Fast Food Baby-Chelsea Green

This weekend I chose to watch a documentary called, Fast Food Baby. The documentary was basically trying to reveal the dangers of allowing young children to consume fast food before a certain age. The documentary was set in the UK and followed around three families to see how they went about feeding their young children. They had children as young as 19 months consuming fried fast foods and sodas. The main argument that this film was trying to convey was that the early consumption of these foods could lead to anemia, obesity, a slowed rate of development in children, and many other health risks if consumed too early. The film brings in professionals to help consult the family on changes that can be mad to their children’s diets. They include scenes of the families shopping and showing what poor choices they make when they do so. They also grab attention by giving the families an idea of the future of the health of their children by warning them of heart disease, tooth decay, or even death. The film rhetorically supports their argument and appeals to any family with young children. They go into detail about how the conditions of the children can affect families emotionally. The film for the most part is very organized and observes each family separately. It chronologically shows the improvement of the children’s’ eating behaviors as they take on new diets, and shows the progression of the health of the children and the families as a whole. I am convinced but the film. Even though I don’t plan on having children any time soon, it left me thinking about the amount of fast food I put in my body and whether or not I will allow my children to even touch fast food. I enjoyed fruits and vegetables as a child, hopefully my children will too.

Jason Porter - "Aryan Brotherhood"

So, for our blog post this week, we were supposed to find a documentary that we were hopefully interested in and then write about it. The one that I chose to watch was called the “Aryan Brotherhood” and it really blew my mind. I like watching a lot of the shows about prison and this one came up on Netflix “because I watched Lock Up”. I knew that this was the documentary that I had to watch. This documentary really taught me a lot about the group’s history, customs, beliefs, and current standings in today’s prison systems. This documentary talks about the dark and violent nature of the members of the Brotherhood. It talks about how it got started and what they founded the organization on. One interesting thing that I found out was a big surprise to me. I have always assumed and believed that the Aryan Brotherhood was a white supremacy group. The documentary explains that they do not consider themselves to be white supremacists. Instead, they view themselves as “modern day cowboys”. They claim to bring justice within the prison system in such a way that the correctional officers do not. They said that, If a black guy and a white guy were fighting, and they knew that the white guy had seriously wronged the black guy, they would beat up/kill the white guy for what he had done wrong, an atonement of sorts. This documentary used several testimonials from actual group members which really established their credibility and drew in the viewer. The stories were violent, descriptive, and had an eerie tone to them, which, when put all together, acted as a perfect bait for the viewer and easily stirred their interest. I was really entertained for the entire movie and it really made me think, and it is because of this that I am convinced of the film’s argument.

Monica and David

The documentary I watched was entitled “Monica and David” and followed the lives of a newly wed couple with Downs Syndrome.  The main argument of the documentary was that there are no limits to achieving the American Dream.  This video proved that no matter what the situation, anyone can achieve their goals of independence and happiness.  This idea can be applicable in almost any situation with any person in our country, and gives hope to those who believed their own dreams were unattainable.  To grasp the attention of the audience, the documentary will often show the interesting interactions between individuals Downs Syndrome.  Most people are shocked at just how hard it can be for these people to communicate a message.  The documentary also uses visuals of the Downs Syndrome patients performing simple tasks, most of which they find quite difficult, and also includes interesting facts pertaining to Downs Syndrome.  These struggles fascinate ordinary people and lure them into watching the rest of the video.  These methods of grabbing an audience also act as rhetorical appeals.  On occasion, the video would show the Downs Syndrome couple completing tasks that are quite impressive, like administering diabetic medication and cooking.  This acts to support the argument that these people, even with their disabilities, are capable of so much more than previously believed.  The counterargument is also shown, like when the couple cannot perform simple tasks—proving the difficulties faced as well.  By providing both the triumphs and failures of the newlywed couple, the documentary is proving that dreams can only be achieved through hard work.  The films argument is organized chronologically and follows a year in the life of the couple, showing how much they grow in their marriage.  The film does an excellent job of defending its argument, and has even convinced me that almost anything is obtainable with hard work and dedication.

Beyonce: Life is But a Dream

There isn’t really a main argument of this documentary is more of a biography and a showing of Beyonce overcoming obstacles to get to where she is today. The theme may be to follow your dreams. The so what question really just pertains to the audience because the only people that are going to watch this documentary are probably already Beyoncé fans so it is really just more information about her life for entertainment purposes. The film uses live footage of Beyoncé in concert as well as old home videos to show that she was just a little girl with dreams that came true. The film uses many interviews and voice overs as well as picture slide shows to chronologically convey Beyoncé's exciting life. The film hits the audience on a personal level when dealing with family issues. Beyoncé explains her relationship with her father and later in life her husband and child. Her personal stories about the development of these relationships make her more relatable and less like an untouchable Goddess.  Near the end of the video Beyoncé goes into a religious point of view where she thanks God for everything and says she would not have been placed on this earth if it wasn’t for her Grandmother praying for her mother during pregnancy. She says “God is real” and “everything happens for a reason”. Although these seem cliché , throughout the video the viewer connects on such a personal level with Beyoncé that her words are so heartfelt and for that moment nothing else matters but the joy Beyoncé brings to people. Her music has changed lives and her documentary has absolutely changed my outlook on her for the better. Whether or not the film was attempting to argue that Beyoncé is an amazing person, inside and out, it convinced me of that much and so much more for certain.

Spring Break- Andrew Anderson

For spring break this year I went to New Orleans, Louisiana.  We drove down there on Tuesday and as soon as we got there we had to rush to check in to the hotel.  We got there at like six thirty and we were going to see the Hornets Celtics basketball game.   It was a really good game, the only down side was that the Celtics lost.  The next day we went to our next hotel which was in the heart of the French Quarter on Bourbon Street.  We did a swamp tour on an air boat which was kind of cool; the best part was being able to catch a wild alligator.  After that we went on a tour of the New Orleans Rum Distillery.  This was probably my favorite part of the trip because it is what I want to do when I grow up.  We got to see how everything works and how it’s all made and then after we got to sample all of their products.  After that we went to Acme Oyster House for dinner the just did Bourbon Street stuff the rest of the night.  The next day we went to Café de Monde for beignets and coffee, did a lot of shopping, had dinner at Mr. B’s Bistro, then did a lot of the Bourbon Street stuff again.  The next two days went almost the exact same way except we ate at more of the famous New Orleans places.  Our drive back took forever! We stopped at every outlet store on the way back to Greenville because they wanted to shop.  A drive that should have taken nine hours ended up taking two days.  The days we weren't down there I was just hanging out with my family and friends from back home.  Overall I’d say it was a great spring break!

Spring Break! Sadie M.

I have to say that my spring break was nothing short of perfect. It wasn't exciting in any particular way, but I wouldn't have changed a single thing about it. 
As embarrassing as it is to admit this, being at school so far away from home has been an intense struggle for me these past few months. I was (and to a certain extent still am) extremely attached to my friends and family back home. Most of my friends from high school are people I've known since childhood, and being so far away from them is a new and difficult experience. The one positive, however, is that I truly cherish the time I'm able to spend with them.
After relaxing and spending time with my cousin and her friends over the weekend, Monday was my first day out on the town. Living next to New York City and craving all the kinds of food I can't get in South Carolina, we went to China Town!
"XO Kitchen" is one of our favorite spots, as it offers truly authentic Chinese cuisine for extremely cheap prices (especially by New York standards.)


We ordered some of our favorite dishes (many of which do not have names in English, so I will do my best to describe them.)


This dish is called congee or juk. It is a rice based soup often eaten when one is feeling ill, almost like porridge. The dish may look simple, but the flavoring is complex and it makes this dish completely irresistible!



This next dish has no recognizable name. It is fried dough wrapped in soft noodle with hoisin sauce (a very sweet sauce that is a bit thicker than soy sauce.)

Next we stopped at Bubbly Tea to get Bubble Tea!

Bubble Tea is a milk and tea beverage originally from Taiwan that is available in many different flavors. What makes it a unique drink is that the "bubbles" or boba, are little spheres of chewy tapioca that you eat as you enjoy your drink. (For anyone who wants to try, Tiger Tea in Clemson has very authentic bubble tea!)

Mariah Lawrence Spring Break

My spring break was great but pretty uneventful. I decided to spend most of my break relaxing because I felt like I needed it. I had to go to to the doctor twice to run tests on my kidney to make sure they aren’t getting worse. While I was laying in the MRI machine, I contracted some sort of monster cold so that took up a lot of my time. I got to spend time with my family which is always nice. I have a really good relationship with my mom and dad that I really really appreciate. I try to spend a lot of time with them whenever I get to go home. I got to see my boyfriend. I really missed him so that was great. Doing the long distance thing is hard but it makes seeing him that much more special. Seeing old friends always makes me happy. Most of them were back at school but I got to see a few that are really important. I got to eat real, wonderful, heavenly, food. It was one of the highlights of my week. Not having to eat dining hall food is always one of the best parts of being home. I had good pasta that wasn’t one of the most inconvenient shapes that pasta could ever be and sauce that wasn’t just tomato paste. I had pork tenderloin, my favorite meal that my dad makes. Yeah, I didn’t really do much at all. I got to see my dog and cat! My cat’s name is Gatsby and he is one of my favorite things on the planet. We cuddled together and watched Tim Burton movies and it was absolutely wonderful. My dog always makes everything in the world seem okay, which is exactly what I needed. I apologize that this was the worst blog entry ever, but I didnt really do anything worthwhile.

Spring Break - Erika Funke

            For my spring break I went to Panama City Beach with my roommate and two of her sorority sisters. On the way to Panama City, I was pulled over twice. The first time I was pulled for driving 92 in a 70. I am now considered a super speeder in Georgia, and have to pay three hundred dollars. Immediately after arriving in Panama City, we were escorted to our room by security guards and had to pour out all of our alcohol and my roommate’s fake was taken. Luckily, I made best friends with the security guard (picture below). This was probably the unluckiest beginning to our first college spring break considering that everybody at that hotel was underage running around with handles, but we stayed optimistic. The next day we soaked up the sun on the beach and met up with other Clemson students. We usually had too much fun during the day and never made it out at night. I use to live in PCB and didn’t remember how trashy and expensive it could be… I’m not going to lie though, I did have fun amongst the crazy people in PCB plus we all agreed on being hit on by every disgusting drunk boy from Wisconsin and New York was definitely a self esteem booster. I highly recommend that everyone take a break from the stressfulness of college and go to Panama City for a spring break. The beginning of break led us to question if we would have fun, but the end was worth it. And after befriending the security guard, my roommate even got her fake back! It was quite the entertaining break full of fantastic memories, great friends and crazy experiences.  My only regret was not checking into the hotel as a twenty one year old.

Spring Break!

Though I didn't go anywhere too exciting for Spring Break, it was still wonderful to be able to relax at home in Lexington, SC for the week and not have to worry about any school work (even though I had every intention to do some over the break). First off, the timing for the break was perfect! It just so happened that it was the same week that my sister was coming home for a visit from where she lives now in New York City. It was definitely nice to have her home and spend time with her! Also, my childhood best friend was in town from Ohio for the first weekend of break, so we got to hang out and catch up the entire weekend. She left Sunday morning, and I pretty much just laid low for the rest of the day.

Throughout the week, I babysat a few times for one of the families that I babysat for all the time during high school. It was so nice to make a little bit of extra money to come back to Clemson with. Other than this, there wasn't really too much to do, so my roommate and I decided we would go play some tennis. Because of this, we came up with the brilliant idea that we would sign up for intramural women's doubles when we got back to Clemson, so I am definitely anxious to see how that goes! On Friday, I caught up with the special needs kids that I worked with in high school, and then I left for Charleston in the afternoon to go to my sister's friend's wedding. The wedding was so much fun, and even though none of my friends were there, I had a blast with my sister's friends! We stayed the night in Charleston and went shopping at Tanger Outlets the next day before we left.

I was definitely sad when the weekend rolled around because I knew that the break was coming to an end. Luckily for me though, I had another surprise waiting for me before it was over. Another family that I babysit for and am really close to invited me to go to the Taylor Swift concert in Columbia on Saturday night because the dad decided that he did not want to go. My sister was a little jealous, but I was not going to pass up on the offer. The concert was pretty fun! I mean I went for free so I can't complain at all. That was pretty much the end to my break, as my roommate and I headed back to Clemson Sunday afternoon to crank out the rest of this semester!

Spring Break at home!

My spring break was filled with awesomeness. Unlike most of the people I know I didn’t go down to the beach or to Florida or out of the States in general. I just simply went to the place I call home Columbia, South Carolina. My spring break consisted of golfing with friends and my father, working in the yard, getting my truck, just living life at home and absolutely no school work.

While on spring break I played golf three times at two different courses. The first round was at The Club at Rawls Creek and I played with some friends from high school. The second round was at Goldenhills Country Club with my roommate. The final round was back at The Club at Rawls Creek with my father. All rounds of golf were fun and I learned that I needed to practice more before I plan on playing again. While playing golf was fun I also had other work that my grandfather and grandmother needed help with.

While on my spring break at helped my grandma do laundry and I helped my grandfather with re-sodding his front yard and racking leaves. While both activates where not fun being able to hangout with my grandparents was well worth the extra work because I don’t get to see them as much as I used too. Some things I learned is that re-sodding a yard is some hard work and being bored at the laundry mat is no fun. The highlight of the week was defiantly driving a truck all week only to figure out I get to keep it and bring it back to Clemson with me.

My new truck is a Ford Ranger XLT. My dad got it for me and allowed me to drive it all week. At first I wasn’t going to be able to take it back to Clemson but then my dad just deicide that I could so I was very happy. Along with all the hard work and driving my truck I also liked just sleeping in my own bed and eating my mothers cooking and seeing my dog. My overall spring break experience was great and I am so ready for summer.

Spring Break- Sarah Anne Semke

My spring break was definitely a memorable one, but not really for the best reasons. I came home on Friday to a house full of sick family members. My mom, two sisters, and brother all had the noro virus. They were all in their beds with the throw ups, a fever, and it transitioned into a horrible cough and stuffy nose. This nasty virus was enough to knock my family out for an entire week. My dad and I were the only ones to escape the virus. He and I got to spend some quality time together while my siblings and mom were sick but when he left for a five day business trip Monday, I was left rather lonely for the remainder of my break. So rather than sit in my room and watch Netflix, as tempting as that was, I decided to start my summer job hunt. I created my resume first, which turned out into a harder process than I thought. I had no idea the intense formatting and detail that when into creating a proper resume. I then started the job hunt, traveling around my hometown of Winston Salem with my resume hoping someone was looking for summer workers. Unfortunately, I didn’t leave spring break with a summer job set up, however, I did apply for six jobs at various places across town so I am hoping for some phone calls soon. Thankfully by Saturday my family members felt better and I got to spend the day with them watching basketball and running errands. Though it was not much, I was still so happy to get to spend time with my family finally! We also began to plan our summer trip to Italy. We are going on this trip to celebrates my mother’s 50^th birthday so she is picking what activities we will be doing. We have decided that we are going to spend some time in Rome and Vatican City. We are hopeful to be able to see the new pope, Pope Francis. It was fun to start planning an exciting fun vacation since my spring break vacation was less than exciting. 

Spring Break!!!

     Over the first weekend of my Spring Break, I went to my cousin’s wedding in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a blast! There was lots f dancing and fabulous food.  I got to catch up with cousins and extended family that I haven’t seen in quite a while.  We left for Atlanta the Thursday that I got out of school and we came back on Sunday, so it was a whole weekend of numerous events and we were on the go the whole time, which was great!  For the rest of the break I hung out around my hometown, Greenville, South Carolina.  When I got back Sunday night, I got together with one of my closest friends who moved to Germany with her family for the year.  She has come to the states for about three weeks and I hadn’t seen in about seven to eight months, so it was great to get to catch up with her!  Because I will be on my own for food next year and have always wanted to learn how to cook, my mom and I went to a cooking class on Monday.  It was Italian themed so we got to learn how to cook a couple different Italian dishes.  Over the break, I have also taken three tennis lessons because I have become more interested in playing tennis since I have started going to Clemson.  I really enjoyed them and would highly recommend it to anyone who has the slightest interest in tennis.  In the midst of all of this I have been babysitting and catching up with friends here and there.   Lastly, I went to another wedding in Greenville on the Saturday before going back to school!  Although I may not have gone anywhere too exciting for my Spring Break, I had a great time catching up with friends and family that I haven’t seen for quite a while which to me is always a big treat!!

Child Pageants - Recent Article

Henson, Melissa. “’Toddlers and Tiaras’ and Sexualizing 3-Year-Olds.” CNN. CNN Opinion, 13 September 2011. Web. 21 February 2013.

This is a picture of a young girl, more specifically her mother and others like her, protesting at a child beauty pageant in Melbourne, Australia, that was hosted by the same company behind the U.S. show “Toddlers & Tiaras”. The general public, view my topic as shameful, harmful, and over-sexualizing to children, as can be seen in this photo and in the article containing it. Some common issues that the women in this picture are protesting are that it teaches young girls that not everyone is beautiful, you need to look a certain way to be successful, and the “stealing away” of the innocence of little girls. This can supposedly lead to eating disorders, diminished cognitive and emotional development, sexual violence, and a lack of women pursuing jobs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. What is particularly upsetting to me about this picture are the two posters that say “All kids are beautiful” and “Pageant culture is toxic”. One of the many common misconceptions about child pageants is that the children who are the skinniest or prettiest or have the sexiest costumes and routines always win and therefore are promoted by child pageants. This is not true. Judges for child pageants openly admit that what they look for most in the contestants is happiness, confidence, and their enjoyment of performing. They also make sure to have many individual awards so that almost every child gets to go home with a trophy or some sort of prize. Child pageants are to show every child that they are beautiful and are in no way all about trying to show off the child in the “sexiest” outfit. The poster that reads “Pageant culture is toxic” displays the exact line of thinking that I plan to disprove with my paper. Pageants are not toxic or degrading, but help to produce healthy, confident women in all aspects of life, including their personal appearance and their beliefs.

Inclusion Article

Focusing on the topic of special education inclusion, I found an article that was published just last month that discusses the details of experimenting with full inclusion in the classroom. Overall, full inclusion is not an educational that many people agree with because they believe that it hinders the learning of regular education students who were already in a regular education classroom. The education of disabled students has always been a controversial issue in society, but with things such as the disability rights movement, there has been some headway concerning this issue.

This article focuses on an educational project that is taking place in New York City known as the IDEAL School that was founded by a group of parents. This IDEAL School is a totally inclusive environment, but it really puts the focus on each individual student’s different needs. It allows students to learn at his or her own pace, and this helps not only special education students but also students that take a little more time learning or need certain things taught to them in a different way. This school tries to incorporate each student’s various needs into the normal school day so students do not feel like they are being singled out.

When I first chose the topic of special education inclusion, I was looking at it from a very broad point of view, but I realize that this cannot be done. In my research paper however, I will focus on some broad aspects regarding inclusion, and I think research and articles such as this one can help prove how inclusion can be viewed as successful in different environments if it is approached the right way. A lot of the public believes that inclusion is unsuccessful in any environment, but it is very dependent on the effort that is put into to it to provide a meaningful learning experience for all students, regardless of their intellectual or physical disabilities.

“Experimenting With Full Inclusion of Disabled Students in the Classroom.” Care 2. 23 Feb 2013. Web. 11 March 2013 <http://www.care2.com/causes/experimenting-with-full-inclusion-of-disabled-students-in-the-classroom.html>.

Wolf Hunt Article

The article I chose for my current media piece concerning my research topic was taken from MNN’s website and was just released this past week.  MNN is the Mother Nature Network, a News website devoted to topics surrounding our earth and the creatures that inhabit it.  The article is entitled “Wolf Politics Raise Hackles in U.S. West” and it discusses the current controversy surrounding the newly legalized wolf hunt in the western United States.  The article begins by stating the cold, hard, facts:  the wolf hunt is now legal in the U.S. for the first time in nearly 40 years.  The Grey Wolf was only recently removed from the endangered species list in many of the states thanks to determination in wolf conservation over the years.  The article specifically focuses on the state of Montana and the opinions of its two-legged inhabitants.  The new laws particularly please ranchers and hunters in the area, due to the fact that wolves could pose a threat to their livestock and elk.  Even local politicians are speaking out in support of the new wolf-hunting season, claiming that the hunt will cause more conflict between humans if wolf hunting is not legalized.  The article also shares the importance of the wolf in the ecosystem, especially surrounding Yellowstone National Park.  The wolf is said to be the “keystone predator” involved in the development of a healthy park ecosystem—this benefits all living creatures in Yellowstone.  The opinions of those opposed to the wolf hunt are also mentioned.  Some complain that the trapping of the wolves is “inhumane” and “unnecessary”.  Others claim the trapping and killing of wolves will cause the Livestock owners even more loss of life due to the abundance of young and inexperienced wolves hunting.  The article closes by saying how the disputes over the wolf hunt will likely continue long into the future, and hopefully there will be a healthy compromise on the issue.

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/blogs/wolf-politics-raise-hackles-in-us-west

Social Phobia in Social Media? - Laura Wewers

Social Phobia has been a large phenomenon in the media.  Since social media is becoming ever more prevalent and popular, it has been shown in studies that the absence of this social media causes stress and anxiety in individuals.  Studies have shown that the population is dependent upon this social interaction through online resources.  In a study done by the non-profit organization Anxiety UK, showed that over 73% of the participants would panic if they lost their smartphone, and 54% of these individuals admitted to sleeping with and checking their phone during the night.  These addictions can lead to sleeping problems, anxiety.  So is social media causing anxiety in the population?  But are social media users more anxious, or do more anxious people gravitate toward online interaction?

            In a study don’t by the University of Bergen in Norway, Facebook user addiction was measured finding that those with poor sleeping habits used Facebook more often.  It was also reported that people who were more anxious and socially insecure used Facebook more often than those who had lower scores on those traits, as Dr. Cecilie Schou Andreassen stated.  Dr. Andreassen stated that this measurement could be due to the fact that socially insecure individuals find it easier to communicate via online rather than face-to-face interaction. Therefore, social media might be a great coping process that eases a person with social phobia into forming connections and friendships with other people.  It is human nature for us to want human interaction and seek a sense of belonging; it is abnormal for our species to want to be alone.  We are social creatures naturally.  People who are diagnosed with social phobia feel most uncomfortable alone. Socially anxious or phobic individuals seek human interaction but are held back by their fears of others opinions and their fears of embarrassment.  It can even be speculated that social media is becoming ever more popular due to the increased prevalence of people plagued by this disorder.