Coming into this class i wasnt sure what to expect. I ended up working on a project where i thought the subject matter was interesting and had direct relevance with the student’s on campus. I really wasn’t sure what the end result would be in terms of what student’s would respond or how they viewed nutrition and how they applied it to their lives. If anything, some of the assumptions i had were that for the most part, working out is important and done regularly. Going into the project, we all knew that working out wasn’t the only aspect in the overall picture of what we were trying to portray. Healthy eating habits were also an invaluable component to being healthy, thus the reason we included the interview with the nutritionist on campus and the HHS instructor.

I don’t think there was anything that surprised me about the topic. Our project was geared towards incoming freshman, thus there wasn’t anything new that i hadn’t heard at one point or another. One of the things that i did find interesting was a result from the mini survey i did for the project. I only handed out the questions to twenty people but out of those twenty, only 14 said they worked out. Of course, since i asked such a small amount of people in comparison to how many people are on campus, it’s not the most accurate representation of the campus as a whole but it does give some idea. Six inactive student’s out of twenty is a fair amount, but i wish i would have asked the reasons behind that. Why didn’t they work out?

My biggest strength coming into this project was my love for writing. The project ended up developing into a film project which called upon other skills in which i have had some experience in but i am still learning and perfecting. Before the class i had worked on final cut pro and had done some camera work which included filming. During the project, i assisted in the nutritionist interview, i wrote and handed out a survey, and i helped with editing when i could. If i had to do the project again, i would try to definitely help out more. I wish i could have made it to the HHS instructor interview but i had a class at that time. I enjoy the preparation of asking questions and interviewing. With so many other projects i was working on i felt that it really limited the amount of time i could contribute to the project. Given the circumstances, i did the best i could. In general i would say conflict in our schedules was the hardest thing we had to work around but i consider we ended up doing a good job in the end. I tried to make it to all the meetings i could and remain up do date with what we were doing. I tried to suggest ideas and help out when i could. The biggest thing i gained was getting a look at final cut pro again. It had been a really long time since i had used it, and like they say, if you dont use it you lose it. It was good to refresh on that a bit. I think we worked well together and we are proud of our work.

The tenacity of the human spirit never ceases to amaze me. Watching the 60 minutes clip, “DNA Hepls Free Inmate after 27 years” it’s hard not to feel an array of emotions. My heart goes out to James Woodard, the inmate who was locked up for the rape and murder of his then girlfriend and to all those other inmates feautred. As i was watching this, i couldn’t help but think, is this real? We have so much belief and so much invested in the justice system. Relying on it to do its “job” and uphold justice. For the most part, i do believe the justice system is reliable, but seeing cases such as the ones presented really makes the stomach churn. It was appalling to hear how the prosecutors were the ones putting innocent people behind bars and grossly abusing their power in the posstion they were in. It’s hard to comprehend how ambition to get ahead, get promoted can lead someone to literally take someone else’s life away. You cant turn back the hands of time, or give back something that once it’s gone, can never be returned. Taking your child to their first day of class, teaching them how to ride their bike or tucking them in at night. Simple things we all take for granted, but for these men meant the world. How could you ever “make it up” to them? Somehow give them back 27 years, 15 years, or whatever amount of time it might have been? You cant. It was incredible to hear that there are so many cases where innocent men probably spent most of their life locked up. Potentially 250 other similar cases. In the intro, one man said, “People say that justice is blind, in this case, someone turned their head.” I found that to be an incredibly powerful statement. For James Woodard, his amount of positivity and hope he had while locked up for 27 years is nothing short of amazing. A huge understatement if ever there was one. How he is not consumed by rage and anger showcases the human spirit at its highest levels. Locked up at the age of 28, free man at 55. In his shoes, i can’t even imagine what i would have done or how i would of reacted if in that situation. 27 years later, a free man. “I had hope, that’s all a man has.” Wow!

For my final project, I am in a team with five other people which include Kelsey, Boon, Molly, Brianna, and Kyle. The theme of our project is health and nutrition. Basically, we are going to try and showcase how students are living and how for some reason, they make unhealthy choices by not eating the best foods and not working out. In the process of our documentary we want to highlight healthy changes that can be implemented to live a healthier more active lifestyle as students. It’s a meaningful topic that affects many people around us, thus worth telling. I plant to contrubute to this project in any form i can. I have experience with camera work, writing, interviewing, and final cut pro.

H1N1, what’s the big fuss?
You will talk to people and it seems to be that either you believe the hype or you think it’s just that, hype. We’ve all seen the news stories on television, yet it doesnt really sink in because we sometimes think it can never happen to us . We are either way too young, healthy, or have the notion that we are invincible to anything. I remember being in France when the outbreak first happened in Mexico. Seeing what was happening on the news and knowing I was thousands of miles away from where it was happening, i felt safe. Now, back home, I am right in the thick of things. Here on campus, student’s are getting sick left and right. A univeristy setting is such a breeding ground for germs. You are sitting in class, someone sneezes and you can’t help but think if that person might have the flu. Watching the piece on 60 minutes, “Saving Luke” was definately and eye opener. Actually seeing someone in a hospital bed, with what seems like a million tubes in him, fighting for his life undoubtedly drives the point home. Seeing his parents in the hospital room with him, trying to get him through it is heart breaking. I thought the journalist, Scott Pelley did a great job. He asked good relevant questions but most importantly, his ability to really connect with the parents shines through. You can tell the parents feel at ease when they are talking to him, they open up. He is very attentive to what they are saying and feeds off of that. I noticed he didn’t have a pad with questions when he was talking to the family. I found the piece to be thought provoking and that’s when you know that something you just read or watched was worth while. I never answered the question, what’s the big fuss? With 46 states, including Oregon declaring widespread influenza activity, over 1000 deaths in the US, and president Obama declaring it a national emergency, you tell me. All I suggest is that everyone look up the facts and become informed. Beyond that, i will let you make up your own mind.