoes, but also individually. You realized how lucky we are these days to own necessities such as shoes. Now a days in our large market place society people go out of their way to find nice shoes. We find ourselves visiting multiple expensive stores looking for something that fits our personality. Yet we never think about those in need that need something to fit their feet. In reality these people in need of clothing such as shoes, would be grateful to walk out of a lower class store with generic shoes. Sometime we just do not realize the luxuries of life. By going to that service event you realized what luxuries we have. By doing that I also thing you gained some appreciation for the little everyday things we have and are able to get. You also got a good feeling about doing a good deed and helping others. So I guess you could say you also learned how rewarding helping others through volunteer work can be. This paper sounds like you had a good experience and hopefully volunteer again in the future. I liked your paper, it was clear and well written. Also you had a really cool title. It fit the whole paper and experience you had.
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Amber Bey
Thank you so much for your great feedback it made me feel good about my writing! I sometimes lack confidence in writing, and you did a good job restoring it.
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Armando Cortez
Peer review 4
Amber It was interesting reading your paper because I too went to share your soles. I don’t know if on the same day but your expereice through the whole thing was a little different i was able to compare. But I was also nervous going into the share your soles because I didn’t know what to expect myself. I didn’t necessarily have a bunch of shoes in my closet but I did have many that I also stopped wearing and they were just sitting underneath my bed for the longest. I really liked how you were descriptive of the things you talked about, it really helped someone like me to kind of get an idea how your experience was like a picture in your head that you can really see what it was like for you. unfortunatley for I wasn’t able to see the whole video that they showed, coming into late was soemthing I do regret and it’s something that’s really embarrasing for me and something that I will not do again because something like this shouldn’t be taken like that. Anyway, I was only able to see the last few minutes of the video before we went to work so I wasn’t able to get a little background information of the organization that is share your soles. Again I really feel bad not being there to see what information the video because from what i heard it was good stuff that you were able to see. That was my fault, but I was able to enjoy and appreciate the work that was presented much like you did so from that standpoint I was able to really relate. I also agree on the fact that once you do the work at the end of the day you feel good of what you have done. I know for me it would be something that I would look forward to do again knowing you can make a difference to someone’s life and that short time of work that you do is truly amazing. I can tell as well while reading your paper you have this good feeling of helping others and really enjoyed yourself. It shows how your able to value the little things in life because now a days in today’s world we go out of our way and try to buy the newer things in life and put aside the old but don’t realize there a repeople out there that can benefit from what we pushed aside and that’s something that really gets to you, I know it did for me. Overall I liked your piece of work I think it was nicely written and I guess we’ll see where this good expereince will take you from here because it really seems like you enjoyed the expereince, nice work though. I really like how you had each paragraph separated it made it easier to read and understand what you were saying, I think that’s something that I can take because I usually have the tendency to write a long paragraph. but this is better and easier for the reader that’s just me though but anyways nice job hopefully you volunteer again in the near future, your paper expresses how you really enjoyed it so it wouldn’t be bad.-
Amber Bey
Thank you so much for your feedback. I found it helpful that you had questions about my writing because it made me realize that I had to go back in order to answer those questions. I think it made my paper become a little more understandable for my portfolio. I really appreciate it. Thank you for the compliments as well. It made me feel satisfied about my writing.
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Amber Bey
Organization is something that I have not acquired so far in my lifetime. I have always learned that organization is key in being successful in mostly anything. It seems that every time I did not do well in something, such as miss an important assignment in a class, I was not organized. For this journal I am going to reflect on section 1.2 of chapter 1 in Why White Rice. This section, “Myth: Writing is tidy,” talks about organizing your thoughts in order to create a piece of writing. The section begins with the Cambridge study on how the brain does not work in a very organized pattern. Being able to read words that have letters jumbled in-between the first and the last letter demonstrates that humans are not made to think in any specific way or order. We all have different thoughts and ideas. This is why we all have different techniques in organizing the way we decide how and what to write. We all think better in certain environments. Thomas Down and Eric Devillez, authors of Why White Rice, explain that they have completely different writing environments. Eric’s work space is somewhat messy, and Thomas’ s desk looks like you would be unable to trace a speck of dust on it. Both of these men are talented writers, yet they have completely different ways of organization. They have found what works best for them. Sitting here on the couch with the television on and cheez-its sitting next to me, I have realized that writing has nothing to do with the kind of organization that I was explaining in the beginning of this paragraph. Keeping every little note and outline in separate files and folders would not help me write a paper. I am the kind of person that comes up with random ideas and jots them down wherever I get the chance. I can write in noisy and disruptive environments, and I love eating and writing at the same time. I’m sure many people would probably find this disorderly and unhelpful, but that is the best way for me.
DeVillez, Eric., Thomas Dow, Michael McGuire, and Troy Swanson. “Why White Rice?: Thinking Through Writing”. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt, 2010. Print -
Amber Bey
I decided to write my journal on “Googling is Not the Same as Thinking” by Mr. McGuire in chapter five of Why White Rice. The title ultimately caught my eye because many individuals, including myself, use Google almost daily. The beginning of Google was like some kind of enlightenment. It seems as if people do not think for themselves anymore, which could possibly become an issue in the future. Even though Google can be a great source for learning, people have to realize there are inappropriate times for its use. This is explained in the second paragraph of “Googling is Not the Same as Thinking”. I was laughing when I read about the students taking their phones out in class to define “tradition”. This made me think about the few times that Mr. McGuire made our class define words; I actually witnessed a few of us doing the same exact thing as the other students. I remember Mr. McGuire walking up to these people and actually telling them to use their own brain. I find it kind of ironic that he makes an entire journal entry about this topic in Why White Rice, yet people are still Googling in class. It is kind of sad that books are no longer being used because everyone is so dependent on technology. Books are still very important resources for school, yet people think it is easier to pull out their laptop and Google everything. This article is explaining that people are becoming more and more dependent on technoIogy, and I couldn’t agree more. If we had to do any form of research without Google or the internet, I think it would be a difficult task for almost anyone.
McGuire, Michael. “Googling is Not the Same as Thinking.” Why White Rice?: Thinking through Writing. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Pub, 2010. 119-120. Print. -
Amber Bey
Dear Editor,
Residing in Crestwood Illinois for the past sixteen years has awakened my concern for an environmental issue; recycling. Living in a condominium for the majority of my life, I have always wondered why we do not recycle. Last year, I went to my grandfather’s condo in Florida. Taking out the garbage was a confusing task, since there were three different garbage bins. Two of which I learned were for plastic and paper. This brought to my attention that Crestwood has no intentions of recycling. Further research has confirmed that houses as well as condominiums are not required to recycle. Surrounding areas are recycling, why isn’t Crestwood? When I inquired at Crestwood village hall, I was informed that some type of recycling was in the process, but there were no specifics. Funding for less important matters are taking away from recycling assets. Recycling is not just a waste of time; it will prevent air, land, and water pollution. It saves money, and it reassures a clean, safe environment for our future generations. People might think that one town’s efforts to recycle do not make a huge difference, but if everybody thought this way, life on earth could have a devastating future. It does not seem like a difficult task for the city to incorporate recycling bins next to the dumpsters outside of the condominiums and apartment buildings as well as homes.
Sincerely,
Amber Bey
abey1993@gmail.com
(708) 271-7389-
Roberto Kobik
PEER REVIEW
A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
I have read your other pieces of work and I think you are a good writer. This piece was a different style of writing formatted for a newspaper entry. This is a very short and precise type of format as it is designed to introduce the topic, issues, suggestions and so forth. I think you did do a good job introducing your topic because you used live examples. You did also raise attention to the fact that recycling is easy and important. I think you did a good job introducing the problem and also talking about how easy and convenient it would be, but there is one issue I found in your paper. I thought in my opinion there were not enough reasons of why we should recycle. So if the neighborhood is reading this paper they are supposed to be hopefully persuaded to act. So if the intended audience is reading this paper they now know Crestwood does not recycle and they also know that it can be easy. It is easy because there are separate trash cans to separate the waste and they can be located on every block making it convenient. So you informed the intended audience of the issue and informed them how easy it would be to help but you did not put much information on the benefits of recycling. Think of yourself in the audience’s shoes, if you want to be persuaded there has to be benefits out of something in order to draw your attention and hopefully get you involved. You did not state any benefits. I think it would be more convincing if you stated that because of recycling Crestwood can be a more eco friendly town. You could also state that we are preserving the world resources by reusing still usable ones. I am also pretty sure that prices of products will be lower because it costs less to get recycled materials than create or extract fresh ones. So if the companies can make products for a lower price the distributor might also buy them for a lower price. And because of that low price the distributor paid they may lower the retail or create a sale for that item. In this harsh economic time everyone would be grateful to save some money here and there. Recycling just might do all of that. Not to mention that hopefully it will also persuade others to actually use the garbage cans instead of littering which can lead to a cleaner neighborhood environment. So that is basically the one thing I think your paper lacked. Other than that everything else was there and it had order and flow to it. I like how you took it more personal and used examples from your life in the neighborhood. I think that is good because it may also help persuade people for your cause because it has a neighbor to neighbor feeling to it. You did a good job just beef it up a little bit more. -
Armando Cortez
Peer review 3
Amber I got to say that it was another piece of work where it was interesting in the fact that recycling is something worldwide now and it’s something really important to taday’s society, that alone made it interesting. And I do agree with you where there has been a lack of recycling because sadly enough there has. I can remember a day in time hwere I was in brookfield and going through their alleys I can notice how they have next to every garbage bin, they have a recycling bin next to it. That right there to me caught my attention right away because here I see how areas like this really take it into consideration that recycling is something important to the village of brookfield. But then I compare that to where I live in summit and if you go their and drive through their alleys your not going to see any recycling bin next a garbage bin. The sad part of that is I think it has to do to the fact that our village doesn’t see it as a need to recycle or probably the reason is not manby people are taking a stand to let their voice be heard.. But nonetheless that was something really got to me in that moment something that whenever I talk about recyling, that particular moment always comes to mind and it stays with for somereason i always go to that. It could be wierd that just that one moment in time stayed with me and that I talk about it rather than probably there have been other moments far more significant than the one I take the time to talk about but to me it’s pretty significant; again that’s just me. In essence though I think you did a good job of introducing the topic at hand and giving a litttle bit of your own personal experience with recycling and how it is a problem in today’s world. But as I ws reading i did notice that it was missing some of the benefits that recycling can do, maybe if you can just name the benefits of recycling. You want to do that because maybe someone might read and not know so you want to inform them that way you can sort of persuade them to take action and it will in the long run really help your paper and the issue your trying to get across. I like how you said that recycling could help save us money that’s soemthing that can really catch the attention but again it was lacking more of the benefits that it can cause, so maybe if you can just give alittle bit more it could be better. Other than it was a pretty good job you did with the paper and issue you tried to get across. I really liked how you used the person experiences in your life to help with this issue, it’s I always tend to do with papers i write and it something that has helped me in the long run, and i also always see it as something that makes the reader want to keep reading when you put in some of your personal stuff in there. But anyway I really like that of what you used and if you just work on what i see you could of done more on it could be much better but overall it was great.
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Amber Bey
I decided to write my journal on the “Passionate Writers Write Passionately” excerpt in Why White Rice. First of all, I thought it was a great way to grab the reader’s attention by referencing them in the text. In the first sentence of the passage Mary Brewer writes, “You remember Mikey and Tommy right? Or are you awaking now with my page stuck to your face…” This completely caught my attention and even made me laugh. I think this passage should be read by everyone who does not have faith in their writing. It seems like the majority of writers write because they have to. Even though you might be in a situation where you’re required to write a paper, you should make the most of it. If you add your personal voice, and maybe a few of your life events, it will make the paper better and more enjoyable to write. When someone is down on themselves and doesn’t believe they have a voice, then they will ultimately create uninteresting stories. On the other hand, people that actually believe that they have something interesting to say are the papers that will shine through the rest. This passage really taught me that anyone could become a writer. Those who put more effort into their writing are the ones who will succeed. The people who put effort into their writing are the ones who use feeling and emotion to capture the reader’s attention. Nobody enjoys reading boring stories that have no depth to them. People live for emotion and feeling. The whole point of this passage is the title, “Passionate Writers Write Passionately”. The writers who have a thirst to get their stories out and their points across are those who have the most interesting writing.
Brewer, Mary. “Passionate Writers Write Passionately”. Why White Rice 2010: 22-23. Print -
Amber Bey
Intro: Eating disorders are a growing issue. Numbers have recently skyrocketed in the amount of adults and teens with eating disorders; up to 35 million people today have eating disorders. These disorders are something that can lead to numerous heath issues and eventually death.
Point 1: The media is said to have a lot to do with eating disorders. Anorexia Nervosa is one of the most common of these disorders. People who have anorexia are obsessed with being thin. A lot of the time the media portrays thin bodies as being the most acceptable. Most of the time, people that are representing America in the media are thin. This brings many people to feel as if they are pressured by society to have the ideal body. On the other hand, people that are obese are constantly reminded of high calorie, fatty foods by the media. Fast food is advertised everywhere: on the television, radio, billboards, magazines, and anywhere else possible. People with obesity cannot stop themselves from consuming an overabundance of calories. Being constantly reminded of something that you are addicted to is overwhelming and can only worsen the problem.
Point 2: Stopping a disorder is challenging, but our society needs to work together in order to save the lives of those with eating disorders. In order to stop eating disorders victims must go through therapy and counseling. There are numerous organizations that support the victims of eating disorders and their families. These organizations have groups and individual programs and sessions in order for the victims to learn and prosper. These sessions do not only let victims talk to professionals, they also let these people talk with others who have the disease. These organizations have different ways of going about this issue, yet they are all striving for the same thing; that is to eliminate anorexia.
Point 3: Knowing that eating disorders are critically harming our society will hopefully push people to help prevent and stop the situation. If someone is concerned about the issue a big step in helping those with the disease is donating to organizations. Giving money to help fund these organizations will assist in their research and actions in trying to help people with the disease.
Conclusion: People do not want to have eating disorders; they are suffering from a disease that is uncontrollable. Hopefully one day eating disorders will no longer be a problem in society. In order for this to happen, people need to address this issue as much as possible. Support those with eating disorders. Let them know that there is hope.
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Amber Bey
The Battle Against Eating Disorders
Overview on Eating Disorders
Knowing how much I enjoy food and how big of a role it plays in my life, I can understand how food could become problematic in people’s lives. Eating disorders are eating behaviors that can lead to life threatening health issues. There are numerous eating disorders that are diagnosed among men and woman; two of the main disorders are anorexia nervosa and obesity. Anorexia is a body image disorder where the victims see themselves as overweight causing them to turn to self-starvation. They have a great fear of putting on weight even if they are on the verge of starvation. Those with obesity have an unhealthy percentage of body fat and have a high daily calorie intake. These eating disorders are not only a current problem; they are a growing problem that has been researched and tested in the hopes of finding better treatments and attention. They have become such a broad problem that, “up to 35 million people today have eating disorders.” according to Pamela Prah. Seeing this number is absolutely shocking. This has led to many controversies about eating disorders. Many people believe that the media is the main cause of eating disorders; others think that genetics are foundation for the disorders. Knowing that there are so many people yearning for help and that the numbers of fatalities continue to rise is a sign that something must be done in order to stop this.
Background Research on Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa is a disorder Anorexia Nervosa was given its name by Sir William Gull (1816-90) in 1874, according to A.D. Harvey. Gull described this as a woman being frail due to unnatural causes. The disease was originally called anorexia hysteria, but diagnosing young men with the disease as well as women caused Gull to replace hysteria with nervosa. Although anorexia was diagnosed in the early 1800’s, there is said to be many misinterpretations of anorexia as early as the 1700’s. In the 1700’s people thought anorexia was a result of masturbation and poor family relationships. Anorexia even dates back to the middle ages. In the early Middle Ages women were thought to be saints if they starved themselves. Towards the end of this time period they thought woman who fasted were witches. Although the disorder was not diagnosed until later in life, many people are thought to have died from symptoms of anorexia. Rudolph Bell states that in the 14th century, St. Catherine of Siena died of starvation at the age of 33 after eating only bread, raw herbs, and water since age 25. Due to the fact that nobody knew what eating disorders were at this time had to suffer thorough these hard times without any form of help. Anorexia has been around since the beginning of time; this could justify why it has become an even broader issue today.
Current Challenges of Anorexia Nervosa
In today’s world people are constantly watching television or reading magazines. Those who are being portrayed in media have a great influence on others. Many celebrities today have eating disorders, especially models or those in the fashion industry. There is pressure on these people, especially those who are young, to stay skinny due people’s perception of beauty. Dr. Laura Wyness states that, “popular media has a large influence on young people’s body image, placing a great deal of pressure on obtaining the ‘ideal’ body shape. This often leads to young girls adopting unhealthy practices.” Younger people tend to have role models and people they look up to that are seen on television or somewhere in the media. Children want to live up to their role models. Since so many celebrities are so obsessed with being skinny, young people are going to desire to be the same way. I’m sure there are numerous factors on why people have eating disorders and this is one of the few.
People might think that anorexia only occurs in young women. This is completely false. The disease has become popular among men as well as women. Karen Weintraub states that, “Eating disorders have long been considered a female problem, but a 2007 Harvard study based on national survey data found that men are one-third as likely as women to have anorexia or bulimia and more than half as likely to have a binge eating disorder. A study this summer of adolescents found even closer rates of bulimia and identical rates of anorexia between teenage boys and girls.” Knowing that anorexia is becoming a bigger issue among both sexes shows how controlling the disorder has become. Some men with anorexia may have a slightly different mindset then most women with the disorder. Men might have a specific goal they are working for, such as weight loss for wrestling or a specific sport. Besides this, men also have body image issues. They become anorexic in order to gain muscle definition or to simply just lose body fat. Either way, nothing should cause anyone to have an eating disorder.
Background Research on Obesity
Obesity has recently become a major issue in the United States among adults as well as children. ProQuest Staff states that, “In the United States, obesity is the second leading cause of preventable deaths and is viewed as one of the most serious health problems facing children today.” People are unaware of how dangerous it is to be overweight. Excessive weight gain and high calorie intake can do a lot of damage to the body. Being obese can lead to bone and joint problems, gallstones, heart disease, congestive lung failure, stroke, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and many other problems. If people do not start changing their eating habits to become healthier, the percentage of overweight people in America and those dying from obesity will continue to rise. There are many controversies about obesity; one of the largest is the argument that obesity is the governments fault due to the fact that it is considered legally acceptable to display junk food in the media. Others believe that either way, media or not, people with obesity would find ways acquire junk food. Another dispute among people in America is that the parents of the people that are obese are the ones to blame. If people were not exposed to junk food and unhealthy habits at an early age, then obesity would not be an outcome. Many believe that it is actually a genetic issue. No matter what caused the issue, it will not be solved unless people decide to take action.
Obesity has not always been as broad of an issue as it has recently been. According to foodinsight.org, “Prior to World War II, concern focused on health conditions caused by nutrient deficiency (e.g., hunger, rickets, beri beri). As the United States became more prosperous, attention began to shift from nutritional deficiencies to conditions associated with over-consumption (e.g., heart disease, elevated cholesterol, type 2 diabetes).” This shows that obesity among Americans is partially due to the fact that the country has become more affluent meaning restaurants and fast food places have also become more abundant. The rise in the number of obese people is absolutely astonishing. Liz Monte states that, “In the 1970s, around 47 percent of Americans were overweight or obese; now 66 percent of us are. In addition, the number of obese people has doubled, from 15 percent of our population to 30 percent.” Portion sizes are another factor; they have nearly doubled in the past 20 years. I believe that the effect of the Great Depression and World War II has caused America to turn to overeating. Further factors of obesity include a person’s genetics, ethnicity, metabolism, hormones, and family life. For example, if a person is surrounded by heavy people in their family, then they will most likely acquire the behaviors of their family. If our society keeps up these dangerous eating habits, the generations to come are going to suffer greatly.
Current Challenges of Obesity
Obesity is at its peak in America. A large part of the reason is due to media and the government. It seems like all food depicted in the media today is fatty, high calorie foods. There are so many commercials on television promoting things such as fast food restaurants and unhealthy frozen food in the grocery store. Since the government allows this in the media, people are going to keep longing for the food that they constantly see. Obesity is a disorder where the person is no longer in control of their cravings for high calorie foods. These people are regularly being reminded of these foods due to the choices of our government and society. Since more and more people are becoming obese, children are also suffering from the disorder. This is one of the most recent issues associated to obesity. Obesity has become a problem for children as well as adults, and parents have become the prime suspects for the obesity of children. It is said that people who have unhealthy eating habits are influencing their children. Amina Khan states that, “A three-decade rise in childhood obesity rates has meant that related abuse and neglect cases are more often making their way into the courts. According to a 2008 report by the Child Welfare League of America, “California, Indiana, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas have had to determine whether morbidly obese children whose parents are unable or unwilling to control their children’s weight against medical orders are properly considered abused or neglected.” Someone who lets their child become so overweight that they are no longer considered healthy should not be allowed to have them. This is considered neglectful behavior. It is sad that this has become such a wide spread problem among people in the United States, but if people continue to ignore the signs of obesity nothing will change.
What is being done?
Stopping any kind of disorder is a difficult task, but there has to be something done to stop people from dying in order to look a certain way. People with these disorders are not going to be able to stop on their own; they need other’s support and care. Organizations such as The National Eating Disorders strive to prevent and help treat those who have eating disorders. They also campaign in order to get others to support the prevention of eating disorders. Funding for research in order to understand and treat the disorders is something greatly supported at NEDA. Being a part of this organization as a victim of an eating disorder can have a strong positive affect on one’s life. People can go to their meetings discuss their problems with others with eating disorders and specialists who can help in getting the patients mentally stable. Jenni Schaefer is a member of this organization who was also a victim of anorexia. She states that, “she was the one person on the planet who thought that she would never be able to recover from her eating disorder.” Being a member of NEDA changed Jenni’s life. She has never felt better about herself and her fellow members of NEDA who have also changed their lives for the better. Jenni talks about how talking to others who have eating disorders has made an impact on her life. She said she felt much better knowing that there were other people out there who were also skeptical about being able to reverse their eating disorders. Jenni’s story will hopefully change the minds of those who believe they have no hope in recovering.
A further organization whose goals are aimed to help those suffering from anorexia is the Eating Disorders and Education Network (EDEN). EDEN is a nonprofit organization. They offer support and education to those with eating disorders. They have specialized programs for each individual, making sure to address their personal, emotional, spiritual, physical, and relational aspects of life. Some of their processes carrying out these programs are helping individuals take responsibility and action for their health by informing the individual, letting individuals set goals for themselves, helping Individuals assess where they are in the stages of change, helping them move through the five stages of change (Pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance), and helping them identify necessary and appropriate treatment professionals when required. They offer a 17 week program designed to accomplish all of these goals. EDEN does not only understand the hardships and emotional stress that the patients go through, but they also recognize how hard it is for the victim’s friends and family. This is why EDEN also offers a program for them as well. It is unfathomable how a loved one of a victim of anorexia must feel seeing them progressively grow unhealthy with this disease. EDEN’s family and friend feature of the program is something that will help a family gain support and education.
Milestones is a program is set up to do whatever they possibly can to completely heal a victim of an eating disorder. They have residential stay as well as day treatment programs. This could aid those who are suffering greater than others from a disorder. They have treatment that addresses both addictive and emotional aspects of the eating disorder. They also have individual and group therapy sessions. In order to create a more comforting environment Milestones brings patients out of the hospital to do activities like shopping. This eliminates the normal hospital feel of being treated like a patient. Milestones has licensed clinical staff and they have 24 hour on-site supervision. MIlestones is a special place, making their patients feel welcomed and comforted.
How You Can Help
People with eating disorders need help and assistance. It is great that people are willing to open organizations and campaigns for victims with the disorder, but individuals can also make a difference. If one is willing to take action against eating disorders they can do things such as donate to organizations and volunteer at organizations. The organizations I listed above are willing to accept help from people who are concerned about the issue. To get information on Volunteering or Interning with NEDA, finding a NEDA Walk near you, or discovering unique ways to give, call 1-800-931-2237. Eden also accepts any form of donation one is willing to give. To contact EDEN, call (810)750-2106, or email the EDEN Jackson office at edenmidwest@yahoo.com. These places are especially thankful to those who understand the affects and disruptions eating disorders have on individuals and their families. They would greatly appreciate the help of others.
To Learn More
http://www.eatingdisordershelpguide.com/causes.html
This website has everything one can possibly learn about eating disorders. There are over 20 topics to choose from in order to learn more about the disorder. It not only tells about each individual eating disorder, but it tells about the causes and effects of each disorder. There are even eating disorders that are not commonly discussed. The eating disorders help guide informs people about who is more prone to get an eating disorder and how they can get treatment for the disorder; this includes the different kinds of treatments as well. It has the different viewpoints of why people are said to develop eating disorders, which is something that is widely debated today. Two very helpful parts of this website are the directory resources and the site map. The site map gives a better view of everything discussed in the website and alternative links to the ones shown on the home page. The directory resource link is helpful in locating different pages that are related to eating disorders.
ANRED is another site that has an abundance of facts and information. It has 50 documents in order to find answers to specific questions that are frequently asked. If someone is looking for very detailed descriptions and information this site will be a great help. In addition to adequate information this website has many topics that are not regularly discussed. There are topics such as athletes with eating disorders, relapse prevention, diabetes and eating disorders, eating disorders and pregnancy, eating disorders and older people, and how parents can prevent eating disorders in the future. Sometimes in order to get a complete overview on an issue, topics that are not common are necessary. If someone is researching multiple eating disorders, this would be the site to visit. It has information on the eating disorders that are most widely diagnosed among people, and there are ones that most have never heard of; such as orthorexia disorder, night-eating disorder, runination syndrome, gourmand syndrome, pica, and chewing and spitting.
http://www.nmha.org/go/mission-visionMental
Health America is an organization that is focused on mental disorders. It gives information on the disorders such as the signs and symptoms, causes, biological factors, mental illnesses connected to eating disorders, long-term effects, and treatments. Another thing the website offers are details of who has eating disorders and people that are more likely to getting them. News is a large part of this website as well, offering current information on what journalists, experts, and the media say about the issue. This website does not only offer information on the subject, it offers ways to give to those in need of help. If one is interested in giving time or money to those with eating disorders, then they should visit this site. There are many donation links at the bottom of the page. Other links include becoming a member, making donations, honoring a loved one, and other ways to give.
CITATIONS
Harvey, A.D. “Anorexia Nervosa in the Nineteenth Century.” Historian (London, United Kingdom) No. 102. Summer 2009: 19. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 16 Feb 2012.
Prah, Pamela M. “Eating Disorders.” CQ Researcher 10 Feb. 2006: 121-44. Web. 18 Feb. 2012.
Weintraub, Karen. “It’s a Guy Thing, Too.” Boston Globe. 14 Nov 2011: G.13. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 18 Feb 2012.
ProQuest Staff. “At Issue: Obesity.” ProQuest LLC. 2012: n.pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Feb 2012.
http://www.Nationaleatingdisorders.org. National Eating Disorders Association. 2012. Web.
18 Feb 2012.
http://www.Edenclub.org. web. 20 Feb. 2012.
http://http://www.Roaed.org. web. 20 Feb. 2012
Jameson, Marni. “Heredity Plays Role in How Easily We Gain (and Lose) Weight.” Orlando Sentinel. 02 Jan 2012: A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Feb 2012.
Khan, Amina. “Obese Kids: Should Parents Be Blamed?.” Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, CA). 21 Dec 2009: E.3. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Feb 2012.
http://http://www.foodinsight.org. International food information council foundation, 2011. Web. 20 Feb 2012
http://www.nmha.org. Mental Health America, 2012. Web. 20 Feb. 2012
http://www.milestonesprogram.org/. Web. 20 Feb. 2012
http://www.Eatingdisordershelpguide.com. eating disorders ventures,2006. Web 20. Feb 2012.
http://www.anred.com. Web. 20 Feb. 2012.
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Roberto Kobik
PEER REVIW PROJECT 2
First off I will start by saying you structured your paper well because of the way you chose to set it up. You separated the information about anorexia from obesity. That structure is good because it makes it less confusing and also lets the reader focus on one topic and then focus on the next. This will help the reader remember your main points better. For your research you listed many facts to show how many people are affected on a scale and even research from when anorexia nervosa began. So I think it is safe to say that the reader is educated on your topic. I do think however that you could add some things that the reader could relate to. Or maybe even hypothetical situations where the reader could put themselves in these people’s shoes and view how life would be. This would then help persuade people to fight for your cause because they have viewed it from different perspectives. You did also give a lot of information in the “what you can do to help” section. From reading it I learned about some of the organizations that offer help. I also learned in depth what they do to help people with this issue. That’s good because people know exactly how they can help and can contact the organizations you listed and help if they are willing. The last three annotated bibliographies were also written well. For all three of them you gave a good description of what information can be found on these sights for those people that would want to research the topic more in depth. I did learn a lot from your paper about the current situation of anorexia and obesity. I also learned a lot on the process of helping these people other than medication. If I was a casual reader I think that I would consider the opportunity to act on this issue. This means that you have written your paper successfully because that was the whole point. You were persuasive with the paper and also helped the information stick better because of how you broke the semi topics in to two. You were pretty straight to the point with this paper which is a good style of writing because I think the reader is more interested in something if it flows and is consistent rather than something that either lacks certain information or is set up in a confusing manner. Also this was a topic that stood out because it is kind of outside the box. Rather than doing it on hunger you focused on a more less frequently heard issue. Good choice of topic, I did not even know there are special organizations and hotlines that help people with these issues until I read your paper. The one thing I myself would probably do more research in is how does talking or hotlines for example help these people. I can see counseling and talking help other issues but I don’t see how it would work in this situation so I would have to do more research.
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Amber Bey
Thank you so much for your input. Im glad you let me know some of the points you believe could have been more elaborated on. Now I realize that it would have been a little more relateable if I were to have used a few specific stories or individual situations dealing with the problem. I also realize that I could have explained more about how talking and counseling helps these people. Again i appreciate your input. Thank you.
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Amber Bey
Nobody is born believing certain ideas or theories. What we believe are the facts and ideas that are instilled in us from the time we are able to think. In chapter five of Why White Rice, there is a story about people’s beliefs and what they mean. It is called, Why I Don’t Care What you Believe…The Difference Between Experience and History, by Troy Swanson. This story completely stood out to me because of the first sentence; which said, “It sounds cruel to say, but there are many times when I, and many of your professors, will not care what you believe” (Troy, 106). It did sound slightly mean, but it was funny and made me want to read further. This story had me thinking about something I never really thought about before. Why do we believe what we believe? Especially when some of the things we believe we have never seen or proved ourselves. It is kind of weird how the world works. Someone creates a theory or idea, and other people start to follow it. These people’s beliefs are created through someone else’s experiences and what they saw. This is hard to except because of the fact that these people did not prove this theory for themselves. Troy Swanson explains that this is the reason why it is so important to get out and see what the world has to offer. There is so much happening around us, yet so many of us take every day for granted. All of the new technology, construction, and everything else we see today is due to history and the discoveries of people. If these people did not go out and experience the world, we would not have the advancements we do today. Speaking of going out and experiencing the world brings me to think about the volunteering we are doing for class. Doing these kinds of hands-on activities will allow you to get a better idea on how something truly feels through our own senses. Getting out and doing these kinds of things can shape your beliefs. In order to believe something you must somehow have gotten former information on the subject one way or another, but the most accurate beliefs are the ones that you have experienced through your own eyes.
DeVillez, Eric., Michael McGuire, Thomas Dow, and Troy Swanson. “Why White Rice?”. Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2000.Print -
Amber Bey
I was not exactly sure what the difference between activism and service was before our discussion in class, but I did know that both of these actions produce helpful changes. In my opinion, service is anything from community service, such as picking up garbage on the beach, to volunteering in soup kitchens or anywhere else people need a helping hand. Activism is getting further involved in preventing a problematic situation by getting others to follow their views. In order for this to happen activists my use petitioning, protesting, or other forms of communal action in order to get their voices heard. I believe people are more prone to getting involved in service because it is a lot easier, and it is almost guaranteed that there will be positive changes made. I consider people to be more reluctant towards activism, because it could potentially cause more problems in the long run if people are uncooperative. Either way, both of these words signify people taking action in order to create a positive change in society.
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Amber Bey
The world would be such a wonderful place if everyone had the qualities of Rajeev Goyal. While reading The Village Voice I was impressed at how Rajeev was capable of having such an impact on the world. He went through countless lengths to try to help others; not only that, he used his voice in getting others to participate in volunteering. These volunteers included people from low income regions, to those considered high ranked in society. Rajeev had such strong determination that he could care less on how he was perceived by others. After reading, two thoughts came to mind. The first one was the time in class when Mr. McGuire asked the question, “Do you think one person can make a difference?” This story justifies anyone who answered “yes” to this question. Anyone is capable of creating a voice for themselves; all they need to do is put in time and effort to display it. The exertion Rajeev put into volunteering and Peace Corps is far beyond what most would ever consider doing; this is why Rajeev has accomplished so much throughout his lifetime. He is well known and respected for devoting so much time and work into what he was passionate about. I believe that if someone has enough confidence in themselves, then they are capable of being successful at anything they put their mind to. This brings me to the next thought after reading. Rajeev’s self-assurance reminded me of a part in chapter one of Why White Rice. This section in the book explained that being confident in one’s self is the most important thing in writing. I believe that this is absolutely true, but it does not only pertain to writing. This relates to any task one decides to take on in life. Confidence is the key to living a prosperous, happy life. I think about how Rajeev must feel about all of his achievements in life; it must have been a one of a kind experience.
Hessler, Peter. “A Reporter at Large: Village Voice, The Peace Corp’s Brightest Hope.” New York: The New Yorker.2010. 101-109. Splatter.writing101.net: The messy art of writing. Web. 8 feb. 2012. -
Amber Bey
What am I Thinking?
Dissecting my own thoughts is not something I have always felt confident about. I recently began thinking about myself more as an individual and what life means to me. Experiencing different situations and reflecting back on how they are significant in my life has shaped the way I feel about myself and others. The ups and downs of life have made me better realize who I am today. They have allowed me to figure out what is most important in my life, along with things that I cannot tolerate. Although these experiences have helped me, I am not always assured in my outlook on life. Exploring who I am has proven to be much harder than I ever expected.
It might seem nonsensical, but the most exciting part of my day is when I get to eat. Ever since I was young, I have been obsessed with food. There are times that I actually scare myself thinking about the amount of food I eat. To give you an idea, I can think back on times that I ate entire pizzas by myself. Eating is something I live for. It is something that I have always enjoyed doing, and it is not just the taste I love, but the sensation of eating as well. Feeling the food as it enters my mouth, and slides down my throat, is one of the most relieving experiences I have ever felt. It comforts me, and there is a reason why it does.
I was raised in an Italian family where eating is the center of most everything. Eating always went hand in hand with special occasions and times of family bonding. When I think of food I think of family. This is what gives me the comfort of eating. I eat because I love it, but there are times that I strictly eat because I am having a bad day or I feel blue as well. I realized that this is due to the fact that I feel comfort from eating, and I also realize that this could become a problem. Eating an overabundance of food will ultimately lead to an unhealthy lifestyle. I understand that I need to start cutting down on eating and stop using it to mask my problems. Life comes with many issues, but I can get past them without harming myself. I know I will always have a deep love for food, but I need to express my love in moderation.
Referencing my family brings me to think about what is most important in my life. I would die for my family. Thinking back on all of the times they were there for me makes me understand their importance in my life. Any time I need guidance or help I can turn to them. I am especially grateful for all of the sacrifices my mother has made for me. From the time I was a baby my parents have been separated. My mother raised me entirely by herself. I cannot even fathom how difficult it must have been to raise a child alone, and to work as hard as she must have. I have always admired her motivation and independence. Although my dad was not there to watch me, my family was a wonderful support system. They were always there, day or night, when my mom needed them.
I constantly reminisce about going to my aunts Carol’s house every Saturday morning. I would help her and my cousins make breakfast and she would always make me scrambled eggs. The funny thing is that she would always scramble them with cream as the special ingredient. She knew that was my all-time favorite, along with warm vanilla milk. After breakfast she would take me shopping at Sam’s Club. She knew I loved going with her, so she would postpone her trip until Saturday, so I could go with her. After shopping I would come back to a fun-filled day of jumping on the trampoline and swimming all with my cousins. Those Saturdays were some of the best times of my life.
I feel so fortunate to have such great family in my life. When I see others without the same support, it makes me realize how lucky I am to have people around me that care. I often think about the homeless and those who have no encouragement in life. I frequently see people who do not care about their future, due to the lack of encouragement from those around them. I realize that I will never be in that situation because I am surrounded by a wonderful support system. I sit and ponder about the less fortunate, and it strikes my attention on what really angers me in life. In this world there are those who have no compassion towards others. These arrogant people have no place in my life. During my high school career, I was exposed to many judgmental, hateful people. I would constantly hear people talking down to others. A specific instance, in which I witnessed this, happened when I was walking down the hallway to my gym class sophomore year. I saw a homosexual boy, run into another boy, in the hallway. It was apparently an accident. The boy who was bumped into proceeded to call him inappropriate names, thinking he did it intentionally. I tried to voice my opinion, telling the young man that he was in the wrong, but at the end of the day I knew it probably would change nothing on his perspective in life. This made me realize how ruthless people can be towards each other. This incident specifically stood out to me because of the fact that I have a gay uncle. Being that my family means everything to me made me all the more resentful towards the situation. It is unfair that people are constantly ridiculed because of things they are unable to change about themselves.
I believe, as people, we need to learn how to take people’s feelings into consideration. If I were to take a stand on anything in my lifetime it would be advising people about how hurtful words can be. Being a multiracial person, I have experienced racism. This has caused me to feel somewhat insecure. It has also made me sympathize for the rest of the people who have felt unaccepted by society at one point or another. The opinions and words of others influence people’s self-reflection and attitude. It is a terrible feeling to be disliked or unappreciated because of something that is unable to be changed. Nobody should be insulted or ridiculed because of a trait they were born with. Anything else that could diminish their self-image shouldn’t be something to be anxious about. I believe the world would be a much more tolerable place if nobody were judged by appearance or beliefs. Although I understand that not everyone was raised the same way, I still believe that people need to respect the feelings of those around them. I would do anything to stop the actions of those who find it acceptable to abuse the feelings and self-assurance of others.
I will never completely comprehend life or the way I should perceive it, but I do know how life has shaped my thoughts and opinions on what matters most to me. Throughout my lifetime, I’m sure I will develop different opinions and ideas about life situations. I understand that I will be influenced by the people and the future occurrences of my life, but I am positive that the most significant things will never change. I will not let anyone come before my family and my food. I know these things will be a part of me no matter where life takes me. On the other hand, I would love to see uncompassionate humans escape from my life. I know there will always be people who put themselves and their morals before people’s feelings. I can only hope, that as they grow, they realize we are all people with common goals and feelings.
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Amber Bey
In my opinion the “Who Will Survive” activity was kind of sad. It made me upset to have to be the bad guy, even though the activity was only a harmless exercise. The first couple of things that I took into consideration when eliminating characters was who had the most family and the best health. I saw that many of these characters were related, so I decided to keep the families together. When it came to health, I had to kill one person in particular and it was Dr. Garcia. The man had two heart-attacks in the past five years. I think he would probably have the most difficult time surviving out of all of the characters because of this factor. The next person I decided to eliminate from the group was Father Philip. Although he was in good health and had a college education, I believe that Father Philip would have the tendency to put his religious views before anything or anyone else. Because he has so much loyalty for his religious beliefs, he might tend to put others down for their beliefs and plans of action. In this case scenario I do not think the characters should be worried someone forcing religion on them. Mrs. Hernandez was the third person that I decided to kill. It seemed that Mrs. Hernandez would not be of very much help to any of the other characters. She has little education and has spent her former years as a prostitute. Since one of the first things I considered while eliminating the characters was their family situation, I decided that it would be necessary to eliminate Mrs. Hernandez’s baby as well. He is only three weeks old and would probably have a hard time surviving without his mother. Even if one of the other members were to take care of him, it would be hard to grow up without a mother. The people I decided to keep alive were those who I believe would be able to help one another the most.
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Amber Bey
When I read “What It Means When A Crowd In A Faraway Nation Takes A Soldier Representing Your Own Nation, Shoots Him, Drags Him From His Vehicle, and Then Mutilates Him In The Dust”, I automatically thought that it was going to be a story about this particular soldier. When I began reading, I noticed that there probably was not going to be any scary war scenes or too much action, because the story seemed to be depicting the normal day of an older man. This sort of puzzled me because of my expectations due to the title. It was the opposite of what I had expected. The title made it seem as if the story was going to be more eventful. It was kind of ironic. Throughout the story I began thinking a little more about this man. I noticed that he was being described as uneasy and restless. I also saw the man’s reaction towards the newspaper article about the soldier. This triggered three thoughts in my head. My first thought was the man being described in the story is a veteran of some sort. The second thought was the man was completely against the war. My last thought was the man might have a son or relative who is currently over seas. Reading further I decided to dismiss my third thought completely. After the second page, I noticed that the man was more disgusted than worried. I figured if he had a relative in the war he would probably be a little more upset after seeing the picture. I do believe the man is completely against war overseas, and I do not doubt that he could be a veteran as well. I love how this piece made me think about the different possible scenarios that eggar was trying to indicate.His writing style is unique, and he makes it a little more challenging to distinguish exactly what is happening in the characters life.
Eggers, Dave. What It Means When A Crowd In A Faraway Nation Takes A Soldier Representing Your Own Nation,Shoots Him, Drags Him From His Vehicle, and Then Mutilates Him In The Dust. Splatter.writing101.net. WordPress, 2012 -
Amber Bey
When I read “What It Means When A Crowd In A Faraway Nation Takes A Soldier Representing Your Own Nation, Shoots Him, Drags Him From His Vehicle, and Then Mutilates Him In The Dust”, I automatically thought that it was going to be a story about this particular soldier. When I began reading, I noticed that there probably was not going to be any scary war scenes or too much action, because the story seemed to be depicting the normal day of an older man. This sort of puzzled me because of my expectations due to the title. It was the opposite of what I had expected. The title made it seem as if the story was going to be more eventful. It was kind of ironic. Throughout the story I began thinking a little more about this man. I noticed that he was being described as uneasy and restless. I also saw the man’s reaction towards the newspaper article about the soldier. This triggered three thoughts in my head. My first thought was the man being described in the story is a veteran of some sort. The second thought was the man was completely against the war. My last thought was the man might have a son or relative who is currently over seas. Reading further I decided to dismiss my third thought completely. After the second page, I noticed that the man was more disgusted than worried. I figured if he had a relative in the war he would probably be a little more upset after seeing the picture. I do believe the man is completely against war overseas, and I do not doubt that he could be a veteran as well. I love how this piece made me think about the different possible scenarios that eggar was trying to indicate.His writing style is unique, and he makes it a little more challenging to distinguish exactly what is happening in the characters life.
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Amber Bey
I believe ecological literacy is understanding the fundamentals of a community, and the practice of helping shape a safe, liveable environment. Stability is a vital aspect of a community. In order to maintain a stable community, understanding the importance of mutuality and teamwork is necessary. Working as a team to fulfill the needs of one another is part of living in a uniform community. Building relationships in order to learn about the needs of others will help a community grow and prosper. Another part of ecological literacy is knowing the importance of preserving and utilizing nature. I believe that technology and other advances of today ultimately bring people to forget about natures importance. They forget how large of a part nature plays in life. People depend on things such as air and water to live, yet they do not remember that an overabundance of pollution and other environmental hazards can diminish these demands. In order to inhibit these issues, people need to start doing more recycling and carpooling and less littering and overbuilding. I believe that one becomes ecologically literate when they understand how a community functions, and they practice healthy actions in order to keep their environment safe for themselves and the living things around them. I believe I am ecologically literate because I understand the importance of maintaining a healthy living environment for myself and others. I understand the basic essentials of a flourishing community as well. On the other hand I feel that I can do much more in order to help the environment and help others.
Capra, Fritjof. “From The Web of Life.” Splatter.writing101.net. Web. 25 Jan. 2012 -
Amber Bey
The grading contract is definately reasonable. There is nothing about it that i disagree with or find unfair. It should be easy enough to earn a B if all of the work is completed. I am glad that we are not only being graded on our writing skills but on our overall effort.
Roberto Kobik is discussing. 
Amber Bey, 
Armando Cortez, and 
Roberto Kobik 6:48 pm on April 22, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Once again another peer review, this time for project five. I had read your piece called “Almost in Action” and see that you still have a lot of work ahead of your self. First I will start by pointing out that the second to last paragraph is a repeat of what was said in your first paragraph. Is that intentional like an unfinished conclusion or did you put that there by mistake? Other than that this time your writing was good as usual. Your group has seemed to have encountered a bunch of problems which is just one hardship you have to face for this project. It was difficult for our group as well because now a days people all have busy schedules to work around. We had just barely found time to meet but luckily it all worked out. However it was almost last minute because we just had such different schedules. We managed to create methods of completing his project while playing in all the other factors. For example, all though people have work every day we decided to meet before class since we have gaps on our school schedules that are similar. Although we meet for only a few minutes it does help out a lot and has made this project along with communication easier. I think your group should maybe try to meet during school because you would be surprised how lucky you can get. My group had long breaks every class so it worked great for us. Another thing is we tried to also do some other organization but they had barely answered the phone. All of their volunteer dates were also a long time from now so we were forced to improvise and pick another organization in the same criteria as you stated in your paper for your group as well. I think that our groups as well as others are suffering from the same problem and I think it might be because we had so little time to put all of this together. We had a week to do everything and some people need more time in advance to be able to work stuff out with their groups. Also when we did the activity in class where we were speed dating I think that maybe each person should have filled out a list of certain questions rather than list characteristics about themselves. I think not many people are modest. I also noticed everyone had the same line of answers for the characteristics part as well. Maybe instead of that approach, the instructor should next time hand out a sheet with a list of specific questions to aid in forming a good group. By this I mean questions like “on what days are you free” and “in what way do you want to benefit the environment. And then when you go speed dating you can narrow down people with the same topic or free times as you. I think that would aid the students a lot in their group work because meeting with the group is still hard for us as well.