New Territory

Throughout the course of the term, my blogging experience was certainly an interesting one. It was confusing, difficult and entertaining- often all at the same time! The following passage explains how I came out the other side with a sense of satisfaction after gaining knowledge of something I had never previously experienced before.

This term was very different to any other I had been a part of before. I had become accustomed to learning things that I knew I would have to face in exams, and doing things on an independent level. Although there are many aspects of this course that will have a role when it comes to the exam, blogging is not something you can be examined on. The practicality of it was also refreshing, as I had become used to just writing documents and handing them in for my assignments. Working in a group, and knowing that you have to perform in order to prevent letting the group down, was another new aspect. Because of this, I always had it in my mind that what I was writing was going to be seen by a reasonably large amount of people, which made me think twice before writing an unimpressive sentence. In this way, it was productive writing for a blog, because perfection was always in the back of my mind.

The different tasks assigned to us allowed us to conjure up a whole scope of story ideas. I tried to follow the theme of the blog to my best ability, so my imagination didn’t run wild. As said before, I didn’t want to say anything that may look unimpressive or off topic to the blog, so I tried to keep it simple, but complete and informative. The assignments gave me a chance to write about my opinions that I have felt throughout the year. For instance, I enjoyed coming up with all sorts of points on my opinion piece to do with lectures being worthless, because a lot of the points I brought up are points I have discussed between friends and family. So this was finally my chance to express it to a significant amount of people. Therefore my research was largely based on previous and personal experiences, without needing to venture far away from res, as proven by my profile on Peter- a fellow member of Centenary House.

I prefer being independent with my work, so I didn’t relish the prospect of being in a group. Regrettably, I missed a couple of meetings due to other commitments, so I felt I didn’t contribute to the group as much as I could have done. When I was a part of the meetings though, the atmosphere was always warm, and we didn’t have a problem in coming to agreements on the group tasks, like the comic strip for instance. It was in my opinion, a fantastic piece, that I honestly don’t deserve any credit for due to my lack of participation! However, I will take a greater confidence away with me when next working with a group.

I believe that blogging is an extremely substantial aspect of journalism. The internet is the future, and as Sim said in the lecture today, “the future is now.” The majority of students have facebook, and in many ways facebook is a blog in itself, as it contains your profile, plus a section in which other people can write to you. That is why I believe facebook has a large role to play when it comes to teaching blogging in the future.

I disagree with the fact that being ‘confined’ to blogging this term has negative connotations. We tend to focus on an aspect of journalism every term, and because of the importance that I have discussed blogging in journalism to be, it was of great importance to get actively involved in it. To a certain extent, I liked the fact that we also had a deadline close approaching, whether it be just a comment or a full assignment, because it meant we had to be constantly involved with it. Due to this, I was looking at my blog every day, and being involved with your work on a daily basis can surely only be a good thing! On the downside, I felt that the lectures lost their value, because to be involved with this module, you had to have a computer in front of you, and most of the lectures were dedicated to the assignment due the next day, of which I felt only needed a glance on RUConnected to grasp an understanding of them.

When discussing my opinion piece, I had second thoughts with many of the points I brought up, as it may be argued that I went against the ethics concerning lecturers and the system that Rhodes University goes by. Lecturers may feel victimized in the way that I mentioned that they only read over the slides, and their tendency to be monotonous. I stand by my view on this, but is it ethical? It remains to be seen, but as said before, I felt this blog was the chance to express all my concerns.

On a scale of 1 to 10, it would give this a 6 in terms of my personal benefit from this course. I’ve learnt to perfect my writing, knowing that a lot of people would read it. I’ve also learnt to create a blog, something I was afraid of at the beginning of this course, as it is new territory for me. However, I feel there is an insignificant place for blogging in a world ever growing in facebook dominance. I believe facebook is the place for blogging, as it will receive a far greater number of viewers, and as it is familiar to such a vast majority of people, it is far more approachable and accessible. All in all, I have enjoyed this course. It was something different, and I am sure it has broadened my horizons in terms of writing for an audience. I look forward to further involvement in this area of journalism in the future.

I'm Not Alone In This

As a firm believer in the lack of use for lecture attendance, I’ve found that you share my concerns, and you have come up with some points that only strengthens my argument.

You share many of the same concerns that I do. You say in relation to one of your subjects, “pointless lectures, literally reads from powerpoints which he posts online.” I could quote a very similar comment from my own blog post. It just goes to show that I am not alone in my opinion that one wastes their time going to lectures when a lecturer goes over slides that one can just go over in their own time.

An issue that I didn’t raise was your point expressed- “He is so confusing and goes off on tangents.” Lecturers can often go off the topic, and express viewpoints that have no apparent relevance to what is being learnt. This then creates too many ideas in a student’s head, prompting confusion over what to write when it comes to assignments.

As said in my opinion piece, there is of course some use for lectures. If one is able to get past the monotonous tone of the lecturer and actually listen to everything, there is a strong chance that valuable points will get brought up, leaving you more prepared when it comes to writing assignments or tests. “He’s willing to help if you go to his office hours,” is your quote suggesting the approachability of lecturers. From previous experience, this can be said on behalf of many lecturers at Rhodes University, where I currently study. Therefore it would be safe to say that if you can go to a lecturer one on one, and discuss the precise aspects of a subject you don’t understand, you would be far better off than going to the whole lecture that discusses points you may already know.

If you give yourself all the time to prepare, study and do what really counts (tests, assignments and exams), I believe it is far more beneficial than wasting valuable time going to lectures. You say “If you study on your own, you’ll be fine,” and I can’t help but agree with you. I sincerely hope I don’t get proven wrong when it comes to the end of year exams!

The comment was posted on http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/jive/vodka/viewThread.jsp?forum=2&thread=40293

A Clean Slate..

As a member of your res and an attender of that house meeting, I can agree that the generalization of the post-graduate was unnecessary, as there was no proof that the theft was the result of a first year. However, there are some points you bring up that I disagree with.

You say that the older guys demand respect. On the contrary, I am friends with a lot of them, and not necessarily just the guys from O-week. I grant you some of them aren't that friendly, but that's because they're unfriendly in general! There are a few first year guys that I don't get along with, and the first years of next year won't either, just because they are difficult people to get along with.

I believe that when you go to university, you are a given a clean slate by which to work on. Irrelevant of age or university year, people tend to be open and impartial to anything that comes their way, and the friendly atmosphere that I believe does occur in Centenary House, is a reflection of that. When it comes to approaching the first years of next year, I would in fact not have a problem of taking a leaf out of many of the older guys of the residence's books.

That's a bit harsh...

This blog deals with the issue of xenophobia amongst first years at Rhodes. I know that xenophobia is a serious and often very touchy subject, however, I do feel that you have placed a lot of unfair blame on Rhodes first years. Firstly, you overtly say that the majority of first years are ignorant and that the majority have this xenophobic outlook. Have you spoken to this "majority"? I can honestly say that I have encountered very few (if any) real xenophobic incidents and I feel as though you paint a very harsh and cruel picture of the "majority" of first years. I have many friends who are Zimbabwean, but they feel as though they would much rather be here at Rhodes than back home often and this point of view has not been included in your blog post. I am obviously not saying that there is no xenophobia at Rhodes, but there is no more of it here than homophobia, racism and sexism and my experience here at Rhodes has certainly not been one where I have been exposed to many incidents of any of these. My main problem with this article is you generalisation and the way in which you stereotype "the majority". Maybe it is the group of people you associate yourself with that behave in this sort of manner. If you broaden your scope, you will find many individuals who are not xenophobic and you may also find that "the majority" is not as ignorant as you make them out to be.

Juniors Vs. Seniors? I thought we were on the same team here?

In response to Juniors Vs. Seniors http://1styearspread.blogspot.com/2008/10/seniors-vs-juniors.html

When you were at school, were you never posed with decisions about whether or not to party hard and do the things that were then, illegal with your older friends? If you weren't, then perhaps you should have considered your move to Rhodes a little more carefully considering the reputation Rhodents have picked up of late. Even though now, I am almost certain that any student (whether a first-year or not) would stick up for their fellow students and deny the accusations of raucous behaviour on a weekly basis.

Your generalised opinion about second and third-year students simply being out to get first-years is completely unjustified. I know this because I have numerous second-year friends who showed me around campus and helped me cope with the academic stress I have suffered from. Not every older male student out there is looking to sleep with a first-year girl while not every first-year girl is naive enough to fall for every older male student's tricks.

Your piece digs into first-years and is very condescending which is extremely hypocritical as you preach about first-years’ vulnerability not being exposed and exploited. I don’t know about you, but my first year at Rhodes as well as my older friends have helped me gain invaluable knowledge which I don’t think I would’ve found anywhere else.

RU Hanging Like A Curtain?

So you had a rough one. Again. Now you’re lying in bed (or on the floor next to the toilet) the next morning trying to decide whether or not your life has any worth. This is an important decision and should not be taken lightly considering that it will be the reason you either do or don’t get up. Your head is spinning at a million light-years a second and you definitely aren’t moving anywhere. No matter how important that English tut you’re about to miss is to your future. A hangover is caused by a combination of the toxic by-product of alcohol metabolism (acetaldehyde), dehydration, and Vitamin A, B (particularly B6) and C depletion caused by the chemical action of alcohol on your system. The symptoms are usually a dry mouth, nausea, fatigue, dizziness and headache and are caused by a combination of these factors. “Oh my greatness,” you think while trying to remember how the heck to fix this. Well, Barman Green’s here to help. Read on for the best tips you’ll ever receive:

Hangover Remedies
Most hangover "remedies" simply attend to one or more of the symptoms and don't really provide a cure as such. The hangover won't stop until the alcohol is out of your system, but here are a few things that will ease the suffering a bit:
· Berocca - Puts the vitamin B back in, as well as the big glass of water it's mixed with. It's probably best to do this before you go out.
· Coke - Fizz for the nausea, liquid for the dehydration, and a caffeine and sugar hit to make you feel a bit more lively.
· Coffee - Same as Coke but without the bubbles to help ease the nausea. Try it with honey instead of sugar since the fructose is absorbed quicker than the sucrose in normal sugar, and it's better for you.
· Ginseng - It's been noted that since caffeine is a diuretic like alcohol, it can actually make the dehydration worse, so try the herbal equivalent instead.
· Marmite On Toast - Something in your stomach is good, and salty is even better. Plus you get a Vitamin B top up. The same reasons also make peanut butter a good choice, but the oily nature might make some sensitive stomachs feel a bit yucky. If you do try try this one, skip the butter and just have dry toast.
· Cold Pizza - Who knows, but it seems to work.
· Asprin - Simply attends to the headache and does nothing for the level of alcohol in your system. Don't take them before you go to bed.
· Bananas - Sugar in the form of fructose, and potassium, which is one of the things you lose lots of when you drink. Bananas are also a natural antacid to help with the nausea, and are high in magnesium which can help relax those pounding blood vessels causing that hangover headache. For a variety of reasons try a peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich on white bread.
· Vitamin C - Another thing the alcohol takes out that you're advised to put back in as soon as possible. Orange juice, tomato, a 600mg Vitamin C tablet - doesn't matter, just do it.
· A Hot Bath - The heat will sweat out the toxins that are causing all the problems. You'll feel a bit woozy at first but go with it and you'll feel better afterwards.
· Sauerkraut – Eating raw cabbage has been used right through history for preventing as well as curing hangovers.

Hangover Prevention
· Don't drink. (doh!)
· Take a Berocca before you start drinking. This gets a reserve of Vitamin B into you.
· Alternate fruit juice or water in amongst your drinks to avoid dehydration later on. Avoid fizzy or sugary stuff. The purists reckon that about 200ml of water is needed to effectively counteract each 30ml of alcohol.
· The alcohol in carbonated drinks is absorbed more quickly than in non-carbonated drinks.
· Reduce the amount of sugar you consume with your alcohol. The forced metabolism of sugar AND alcohol by your body will accelerate the depletion of B vitamins and make the hangover worse.
· The 2am pig-out. Pizza or pasta is usually best since cheese and carbohydrates are a good source of amino acids. Actually food is a good idea all round - before, during and immediately after drinking. Food doesn't absorb alcohol, but it does increase metabolism, activates alcohol absorption, and increases the speed with which the body processes alcohol.

Check out more hangover cures on Bek's blog at http://bekk.blogspot.com/2006/12/hangover-cures.html

And there you have it: from a barman’s mouth. Hangovers aren’t fun and neither are some of the remedies mentioned. All I have to say is: you deserve it!!!!

“Isn’t Amnesty, like, when you don’t have sex and stuff?”

When a high school graduate first sets foot in a university the experience of being away from their family often results in a much anticipated liberation family constraints and restricting school rules. Rhodes University is a prime example of this, as most of the students applying to the University are applicants wanting to study away from home. The idea of being free from one’s family and having to take more responsibility in life can be quite challenging for anyone, let alone a young, naïve first year. There is a sudden exposure to legal drinking without parental consent as well as having to manage some form of budget. This, if we have to be honest, is not easy to do, seeing as most of us use our parent’s pharmacy account for everything but medication.

Freedom and the usual high school life orientation classes about peer pressure, drugs and alcohol are accompanied by yet another taboo: unprotected sex. Despite having sex talk after sex talk, first years at Rhodes are generally blatantly naïve when it comes to protected sex. According to sites such as www.netdoctor.co.uk/sex_relationships/facts/safesex.htm. After speaking to several of my friends at Rhodes, I am aware that this is a generalisation, but that being said, there are those who really should think about enrolling for condom-application classes at SHARC. Perhaps a possible solution to this problem lies in a single word: abstinence – or as my sleep-deprived friend once said at 05:00 after pulling an all-nighter; “Isn’t Amnesty, like, when you don’t have sex and stuff?” I know the guy was tired, but it’s remarks like that make you think that maybe Rhodes students need a refresher course (and this guy is a 3rd year, believe it or not).

What annoys me the most that people are choosing to remain blissfully ignorant about the fact that HIV/Aids has no face. There are organisations on campus (like SHARC) that make a point of covering issues such as unprotected sex and the dangers that follow. The organisation even goes the extra mile to teach first years how to put a condom on a wooden phallus. For crying out loud guys, the concept is not that hard. Yes I know you or your partner is on the Pill, but last time I checked, HIV/Aids is not immune to a little white pill. The Rhodes calendar even caters for national Aids week – remember that long red carpet outside the library? That was not there for decoration. And there are not enough condoms missing from the free condom box in the res bathrooms to even cover ten percent of the girls in my res. So unless you are relying on your boyfriend’s condom box girls, you might want to pop past.

If you’re too shy to ask for a condom demo, check out sites such as www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Put-on-a-Condom/, where you can learn the ropes from the privacy of your own room. What scares me the most is; if it’s not desperate pregnant girls actually queuing for those dodgy abortion signs stuck up around town, then it’s the complete lack of HIV positive people NOT queuing up at the San for an HIV test.