As Sgt Major Edward Sax (ret.) read the roll call for over 50 men that didn't come home, the weight and sadness was heavy in the air as the men thought of their brothers in arms.
It only lasted 20 minutes and may have seemed odd to those who have not sat through a military memorial before for its straight-forwardness and abrupt ending. However, it was obvious as the men and their wives exited the chapel that the somber memorial was a chance to remember and thank those who gave their lives for their country.
The memorial service started the first annual reunion
weekend for the veterans and current enlisted Marines of the Third Battalion
First Marines of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. The main event of the
reunion weekend was a ball, which took place on November 10th, 2012,
the 237th birthday of the Marine Corps.
Marines are a special breed, and that was prevalent
when the 40 Marines and 1 Corpsman met November 10th with smiles, hugs, dinner,
and drinks. The men sounded as if they
were actual family even though many hadn't seen each other in some cases for over seven years.
Sax, who was the senior
enlisted man during 3/1's deployment to Iraq in 2004, planned the reunion.
When asked why he decided to hold the reunion, Sax said,
"I felt it would be good for the Men of the BN (Battalion) to come
together, other than going to war."
Marines from all over the United States came back to where
it all began.
The reunion was held at a golf course in San Clemente, CA,
just miles from where these men had trained for war just years before.
3/1, an infantry battalion, is stationed in Camp Pendleton,
CA.
With drinks and dinner, Marines and their wives or dates
"smoked and joked" about the good old days.
Kyle Hicks noted that Marines "become a unit as close
as a family and closer, they go through hell together and become unable to
forget the times that were good and bad. It keeps them in each others' minds
always, and it will for sure keep them coming together for the rest of their
lives."
Sax agreed, " you are taught from the
time you come in the Corps that you will always be a Marine for the rest of
your life, in our case the time we have spent in combat also built on the bond
we will have for ever."
As the night wound down and it was obvious that they were
not going to be able to drink the bar out of alcohol, it was time to say
goodbye. With hand shakes and hugs, the
Marines went their separate ways, back to a world that doesn't always
understand them. However, for two days
they had the opportunity to be back among brothers.
When asked why it was important to attend the reunion,
Matthew Gonzalez said he "attended
the reunion because there were people there that I care about. The situations
we faced collectively cannot be replicated in the civilian world, and being together
with them makes me feel understood."
It's not Walmart, Safeway, or Albertsons. The Albany Farmers Market consists of blue collar farmers, like Robert Taylor who owns the Fir Grove Farm in Scio or Ross Glasser who owns the Happy Camper Farm in North Albany. These are farmers that grow and sell their produce right here in the valley.
These farmers, and the dozen or so other vendors at the Farmers Market in Albany on October 20th, are the representation of how small farmers can supply the local area with the staple foods. They keep the local economy alive by providing a local alternative for products that are also sold by corporations like Walmart and Safeway.
Glasser, who farms on just one acre, pointed out that locals should become aware just "how far away our food comes from."
There is something unique and special about the feel of an open-air market like the one at the intersection of 4th and Ellsworth in downtown Albany.
At the Albany Farmers Market, you will hear the sound of the live music that entertains customers while they casually peruse the vendors' wares. You will see the vibrant colors of the produce, as well as the smiles on the faces of the hard-working farmers that have come together to sell their produce and other products to their valley neighbors.
Some vendors even accepted WIC vouchers and EBT.
When walking through the market, it's abundantly clear just how vast the selection of produce is that you can find here. There is everything from staples like potatoes, lettuce, carrots, and apples, to just about every type of squash imaginable. But produce is not the only thing sold at the farmers market. One farm out of Sweet Home offered customers an arrangement of meats, including beef, chicken, pork, lamb, and goat.
One of the resounding themes when talking to the farmers is their thankfulness to the locals in the area. Both Taylor and Glasser have mentioned that support from the locals has been getting stronger. Glasser stated that there has been a recent shift towards a "stronger customer base." This is not to say that the support is at its peak, and these local farmers would certainly appreciate more business. Taylor said while things have "actually gotten better," it "would help if people were more supportive of the market."
According to Taylor, the market is filled with vendors in the beginning of the season, which starts in April. He mentioned that many of the berry vendors and other farmers that specialize in certain produce or goods have slowly disappeared with the end of their respective growing seasons. The Albany Farmers Market is closing for the winter on Nov. 17 according to their official web site, so make sure to visit soon!
If you are someone that believes that the Pell Grants are a
good thing, then you will be happy with President Obama for championing Pell Grants. But if you're someone who believes that the Pell
Grant system is in need of reform and cost cutting, then Governor Romney is a good choice.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, a Pell Grant
is financial aid that is awarded to a student that has not yet completed their “bachelors
or professional degree.” The one thing
that sets this apart from other forms of financial aid is that a Pell Grant doesn't have to be repaid.
Both candidates address Pell Grants, and one champions the grant
as revolutionary while the other calls for reform of the Pell Grant system.
Obama has almost doubled the amount of Pell Grants. According to his campaign website, he has
increased the grants by 95 percent nationally and 114 percent in Oregon.
His Republican contender Mitt Romney calls for an opposing movement in the realm of Pell Grants. According
to his educational plan: A Chance for Every Child, Romney is calling for the reform of Pell Grants. He calls for putting the Pell Grant system on a
financial plan so that it can remain financially solvent and not reach “financial
cliffs,” like the one that caused the elimination of subsidized loans for
graduate students.
Another push by Obama on higher education is a different way
students can pay off the college loans.
Under the “Pay As You Earn” plan that debuted in September, monthly
payments will be determined by your household income, this information was obtained from Obama's campaign website. With this plan, your income is used to
formulate how much you owe per month, but you can’t be charged over 10 percent of your
monthly income.
Romney sees the problems not just in our inability to afford
our loans, but in the financial aid system as well. He would like to reform the government financial aid systems and even eliminate programs that are ineffective or already duplicated in
another program. Christine Ruck, a Linn County Republican Party Delegate noted that the reform will make the "financial process simplified." Romney also calls for the
government to educate students in what kind of debt they will incur so that
they can make more informed decisions.
One way that Obama strives to support higher education is through his administration's
push in investing two billion dollars into community colleges nationwide. This is according to his campaign website.
Another way Obama and the Democratic Party would like to assist college students is though the renewal of the American Opportunity Tax Credit. According to John Welley, the Linn County Democratic Party Treasurer, one of the dangers of a Romney ticket was the possible elimination of the American Opportunity Tax Credit. "Education Credits are Golden right now." The American Opportunity credit is eligible to students who personally pay for school expenses. Welley claims these credits will be in danger, if a republican is President. "(The American Opportunity) Tax credit has to be renewed. The President wants to do it, and the Democrats want to do it." The tax credit is due to expire next year.
In A Chance for Every
Child, Romney points out what he believes to be the issue in rising tuition
costs. His opinion is that the government
is hemorrhaging money into colleges, thus not keeping them accountable to affordable
tuition.
Ruck noted that tuition cost at community colleges are dictated by state governments. "Students should focus on (the) Oregon Legislature." And especially take a "strong look at state representative races."
Higher Education is just one of many area's where Romney and Obama differ. Look, listen, and be-informed. Vote on November 6th.
With so many
students either dual-enrolled or with plans to enroll into Oregon State University or University of Oregon in the
future, is the LBCC online schooling system out of sync?
Even Chemeketa
is in transition from their current online provider to Blackboard. Their transition should be complete by the
school year’s end, according to their school website.
Should LBCC do the same and move out of the Moodle world?
Either in Moodle or Blackboard the online operating system allows instructors to provide classes, lectures, quizzes, syllabi, grades and forums to students with access to the internet, from the comfort of home or anywhere else.
Most of us
probably don't know, but LBCC operated through Blackboard four years ago. The main reason we left, according to LBCC
Moodle Administrator Paul Tannahill, was price.
Four years ago, Blackboard wanted to raise the price from $16,000 to
$105,000. That would have been a 556.25
percent increase in cost.
In Tannahill’s opinion, another reason
for leaving Blackboard was because the "tools on Blackboard make it clear,
(Blackboard) is a commercial product." What Tannahill is referring to the fact that much of Blackboards features are very cookie cutter and don't allow much room to adapt to the instructors needs.
His
opinion is very different regarding Moodle.
"Moodle is designed to be flexible and adaptable," said Tannahill. "More bang for our buck."
When asked
if LBCC would change to any other online schooling system if money was not a
factor, the resounding answer is no.
Tannahill made it clear that instead of switching to a different system, he
would continue to work with Moodle.
"The more I work with it, the more I like it," he said.
For these and other reasons, LBCC continues
to stick with Moodle.
Tannahill is
not alone in his opinion of Moodle.
Freshman Robin Bonnie agrees. "Moodle Works," said Bonnie. Why change what works.
So where
does that leave our dual-enrolled students?
It leaves them exactly where they were yesterday and where they will be
tomorrow. According to Tannahill,
this is nothing to frown on. He believes from his interactions that these
students are "80/20 in favor for Moodle."
One dual enrollee disagrees Moodle is a better system than Blackboard. Dawn
Dennis, a dual-enrolled junior at OSU, is in total disagreement "Moodle doesn't function as well as
Blackboard," she said. Dawn complained specifically to the fact that Moodle has issues when a student tries to copy and paste from Microsoft's Word to Moodle.
One of the
things you figure out really fast when talking to the Moodle Administrator is
that even after four and a half years, he is very enthusiastic about using
Moodle to make our online and traditional schooling a success.
When he speaks of ideas and improvements in
Moodle, he talks faster and very in-depth with such excitement as someone
talking about their favorite football team.
He has ideas about having more classes taking quizzes on Moodle, as this
would allow more face-to-face time with professors instead of wasting valuable
time grading tests.
He mentions that 75 percent of
traditional classes at LBCC use Moodle in some way, from hybrids to those that
use it for access for test and forums, to more traditional classes that use it
to give students easy access to things such as contact information, syllabi and frequently asked questions pages.
At a glance:
Schools using Blackboard: OSU, U of O, and soon to be Chemeketa
The National Geographic Society was created on January 13, 1888 by thirty-three scientist at the Cosmos Club in Washington DC. Nine months later the National Geographic Society published it's first magazine. The magazine presents stories about geography, history, culture, current events, science, and displays amazing photography. But I'm not here today to tell you the history of the National Geographic because you can check this out Wikipediaor the National Geographic web site. Today I want to describe their use of old media and new media, which I will describe in detail below.
The National Geographic drives to educate its readers instead of simply entertaining them, as most mainstream magazines do. Instead of providing readers with articles on topics such as working out, makeup, or celebrities, the National Geographic presents articles on topics such as African religions, the sinking of the Titanic, the nomadic tribes of Papua New Guinea, and tsunamis. The advertising that you will see in the pages of the National Geographic is minimal compared what you will find in the majority of magazines. When looking through the magazine you will generally only see ads at the beginning and end of the magazine. Most of the advertisements are full page ads for products like Rolex, Canon, Nikon, and Toyota. The National Geographic Society is a non-profit organization, and their goal is to spread information rather than make money. The lack of advertising in the pages of the National Geographic helps you to focus on the story at hand instead of being distracted by the advertisements. The National Geographic is a very visual magazine, and there are eye-catching photographs on nearly every page. The text in the National Geographic is generally small, and this helps them fit in as much information as possible. The featured articles in the National Geographic are long and in-depth, when most magazines contains articles that are only a few pages long. For example, an article on the sinking of the Titanic in the April 2012 spans nearly thirty pages, with some of the pages containing only pictures. The National Geographic magazine provides articles on topics, and in essence it brings the world to your fingertips. There are obscure topics from around the world that you can read about in the National Geographic, such as how South American cultures made shrunken heads.
The NatGeo stands apart from its competition because of its educational focus. It seems more like a scholarly journal than a magazine. The National Geographic is heavy on content and light on the entertainment "fluff" that fills most magazines. NatGeo is also unique because of the dramatic photography that fills its pages, like pictures of remote corners of the world that the reader would otherwise never get to see. The National Geographic is known for high-quality award-winning photography, and in 2006 they even began an international photography competition.
NatGeo is available in print (old media) and online (new media). While the written content is basically the same in both versions, the online version offers multi-media features that the magazine simply cannot. In the online version of National Geographic, you will find extra features such as videos and interactive maps. The old media version of NatGeo is much more limited in what it can provide. Through the development of technology, the online version of NatGeo is able to be much more creative and interactive. You can even follow NatGeo on Facebook and Twitter and "Like" a story or image. The online version of NatGeo is able to provide information in "real time" as well. For example, they are featuring a climb of Mount Everest, and the online version is able to allow the reader to follow along with the expedition as it happens instead of after the fact. Another difference between the two versions of the magazine is in the advertising. While the advertising in minimal in the online version as well as the print version, the online version seems to offer lower-end items such as candy and razors, while the print version advertises high-end items such as fancy watches and cars. Perhaps this difference is evidence that they are aiming the old media and new media versions of National Geographic at different niches. Maybe the old media and new media are even geared for different generations. Another simple but significant difference between the print and "web browser" online versions of National Geographic is that you only have to pay to read the print version. When using a web browser, most of the content on National Geographic's web site is free. This could allow for a larger and more diverse audience of readers. This being said, not all online versions of NatGeo are free--for example a monthly subscription on the Kindle Fire costs $2.00 a month.
As I mentioned above, there seem to be different target audiences for the print an online versions of NatGeo. The print version seems to be geared towards an older and wealthier audience. For example, you will find advertisements for Rolex in the print version. The online version of NatGeo seems to be geared towards more of a general audience, and everyday items such as candy and razors are advertised. The only real evidence of a target audience is in the advertising, because the content in the print and online versions of NatGeo is very similar. The content of NatGeo is simply geared towards any reader who wants to learn. The National Geographic is a very reader-friendly publication, and there are no offensive messages or stereotypes portrayed in its pages.
Both versions of NatGeo have strengths and weaknesses. In the print version, the full-page pictures are very striking and you do not quite get the same effect with the layout of the online version. Another strength of the print version is that you can keep an issue and read it over and over throughout the years. Old issues of National Geographic are even collectible. One weakness of the print version is that you do not have the option of interactive learning. Furthermore, in the print version you are limited to access only the information that has been published and do not have access to "real time" updates. The online version of National Geographic has a strength in that it is able to incorporate media beyond just print and pictures, and it is even able to allow interactive learning. The online web-browser version of NatGeo is free, which is another advantage. Furthermore, it is very easy to access only the information that you are interested in--if you are not interested in a particular story you just don't click on that link. The online version also has weaknesses. One of the primary limitations is its accessibility. If you don't have access to the internet, you are out of luck. Another limitation of the online version is that it limits the target audience. If you are not comfortable using the internet (like some of the older generation), you won't read the online version of NatGeo. Ultimately, the online version of NatGeo is able to offer more to its readers because of its multimedia and interactive capabilities. For this reason only would I say that it better serves its targeted audience.
There are many ways to interact with NatGeo beyond reading when you access it online. On the website, you can use interactive features such as a map where you can click on different views of the ascent of K2. You can also play games or create online jigsaw puzzles our of a picture. You can follow stories and "like" stories or images through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. You can also order a print of many of the pictures that you see on their website.
After looking into the "new" and "old" media associated with NatGeo I have become curious what other well established magazines or even newspapers have changed since expanding into the online frontier. I hope that you have learned new things about NatGeo before today I never explored their online site and now see many benefits to it. I encourage people to look at what magazine or paper you read and look for it online. And see what you've been missing out on.
What do Victoria's Secret supermodel Adriana Lima, the rock band Motley Crue, NFL player Brett Keisel, and UFC fighter Chuck Liddell all have in common? At first glance, not much besides that fact that they are all famous. The unexpected link is that they all appeared in the extended version of Kia's 2012 Super Bowl ad, promoting the newest version of the Optima. In this ad, the "sandman" accidentally spills too much of his dream potion on a suburban husband, launching him into a dream fantasy on steroids, featuring the above celebrities and, of course, the 2012 Optima.
At the beginning of this ad, the "sandman" tiptoes into the room of a sleeping couple. In the background plays a peaceful version of Pat Ballard's song "Mr. Sandman". The "sandman" slips over to the wife's side of the bed and sprinkles her with his dream powder. The ad then displays the wife's dream, where she rides horseback over green hills with a Fabio-esque male model. The "sandman" then heads to the husband's side of the bed, but on his way, he trips over a pair of slippers, dousing the sleeping man with a much higher dose of the dream powder than he intended. The husband then launches into an intense dream sequence, which begins with him racing a Kia Optima as a provocatively-dressed Adriana Lima waves a checkered flag. As he drives down the racetrack, he is suddenly in the middle of a Motley Crue concert. As the band sings "Kickstart My Heart", crowds of bikini-clad women scream and wave at the Optima-driving husband from the stands of the racetrack. As the "Optima Guy" continues down the track, he drives past NFL player Brett Keisel, who happens to be dressed as a lumberjack while sawing a sandwich the size of a tree. Recognizing the inherent awesomeness of the "Optima Guy", Brett gives him a thumbs-up as a drives by. The "Optima Guy" continues down the track past a octagon ring, where Chuck Liddell makes his opponent's head explode in a ball of fire and roars. Throughout this whole dream sequence, "Optima Guy" is wearing a giddy smile on his face. For the finale of his dream sequence, "Optima Guy" drives through the retaining wall of the racetrack, and crashes into his wife's dream. "Optima Guy" steals back his wife from the Fabio look-alike, for of course a man driving an Optima is much sexier than a guy out of a romance novel. The couple drives off into the sunset, in the Optima, of course.
The "Dream Car" advertising strategy clearly employs several common advertising techniques. The celebrity appeal of this 90-second commercial is obvious, as Kia is clearly utilizing the famous-person testimonial approach, displaying how impressed these famous people are by the sexiness of the new Optima.
The fact that Kia is promoting "a dream car for real life" exhibits that they are employing the plain-folks pitch by marketing affordable luxury. Kia is telling us that here is a new sporty car that your average "Suburban Joe" can afford. Kia also presents the Optima as a "dream car" by employing the association principle. Through this ad, Kia is sending the message that the new Optima is sexy by associating it with bikini-clad women, celebrities, and adrenaline. This ad also employs the use of myth through the face that it tells a "mini story" with characters, setting, a plot, and conflict resolution. The conflict in this ad resolves through the triumph of the "Optima Guy" over the guy who looks like Fabio. All of the techniques used during this ad seem pretty smooth and fit together to make a very catchy and entertaining ad. The "Dream Car" ad represents a new approach to advertising from Kia, promoting Optima as a "sexy" and luxurious car. Before this ad, we associated Kia commercials with the silly dancing hamsters that they used to promote the Kia Soul.
While part of the "Dream Car" ad is a recycled racetrack theme which we have seen a million time in car commercials, the plot and actions of the characters and famous people presented throughout the commercial are unique, creative, and humorous. While it is very common to use famous people in commercials to market a product, the celebrities in this commercial serve the plot of the story rather than the other way around. The celebrities in this commercial are integral to the "Optima Guy's" dream and build his ego. The celebrities complement the story instead of being the story. And while the "Dream Car" ad obviously appeals to men's dreams and fantasies, the humor of the story is generally appealing and marketable to all audiences. The ad clearly plays off of the stereotypical male fantasies--women, cars, sports, music, and food. The ad also stereotypes the female fantasy--riding off into the sunset on with Prince Charming. While these stereotypes are certainly generalizations, they are meant to be humorous and are certainly not offensive.
One strengths of this ad is that, on the first viewing, it is surprising and unpredictable. You do not know what is going to happen until you get to the end. Another strength is in the appeal of the rock music in the ad, which enhances the energy and emotion of the ad. The only weakness that I noted in the commercial was that it is far-fetched, silly, and obviously unbelievable. Some people may not find it humorous. While the plot and celebrity appeal of the full-length ad certainly stick in your memory, Kia frequently runs a shorter version of the ad. The shorter version just shows the "Optima Guy" on the racetrack, and the effect is much less memorable. I think the commercial works into the marketing scheme and makes men, that targeted audience, want to check out this car if they can afford it. Kia has some large hurdles to overcome since they tend to be considered a discount car instead of a quality car. This commercial attempts to do away with that image.
This commercial engaged me and made me want to check out the new 2012 Optima. While I am an Optima owner already (although mine is 2008), my car does not seem as fancy as the 2012 Optima that they are trying to market through the commercial. What I saw in the commercial was a sleek, sporty car. This commercial made me think that perhaps Kia is upping the ante with the quality and appeal of their newer models, and after watching this commercial, I am at least interested enough to want to learn a little more.
What I learned though completing this assignment is that many advertising strategies and techniques are embedded in the commercials that we watch every day. Just watching the commercials, you often don't see the selling "tricks" that make most commercials so effective. Most people have a general understanding that commercials are trying to sell you stuff, but rarely do we think about how it works and what specific techniques are being used. What surprised me about this ad when I started analyzing it was how detailed in was. The first time I watched the ad, I understood that there were celebrities in it, but as I watched it more times, I realized that there were more celebrities than I thought, some of them only spending a split second on the screen. It will be kind of cool to pay attention to other ads now, to see what how they try to manipulate the common person into buying their products.
Another blog by John Neff also addresses some things about this commercial.
