Photojournalism

Plunging with a Purpose

As part of a fundraiser for Special Olympics, (insert name) participates in the costume contest and polar plunge hosted by the Indian Lake Moose Lodge. The event, held March 10, raised more than $X for Special Olympics with more than 250 people in attendance. Since the Polar Plunge was created 10 years ago, more than X number of people have taken the plunge with a grand total of $X raised for Special Olypmics.

Tim Tebow, Trendy Topic

Tim Tebow’s popularity is sweeping the nation. Everything from fans “Tebowing,” striking an iconic kneeling pose that resembles “The Thinker,” to “Tebowie,” Jimmy Fallon’s musical tribute to and combination of Tim Tebow and David Bowie. The 24-year-old quarterback for the Denver Broncos has become a pop culture icon virtually overnight.  But what makes Tim Tebow so popular?

“I think Tim is popular right now because of his character, his determination on the field, and all his representatives pushing the religion factor in the media,” said Ben Groff, sports editor for The Torch and Tiger Sports Network representative. According to Groff, Tebow’s popularity is a result of savvy marketing techniques and representatives that know how to market Christianity to a football-loving audience. But Tebow, admittedly, is also an incredible quarterback….

Tim Tebow with scripture written on his face paint

[Quotes about his skill as a quarterback]

It’s no surprise that Tebow has attracted an unprecedented amount of praise for his skills as a quarterback, often leading the Broncos to wins coming from behind in the fourth quarter. He has received a significant amount of criticism and attention for his frequent demonstrations of religious devotion, for which he is sometimes mocked.

“He has expressed is faith in public ways and in memorable ways, such as the scripture-on-the-eye paint or choosing to pray before celebrating on the field,” said Rachel Tune, Pastor to Wittenberg University.  “For many people, it is very inspiring, it’s also controversial, though, probably even among Christians but certainly with our culture at large, and I think that controversy has actually made him more popular. “

Popularity which can be found online at at www.tebowing.com, a blog created for users to post pictures of themselves “Tebowing,” which means, “to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different,” according to the site. Users can join the TebowingNation or even buy official Tebowing gear (which supports local Denver charities).

Include quote “Everyone at some time or the other is faced with points when they have to decide if they will show their faith, or their true selves, and I think he helps inspire people to do that in difficult spots.” PR

The Entre-Manure You Have to Meet

“I’ve done a lot of things in my life; I’ve dabbled as a physician’s assistant, a scuba diver, an x-ray technician, a photographer, a lot of things. The cool thing about alpacas is that they meet all my needs,” says Laurel Shouvlin with a laugh. She calls herself the “alpaca entre-manure,” and insists that taking care of a herd of alpacas keeps her healthy and vibrant.

Laurel and her husband, Tim, own Bluebird Hills Farm, an alpaca sanctuary of sorts just north of Springfield on Derr Rd. The farm, nestled atop a small hill, is home to over 70 furry, long-necked critters, all of which have unique personalities (according to Laurel). Alpacas are a cousin of the llama, and are raised primarily for their wool, which is sold to make a variety of commodities such as hats, scarves, and rugs.

Laurel Shouvlin looks at her alpacas

Gordy in front of her alpaca friends

But contrary to the name of the farm, there are no bluebirds.

“That’s a terrible marketing decision, isn’t it?” Laurel laughs.

Laurel is a warm and inviting woman with a stocky build and years of experience with raising and breeding alpacas. But why alpacas?

“I wanted to raise livestock I didn’t have to kill to make a profit,” says Laurel as one of the numerous reasons she raises and breeds the animal.

So the Shouvlins shear and sell alpaca fiber once a year, which goes for about $3 an ounce. Expensive material, but Laurel explains that alpaca wool is eco-friendly because it doesn’t contain greasy residue like sheep wool. Furthermore, alpacas are environmentally friendly animals because they are easy on pastures and simply graze or eat hay. 

It’s hard not to fall in love with the gangly and awkward alpaca, with their long necks, bulging eyes, and toupee-like hairdos.  And it is clear while visiting Bluebird Hills that the Shouvlins love their work, too. Laurel’s friendly personality is an infectious part of this farm where “there is never a dull moment,” she says, as her Great Pyrenees, Gordy, puts her soggy paws up on the fence, begging for a head scratch.

When they aren’t tending to their alpacas, the Shouvlins give tours of their facility to local nurseries, preschools, and even high school classes. Last year, the Shouvlins grew organic vegetables on their farm, but had to retire due to lack of business. The Shouvlins only manage to break even in this economic climate. And Laurel is just fine with that.

Laurel’s love for her herd is a mutual one, although, she admits that you still have to be on your guard when you’re around an alpaca.

“You’ve got to be careful when they’re spitting off,” she says, “The first one is usually a blank, but then they regurgitate and they’re loaded.”

My Summer Internship

I don't know if I've had the opportunity to share with you guys what I plan on doing this summer!

I have an internship with the Ohio State Fair and a PR/Marketing intern. This basically means I'll be writing press releases about the fair and arranging for news and radio stations to come and do some coverage of the fair's events. Maybe I'll get a free concert ticket or two (fingers crossed!).

I think this will be a really neat opportunity to get my foot in the door of the communication/journalism world. I really lucked out with this internship because I didn't get it at first, then I was called back a week later and informed that one of the interns couldn't come through so I was the backup. YAY!

Finding an internship was actually a lot harder than I anticipated that it would be. I feel like I just got really lucky with this opportunity, it sort of fell into my lap. Regardless, I'm very excited and very much looking forward to the opportunity to spend my time at the fair all summer.

The major downside will be the 45 minute drive to work each morning with these gas prices. At least the internship is only for 2 months!

The Blog Requirement

Overall, I have really enjoyed doing blogs for class. However I still feel like confused about what makes a good blog. What topics do professional bloggers write about? What does the layout look like?

Furthermore, the blogs were just never mentioned in class. I think that is part of the reason why we got so far behind. I think more class discussion and opportunity for feedback is needed.

I like the assigned topics, but I also like having the freedom to select which topics I want to write about. After all, in the real world we don't get topics given to us all time, we have to generate some stories and pull our weight.

My suggestions for next year's bloggers:
1. Pull up examples of famous blogs in class. Let's discuss layout, how many followers, topic ideas, etc.
2. Have students weigh in on their favorite blogs from the class more than just once.
3. Select your favorite blog each week and bring it up in class and discuss why it's your favorite (similar to what we did with Taylor's blog about marijuana use on campus).
4. Try to get more discussion going. I feel like no one reads my blog, but I really like the feedback. This would be something the students really need to do.

I can only cook Deviled Eggs.

No really. That's all that I can make from scratch. I made some this morning for Easter.

I'm looking forward to my house next year and the ability to cook meals to save money. However, I've been thinking a lot lately about what I'm going to make and I'm realizing there isn't much I know how to cook! I can make deviled eggs and french toast casserole. That's about it. (Sad, I know)

I learned the deviled eggs recipe from my mom, who learned it from her mom, and so on and so forth. It's a family recipe and I have it memorized. I'm pretty proud of my quirky talent!

But who wants deviled eggs for dinner every night?? Besides, they're kind of a pain in the ass to make. I need to learn how to cook! And quick!

This summer my mom is planning on making a small cookbook for me with all kinds of quick and easy recipes that she finds. This is just another instance in which I am grateful for my mom. She rocks.

For those of you with kitchens, do you have any advice? Better yet, do you have any recipes you can throw my way??

Things NEVER go as you plan!

I was planning on blogging about my wonderful weekend! I had plans to go horseback riding with my family down at Rio Grande, my brother's university. But of course, Murphy's Law had to be right again. What can go wrong WILL go wrong!

I drove home Friday night and got up at 7 a.m. on Saturday to leave by 8 a.m. to meet my brother at Rio for a late breakfast. So I was sleepy and cranky to start the day. Then we got there to ride horses and not only was it super muddy and cold, but they ran out of rental horses! We were out of luck after we had driven so far and I was bummed.

I know the point of the day was to see my brother but I had my heart set on riding that horse! I've never rode a horse before so I was looking forward to the experience. I guess it wasn't meant to be. The day ended up being alright because we went and got ice cream and just hung out, which doesn't happen enough anymore since my brother and I are both in school.

In hindsight the whole ordeal is so trivial, but when you're caught up in the moment it seems like the world just sucks. That was how I felt at 10:30 a.m. with muddy boots, no horse, and no sleep. I guess the only thing you can do is take a step back and look at the situation for what it's really worth.

The point was to spend time together as a family no matter what.  (And the cost of 4 ice cream cones was a lot less than 4 horse rentals so the same task was accomplished for a lot less! Can't complain :))

Anyone else hate it when things seem to fall apart? This whole situation reminds me of how the printer breaks right before class every time we have something due. Murphy's Law at its finest!