Occupy Con't

Today’s topic will continue on with the Occupy movement, but I’d like to chime in on the Occupy Wall Street event. So as I said before, the Occupy movement to me feels like a Robin Hood story. Taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Protestor’s slogans say that “We Are the 99%”. This refers to the growing difference in wealth in the U.S. between the wealthiest 1% and the rest of the population. I won’t really be talking about issues here today. I want to discuss the politicians that have gotten involved in this. How convenient that this issue can spark up just a year before a new election. Every candidate seems to have their own opinion about the situation. It just seems so repetitive that the Democrats will side with the American people and the Republicans to blame it on the already “failed” system that the president has built. It seems so tiring for the candidates to worry about this issue right now. Why can’t we just settle this between the people that need to be involved? Whoever gets nominated will deal with it but doesn’t it seem like they’re just saying things to get nominated? But hey, I’m not a political analyst. Those are just my thoughts.
Also I do wish that celebrities will stay out of political and economic matters. We do live in the Land of the Free so they have the right to do so, but I really hope their opinions are not swaying other individuals. Do I care that Miley Cyrus and Kanye West make songs and music videos about the movement? No. It’s like when MTV News had Ja Rule comment on the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Who gives a damn about what Ja Rule has to say on that matter. It’s ridiculous.

Occupy movement

o     I’d like  to discuss the Occupy movement. Now I’ll be first to admit that I don’t really know too much about this movement but judging from what I have read about the current topic and researching the background, it really feels like a significant action going on in the world. According to the news, “Occupy” has gone to over 82 countries. This must be what it felt like to live in the time of the Civil Rights Movement. Whether this movement will have that same impact is unlikely but it’s similar in way that we’re living in a time where so many people are fighting for a change. 95 cities across 82 countries is a lot. My understanding of the Occupy movement, particularly in the United States, is that the lower class people are fighting to stay equal with the upper class. What I’ve researched seems that the people in the movement feel the small percentage of the American people, which is the upper class, gets to control everything and “Occupy” wants to set things straight. It’s sort of like Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. In the end I do hope this works out for the best for everyone. But I'll leave you with a question...should the 'upper class', the ones who have worked extremely hard and achieved trememdous goals, be punished for their accomplishments? Just a thought.

A Newsworthy Issue

For this blog entry, I want to discuss a problem facing our country that needs MORE news attention. So what about Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries marriage only lasting 72 days. A real issue that needs news coverage every day until we see a change is the physical fitness and healthy nutrition of the American children. Let’s face it- few people are more active than young children but is their energy going to waste? It now seems children are not being taught how to live a healthy lifestyle in their home settings and also being rid of this knowledge at school. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention children and adolescents should do 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day. Along with a daily physical activity, children need to have a nutritional diet to maintain a healthy life. The American Heart Association reports that “today one in three American kids and teens are overweight or obese nearly triple the rate in 1963. With good reason, childhood obesity is now the no. 1 health concern among parents in the United States”. Diabetes, hypertension and other chronic obesity-related diseases that are prevalent among adults have now become more common in youngsters. The percentage of children and adolescents who are overweight and obese is now higher than ever before. Poor dietary habits and inactivity are reported to contribute to the increase of obesity in youth. Today's youth are considered the most inactive generation in history. Beyond the impact on chronic disease, physical inactivity and obesity place a significant burden on our society. “Nearly 17% of U.S. medical costs are attributed to the treatment of obesity and estimates for treatment of childhood obesity are approximately $14.3 billion.” Our nation needs to open their eyes to this prevailing problem and work towards preserving the children who are our FUTURE.

Last Inkwell Experience

With only one week left of the semester and no Inkwells left to be published I thought I was going to end up with only two articles. Thankfully, I have a wonderful professor and a tad bit of luck and was able to find an event to cover and have it published on the Online Inkwell. I was asked by the video production department to report on a ‘Welcome Home’ event for the Armstrong Women’s Soccer Team on Monday, December 5^th and immediately said yes. A few seconds later I thought to myself ‘what a great article for the Inkwell!’- Mr. Dawers and the Editor-in-Chief of the Inkwell couldn’t have agreed more. So there I was, getting my third article published!


This experience parallels my first experience. It was comfortable and smooth. I was able to get all of the quotes I needed (without any nerves in the way) and put together an article that covered the celebration of the Lady Pirates successful soccer season.

Basketball Article

While my first experience went smoothly, my second didn't quite follow the same path.  As I do every semester, I overloaded myself with school, theatre, work and extracurricular activities- leaving me very little time to attend events to report on for the Inkwell. Finally I found some time where I was able to contact the sports editor and get a move on my second article. It was about 2 PM on a Tuesday afternoon when I received an email asking if I could cover the women’s basketball game that evening at 5 30 PM. I swim coach Monday-Thursday from 415 – 615, so right there was my conflict. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to make it in time for the game, but luckily my boss let me leave after my first hour of coaching. With only a few short hours of notice before the game, I didn’t have much time to prepare and this being my first ever sports event that I was covering, I was nervous! I took notes and during halftime I thought of some questions I could ask during the interview. The Lady Pirates basketball team was on a winning streak and if they were to win this game they would advance to 5-0. Unfortunately, Armstrong did not win the game… and there I was left to interview a very upset coach and players! I was really hoping that they would win (for their sake and mine) so my first interview experience would be a little less tense. When the coach and players entered the room, the anger and heat was pouring from their body. My heart started pounding! I just wanted to get through the questions as fast as I could.

The interview came to an end and I couldn’t have been happier. I was just ready to get home, listen to my recording and write my article. Writing the article wasn’t so bad- I actually really enjoyed it! I sent the final product into the editor and he responded with ‘this is one of the better sports articles I’ve read all semester’, which I needed to hear!

For my next article, I will be more prepared and less nervous for the interview portion. Bring it on!

First Inkwell Experience

My first experience writing for the Inkwell was extremely comfortable and fun. I was assigned to write an article on the Hip-Hop dance class that is taught at the Armstrong Rec Center. In order for me to write the article, the editor recommended I attend the class to get firsthand experience on what I will be reporting.  When I arrived I hoped that I wouldn’t know anyone in the class because I’m a terrible dancer and knew I would probably make a fool of myself- but of course, out of the three other students that were there I knew one of them!  As the class started, you could tell we were all a bit hesitant to really let loose and enjoy the class, but that soon was all set aside. After about 10 minutes everyone was dancing away and working up a sweat! I ended up having a great time and experiencing a wonderful workout.

Following the class I interviewed the instructor and two students. They were all extremely helpful and considerate (since I told them it was my first time writing an article for the Inkwell). Once I got all of the quotes I needed I went home and started writing. I was told to mold my article after a specific student written article that was recently published. Having this article to follow was very useful. I was also told to incorporate a lot of quotes, which was easy to do since the instructor and students gave me a good amount to work with. About an hour and a half later I was finished and my first experience writing for the Inkwell was history! I really had a great time attending the class and writing the article. It was a lot easier than I thought…I can only hope that my next two will be the same!

'Enjoy that song; it'll cost you'

I don't know about you but I have definitely fallen victim of downloading music illegally. Yesterday I was going through my normal morning routine; driving to class and listening to kicks 96 when I heard some startling news. A man was being sued for an incredible amount of money for downloading music illegally. At this point I didn't know how much he was being sued for, I was just thinking about how many people I know, including myself and family members, that have downloaded illegally. I can honestly say that I do not download music near as much as I use to and now when I do it is usually through iTunes. When I returned home from class I immediately got on the computer and researched this issue. I came upon an article on foxnes.com and I learned that “In 2009, a Boston jury downgraded a ruling against Joel Tenenbaum for illegally downloading music files from $675,000 to just $67,500, deeming the original penalty "unconstitutionally excessive." Now in 2011, an appeals court has ruled that Tenenbaum must pay the $675,000. I’m unaware of how much music he actually downloaded before getting caught. “Lawyers representing the recording industry argued that the economic impact of illegal downloading is much greater than the sharing of one song”.

Now that I have friends trying to ‘make it’ in the music industry, I can relate sympathetically to the artists and record companies. The bands around Savannah make a good amount of their income from album sales. If people continue to download illegally and refuse to purchase music, these bands are left with little hope for their future. So next time you go to download music files make sure you are paying for them, so you aren’t left with a HUGE lawsuit to pay in the end.