In Class: Whatever

I had a really short thanksgiving break because I had to come back to Fort Worth Friday morning to work a closing shift on black Friday. That wasn't very fun. Surprisingly, the worst day over the weekend was Saturday. I didn't leave work until 12:30am and had been there since 3:00pm. Retail changes the way you view the Holidays. Trust me. Other than having to leave home early, my break was okay. I got to see my entire family so that was good. Plus, I even got to go to the old Dance hall out by my house. When I say Dance hall, I mean dance hall. The place has been around since the early 1900's and is connected an old inn.

Hopefully this week will remain easy, then next week will be easy as well. Finals week will be the tough one. After that, I will stay in Fort Worth for the majority of my break and work.

Unit 3 Proposal

1) Our Topic: Era of "the domestic housewife" is ending

2) What we want to say in this ongoing argument: We agree that this “era” is ending. We're trying to argue that It’s not a bad thing, it's become more of the norm especially during the recession. More men are staying at home because more women were able to keep their jobs. Ultimately, we are supporting this change in attitude.

3) Target audiences:
-Young men of marrying age (all races , middle/high class)
-Women of marrying age of (all races, middle/high class)
-Young/middle-aged married couples (all races, middle/high class)



4) Genres/mediums we plan on using for this argument:
- Facebook group- Targeting all three audiences
- Apron- Targeting men. We want to make it appealing to them so that they don’t feel emasculated by staying at home.
- Article- Targeting married couples in a men’s magazine…saying that it's okay to stay home and be, "Mr. Mom".

In Class: Reading 2

From last night's reading, I didn't learn anything because I didn't read. I cannot find my book. I think I left it at my home in Austin the last time I visited....bummer.

Unit 3 Blog

For the unit three group project, my group will include Rachel Boone and Karen Morles. My title for the group will be Presenter extraordinaire. I will focus on the presentation of the project and making sure everything involved will be excellent. As the Presenter extraordinaire, I will make sure that the presentation we make for out arguments meets all of the requirements as assigned. I will contribute in every way possible in order to make the creative arguments for our presentation.

Even though our group has assigned roles, we will be taking this project on as a group, putting forth equal amounts of effort throughout the assignment. We all agreed that the best groups are those when all members participate and encourage participation throughout the entire project. When people focus solely on a particular part of a project, it removes the group aspect and results in a less uniform product.

In Class: Group Work

An ideal group for me would be one that no one person thinks they are in charge. My biggest pet peeve is when someone in never satisfied with the work that anybody else does. I understand making small changes, but when someone feels the need to edit the entire thing all over again is when I get angry. A good group will have members that encourage people to speak up and state their opinions. Also, people will be open to meeting outside of class and will stay on topic while meeting as much as possible.

Unit 2 Proposal

For my Unit 2 proposal, I have decided to look at the arguments in response to the February 2010 decision by the FEI (International Equestrian Federation) to limit the use of a technique known as Rollkur in international Dressage Competitions. Rollkur (also known as Hyperflexion) is a training technique in which a horses head is carried behind the vertical. Many people find this technique to be unnatural and abusive to the horse, believing it contributes to severe neck bone and muscle injuries. The decision of the FEI was to ban Rollkur, which they defined as "flexion of the horse’s neck achieved through aggressive force, which is therefore unacceptable." However, they stated that the technique known as LDR (Low, Dreep and Round) was "Acceptable." This is interesting because LDR has the horses head in the same position as Rollkur, the only difference is the method used to achieve it - which is where the controversy starts. People weren't necessarily upset with the method used to achieve the positioning, it was the positioning itself that caused concern.

I intend to look for primary sources from Blogs and magazines. Mostly, I will use blogs created by horseback riders and those who enjoy following Dressage. Most individuals had something to say once the FEI's decision came out in February. Also, I have a Magazine called "Practical Horseman" that has a column from a highly respected U.S. horseman in direct response to the FEI's decision.

I chose this topic/event because it is one that I am truly interested in being an avid horseback rider. The people that are using Rollkur are not only casual riders that show at mid-level circuit, but also some of the most respected and accomplished riders in the world. You can click here to see a non-biased video that explains Rollkur/Hyperflexion and shows it being used in the training ring as well as the show ring.

In Class: First Paragraph

The Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is one of my favorite places to go. I love everything about it, the sights, the sounds, and even the smells. There's nothing like walking in from the center field gates, walking past the Nolan Ryan statue and just looking out over the ballpark. The grass is the greenest grass you will ever see and it is complimented by the 40,000 dark green seats that surround it. My favorite time to be there is during batting practice, before the game even starts. It's early, so there isn't many other people there. It's almost like I have the whole stadium to myself. I sit down and listen to the sounds of baseball. Bat and ball, ball and glove. It's actually quite relaxing.