#15 Evaluative Conclusion

Evaluative Conclusion

My blog gave me the time to reflect on the semester and what was important to me. Each topic was something I spent a significant amount of time thinking about. I've become a lot more interested in politics, the news and world issues this semester due to participating in Model UN. Part of our homework each week is to read the New York Times and I'm always fascinated by the information I read but that no one is talking about. For instance, few people know about the Rohingya holocaust that is happening in Burma right now. I'm also more interested than more because I want to become a Foreign Service Officer with the Department of State. I'm studying Latin American Studies and Portuguese, which is evident in the topics and substance of my blog.

Blogging, or writing in general is good for thinking and processing what's going on in life. It's also great to read my classmate's blogs to see what is going on in their lives and their views. Of course, I discuss world news and everyday happenings with my husband and family. However, It's refreshing to see their opinions and struggles that are so unique and different from mine because of our differing backgrounds. This class is the most diverse class, in terms of majors, that I've taken at BYU because I'm a senior in my last classes of my major. It's not often that I talk to students studying accounting, engineering or family studies. I really value their opinions.

#14 Refugees

Refugees

The world is facing a huge refugee crisis today. We've all heard about it on the news, especially with the polarized politics in our country. It's a topic I've been very interested in ever since I moved to Utah. It turns out, Utah is one of two central stations for refugee resettlement in the country. My husband found a non-profit organization that teaches refugees English and we volunteered there. The Church has a humanitarian center, where refugees work four hours of the day sorting clothes that comes from DI to be distributed around the world when disasters occur. The other four hours are spent learning English and basic skills they'll need to assimilate like rules for driving, the days of the week or preparing to take the citizenship test. 

Before working with them, I knew little about refugees in general. They were wonderful people, very happy and really interested in getting to know you and in the process tell you their whole life story. They came from all over the world like different parts of Africa, Ukraine, Burma, India, and many others. They tried to help each other learn. I found out that the process for resettlement is long and very hard. It's harder for refugees to come to America than any other kind of immigrants. It got me thinking about why some people are so scared of refugees and why we don't help more. The truth is, we take less than 1% of all refugees in the world. It is not a significant number and serves primarily as a symbol of good will and support for the cause. Does anyone else have experience with refugees they'd like to share?

# 13 Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving 
Thanksgiving was wonderful with all sorts of great American food and family. This year I couldn't go home for Christmas but my Mom flew out for the week and we went to our dear friend, Sister Chuntz's Thanksgiving dinner. (Brother and Sister Chuntz baptized my parents) So, my husband and I were in a room full of people we didn't know, but it felt very homey and welcoming. Anyways, we had all the traditional food: turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole and a lot of pies! However, I thought the best part of Thanksgiving was the hand made egg roles that her daughter in law from Vietnam made.

Although I love the idea of traditional food, the truth is, I would never make it any other day of the year. I'd much rather have lasagna or a cultural food like Mexican, India, Chinese or Brazilian for Thanksgiving. To me, Thanksgiving just equals good food and family. Of course, my family would die without turkey and ham. My husband's family would probably welcome the idea, especially if they didn't have to make it themselves. I think maybe its time to shake things up and create new traditions. Or it might be time to make egg rolls a traditional Thanksgiving Food. What does your family eat for Thanksgiving? What are your traditions?

#12 Semester Madness

Internship Madness

This semester, I have been focused a lot on internships for next summer. I'm a senior and my last requirement to graduate is an internship or study abroad relating to Latin America. So, I've been scouring the internet and talking to advisers on campus to work out all the details. Some might say I'm crazy for planning so far in the future, but that's just me. So, I found two internships that I really wanted. One is with the Department of State, because my dream is to go into the foreign service. The other was a study abroad with BYU to the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.

First, I applied to the Department of State internship, one for Washington D.C. and another for Brasilia, Brazil. I got two phone interviews early on, which is amazing because all I've heard is that it's super competitive. I got a first alternate for Brasilia in the economics department, which I thought was incredible seeing as I know absolutely nothing about economics. Then I received an email congratulating me about the internship in Washington D.C. Incredible! 

However, I still had my heart set on Brazil for the summer. I talked to a professor who provisionally accepted me to the program in Sao Paulo. So, I decided I could try to do both. I'm hoping it will all work out. Still I'm trying to plan every little detail and trying to move money around. Is anyone else planning for summer 2018? If so, what's your plan?

#11 The Bucket List Family

The Bucket List Family

Another Obsession of mine this semester has been The Bucket List Family, a family of four travel journalists. They are 2 parents, Garrett and Jessica, with 2 little kids, Dorothy and Manilla, with another baby on the way. They have been traveling all around the world since 2015, currently they've been to 49 countries. The coolest part is that they both went to BYU and served missions in Russia. Garrett was captain of the BYU soccer team and struck it big when he created an app called Scan with a team and sold it to SnapChat for 54 million dollars.

After selling the app, the family decided to leave behind normal jobs, sell all of their belongings and go on a 6 month extended vacation, chronicling their activities on Instagram and through weekly youtube videos. After 6 months they decided to continue their adventures, often sponsored by hotels, airlines, cruises and clothes company. They recently wrapped up a project with Disney called 30 Stays in 30 Days where they stayed in a different resort in Disney every day. I love watching where they go every week. They especially love water destinations, really anything with a beach. Plus, they have the most adorable kids. I also thinks it's awesome that they travel even with little kids. You can watch their weekly videos every Sunday and follow them on Instagram. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

http://www.thebucketlistfamily.com/about/

#10 Boko Haram

Boko Haram strapped suicide bombs to them. Somehow these teenage girls survived. 

This article in the New York Times was fascinating and helped me to sympathize with these girls. The editorial was prominently featured with several full page photos taken of these girls, all with their faces covered to safeguard their identities. Boko Haram is a terrorist group, a rebel force, in Eastern Nigeria. Recently they have started using women and young girls as suicide bombers in their cause. The article gives gripping accounts of how these girls ended up with a literal ticking time bomb strapped to their waist. Most of the accounts are very similar. The girls were abducted and kept in camps, their captors tried to force arranged marriages on them or rape them, when the girls refused they were taken outside the camp to a target location. The explosive belt would then be strapped to them and they would be given directions of where to go to set it off. 

All of these girls were brave enough to seek help, walking up to military or officials to plead for help. The government in Nigeria has launched a campaign against women suicide bombers, to warn civilians that they are likely to carry out attacks. The result has been an extreme fear of the female sex, with some women being shot out of sheer fear. It really challenges the idea that these girls were somehow terrorist sympathizers who wanted to kills masses of people. We need more articles like this one, showing the bravery of these girls and the reality that they victims, not terrorists. 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/10/25/world/africa/nigeria-boko-haram-suicide-bomb.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

#9 Wasteland

Wasteland

Wasteland follows the Vick Muniz, Brazilian born American artist, while he creates art. The documentary follows his process of making art with a group of catadores, people who collect recycling out of the trash in a gigantic open air dump in Rio de Janeiro. If it doesn't sound like a glamorous job, that is because it isn't. It's hard work, out in the elements, touching disgusting materials, all to salvage some plastic for very little money. The catadores live in favelas, or slums close by.

I loved the films because it highlighted the personalities of the catadores as individuals. The artwork was created by first taking a photo of the catadore, then they projected it on a huge area and filled it with recycling and trash after which another photo would be taken for the final product. Vick Muniz would then sell the artwork at auctions, pay the catadores for their hard work and donate the proceeds to them and their recycling association. It was super inspiring! What an incredible way to help those in need. The best part was the Muniz felt they had helped him in so many ways. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/arts/design/24muniz.html

#8 Brasil and Brasilia

Brasil and Brasilia 

Brazil is very unique. Even when talking about Latin America, Brazil is always the exception. It was a Portuguese colony and so they speak Portuguese instead of Spanish. While the surrounding countries gained independence from Spain and declared democracies or dictators, Brazil continued with their own monarchy, followed by a beloved dictator. The Portuguese settlers mixed with the Indians and African slaves to make up for the disadvantage of their tiny population. 

Brazil's Capital is Brasilia, moved to a more central, inland location from the original Rio de Janeiro. Brasilia is unique because it was purposely created in a little over 3 years. It was mandated by the president of the time, Juscelino. The city is constructed in the shape of an airplane and the architecture of the city is very modern. It now serves as the principal city of the government in Brazil. The United States embassy is located near the center. 


Although it is not on the sunny coast of Brazil, it is still a worth while place to visit. It was planned and built by Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer in 1956. It is far away from any colonial reminders of repression. It was also named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

#7 #BecauseofHim

#Because of Him

While watching Flood the Earth by Elder Bednar, I was reminded of the remarkable impact that church media has had on my life. I wanted to recount some of the video that have had the most profound impact on me and share them and their special meaning. I will cover videos such as, "Have you done any good in the world today", "Because of Him", "Meet the Mormons."

The Mormon message of President Thoman S. Monson, "Have you done any good in the world today" was the first contact I had with the church. I was a waiter at a restaurant in Virginia when I met two young Mormon men. On my first day of work, I walked over to a conversation of co-workers and one young man said, "Hi, I'm
Zack and I'm a mormon". I smiled and was quiet
as I was embarrassed to not know what a Mormon was. Those two young men were different, always doing service for others. When I asked one of the men why he helped others so much he didn't miss a beat. He pulled up this video and testified of the gospel.

The second video I wanted to share was the "Because of Him" Easter video. It was released a couple months into my mission in Portugal, Lisbon. I was serving in Portimão, a small beach side town that was very strong when the church entered Portugal 10 years ago but was struggling. We opened the church up for tours and showed this video at the end with an invitation to attend church. The spirit was so strong, it brought people to tears. We were teaching a Russian couple at the time, we showed them this video and then invited them to be baptized after, they were baptized on Christmas day that year.

The movie, "Meet the Mormons" was released at the end of my mission and we were able to watch it for a "Popcorn Night" with members. It came at the best time. The last story about the convert whose son went on a mission touched my heart the most. It made me look forward to coming home and being sealed to my family. It also reminded me of why I was on a mission, to see lives changed forever from the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and their savior. The gospel changed my life and I was there to be God's tool to spread the gospel.

If you haven't watched these videos in a while, watch them and remember the impact they had.

#6 Fidel Castro

  The U.S. Should Lift the               Embargo on Cuba 

I thought I would post my argumentative essay that I wrote for class. I have been obsessed with Cuba and Fidel Castro this semester. It started because I read in the New York Times about the US pulling out diplomats from Havana due to illness. It's super interesting to me how history can shape political ties fifty, a hundred or a thousand years after the fact. 

Amanda Grace Baugh Smith
Professor Steadman
English 312 Persuasive Writing

31 October, 2017

The U.S. Should Lift the Embargo on Cuba

The word “complicated” only begins to describe U.S. relations with Cuba. Relations between these two countries have taken shape over the last century and are still hotly debated especially with recent events like the mysterious health attacks suffered by U.S. diplomats. Their histories have been intertwined since colonial times largely because of close proximity. Their disputes have become monumental and far reaching with the Cuban Missile Crisis bringing the world closer to nuclear war than ever before. The U.S. pursued isolationist policies for decades after the rise of the Castro regime but communism in Cuba still holds strong. The U.S. has since reestablished ties and explored two different policy options: isolationism and engagement. The ultimate U.S. goal is to bring human rights to the island. To achieve that goal, The United States should lift the embargo and travel restrictions on Cuba because it hurts the Cuban people, harms the U.S. economy and restricts the rights of U.S. citizens to travel abroad. Increased interaction will increase influence and presumably lead Cuba towards democracy and better human rights.

A History

To understand U.S.-Cuban relations today, one must first have a basic understanding of Cuba as a nation. Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean, set 90 miles (Chasteen) off the coast of the state of Florida. It was formerly a Spanish Colony and largely because of this influence its people are primarily Roman Catholic, with some practicing Afro-Cuban religions. Their leader, Fidel Castro was an avid atheist but declared Cuba a secular state in 1992. (Staten) Cuba has a mixed population of, "51 percent mulatto (mix of European and African), 37 percent white, 11 percent black and 1 percent Chinese.” (Staten) Fidel Castro ceded power to his brother, Raul Castro in 2006.  Raul Castro continues to rule after his brother’s passing in 2016, almost ten years after transferring power.

The deep history that binds these two countries together gives a better understanding of why relations would be poor today. The Castro regime came to power in the era of the Cold War that pitted the United States of America against the Soviet Union, in a battle of Democracy versus Communism. Fidel Castro came to power on January 8^th, 1959 when he entered Havana (Depalma) to overthrow the former U.S. backed dictator, Fulgencio Batista. (Chasteen) Castro had never been aligned with the communist party before the revolution. However, when he gave a televised speech expressing his vision of change for Cuba, the Marxist influence was obvious. (BIBF) Castro was not shy about opposing what he saw as U.S. imperialistic rule. He gave a speech at the U.N. against U.S. imperialism, met with prominent critics of US policy and acquired Soviet oil, which U.S.-owned refineries would refuse to process. (Chasteen) From this moment on, these nations with only 90 miles separating them were destined to be rivals.

The United States, strongly against a communist country in their “backyard,” countered immediately by ending the sugar trade with Cuba which amounted to “three quarters of Cuba’s export revenue”. (BIBF) Cuba struck back by expropriating U.S. companies in Cuba. (BIBF) Relations deteriorated until Fidel Castro demanded that embassy staff be greatly reduced from a staff of 60 to a meager 18 in just 48 hours. (Depalma) President Eisenhower, frustrated and upset, decided instead to pull out all diplomats, close the embassy and cut diplomatic ties. (Depalma)

Conflict continued to spiral out of control as Washington tried relentlessly to overthrow the Castro regime. Washington launched the humiliating Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961. (Chasteen) The CIA trained and equipped the invasion meant to inspire revolt, but was promptly squashed by the Cuban army that was loyal to Castro. (Chasteen) The United States developed numerous assassination attempts on the life of Fidel Castro, even conspiring strange plots to make his beard fall out and therefore lose prestige and support. (Depalma) It was clear to Cuba that the U.S. was attempting to overthrow Castro and understandable that he would become paranoid of further attempts.

The world was shocked when on October 22^nd, 1962 John F. Kennedy announced that the Soviet Union had placed missiles in Cuba, information known thanks to CIA reconnaissance photos. (Sweig) The U.S. ordered a military blockade surrounding the island to prevent further missiles from arriving, a strategic move that Castro perceived to be an act of war. (Sweig) The crisis lasted 13 days, with the U.S. and the Soviet Union reaching an agreement through back channels. (Sweig) The deal was made without Cuba’s participation or knowledge. (Sweig) The Soviet Union would remove its’ missiles from Cuba and the U.S. agreed to remove missiles stationed at a U.S. base in Turkey that were directed at the Soviet Union several months later. The U.S. concessions were to happen quietly without public discussion about this part of the deal. This way, both sides could proclaim victory at home. As for Cuba, the Soviet Union urged the U.S. to sign an accord with the United Nations acknowledging that the U.S. would, “respect the inviolability of Cuban borders, [respect] its sovereignty” as well as not invade Cuba. (Sweig) No accord was ever signed, however, the principle was understood and more or less respected.

The outcome of U.S. intervention did more to bolster support for Fidel Castro than to deter it. The Bay of Pigs invasion, assassination attempts and very loose resolutions not to invade Cuba led to paranoia and increased support for the regime. Cuba had good reason to be worried, after so many attempts to topple the regime. Experts say that these attempts gave Castro a way to, “justify domestic repression and growing ties with the Soviet Union as requirements for national survival against an implacable enemy.” (Sweig) It’s possible that the very policies made by the U.S. to isolate and topple the regime only served to strengthen it.
embargo stays  

Reestablishing ties

Barrack Obama made history on December 17^th, 2014, when he gave an unforgettable speech announcing the reestablishment of diplomatic ties with Cuba. (Obama) These ties have been severed since January of 1961, more than half a decade ago. (Obama) Obama had wanted to reestablish ties ever since entering office but was not able to due to as he states, "the wrongful imprisonment, in Cuba, of a U.S. citizen and USAID sub-contractor Alan Gross.” (Obama) Mr. Gross had been imprisoned for five years and negotiations for his release were long, with Pope Francis even stepping in to advocate for his release and cooperation on both sides. (Obama) There was also a second prisoner, an unnamed intelligence agent, who had been in jail for almost two decades in Cuba. (Obama) Both men were released and back on American soil at the time of the speech. In return, the U.S. released three Cuban agents who had been imprisoned in the U.S. for over 15 years. (Obama)

The speech went on to outline the new initiatives the U.S. and Cuba would pursue to reestablish political ties. It called for the reestablishment of embassies in the capitals of both nations, Washington D.C. and Havana. It also indicated that the U.S. would review Cuba as being on a list of nations to support terrorism, which had limited its international trade. (Obama) It further removed the limit of remittances, money sent to Cuba by American citizens, to Cuba. (Obama) Barack Obama pioneered this initiative to recreate ties after decades of isolationist policies. President Obama gave reason for the change, stating "In the most significant changes in our policy in more than fifty years, we will end an outdated approach that, for decades, has failed to advance our interests, and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries.” (Obama) Obama highlights that this was a new directive, something that has never been done before. The previous policies were unable to topple the regime or encourage improved human rights. They are still a communistic government known for their human rights violations with the same regime that has ruled for over 50 years.

Tightening Isolationist Restrictions

            President Barrack Obama has since left office and the new president Donald Trump was quick to change policies to fullfill his campaign promises. His policy kept most of the provisions of the previous administration, only adding two restrictive measures. First, the travel restrictions already in place would have enhanced enforcement. This means that U.S. citizens can’t travel to Cuba for purely vacation purposes. However, Cuban-Americans could continue to visit family and send remittances. Secondly, a new economic policy was put in place to channel economic activities towards the private sector and away from the Grupo de Administacion Empresarial (GAESA), the regimes military organization. The policy ends in clarifying that to further enhance U.S.-Cuban relations, the Cuban government must improve the lives of their people, including by “promoting the rule of law, respecting human rights, and taking concrete steps to foster political and economic freedoms.” (The White House) Although not a complete reversal, these policies serve to isolate and discourage free trade and travel that would otherwise help the Cuban people.

Embassy Health Attacks

In recent events, the New York Times reported that U.S. diplomats have become sick with headaches, dizziness and hearing loss. (Semple) The “mysterious attack” has affected twenty-one diplomats. (Harris) These diplomats became sick in late 2016, Cuban officials were made aware of it in February. (Semple) Two Cuban diplomats were expelled from Washington in May reportedly because Cuba hadn’t fulfilled its obligation in keeping U.S. diplomats safe. (Semple) The Department of State is adamant that it does not believe the Cuban government was involved. This is believed due to the fact that one Canadian diplomat was also targeted and it is well known that Canada has wonderful relations with Cuba. However, the embassy has been reduced to meager staff of twenty-seven diplomats and marine corps personnel. (Harris)

Although the origins of the attacks are unknown, it has affected U.S.-Cuban relations negatively. It’s possible the attacks are coming from a third party actor, such as an extremist group or other nations that could have an interest in reversing policy. It would be devastating to both sides to allow third-party meddling to reverse progress in relations. After coming so far, the U.S. must continue to push for increased Human Rights while still pursuing U.S. interests.  

Human Rights

            Isolationist policies are intended to promote human rights on the island by impoverishing the nation until collapse or subsequently pressuring the government to make changes in order to do business. Cuba has not made changes and has been criticized for its lack of human rights. The Human Rights Watch organization reports that the Cuban government continues to, “repress dissent and discourage public criticism.” Cuba uses repressive tactics such as imprisonment, public shaming, beatings and the termination of employment to consolidate power. Although 53 political prisoners were released upon the agreement with the United States to normalize relations, many more remain. Cuba refuses access to its prisons to independent human rights groups, making it difficult to know the scope of the situation. Cuban citizens do not have the right to due process or freedom of speech. Access to the internet is restricted and too expensive for most.  Travel can still be restricted despite reforms put in place in January 2013 that, “eliminated the need for an exit visa to leave the island.” Cubans are also not allowed to move freely inside the country, with a 1997 law created to prevent migration to Havana especially by dissidents. The embargo has not been effective in deterring human rights violations but instead on hurting the Cuban people.  (Cuba)

Hurting the Cuban People

First, the Cuban people are being harmed by the embargo because part of the embargo severely restricts food and medical supplies. A study done by The American Association for World Health reported the following:

After a year-long investigation, the American Association for World Health has determined that the U.S. embargo of Cuba has dramatically harmed the health and nutrition of large numbers of ordinary Cuban citizens. As documented by the attached report, it is our expert medical opinion that the U.S. embargo has caused a significant rise in suffering-and even deaths-in Cuba. (Bourne)

By enforcing these restrictions, not only the government suffers but also the repressed people of Cuba. The embargo also restricts ships having docked in Cuba from docking in the U.S. for 180 days. This has strongly discouraged trade from other countries. The report continues to relay that humanitarian aid efforts are a poor substitution for free trade. 

Harms U.S. economy

The U.S. embargo has been costly for both sides, stunting free trade between two relatively close markets. Cuba has reported that the embargo has cost them $1.1 trillion over five decades. (Al Jazeera) Opening the Cuban market would give opportunities to U.S. farmers and the private sector. It would bring jobs to the U.S. and to Cuba. Diplomatic ties have been restored, something that usually comes after major embargos are lifted. The U.S. should continue its drive in the right direction to reestablish normal ties, especially after the Cold War is long gone. It’s also hypocritical of the U.S. to restrict American citizen’s rights to trade and travel to supposedly promote human rights.

The United States should lift the embargo to encourage free trade. Nothing promotes democracy like free trade. By promoting free trade and engagement, the U.S. can promote American values. President Barrack Obama addressed this potential path in policy by saying:

"Now, where we disagree, we will raise those differences directly -– as we will continue to do on issues related to democracy and human rights in Cuba.  But I believe that we can do more to support the Cuban people and promote our values through engagement.  After all, these 50 years have shown that isolation has not worked.  It’s time for a new approach."

This approach would serve to promote democracy through free trade, while not forgetting the human rights abuses that so many Americans want to fight for. Isolationist policies have not been successful, like the embargo that served to isolate and topple the government by depriving the country of trade not only from the U.S., but also its close allies. However, Castro’s rule outlived five U.S. presidents and the revolution is still in control through his brother, Raul Castro, to this day. The embargo has even caused disputes with Canada and some European Countries that choose to keep close ties with the island. (Staten) Some may argue that if the U.S. were to lift the embargo, it would make the superpower look weak, after giving up on a long time policy. It would be more beneficial for the U.S. to abandon the embargo and look weak than to look foolish to the world community for chasing a failing policy. Just like U.S. intervention during the Cold War, the embargo has only served to give the regime reason to demonize the U.S. for what it’s done to Cuba, in essence Cuban dissidents say it, “gives Castro a scapegoat for his own economic mismanagement." (Staten)

Conclusion

            These two nations have had a long history together of intervention, invasion and near nuclear war. Reestablishing diplomatic ties was the first step in settling other major issues like the embargo. The United States of America should lift the embargo because of its negative impact on the Cuban people, both nation’s economies and the hope that engagement, not isolationism will influence the Cuban government to move towards enhanced human rights and democracy. 

#5 Response to research article and magazine article on "Stories that Bind"

I really loved the three different articles and how they were tailored to their audiences. Even more so, I loved the message and it made me think of what stories I know from my own family. Truthfully, I knew probably half the things they asked for. I even called my mom to ask some of the questions. I wondered if it were true of other strong families, so I asked my husband. He knew most of the answers to the questions and somehow I knew the answer to the questions for his family. Of course, this didn't surprise me all that much, since his family routinely plays board games and tries to have family home evening every week even when everyone isn't in agreement.

Hopefully, I can put this advice into play when we start to have kids. Spending time with your family and good communication with them is huge to a child's happiness and success.

#4 General Conference mini rhetorical analysis of one talk

A Yearning for Home by Elder Uchtdorf

For the very first time, I had the opportunity to attend General Conference in Salt Lake City. I've been a convert of the church for almost 5 years and had never been in person. I was baptized, served a mission in Portugal and then moved to Utah to attend BYU. So, I had never had the opportunity. It was wonderful! Although, I was surprised by the protesters and the strange rudeness of the people who ushered us to our seats.

Elder Uchtdorf has always been my favorite apostle because his talks are so relatable and delightful to listen to. He starts out with a hook, a story about a family that lost their dog on a family vacation to only have to leave and go home. The dog shows up 6 months later to find his family, a remarkable story. It's baffling how many animals can migrate large distances, passing it on for generations. He then relates this to us and our journey home to Heavenly Father. Uchtdorf paints the picture that we already know our Heavenly Parents and are on our long journey to reunite.

He then talks about why we should journey home. First, because it will make your life better and secondly because God will use you to better the lives of others. He also talks about feelings of inadequacy, and how not to worry because God can use you as an instrument. The founding members were human with faults and downfalls and yet somehow Heavenly Father was able to use them for a very important work.

I love the imagery. I have a testimony that knowing Heavenly Father does indeed make your life better and that He can use you to touch the lives of others. My life has only gotten better since I found God. I'm married, pursuing my education and a much happier person. I was able to serve a mission and some of my family members have come into the church. My older sister was baptized a month after me, found her husband at her baptism and has two small boys now. My mother was baptized shortly before I left for my mission and my father six months into it. My father passed away after I arrived home but we were sealed as a family shortly after. I have a growing eternal family. I hope I can take his talk to heart and come closer to my Heavenly Family.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2017/10/a-yearning-for-home?lang=eng

#3 Research Brainstorming

Exercise from textbook 
pg57
Topic
I am studying... Cuba and it's history
Question
Because I want to ..... understand current events and the ongoing relationship between the US and Cibca
Significance
In order to..... form an opinion of what the US stance should be. If the current policy is beneficial.

My audience is PRO/CON
my audience is PRO.

Who is your audience? Why do they find your claim initially unacceptable?
My audience is college students, possibly political science, international relation majors and the like.  They might not initially want better relations with Cuba due to a deep history of rivalry or a hatred for Fidel Castro.

What does your audience value most?
The well being of the people of both nations. US interests in business. Cuba's human rights.

What does your audience fear the most?
Human rights abuses, bad economics, US building good international relations.

Audience Counterarguments:
But.... We can't excuse the human rights abuses of Cuba
But.... We can't support any form of communism

Enthymeme

What are the consequences of..... on.....?
What are the consequences of opening up trade and relations with Cuba on the Cuban people, on the US economy?

#2 Three specific reading and writing goals for the semester

Reading Process Goals

1) Before: I want to preview my assignments to determine what its about, how long I need to read and how hard it might be.
I want to preview all the reading I need to get done in a day or week to have a better sense of how long it will take.

2.) During: I want to keep a list of things I don't understand.

3.) After: I want to use different strategies to help remember details


Update: 11/22/2017

I have implemented the reading process goals that I created at the beginning of the semester. Honestly, I didn't think of them every single time but when I did, they helped.

Goal 1: I liked previewing the assignments all at once. I think it helped me to organize and prioritize my reading. I also did read the last paragraph and the first sentence of chapters or sections before beginning. I especially did this with Latin American History. There's a book we read from each week that has first hand accounts from Latin America and it was helpful to read the headings and brief description of all 5 or 6 sections within the chapter before beginning to set up my notes and understand the overall concept of the chapter.

Goal 2: I didn't implement this suggestion as much as I would've liked. I did use it while reading in Portuguese for words and phrases I didn't understand. It helped me to write down the definitions so that I wouldn't have to continually look it up. This goal wasn't as useful in other text books because I usually highlight things I don't understand or the meaning of acronyms so that I can skim over it when writing down my notes.

Goal 3: The best thing I did this semester was start using OneNote, a note taking system entirely kept on my computer. I set it up so that each class has a special "notebook" and then each class has a "page". Special projects or papers get their own special "notebook" with a "page" for each source. I then keep a notebook for notes and reminders. It has been really great because I have looked over my notes more often and been able to create flashcards more quickly. I would definitely recommend it.

#1 Elder Bednar's Flood the Earth

Flood the Earth by Elder Bednar

       In his talk, Elder Bednar presented social media and the ever increasing role it has in our society and in sharing the gospel. He gave great examples of how we can use social media to share the gospel and connect with others. He also gave some warnings of things not do like sharing anything you wouldn't want the whole world to see forever. Social media is neither inherently good nor bad but it depends for what we used it.

The talk is split into 3 distinct tops, the unique time we live in, the inspired technology that has come forward in our day and how we can use these tools to further the work of salvation. I loved hearing about how the prophets have prepared us and prophesied of this special time in our world. As a millennial, we hear all the time how this is a horrible time to live and negative connotations of being part of our generation. It's refreshing to hear that not only did the prophets prophesy of such a time, but that this technology is part of the plan to ultimately spread the gospel throughout the world. 40% of missionaries will be using technology to share the gospel and temple work has greatly benefited.

My favorite part were the quotes from prophets and knowing that David O. McKay spoke about such a time in which new technologies would make it possible to spread the gospel throughout the world. Indeed, we have made great strides. The radio, telephones, cell phones, TV, satelite transmissions, computers, social media, etc... have all been prepared for us to use to move the work of salvation foward.

"Every discovery in science and art, that is really true and useful to mankind has been given by      direct reelation from God,... We should take advantage of all these great discoveries, the accumulated wisdom of ages, and give to our children the benefit of every branch of useful knowledge, to prepare them to step forward and efficiently do their part in the great work"
-Brigham Young 1862
     
Elder Bednar encourages everyone to use social media to share the gospel and be genuine. I especially love this talk because I was, in part, introduced to the gospel through a Mormon message video entitled "Have you done any good in the world today." I also saw plenty of examples of media helping investigators gain a testimony even though we did not have ipads or access to technology.