Dear 1101 Students—
Welcome to your class blog. The purpose of this site is to give you an opportunity to practice writing as a craft and writing as public discourse.
At least once a week I will pose questions or comments for you, which I will derive from our readings, our class discussions, or other relevant sources (such as current events). During our in-class writing time, you will comment on the post (which should be between 200 and 400 words).
I suggest that you first write your comment in Microsoft Word, thereby giving you the chance to make editing changes, and also the opportunity to save your comment for the inevitable event of a computer lab crash.
At the end of your comment, you should write your first and last name, and the course number for your specific 1101 class.
Though you have more freedom in this setting than, say, an essay for an academic audience, I strongly urge you to remember that this is a public forum. Nearly 90 students will be participating in this blog, therefore, pay close attention to making your language accurate and eloquent, and above all, write with conviction and care.
Finally, the rules covered in the course syllabus regarding collegiality and respectfulness for your peers also apply to this forum. If you are concerned that your comment may blur an acceptable boundary, please see me before posting your comment to the site.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Happy blogging!
Cheers—
Jessica Jewell
beau burry said,
January 9, 2008 at 7:45 pm
1.
My name is Beau Burry; I am at GSC hoping to transfer to GaTech for an engineering degree in Building/Construction.
Most people agree that American Government needs to change, but there is trouble deciding what needs to be changed; I believe that we need to revert back to the ways of the founders of this great nation. Over the years America has drifted away from the policies of personal rights and freedoms our forefathers, the writers of the constitution, implemented long ago. It is my personal belief that above all we need pay careful attention to the original constitution and at all costs avoid making amendments to it (this includes amendments such as outlawing abortion and marriage laws; these decisions are to be left up to individual states to decide). Many other important things include: the security of our border, switching to a commodity backed currency, quit invading other countries for political and economic gain, decrease government spending and taxation, increase states rights, decrease international influences while maintaining free trade. Ron Paul is the man to make the America the home our ancestors once knew, and he has my first and any vote I cast.
Peter R Burry
Amy Holcombe said,
January 9, 2008 at 7:45 pm
My name is Amy Holcombe and I am 20 years old. I am majoring in structural engineering and enjoy doing anything outdoors. I am a big sports fan and love to watch and play about anything but am particularly fond of golfing.
Whenever I go camping it is always with friends but there are a lot of times that I go hiking by myself. I enjoy just getting away from normal life for a while. I’m not usually that afraid when I go hiking by myself; but due to the recent abduction and murder of Meredith Emerson it has seemed to spark some fear in my. Considering the fact that the very place she was abducted from is where I tend to usually go hiking.
I think culture has a lot to do with a fear women have now a days. Whether it’s walking to your car at night by yourself or hiking by yourself during the day. It is a very real and valid fear though. Most women, even if they are a black belt in martial arts, as Meredith was, strength wise doesn’t have the capability of fighting off a man most of the time. Men on average just tend to be stronger. Most women also are emotionally driven, and in situations where they are abducted, have a hard time not loosing it and giving into the emotion at the time. Where as most men have an easier time separating emotions from a situation and being able to maybe logically think how to beat their attacker and not just shut down and cry. Not that, that is all women do, there have been plenty of instances where women have either overpowered or logically beat their abductor. But on average most women when they are upset or are facing a situation they don’t know how to handle begin to shut down and cry.
I think that women need to be careful no matter where they are going but to not let it control your thinking. That just because it happened to someone else that it could happen to you. Take pre-cautions but don’t allow every story the media shares with us to consume your thinking.
Amy Holcombe
Noel Clark said,
January 9, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Hi, my name is Noel Clark and here is a little piece of my life; I am married with an 8 month old. I graduated from Lanier Tech with a diploma in Dental Assisting and finally after 3 years I am back to obtain my Dental Hygiene Degree.
Change is badly needed in this country, I would like to start off by saying the gas prices are undoubtedly ridiculous and until someone steps up to the plate to do is something about it, we will all continue to feel the pain of this situation. What I believe would be a good alternative is to possibly look into drilling on our own land. This would help the prices of oil and give many jobs to Americans. I don’t believe people realize how much oil affects every aspect of life from our grocery bill to our electric bill, everything is going up. I understand that most people believe supply and demand is the culprit behind all of this and I agree with this too, but I believe there are answers to everything and our government should be just a little more concerned with this issue.
Noel Clark
Jonathan Miles said,
January 9, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Hi, my name is Jonathan. I am employed by a large steel company as a District Sales Manager over the National Accounts Program. I am majoring in Business Management but, will probably change to Civil Engineering. I haven’t stepped foot in a classroom in 13 years so I am just getting back into the swing of things. I am married with no children and I enjoy fishing, water sports, snowboarding and playing music.
I believe that the recent plague of baseball players admitting to steroid use has a drastic affect on how the game of baseball is viewed. Like anything else in life, cheating is morally wrong and should be met with harsh punishment. Baseball is considered “America’s Game” and the recent turn of events is considered a slap in the face, by most purists. I also think that this is bad for the sponsors of baseball. What company wants to endorse a sport with this much bad press? I believe that the team owners, managers, and, ultimately, the players should be held responsible. Cheaters do not make good role models and we, as fans, should expect more out of our role models. These players, not only have a responsibility to the teams and the sport, but also an obligation to the fans, young and old. On a personal note, I am a huge fan of Clemens and I hope that he is telling the truth.
Alex Seburn said,
January 9, 2008 at 7:56 pm
My name is Alex Seburn and I am in my second semester at Gainesville College. Right now I am a business major but I am still a little undecided. I plan to attend Gainesville untill after next fall then transfer to either Kennesaw or Georgia State.
As far as my view on steroids and HGH tarnishing baseball, I would have to disagree. I think that steroids have led to players hitting 60 to 70 homeruns in a season. When players like Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire started breaking records, that really brought the fans back to baseball. If you are a true baseball fan than you should not let that interfere with your love for the game. It is the individual players that should be blamed. It is the individual players that should have their careers tarnished. Not baseball as a whole. The reason I think that is because baseball is a TEAM sport. If this were track or swimming that would be a different story, but baseball involves many players working together. This whole plight doesn’t change the way I view baseball, but it does change the way I view individual accolades. As a fan you have to understand that not everyone on every team is taking these substances. Baseball leaders are trying their best to get rid of cheaters, but there is only so much they can do. We are a liberty-first country therefore we can’t just raid random player’s houses looking for steroids. Yeah you have to be somewhat disappointed, but at the same time you have to realize that no system is perfect.
Alex Seburn
Dustin Melton said,
January 9, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Hi my name is Dustin Melton. I am a returning student to Gainesville College after attending Lanier Technical School for two years. I am currently working toward my associate’s degree and plan on becoming a History teacher in a couple of years.
The kidnapping and murder of Meredith Emerson was a dramatizing and a scary reality. Emotions start running high when you hear a story like this on the local news or radio station. Something like this happening so close to home might make you want to stay inside and hide yourself from the world. My reaction to this horrible tragedy was quite terrifying and interesting at the same time. My parents have a cabin in Union County about 6 miles from where the kidnapping took place. As a young kid, my family and I used to go on hikes in Blood Mountain and not see a soul for hours. Not until age of 16 did I really realize how much land and how easy it is to get lost out there, and what can happen if you find yourself lost.
I have gone and walked my dog in those mountains a hundred times and passed different strange looking people and kind of thought about it a little bit, but it never really worried me. That’s probably the same feeling that Meredith Emerson had just a short while before she was kidnapped.
I have been an outdoorsman my whole life and nothing has really ever scared me except for my little cousin shooting me with birdshot during a dove shoot or falling out of my tree stand, when deer hunting. So of coarse I’m not going to be afraid of going into the wilderness! In the past 15 years, the crime rate and incidents like this one have been increasing every year. It kind of makes you think that there is no safe place to go anymore, not even in a county like Union, where for fifty years, the deer population has been more than five times the human population.
My thoughts are kind of mixed about this whole thing. I have never been afraid of going into the woods unarmed or without someone else. But as you see on the news every night that things are changing and the world is never going to be simple again. The next time I go into the deep dark forest I might think otherwise and go prepared.
Samantha Willis said,
January 10, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Hey my name is Samantha Willis. I am currently working on my major in fine arts at GSC. My intentions are to transfer to Georgia State University upon a two year completion at Gainesville State.
Todays society tells us that it is unsafe for women to venture out without a man to protect her. I believe women are targets due to our natural vulnerablility. People would like to think that it is okay to conversate with a stranger, that most people are good. This belief is completely unsafe. The disappearance and murder of Meredith Emerson is a tragedy. I think that it is horrible that today’s society isnt safe for children to play outside or for someone to go out at all alone. However, I have to wonder how many young women are going to have to be killed before we realize how destructive this world really is. It is not safe for anyone regardless of age or sex to venture out into the wilderness or anywhere else alone. I would never say that Merediths murder was her fault but she should not have left without someone with her. Merediths intentions the day she went missing were to hike in the woods with her dog, she had no idea this would be her last walk.I believe that her murder can teach a much needed lesson-it can happen to you so use your knowledge when going out esspecially alone.
Amy Thornton said,
January 14, 2008 at 8:10 pm
I have been contemplating my thoughts on Global Warming and I guess I have never bothered to explore the subject at any great length. It has always seemed to me to be something Al Gore made up to keep himself in the public eye. I do believe there is some validity to the theory of Global warming and data to back it up, however I am not convinced.
I read the two articles my Professor indicated on the subject and found the articles very interesting and swayed my opinion, well, maybe. The article by Thomas L. Freedman intrigued me with the thought of many animal species becoming extinct. In his article he discusses two turtles, a male, and a female who shall apparently never meet, even though they will soon become an extinct species. He states “…we soon may be down to the last few pairs-a great loss.”
I suppose it’s because of people like me who do not believe there is a problem yet that those two turtles shall never meet. Hopefully the majority of the public is more informed and passionate then me.
Noel Clark said,
January 14, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Global warming has become a large concern for many ga residents, primarily because of our water shortage. I personally do not know if global warming is really the problem, but based on my media knowledge I can conclude that global warming is partially the cause. My belief is that global warming has always been around and will probally continue to grow into a larger problem. Although I do not believe that this is the only thing causing our local problem. I also belive that we as a state have also used the water in excess.for example, we send extra water to florida for protection of the endangered muscles . Not to sound so harsh, this is only my opinion, I do however believe that global warming is a problem.
Alex Seburn said,
January 14, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Global warming is indeed a problem in the world. It is caused by the pollution we give off by everyday just by driving to work or school. I believe Global warming will eventually end all life on our planet. It can take two hundred years or more. All I know is that if it has the ability to melt ice caps now it has the ability to destroy the earth later. I always believed that the greed of man will eventually be fatal and this is a classic example. If we went to smaller electric or solar powered cars, it might make buisenesses lose money. It’s always about the money. What we need to do as a world right now is to carpool and ride buses more.
I also think global warming will lead to more health problems like cancer. That will become an issue as the sun will begin to shine stronger. As the temperatures rise people will stay indoors more often and no one will be able to get any exercise or work done. The world may end up in an a vast drought as water will become scarce. Global warming and the greed of man will have plenty to do with the conclusion of life on Earth.
Amanda Cronan said,
January 15, 2008 at 6:35 pm
When I was a senior in High School my Biology teacher instructed me on the importance of my generation becoming aware of the ever present danger in global warming. Wikipedia Encyclopedia states, “Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation. Increasing global temperature will cause sea level to rise, and is expected to increase the intensity of extreme weather events and to change the amount and pattern of precipitation. Other effects of global warming include changes in agricultural yields, trade routes, glacier retreat, species extinctions and increases in the ranges of disease vectors.”
Through out the world the effects of global warming can be seen. The poles of the Earth have stared to melt. The sea levels are growing higher and higher and they are even bringing forth powerful sunomies. The change of weather patterns are so dramatic you could have one of the coldest and one of the hottest days of the year; on the same day! Due to the lake of rainfall lakes, rivers and mussels are all disappearing. In an article by Thomas Friedmans’s, “In the Age of Noah,” he cites a finding of Jim Yardley, who confirmed “the world’s last known female Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle was living in one Chinese zoo, while the planet’s only undisputed, known giant soft-shell male turtle was living in another — and together this aging pair were the last hope of saving a species believed to be the largest freshwater turtles in the world.”
The world we know is slowly changing for the worse because the human race has stopped caring for it. If this problem is not recognized soon the world we know today; very well may be another world we wake-up to tomorrow.