MU Ag Journalism

The Prejudice of Tattoos and Piercings in the Workplace

2008-11-12T20:03:00.001-08:00

Written by Philip Nigro.
Photo by Rebecca Silvey and Mark Pederson
TA: Christina McAusland

With the growing desire to modify your appearance with younger adults, tattoos and piercings have become more popular but, are not viewed as being professional.

Over the summer, my co-worker had to cover up a rather large tattoo of his family crest on his arm with an ACE bandage. Something not offensive ended up causing more distractions because everyone wanted to know what was under the bandage.

Being a tattoo and piercing recipient, I have to be careful. If I had not gotten my eyebrow ring ripped out, I would have had to remove it. Getting my new ear piercing was a hard decision because I didn’t want it to affect my chances at a job…but I wanted it.

With tattoos and piercings becoming more recognized and acceptable, what makes them so unprofessional? If not an offensive piece of art, the bearers of tattoos and piercings should be able to display their art work no matter what the setting.

Skankoween

2008-11-12T19:21:00.000-08:00

Written by Lauren Hegadorn
Photo by Heath Fisher
TA: Kate Hill/Boris Korby

Halloween at the University of Missouri is nothing like what many parents might imagine. On October 31 every girl takes an innocent sounding idea to play boy level.

Dads ask their daughters what they are going to be. The response will probably sound pretty cute. What dads don't know is the little girl's custom involves black leather and fishnets...

Halloween has become a night for girls everywhere to wear next to nothing and no one thinks a thing about it. How did Halloween go from candy and princesses to fuzzy handcuffs and a lot of skin??

Times are Hard!!!

2008-11-12T19:17:00.000-08:00

Written by Madison Books
Photo by Christie Broadway and Andrew Conrad
TA: Andrell Bower

Times are hard. Or at least that is what the news keeps telling me. Up until recently, this topic has gone in one ear and out the other with me. Yeah, you keep telling me the economy is bad but what does that really mean?

Well now I know. Today, the best measure of the economy for a college student is the price fluctuations at McDonalds and the Liquor Store. For the first time in my life, I have to pay $1.29 for a double-cheeseburger, the figurehead of the Dollar Menu. Times are truly bad. Oh, did I mention a case of Natural Light is over $15.00!! That stuff is supposed to be cheap!! These truly are tough times for the poor unfortunate college student.

The Mediocre Man

2008-11-12T19:11:00.000-08:00

Written by Zach White
Photo by Jaci Woodburn: Caption: "What, no pogosticks?"
TA: Valerie Mosley

The purpose of this blog is to highlight my endeavors that only ever amount to being average. Today I thought I could signify how greatly mediocre I am in my hobby of pogo sticking. I found out the other day that this hobby is just another one of those things I'm a little good at but not really good at.

I was checking at a website that included the US's greatest pogo stickers. They all do backflips. I can't. I mean, there are only like 15 people who do this, yet I find myself as average.

Note: Find a new hobby. I want something to dominate at.

Yesterday was totally uncalled for...

2008-11-12T09:39:00.000-08:00

Written by Katie Maupin
Photo by Kent Miller
Umbrella by Jamie Johnson
Modeling by Ziggy Hood
TA: Sarah Luehrs

It never fails. Whenever I leave my umbrella at home, and head to my 8 a.m. class it pours down rain. Not only was it raining at 7:40 a.m. yesterday when I finally threw on my ball cap and stumbled out the door, but it was also freezing!

And when you get caught in an icy downpour don't expect the bookstore to be open so you can buy your one-millionth umbrella this semester.

Words for the wise: always (and I mean always) have an umbrella, a parka, raincoat, and possibly a Swiss army knife with you on your way to class just in case. After all you never know what Missouri weather might bring, but then again all you have to do is wait five minutes for it to change.

hey you, this class stinks like a bus

2008-11-12T09:17:00.000-08:00

Yes, it very much does.

AgJ 3210 Fall Semester Blog Contest

2008-11-12T08:32:00.001-08:00

Students in AgJ 3210 are creating blog items today. Let's see how they do.

Long Live Summer!

2008-05-05T14:39:00.000-07:00

Story by Zachary Hall
Photograph by Kasey Hunt
TA: Christina McAusland

Summer break usually means a three-month release from school and the pressures that accompany it. This is not the case for me. No, this summer will be different than those I have come to know. This summer I have an internship.

Having an internship means instead of going to the pool to hang out with friends, I'll be going to the office to work on sales promotions. Instead of going to a barbeque, I'll be filing papers. This is exactly what I feared...real life.

During this time of relaxation for most college students, I will be bombarded with meetings and paperwork. Having an internship is not horrible; it's a great stepping stone for my career. But it also reveals another scary fact...real life is just around the corner.

I have a plan as to how I'm going to regress into the usual college lifestyle this summer, and that is to spend as much of my free time as possible with my friends. That is what summer break really is--good times with friends you don't see enough of.

Fun will be the release I need to take me away from the robotic process of the daily work life. Long live summer!

Graduating to a New Style of Life

2008-05-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

Story by Justin Barreto
Photo by Jonathan Bachmann
TA: Andrell Bower

This is the summer that will end all summers. That's right, I'm graduating. No more pools, no more sleeping 'til noon, but I will spend plenty of time in an exciting cubicle.

I shouldn't be so dramatic. I will be making more money than I do as a student. And with that money I can take better vacations. After paying the bills, that is.

I will miss week-long breaks every two months. I will also miss the structure-lacking lifestyle that is college. But I am excited to experience a new style of life. I guess this summer won't be so bad after all.

Dreams of the Secluded Lake

2008-05-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

Story by Allen Wills
Photo by Allen Wills
TA: Valerie Mosley

Going to the lake means traveling home. To most this may mean the Lake of the Ozarks, Truman or another mass of water. The “lake” pictured in my mind is the lake I created and built. The row of million dollar boats and party cove do not interest me. My lake is secluded. Deer and turkey often visit, while ducks and geese call it their home. Frogs croak and crickets chirp along the bank. In the distance, tractors rumble.

This lake is the destination of choice for me and a few close friends. Lined with small newly-planted trees, every feature here has a meaning or memory. All the grass was hand planted by me. All the trees I placed strategically. The homemade dock still in need of repair provides structure for the numerous fish I have stocked. Most of these I transplanted myself in the hopes of producing monsters. No one is allowed to pull fish out of this lake. They are mine, and mine to let grow for another year or two. I am thrilled to see what this two year old lake will be like in another two years. Across the dam I see the side of a future cabin. If only I was through with college.

Some day the cabin will come, the trees will be mature, and at this lake I will be. No crowds. No yachts. Only myself and happiness.

How to Pass AgJ 3210

2008-05-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

Story by Emily Duke
Photo by Larry Fagbemi
TA: Kate Hill

Passing AGJ 3210 is very easy when you just apply yourself. The first step is making sure you go to class. This is the easiest thing you can do to help your grade. It may be difficult to motivate yourself to go at times, especially if you take it in the spring and it gets towards the end of the semester. Professor Bill Allen is the instructor and constantly reminds you how nice it is outside and how nice it was that you showed up. It seems as though sometimes maybe he would like everyone to not show up because he himself would rather be outside or watching the Cardinals play baseball.

Another step in passing AgJ 3210 is learning to omit needless words and what Bill calls death words. This simply means that you are no longer allowed to use every word you have ever used to take up space in your paper. You must actually think and read a paper before you turn it in now. Bill feels very strongly about this so be prepared for the day when he takes off his shirt, channeling his inner Chuck Norris (his hero) and tells you to omit needless words.

Wonderful Chaos of Learning Ensues in AgJ 3210

2008-05-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

Weigh in with comments on the above four blogs to help me pick the winner!

Here's why:

Today the students of AgJ 3210 learned how to blog. The students in each TA section wrote blog items on a subject they chose as a group. One student took a photo to go along with the subject. A "winner" was chosen from each section, and that's what's posted above.

In the next 24 hours I will decide which of the blogs above is the best. That one will win an extra credit point for each of the students in that TA section. Comments will be judged by quality and quantity.

-Bill Allen, instructor

2008-01-29T12:08:00.000-08:00

Today, Tyne Morgan showed me how to put a link into an AgJ blog item. Here it is.

Tyne's blog

Surrounded by the Politics of Food, Fuel and the Environment

2007-12-11T14:24:00.000-08:00

Our students are getting a short course in the politics of agriculture, energy, the environment and nutrition here at the Farm Journal Forum in Washington. Among the lawmakers they have heard from is Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

After a speech at the forum today, Harkin, on the left in the photo above, asked Kate, right, and Katie, center, about the MU AgJ Program. In his speech, Harkin described Congressional action on the Farm Bill.

“I have every intention to finish the (Senate version of the) Farm Bill and get it passed before we go home for Christmas,” Harkin said. A House-Senate conference panel would then work on a compromise that Harkin hopes will be sent to the president “by the end of January.”

Former U.S. Rep. Larry Combest, R-Texas, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee during the debate over the 2002 Farm Bill, also met with the students.

"We need more of you trained in ag journalism," Combest said. "You are the journalists who can tell these stories accurately."

Check out the blog by Katie and Kate on the Farm Journal Web site: www.agweb.com (click on “blogs” near the top, then scroll down until you see “Farm Journal Forum Blog” near the bottom).

MU Students Blog from Farm Journal Forum

2007-12-10T14:34:00.000-08:00

Katie Allen, right, a senior Agricultural Journalism major, and Kate Hill, a master's student at the Missouri School of Journalism, met with Washington-based agricultural journalists Monday morning at the National Press Club.

The students are in the nation’s capital this week blogging from the 11th annual Farm Journal Forum. They were selected as the 2007 Sonja Hillgren Fellows and have decided to record their impressions of the gathering at the Renaissance Washington Hotel.

You can follow their blog at the Farm Journal Web site: www.agweb.com (click on “blogs” near the top, then scroll down until you see “Farm Journal Forum Blog” near the bottom).

“The Magic Tree and the Holiday Spirit”

2007-12-03T19:56:00.000-08:00

Written by Brady Bounds
Photograph by Kim Cottrell
TA: Traci Angel

As some students graduate they are dreaming of high paying jobs. One MU graduate spends her time amassing thousands of lights to put on her Crabapple Tree. I visited the large tree in her front yard this weekend and couldn’t believe my eyes! There were at least 5 cars driving by and I had to wait to get in line.

The fact sheet that was handed out mentioned the $250 electric bill that she receives every month just to keep it running. She said it is her personal mission each year to bring holiday cheer to the Columbia community by adding more lights that the previous year.

One of my friend’s fraternities decorates their house each year, covering their house in lights. I used to think that their house was the most impressive Christmas decoration in all of Columbia until seeing this impressive tree. If anyone would like to visit this tree it is the house on Old Plank Road, I don’t need to give the address because you could see the tree from space!

KU Football Ranks High on the PU Meter

2007-12-03T19:41:00.000-08:00

Written by Brian Reiter
Photo by Sam Romersberger
TA: Jake Siegel

Kansas has about as many interesting things going for it as it does hills. This also translates into their overrated football team.

Kansas football?

Are you kidding me, my high school could put together a better team. Now the Jayhawks are taking their skills to the Orange bowl to face Virginia Tech. Yes, you heard me right, the Kansas Jayhawks, who were beaten by our very own Missouri Tigers earlier this year at Arrowhead, are headed to a BCS bowl.

Doesn’t seem fair to me!

Well, it’s not. My only explanation for this is that the football community has taken pity on the Kansas football team, and the state in general. The sports community must have felt so sorry for a state that will never experience sledding on hills or climbing a mountain. They know what mountains are, don’t they?

Senioritis… Yes it exists when you’re 21

2007-12-03T16:55:00.000-08:00

Written by Renee Henry
Photograph taken by Tamika Jackson
TA: Andrell Bower

I thought my senior year would be the most exciting year of my college life. The first three years here at Mizzou were great- fun atmosphere, great sports, getting to sleep in. But come my fourth year of simple living and final exams, I look forward to graduating.

Senioritis hit me hard in high school. I could have cared less what I looked like, homework didn’t phase me and the fact that college was right around the corner was all I could think about. Four years later, the doldrums have hit again.

Here I am, 22 years old and sharing a bathroom with two other people. I sleep in a twin bed and eat ramen noodles for dinner. You would think being an adult would mean you have privacy and eat well-balanced meals; it doesn’t.

Despite the fact that I can drink in bars now, college life is not as fun as it once was. Talking with my friends, I find that I’m not the only one. It’s ironic that senior year is full of projects, because we have no desire to work on them. Motivation is at an all time low and tailgating is our main priority.

These last few months of class have been torturing. Pajamas are a must and coffee has become our best friend. (Starbucks has my drink memorized as well as my name.)

Come to think of it, we better enjoy college while it lasts. Sooner than we know it, the real world will be here and we’ll be stuck in a nine to five. I wonder what you call senioritis once you graduate?

An Age-old Saga: To Study or Not to Study

2007-12-03T16:47:00.000-08:00

Written by SASHA WHITLEY
Photo by CARY SILVERMAN
TA:Bryan Wendell

Trying to study for finals week…. riiiiight….

I had plans this weekend to study, but somehow that just didn’t happen.

I feel like I did everything BUT study… I woke up on Saturday, determined to crack open my books, but the dishes in the sink were dirty, and then I needed to unload and load the dishwasher. After that I realized that I needed to go to Wal-Mart because I forgot to get contact solution from the night before. I finally got home, and I was really determined to study, but I needed to check my gmail and FACEBOOK! So after some facebook stalking and returning emails, it was time for the game and dinner with my roommates. By the end of Saturday I had nothing accomplished but a clean kitchen, and five new friends on facebook.

Sunday rolls around, after listening to the party upstairs most of the night – I slept in until 2pm. I thought to myself, I really need to study for accounting and economics, but in order to look at the study guides online -- I had to check my gmail and facebook again. This only took two hours. Well, then it was time for lunch, and then laundry. Before too long it was dinner-time again, and I continued on my cycle of procrastination.

Maybe this year I will finally study before my finals… but so far it’s looking very doubtful.

Drought-related deer disease on the rise in Missouri

2007-12-03T16:39:00.001-08:00

Written by Kellar Nelson
Photo by Ty Northcutt
TA: Joe Kokenge

There’s a big problem in Missouri this year. An unusually dry summer caused a drought in many parts of the state, causing water levels to decrease. The water that remained in river and creek beds became stagnant and overcome with bacteria. As deer drank this water, they also consumed the bacteria. This particular type of bacteria attacks the immune system and intestine of the deer, leading to death. This has affected about one-third of the state deer population and is known as blue tongue disease.

The way this disease works is that it makes the deer unable to digest any food and they eventually starve. This could be seen as natural selection in action as a way of controlling expounding deer populations that have been observed in Missouri for many years.

Here come the AgJ 3210 blogs

2007-12-03T16:33:00.000-08:00

After a long delay caused by the blogmaster's commitments to student meetings, faculty meetings, more teaching and other items, posting of the blog items written and photographed for today's AgJ 3210 class are on the way. I'll have them up shortly.

--Signed: Bill Allen, blogmaster and instructor

This site will be a “blogging lab” for Monday’s Ag Journalism 3210 class

2007-12-02T21:23:00.000-08:00

On Monday, Dec. 3, the MU Ag Journalism blog site will serve as a training ground and a playing field.

The Training Ground: Students from my AgJ 3210 (Fundamentals of Communications) class will be introduced to blogging here. The class has 128 students with majors from all across MU. We’ve been studying writing, issues and trends in journalism, and how to be an intelligent consumer of news.

The Playing Field: During Monday’s class, one student will be selected from each of the five sections of the class. Each of the five students will write a blog item and take a photo. I’ll post all this to the blog.

Then the TAs and I will select the best blog posting. The winning student – and all of the students in his or her section – will get TWO POINTS EXTRA CREDIT.

Let the games begin!

--Bill Allen, instructor