Three bottles of beer on the wall

Coors 1979 - Taste the High Country
Actors: All male, rugged, big beards, out doorsey, jumping from cliffs, hang gliding skiing, cowboy stuff. Mostly white guys, not working, or shown finishing work - playing hard.

Music: not quite country, but up beat, something you may hear in a John Wayne or Clint Eastwood western as they're getting ready to save the day. repetitive "taste the high country - taste Coors". insinuates that the rocky mountains is the only place to brew a suitable rugged beer.

Dialogue: Narrator sounds rugged, says "once you taste the high country no down stream beer will do..." "its no down stream beer, its no city beer".

Targeted Audience: mid-20's to early 40's - rugged type guys, or those who want to be perceived as rugged and manly.


Budweiser 1979 - This Buds for You
Actors: Busy, hard working, people "average American's" hard at work at what could be any viewers job. Industrial work, construction, fishermen, secretaries, lawyers, athletes. Mostly men and one woman working, another woman is present, but she is playing the role of good wife and serving her hard working husband a beer. Many different races portrayed to really exude the all inclusiveness of hard working people.

Music: Sounds up beat, more like something you'd hear in a Dirty Harry or Rocky movie as they're working hard at chasing down the bad guys or getting in shape for a fight. Repetitive "this buds for you, for all you do...."

Dialogue: "To everybody who puts in a hard days work" deep voiced narrator sounds hard working & authoritative but not bossy; someone who you work with not for. The last line in the ad is a smooth sounding "Heeeey this Bud's for you." the voice sounds cool and relaxed- and maybe it implies that he's already had a Budweiser after a long day of work and is passing on this great drink to help you unwind.

Targeted Audience: Working American's. Probably aimed at mid to late 20's to mid to late 40's workers; there is one woman in the ad, so they don't want to exclude women (especially in the time where equal opportunity is starting to kick off.) but it is mostly aimed at guys, maybe on the grounds that guys enjoy beer more than ladies.


Pabst Blue Ribbon 1979 - Patrick Swayze
Actors: Patrick Swayze- well groomed, Hollywood actor, young and hip. Gorgeous blonde girl, lots of young hip people enjoying them selves at a disco.

Music: young and hip disco sounding - repeating "I've got Pabst Blue Ribbon on my mind." song implies more of an evening out having fun partying at the latest hippest clubs.

Dialogue: Narrator sounds young and hip, tells you it's naturally good & it's premium beer - catering to a younger crowd that maybe wants the newest and best stuff. Later says "a lot to look forward to" implying that it's a beer that will stick around with you and you can enjoy later in life as well.

Targeted Audience: late teens and early 20's - mid 30's, definitely targeting a younger demographic that is really into going out and partying at night clubs.



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Adrienne Allen

ENG 101

4 December 2014

 In the adult world there seems to be three companies that dominate the beer scene, and depending on who you ask, the go to beer is going to be one of these: Coors, Budweiser, or Pabst Blue Ribbon. What’s even more interesting is the type of people that drink each beer. While there are some exceptions, it seems to be that Coors drinkers are typically the outdoor adventurous types; Budweiser is the brew of choice for the hard working blue collared individuals, and PBR seems to be the go to for young adults who still like to party. How is it that we’ve fallen into these niches’, and almost naturally stay in them? The answer lies in the advertising world. In the late 70’s beer advertisements started to become more televised and thus a larger audience could be targeted by the various breweries. While it would be nice for each company to completely control the beer scene; it is rather impractical, partially because of location but also due to the consumers varying tastes. Instead it would be easier to target specific audiences with their ads thus ending up with a demographic of devoted consumers and a peripheral clientele that could be swayed into their brand from time to time. Taking a look at three commercials from 1979 we can see each brewery take a bite out of what would eventually become the cliché for each demographic.

 Coors brewing company, based out of Golden Colorado, is nestled right at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Having already cornered the local market it seemed only natural to keep their advertisements in line with what could be considered a typical Coloradan. In their 1979 “Taste the High Country” ad every actor is a rugged looking, adventure seeking, hard playing man. It opens with an upbeat song, reminiscent of something out of a John Wayne or Clint Eastwood western. A slurry of extreme sports and activities, that perhaps only the bravest and most adventurous would dare attempt, is shown to the viewer with an enthusiastic chorus of “taste the high country” in the background. A peppering of action shots of bottles being opened and mugs being filled joins these images. While the display of courage and product continues a deep-voiced man smoothly begins to sing the accolades of the illustrious mountain range and implies the only beer that could possibly compare to their majestic reputation is the one and only Coors. The chorus returns to reiterate our masculine singers point; “Taste the high country – taste Coors.” At this point the ad is 40 seconds into its 60 second window and has created a strong case for further associating their brand with a lifestyle that many people have, or at the very least wish they had; appealing to an audience’s sense of adventure is a bold, but usually highly effective and rewarding strategy, and does just the trick to gain the loyalty of the like-minded audience. To earn the stragglers and fence sitters of the demographic the commercial continues with a narrator confirming that Coors is the superior beer and its ingredients are as unique as the rocky mountain wilderness. The quintessential cowboy then proclaims “It’s no downstream beer”, followed by his lumberjack-esq counterpart declaring “It’s no city beer.” A handsomely rugged mountain-man completes the testimonial with “It’s Coors.” In the tree seconds it takes to get this message across, nearly every male that sees the ad can identify, in one way or another, with these three men; they are each the culmination of man-hood in three diverse yet relatable ways. The commercial ends with its resounding chorus and an action shot of a bottle of Coors being poured into a tall frosty mug; the action is enough to get any beer lovers mouth watering. Based on only the actors the advertisement uses, Coors seems to be specifically targeting the late 20’s – mid 40’s male population; their consistent use of adventure and ruggedness appeals to the average male in the hopes of being viewed as all that is man. While there are no women in this specific ad; I don’t believe that it was derogatory in any way, they were just a smaller populous that advertising beer to may have been useless.

 In Budweiser’s 1979 “This Bud’s for You” commercial, I believe they are appealing to a similar age group as the Coors ad, but a different variety of consumers. Vice the masculine adventurous approach, they angled more for the working and middle classed folks. Their central theme is highlighted by the hustle and bustle of many hard-working men and women and how refreshing an ice cold “Bud” is after a long hard days’ work. Like the Coors ad, Budweiser starts with a catchy tune. This time sounding like something from a Dirty Harry or Rocky movie as they're working hard at chasing down the bad guys or getting in shape for a fight. A narrator, that sounds like he could be the guy next to you at the bar, jumps in with “Everybody who puts in a hard days’ work…this Bud’s for you.” An array of laborious jobs, from industrial work and construction, to welders and truckers, streams past the viewer’s eyes. A catchy chorus that that is nonspecific enough it could be singing directly to each individual viewer, but personalized enough that it instantly makes the audience feel appreciated compliments the imagery. The assortment of jobs continues and every worker is shown deep into their daily grind. A sense of satisfaction is conveyed as the camera pans through their scene; a few of the people shown working look up and smile at the camera, and others are so focused on the task at hand there is no room for complacency. Budweiser uses almost identical product placement techniques as Coors does; action shots of a bottle being opened and poured into a chilled glass, mixed in with what could be considered the plot to the commercial. As the ad comes to a conclusion the workers are obviously completing their daily work and are sitting down at home, and in bars enjoying this “well deserved” beverage. The last line in the ad is a smooth sounding "Heeeey this Bud's for you." The voice sounds cool and relaxed; and maybe it implies that he's already had a Budweiser after a long day of work and is passing on this great drink to help you unwind as well. Throughout the entire commercial the spoken parts sound as though they’re coming from someone who’s just as hard working as the people being shown; he also sounds authoritative in knowledgeable way without coming across as bossy; someone who you work with not for. This really helps the viewer relate to the suggestions of making Budweiser the perfect end of day drink.

 The third and final ad is Pabst Blue Ribbon’s 1979 “Blue Ribbon on My Mind” starring Patrick Swayze. The targeted audience is completely different from the previous twos’. They seem to be reaching for a younger crowd that is maybe more carefree and hip. There is no implying that the beer will make you manlier, or that after a long day’s work will be more enjoyable. It starts with a poppy disco-era soundtrack and a gorgeous Patrick Swayze obviously getting ready for a night out on the town. As he leaves his modest yet stylish city apartment; lyrics that could be sung by any disco star begin. The tune has an overtly catchy ring to it, and almost gets the viewer’s dancing in their seats, and energized for a fun night out dancing. Swayze makes his way to pick up an equally lovely girl at her house. As they head down the steps of her place, disco themed lighting flashes across the screen to the beat of the song. A poppy chorus of “I’ve got Pabst Blue Ribbon on my mind” begins as Swayze and his date dace the night away in what could be any city’s hippest club. Again the same product placement of Coors and Budweiser is being used, this time with minimal descriptive dialogue to accompany it. The fact that they’re using a Hollywood actor and a nameless gorgeous blond seems to be that PBR is trying to target younger women and men who think if they drink PBR it may not only help them pick up better looking partners, but they may have more of a fun time doing it as well. The entire commercial really focuses on cutting lose and shamelessly enjoying a fun night out.

 All three of these companies through the years have used almost the exact same techniques and targeted almost the exact same populations as the 1979 ads. Whether it’s because they've gotten the recipe right and don’t want to risk spoiling it, or because there are no more slices of the pie to cut off I can’t be sure, but the bevy that goes with each brand has rang true for over a quarter of a century.

pg 181 questions

1. The insight Melissa Rubin offers in the coca-cola ad she analyzes is that coca-cola was a company that has been synonymous with the american culture since its invention. Throughout her entire analysis she describes ho well coke has appealed to its consumers without much overt effort. The tactic coke used in this specific ad was to really target the middle and working class, which primarily made up the U.S. population at the time. The conclusions Rubin came to are in line with my own after looking over the ad.
2. She incorporates historical context in a very fluid way. There was no obvious points when i realized i'm being filled in on historical times; it was natural with her analysis and not something that could have been considered boring or forceful or excessive in comparison to her analysis.
3. Other questions that could have been answered about an ad would be: -Who is the target audience, and why are they being target specifically? are there other outlying demographics that may also be reached or intentionally not reached with the advertisement? how does this advertising style differ from similar ads in a more present time?
4. A contemporary ad that projects the values of the era we live in would be a modern day coca-cola ad. they use many of the same techniques; targeting the middle class population, but now include various ages, races, and genders; no one specific demographic stands out. Also the ability to reach so many people because it is a video ad and not a print one, coke really has to make sure that no matter who watches it they personally can identify with the commercial without also maybe offending someone else.

Questions from pg. 175.

1. I believe Heather Havrilesky's main insight of the show Mad Men is one of an almost disdain; not entirely towards the show its self, but I think more on the ideas the show accentuates. In her opening statement she makes it very clear that the american search for upgrades has become a "sickness that's infused in our blood..." The show very cleverly portrays that reinforcement of needing to have the next best thing, but also, though it may be lost sometimes in the glorification of the main characters, that having the best doesn't actually fulfill the void we want it to. As Heather continues on she really covers  almost every main character's struggle with keeping up with the appearances of the relation of happiness and objectivity, and their true struggles to maintain such a facade.
2. Havrilesky establishes her authority to write about the show in her first few paragraphs by summarizing the similarities between the show, and our real lives, emphasizing our ridiculous need to never be satisfied with what we have.
3. When Havrilesky wrote "...millions of aspiring 3-year-old princesses hum "someday my prince will come!" to themselves, turning their backs on the sweetness of the day at hand." it really tugs at our heart strings, because many of us young girls have seen the glorification of princesses sitting around and waiting for their prince to arrive instead of going out and living our lives, maybe even meeting him on the way.
4. I have seen Mad Men before, and actually quite enjoy it, and I do think this is a very accurate description of the show, and the points she's made in her article are definitely ones that have occurred to me and have impacted me while watching the show.

Analyzing websites.

Vacation Packages

Priceline.com

• Minimalistic; easy to navigate, great if I already know exactly what I want.
• Not too overwhelming  in the sponsored stuff /adds; makes it very easy to find the smaller links to what I want.

Expedia.com

• Has an extensive  list of not only their featured deals but also their top deals. Nice in case you don’t already know where you want to vacation to.
• Each different advertisement for the different deals is bright and eye catching, really drawing me into the different adventures.

Currently I'm more partial to Expedia than I am Priceline simply because I don't have any idea what sort of vacation I'd like, and Expedia privides so many choices right off the bat. I find that a bit amusing because I usually prefer Priceline to Expedia usually because they offer more for a better price. Since I'd have to really start digging through Priceline's website I would probably use Expedia as inspiration to find my perfect get away. I did find Expedia's webpage a bit overwhelming as I slogged through the various deals they provided, and eventually got irritated at how much they were pushing on me, this did make me enjoy Priceline's minimalist version a whole lot more. Once I got deeper into Pricelines website I really noticed how consistently easy they made it. Expedia also kept with their cluttered theme; and the adds didn't match what I selected...so when I looked into a vacation to Cancun the add on the side of the page was for Alaska...which isn't even remotely close to what I'd currently like in a vacation. So while my initial vote was for expedia - because of my undecided-ness - I will more than likely use Priceline because of it's ease of use and minimalist style. 

Decisions I Make

Easy things:

 Breakfast is crucial during my school week, so no matter what I need to eat something substantial to help me get through my day. I do generally keep it high in protein but due to time constraints, that protein may vary. On my weekends I merely need to maintain the habit; so depending on what all I need to accomplish that day, I usually reward my diligence with a tasty alcoholic beverage or two. 

Hard things:

While deciding weather or not to buy a car is a lot harder than deciding whats for breakfast, I feel my motives are a lot clearer and the actions I'll need to take are very cut and dry. No matter what the need is, my decision will 100% come down to money in this case. My actions following my decision to spend the money or not will vary, but in the case of replacing my car, this is a much easier decision for me. 

 A lot of people argue that without a government or law enforcement that our society would erupt into violent chaos. There would be murder, mayhem and thievery as far as the eye could see. Did the word anarchy just pop into your head? Well it shouldn't have; the association of anarchy and violence is kind of a new thing. While it does mean that there would be no government or law, the violent stereotype associated with the word has become a form of fear mongering that has been planted in our brains by those who are truly afraid of how beneficial and progressive a stateless society could be.  I for one believe that without the state, the very opposite would happen. Our government and its subsidiaries commit these grievous crimes on a daily basis under the pseudonyms of war, imprisonment, and taxes. There has been very little societal progress during my short time on this planet, and what we do consider progress is something that should have never been an issue to begin with such as race, gender, and sexuality. If America truly were the land of the free, our national debt wouldn’t be in the trillions, people wouldn’t be kidnapped from their homes and families for “crimes” such as owning a certain plant, and the millions of innocent lives that have been lost due to war could have been spared. The American society has become complacent to the hypocritical double standard our government enforces.

 Taxation is theft. Many people argue that they voluntarily pay their taxes, and maybe they don’t really even mind them. Honestly the idea – aside from forcibly having our hard earned income taken from us - seems noble. With our tax money we can help with the funding for schools, hospitals, transportation, protection, and even our own entertainment! After all; education, health care, and roads, are essential for success in our modern world, and it is nice to take in the occasional national park. Unfortunately this money also goes to people who contribute little if anything to our society, whether they are a government official such as a congressperson or just a welfare recipient who refuses to pull their weight. There is also the added down side that if I don’t pay my extortion fees, for whatever reason, someone will show up at my door, kidnap me, and throw me in a cage. That doesn’t sound too voluntary at all…There are numerous other ways for us to educate ourselves, ensure our health and even pave roads without being robbed. If our hard earned money wasn’t being taken away to fund all the things we hate about taxes, we probably wouldn’t mind contributing to the things we do enjoy. In fact, not having any government involvement would essentially eliminate the middle man and their ridiculously high income; and since I’d no longer have to worry about the kidnapping and caging for not paying for something that I may not even use, I can turn around and voluntarily give my money to the things I actively want to keep.

  War is murder. This ideal is usually a tough one to swallow; after all many of us, our friends, or our family, at some time or another, has served in the military. While I do acknowledge and applaud the bravery of many of those service members, I find it hard to support the violence and corruption the military embodies. Barging into a neighbor’s house, and killing them, their children, or even just their pet, simply because you do not agree on something, or they have something you want is the same as going to war with another country. Occupying my neighbor’s home until they have forfeited their beliefs or property is in no way shape or form acceptable for a single person to do, why then do we support it on a much, much larger scale? According to Google, “There are more than 133,000 individually recorded civilian deaths since the 2003 invasion of Iraq due to direct war related violence and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians have been wounded.” These are all people, who up until their untimely deaths were more than likely going about their business just as we are right now. We can try and justify it as some and say they were part of a terrorist organization, or maybe their religious beliefs would have led them to eventually kill us; kill or be killed, but in all honesty they were just humans, the same as you and I, trying navigate their way through life. We’ve all heard the saying “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”, it all comes down to perspective, however violence only begets violence. Murray N. Rothbard, a renowned libertarian, once said "If no man may aggress against - invade - the person or property of another, this means that every man is free to do whatever he wishes, except commit such aggression."[1] If we were to model our life after these words alone, the death machine that is war would cease to exist.

So without the government and the military how do we achieve the illustrious freedom that we, as humans, are all entitled to?  The best answer is through a free market economy and society. In Rothbard’s article found in The Consice Encyclopedia of Economics, he defines the free market as such: [The free market] “is a summary term for an array of exchanges that take place in society. Each exchange is undertaken as a voluntary agreement between two people or between groups of people represented by agents. [2] This model would essentially become the foundation for our interactions with each other. If everything we do is based off a voluntary agreement between two consenting people, the majority of petty crimes would be eliminated. There is always the exception to the rule, and someone somewhere would commit an act of violence, but in a society where it would be just as easy to boycott a bad business, we could basically boycott the offender. In extreme cases imprisonment or exile may be necessary but only after absolute guilt has been proved. The use of the free market and reputable private parties can also help define the blurry lines of justice that many of us call for. Using Rothbard’s nonaggression principle and adding in a free market economy for structure is the perfect recipe for true freedom and maybe even a little happiness.

1. http://mises.org/rothbard/newlibertywhole.asp ch. 2, pg. 1.

2. http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/FreeMarket.html

collaborative commercial analysis

Subway Crop fit

Main message: suitable diet for whatever fitness fad. play on cross fit and it's silly extremes. 

Crop fit- extreme farming fitness - satirical 

regular looking people eating subway, doing healthy things. 

How was writing paper #1 different from paper #2? What have I learned about myself and my writing?

 My first paper was a lot easier to continuously write. Once I solidified my main idea, the words flowed onto paper incredibly smoothly. Most of it was easy because it was simply relaying something that had previously happened. My second paper was SO much harder to convey into words. I had a topic that I was passionate about, but I think that may have been half the problem. It was a huge challenge trying to figure out what direction to approach my topic from and once I finally did, I was overwhelmed with the task of relaying it into essay form. I probably shouldn't have chosen such a dynamic topic.

 I've learned that storytelling is my strong suit and position papers are not.

pg. 100

1. Spriggs has mildly convinced me that foregoing the year round convenience of fresh produce and buying locally is something to consider, but I think overall her attempt to actually sway me into action is lacking. I'm not too sure what to do with all the information and anecdotes she's provided, and in general I think she wanders off from her main point a few times.
2. One counterargument that she considers is from supporters of buying produce from places where it grows best, as this wouldn't be as wasteful as it would if certain items were grown in climates that cannot support the crop. An other position she mentions is that buying locally can be "detrimental to the environment because small farms are not as efficient in their use of resources as large farms." In both cases she adequately validates each argument but continues to defend her original argument against them with supporting  facts she's found from other similar texts.
3. Her last paragraph I feel is thoroughly ineffective. Referring to the features discussed on p. 66, it's hard to clearly determine her position. Is it buying locally and giving up conveniently fresh produce year round, or is it living "greener"? Because it is hard to determine her main point, it's hard to see why this even matters to me.
4. I think her photos are completely useless towards her argument. They are nice to look at, but she doesn't tie them her argument at all. For example she mentions her first picture in a paragraph that talks about how buying locally is environmentally more responsible than supporting a larger farm, and the picture is simply a pile of winter squash; I think that a graph would have been more effective.

Herbert's Argument

Bob Herbert argues that our current education system is outdated and is inadequate for today’s children; especially if we want them to succeed and function properly later in life.  He addresses two ways that he thinks will most effectively bring about the changes that are needed to update the school systems. One is to address the quality of teachers, by assessing their job performance early on and often; thus ensuring that the teachers who do reach tenure are in fact quality teachers. The other way is to look at other schools, private, etc. and see what it is they are doing to produce outstanding students and graduates. In order to adequately prepare our children for a successful future, schools need to be more relevant to the times were living in.

Response to YouTube video: Tim Wise - Use of the N-Word

I like that really on in the video he very clearly defines what he thinks the appropriate use of the word is, and who exclusively should be using it. He 100℅ believes that black people should be the only ones using the word and no one else because it's theirs to own, similar to "playground wisdom" regarding who can talk about whose mothers.
I believe he's addressing a mostly white audience of either college students, or maybe teachers and professors, mostly because he's really supporting his argument that it is not our word to use, so stop using it.

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Pg 66 response

A while back on Facebook a friend posted a link to news site claiming several kindergartners in Texas had tested positive for Ebola after sharing a classroom with an exchange student from Liberia; the picture that accompanied the "news" was one of assumed parents looking on in devastation and shock. As I scrolled through my  FB wall I had to stop and at least look over the part of the article that was bing displayed. Thinking that someone would make something like this is incredibly disturbing which adds the belief that it couldn't possibly be fictitious; targeting small children with a deadly virus is going to pull at the heartstrings of many people. This and other similar articles use fear-mongering tactics to get peoples attention. After doing a little of my own research (and only just a little) I found many other similar articles of "outbreaks" & the effects such claims had on people. In some cases parents pulled their children out of school out of fear of exposure, in other cases the articles would end in a push for some sort of anti-ebola medicines, vaccines, etc.

 This article and others like it disgust me. The only "appeal" this article had on me was how effective it was at instilling fear in people. Fear is an easy thing to sell, especially since it is such a huge motivation to taking action, no matter what that action may be. If I was in the business of fear, I would definitely continue to use the internet to sell my point, especially facebook. The comments on my friends post of the fictitious outbreak ranged from panic, to anger, and in a few cases people swearing to never leave their house. Only after her post had been up for several hours did someone finally post a link disclaiming the article, which leads me to believe that a lot of people will believe just about anything without looking into it at all. And with expansiveness of the internet whose to say what "news" organization is real or not. If a claim like this were to have occurred prior to the inter-webs era, the medium (newspaper, magazine, etc.), would surely either not have allowed it, due its incredibility, or would already be considered an unreliable source and may have reached the writers intended audience at all. 

Things I've taken a position on the last few days.

• Where to watch a football game
• Who's the better sports team
• Certain calls made by a referee
• What plans I've made for the weekend
• Certain homework assignments
• Where to spend my Halloween
• Why I'm perusing a certain career path
• My political/religious beliefs

Adventures in Doggie Paddling

The 2013 Doggie Paddlers. From left to right; Kayla (#1), Stephanie (#2), 

Noah (#6), Jennifer (#3), Me (#4), Eli (#5)

 Since 2001 the Island of Oahu has been celebrating the legacy of Duke Paoa Kahanamoku; Olympic gold medal swimmer, surfer, canoe steersman, actor, and even Sheriff of Honolulu "[He's] remembered as Hawaii’s ambassador of Aloha and the greatest waterman who ever lived." (http://dukesoceanfest.com/about-oceanfest/101-about-oceanfest) In recent years Duke's Oceanfest has come to include a Wounded Warrior canoe regatta where all paddlers are currently, or have once served active duty in the military, and serves as a fundraising and awareness event for the Wounded Warrior Project.
  In 2013 I was still stationed with the Navy in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and working for the Joint Base one star admiral. Along with other duties and responsibilities our One Star loved to have a "show of force" in the community. He was no stranger to the customs of the islands and knew what an exciting opportunity it would be to have his own outrigger canoe paddling team in the upcoming Duke's Oceanfest. A call for volunteers went out, myself being one of them, and a team was assembled; we were to meet and practice with our team with less than a week prior to the regatta.
 "First order of business; we're going to need a name!" It's a little after seven in the morning, and everyone still has their "I need coffee" face on, silence passes among us, "How about the Doggie Paddlers?" I piped in. A refreshing laugh followed and we continued on with business. Most of us knew each other from work, but had never known our shared enthusiasm for paddling. The experience of the group ranged from novice, to semi-pro; and a few hobbyists in between; we had just enough variety for an excellent 6 man team. Noah, our most experienced paddler was to sit #6 and be our steersman. Ely, the only other guy in the group, would sit #5 and help with the power. I took #4 and Jennifer #3 to also help with power. Our #2 would be Noah's wife Stephanie who was also an experienced paddler from her college team and knew how to time the calls just right, and #1 seat was taken by Kayla, who was once on the same team as Steph. 
 "Paddles up.....HIT!" Steph makes the call that gets us started. We're on our warm up paddle to get everyone on the same page. The motions are completely fluid and natural for me; lean forward, paddle in, one, pull back/sit up, lean forward, paddle in, two, pull back/sit up. Lean forward, paddle in, three, my eyes are focused on my lead, #2. Four. Our motions completely in sync. "HUT... HUT..." Get ready to switch "...HO!" paddle to the right side now, five. I'm amazed by our synchronization, every single one of us is hitting the water at the same time. Six. It's almost completely silent, we're cruising through the glassy harbor. Seven. The chill that was around earlier is starting to fade away; what an amazing way to spend my morning. Eight. "HUT... HUT..." change "...HO!" Another switch; back to the left. One. Noah announces a turn to the right, "2 & 4, more power, 3 & 5 keep pace with 1." Two. A little confusion, but then we see the buoy we're about to squeeze around. Three. I start to dig my paddle a little deeper into the water; four, my core is getting a wonderful workout. Five. I'm now regretting the sleeves I pulled on before we jumped in. Six. "2 & 4, paddles up." I can hear Noah's paddle slice the water, expertly maneuvering us around the buoy. Steph calls all paddles up as we straighten out.
 We all give an excited cheer as we realize that our little hodgepodge team might just do alright this weekend in the regatta. Noah critiques us all, and gives Steph the go ahead to get us started again. We spent our next few laps working on timing and turns, each time getting more and more comfortable with every stroke. After thirty or so minutes Noah informs us we're about to start our last lap, "...and this one we're going to add speed!" "Paddles up....HIT!" One. We started off with a comfortable pace, each of us readying ourselves for the speed change. Two. My eyes are focused on my lead, I notice the same posture from everyone else in front of me. Three. The harbor is starting to come to life around us; four, and we're starting to get the attention of harbor security. Five. Noah gives the signal to speed up on our next change. Six. The whistle for the shipyard worker sounds behind us. Seven. "Dig deep for power, let's double our speed!" Noah motivates from the back. Eight. "HUT....HUT..." change "...HO!" One. Harbor security is starting to side up to us. Two. I can't help but think that we should race them, even though I know we'd be no match for their motor. Three. Dig Adrienne dig! Four.  "HUT, HUT......HO!" Five. They're pacing us now. Six. Their pace enticing us to keep pushing. Seven. I can hear their RPM's picking up. Eight.  "HUT, HUT, HO!" One. That must mean we're going faster! Two, holy arm work out! Three. We've got to be flying! Four. "HUT, HUT, HO!" Five. Our turn is coming up soon. Six. The security boat has lost interest with us. Seven. Only one more pull till we switch. Eight. "HUT, HUT, HO!" One. I can hear us all puffing for air. Two. My entire core is on fire. Three. My legs are starting warm up. Four. We've finally made it to our turn. Five. I know the drill, one more pull. Six. "2 & 4, paddles out, 3 & 5 dig!" I anxiously wait for cue to continue paddling as we steady up, eagerly waiting to get my paddle wet again. My focus is only on my lead. "HIT!" One. Two. Three. Four. "HUT, HUT, HO!" Five. Six. Seven. Eight. "HUT, HUT, HO!" One. Two. Three. Four. "HUT, HUT, HO!" Five. Six. Seven. Eight. "HUT, HUT, HO!" Our finishing marker is quickly approaching; One. Two. Three. Four. "HUT, HUT, HO!" Five. Six... "PADDLES UP!" We did it! We let out another cheer, this one a bit more labored than our first. We pull our canoe out of the water and start cleaning it up, all of us excitedly chattering about how good our last lap felt. Discussion of another practice comes up and is quickly dismissed; all of our schedules are too hectic to support it before the weekend's race. Everyone bids their good byes and heads off to clean up and head into work. The next time we will be meeting will be race day; I'm nervously excited, but confident. 

Outrigger Canoe Regatta at Waikiki Beach

 Race day; it's 8 in the morning, and Waikiki Beach is already more crowded than normal. We've claimed our spot in the sand in front of the stretch of water we'll be paddling in. The buzz from other paddling teams and spectators is filling me up with an excited anticipation. There's to be six heats of four, and our first race is in the last heat; ample time to size up our competition and get a feel for the ocean. Our practice, all done within the harbor, was completely different from an open beach; we'd be racing on a 500 meter stretch of ocean with a turnaround half way. The waves were small, but as the day progressed the tides would change and if any swells grew, they could flip a canoe. We settle in and excitedly watch as the regatta kicks off and we await our turn.
 Finally our heat is called to start getting into our canoes and lining up. Feeling confident from our first, and only, practice, we eagerly load in, sticking to our same positions as last time.

Canoes lined up ready to start.

 We sit quietly alongside three other canoes, every single one of us waiting to hear the whistle from the beach, announcing the start. Our paddles raised, ready to make our first hit into the water, my heart is pounding with expectation and exhilaration. My only thought is to dig deep, and pull hard. There's the whistle. "HIT!" We start paddling like mad, and are off to a rough start, we're already falling behind just because we're not all paddling at the same time. I hear Noah start to call out our strokes, I refocus on my lead, listening for #2 to call the paddle change.  "HUT, HUT, HO!" Focus. One. Two. Three. Four.  "HUT, HUT, HO!" Five. Six. Seven. Eight. We start to steady up, and start claiming back the distance that has opened between us and the other teams.  One. Two. Three. Four.  "HUT, HUT, HO!" Five. Six. Seven. Eight. One outrigger down, and we're gaining on the second and third. Turn ahead "2 & 4 paddles out!" I get a few extra seconds to refocus and catch my breath while we steady up on our turn...correction wide turn. "HIT!" I'm back in the water like clockwork. We're coming up on the second canoe; #2 calls out a speed change, but it's too late. They slip past the markers just feet ahead of us, the first canoe already making for the beach. Defeat grips me. "Third place isn't bad!" Noah calls to us. He's got a point, but it also means we're done racing for the day. 
 We climb out of our vessel all trying to maintain a good attitude; after all it was a gorgeous day, and we were fortunate to have even been participating. The warm ocean water helped as we pulled ourselves onto the shore. Our one star, who'd been cheering us on from the beach, steps up to congratulate us and inform us that our time to shine is not yet over. "A Losers Pool has been created for all the Third place teams" a new wave of excitement washes over us.  A quick team meeting to get ourselves back in the same gear we were in at practice, and a small shuffle of positions, and we're ready for round two! I'd been moved to #5 to help with steering; I've sat #6 before and was familiar with the techniques we'd need to get us a nice tight turn around our turn marker. #1 & #2 also switched, Noah noticed that Kayla, our original #1, was setting an inconsistent pace, and put her in a more familiar #2 seat. We set back into the water hoping this would fix our kinks. 
 A win by an entire canoe length set our new standard and motivated us for what was to come. We'd only get one more race to determine the winner of our newly coined "L-Bracket", we were determined to be the winning-est losers out there.  As the day passed we watched each heat, picking apart the strengths and weaknesses of the teams, hoping to gain an edge in our next and final race. The last heat had finished closely and more of the spectators had turned their attention back to the race of losers. There would only be three canoes in the final race, and it was sure to be a close one.
 One last race. One last chance to redeem ourselves for our early exile from the main regatta; an excited confidence had settled over us as we lined up.
 Whistle. "HIT!"  One. Two. Three. Four. "HUT, HUT, HO!" The race was dead even. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Our only chance was to lose them in the turn. "HUT, HUT, HO!" One. Two. Three. Four. "HUT, HUT, HO!" Here it comes. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. "2 & 4 paddles out!" Immediately I start to dig into the water my paddle now parallel to the outrigger pulling the water furiously towards us to help swing us around the buoy, #3 is mirroring my actions. Adrenaline is pumping through my veins, I look over, we've gained our lead. "HIT!" back to my original motion. One. Two. Three. Four. "HUT, HUT, HO!" Five. Six. Seven. Eight. I start to hear Noah cheering us on, then I realize it's not just him, it sounds like the entire beach is up in arms. One. Two. Three. Four.  "HUT, HUT, HO!" Five. Six. Seven. Eight. The other two teams are back. One is almost directly next to us and the third is coming up fast. One. Two. Three. Four.  "HUT, HUT, HO!" Five. Six. Seven. Eight. I'm now paddling harder than I ever have before. I can feel every molecule of water dragging past my paddle as we propel ourselves forward. I feel #6 abandon searing as we near the finish line and add to our momentum. The beach erupts in a cheer louder than I thought was even capable of them. We've crossed the finish line, but it was too close for any of us to know the winner. We wait in exhausted anticipation for the officiators on the beach to announce it. "Doggie Paddlers have it by two feet!" We erupt with exhilaration. I've never felt so amazing after a win, even if the title is only over a bunch of losers. We were the winning-est losers; Commandant of the L-Bracket. 

Crossing the finish line for our final race.

Our glorious L-Bracket

Gotta start somewhere...

The struggle is real...Our latest homework assignment was to do a reading covering the five characteristic features of narrative writing and to then come up with two to three potential topics we want to use for our first narrative essay and discuss how we will apply these characteristics to each topic; here’s the problem: I can’t think of one single topic to write about.  What’s to follow is going to be my process of talking myself through the metal block that I have and finishing this assignment…here goes.

Life story…way too long, I’m definitely going to have to pick a portion of my life (duh Adrienne)

Highlights:

1.       Birth: gross, no cognitive thoughts to go along with a good narration.

2.       Kid years: fun times with cousins, lots of nonspecific blobs of memories…nothing good standing out here. (maybe come back to this)

-cousins:

-spy games: Yak Penguin Snake

  * event – the most devious game ever invented to annoy younger sister and cousin

  *setting – childhood home – summer time

  *details – not allowed to overtly annoy younger siblings, parents had banned us from being a nuisance…spying was a fun thing to do so we(Michael and I) could collaborate our findings to thoroughly annoy them without breaking said parents rule of pestering younger siblings.  Steph & Thenes knew what spying was and would tell on Michael and I for doing it, so we started playing YPS aka Yak Penguin Snake, our most awesome code name for spying on them. Our parents just thought it was some harmless game where we pretended to be said animals, Steph and Thenes bought into this as well; we were able to successfully spy on them without their knowing. Very clever for a pair of 8 year olds.

  *POV – 1^st person

  *Point – childhood games are awesome, my cousin and I were geniuses or so we thought, younger siblings didn’t catch on to our antics till YEARS later…although claim that they had and just allowed us to spy on them.

3.       Teen years: nah

4.       Navy:

-Joining: spur of the moment, not enough to properly elaborate on…

-boot camp/school: ick

-first ship/deployment: (I’ve got pictures!!)

   *event – finally getting to my first ship and getting ready for my first deployment overseas

   *setting –Pearl Harbor Hawaii, USS Chafee

   *details – finding out I was heading to Hawaii for first duty station and reaction, arrival in Hawaii – super nerve wracking, my ship was u/w and I was left to fend for myself and figure out how the heck to get to pearl harbor(it was December 1^st, night time, I was leaving a snowy Dallas and arriving, completely over dressed, in a hot and sticky Hawaii) (I totally thought PH was on a completely different island, lack of smart phones in 06 made this assumption easy), (remembering that I have friends already in Hawaii from same school I just graduated from), finding the USO at the airport & getting in touch with someone to help me out. (Check in at TPU) finally getting a hold of my friends in pearl and going for a night time walk around PH. Finally for the first time ever seeing a naval vessel..(JP taking me around the RSL) Finally checking in on my ship- watching it pull into pearl, waiting in my dress whites with a few other sailors to also check in. getting a quick tour of my own ship before Christmas stand down started (boat pulled in on Dec 23^rd) being left to fend for myself for two weeks while ½ the crew went home. Had my friend Jess to hang out with but we had separate duty days. Meeting new people I was going to be working with for the next 4.5 years;  getting ready for deployment in march. My first u/w’s (sea sick as heck, wanting to get out of the navy after first few weeks of constantly being sick)

   *POV: my own (1^st person)

   *Point: sticking to my commitment to the military & powering through what may have been the roughest part of my career; but also a set up to the trials that would be my career and the amazing experiences I’ve had.

- More deployments: (adventures, work, mostly a blur)

-Reenlisting: quick event, only wanted to so I could get shore duty, not monumental enough for story.

-Ending sea duty/ starting shore duty: excited for something new, burnt out on the ocean life, slow paced, not good for stories.

-Adventures in doggie paddling (I’ve got pictures too!!)

  *event:  my first canoe paddling competition (6 man outrigger canoe)

  *setting: Honolulu ocean fest 2013 – Waikiki beach

  *details: assembling our team (volunteers from our command, not everyone had paddled before, I’d only done it a few times before, others on our team were actual semi pro paddlers)

Our first practice (despite our hodgepodge of random expertise, went surprisingly well, very excited) (water conditions were pretty good, had a decent tide to work against and with) day of competition (nerve-wracking, did we practice enough? Realizing we’re the most inexperienced team competing, we were in the first heat of the paddling competition) first race – up against 4 canoes, paddling with same line up as practice, I’m number 4, digging deep for every stroke, off rhythm…loose; get moved to losers bracket) switching up our line up, I’m #5 now, #1 & 2 switch places, feeling better now that we know what to expect, win our next two heats & win the losers pool

  *POV: my own (1^st person)

  *Point: being first looser still feels pretty good

5.       Getting out of the navy:  exhilarating, nerve-wracking, no good narrative…too long of an uneventful process mostly

6.       Moving to WA/going to school: plot still developing

here's some homework!

Make a list of the stories that you hear, read, see, or tell in one day & the subjects of those stories.

  - A drunk man sees a submarine  and tries to tell everyone in town;but no one believes him because 

     he's the town drunk.

  - A friend misses a day of class because one of her kids became violently ill, "it was coming out 

     both ends", she's never had to do so much laundry and cleaning in such a short time span. "It was 

     so gross I'm actually excited to be back in class."

  -A mother wants to start a new tradition of having a "happy hour" cocktail on the nights before her 

    day off work. She isn't really a big drinker so hasn't had to buy alcohol in a long time, the only 

    thing worth drinking in the house was peppermint schnapps, so her and her middle daughter ended 

    up only having a shot...while her new tradition has hit a bit of a rough start, their breath is minty

    fresh.

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Pick two stories from different media - what are the similarities and difference between the ways the two stories are told? How does medium affect the story telling in each case, what would change about each narrative if it were presented in a different medium?

The song Submarines by the Lumineers is about a town drunk who sees a Japanese submarine and tries to tell everyone, but no one will listen to him because he's just a drunk, and he ends up dying "with the secrets of the sea". 

Since this is a song it paints a quick picture of events. Time and details are relative and left up to the listeners to interpret. Had the song been a book, or movie there wouldn't have been the same limited plot. More of a background could have been developed and we could maybe find out if the submarine was a friend or foe and how its presence impacted the town, even after they didn't listen to the drunk.

In the book Enders Game, a kid is molded into semi-unknowingly saving the world.

Because it’s a book the author is able to go into great detail to paint each and every scene with incredible detail, thus allowing the reader to really get into the book.  However when the book was turned into a movie, some key parts of the story were lost due to time and budget constraints. While the actual visual picture may have been more developed, the actual story became a little harder to follow and thus the audience may have lost interest in the wonderful story.

Similar to the song it is the audience’s job to use their own imagination to create the visual details for themselves and maybe even make connections that had either been in any different medium not been possible.  The main difference between the two stories is the availability of the audience... if a song we were to be told in great enough detail to be as fully developed as a novel, then the majority of listeners may lose interest in their fast paced lives.

collaborations

 Today in class we had group discussions analyzing rhetorical situations based on the words of Margaret Mead; “Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world; indeed it’s the only thing that ever has”.

 We were to first each write out our own examples of "small groups of thoughtful citizens"; providing three historical examples and one personal one where we have made an impact with the help of others. Then we came together to discuss our examples and share our interpretation of how rhetoric was used in each of these.  While we all had different examples to share from the original task; we all came together and broadened each of our own understanding of rhetoric, something that we may not have been able to do as individuals.  In addition to our group experience; it sounded like even before we separated into groups, many of us used another form of collaboration and searched the interwebs to help us find these historical examples of small groups of thoughtful citizens.

 The amount of information that is available to us all comes from somewhere; and the best way to make a solid case for anything, weather its writing, debating, singing, etc., is to use the information available to us that has been provided my so many other people around the world.

...small groups of thoughtful citizens

3 historical examples of a small group of thoughtful citizens.

1.       The standoff on the Bundy farm.

2.       Tiananmen Square protests.

3.       Whale wars.

A way that I have worked with others to bring about change.

As an anarcho-capitolist with emphasis on the nonaggression principle, I have worked with other like minded individuals to help spread the information on peaceful parenting, standing up for personal rights and your own integrity, even if it means not obeying a law that may be morally corrupt. 

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Kent State: students peacefully protesting the Vietnam War. Ends in a shooting.

Genre: anti-war/violence protest

Audience: General public & the government.

Medium: Posters, their own person, favoring concise statements. Visuals (pictures etc.) most effective.

Context: news and media; contextual constraints.

Stance: questioning the war (status quo) 

Rhetorically speaking

Rhetoric: a technique of communication in the nonviolent form of persuasion; quick to listen, slow to speak. 

 As stated in chapter one of our book Everyone’s an Author, Wayne Booth describes rhetoric as “an ethical art that begins with deep and intense listening and that searches for mutual understanding and common ground as an alternative to violence and war.” The ability to be quick to listen and slow to speak is the foundation for ensuring that no matter the medium, rhetorical communication is the most effective delivery system for any idea.

 The goal behind rhetoric is a thoroughly researched and developed thought and the ability for it to stand on its own with little, if not any, further explanation. Anyone can debate a difference of opinion; the ability to effectively communicate rhetorically comes from a balance of opinions or ideas and facts that can support these. Delivery of this balance is also essential; if your thought doesn't engage your audience, is poorly supported and it only takes a few jabs to poke holes in it, or if you don’t properly use the medium you've chosen to relay your thoughts, the effectiveness of your thoughts will be lost, and you have just become someone talking in the background.

Is everyone an author?

An author, by definition, is any person whose literary works have been published. Thanks to the wonderful workings of technology, any person with a computer, phone, tablet, etc., and access to the internet, now has the opportunity to become an author. Unfortunately, this now means that the possibility of being bombarded with useless information, misinformation, and ramblings has just grown exponentially.

 There used to be a certain prestige to being known as an author. In fact less than a couple decades ago the literary works that were available to us were slightly revered, if only due to the hard work that a writer has to put into having their work published. Now the written word has become slightly tarnished, since all it takes is a simple click of a button, and the entire world now knows about your pet rock Scaly, and how he has been growing more distant towards you.

 This plethora of discourse found on the internet has led me to believe that while anyone can be a writer; perhaps the meaning of author needs to be redefined.