An Easy and Revised Proposal

As GO!, get outdoors, an organization focused on getting people out and active, was a complete flop, I decided to garner my full attention to Habitat for Humanity which is an unbiased organization committed to building houses for families who do not have houses for one reason or another. There are different ways to get involved in this group and fight off the gloomy problem of homelessness. Some examples are to go out and help with the builds/building of houses or to just do whatever your group does to raise money for the group, i.e. car washes and fun runs/races. As the number of homeless is on the rise, this is an organization that I fully believe will help a countless number of people in the end. Habitat for Humanity is well worth any time that I can give to it.

Although my initial intentions for Public Sphere Week was to try and make a video or power point, I realized only after experiencing first hand that when trying to advocate, people walking by generally will not give much time to the advocator. Luckily, I just ended up making some miniature handouts because the attention span of most of the audience that was passing by seemed to be as big as that sheet of paper being handed to them. I find myself lucky to have just getting papers out to people rather than making some extravagant video. Probably fifty percent of the time, I would see the people throw away one of our slips of papers right after getting them. How are people even supposed to help when they do not care enough to look or find out what the problems are?

Homelessness is something that will not be solved over night. It is a sorrowful and tricky problem that is hard to defeat, but with enough effort from willing individuals, can be conquered. Just thinking of the millions of people homeless, in the U.S. alone, should make just about anyone sick. As I continue to assure myself that the flyers that I passed out were not worthless, but not entirely useful either due to low attention spans or low crowds, I began to think that there needs to be a shift of audience, a wider scale. No one that is headed into our University Center wants to join a club at eight o’clock in the morning. To get maximum efficiency of advocacy, the people of Habitat for Humanity need to turn their influence to more local government officials.

Although, I am sure that many people are aware, few people know how serious this is. Sometimes if I have to sleep on a couch I flip out while there are people out in the country without water, food, and a place to sleep. They would probably be happy to sleep on a floor. A nice fix to the problem of people being so unaware would be to make the common populous know how not having a home is. Make them feel what not being able to come to a secure and warm place is like and not know where to sleep that night or not know what to eat. Programs could be installed into all levels of schools to teach children, teens, and adults how we can stop homelessness with donations, help on builds, and by simply spreading the word.

After public sphere week I realize that I want to get the word across a lot of people’s minds about what Habitat for Humanity does. Whether it be fighting poverty and theft through giving people houses or just how easy it can be to get someone in a house, there will be a more common knowledge of the subject. To make the government fully understand what is happening, at the least in our country, with people being laid off of work and not having enough money to get by is just one of my goals. I will do this by writing officials first handed.

Hizzabitat 4 Hizmanity!

As GO!(get outdoors), an organization focused on getting people out and active, was a complete flop, I have decided to garner my full attention to Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity is an organization committed to building houses for families who do not have a house. There are different ways to get involved in this group. I plan to work on at least two builds, work at the 4k race that they have set up, and help do pretty much whatever they need done. I like being involved but the general trick is getting me involved that is the hard part. This is an organization that I fully believe will help many people in the end and is well worth any time that I can give to it. I have not thought too much yet about what forms of public literacy that I will use for Public Sphere Day. But, I am liking the idea of a power point or a video. I will try and make some flyers as well notifying the community of how important Habitat for Humanity is.

Nothing Wrong with a Little Public Discourse

For class, our second writing assignment was to "write about a time you participated in public discourse..what were the consequences of participating in public discourse..what might you do differently..". Normally, the word, consequences, goes along with a negative connotation of always being bad, but I kind of went on and wrote about the positive consequences of participating. Anyway, it was kind of fun to write.

America’s diverse opinions and attitudes toward just about anything are dominated and shaped by many different forms of public discourse. So why should I be any different? More often than not, I catch myself taking a second glance at some free brochures or some flyers that have been nailed to trees as a way to be informed. I become informed about activities that are occurring in my community and more knowledgeable about well, everything. As an avid runner, I have plenty of time to see what is going on about town. Whether the form is in the low brow graffiti on a wall, stating how disrespected “Judy” is as a woman, or a poster that is trying to get people to come to a local concert, each run will end up with me generally seeing well over one hundred different things. Public discourse is literally everywhere.

One of my main experiences with public discourse was during my sophomore year of high school. I, for some reason or another, marched boldly into the school and signed myself up for SADD, Students Against Destructive Decisions. Well, I was rather ignorant about the topic to be truthful. But, I left with a lot more knowledge after a few years in this club and a lot of that gained knowledge can be accredited to the use of public discourse. The hundreds of flyers put up around the school, town, and city parks are a great way to get work done and problems fixed. Until about halfway through the year, the membership of the club was rather routine. We, the students, went to different area elementary schools and middle schools spreading our message of making smart decisions. Handing out pieces of paper stating the harms and dangers of tobacco and how many drunken accidents there is each year. It is truly amazing to see how literacy and these little pieces of paper can get an elementary aged kid, a kid who does not even listen to his or her own teacher, so involved and so interested in something like being safe with the way they liver their life.

Finally, the day of the big rally came, the biggest thing that we ended up doing each year. The rally was about drunk driving and the dangers of drinking. The time was not just a day out of school but a way to better the community and bring knowledge to people attending the rally or just bystanders on their way to work. There were speakers, posters, activities, and flyers galore! About half of the community ended up showing up to the rally. Main Street was closed for a period of time which opened up some eyes. So many people showing up for the same cause in a small community is a pretty big feat to accomplish. But, when the children read what was given to them on the flyers, heard the stories that the brave speakers were honorably saying about their experiences with drunk driving, and found out effectives things to do and how to say no when offered certain illegal substances such as alcohol, I felt accomplished. Helping the community a few kids at a time and positively preparing them for the reality of teenage life and adulthood, I felt a great feeling of pure euphoria that went all the way back to the day that I signed up for this little club. Just today I, in a spontaneous and quite “my” fashioned way, signed up for Habitat for Humanity. I am hoping that this club will be like SADD and I hope we put up random displays of public discourse that will help to inform and educate the public as well as help to build a brighter community.

Most of my experiences with public discourse have been relatively good. I am not a hoodlum and I do not deface property. The most harm that I can say that I have done is probably when I stapled a flyer to a telephone pole. The wood was the only thing feeling the pain. I find the only way to get things done is in a peaceful and helpful manor. With shares of bad experiences notched under my belt, from being completely ignored at a job interview to being completely ignored by a waiter at a restaurant, I try to keep as level of a head as possible when it comes to confrontations.

I commented on some blogs and I didn't get pregnant!

Seriously though, I did.
1. Rants of the Princess Buttercup(I like this title)
2. SonicMatt(I'm all about getting those ranggggs)
3. Kawww(This one involved Zombies.. of course)
4. Cdill(He mentioned me as his beautiful roommate)

This blogging thing seems to be a little more fun than I thought. I'm about to go wake up with the King in about 5 seconds, which is sweet!

Analyzing Another Blog

• How does the writer represent him or herself in terms of gender, age,
or location? I can't really tell. He doesn't say anything. His location says that he is from India but I doubt that, as he seems very Western cultured and American. He has a dog so he could range from age 18-35.
• What are the social, political, and religious perspectives espoused
by the writer? He's not very religious and thinks there is nothing wrong with gay marriage so may he leans left with his political bias.
• What qualities or characteristics do you share with the writer? How
are you different? We both believe gay marriage should not be a problem as many people believe. Also, we both have dogs. I'm different though because my sense of humor seems better.
• What elements lead you to believe that the writer is being forthright
and honest in representing him or herself? What elements suggest that
writer is not being forthright and honest? I believe that it would be stupid to lie in a blog. Why write in something and not be sincere? It does not make sense.
• What is the writer’s stated purpose for maintaining a blog? It seems like he just wants to put down little things that happen in his life, little quirky things.
• Why do you think the writer maintains the blog? For kicks and giggles. It's been a while since he's posted though. The blog may be dead.
• How does the writer demonstrate authenticity, veracity, expertise, or
trustworthiness? It just sounds like a normal person ranting and stuff. I don't see why a person with an alias would need to lie. There is nothing to be ashamed of.

Reader / Audience:
• Who is the intended reader, or what is the intended audience of this
blog? Anyone willing to read it. I think the guys will take what he can get in reading senses.
• What assumptions does the blog's creator make about an intended
audience? How does the writer demonstrate those assumptions? He probably assumes that everyone who reads the blog is going to be younger than.. well, middle aged. But it's not limited to any simple age group. He talks in a younger voice.
• What groups of people would not be part of the desired audience, and
why? It seems like conservatives would not like it too much. He talks about support of gay marriage and then about his dog pooping in his latest post. Also, he wrote a blog about how amazing Obama is.
• What tactics, if any, does the site use to foster loyalty and a sense
of community? You can comment on it.
• Who actually visits this blog (consider gender, demographics, and
social, political, and religious practices at a minimum)? A girl visited and posted a comment. I just found out that her blog is more enjoyable than the one I'm writing about here!
• Do readers visit this blog to be informed or to be confirmed? They visit it to be informed. There's nothing to be confirmed.
• Who interacts with this blog? Do readers trade links with or add
responses to the blog? Not too many people do, it's not too popular. I wish I would have picked a better blog before I started this assignment.
• Why would this site appeal to the intended audience? What aspects
would draw readers? What aspects would turn them away? There's a picture of a cute monkey I guess? That might appeal to them but ic ould also give a childish depiction and turn some, more serious, readers away.
• Are you a member of the intended audience? What qualities would draw
you back to this site again? What qualities would deter you from
returning? Yeah, I got drawn in by the lack of ads/pop ups. Nothing really deters me from going anywhere on the internet!

Subject / Content:
• What elements make this site more appealing to the intended reader or
audience (consider layout, organization, use of photo and graphics,
etc)? He adds pictures and video..
• What kind of language does the writer use (formal, informal, jargon
filled, etc)? It's very informal.
• How is the blog organized? What form does it take (i.e. a journal or
diary, links, news)? Link news, link photos, link videos, it's kind of a journal.
• Does the blog include advertising? If so, how does the advertising
appeal to the intended reader? No advertising by the writer himself unless you call posting a youtube video advertising. The website advertises stuff.
• How does the writer present information? Does the writer use
evidence? Does the writer rely on his or her opinion? The writer relies on his opinion. I mean, it's a blog, if it were always backed up and proved, why not just write a paper!?
• What makes the content believable? What makes it unbelievable? It's a blog and I have enough mind power to be able to choose for myself what I want to believe and not believe. I find most of it believable because it sounds like random thoughts going through their head at that one moment.
• How do readers interact with or influence the content? They comment and tell the blogger what they like and don't like!
• What is the blog’s message? Is the writer attempting to define,
explain, or describe something? He's describing his dog pooping in the latest post. Some that date back further are a lot more serious.
• In what ways is the message balanced? In what ways is it imbalanced? It's pretty balanced. There's no way really to argue something that you aren't sure about so I believe him.
• In what ways is it ideological ? He has his own ideas. Then he blogs about them. I think we're putting too much effort into this.
• In what ways is the message problematic? Some people may not like gay marriage. But then again, it's the internet, there is always an argument to be had!
• Why should you believe and accept what you encounter in the blog? Why
should you be skeptical? I shouldn't believe it. It's a blog. I should be skeptical because the majority of people don't take blogs seriously at all. But I don't see why he would lie about stuff that he writes.

Worrisome Thoughts!

Another assignment was put on my delicious platter of homework. The job was to think of a few items in this world that concern me.

1. Is my constant knee pain going to be temporary or should I seek a doctor?
Since first writing this blog, I've realized that my knee pain is going away slowly and that I am proud that I did not consult a doctor. It is always good when I can save money. I am a college student.

2. Why are so many things too good to be true?
Since enrolling at USI, a lot of things have happened. Generally they begin fantastically and end shortly in despair, which makes me sad! But a lot of things have been turning around lately!

3. Is another world war going to break out?
Can't we all just get along!?
3a. Is the draft going to be reinstated?
I'm too young to die!

4. Why is Corey Dillon so darn cool?
This is probably the most difficult one to answer because there is no answer. It is impossible to figure out why he is, in fact, too cool for his own good.

5. Will I ever be fully satisfied with my family?
Probably not! But it's okay!

6. What is so popular about the party/alcohol scene?
Almost everyone's tried it, but why? Drinking does nothing but make people feel retarded for a period of time and then to top that off, they get to throw up in the morning! Sweet! I know that it's a social gathering type thing but really, we got along fine when we were younger.

7. Why do people tell me that I can not do things that I am going to do?
I love proving people wrong.

Public Spheres

For my English 201 class at the University of Southern Indiana, I was assigned the task of looking around my everyday world and noticing different types of public spheres. I did not realize how many of these information centers there actually were until I stopped and took the time to look for them. I soon realized that they are everywhere.

1. The Internet
2. Anytime Radio
3. The Rice Library(Any Library!)
4. By the checkout at basically any Gas Station
5. The University Center Bridge
6. Almost anywhere inside of the University Center
7. The Orr Center
8. Billboards
9. Telephone Poles(There are countless advertisements and/or signs for almost anything on telephone poles, including male enhancement!)
10. The Television

First Blog

This is my first blog. I can't wait to continue typing in this.