Post 7

The lonely grove of Aspen trees, a fine black and white photograph by Ansel Adams. Based on the other trees in the photograph, it is possible that the photograph was taken in fall because there are no obvious leaves on any of the trees in the photograph and it looks as if there are leaves coating the ground surrounding the grove of Aspens. The photograph does not provide enough scenery, or any other clues, to suggest where it was taken. It is possible that the photograph was taken in Colorado seeing as Ansel Adams is well known for his photographs of western landscape. The three aspen trees that are in the front look the biggest and are the clearest to see because of the black and white photograph and the shading that it automatically has. It looks as if it is possible that the photograph of the aspen grove was taken during the day because there is a hint on light on the upper left side of the prominent aspen trees that can been noticed even though it is a black and white photograph. The background in the photograph seems to blend together a lot because of the shadows and the fact that it is darker in the background and if there was a flash on Ansel Adams’s camera, it was unable to reach that far into the darkness. This effect makes the few Aspen trees that are easily seen stand out more than they would had the picture been taken in color or in brighter light than it was.

Post 6

The blog “we make money not art” was created by an artist-engineer who is also a teacher that focuses on the intersections of design, art, and new technologies. The first thing that you see when you go to the website is a pink bar, stretching across the top of the page with a break in it for a search bar. In the title, we make money not art, all of the words but art are a lighter pink, making it harder to read than the word art this is in white and stands out clearly from the background. I am not sure why the title is laid out like this, but possibly to place an emphasis on the word art since the creator of the blog is an art teacher.

The blog is laid out in a fairly simple manner; black text on a white background in a simple font, making it easy to read everything. The page is divided into three columns; the main one on the left is the column that contains the major content of the blog, including numerous pictures in each blog. The second one in right next to the main column, this ones contains contacts, links to events, sub-categories that are within the blog, and a place for people to sign up for daily updates. The second column is not as bland as the main one is, it contains colorful text that catch the readers attention. The third column is for advertisements or websites that support the blog itself.

After looking at this blog, it is obvious that pictures do help to captivate and maintain the reader’s attention; it provides a brief break from focusing just on the words of the post. The hyperlinks that are incorporated in the blog, and in every post of the blog’s page, are not easy to distinguish from the rest of the writing. They are not underlined or in a different color from the rest of the font, they are instead just in bold text which, without scrolling over with my mouse, I would have never assumed were hyperlinks but just bold words within the post for emphasis. Also, the three columns are of very different lengths. The main column of the blog is extremely long in comparison to the others; the second column is longer than the third. The staggering in the length of the columns is rather unappealing.

In comparison to this blog, I like the overall layout of mine a lot more. I like the fact that the columns are equal length and the blog itself does not continue for what seems like an indefinite amount of time, like the main one seems to in “we make money not art.” I do like the fact that the blog incorporates a lot of pictures; it makes the blog more visually appealing and stimulating. Also, after realizing that the bolded words were indeed hyperlinks, I realized how helpful it is to have numerous hyperlinks that take the reader to websites that are related to the original post that may enhance the reader’s understanding of the post. It was interesting to see what a blog that is frequently visited looks like in comparison to those that we have made for the class.

Observational Essay; The Sales Pitch of Horse Breeding

Horse breeding is becoming more popular and competitive just as the sport of horseback riding is evolving into a more competitive and money driven sport. It is no longer solely about winning the competitions. A major part of the sport is the horse’s pedigree, what are its bloodlines, where the horse was bred, how the horse moves, how much the horse cost, and the list goes on and on. Owners and breeders alike strive for the perfect offspring. They hope to produce one that will become a champion and make a name for itself, a horse that other people will want. Because of this, there are numerous aspects that must be taken into careful consideration when choosing the stallion, the male horse that is bred to, for your mare, the female horse that is bred. For example, conformation, performance, height, previous offspring, breeding success, etc. are all factored into the breeding equation. There are many necessary steps in the process of choosing the proper stallion to get the desired results from breeding. The most important step in choosing the proper stallion is going and viewing the sales pitch given by the stallion’s owner that showcases all of the positive assets that the stallion has and explains why the stallion is superior to others. This is similar to a commercial you would see on TV, only it is produced in equine terms.

In Colorado, there are three prominent breeding facilities that offer breeding to exceptional stallions; Plum Creek Hollow in Larkspur, Colorado, Crooked Willow Farms in Larkspur, Colorado, and Middle Fork Ranch in Lyons, Colorado. Although these facilities do not primarily focus on breeding, their websites place a strong emphasis on their stallions and their abilities to catch the attention of potential breeders. Crooked Willow Farms is the best known facility of the three. It is well-known for producing high quality offspring during the breeding season. Matt Davis, who runs Crooked Willow Farms, has mastered the essential sales pitch of the Crooked Willow Farms stallions to potential breeders.

Upon my arrival at Crooked Willow Farms, Matt Davis was waiting outside the parking area to greet me. He welcomed me with a warm greeting, and then proceeded to begin his sales pitch. He asked some questions about my mare to try and figure out which stallion would be the best match for her. He also asked about my breeding goals; what breed, how old, how big, what is my primary reason for breeding her, what do I hope to get in the offspring? After he asked all of the questions he had and heard my responses, he stood there thinking, looking around the facility at the different barns and rubbing his hands together, as he processed all of my information. After a moment he responded with, “I think that Acord III will be your best bet. He is our most sought after stallion who throws the best offspring. But, if you would like, you can look at Chaleon, he is the second pick by breeders at our facility.” We decided that I would look at both of them, just to see which one I liked the most and thought would be the best mix with my mare.

We walked down to the lower barn to Chaleon’s stall and stood outside the stall for a moment while Chaleon was running around inside the 12’ by 14’ stall. He was quite agitated because all of the other horses around him had been put outside, and he was just waiting his turn. I tried to pet him to see if he was friendly and he nipped at my hand. Matt looked at me and said, “That’s another reason why I would recommend Acord. He is far more docile and personable, and he has a more even temperament.” After that, we turned and walked up towards the upper barn. Acord was out on turn out, so Matt told me to go into the barn where it is heated and make myself at home while he went to go get Acord.

A few minutes later, Matt returned with Acord at his side-the second part of his sales pitch. He walked into the barn and put Acord in the cross-ties and took his blanket off. Acord was body clipped, perfectly defining his build and muscle tone, to show off his best attributes. Matt looked at me, “While I’m cleaning him up a little bit for you, why don’t you try to get to know him a little bit. He’s really quiet, so feel free to walk around and look at him.” I let Acord sniff me before I began petting his muzzle, then I began to walk around him and look at him. As I stood next to him, his back loomed over my head. I walked around Acord and Matt began listing all of his accomplishments in the show world and the performance records of his offspring-the third part of the sales pitch. Matt got Acord brushed off and picked the ice out of his feet. We went into the arena for the most critical part of the sales pitch, a demonstration of Acord’s abilities.

This is the true selling point. Matt walked to the far end of the arena and put Acord on a lunge-line then headed back toward the center of the arena. Acord began going in circles around Matt, playing at first, then he settled in and began to show his true abilities. As he was lunging him, Matt was explaining every detail of Acord and his training. While he was talking, Acord settled in even more and began trotting around in a majestic, elastic, floating trot, his neck and back muscles accentuated perfectly. After watching Acord move in both directions, Matt and I walked back into the barn and put Acord away. On the way to Acord’s stall we passed a wall full of pictures and Matt pointed out all of the ones of Acord. Each picture demonstrated Acord’s spectacular jumping ability and form. We then talked more about Acord and what I thought of him and whether or not I though he would be a good match for my mare. Matt sent me home with a DVD showcasing Acord’s abilities and his offspring’s abilities; a reinforcement of what I had just seen in person.

The sales pitch is the most crucial part in the selection process of choosing the proper stallion for your breeding goals. It showcases the desired attributes that each stallion has to offer and allows the breeder to pick which stallion will be the best match for their mare. This process makes it easier for breeders to select the stallion that will give them the best offspring.

Post 5

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**Note: There are some hyperlinks within the sentences that are used for this, the first word in every sentence will take you to the webiste that it come from though.**

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Post 4

While some people believe that stem cell research is against all moral, ethical, and religious practices and that it should not be allowed to be practiced or performed, others believe that it could lead to numerous breakthroughs in the medical community that could save lives. Stem cell research is a controversial topic that has been around for many years now in the medical community.
Stem cells have the surprising ability to develop into many of the different cell types that we have in our bodies as humans; for example, muscle cells, red blood cells, or brain cells. Stem cells serve as a “repair system” for the human body, as long as the person is still living when they receive them.
Through the use of stem cell research, it will become more evident why people are born with birth defects and inherited diseases, allowing medical professionals to seek a cure or prevention for these problems. It will also allow medical professionals to understand how serious diseases such as cancer are caused in a once entirely healthy human body and work towards a cure for it. In addition, stem cell research can be used for forms of medical therapy because both tissue and cells can be grown that are perfect matches for the person receiving them, so there is no risk of rejection. Because of this, it will be much easier for the patients on the donor list to receive important organs that they may need to survive; the current transplant list greatly exceeds the number of available and/or willing donors. It is also possible for the cells and tissues grown using stem cell research to be used in medical cases involving serious conditions and diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and people with arthritis and people that have suffered from strokes.
There are many ethical issues that surround the topic of stem cell research. Many people are concerned with the fact that the pluripotent stem cells, the cells that are used for the research because they can transform into the many different cell types that we have in our bodies as humans, because they are taken from human embryos that are less than a few days old or fetal tissue that is 8 weeks or older. A lot of people are concerned with how researchers are going to go about obtaining the pluripotent stem cells from embryos and/or fetal tissue. There is a strict governmental supervision of the stem cell research to make sure that it does not violate any laws or rights.
Through the practice of stem cell research, people on the long organ transplant list will stand a chance of getting an organ that can save their life and, with the use of stem cell research; they will not have to worry about their body rejecting it or the possible organ for them not being a match. It will make finding cures for diseases that we once considered impossible a possibility. People suffering from cancer, HIV, hepatitis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other conditions will be given a new found hope in surviving.

Post 3

The issue of oil profits is an important one, especially now more than ever. The United States has become more dependent upon foreign oil than it has ever been. In the upcoming 2008 election, the candidates will each be faced with the question of what they are going to propose to do about this issue. Over the past few years, the notion of alternative fuels has been brought up more than once and is now being talked about more than before.

“Hillary Clinton on Oil Profits”, a title that is pretty much self-explanatory. The issue of oil and oil profits has been a key issue and topic of discussion since the 1970’s. It is a topic that all of the hopeful candidates in the 2008 Presidential election will need to address in one way or another; Hillary Clinton is among those hopeful candidates. Because Hillary Clinton is a candidate in the 2008 election, the public is curious about what her stand is on the oil situation, which is why this particular video clip is important.

At the beginning of the video clip, the first thing that you see is a blue bar at the bottom that says CSPAN in a red circle, displaying the day’s schedule for CSPAN next to it; this is the only thing on the screen for a brief moment. After that, there is applause, then Hillary Clinton’s speech begins and you can hear her speaking. There is a brief shot of members of the audience listening to Hillary Clinton give her speech on oil profits before the video clip switches to a shot of Hillary Clinton speaking, which is the focal point of the entire video clip. Hillary Clinton’s speech is the focal point of the video clip because it is a constant through the duration of it. Although the shot does not stay on Hillary Clinton giving her speech for the duration of the video clip, her speech is audible the entire time.

However, the video clip that can be found on YouTube is significantly shorter than the actual speech that Hillary Clinton makes on the topic of oil profits; it is only a thirty-five second clip. It is plausible that the person who posted the video on YouTube only posted the portion of the video that they supported, thought to be important, understood, or many numerous other possibilities. After watching the thirty-five second video clip of “Hillary Clinton on Oil Profits”, it is unclear whether or not the video clip begins at the beginning of Hillary Clinton’s speech or partway into it. In addition to these possibilities, the fact that the video clip is being watched online at a website, leads the viewer to question how much of Hillary Clinton’s speech is being shown in the video clip and to wonder what else she may have to say about the topic of oil profits. As a result, it is a challenge for the viewer to fully understand what is going on in the video clip that the person has posted on the topic.