Where I’m At

My beat is Health and Fitness. With a solid background in biology and firm interest in health and medicine, I thankfully know a good little bit about this subject. I find myself attracted to health magazines like WebMD when I sit in doctors’ offices, and I like to know how I can improve my health.

Fitness is a bit different, however. Although I practiced martial arts for eleven years and hold Black Belts in two styles (a first degree in American Kenpo and a second degree in Korean Tang Soo Do), I don’t have the time or money to practice currently, and consequently, I have gained weight. I tried running for a while, training for an obstacle-course 5K race, and although I loved how it made me feel, it’s hard to keep up with because I don’t enjoy the running process itself. I had hoped to become more involved in sports here at UGA, but I’ve generally had too many demands on my time and energy keeping up with classes and my graduate assistantships. I know what it takes to be healthy, and I’m capable of conveying that knowledge to an audience, but the practice itself is difficult.

Where I’m At

Fashion and Lifestyle

By Shelby Jarrett

As a former history major and second-year master’s student, my experience with journalistic writing in general is limited. I am told on a regular basis that my writing still comes across as “academic” rather than journalistic, which illustrates how much I still have to learn (though I’m working on it all the time).

This lack of experience, however, is precisely the reason I was interested in the fashion and lifestyle beat. I’ve not had much opportunity to write on these subjects in the past, but many of my interests fall within the category of fashion and lifestyle–travel, food, interior decor, local culture, and yes, fashion (though most of you probably won’t believe that as I am usually in workout gear in class. My only opportunity to go to the gym on Tuesday/Thursday happens right before this class. I’m sorry.).

Additionally, many of the magazines I peruse in my spare time fall under this category. I enjoy Food and Wine, the occasional Vogue, and numerous garden and home decor magazines. I may not have much experience with magazine writing or even journalistic writing in general, but I am hopeful that my genuine interest in this subject area will mean that this semester is both profitable and enjoyable (and by “profitable” I think I really mean “prolific,” because does anyone go into journalism for the money? I think not.).

Where I’m At

BY XIRUI DAI

I used to be a very active person. My father always told me how important it is to have a healthy body and he required me to do exercises every day, like running, swimming, and playing badminton. Swimming is what I enjoyed most. I learned swimming when I was 5 years old and I went to swimming every day in the hot summer. I was good at running as well. When I was 12, I won the first prize in women’s 800 meters and 1500 meters race in school sports meeting.

However, things changed when I went to high school. The lack of sleep caused by heavy homework made me feel exhausted every day. Also, as I entered puberty and developed physically, I felt shy when wearing the swimming suit.

When I went to college, I began to care about my appearance and I wanted to be skinny. I tried to do slimming exercises for 1 month but it didn’t work, so I gave up and chose fast and eating diet pills. Totally I lost over 20 pounds in 1 months.

I finally got the shape I want, but things went wrong with my body: I started to get sick frequently; sometimes I felt dizzy when I stood up; even walking and climbing up stairs could make me out of breath; my heart beat over 120 times per minute.

One of my friends knew my situation and she warned me that I had to stop this unhealthy lifestyle. She recommended me a lot of articles and books about how to built a healthy weight loss plan. These articles helped me to know how to do exercises effectively and how to eat less but eat nourished. Now, I find myself fell in love with exercises and fitness.

I know there are lots of girls worrying about their figure and may use wrong way to lose weight, just like what I did. Thus, I hope I can help these girls by writing healthy and fitness articles.

Where I’m At

I have always enjoyed shopping and expressing my own personal style through clothes, jewelry and makeup. Downtown Athens has been one of the greatest aspects of attending UGA because of the diverse retailers that call those streets home. Besides the Athens’ boutiques, I also shop at department stores and online retailers that do not have locations near campus. Not only do I enjoy shopping and creating my own fashion, but being exposed to the many different people that live in Athens has been an eye-opening and exciting experience over the past 3 years. No matter how many people seem to be wearing the same type of outfits downtown and in class, there are always a wide array of diverse styles seen on campus on any given day.

When it comes to lifestyle, I have read women’s lifestyle magazines, such as Cosmopolitan, Self and Shape for many years, and the writing in those magazines is what originally inspired me to be a magazine journalism major. Being a staff member on one of those publications has always been a goal, or more of a ‘dream job,’ since I can remember. I do not have much experience with this type of writing, and I am happy to have the opportunity to practice and hopefully have some quality writing samples by the end of the semester.

Schroder – Where I’m at

It’s a typical late summer afternoon in downtown Athens, less than a week into the fall semester. Quiet but for the sounds of slow-moving traffic, subdued conversations at outdoor cafes or while strolling to a favorite spot; quiet but for the soft guitar-strumming of street performers. As is usual, downtown Athens draws people together in its mellow, friendly way. A mix of fresh-faced students, workers on midday break, shoppers, and a few panhandlers, all sharing the public space.

“It is no accident that public streets and sidewalks have developed as venues for the exchange of ideas,” wrote Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts in a 2014 ruling regarding the right to freedom of speech. The sidewalks – of Athens or any other town – are not just pathways to get from one place to another. They provide a setting for social exchange and a sense of community. Encounters between patrons of downtown establishments and panhandlers are among those.

My focus within this downtown beat will be indigent individuals among us and intersections of their lives with society around them. My intent is to peer through multiple lenses, including views of downtown business owners, visitors to Athens, and local residents, as well as through the eyes of the homeless and panhandlers in our community.

I am motivated to pursue these topics for several reasons. One is relevance of the issue at this time, given a recent Supreme Court ruling. Another is my interest in disparities of wealth and power and how they play out in people’s lives. And additionally, I see this topic as an opportunity to explore commonalities across the human condition – our shared needs for belonging and inclusion as well as human fallibility that inflicts us all. It should be fun! Really – I do not intend for this to be a depressing series of articles but one that sheds insights on various aspects of the issue.

This is what I know thus far:

There are not reliable estimates of the number of homeless individuals in our community at any given time. A “point in time” measure is taken yearly by counting known or observed homeless individuals on a particular night in January. This measure does not include anyone in an unobservable location at the time. On January 27, 2016, 225 homeless people were counted in Athens Clarke County, a figure nearly identical to that of 2015 (which stood at 226) and was down by approximately 8.5% from 2014 (when it was 247).
Panhandlers are not necessarily homeless. Estimates of the percentage of panhandlers who are also homeless vary greatly, making generalizations difficult. The highest estimate has been 82%, determined through a study done in the San Francisco area in 2013. Most other estimations are much lower.
It is difficult to determine the amount of money panhandlers take in, again with wide variations reported. A commonly cited mid-range figure is $20-$50 per day but this cannot be substantiated.
Panhandlers can take different approaches to solicit donations. These approaches are broadly categorized as “aggressive” or “nonaggressive”. Aggressive methods include acts such as calling out to passersby and following individuals to ask for money. Nonaggressive panhandling can take the form of holding a sign, sitting silently with a collection cup, or performing for donations.
The public at large and business owners are understandably most concerned with aggressive methods, but any form of panhandling may have some impact on businesses in a downtown area.
Most municipalities have anti-panhandling ordinance, as does Athens. Section 3-15-1 of the Athens-Clarke county code of ordinances bans aggressive panhandling but does not prohibit nonaggressive panhandling. This is consistent with many municipalities across the nation.
Anti-panhandling laws are now in jeopardy of being overturned by courts because of a recent Supreme Court decision regarding free speech. By extension of principles cited in that case, anti-panhandling ordinances in almost any form would be unacceptable to the courts. Although Athens anti-panhandling ordinance remains on the books, it may be subjected to challenge.
A sociological perspective of panhandling looks at solicitors’ acts as attempts to gain not only donations but are also to overcome the “nonperson” status often accorded to indigents. The acts, then, are categorized as narrative dramas played out for passersby to take notice. This perspective offers an appealing journalistic approach because of its inherent “storytelling” nature.