Slide Show

1. I love pit bulls, many people know that about me. I try so hard to educate as many people as I can about pit bulls.
2./3.The Media has a lot to say about the Pit bull breed. Articles are published all the time, talking about pit bull attacks. What many people don't realize, is that there are dog attacks everyday that are not done by pit bulls. Most news papers and T.V. stations don't talk about other types of dog attacks because people are not interested in them. New stations know when there is a pit bull attack people will want to listen, because many of them think they are dangerous.
4./5. These are some words that may come to mind when you think of a pit bull. Most of these views are because of media. People think the dog is going to tear their face off. I was walking wallace the other day, and a little boy wanted to pet him. The mother said no, because dogs that look like that aren't nice. The lady next to her told her daughter she could pet him. The first lady was astonished when the other lady let her daughter pet him, but I think she was even more surprised when Wallace licked her face instead of chewing it off.
6.Breed-specific legislation is a horrible thing. It is a law that restricts certain breeds to be in that area. This law could be different from city to city. I sometimes have to look up where I can and can't take Wallace. This law isn't just for pit bulls, there is a whole list of dogs that could be banned. It just so happens that Pit bulls are more commonly banned.
7. Take a second and look over each picture. There is only ONE pit bull. Think about which one you think is the pit bull and let me know.
8. Were you surprised? I was. I took a test online and had no clue which ones were Pits.
9. Places that they have BSL, cops need to learn to identify the pit bulls, but the only problem is that a lot of non pit bull dogs have pit bull characteristics. How can we ban a dog if we don't even know which on it is?
10.Dog fighting has been around since the 1800's. Back then it wouldn't matter the type of dog you had, you could still fight it for money. People began breeding bull dogs with more muscles, and features they liked, and after a few generations the fighting dog was the pit bull.
11. But why the pit bull? Because they are big and muscular? And have lock jaw?
12.  ( they don't have lock jaw)Pit bulls are fought because they are the most loyal dogs. All they want is for their master to be happy, so if fighting is what makes them happy, then they will do it. They are also strong, and have big jaws.
13.on slide
14.on slide
15.These pictures are of the dogs killed a year or two ago in Denver Colorado. They have BSL, and don't allow any pit bulls at ALL in the city. They don't allow any excuses, if you have a pit bull, it is being put down immediately.
16. Pit bulls would grab bulls from their nose and pull them down to the ground.
17.Pits use to be called the "Nanny" dogs. Parents would leave their dogs to watch their kids.
18.Oh wallace. He is my pit bull. He is the sweetest thing in the world, and I am so happy I have him. It just really hurts when people are scared of him, or say they don't want me by him. When he was a puppy, a woman walked away from me. But some people love him, and automatically get surprised when I tell them he is a pit bull.  People say "He doesn't act like a pit bull". It drives me inane.
19. This is my sisters pit bull Archer with my niece. He follows her around every where. And to the right is my moms pit bull cole, and my best friend lia. I guess owning a pit runs in the family. One day i want to rescue a whole bunch of them
20. I hope you all learned something new, and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

FINAL BLOG

http://infogr.am/If-My-Dog-Could-Speak/

In this infographic I added more statistics, and I also put the video on the infographic. I cited all the pictures in the video, and the two sites I used for the facts about pit bulls. My project is all about representation, and how these animals are misrepresented. Steve Bakers article called Animals, Representation, and Reality, talks about how people view animals. They often listen to what people say, until they have a one on one experience with one themselves. If someone sees a news article about a pit bull biting off someone’s fingers, and they have never been around a pit bull, they will most likely be scared of them. Many humans just listen to what they are told. Baker talks about how seeing animals in different environments can also change our view. If you see a pit bull playing with a baby, you may think he is sweet. If you see a pit bull tied to a chain in a yard, he may be barking and growling, and you would think he is mean and aggressive. What you may not know, is that he was barking to get your attention, because he has been out there for a week without any food or water. I care so much about how these animals are being represented because I have one, and I don’t like when parents don’t let their kids pet him because he is a “mean dog”. I had a woman at the vet tell me he was adorable, and when she asked what kind of dog he was, and I responded, she said “well he doesn’t act like a pit bull”. Some say ignorance is bliss, but this ignorance is killing thousands of dogs a year. Ignorance is banning this breed in cities, and states, all over the country. If people knew more about the topic, then maybe they would love to help. If it was a lab, or a poodle being treated this way I bet thousands of people would be willing to help. This infographic shows how misleading media is, and how pit bulls are actually nice, loyal dogs.

Works Cited

"ATTS Breed Statistics | American Temperament Test Society, Inc.." American Temperament Test Society, Inc. | A sound mind in a sound body. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013. <http://atts.org/breed-statistics/statistics-page6/>.

Baker, Steve. "Animals, Representation, and reality." Guest Editor's Introduction 9 (2001): n. pag. Animal Society. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.

"Booman Tribune ~ A Progressive Community." Booman Tribune ~ A Progressive Community. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013. <http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2008/9/4/131057/5736>.

"PIT BULLS RECENTLY SCORED ABOVE 121 OTHER BREEDS IN TERMS OF TEMPERAMENT. MAYBE THAT’S WHY THEY WERE AMERICA’S NANNY DOG. | Yonah Ward Grossman." YONAH WARD GROSSMAN. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013. <http://www.ywgrossman.com/newblog/?p=408>.

Roberts, Michael. "Leaked: photos of pit bulls killed due to Denver ban - Denver - News - The Latest Word." The Denver Westword Blogs. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013. <http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2009/10/leaked_photos_of_dead_pit_bull.php>.

"TheRightRant: Pit Bull body count goes up by 1." TheRightRant. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013. <http://therightrant.blogspot.com/2012/01/pit-bull-body-count-goes-up-by-1.html>.

Watson, Jennifer. "Facts-About-Pit-Bulls." Pit Sisters.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013. <http://www.pitsisters.org/Facts-About-Pit-Bulls.html>.

admin. "Why People Hate Pit Bulls | Defend Pit Bulls." Defend Pit Bulls. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013. <http://defendpitbulls.com/why-people-hate/>.

Wallace on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/wallace.murray.10
That is the link to Wallace's facebook page I made for this project. I made this page so I can continuously teach people about Pi bulls. On his page you can click on quotes and see I incorporated a quote from Steve Bakers article Animals, Representation, and Reality. In the article he talks about animals talking, and sticking up for themselves.You will notice I talk about BSL on this page. BSL stands for Breed Restricted Legislation. This is a law banning dogs in certain states and cities. People feel very strong about getting this law banned. Some pets are like children to people. I don't know what I would do if I tried to move some where and couldn't bring my dog with me because he was banned in that area. In a link I posted on Wallace's wall, the web page states how many pit bull attacks there are compared to other things that hurt people, it is pretty comical. I hate that media is the reason my dog is looked down upon. I know he would save someone in danger, or hurt someone if they broke into my house. He is the perfect dog and no dog deserves to be put down because they look a certain way.

If My Dog Could Speak

It won't let me upload the infographic on here.. so here is the link to it
http://infogr.am/If-My-Dog-Could-Speak/
I was reading a lot about how animals are represented in media. I know the Infographic itself, doesn't have much to it, but the story from my dogs point of view is the big idea. Steve Bakers article called Animals, Representation, and Reality talk a lot about how animals are represented. He talks about how someone could take a picture of a wild animal, and show people and they would be amazed. If that same person takes a picture of a wild animal at a Zoo, it is not so amazing. We as human being think things when we see them because we were brought up that way. Baker also talks about how animals should have some kind of rights, and as people we are their voice. This is connected a lot to my topic of Pit bulls. They are banned in more cities than I can count all over this country. Over 200 of them are killed daily for no reason. Those numbers don't mean much to someone unless they own a pit bull. I could walk around a city with my dog, and he can be taken away from me and killed because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is a great quote I come across a lot when I research pit bulls."In the ’70s they blamed Dobermans, in the ’80s they blamed German Shepherds, in the ’90s they blamed the Rottweiler. Now they blame the Pit Bull. When will they blame the humans?" I am not sure who said it, but they said it well. The media makes everyone believe these dogs are evil, but they aren't. Any dog can bite someone, and that dog shouldn't be punished. The owner should be punished. I have a pit bull and he wouldn't hurt a fly. Punish the deed not the breed!

Mini Project

I decided to do a photo essay. I'm not sure how long photo essays are because this is the first one I've ever done. It took me forever because Imovie is ridiculously hard to use. I wanted the viewer to get each side of pit bulls, and how people THINK they are, and how media portrays them. There were so many things I wanted to put into the video, and so much more text, but I decided it was a photo essay and shouldn't have to  much text. Maybe in my next mini project I can add more text. Overall I think it came out pretty good, and the song goes along perfect with the pictures and the point I was getting at.

My Wittle High Schoolers

Last week we got to work with high schoolers. I really didn't think I would enjoy it, but little did I know. I loved it so much! We all related so well, and we learned new things from each other. Not only were we learning, but we were also having fun. We talked about college readiness, and how important it is to be ready. I didn't realize how many people and things influence us until we wrote them all down. They are so smart, and I am so happy I got put with my group. They were asking me questions about college, and I got to tell them everything. I think I even convinced a few of them to come to UNCC. I told them if they ever need help with anything or have any questions to contact me. I started to assume there wasn't such thing as college readiness. Everyone is different, and needs to get ready for college in different ways. I think you really become ready for college when your in it... You meet new people, join clubs, get into things you are interested in, and really find who you are as a person.

Diggin In

I am going to be blogging about something from a while ago, but it ties into what we are now doing in class. I am very interested in representation. Not just representation, but negative representation. I don't understand why the media makes certain things or people look bad, or stupid, or something they're not. I've talked about women being misrepresented in a past blog post. Right now I want to focus on dogs. You may think I am so weird.. but I love my dog. My dad told me when he was younger his father told him to stay away from Doberman Pinschers. He said they were the meanest dogs ever, and if you get near one they will attack you. My dad grew up thinking dobermans were evil. When I was young my older brother brought a pit bull home. He said the dog was being fought, and she was so sweet she needed a home. My dad said we couldn't keep her because we weren't aloud to have dogs at the house we were renting at the time. I was so upset because I never had a dog. I instantly fell in love with the breed. I was young and didn't know they were something people were afraid of. Finally years later (last year) I got my own pit bull. I hadn't realized how badly they were represented until I got one. My boyfriends mom refused to let him in their house. We had to get her warmed up to him, and now she is a huge pit bull advocate. I love teaching people about pit bulls because I know so much about them. They don't have "lock Jaws" and they aren't vicious at all. A bull dog has a stronger bite than a pit. The news will only talk about a dog attack if its a pit bull. There are thousands of dog attacks every year, and pit bulls are less then 1% of those attacks, but they are the ones that are represented as being evil, and mean. The only reason people fight pit bulls is because they are so loyal. Years ago farmers called them Nanny Dogs. They would leave their kids home alone with them knowing their loyal pit bull would take good care of them. Look I can go on and on, but I wont. I love my dog, and I hate how media misrepresents him. I do my best to teach people how sweet, loyal, and caring pits actually are. I don't want media to be the reason I have to walk my dog around with a muzzle on. In some cities pits have to be wearing a muzzle and a harness, and they are banned in some cites..all because media says they are dangerous.

Steps to College

In class we talked about the steps to college and what it takes to get there. In a picture Lacy showed us it was a kid from 6th grade up until college, and what they had to do to get off. This picture was missing many things. It didn't explain all the steps to get into college. So many people don't even know they want to go to college, so once they realize they do, they have to take different steps to get there. Some people don't even want to go to college, some want to go into the military, or work for their family. Everyone has a different path in life, and the picture on the website didn't show any other paths.
     If you did wanna go to college there are certain steps you have to take and this picture did not help out all. There is so much paper work that so many people aren't aware of until they apply. There are deadlines for applications, transcripts that need to be sent, and so much more I was never aware of. I feel like high schoolers need to be more aware of what they need to do to get ready for college. It really was a huge surprise to me when I figured out all the stuff you had to do  before getting into college, and how hard it was to actually get in.

Who's your hero?

In class we talked a lot about heroes. Everyone has their opinion on a hero. A hero could be a man in a mask saving a city, or a hero could be your big sister. Basically I think a hero could be anyone a person could look up to. You could look up to spiderman, or your big sister. You look up to them for different reason, but who cares. A hero is someone that does things for others willingly, doesn't ask why, and enjoys helping. A hero loves "saving" people. Some heroes like Batman, or Spiderman, love helping/saving but don't want other to know who they are. They don't do it for the attention, they do it because they are capable and want to. My hero is my dad. He raised four children on his own with barley any help from my mom. Yes she was in and is still in our lives, but my dad has/had sole custody of us, paid for everything that we did, and took us every where we needed to go. He is the strongest man in the world to me. He woke up every morning to go to work for his family, and did everything he could to pay the bills and put food on the table. I was 2 my brother was 3 my other brother was 8 and my sister was 12. I hope he knows how proud I am of him. Most men would beg for the mother to take the kids, but he didn't. He was willing to sacrifice his friends, and free time to devote every hour to his kids. He is truly and amazing man, thats why he gets cards on father's day and mother's day. I love him so much!

Todays Movies

In class we watched a video about kids movies. The speaker was Colin Stokes, and he was awesome. I was just so interested in what he was saying. His speech was basically about how childrens movies influence us, whether that influence was good or bad. It talked about how most movies today don't have strong women leads, they are usually dumb, in distress, or hung up on some boy. The male characters in today's movies treat the girls like crap, and don't show a lot of respect to anyone. We don't want our kids growing up thinking acting like that is okay, because it's not! Wizard Of Oz is one of the only movies that teaches our children different, and that is because it is an older movie and they had better values then haha. I really think parents need to do a good job of teaching their children the right way to act. The kids need to learn that being dumb, and a mean, are not good qualities to have. They need good role models in their lives, and the media doesn't provide many of those. 

Improv

I really enjoyed class on wednesday! Lacy had us do a bunch of really fun improv games. I think my favorite game was the easiest one. The Name game. The Name Game is simple. All you do is do a motion and say your name, after you say your name the class repeats the motion and your name. It s a really good way to remember names. I'm pretty sure I remember half the class now. After a few games we sat down and talked about how the games related to writing. It was interesting to talk about. When you are doing improv, you are thinking on your feet, and you are also doing that when you are writing.  Some of the games you had to be very creative and come up with new ways to think. The same goes when you are writing. You want to keep things fresh and new, so you come up with new ideas to write about. 
     After the regular talk Lacy put us in two different groups, in an outside circle and an inside circle.  The outside circle took notes, while the inside circle talked. Lacy asked the group questions, and I have a map on who talked after who. At first they all went in a circle, then the talking became more sporadic as they got more comfortable talking. It was interesting to see who talked the most and who talked after who. I liked that everyone pretty much had the same amount of time to talk. It was hard to keep track of who was talking. The girl next to me didn't know they're name so she kept asking me who was who. I could see how it could be difficult if you don't know they're name. you could see that I didn't know someones name and I put Black Shirt instead haha.

The Cup song

So I wasn't in class on Wednesday, but I have something I really wanted to blog about. There was a new movie that came out a few months ago called Pitch Perfect. I love singing, and I thought the movie was hilarious. There is a part in the movie that so many people are trying to learn. Its a scene where the main girl is auditioning for an ocapella group and she tries out with the song, You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm gone. She grabs a cup and does a beat and sings to the beat. Now so many people on youtube are trying to do this, me included. It reminded me of the string game. I watched videos over and over to try to learn how to do the "cup song". It was really hard, and I still don't have the complete just of it. But I am getting close. I have been practicing for the past few days whenever I have a few minutes I grab a cup and try it. I can get the beat of the cup down but I can't sing and do the beat at the same time. I try to do the beat to other songs, but I just can't do it. I mess up over and over, but practice makes perfect like they always say. Here is a link to Anna Kendrick singing and doing the "cup song"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_9i9Q7KIrU

MY day book

In class on Monday we got to decorate our day books. I thought about why we did this and realized, "Inquiry". Inquiry is one of the biggest things we learn about in English 1102. The definition of inquiry is a seeking or request for truth, information, or knowledge. It could also mean an investigation. While we were decorating our books we all interacted and asked each other questions. We asked each other to borrow scissors, or tape, and also asked how to do something if we didn't know how. 
     On my day book, I decided to put pictures of my sorority because it is a huge part of my life. I have made so many close friendships because of my sorority. I also put a picture of a pit bull, because I own a pit bull, and he is the love of my life. He is basically my child, and I get offended when people speak bad about them. He is the sweetest, most well tempered dog I have ever met. I put a turtle just to show another animal, because I love animals. This project was so much fun. Now people get to learn a little bit about me just by looking at my day book. I thought it was a good idea to put the clear tape over the pictures. At first I wasn't sure how to do it, but I asked the girl next to me, and she helped me. I couldn't make the tape smooth over the pictures. It kept getting bubbles in it. But I ended up figuring it out, and I think it looks great. I love when Lacy gives us projects like this, we learn things we didn't even realize we were learning.