CPP COM317: Lost In Translation

[lauriebooboo]

Last Thursdays was my first time ever attending the annual COM day and boy was I glad I went. I got there before it started and left after it ended. It was a great experience and I learned a lot. The main thing all the speakers stressed was the value of getting an internship. I always knew it...

[gutierrezsm]

I do like COM day, but I feel like it doesn't quite generate the interest that it should since we're a commuter school and a good portion of our campus population have jobs and families far from campus. It really is a shame because we get pretty awesome speakers.

[gutierrezsm]

Field Assignment 2 disappointment...

The end of this quarter was rather frustrating when it came to trying to find people to interview for my field assignment and I had to change my topic a bit in order to fit the people I was able to get in contact with.

Originally, I had planned to do my interview on the Inland Valley Human Society and SPCA in Pomona. It was going to be fairly simple, as I wanted to interview some of its staff and take a tour of its newly renovated facilities. Much of the content for the paper would be on the programs offered by the Pomona branch of the SPCA, which I generally knew had a spay-and-neuter program, reduced-cost vaccination clinic, and even offered pet-training programs and seminars.

However, after trying for weeks to get ahold of someone, and constantly being put on hold or being sent on rounds of telephone-tag trying to get people to call me back, I was pretty fed up with it. Every single time I called, I would introduce myself and what I was doing, and asked If there was someone I could speak to about the programs the facilities offered. I even mentioned that I was willing to schedule a meeting with someone to meet on one of the less-busy hours or days available, as I know it is highly impacted shelter that is constantly overcrowded with potential pets. I am also aware they do licensing for the surrounding area and are busy.

After playing a week of this phone-tag, I called and asked if it would be alright if I could just walk in, and would just inquiry about the programs with workers  or volunteers available. I was surprised that before I could even finish my sentence, I was abruptly cut off and transferred to an answering machine in another department.

Talk about rude.

Rather than dealing with an apparently super busy place--which I know has a ton of down time—I called the local no-kill shelters in the area and conducted a few telephone interviews. Eventually I was able to speak to them about their own programs and talk to the workers about their opinions on the over population issue.

I was really disappointed in the IVHS and SCPA in Pomona. From experience, it’s pretty easy to walk in at almost any time of day and have someone talk to you as long as it isn’t discount shot-clinic day. I’ve volunteered at their facility before so they really don’t have any excuse to how anything was handled.

[kimberlymlee]

Recently, the weather in Southern California has been awfully dry. Not only is the weather very dry, but also very warm. So today I will be sharing with you all a way I cope with the heat and dry spell.

Smoothies!

I often make my own smoothies at home; I find them healthy, easy and...

[gutierrezsm]

Haha I am totally doing similar things at home. Frozen and fresh berries from costco/sam's club, honey, and a little yogurt and almond milk thrown in a cup with an immersion stick blender does wonders. For lighter smoothies, even a bit of tea or water can be a replacement for dairy.

[gutierrezsm]

The Drop Box

"The Drop Box" is a Documentary Film about a courageous man named Pastor Lee Jong-rak, leader of Jusarang Community Church in Seoul, South Korea. He and his small staff have taken in nearly three dozen children over the past decade, all of whom were abandoned because of their disabilities. They have a kickstarter campaign if you would like to donate.

------

After the recent story about the Chinese baby that was flushed down the toilet, it was a bit hard for me to wrap my head around the thought of people abandoning their children in crude manners. I’ve heard of people leaving their children in the street, or finding some way to dispose of the child. It’s heartbreaking.

Just after the news broke about the child’s rescue, there were initial claims that the child’s mother would be charged with attempted murder. Outcry and support poured in to help the child that had to be cut out of the toilet’s pipework.

Then someone posted this video about Pastor Lee Jong-rak on Facebook. It helped to know that there were still people out there trying to do good things in our society and alleviated a bit of the dying faith in humanity I seem to be harboring lately.

Today I found out that the toilet baby might have been an accidental event due to an unmarried woman hiding her pregnancy. Investigations show that it was an accident, and according to Zhejiang News, the mother claimed the baby slipped into the sewage pipe and that she informed her property owner when she was unable to pull the child out.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/05/29/mother-chinese-baby-flushed-toilet-accident_n_3350782.html

  The world is unforgiving, but there are people that make it a little bit better.

[gutierrezsm]

Eleven years old and rescued from being the chew toy of two standard poodles, Duke is normally found snoring in his bed. This old man can be a bit temperamental and has a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde duality to him that can make him difficult to deal with, especially with his selective “hearing-loss” and interest in everything but what you want him to be interested in. Arthritic, but still blazingly fast, sparrows do not stand a chance against him as long as he gets a glucosamine pill in the early hours of the morning.

This old man is a hunter by instinct, easily taking down possum, birds, rodents, and flying beetles in one swift motion (and even attempted to go after a hawk at one point). He will stare fixated and immobile at his target until he can smite them down and leave them unmoving at the doorstep. Despite his swift hunting ethic, he is horribly camera and gun-shy, unable to tolerate the flashing lights or sudden boom of guns, thunder, or fireworks. This can make getting pictures of him difficult, and he has learned to recognize how a camera looks like. Thankfully, he has not quite figured out what an iPad is, or that it contains a camera.

While Duke doesn't know more than a handful of on-demand party tricks, he is incredibly resourceful and is known for pulling out only weeds when he gardens, opening glass doors, turning on water fountains, and tricking his other housemates into doing things for him.

He can be a cuddle-bug and loves to bury his head into the crook of your arm, but has periods of not wanting to be touched or bothered at all. In the rare moments he allows cuddling, he snuggles close and watches television like the grumpy old man he is.

[gutierrezsm]

Meet Honey-Bear: the Species and Gender confused Princess-Nurse-Diva.

​ This delicate, pint-sized cutie is a Pomeranian and Chihuahua mixture, roughly around 7 years in age. She was rescued from a severely neglectful household in Los Angeles where her mother and siblings were…

[hayleyledesma-blog]

I absolutely love this dog. SHe is absolutely adorable. I am such a dog person. Everyone jokes around at my house that I am the dog lady because my dogs are always sitting next to me on the couch.

[gutierrezsm]

I'm glad you like her! she's such a blast to watch compared to the other two boys and definitely exhibits a very different personality in comparison to the normal "dog" behavior one might expect.

[gutierrezsm]

Meet Honey-Bear: the Species and Gender confused Princess-Nurse-Diva.

​ This delicate, pint-sized cutie is a Pomeranian and Chihuahua mixture, roughly around 7 years in age. She was rescued from a severely neglectful household in Los Angeles where her mother and siblings were allowed to escape from their yard whenever they pleased. The irresponsible owners ignored this problem and their female dog kept returning pregnant, and many of the puppies were continually found hit by cars.

Originally the runt of the litter and covered in fleas, she's the only one left out of her siblings that is still kicking and is going strong. 

Honey was raised with two cats and has only been around male dogs--making her believe she is a feline in behavior, but still must lift her leg to potty (making her comical to watch, teetering on three paws). This confused pup showed an ability to detect blood sugar levels and sicknesses without training any training.

Honey took care of my grandmother as her medical and therapy dog during her time with us to detect diabetes complications.

 Incredibly intelligent and a remarkably fast learner, it generally only takes her two or three repetitions before learning a trick. She learns even faster by mimicry if she sees another dog or person performing the action, even if it is not in a typical dog behavior-set.

After my grandmother passed, she retired from her medical work and is now a professional blanket heater, puppy baby sitter, and unfortunate chew toy for the tiny terror that is Buttons.

She loves nothing more than being told she is pretty and adores posing for the camera. If she could talk, she would no doubt gossip and groan at all the things Buttons manages to get away with.

[rawan-salameh]

I think having a pet is a great idea for most people because it keeps them from feeling lonely. It’s like having someone to come home to everyday. If you already have a spouse or family then the pet usually completes the family. Dogs are the ultimate pet because they have most personality...

[gutierrezsm]

At least children grow up! Pets are completely dependent on you for the entirety of their lifespans and you have to learn a new 'language' to understand when they are hurt/upset--or at least teach them English to make sure you communicate properly. They're compact, furry terrors of patience testing and unbridled adoration and love.

[gutierrezsm]

Happy Mother's Day~

For my field assignment, I decided to do a feature on mothers in college.

This was planned to be a small feature on the hard-working mothers and mothers-to-be that are making the effort to earn their education.

I had planned to conduct the interviews on campus with students who are currently attending Cal Poly Pomona and covering the thoughts, rewards, and hardships of being a mother (or pregnant) while attempting to earn a college education

With everyone’s crazy schedules and hectic due dates for assignments, interviews were crammed in between class breaks and impromptu questions thrown at them during some classes.

Throw in working around baby-sitter schedules and work obligations and suddenly life got to be quite a bit overwhelming—but enough about my always-busy school life.

I managed to interview four different mothers in different stages of their lives and motherhood. Granted, some had to be contacted through Facebook, or even through other classmates via phone-trees, it was interesting to try juggling contacts nonetheless.

While I had initially prepared to listen to the expected time constraints involved, I was surprised to hear that the University Day Care only allowed children to be admitted for its services if they were completely toilet trained.

While I understood this is probably for both hygiene, health and time constraints of the caretakers, I was much better informed as to why the new mothers I had met on campus were always talking about working around baby-sitting schedules with family or friends when we had the day-care right on campus.

One of the mothers I interviewed said that she felt universities didn’t need to accommodate or help mothers, as other students had their own difficulties and time constraints.

Sometimes being a mother wasn’t always a planned choice, but one of the women I interviewed says there is some bias to mothers who are pregnant in college and have made the decision to have a planned pregnancy. She said people assume because you are pregnant in college, the pregnancy was accidental, and sometimes it can be irritating being judged that she is making the wrong decision with her life.

...Sometimes I just want to come to school to talk with the people in it instead of for my education. People are so fascinating.

[prisillacontreras-deactivated20]

I always get a little nervous when I know I have to do a field assignment. I struggle in coming up with a subject and then I struggle in developing the full idea. Once it is there though everything is put at ease. I go and I interview people and then everything becomes easier. But it’s those...

[gutierrezsm]

I think that's going to be my issue too! I don't know how people can do these assignments constantly for a job--but I suppose since that is their livelihood, it makes it easier and a better motivator because it supports you.

[ashleighbc-blog]

I wonder if any one else feels the same way I feel? I feel like I am having a tugga war in my head about going to the gym. I am running out of fuel to keep me motivated to go to the gym. Normally, I love going to the gym and I can’t wait to have some time to myself, but as of Tuesday, things...

[gutierrezsm]

I never would have even made it to the gym. I argue that gas money and gym membership outweigh my motivational skills to do said workouts... and pretty much end up just playing tag with my dogs around the house.

...and then the saved money goes to buying them treats. oops, oh well...

[gutierrezsm]

Meet Buttons.

Buttons is a Pekingese/Shih-tzu cross.

His nose is so short that he has to face plant into the floor to smell things he finds interesting, and he likes to sit up on his back paws to be held when he is sleepy. Overall, he’s pretty darn adorable except for the fact that his mouth opens up half his face like a furry bear-trap and absolutely everything needs to end up in his mouth.

Everything.

It has earned him the name Monster in our house.

If you want to know a little more about him, you can see a gallery of him if you [click here] and then hit that picture of him on the website.

Where to start…

Buttons is a Craigslist puppy—and no, I do not support backyard breeders, this was a rehoming case.  We adopted him at 12 weeks after his owner and her family could not keep him after having him for a month due to a sudden change in job hours. They did not think it was fair to leave a puppy home alone after he had been in an environment of constant love an attention.

But S, you already have three dogs and should not take another.

Well, we had three dogs.  Unfortunately Jack, my West Highland White Terrier, passed away back in August. He tried very hard to fight off a blood infection but just didn’t have the strength to beat it, and it hit my family pretty hard. My mother and I took it hardest, but both of the remaining dogs showed their mourning as well.  The depression that hit my household had everyone quietly looking outside and waiting for that little head-butt against their ankles asking for a kumquat from the heavily loaded fruit tree.

It was sad, and it took a few months before I went searching on my own, casually glancing around. I didn’t know if we were ready for another dog, but then right before school started I came across a picture on Craigslist that had me on my feet.

We had always talked about getting another Squirty, but never did we expect to find an exact replica. Squirt was a Pekingese/Cocker-Spaniel mix my mom had before I was born. He lived until I was 15 and was the baby before my parents had kids.  Gentle, sweet, and just a mellow, cuddly pup, he was an amazing dog—we couldn’t wait to have another.

We picked up the puppy the weekend after I found him on Craigslist—and he was not a Squirty. Loud, mouthy, and a constant harassment to everyone; he’s definitely a challenge.

He is Buttons. He is a holy terror, and he is ours, and we love him anyways.

[kingkaepernick]

I walk around campus and I see more people at the library. I see more people actually reading textbooks. I see people typing like crazy people. It must be midterm time.

Because Cal Poly is currently in a quarter system, this time a year comes quick. In schools with semester system there’s a lot...

[gutierrezsm]

I can say that senioritis has heavily set in and I am not looking forward to midterms at all...

[gutierrezsm]

Art Ramblings: Have you ever had that moment...

I needed to relearn how to enjoy my art again and not look at pieces with such hate and loathing for not being good enough. The pictures in my mind will always be years ahead of the skills I possess, and I truly wish I could everyone see what I see. I know I have a long way to go art wise, but I want to enjoy the journey--not hate the road I'm traveling. After all, artists try to achieve an unreachable goal--conveying every message with utmost perfection and feeling with a skill level that matches the images in our minds.....

Though I suppose we're all masochistic in a way, where we try to toil and claw our way to that goal anyways. Always will it be dangled in front of us, forever out of our reach, but it is our determination and perseverance that makes us want to continue chasing it with that next step.

(I hate it when I accidentally hit queue instead of publish...)

[gutierrezsm]

A bit of time with Professor Doug Spoon

Doug Spoon, a Cal Poly Pomona professor sat down for an interview today in our class to tell us a little bit about his life. With 35 years of work at the San Gabriel Valley and San Bernardino Tribune, he did primarily sports writing and eventually earned his own column, working his way up to sports editor.

He has covered everything from the Dodgers in the 1980s, followed USC football and basketball teams, covered baseball world series, and even did big name events. Spoon followed the Olympics, the Kings in the Stanley Cup Finals, and even wrote up to four times a week on sports before getting out of the newspaper business in 2007 to pursue teaching.

Spoon is currently a faculty advisor for the Poly Post, the CSU Pomona campus newspaper, and recently started working with an independent online publication in Menifee, Calif., that covers a range of city subjects such as city events, and council meetings.

Spoon says he likes to make sure the students he teaches become proficient multi-taskers to be able to keep up with the changes and trends in journalism.

“It’s important that the students understand the legacy of journalism and where we’ve come from,” says Spoon, referring to the early days of newspapers to the now multimedia journalism, he want to make sure they make use and have knowledge of all the tools and modes of communicating news to media outlets. From blogs, shooting video, press releases, and even tweeting, he wants them to be prepared.

After a bit of talking about himself, he opened up questions for the class.

It was interesting to listen to, but I was a bit distracted with finishing tweets required for his lecture, and scrambling to get some semblance of a blog posted in a timely fashion. I briefly heard snippets about how he was married with kids, but it should not be much of a surprise to most of you reading this, seeing as I hear most of you typing frantically.

Wrapping up his lecture, his last few statements did catch my attention. I’m not much of a sports fan, but I do know from my parents about Kobe Bryant’s recent injury, and Spoon mentioned how he had injured himself in high school in the same manner that Bryant did while playing basketball and tennis for Temple City High School in his youth.

Tempted to ask if he had been a star player on his team, but maybe that will be for another lecture.

[ashleighbc-blog]

I have multiple friends who dating, engaged, and married to these men who are not such great man. I can’t seem to figure out why they choose, or want, to stick with these guys. All of these guys seem to have several characteristics in common; they are beyond selfish, insensitive, defiant, and...

[gutierrezsm]

Having been one of those women in these types of relationships, and now in a very loving one, I can tell you now that they probably aren't going to deviate from their choices until they take a step back and look at themselves and their own self esteem/life-choices.

I was insecure. I felt like I didn't deserve much and when someone showed me affection, I was elated. Someone paid attention to my existence and acknowledged me as a possible life-partner--how great was that?

But when they got bored, or tired, or just didn't feel like putting in the effort into being a decent partner, they ignored me and suddenly I spiraled into this depression of self-hate. What had I done wrong?

99.9 percent of the time?

Nothing. I hadn't done anything wrong. I had not got them angry or upset, or taken too much of their time, they just simply didn't care--no matter what they said to me later about how they missed me and how they wanted to see me, they just liked that default control of having me there.

...and I was happy to take them back with open arms, because it was only a little road-block in our relationship--right? Then the next one would show up and give me hope that I wasn't worthless, and they did want a relationship...it just continued that cycle.

It wasn't until after I sat down and wrote out what I wanted in a relationship, and put how much of the time I wanted those "wants" to be reality; until I really sat down and thought about what was I always apologizing for, and what I was saying to them about how I could meet their standards.

Had they met any of mine?

It was sort of a wake up call.

[gutierrezsm]

You are more beautiful than you think!

Dove has been on an amazing campaign over the last few years that has been inspiring women everywhere, trying to promote good self-esteem and restore a view of feel-good-beauty—all without Photoshop, or photo-editing.

Earlier today while browsing Facebook before class, I came across a video from one of my friend’s feeds. Seeing that it was a Dove campaign link, and having seen their previous campaign videos on positive body image, I clicked and was not disappointed

The video starts a little slow, but the message is good. You meet a few women who are asked to describe their own features to a forensic sketch artist. The artist is unable to see them, completes a picture from what they describe, and later sketches a second picture of the same person—instead described by someone the art model met earlier.

What they find is that they are their own worst critics, and some see they have a bit of work to do. They are beautiful and they just have to have the courage to embrace it.

As a hobby artist, this hit home a bit. Many artists have issues with analyzing their own art and techniques, refusing to view their work as beautiful. Many of my artist friends constantly berate themselves and just dig this hole of defeat and discouragement.

“I’ll never get better.”

“My art is terrible.”

“I created something ugly.”

Artists’ view of their works can also reflect on their personal self-esteem and the negativity placed in their lives, at least from what I have noticed.  However, what bothers me most is this isn’t just an artist problem.

In the description of the video, I found that Dove reports only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful.

Only 4% around the entire world--and yet people are okay with that number?

 Positive/negative body image can change how everything in someone’s life is viewed, and can potentially affect your happiness and future goals. Depression, self-harm, low confidence--it's all damaging and can cause a myriad of other problems.

How great if you could start your day, look in the mirror, and be able to say, "I am beautiful, and today will be a good day," or look to someone else, hear a compliment, and just be able to confidently reply, "Thank you!"

I'm not sure if it would apply to everyone, but my coffee would taste a little bit sweeter to me, and the sun would shine just a bit brighter.

  If you guys want a few more links, Dove also encourages conversation at: #wearebeautiful