Voice

http://365nashville.com/

I believe that voice comes from someone that is talking about something they are very knowledgeable about. The credibility can be based upon how much information they know. This could be related to how much education they have received, and if they are a professional in that certain topic. It is important  on how they say it and if they appear credible. It also has a lot to do if they voice is engaging and relatable to the reader.

The blog 365 Nashville is a website that gives a new thing to do in Nashville every day. I think that this blog is very credible.  It gives just enough true information regarding the event and then provides a link directing you to the actual event.  This would be a very helpful and reliable place for someone that is looking to explore Nashville. It is beneficial because the reader is not limited to the daily posts but can view all previously posted articles. Another thing that makes this credible is the option to comment on the posts. If another reader thinks that this is a false publication, he/she has every right to voice their option regarding the post. The man that started the blog, named Andrew Terrell, decided to start this because  he wanted to learn  more about what Nashville has to offer. I think that this could be a little hazy on the credibilty because it does not offer very much information specifically regarding Andrew.  I do think that including links to the certain events/places in which he is talking about adds credibility to the words he writes.

In-Class Interview

I interviewed Lauren Mcfadden. From a perpective of this 21 year old Belmont college student, it was obvious that she probably never experienced being homelessness. From her perspective, she states that, "homelessness comes a lot through my lens of Christianity because I believe that as Christians we take care of the poor and take care of those who don’t have enough. A lot of people who say it is their own fault that they are poor and that may be the case for some of them but I don’t believe that is the vast majority and I don’t think that is a valid reason not to take care of them or help them become sustainable. I believe that it is a moral issue as well as an economic issue." It is interesting to hear this sort of thought from someone who has never experienced homelessness.

This culture is dependent on people helping other people. It is so encouraging to hear that people including college students want to help this problem that is worldwide. The Contributor is allowing a small change in Nashville, to help the homeless and provide a sustainable life.

I asked her to give me her personal definition of the Contributor to see if she actually knew what the purpose of this paper was. Her response was "It is a newspaper that when you read it a lot of it is written by either previously homeless people, currently homeless people or people who are activists in the homeless community.  A lot of it includes insider information on what is going on." She grasped the main purpose of the paper. For this paper to be successful, I believe that every demographic needs to have a basic understanding of the paper.

Guns, Germs and Steel

An element in the book in terms of material space/objects affecting culture is geography. Especially focusing on the individuals who live in certain areas- how and where a group of people live together to produce food.  Food was a population boost. Different communities focused on how many individuals could they sustain. The more people that populated the communities, the more specially skilled people they had which eventually leads to the development of technology.  The author talks about how food production leads to the development to writing. It is something we have to invent, learn, and produced.  It allows people to document things that has previously happened. The author talks a lot about animals and how they were used and perceived to humans. He focused on a point when people from Africa move to different continents. When humans populated certain parts where animals had never seen them before, the animals didn't know what to do. The humans would kill them off. Later on in the book he also talks about animal domestication for several uses such as warfare.

Introduction

“…To leave a legacy is our spiritual need to have a sense of meaning, purpose, personal congruence, and contribution” 
-Stephen R. Covey

In Nashville, one of the most iconic homeless organizations is The Contributor Newspaper. Offering a sense of dignity and worth, this paper has provided the homeless community with opportunities to live a successful life. The Contributor is a monthly street newspaper to help benefit homeless people in Nashville, TN focusing on the diversity of perspectives through the eyes of homeless and formally homeless individuals.  It also brings awareness to the conditions of homelessness. While accomplishing all this, the process of selling the paper builds a unique relationship between the vendors and customers.  The main importance of The Contributor is the ability to provide a source of income for the homeless and previously homeless of the men and women and Nashville. 

It is important to understand the culture of the people who sell The Contributor, and to fully understand the affects it has on those individuals.  Studying and learning from this culture will really benefit my heart of serving and helping the people who are less fortunate. Through conversations of homeless and formally homeless individuals that sell The Contributor, I hope to grasp their lifestyle and how their lives have changed from this paper. There is something so beautiful in the purpose of this newspaper to help out those who have no other way to bring in income.  

Being an outsider to the homeless community, I am already putting myself in a different level of understanding.  To fully understand the homeless community, one must truly experience it. Being such an outsider, forming those special connections with the vendors is so important to understand their community and culture.

Cultural Objects

Cultural Object: The Contributor Newspaper

This Newspaper will help me better understand my research questions. It focuses on what it means to be homeless in Nashville as well as stories written by the venders of the paper. It is a direct tangible link to how The Contributor is changing lives in the Nashville homeless community.  The Contributor issues a new newspaper once a month. I hope to be able to collect a new one each month for the rest of the semester to pull ideas from them and maybe include some articles into my paper.

Academic "Game" and Academic Discourse

The rules of the game can really change for anyone. The first thing to ask is what are you trying to achieve in an academic game? With that question answered, the rules form from this. If  you believe the most important thing is to achieve good grades, the rules would focus on amount of time studying, making sure assignments are turned in on time, etc..  It is the ability to survive by getting the things done and keeping up with the schedule of life.

Being literate in your degree is being willing to learn the materials needed to succeed. You have to be able to learn and then apply what you learned to everyday life. If you cram the information in and then a week later, forget it all, does not mean you are literate. You must be able to apply it to your life. There is a level of importance that needs to be put on your education. What goals are you trying to achieve? How literate do you want to be?  To excel after college, it is important to understand what it means to be literate in your field.