My Full Blown Honor's Week

As I pondered what to share on the blog this week, I took a look back at last week.

On Monday, I was supposed to start tutoring with the Academy Tutoring Project. I drove to MAHS and found out that the students were out of school for President's Day. I then returned home to wait for my appointment at the Memphis Family Shelter for my orientation there. I drove to the shelter and waited for approximately 20 minutes before we were informed that the trainer would not be available and would need to reschedule. I spent the day in and out of the car to go to canceled appointments. It was not fun.

Tuesday was the class trip to Stax and Sun Studios. I thoroughly enjoyed both of these. I am a museum buff, so the Stax Museum was of great interest to me. I read as much of the information as I could and learned a lot of things I did not previously know. I also got to see some of the instruments they recovered from the plane crash that killed Otis Redding. It was chilling to see the saxophone that belonged to one of the musicians lost in the crash. At Sun Studios, we had a good time imitating the scene from Mystery Train. The coolest part was that the guide knew what we were doing and did an impression of the female tour guide from the movie. We have some great pictures of Sun Studios with Emily and Doug at the microphones. There may even be some video of me and Lyndsey singing (until I can get those phones!)

Wednesday was a normal day and I was able to relax a little bit.

Thursday I attended the Volunteer Expo at Oak Court Mall to work on my semester project. I was able to kill two birds with one stone and have contact information for my Theater Honor's Project from Playhouse on the Square. The expo was interesting and I found a lot of volunteer opportunities in the area.

This week has been a fun filled exhausting week with a lot of information and learning around the Memphis area. I have enjoyed working on my project and participating in the Honors Inquiry outing.

My blog detailing my progress on my project is up and running and I invite you all to read and comment. Any feedback will be welcome and appreciated. You can visit my blog at: http://handsonmemphisproject.blogspot.com/
I look forward to seeing you there!

Evening out on the Town

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make all the trips planned on last Tuesday due to my job, however I was able to make it to the Sun Studio and Saigon Le Restuarant. I am so amazed of the knowledged that I gained from this experience. To be honest there's a lot of places that I do want to visit in Memphis but the Sun Studio would not have been one of them. Everyone that works at the Sun Studio actually plays some sort instrument, I learn that while talking to the tour guide before everyone arrived. There were 3 Rules for the tour:

NO Drinks

NO Children under 5

NO flash Photography or filming upstairs

BUT Laughter, Dancing, and A Rocking Good Time Are Allowed. (Erin and Lyndsey must have read the rules lol)
When we arrived to the actual studio everyone loosen up a little by singing along, dancing or by holding the mic that Elvis song from.
The restuarant was different and it was pretty good, and again I would have never went there on my own. One of the many things that I will get from this class is to get out and see what our city has to offer from museums, blues,rock n roll, the Mississippi River, Beale Street and many more.
I did visit the Stax Museum the next day with my kids and they absolutely loved it, I think they were more excited than I was. My kids love music and trying to get them out of there was like trying to take a bone from a dog. When we got to the Soul Train floor, they had me rolling they were doing the robot and all sort of dances it was hilarious.

Park Place

Yesterday was a day for trips to see Stax and Sun Studios, one of many trips we take with the honors inquiry class at Southwest Tennessee Community College. The day was beautiful, the sun was shining and the air was jacket-weather cool. Between trips to Stax and Sun, our class had a few minutes to glance at the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue and its surrounding park. Because of a conflicting schedule I did not make the Stax tour, I did however get to spend a little over an hour at Forrest Park before trekking half a block west to Sun Studios.

Travelling west on Union Avenue I caught my first glimpse of Forrest Park. Turning right onto S. Dunlap Street and driving the perimeter to the opposite side of the park and our parking destination on S. Manassas Street, I noticed the University of Tennessee Medical Center and its student and research facilities are located across the street from the park. The area looks like a fairly clean part of town, businesses are in operation, students and resident doctors are cutting through the park wearing hospital identifications and lab coats. A young man was using the parks walkways for jogging; another was leaning against the Forrest statue and reading a book, while another monetarily-challenged gentleman was taking an afternoon nap on a park bench.

After an awesome job parallel-parking, I emerged from the car and stepped across the park’s sidewalk boundary and into its overgrowth of weeds, grass, and wild onions. The bushes looked sickly and the trees were pruned poorly. As we closed in on the resting place of the remains of the old lieutenant general and his wife, I walked on unkempt grass and along a sidewalk that seemed to have aged as poorly as the rest of the park. The steps leading to the monument were cracked and chunked (larger than chipped) and the statue’s marble pedestal was lightly dissolved, like a sugar cube, from 107 years of harsh Memphis weather. The park features signs describing Forrest, history, and Forrest Park. These signs seemed to be the only thing maintained in the entirety of the area. Another set of signs in the park were for exercise and included a pull-up bar, parallel bars, and a weathered and splintered bench for stretching exercises.

With all the potential this park has, it makes me wonder what happened and why. Was the monument of Forrest the reason for this parks downfall? Forrest’s history is notably tainted with his KKK involvement. When I looked up at the statue and saw the Star Spangled Banner flying high, Yankee or not, I saw progress. I saw honor and not shame. Sure there is a monument of a racist monster in a park of a city with predominantly black citizens, but the flag of freedom flies higher than Forrest’s statue and free black men and women walk above the catacomb of a relic of the old South.

I see a beautiful park that has been neglected. This park should be cleaned up and used to its full potential. If not I think that it would make a great site for a new research facility for UT Medical. The building could be built around Forrest’s tomb. Perhaps it could be named Forrest Park UT Medical Research Center, not in honor of Forrest, but in honor of the beautiful park that was once there.

TCHC in Johnson City

We had a blast at the Honors Conference in Johnson City this past weekend. We arrived on Friday and attended the reception at the Carnegie Hotel. During dinner we sat with one of the professors from East Tennessee State University who used to live in Hollywood and has been on TV and in movies. His name is Pat Cronin and he is a Theater and Drama professor very involved with the Honors College at ETSU. Following the reception we attended A Midsummer Night's Dream by the ETSU Division of Theater and Dance. There were quite a few members of the ETSU Honors College of Fine and Performing Arts in the production. It was a modern adaptation of the play with some interesting aspects: scaffolding for the set, modern dress, and a rousing performance of the Macarena. All in all it was an enjoyable evening.
Saturday morning we got up and went to breakfast at the conference. We were given a brief outline of the day from the President of the Tennessee Collegiate Honors College, Rebecca Pyles, PhD. Following breakfast was the start of the presentation sessions. Helen and I both decided to take the first hour and practice for our own presentations. Helen presented at the 10am session and I followed at 11. Helen's presentation was on the Honor's Inquiry class and how it changed her perceptions and feelings about Memphis. Mine was on the composer and music of the "Quiet Man." We had saved it to her jump drive and the videos did not transfer as hoped, so about 3 minutes into my presentation, I had to adjust to no visual aids. I did manage to present the content of the work, but they missed the music examples. We then attended lunch and heard the keynote speaker, Dr. Paul E. Stanton, Jr., President of East Tennessee State University. He discussed the inception of the Honors College and why it is important to maintain and support Honors programs. His speech was followed by a performance by the "Big Cedar Ramblers" bluegrass band. They performed some very difficult pieces and it was fun to listen to these students.
After the conference itself ended, we went to an early dinner at the German restaurant, Freiberg's, that was recommended by the students at ETSU. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was very cool. The overhead lights were on what looked like antlers and there were little snippets of Germany all over. Saturday night after dinner, we met some students and a teacher from ETSU back at the Carnegie Hotel and they took us to the Carter Family Fold in the mountains of VA. This is a place started by A.P. Carter for old-time, bluegrass, and early country music. (A.P. Carter, Maybelle and Sara made up The Carter Family group and June Carter Cash is Maybelle's daughter.) Here we were treated to a concert by the "Town Branch Bluegrass Band." We enjoyed watching the older crowd get up and dance all night long. One lady even slow danced with her dog! At the intermission we were able to tour the cabin that A.P. was born in and the country store he opened. Aaron and I got to sit in a rocking chair that belonged to Johnny Cash. The store has been turned into a museum and had a lot of very interesting memorabilia from the Carter family.
The trip was a lot of fun and we met a lot of interesting Honors students from across Tennessee. Other than my technology failing me, I was pretty pleased with my presentation and very impressed by the others that I saw. I look forward to attending the one in Little Rock next month.

HIde Your Kids, Hide Your Wife, HIde Your Husbands Too

Memphis has find a way to do it again! Last week Memphis was announced the 6th most dangerous city by the U.S. News and World News. Do race play a part being the top dangerous cities? When taking a look at the danergous cities which are mostly Urban: St. Louis, Atlanta, Birmingham, AL, Orlando, FL, and Detroit, it would be safe to say sad but true. It really has more to do with culture than anything else.

Seventeen and Life to Go

I have moved around a lot, and I can say with all honesty that I regret the fact that I tried to fit in with others by changing my accent and the way I present myself. But I think that is not just a part of moving around, that is a part of growing up. I think the world around us molds us and shapes us, so are people truly unique? Take a moment to ponder that thought. Now think about the fact they maybe each person is unique in the sense that he has tried to fit in and changed many times in order to be accepted throughout his life and has become a hodgepodge of influences brought on by people, places, and experiences. Don Share writes about such an experience in his poem “At Seventeen” while away from his hometown of Memphis to study in New York City.

Share makes a strong statement at the end of his poem. While many years later, reflecting on his past he proclaims that the change he made as a younger man “was not worth the cost.” It does not make a difference if one is a stranger in a different town or in a different social setting, most people change the way they are seen on the outside to fit into their surroundings. If someone is rude to another because he is different, who needs to change? People should change for no one else but themselves.

Humans have evolved since the beginning of time, and individually should continue to develop smarter, healthier, kinder, and more cultured people. Most everyone should evaluate their choices and then ask themselves the question, which of these choices is going to benefit me in the long-run? If someone likes Metallica, instead of buying the bands tee and smoke cigarettes to look cool, learn guitar and be cool by playing guitar cool. People need to worry about what they think about themselves and not what others think. If these individuals want to worry what others are thinking, then they should consider the ones who are thinking about where their next meal is going to come from, or worrying whether their cancer will prove fatal. Whatever happened to the “Golden Rule?” The only way this world is going to come together is by everyone respecting each other.

In this world there are two kinds of people, there are leaders and there are followers. Leaders need to lead their own lives, and followers need to follow their dreams. Perhaps the best thing to do is to try and pursue both.

Tooting My Horn At "Mystery Train"

To me Mystery Train is a take-it-for-what-it-is-worth film. Amusing at times, artistically created, and, my personal favorite, not one of the cookie-cutter films that the world continues to make. Absalom called it out, he said it was like Pulp Fiction. Like Quentin Tarantino’s cult classic Mystery Train takes the story and fragments it. It is told in three different parts and all comes together in the end. A good use of the train and the song Blue Moon ties the time of each story piece together. It jolts the memory, and for an instant it takes one back to a previous scenario. This happens three times, as a matter of fact, when the song plays, when the train rolls by, and the gun fires in the earliness of the morning. Even though these all tie the film together in a time-frame, they each represent something of their own to the film, and perhaps to represent Memphis.

Blue Moon in the style of Elvis Presley being played from the 1950s art deco radios and the old truck radio gives a feeling of romance that Memphis holds, not only in the city but in the music that made the city, or should I say the city that made the music. The director does a good job of adding a beautiful song into what seemed to be three ugly stories set in a rough neighborhood. And through all that had happened in each setting the song brings ease and comfort to everyone, as if for a moment to take everyone’s burden away and let them know everything was going to be alright. As the song plays a train rolls through town and the engineer blows the whistle.

There has always been something about the sound of a train whistle that is mysterious. It pervasively fills the air. It can be heard from miles away, not clearly giving any clue as to where it is, unless of course one is familiar with the layout of the land and where the only railroad runs. But the thing that makes trains mysterious is the nostalgia of riding in passenger cars. Here in America, trains were used less and less when automobiles became more affordable, and a new era and style of transportation began with the baby boomers. Highways were being put in, new technology was at work, and as I see it America had reached its climactic point. Trains were a major means of transportation during the days of the world wars and immediately post World War II. I half expected to see the ghost of Elvis dressed in Army fatigues material in the hotel room. Though he is dressed in the fancy high collar flashy 1970s style “old bloated Elvis” suit, and ironically he was young and thin. The song and the train made me think that either the song and a train rolling by magically makes Elvis appear, or the song came on coincidentally and simultaneously as Elvis’ ghost hops off the “midnight express” and, as the hustler said in the Arcade Restaurant, Elvis was trying to find his way back to Graceland. On a personal note I thought the train plays a good role in tying the story together. Without the train, the emotional setting would be altered.

As for the gunshot in the morning, Erin Mullinax’s blog references to the Fisher King story and how its symbolism is tied into the story line. I’m not going to elaborate too deeply on the Fisher King, please read Erin’s entry entitled The Fisher King/Mystery Train. I did not know the legend of Fisher King, so it did not apply to me much during my viewing. The end starting with the actual gunshot scene was humorous to me. I thought the ending was bitter sweet and I thoroughly enjoyed the film.

Mystery Train

I have different views and angles that I will discuss about the "Mystery Train". I like how the movie told different stories of the nightlife of Memphis and they all concluded with the same ending except the last story which finished the story and movie. A train scene was shown in each story the first story "Far from Yokohama" started and ended at the train station. The second story "A Ghost"showed the Memphis Airport more than a train, but they did show the scene with the railroad track on the bridge down the street from the Arcade Hotel. "Lost in Space" ended the story being by a train track when the train was coming.

"Far from Yokohama"

A Japanese couple traveled to the United States and wanted to stop in Memphis to see Graceland (Mitsuko) and Sun Studio (Jun). The song Train, Train was playing as they travel to Memphis and listened to their walkmans. As there trip was cut short by 2 days by miscalculation on their part their adventure began.Jun, whom portrayed not to like Elvis wore his hair dressed similar to that of Elvis. Jun, was so cool in character that he didn't show facial emotions. Mitsuko, dressed 80's ish and wore a black jacket with Mister Baby on it. Upon arrival to the train station they both made comparison of their home to Memphis. Mitsuko, that it was just beautiful and looked antique, Jun thought it just looked to modern. In this story I picked up on the wasteline which was the car dump and Charlie with a fishing pole outside of his barbershop (Fisher King). As they called it quits for a night they find the Arcade Hotel. While lodging there Mitsuko dicovered how the Middle Eastern Preist, Budda, Madonna and the Statue of Liberty all looked like Elvis or had some sort of connection. Mitsuko last attempt to make Jun looks happy she puts on red lipstick and kiss him which made him look like a clown instead of happy. Mitsuko also made a statement that caught my attention when Jun was telling her to wake up she said"When you dead you will never get to sleep again" but must people say "I'll sleep when I am dead. While visiting the Sun Studio, the tour guide was a fast southern city talker.

"A Ghost"

A Italian lady who just lost her husband was trying to get him back home but their flight was delayed so she had to spend the night in Memphis. One thing that I notice when she was on the phone was her armpit hair, OMG is that a culture thing, not to shave your arms? Just asking.

As her journey began she was hit with every aspect of Memphis life downtown from being hustled to buy things she didn't need, pickup lines, being harrassed, and followed. Luisa is a kind-hearted person, she gave the man that conned her money to leave her alone (money is all he wanted) and the store clerk who kept trying to sell her things she didn't need or want and brought them anyway, shecompliments the bellman on his hat (which his boss made fun of) and she also was kind enough to slit a room with a total stranger. From all the excitement she had that day she saw the ghost of Elvis. The lady from New Jersey talks too much, who was feeing from her boyfriend.

"Lost in Space"

Englishman, Johnny gets drunk at a nightbar after losing his job, shots a store owner and flee to keep from getting caught. In this story is shows the prejudice in Memphis when the store owner made the comment "Niggas got to watch them". One of the funny parts I notice when they were in the truck drinking after each other they all wiped the top of the bottom off before drinking except Will. Upon arrival to the hotel Charlie also is drunk and dropped the bottle of liquior and the hotel clerk that Charlie that he was cursed which gave an indication that something was about to happen to Charlie. Now, I know why there's broken glass all in the streets downtown because that's where the bellman threw the broken glass he swept up (just kidding). When they got to the room Charlie also broke the light. Charlie also learns that Johnny isn't his brother and gets upset because he was drugged into this mess. Johnny tries to commit suicide over the situation with losing his job and girlfriend, when Charlie tries to stop him, he gets shot in the leg.

A funny part in this story which is normal true when own of the guys asked why is there a picture of Elvis hanging up if black people runs it, Will told him people worked there but didn't owned it. Would a white person work in that neigborhood? Not enough the owner would. These 3 men stuck together to get out of a crime that one committed and eventually gets away when they thought the police was after them.

Similiarities in all stories were the Arcade hotel, in the 1st and 2nd story one of the characters stands and looks out the window, the same music is playing because it's all happening at the same time. Elvis is on the wall in every room. All these represent people in Memphis and people who visit Memphis even if it's tourist from other countries to visit landmarks, someone who is just passing through to the people that lives their everyday lives here.

"Mystery Train" All Aboard!!!!!!!!

Ok, at first glance one would think the "Mystery Train" movie would have ties to a Alfred Hitchcock or Agatha Christie novel but boy was I pleasantly surprised. It's not that I don't like the storytelling of Hitchcock or the thinking game presented by a good Agatha Christie story it's just i was looking for something similar to these based on the title of the movie and i got that and more. The story is really well scripted and does a good job displaying my beloved city Memphis, Tn and it's wonder to the rest of the world! Most people not from here view Memphis bad and good for different reasons and some even could care less what the city has to offer. Being born and raised here i have grown to love my city and be proud of its heritage, but back to the movie, so this couple from Japan arrives by train and are ready to start the trek to all the great places they want to go Sun Studio, Graceland, and anywhere in between. But they first have to decide which place to go first and who was the "man" Elvis or Carl Perkins, well this is good because it shows their love and reason for coming to the city, you can even see how they are hip and into the latest pop culture at the time by the girls trendy dressing and how the guy even kind of dresses like a cool Elvis and has the hairstyle to match. This couple is really excited to be here and they even start to compare the city to their home. The movie continues to introduce us to other characters who all happen to stay in the same hotel as the couple from Japan and eventually have ties or some interaction with each other. The neat thing about all of this is the way the writer ties all these people and activities together and gets the viewer indulged in the activities and the characters situations. I liked the way the picture was "painted" and it really was more than i expected. As a big move guy i must admit i was surprised by the story telling and intrigue that each character drove the audience to. This train was a good ride, "All Aboard!"

The Fisher King / Mystery Train

The Fisher King is the Keeper of the Grail from Arthurian legend. The legend of the Grail has many variations, but the main myth is that it was the chalice used to capture the blood of Christ from the crucifixion. Joseph of Aremethia is said to have performed this act and then brought the Grail to England and entrusted it to the Fisher King. He is a king who has been wounded in the leg or groin (depending on the author,) by the Spear of Destiny, which is the spear that was used to torment Christ on the crucifix. The wound is said render him impotent and through his ties to the land, causes his kingdom to become a wasteland. To heal him required four holy relics and the Grail question. These relics were a sword with heavenly power (the Sword in the Stone,) a cauldron which provides sustenance to it's owner, The Spear of Destiny, and the Fisher King's Crown. It is said that Sir Galahad and Perceval were the only two to complete the quest and achieve the Holy Grail.

In Mystery Train, there are homages paid to the Fisher King myth. In one scene, Charlie is "fishing" outside his barber shop. It is said the Fisher King could no longer ride, so he spent his spare time fishing. When they arrive at the hotel, Charlie is in possession of the remaining bottle of booze. This is symbolic of the Grail, the reward the other two are seeking after the shooting of the liquor store owner. As a result of the scuffle with Johnny, Charlie is shot in the upper thigh with the gun. This is similar to the wound the Fisher King received from the spear. In the final scenes of the film, Charlie is asking to see a doctor, presumably so he can be "healed." This is reminiscent of the Fisher King's yearning to be healed by the seekers of the Grail.

Jim Jarmusch used these pieces from the legend beautifully throughout the film. If you did not know the legend of the Fisher King, these different scenes would just be a piece of the movie and not part of a larger literary allusion.

Parodox: It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp

What's so hard about having someone else do all the work and get paid for it? Triple 6 Mafia "It's hard out here for a pimp." I am still trying to figure out what they do besides sell women for profit, wear big colorful hats

Christianity: The Paradox of Memphis' Moral Culture

Angrily I write this, a topic that infuriates me to the utmost degree because I have been a victim. This disease plagues no one race, ethnicity, gender, or action. It is an equal opportunity instigator. Its germs attend church regularly, yet sit in the back pews gossping about their fellow members, bitterly spewing their noxious hatred over the mankind they are supposed to love and respect.

A neighbor across the street from me is a petite dark-haired woman in her early thirties, mother to four children, regular church goer. She is the epitomy of everything that the dear ol'South says a lady should be. However, just this past summer she started a viscious rumor that one of her immediate neighbor's husband had been having extramarital affairs with transexual prostitutes, had contracted HIV, and had spread it to his unknowing wife and two young boys. It turns out that the rumor wasn't even true, but the harm was already done. "For Sale" signs started going up all over the neighborhood. Would a real Christian have done this? Would a real Christian have put a family, especially innocent children, up for persecution like this? I think not.

My own mother attends the same church and I must say that I do not know a more judgemental person. She says a harsh word about almost 70% of the people that she comes in contact with, be it how they are going to hell because of their sexuality or how morally wrong it was for a couple to kiss in public. She has even told me that she does not care what happens to me, that my own daughter, who is 19 months old, hates me because I work and go to school instead of staying home all day playing with her. Again I ask, is this Christianity?

On a broader spectrum, Memphis is the epitomy of moral hypocrisy. "Judge not lest ye be judged" takes a backseat to deep-rooted racial tensions. A person's skin color is condemning. The reaction to someone's sexuality is comparable to sin. When my own cousin told my uncle that he was gay, my uncle's immediate reaction was "we will take you to church" as if there was a possible cure. There is no acceptance of our differences, no unconditional love for our fellow man. For being in the "Bible Belt", I'd say we have let our waistline go.

It saddens me and angers me. As I have said before, there is no opt-out box on the Bible. Christianity is based on a forgiving and understanding God and our goal is to be as "God-like" as possible following His example. I have not been to church in almost 10 years. I do not read my Bible regularly. I can probably count the number of Bible versus I know by heart on one hand. Perhaps I do not even have a soap box to stand on. I do know how to treat others around me with kindness and consideration though. I guess everyone else just missed that lesson in Sunday school.

The Paradox of Local Travel in Memphis

The dichotomy of travel in Memphis is mind boggling. We are a city at the center of the global transportation industry, yet we have a relatively limited inner-city transportation system. The airport is one of the busiest cargo hubs in the world. However, it is one of the most expensive airports to fly into or out of. I worked in the electrical industry for five years in Memphis and we were part of 6 different regional sections because no regional manager could afford to live and travel from Memphis. It doesn't make sense to me that we are one of the central hubs of international shipping, but cannot get reasonable rates to fly humans. We only have one option for Amtrak that goes from New Orleans to Chicago. If we wanted to take a train east or west we would have to change routes somewhere. Yet the container shipping via railroad in Memphis is booming. West Memphis is home to multiple trucking company's operations centers and large distribution centers. That makes the area a centralized spot for the trucking industry. However, most of our own goods come from Atlanta and Dallas. With the Fed Ex, International Paper and Auto Zone headquarters located in Memphis, it seems that we would have a better travel infrastructure around the city. We are a community that relies on automobiles to make our way around the area and we gladly pay for parking as a convenience. Living in a community that does not offer an alternative travel option to get from the city to the suburbs and vice-versa makes it difficult to maneuver if you do not own a vehicle. There are bicycle paths around the city, but very few in the downtown area. I think if Memphis put a bit of thought and a little money into the localized travel industry it would make a great difference in the community and show that we are not just a stopping point for goods in the center of the United States.

Volunteer Fair

I have attended and volunteered at the Volunteer Fair that occurs each year. I haven't been since 2007, and the last one I worked was at the Oak Court Mall. It is a wonderful event and I encourage everybody to attend. I remember a few years back being impressed with the volunteer program run by the Juvinelle Justice Center. It sounded very interesting and if I remember correctly involved a fair amount of training. (so you learn something) I encourage all of you to join the Shelby County Reserve Volunteers; there is a wealth of training (all free) and every neighborhood needs a body. I belong and can provide information to anyone interested. Be well! Work hard! Irene

Urban Farms: The Name Says It All

If you have driven west on Sam Cooper, then you have likely seen the sign on the corner of the old gas station at Sam Cooper and Tillman St. that says “Urban Farms.” Urban Farms is a farmers market that targets lower income areas to give the people of these communities the ability to buy fresh produce and eat healthy and still have money left over to get them through the month. The majority of low income families do not eat healthy and according to national statistics the majority of these communities are obese (http://www.obesityaction.org/educationaltools/factsandstats.php.)

The source of this problem is not just that people cannot afford to eat healthy, but the fact that people value convenience and refuse to buy foods that they have to prepare for themselves. The fact that many people are raised on junk food or processed food and develop those tastes only reinforces their eating habits. Many individuals will fill their shopping carts with Faygo, Gatorade, frozen pizzas, and marshmallow cereals. Why? To some it may be a matter of taste, but for others it is a matter of survival. They can provide more calories to their loved ones by feeding them processed foods than “whole” foods (e. g., a McDonald’s double cheeseburger from the dollar menu will give someone almost a quarter of their daily calorie intake, while that same dollar in the produce section at Kroger would only get them about fifty calories). Or a third reason Americans gravitate toward processed food is just plain laziness. They do not want to have to get the pan out of the cupboard and cook.

Another statistic shows that areas with farmers markets tend to have healthier people living there (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/02/want-to-be-thinner-live-near-farmers-markets-eat-fruit.php.) We should be careful not to infer that if farmers markets are placed in areas that have a majority of overweight or unhealthy individuals then they will eat healthier, becoming healthier in the process. This is a common misconception known as the “association-is-causation fallacy.” People that shop at farmers markets are people that purchase produce, fresh eggs and milk, butter and basically all of the non-processed foods found along the perimeter inside their local grocery store, and want these same products that are fresh and grown by the local farmers.

I understand the idea behind creating the Urban Farms, but I also understand good marketing techniques and Urban Farms is not one of them. Good marketing caters to the popular tastes of the people of the area. If people spend their money on bread, milk, carrots, and celery, and learned to how to cook and drink water instead of soda, they would save more than they would buying processed “junk.” The eating habits of people comes with culture, and Memphis is known for having some the worst eating habits in the United States. Teaching people about healthy eating is one thing, and getting them to do it is another.

What are your opinions on the points I have made here? Please feel free to support what I have said, give me your own insight to Urban Farms, or tell me why I am wrong.

"Memphis:City as Text"-No Place to Call Home

I will be doing my project on homelessness in Memphis, I will be interviewing homeless people to understand why they are where they are in their lives at this point and time. My goal is to make a difference in someones live, I might not be able to put a roof over their heads but I am planning on helping these individuals find jobs so they are able to themselves or help them get into a shelter. I know that we all could be 1 wrong decision away from being in their situations. My plan is to to find at least 6 individuals that will allow me to help and interview them. In exchange for their time I will give them a hot meal at a restuarant of their choosing(of course not expensive) and help them in anyway I can. In my research I am going to also find out the percentage of panhandlers that are not really homeless. I will also find out more information on our Mayors 10 year plan to end homeless in Memphis.

"The First Will Be Last and the Last Will Be First" Matt 20:16

No, Josh I am not a child of a preacher (inside joke from class) but my "Father is the King". After 3 failed attempts to register for this blog, I am finally here. First of all, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Emily Strickland, I am a single mother by choice not by circumstance (line out of one of my poems). I would love to call myself a poet but I am not there yet :). This is my fourth semester here at Southwest, I am studying Early Childhood Education. This will make my 2nd degree, I also have a degree in Fashion Merchandising. Besides my kids my greatest accomplishment is maintaining a 4.0 during my first year here and working 60+ hours a week. I was born in Corinth, MS and raised 15 minutes outside of Corinth in a city called Rienzi. We were so far in the Boondocks that I was 11 years old before we were able to receive cable. I was raised on a farm, and lived on 27 acres of land where my immediate family and my father family lives (can you say no privacy). That's one of the reasons that I decided to make that BIG move to Memphis (lol) I love my family but 1 1/2 hours away is close enough. I moved because of the opportunities that Memphis offered that Corinth didn't at the time all Corinth had was a Wal-Mart, Skating Rink, Bowling Alley, and a few restaurants since then they have grown. I have been in Memphis for 9 years and still have not gone to any of the main attractions like Graceland, Civil Rights Museum and the list goes on. I am excited about this class because I have to and will be able to do some things that I haven't done before. In one class period and 60 + pages of "Memphis and The Paradox of Place" I have learned more about Memphis then I have in my 9 years of living here.

"Memphis-City as Text!"

I am still suffering with chosing a project. Last night I spoke with Doug and he offered a great direction for me to follow........but, today I learned that my blogging and presenting this particular volunteer project wasn't well received by the host organization. I've been a volunteer at Hope House for several years and management staff has concerns whether clients want their stuggles with HIV/AIDS described and blogged about! I offered to be discreet and focus on how this wonderful place came to be! In some ways that's a bit unfair because I've been around for awhile and already really know the history of its inception, how it works, how it fund raises and why. For those of you not familiar with Hope House, it is a daycare facility for children who are HIV positive. We care for kids from infancy to five or six depending on the child and their diseae state. We offer homework help and after-school care for elementary aged kids and resources for parents and families struggling with not only HIV/AIDS but the whole social services' nightmare that accomompanies such a struggle.

I am on to a new path. What will it be? I'm going to decide tomorrow!