2/25/09

During my research, I discovered that there were not very many primary sources on my subject other than research articles that I could gather from the TCU library website. Trying to find artciles on the complications associated with childhood obesity, specifically those that mentioned type 2 diabetes, was suprisingly difficult. Most of the articles related the diabetes to other things such as breast feeding. I was able to find one primary source that was not a research article:a transcrpit of a Capitol Hill Hearing Testimony about childhood obesety.
The sources gave a lot of statistical information related to studying obesity in children, factors that are correlated with the obesity in children, and the potential problems that could come from the population of obese children. It is hard to find subjective views of the subject in the articles and transcript, although they each seem to be expressing concern for the increasing prevalance of obese children and the associated complications.

2/18/09 - Topic

I am torn between two different topics: the effects of the media on childhood obesity/nutiritional status in the US or The resons that type 2 diabetes is increasing in American children. With both of these topics, I could focus in on a specific age group of children, the complications that come from obesity or type 2 diabetes specifically, and perhaps a certain ethnic group susceptible to either of these.
Although I am torn, I will most likely choose the topic of "The reasons that type 2 diabetes is increasing in American Chilren ages _ to _ living under or at the poverty level" This will give me the ability to research articles and primary resources related to several reasons for type 2 diabetes in this population and the implications of associated complications. These topics are of interest to me because I am concerned about the statistics implying that half of the current US population is obese, and that one third of children born in the year 2000 or later will have diabetes. These statistics are important because both of these health conditions cause many other health and lifestyle related complications. Taxpayer dollars will inevitably pay for these complications, and one must ask the question, "will the US be able to sustain that many people medically?" Hopefully, the correct research can be done to determine, or prove, how we can effectively reverse the steady increase in obesity and type 2 diabetes in the US.

02/16/09 - Authors Note

I beleive that my final draft is in line with the rhuberic the class created for the assignment, and follows the guidelines set for the assignment. I like this peace becuase I was descriptive in analyzing the arguments made by the store. Also, the place I analyzed is one of my favorite places in Fort Worth. There are no Central Markets in Florida, so I was pleasantly suprised by the set up of the store and the selection when I went there for the first time. Therefore, I enjoyed writing about and analyzing the space.
The final draft is organized chronologically becuase I felt that this was the best way to describe the arguments in the way that the customer is exposed to them. I found it difficult to analyze the arguments while wrting chronologically, so I would like some feedback on if I was effective in writing this way without being confusing.
I was ill on one of the class days from this unit, on 2/2, and therefore do not have commented annotated notes or the annotated notes on the blog for the workshop.

02/11/09 - workshop feedback

The feedback from my workshop group was very helpful in giving me advise on how to expand on certain aspects of my writing and making small corrections when needed. Specifically, I was asked to expand on certain descriptions of the place to emphasize the experience. I was asked to write more on a topic that I mentioned in order to create a new point in the paper.
Both of the student reviews gave me insights on how I could improve my paper and add length. Mason pointed out that I should talk more about the recent fad in healthy eating and how that contributes to the space and the targeted audience. He also gave me some organizational advise. Tara suggested specific changes and also that I expand on certain descriptions of the space and to clarify certain things.

02/09/09- author's note

This is my first draft of my analysis of an argument given at a community public space. I like this peice because I have been descriptive in my observations, but I do feel that it will need a lot of work to get it to where it needs to be. I don't think the organization is strong enough and I also am not confident that I have described my assesment of the argument completely enough yet. I am writing the paper in an if:then form. Should I tyr and describe the arguments throughout or should I describe what I saw and assess the arguments and audience at the end?

1/4/09

Central Market is a place that gathers "foodies" to shop for their groceries. The store displays food from different regions, sells little pre-packages or processed foods, and is an old market-style way of buying food. The store gives the consumer freedom to choose from a variety of foods in the amount they desire. Produce and other items such as nuts, coffee, and spices, are sold in bulk form so that one can purchase as much or as little as needed. Also, the store offers a wide variety of organically grown foods - appealing to an audience searching for foods that fit their desires. The way the store is presented says a lot about the store's meaning to the audience (that the consumer should have the control over their food choices and that the food is of good quality) - it displays quotes about loving food throughout the store, has short cuts to get to the sections of the store desired, and offers a large selection of pre-made diverse meal type food.

01/28/09

I plan to analyze Central Market in Fort Worth. When I moved to Texas last semester and was told about the store, I decided to make a visit and fell in love with the atmosphere and driving force behind the market. It certainly attracks certain types of people - not all the same but most likely with commonalities, and presents food quite differently than other familiar grocery stores. I have done one observation on Monday evening, around 7:00 pm, and will do another observation Friday afternoon (around 2:00 pm.). I beleive I will discover similarities between the types of people that shop at Central Market, a certain (or multiple) purpose that the store is presenting, and qualities about the employees, atmosphere, displays, and design that promote the potential ideas of the store and their meanings.