Blog Post #8

My Last Blog!

The semester has come to a close and this is my last blog. I believe I have passed English 101 (although I don't have my grade yet, but it's looking good!!). I should make this "Ode to my fellow students!" Because without their help, I would be completely lost! My wonderful people sitting around me have helped me soooooooo much! I could not have done it without them!!! Poor Stephen, Tyler, and Lexie who sat right next to me, had the blunt of it. Everyone was so wonderful! I really enjoyed this class! Professor Fornes was fun to listen to! He made it very exciting when he had "a little pep in his step"! This has been a wonderful experience for me. English was not my best subject way back in high school!! Since this semester focused on writing about things we knew about, it made it much easier to write (not that my writing was the best, but it made it more fun). This class and History of Civilization 101 were my transition classes back to college. Would you believe I chose 2 classes to take that where not my favorites in high school? What is wrong with me? But I have really enjoyed both! Go figure!! College has been really hard and very exciting. I have even registered for a full load next semester (after Stephen told me to go for it!!). I think I can, I think I can!! So, my fellow students should still be seeing me around next year! And Please, still call me "Mom!" I love that!! Thanks for a wonderful semester (remember to be in a good mood when you read this Prof. Fornes!!) and may we all make A's!!

Love from the old lady in the class!

Terri

Blog Post #7

Blog Post #7
My research paper has changed in that I am no longer focusing on piercings, mostly on the tattoos. I haven't been able to find any studies that have been done on people who have had tattoos for a long time. I started focusing more on the permanent part of tattooing and came up with the slogan "Think before Ink." I don't think it's wrong to get a tattoo, I just want young people to think really hard before doing something permanent to their bodies. I also found information about diseases one could contract from getting a tattoo. My thesis is centered around having all states change the law to getting a tattoo at age 21. Only 2 states have that law in place now, which is South Carolina and Illinios. All the other 48 states, the legal age is 18. I guess the hardest part is not being able to find current articles on long term effects of tattooing.

Blog Post #6

What age should one be allowed to get a Tattoo or Body piercings?

My research project is going to be about Tattooing and Body Piercing. Should teenagers be allowed to get a tattoo or body piercing even with an adults consent? What about the long term effects this has on the body? Does a teenager really know what he or she will want on his body in 20, 30 or 50 years from now? I think some evidence needs to be pointed out about the long term effects these have on the body. The drinking age has been raised to 21, maybe tattooing and body piercings should be the same.


I planned to research the laws on ages for these two things. I want to find any studies that may have been conducted on this. I also plan to talk to some people who have had tattoos/piercings, recently and years ago. I believe young people need more facts to this decision, not just what they see as acceptable in today's society. What about infections that arise from this, or the possibility of contracting HIV or other diseases from these procedures? What about scarring? Even though it is socially accepted now, what about 25 years from now? How could this tattoo or body piercing change according to color or shape after a few years? Do we as the public need to see all these body piercings or tattoos? What effect will this have on their job searching in later life?


The two articles I plan to use for this research project from the MOA book are The Modern Primitives and Belly-Baring Fad Not Cute as a Button. Both articles talk about body modification, which is one aspect I plan to explore. My thought is to focus more on the long term effects of body piercing and tattooing.


I believe young people need to be more informed about this more visible culture now. Tattooing and body piercing is a decision that will affect their body the rest of their life. They need to get all the facts and wait until after they are 21 years old to make this life changing decision.

Research Questions:

Should teenagers be allowed to get a tattoo or body piercing even with an adults consent?
What about the long term effects this has on the body?
Does a teenager really know what he or she will want on his body in 20, 30 or 50 years from now?

Search Terms:

Tattoo, body piercing, body manipulation.

Identity by Tattoos or Piercings

More and more people are getting tattoos or body piercings these days. What does this mean in society nowadays? Is it more fashionable to have these? Does it tie you into a certain group or belief system? Or is it just art and freedom of choices? At what age should one be aloud to make the decision to have one of these on their body? How does society judge a person who has a tattoo or their body pierced? There was a time that a person with a tattoo was a military person who had gotten their tattoo overseas on duty. In my father's day, a gypsy was the only person who pierced their ears. Today, people consider this body art. I believe that one should wait until their adult years to make the decision to permanently change their body. I plan to use the articles The "Modern Primitives" and Belly-Baring Fad Not Cute as a Button for my research paper.

Writing Sample Grades

The following grades are from four sample writings we had to grade for English 101. We had to look at Clarity of Purpose, Quality of Thought, Effective Organization of Content, Use of Sources, Language and Style, and Grammar and Mechanics on each paper. Now, granted, I am not the expert! But here's what I thought (after reading them 3 times each!).


Paper #1

"Foreign Athletic Limits"
Grade: D
Explanation: If this is the final paper, then it's a D. It reads more like a rough draft. Sentences are rough and inconsistent. They do not flow nicely, or in a well organized pattern. Sources are not cited well. It has some misspelled words and incorrect punctuations. The paper is on the right path, but not finished.

Paper #2

"Online College vs. High School College"
Grade: B
Explanation: The thesis was insightful. The body paragraphs were fairly organized. The paper made strong points, but could have explained more about the online college part. The conclusion could have been stronger. It had a few misspelled words and incorrect punctuations. Not bad, overall.

Paper #3

"Predisposed to Divorce"
Grade: A
Explanation: I think the thesis, body paragraphs, and conclusion were all good! The sources were well cited throughout the whole paper. Maybe a few grammatical errors, but it was really a good paper, nice read.


Paper #4

"NAACP Case Against Gun Manufacturers"
Grade: B+
Explanation: It is right on the edge of an A for me. It had some words spelled wrong, some punctuation errors. It had some strong agruments, but the work wasn't cited well enough. A few more changes and this is a great paper.

Movado

The art of Movado is the art of time. My advertising product comes from a magazine called W. It has a watch advertised called Movado. I personally own a Movado. This magazine targets women starting in the middle age bracket of 20 and going up, in the middle to upper class, people who can afford more expensive things. W has lots of advertisements for upper scale products like Louis Vuitton, Prada, Chanel, Mercedes, to name a few. In the ad of W, an international actress, named Mia Maestro, is on the top half of the page. MOVADO is spelled out in the center of the page with white block letters. Under this, in smaller print, it states "THE ART OF DESIGN", again in white. The bottom of the ad has the picture of a white Movado, on it's side. The band has a modern design of small, white circles, trimmed in white gold, two by two linked in a row. The face of the watch is white, while the white gold edge of the watch is laced with diamonds. Movado has a distinct face of only having a small circle (sometimes a single diamond) to depict the 12 o'clock hour, a hour hand and a minute hand, and a very small trademark on the bottom area. Nothing else is on the face of the watch. The background of the ad is black. The watch is larger in scale than the actress, which has your eye going to the watch quicker. I believe the ad is trying to attract people who want to be associated with sophistication, eloquence, and style.

My Name is Terri.

For those of you who don't know me, call me Terri. My legal name is Theresa Lynn Moyles Syms. Some of my nicknames include Mom, Miss Terri, Miss T, Miss Alabama and Terri Lynn. I was born in Melbourne, FL. After living in the south since I was 12 years old, I consider myself a southerner. The accent I acquired in Alabama! I am doing this blog for my English 101 class at USCA. Returning to college after my 2 sons have graduated, I am sure I have been married longer than my fellow students have been alive (26 1/2 years!). And after Prof. Karl's admission of his age, I now know I am the oldest person in the class! The most important things for me are God, my husband, my sons, my family, and my friends. The things I like to do most are traveling, monogramming, exercising, riding on the back of my husband's Harley, and spending time with family and friends. My greatest achievement in life, so far, is raising two wonderful sons. Now, I am not an expert in the field, but I will say I did a really good job. All I ever wanted in life was to be a wife and a mother. I was lucky enough to pick a wonderful man, and together we have raised a great family. Being a parent is the most wonderful, most fulfilling, hardest thing you could ever do in your life. From the moment they are born, you start to worry. Children don't come with written instructions. There are books out there, but opinions vary on all levels. My husband, Baxley, and I came together and made a great team to support our sons. The most important thing I learned about being a good parent was to be in agreement with your partner. We always showed a united front, even if we didn't really agree at the time. It was always important to be on the same page with one another. That way our sons couldn't play one parent against the other. They will learn that trait really early, if allowed to. Now that's not to say we always agreed, oh contrare! But behind the scenes, we came to an agreement. Sometimes Baxley got his way, sometimes I got mine. We were lucky, though, because we did see things mostly the same. Communication was a major key. Consistency was next. The greatest was love. Children need love, lots of it. They also need to know that their parents love each other too. With the help of our parents, we learned that children will be happy if their parents are happy too! Baxley and I were reminded often that the children wouldn't always be there, to make sure you make time for each other, and keep our love going for each other. The love, honesty, and faithfulness between the husband and wife give the key to happiness and success in their children's life. The old adage "Children learn what they see" is so true. And wouldn't you know it, they did grow up and move away! I taught them all I could. They are the most wonderful, loving, productive people I know! Yes, this is bragging a bit about your kids, but mom's get to do that!! Now, I am going to school! Who knew?? I am hoping they will help me now as I start my new adventure!!