Nothing to talk about...

Journal 2-6


Nothing to talk about...


I. In last week's blog I said that I would research ways to improve the Leadership website. In the previous journal I had examined the website for myself and picked out what I thought was wrong with it. Now I want to start looking into fixing it. Here's what I found:

• http://online-social-networking.com/10-more-easy-ways-to-improve-your-website 
• http://fadtastic.net/2007/06/10/25-ways-to-improve-your-site-today/

The first website lists 10 simple tips for improving your website. The second website provides a categorized guide to enhancing your website's setup.


II. This week in class we watched two different TED talks, both revolving around the idea of compassion. The first speaker was a woman named Karen Armstrong. It was a little bit hard to focus on the things she was saying because of her odd appearance and her accent. The gap between her teeth and her awkward hairstyle made it difficult to stare at her, and her british accent distracted me from retaining the words that she said. Her main idea was religious tolerance. A kind of "centralized religion" centered around the golden rule. The second speaker was a male, whose name I do not recall. His speech was much easier to listen to and focus on, although his ideas were harder to comprehend. I remember him talking about win-win lose-lose situations (like a consumer purchasing a product is a win-win situation). As for the rest of it...I really don't have a clue. Towards the end of the week we played a "game" that had a prison scenario, a car scenario, and a battle of the sexes scenario. The object of the game was to basically use telepathy and cooperate with your partner in a way that would score the most points for each of you.

The Charter For Compassion: Another Huge Step Towards A One World Religion?. (n.d.). The Last Days. Retrieved January 31, 2011, from http://signsofthelastdays.com/archives/the-charter-for-compassion-another-huge-step-towards-a-one-world-religion

As far as the charter for compassion goes, I agree with a point that Jeremy made. That is, the charter seems like a good idea, however it isn't actually a realistic goal. All the various sects of Christianity can't even come to agreement, so there is no way that other religions can be incorporated into this "centralized religion" as well. People will believe what they want to believe and practice what they want to practice. Basically the charter is somewhat taking away freedom of religion. It would be literally impossible to get even two religions in sync, much less all of them. As far as the prison game goes, I thought it was a really entertaining activity. There really wasn't too much strategy to it, you just had to kind of read your partner's mind. Depending on whether you chose to cooperate with your partner or screw them over, you either ended up benefitting or screwing over yourself at the same time.

cyber spirit cafe: November 2009. (n.d.). cyber spirit cafe. Retrieved January 31, 2011, from http://cyberspiritcafe.blogspot.com/2009_11_01_archive.html

For my idea that we didn't discuss in class, I want to go back to an older topic. It doesn't have too much to do with this week's topics, but it goes along with the lingering idea of transforming Leadership. We had a bit of a discussion about it in Mr. Schumacher's class on Thursday, I believe it was. We got into a class chat about the idea of a lock-in. Now I understand that a sleepover with 199 other students doesn't appeal to everyone. But it came as a surprise to me that there are several people who simply aren't interested in the idea of Leadership bonding at all. They just don't care. There's no desire to get to know the other kids in the program. I feel like that's an opportunity that would be stupid to pass up. The opportunity to create new friendships is a valuable thing. I hope that somehow we can inspire those people who's hearts aren't in it to change their minds.

Friendship - Loldogs, Dogs 'n' Puppy Dog Pictures - I Has A Hotdog!. (n.d.). Loldogs, Dogs 'n' Puppy Dog Pictures - I Has A Hotdog!. Retrieved January 31, 2011, from http://dogs.icanhascheezburger.com/2008/06/01/funny-dog-pictures-friendship-we-has-it

III. For next week's blog I want to research some more information about the Charter for Compassion. I'll take a look at whatever websites I can find that touch on the idea. Do other people think it is realistic? What would it take to actually make something like that happen?

Leadership Transformation

Journal 2-5

Leadership Transformation

I. In last week's journal I stated that my mission for this week would be to take a look at the current Leadership website and analyze it for myself.
Some things I like about the website:
-that there are a lot of pictures on the home page
-that the website is easy to navigate
-that the home page is mainly black, it makes it look very bold
Some things I would change:
-include other pictures on the home page instead of just the class of 2013
-change the fonts, they're all very boring
-edit the mission statement and program goals to fit the "new ideas" about Leadership

2010 March :: Mitchell Kapor Foundation Weblog. (n.d.). Mitchell Kapor Foundation Weblog. Retrieved January 22, 2011, from http://blog.mkf.org/2010/03

II. We spent some of last week and the beginning of this week discussing what we currently think about the Leadership program. After accumulating all the student input, it was decided that:
-Leadership needs more international relations
-Leadership needs bigger/more service projects that are more beneficial to the community
-all 200 Leadership kids need to have a lock-in, promoting bonding between grade levels
-Leadership needs to involve the rest of the school, as well as interact with it
-there needs to be more sex appeal to the Leadership program
-Leadership and International Relations needs a shortened name
-the Leadership council needs to be expanded to include more individuals
We thoroughly discussed the changes that could be made to our program, recieving all kinds of useful input. There is now an "idea wall" set up in the quad so we can begin our transformation. Also this week we looked at a case study regarding a college "study group" in which students basically trade work for friendship. Finally, we looked at a document that introduced us to the Golden Rule, as well as many other rules that are considered ethical.

My personal thoughts regarding the transformation of Leadership are basically the same as the majority. The lock-in idea originated at my first period table, and it's my favorite suggestion. It would take a good bit of work to organize, considering we would have to find a location to hold the lock-in as well as set up chaperones. However I think it would be an awesome bonding experience for the kids in the center. My thoughts regarding the case study about "the file" are very negative. I think it's a ridiculous concept because not only do I view it as cheating, but also the "friends" that you gain from this group are fake friends. Friendship can not possibly be based off of a trade of work. That's not a good enough foundation. Also, if this group ever gets caught, they're really going to be in for some trouble. As for the Golden Rule packet, I thought it was very interesting to be introduced to the other "metal rules", shall we say. First of all I had no idea that any of them existed. While I don't fully understand some of them, I think each one holds it's own different values.

Mendoza, G. (n.d.). Leadership Development « Clayton Early Learning. Clayton Early Learning. Retrieved January 22, 2011, from http://www.claytonearlylearning.org/blog/?cat=17

Something that we didn't touch on too much in class is how we're going to involve the rest of the school in the Leadership Center. I definitely think it's something that needs to be done, and it was briefly mentioned in class, but there wasn't too much discussion about it. I know from personal experience that most people show no respect to the program. I've heard remarks like "the Leadership cult" and "you only got into that club because you're in leadership" and "the leadership kids think they're better than everyone". Hearing things like this tends to take away the pride of being in the program. Somehow we need to establish an understanding with the rest of the school, getting them involved in our endeavors.

this one was an experiment: creating the gold color and using the thck acrylic flat brush in callgraphy style - Essentials Cafe. (n.d.). Essentials Cafe. Retrieved January 22, 2011, from http://essentialscafe.com/forums/p/3542/12290.aspx

III. How can the Leadership website be improved? For next week's class I want to research ways of giving a website more pizazz. I'll come up with new ideas for the Leadership website that will draw more attention to it.

d0cum3n+@r!3$

Journal 2-4

d0cum3n+@r!3$

I. In my last journal I decided I wanted to do some research on two very similar cereal brands (Kellogg's and General Mills), to see what persuades customers to buy one or the other. Here's what I found:
http://www.acaloriecounter.com/breakfast-cereal.php >> This website has nutritional facts for a variety of Post, Kellogg's, Kashi and General Mills cereals. This research shows that General Mills makes 5 of the top 9 best cereals to eat, and Kellogg's only makes 1 of the 9. It also shows that General Mills makes 9 of the top 23 worst cereals to eat, while Kellogg's makes 10 of the 23. Based on this information, General Mills is the healthier choice. Other than this, I was not able to find much information dealing with the comparison of these two brands. Personally, in my house we prefer General Mills to Kellogg's, Post or Kashi.

Rose, S. R. (n.d.). LifeStyle Group. LifeStyle Group. Retrieved January 17, 2011, from http://lifestylegroup.blogspot.com/

II. During the entire holiday season we worked on our midterm documentaries. We had to form a group, choose a topic, choose interviewees, get release forms signed, do filming, edit, make a trailer, and produce a final product. We were to create an ethical or unethical documentary that ranged anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes long. We could choose to use fallacies and loaded language, or avoid them. There was a requirement of at least 3 documentary making techniques such as: camera angles, phantom interviewing, behind-the-scenes work not shown in the film, etc. Once the final product was produced, it was turned in along with a written portion of the exam, in which we discussed the purpose, techniques and analysis of the documentary. We then viewed the documentaries in class so we could see what our peers came up with. When each group's documentary was viewed by the class, the group gave an oral presentation as well.

DOCUMENTARY APPRECIATION CLASS: LOUIS THEROUX DOCUMENTARIES. (n.d.). DOCUMENTARY APPRECIATION CLASS. Retrieved January 17, 2011, from http://www.documentaryclass.com/2008/09/louis-theroux-documentaries.html

Personally I thought the documentary making project was a very positive experience. It provided an opportunity for extreme creativity. There was an endless amount of possibilites, basically. One of the biggest issues my group was faced with is that we made a poor decision with who we selected initially to be in the group. There was one member who made it particularly difficult for the rest of the group to function. That person was the owner of the computer on which we would do all of our editing. However she never seemed to be readily available to work with the group. This situation made for a very challenging editing process. Also, due to technological issues, she failed to turn the documentary in on time as well. This caused us to get points docked on our overall score. Besides the teammate issues, my group worked very well together and we had a blast. It was so much fun to do the filming, especially since we starred in parts of the documentary ourselves. I thoroughly enjoyed this project and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Ali., & 2010. (n.d.). List of Enlightening Documentaries: Watch for FREE Online | S. Ali Myers | www.alimyers.net. S. Ali Myers | Holistic Metaphysician | Holistic Health & Metaphysics. Retrieved January 17, 2011, from http://alimyers.net/archives/769


One thing that was briefly mentioned in class was the idea of using our documentaries outside of the classroom. Corey suggested that we perhaps make a documentary for the Leadership website, showing off what it's all about. I think that's a great idea. Now that we understand documentary techniques and we've had a chance to make our own, we have a good enough understanding to produce them for other topics. There are so many ways in which documentaries can be used. I definitely think it would be a good idea to see where else we can use them. Taking our skills beyond the classroom is one of the major goals of the Leadership program. Therefore we should consider ways in which we can use documentaries elsewhere. Not only can they provide the most honest information possible, but they're fun and fairly easy to make.

Free Documentaries (DocumentaryGuy) on Twitter. (n.d.). Twitter. Retrieved January 17, 2011, from http://twitter.com/documentaryguy

III. At the end of this week's class we started talking about ways that we can improve the Leadership program. We discussed some ideas such as: going on international trips, shortening our name, doing broader and more commuity service, etc. For next week's blog I plan to take a look at our website and analyze it for myself. I'll go through every aspect of the website and provide my own feedback as to how we can improve it.

my. attempt. at. an. ethics. journal.

Journal 2-3

my. attempt. at. an. ethics. journal.

I. In last week's blog I said that I would do some research on documentary making. After searching the internet, here is what I found:
the following website had some valuable information:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2002129_make-a-documentary.html

source: "How to Make a Documentary | eHow.com." eHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2010. http://www.ehow.com/how_2002129_make-a-documentary.html.

II. This week in class we finished watching "The Persuaders". It was a really interesting film with a lot of valuable information. For two class periods we watched brand analysis presentations. Among those were The North Face, Mizuno, Nike, Hershey's, Bloch, Puma, and Poptarts.We had to include our personal idea of what a brand is, a brand that we're loyal to, that brand's logo, the brand's controversial issues, and an advertisement for that brand. On Friday we had a substitute. We spent the class period working on a worksheet about fair use in documentary making.

source:

direct, p., & man, U. c. (n.d.). Welcome to United Gift Inc! A Unique Crystal Art Source Manufacturer You Have Never Seen in the US! Design, Manufacturing for Business to Business.. Welcome to United Gift Inc! A Unique Crystal Art Source Manufacturer You Have Never Seen in the US! Design, Manufacturing for Business to Business.. Retrieved December 5, 2010, from http://www.unitedgiftinc.com/index.html

I thought that "The persuaders" was a rather interesting film. There was one part that particularly interested me. An advertising expert put a bunch of people in a room and had them rate their feelings about an ad as it went along. He watched their combined ratings on a graph and took notice to where the interest level was the highest. From that, he was able to understand what key words and phrases catch the audience's attention, attracting them to the product. Based on his consumer testing results, he is able guide producers into making the most appealing adversitements. I thought that was pretty ingenious. I also thought it was pretty cool to hear the research my classmates did on their favorite brands. From my brand analysis I learned that there is a company called The South Butt in competition with The North Face. From Matt's analysis i learned that Poptarts got sued because someone's toaster caught on fire. From Arius's analysis I learned that the creator of Puma and the creator of Adidas are brothers.

source:

North Face v. South Butt « Pittsburgh Trademark Lawyer. (n.d.). Pittsburgh Trademark Lawyer. Retrieved December 5, 2010, from http://pittsburghtrademarklawyer.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/north-face-v-south-butt/

Something we didn't discuss in class that I think is worth discussing is how much of a bandwagon effect there is on some brand name products. There are at least fifteen brands that I'm loyal to simply because "everyone else is" or because "all the cool kids have it". Some examples would be Rainbow flipflops, North Face jackets, Ugg boots, Vera Bradley bags, and Chi hair straighteners. Sometimes all it takes for a product to gain popularity is one of the "cool kids" using it. Soon enough everyone is using it because it's the newest ticket to popularity. Basically, all it takes is for the right person to start using a product.


III. For next week's blog I want to do some research some brand comparisons. I want to take similar brands like Kelloggs and General Mills and compare the consumer rates for each. I'm interested to see which products have proved to be better than their ridiculously similar competition.

Thanksgiving break...I forgot what we did in class...oops

Journal 2-2


Thanksgiving break...I forgot what we did in class...oops


I. In last week's blog I said that I wanted to know more about the group in Dallas that is similar to the Maine Troop Greeters. I had a difficult time finding any information about this group. However there were two articles that at least proved the existence of the Dallas troop greeters.


http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/20/they-need-to-know-theyre-loved/
>> The first paragraph talks about a woman who greets troops at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport


source:
Volunteers greet troops every day - Washington Times. (n.d.). Washington Times - Politics, Breaking News, US and World News. Retrieved November 28, 2010, from http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/20/they-need-to-know-theyre-loved/.




http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local-beat/Returning-Soldier-Surprises-Wife-at-DFW-Airport.html
>> A young girl was greeting incoming troops at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, and to her surprise, her husband was one of them


source:
Surprise! Troop Greeter Gets to Welcome Husband | NBC Dallas-Fort Worth . (n.d.). NBC Dallas-Fort Worth - Local News, Weather, Traffic, Entertainment, Events, Breaking News | NBC Dallas-Fort Worth . Retrieved November 28, 2010, from http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local-beat/Returning-Soldier-Surprises-Wife-at-DFW-Airport.html. 



II. Last week we started watching a film called "The Persuaders" and began working on our storyboards for our documentaries. "The Persuaders" is an interesting film about the techniques and motives of the advertising industry. It shows a bunch of different commercials and analyzes the persuasion techniques behind them. We did a worksheet on brand loyalty and talked about what brands we stay loyal to and why. As far as storyboarding goes, we looked at an example of an ideal storyboard, and talked with our groups about how we would set up our documentary. We also watched two short videos, in which a guy discussed the basic ground rules for making a documentary. He talked about lighting, interviewing, camera angles, zooming, etc.

source:

"What’s Your Advertising Technique? | Gas Station Advertising." GasStationAdvertising.com - Executing Non-traditional advertising ideas.. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. http://www.gasstationadvertising.com/business-advertising/104-what%E2%80%99s-your-advertising-technique/.

source:

Creative Advertising Techniques That Work - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum. (n.d.). Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum. Retrieved November 28, 2010, from http://www.contractortalk.com/f12/creative-advertising-techniques-work-67079/.

Personally I think the advertising unit is very interesting. It's interesting to be exposed to the trickery and deceit that comes along with everyday adversiting. I love to watch commercials and you begin to have a greater appreciation for them once you've been behind the scenes. One brand that I am loyal to is Rainbow flip flops. I've never seen a commercial for them, but they're certainly advertised by the general public. When you go into a shoe store, the Rainbows are generally on a rack behind the counter. This alone proves that they're high quality. I'm loyal to Rainbows because they're the most comfortable flip flops i've ever put on my feet. Also they're extremely durable. I've had the same pair for two years and they've been through dirt, mud, rain, snow, and tons of wear and tear. They've faded in color and the leather is worn down, but they're still perfectly usable.

source:

"Keely-Okie." Keely-Okie. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. http://keelyokie.blogspot.com/.

Something we haven't discussed in class that I find very interesting about advertising is radio advertisements. They're really different because there's nothing to see, and "seeing is believing". Are radio advertisements still equally as effective? Do they bring in as much business as TV and magazine ads do? I know that personally, I switch the radio station when the commercials come on. I hate listening to people talk, so if there's nothing to look at, I don't want to hear about it. Radio advertising does nothing for me unless I happen to hear a key word at the very beginning that holds my interest. Usually those are just about concerts or upcoming events though.


III. For next week's blog I want to do some more research on documentary making. Those videos we watched were very helpful, but I feel like there is more to be learned before we start filming. This is a project that really interests me so I'm hoping to do an awesome job with it. Therefore I hope to find more useful tips that will guide my group as we make our film.

What is...the way we get by?

Journal 2-1


What is...the way we get by?


I. In my last blog, I was curious about the results of the election that took place on November 2. Here is what I found:
This chart has basically all the information reguarding the election results.
https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/election/DATA/2010/EB24720D-F5C6-4880-8DC5-12AE4D0C3772/Unofficial/6_s.shtml


II. This week's blog is going to be about the latest documentary we watched in class, called "The Way We Get By". This was my favorite documentary so far. It was really interesting to me. It was about a group of veterans, three seniors in particular, who devote their time to welcoming home or sending away troops. They're called the Maine Troop Greeters, which is a group of veterans and ordinary people who greet the current soldiers and let them know they're appreciated. The main characters were Bill, Joan, and Jerry. Bill was a widower who had prostate cancer and was struggling to pay his bills. Joan is a mother of eight with two grandchildren in active duty. Jerry lost his youngest son at age 10 and is currently suffering heart problems. Obviously, these three have their fair share of difficulties in their lives. However, they choose to devote their time to serving others.

source:

Fanning, L. C. (n.d.). The National Guard - Heartwarming film pays tribute to Maine troop greeters. The National Guard - Official Website of the National Guard. Retrieved November 14, 2010, from http://www.ng.mil/news/archives/2009/07/071609-Heartwarming.aspx

Personally, I thought this documentary was very moving. It proves that life isn't always about you. No matter what you're going through, you can always find a way to make someone else appreciate you. My favorite part of the whole film was the speech that Bill gave to the camera person. He said "My life don't mean a hell of a lot to me, but if I can make it mean something to somebody else, that's my endeavor...I have nothing, really, to live for except what I do for other people. I've outlived my usefulness as far as individually. But helping other people puts a little meaning back into my life. At least I hope that's what it's doing." This was expecially moving to me because it just goes to show that everyone has a purpose. No matter how worthless you think you are, there is someone out there who values you. If you think you have nothing to live for you're absolutely wrong. Everyone has a purpose and a meaning in life. For Bill, he believes that the only purpose he has left is to help people. Therefore, no matter how old, poor or sick he is, he can still serve a purpose in life.

source:

POV - The Way We Get By . Have You Met the Maine Troop Greeters? | PBS. (n.d.). PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved November 14, 2010, from http://www.pbs.org/pov/waywegetby/have_you_met.php



It is believed that volunteering is a way for people to stay happy and healthy. I fully believe this because my grandpa is a living example. He is currently 83 years old and he worked for FEMA as a civil engineer up until last year. That job was everything to him. He poured every ounce of heart and soul into that job. Sometimes is required that he travel, and stay away for a long time. This was rough on his family, but we knew it made him happy. There were several times when he considered retiring, but he couldn't ever bring himself to do it. We, as his family, knew he shouldn't be traveling anymore, but we also knew that his job was keeping him happy and healthy. There was even a few times when he wound up in the hospital in another state due to health problems that he encountered while he was on the job. However no struggle was great enough to make him stop doing what he loved. So, because of personal experience, I thoroughly believe that doing what makes you happy can boost your well being. In this film, it is volunteering to greet the troops that brings joy and strength to these elderly people.

source:

Sobel, R. S., & Leeson, P. T. (n.d.). Find the FEMA Concentration Camp Near You! | USAHM Conspiracy News. USAHitman | Conspiracy Theories & Alternative News. Retrieved November 14, 2010, from http://usahitman.com/find-the-fema-concentration-camp-near-you/ 


III. For next week's class I want to know more about the group in Dallas that is similar to the Maine Troop Greeters. It was mentioned in the packet that we read, so I plan to further research that organization.

The Difficult Journal

Journal 1-7

The Difficult Journal

At the end of last week's class I wanted to know more about Mormons. We had researched the state of Utah and found that the population is primarily Mormon. Here's what I found out about Mormons:

Joseph Smith, president of the church, said: "The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the apostles and prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it." However they believe in different additional scriptures to the bible, and continuing revelation through prophets and apostles.

source: Mormons. (n.d.). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Retrieved November 2, 2010, from http://lds.org/topic/mormons/

Joseph Smith

source: Joseph Smith - Mormonism Photo (344391) - Fanpop. (n.d.). Fanpop - Fan clubs for everything. What are you a fan of?. Retrieved November 2, 2010, from http://www.fanpop.com/spots/mormonism/images/344391/title/joseph-smith-photo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-aSq4xoXTQ&feature=related

source: PolishAbinadi. (n.d.). YouTube - truth about mormons( secrets), What they won't tell you . YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. . Retrieved November 2, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-aSq4xoXTQ&feature=related

This week is going to be a little bit difficult to write a journal entry about. On Wednesday I wasn't in class, but I was told that the projector broke and we didn't have class that day anyway. I was also absent from most of class on Thursday. I was only present long enough to catch about five minutes of the video. So I will do my best to discuss what actually DID happen in the three days of class that I witnessed. We continued to watch the documentary called "Divided State", which deals with the controversy over Michael Moore speaking at UVSC. There were obviously two different viewpoints reguarding this issue. The people that supported Michael Moore speaking at the college did so with respect to our freedom of speech. The ones who were opposed to Michael Moore speaking believed that he was going against their personal values and those of the state of Utah.One guy even offered to pay the amount of money that was spent on all the tickets, just to keep Michael Moore from coming. Personally I agree with the people that wished to allow Michael Moore's freedom of speech. There is no reason he shouldn't be allowed to express his viewpoint, especially when he has as many supporters as he does. In the end, he ended up giving his speech at the college campus. There were only two protestors shown, who were ejected from the premisis. Other than that nothing crazy happened, and the Michael Moore supporters were satisfied with what he had to say.

source: UtahMentor. (n.d.). UtahMentor. Retrieved November 2, 2010, from http://www.utahmentor.org/campustour/undergraduate/5338/Utah_Valley_State_College/Utah_Valley_State_College1.html

III. For next week's class I want to know more about the election that took place today, Tuesday November 2. I plan to research the candidates and the results of the election.