Readings, Organics and Conferences

Ah, it's Friday. I have been waiting for this day for a while. I have quite a few things to get done this weekend, but I've finally found some time to catch you up on what's going on.

First of all, I'm already done with one of my classes. Yep, completely finished. Somehow I managed to read four science literary journalism books in five weeks. Ok, not the entire books but a good portion of them.

We read: 

• Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan- a plant's eye view of human-plant interaction
• Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman- a memoir-like compilation of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman's life experiences
• Basin and Range by John McPhee- a geologic journey of the Basin and Range region and Earth in general
• The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder- a Pulitzer Prize winning exploration of early computers and the people who built them

Each of these books has a completely different take on non-fiction. I liked Pollan's conversational tone and Feynman's use of anecdotes. McPhee is the master of metaphor, while Kidder brought an otherwise dry topic to life. 

Our final in-class discussion question was "If you could follow any group and write about the people of that group, what would it be?" Of course I want to write about farmers and other aggies, but this class gave me a better idea on the "how." I've already met a lot of really neat people involved in agriculture for various articles. Who's to say I won't write about those experiences, and more, someday? My challenge to myself is to keep in-depth notes on those experiences so I can recall them someday. 

Who knows what the future will bring.

Back to the present--

Have you seen the Stanford study that concluded organic food is not healthier than conventionally grown? Media picked up on it, and for a while a fury of comeback articles ensued. For my work study, I compiled a couple documents containing several of these articles. One document included articles that were clearly upset with the study, while the other included articles that appreciated the findings or had balanced opinion. Sadly, there were only a few articles I would consider truly balanced.

As a disclaimer, I believe those upset with Stanford's findings have a legitimate argument. Nutritional value is probably not the main reason  people buy organic. However, I believe the Stanford study is good to encourage consumers not to worry about buying the produce they can't afford. 

Our diets need more fruits and vegetables, and to worry about whether or not they are organic isn't fair or healthy. My favorite article came from the nutritionist perspective. Moms shouldn't have to feel like they're hurting their children because they can't afford organic, was one message I wholeheartedly agree with.

In other activities--

I'm gearing up for the National FFA Convention and Agriculture Future of America Leaders Conference. Remember my "world view" posts from last year? I'm headed back to that conference, so I'm sure there will be much to say!

MU Ag Journalism is 90!

Has it been three weeks already? Hard to believe it's true!

This weekend I helped celebrate the Agricultural Journalism program's 90th birthday! Corner Post, the online publication the intro class works on, also had a birthday. It turned ten this year. The site has recently been remodeled, but you can see the old content by clicking the "Original Corner Post site" link. Next week the current intro class will turn in their first rough drafts, so keep checking back!

The Corner Post Reunion took place in the Orr Street Studios. Marilyn, the woman I worked for this summer, has her own art studio there. I'd heard a lot about her art and studio, so I was glad to finally see it for myself.

Orr Street Studios was more than I imagined. The building was an older warehouse type place renovated to make it "artsy." Huge sliding doors separate the common areas from studios, and on those doors are beautiful sculptures. An artist took old scraps, such as wire and scrap metal, and created beautiful abstract images.

After Marilyn gave us a tour, we ate cake (yum!) and watched a video two students created. The first was full of great information about the history of our progarm. The second, my personal favorite, was of bloopers from student interviews. Several of the students graduated last year and the video fully embodied each of their personalities, so I enjoyed that a lot.

Friday evening we headed to Boonville to the reception hosted by the Missouri Life magazine. It was great to see the number of alumni who came back. Our program may be small (though Sharon mentioned a recruitment effort in development) but we have a lot of support from alumni and the college. The agricultural communications community is a family, and the Mizzou Ag Journalism community is like a family within the family.

Saturday the group had different tours scheduled, but I needed to work on some homework. Oh the joys of a student's life. My newest multimedia post is published now. It talks about my adventures in photography.

Kathryn and I took a homework break in the afternoon to take my Chinese friends to Walmart. It was a tight fit getting everyone and their purchases into my car, but we made it!

This week should be interesting. Coming up is a presentation on the Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow club to Student Council, helping out at a CAFNR Alumni function and my first video interview with the Cheavens. I'm staying busy!

I Need Your Help!

Hi friends, I need your help!

Wednesday I turn in my first project for Multimedia. The assignment is "Seeing Red." Basically, we were assigned to take pictures of red things.

Of course the day I planned to check out a camera (we only get three hours with them) it rained. I'm certainly not complaining about the rain, I just wasn't thrilled with the timing. I started taking pictures indoors in the Sci. & Ag J lab. Then, the rain let up for a few minutes and I got a few outside shots.

I have picked a few I liked, but I need to narrow it down to the three I'll turn in. Comment below or fill out the poll on the side to choose your favorite!