ASU Reacts: Loughner Trial

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Jullisa Sanchez, Host:

Jullisa: As most people recall, January 8^th 2011 marked the Tucson shooting tragedy.    Twenty-four year old Jared Lee Loughner was responsible for killing six people and leaving thirteen injured outside of a local grocery store. Congressman Gabriel Giffords miraculously survived a gunshot to the head, but not all were so lucky. He is also responsible for the death of nine year old Christina Greene, Congressional Aid Gabe Zimmerman and Federal Judge John Roll. The trial recently took place and he was said to be mentally incompetent, diagnosed with schizophrenia. He was sentenced to seven life terms, six for murder and one for attempted assassination of a member of Congress, along with fourteen years for the other attempted murders. However, some ASU students disagree with the sentence he was given. Amongst these students is Emily Michelle Robertson, a freshman living on the Tempe Campus.

Emily Robertson: I think Loughner should have got a worse sentence than what he did. He killed an innocent nine-year-old girl, along with so many other people who did absolutely nothing to him to deserve that. Being mentally incompetent is no excuse to just go off and kill random people because you feel like it.

Jullisa Sanchez: What do you think would have been a reasonable sentence for Lougner?

Robertson: I think he should have gotten the death penalty for sure. For taxpayers to pay for him to live his life watching TV and getting free meals is ridiculous. Might as well just pay for him to die; he deserves it after all the tragedy he has caused.

Jullisa Sanchez: Arizona State students feel very strongly about the lack of justice in this case, one can only hope that something like this never happens again.

Genre Analysis: "Tucson Shooter, Loughner, To Spend Life In Prison"

I listened to the podcast “Tucson Shooter, Loughner, To Spend Life In Prison” which is mostly informative, however consists of various opinions as well since it is such a sensitive topic. It starts with an introduction that includes facts about Jared Loughner and his trial; it does not include a thesis. It then gives background information on who Loughner is and the crime he committed. The podcast goes on to describe how many people he killed and injured, including Gabrielle Giffords (congresswoman), and further gives information about his mental disorder and his medications.
        The article then turns from being very factual to more opinionated because it begins to quote family members of the people who lost their loved ones on that day. It also contains clips of people who knew Loughner at a news conference. It then transfers from talking about Loughner, to talking about gun safety. Gabrielle Gifford’s husband, Mark Kelly states, "We have a political class that is afraid to do something as simple as have a meaningful debate about our gun laws and how they're being enforced." The article goes on to describe previous gun laws and how much damage the current gun laws have caused our society today all over America.
       At the conclusion of the article, they go on to sum up everything that had been stated in the first sentence of the intro but in detail. Rather than just saying Loughner will be locked up for the rest of his life, they say, “ Jared Loughner was sentenced to seven life terms - six for murder and one for the attempted assassination of a member of Congress - plus 140 years for the other attempted murders.”
        Distinct from an academic essay, an audio essay needs to get to the point quickly. Since it is being heard by the audience it cannot take a long time to explain. It should be brief and not very broad to keep the audience interested. The essay I read had a lot of opinions and quotations from people who were affected by this tragic event which made it much more interesting. It makes the listener feel more engaged and more sympathetic than they might feel while just reading an essay. I think this audio essay was more similar to the annotated map because it branched out to other areas in detail, specifically the gun safety topic that was mentioned.

For my Project 3 audio essay I am thinking about discussing the ASU Orientation or perhaps the community assistants found at the dormitories.

Project 2 Reflection: Progress

                                                           [source: Arizona State University]
        Although some students believe that this map project was more difficult than the first one, I strongly disagree. I felt more confident with this project because I knew more of what was expected of me than the last one. I think I did a good job at deciding what to focus my project on. I also think I did a good job at describing the main points in my argument. Asking questions sooner than later was very beneficial for me to gain a better understanding of this project, unlike the last project where I waited until the last minute to ask questions. That was probably my best improvement with this assignment because it really helped me know what I was doing.
One of my biggest struggles was separating pieces of information and deciding where to put it. I had a bit of confusion with separating my thoughts from my four annotations and the synopsis. Last minute I also decided to change my project from the Student Recreation Complex to the North Campus, which was also a struggle because of the lack of time. I had already checked out books pertaining to the SRC and I had to go back and restart my project by gathering new information and choosing a whole new topic.
        My evaluation of North Campus and the resources it provides to residents was good, in my opinion. I did a lot better than I thought I would and I did try to ultimately answer the “so what” question at the end of my conclusion in order to find out why my argument would matter to people. I am hoping that I did a good job with that aspect but I did try my best to answer it. My project included detailed resources found all over the North Campus which really helped my project out in trying to send my message across, which explained that living on campus is very beneficial to students because of its resources. Although I do think my evaluation was strong, I still believe there is always room for improvement. If I had to improve my project in anyway I would have established my topic from the start so that, in my case, I could have spent more time evaluating the resources and criteria for my paper instead of switching topics.
        Making a map will probably never be on my agenda outside from schoolwork at the university however I think much of this work can be applied to the outside world. Regardless of the topic or project, it is always a challenge in some way or another and always offers something new. This project has helped me as a writer and helped me with brainstorming ideas, coming up with topics to write about and pushing myself with my writing techniques and all of those qualities will help me in various tasks outside from the university.

Research Sources: Student Recreation Complex

My project is going to be done at the Student Recreation Complex (SRC) at Arizona State University on the Tempe Campus. Although there are many other great places to evaluate on campus, I decided to evaluate the SRC because I feel it offers many resources to students. Being at the University can be excruciatingly stressful and many students often need a place to relieve their stress in a positive way, either by playing sports, engaging in circuit training, swimming or taking classes inside. This topic is really important to me because relieving stress, being healthy and fit; are all very crucial in a students’ life. The SRC really helps students, including myself, by offering a place that can provide all of these things. Not only is it beneficial in the ways I previously stated, however it is also an enjoyable place for individuals to relax and enjoy themselves.

Many times people change their eating habits when going to college and their first worry is gaining weight because of their body image and health. In todays society it is quite evident that body image is really important and the SRC also serves as a place to become stronger, muscular, thinner, or whatever it is that someone wants to be. This is quite important because it reflects how people feel about themselves and how they perceive themselves. Students’ should not have to stress about lack of exercise or fitness, or gaining weight on top of all their other worries involving school, and the SRC eliminates that one less stress. It provides students with the tools needed in order to feel better about them selves and become their ideal image.

My plan is to transform this very broad topic into a very detailed evaluation. I plan on evaluating many different aspects of the SRC in order to paint the bigger picture of how important it really is. I want to evaluate the positive effects of physical education and how it leads to better academics and a healthier, fitter body. I also want to evaluate how exercising relieves stress. Aside from its effects, I want to separate different parts of the SRC, such as the outside field, the pool, the rooms for classes, the weight room and the exercise machines. I want to describe the purpose of these different locations are and how there is something to do at the SRC for many different people of different taste. 

I found three sources that will help me with project two and evaluating the Student Recreation Complex. The first two are books and the third is a scholarly article. All three of my sources deal with the idea that fitness is very important in order to have a healthy lifestyle. The second source is quite different because it related more to pool exercises. All of these sources interest me because they will help inform me more for my project.

Cundiff, David., Brynteson, Paul. Health Fitness: Guide to a Lifestyle. Hunt Publishing Company. 1985. 252-299. Print.

Gibson, Terry-Ann Spitzer. Water Aerobics for Fitness and Wellness. Australia; Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. 2003. 160. Print.

Nakamura, Y; Kikuchi, H; Oka, K; Ota, A; Miyauchi, T. (2006). Stages of Change of Exercise Affects Health Related Quality of Life.
International Journal of Sport and Health Science. 67-73

Evaluation: Gossip Girl

        The well- known television series Gossip Girl has been providing entertainment for millions of viewers worldwide since 2007. Not only has it been airing for quite some time now, however it is still just as exciting as episode one. It is on its final season; Season six is scheduled to air on Monday October 8, 2012 on the CW Channel at 9/8c. This television drama is based on the books written by Cecily Von Ziegesar and is directed by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Salvage. It takes place in Manhatten in present time. The show stars various wealthy, beautiful individuals who are seen as the “popular kids”, all attending the most prestigious high school. They live their luxurious lives with limo drivers, big fabulous parties, and beautiful clothing. One might ask, what could possibly go wrong? The answer to that is Gossip Girl. Gossip Girl played by Kristen Bell; plays the third person omniscient. She is never seen in any episode, nor is her identity ever revealed. She is a mysterious character running a blog informing everyone about everyone’s business, drama, and secrets. People are constantly sending her information via text in order to tell her about the juiciest secrets and rumors going around. The show also stars Blake Lively, portraying the role of Serena van der Woodsen and Leighton Meester, playing the role of Blair Waldorf. The drama begins when Serena has come back into the city. She had been gone for quite a while now and nobody knows where or why, nor does anybody know why she came back. Amongst all of the people wondering is also her ex best friend, Blair. As Serena returns, Blair finds it her mission to make Serenas life miserable and to find out why Serena left in the first place. Serena holds many secrets that unfold throughout the series, which affect many others and tear everything apart. Amongst all of this drama there is also a love triangle between Blair, Nate Archibald (her boyfriend) and Chuck Bass (Nate’s best friend) that is revealed. It is a show filled with rich kids struggling with their daily dose of drama, dealing with friendship, affairs, sex, love, family and money. All of it is for the world to see as Gossip Girl reveals their deepest secrets to everyone. Each character plays a very distinct, unique character that provides so much thrill and excitement in the show. This show will leave you on the edge of your seat, always asking for more. It takes so many twists and turns, leaving you wondering what will happen next. Every episode is a “cliff-hanger”, making it unpredictable to know what will happen next. Unlike many shows that do not make it even past one season, gossip girl has been very successful in providing various seasons and much excitement to young people all over. 

Project 1 Reflection: Brainstorming

        I found this project to be a lot harder than I thought it would be. Brainstorming ideas was probably one of my biggest struggles, as well as really understanding the concept of the assignment and really knowing what I had to do. At first, I found myself completely clueless on what I was doing and my first draft was completely wrong. My first draft only described the physical features of the Devils Diner, however I soon learned that my paper was supposed to describe the Devils Diner using the lens. Once I figures out the whole “Lens” concept, I continued to struggle in my thought process and in how to put my ideas onto paper into one big essay that made sense. I constructed several outlines to gather my thoughts but I constantly found myself not knowing what information to put into which paragraph. Structuring my paper was definitely the most difficult paper and so was coming up with the right amount of words because at some point I felt I had said everything I had to say and I was at a loss of words. I had to figure out a way to add more sentences to it and that was pretty difficult too.
        I think I did a good job on trying to figure out what the concept was when I really did not know. I did attend the workshop on the Thursday before the paper was due and discussed my questions about the paper with Professor L. and that was extremely helpful. I felt more confident in what I was writing and I had more ideas gathered together for my paper, as well as a better understanding of what was expected from my paper.
        I will admit I did learn a lot from this writing experience. I learned a lot about the way people perceive things and that things are not always “Black and white”. I had never taken the time to look at a place so deeply and that really changed my outlook on the way I now see places. Although I still have a lot more to learn, I did improve the way I organize my thoughts onto paper.
        I am still not certain if I did reach the deep analysis that was expected of me to conclude with, however I did try my best to do so. I reread my paper several times in order to come to a conclusion and I felt as if it was quite evident what my conclusion should be, however it could have been something deeper than my conclusion so I cannot really say if I did reach the conclusion I needed to reach. I do not know many ways I could improve my writing or conclusions for the next time, however I do feel that if I had attended more workshops and have discussed the project more with Professor L., then maybe I could have had an even better understanding of it all and a better conclusion. 
        I am not sure how I can apply any of this work outside of Arizona State University however there are several things I can take from this writing assignment to help me within ASU. It has definitely helped me become a better writer, analyze places more and become a deeper thinker. Most importantly, it has helped me ask questions and not be so embarrassed to admit that I do not understand an assignment.