Obesity. America's calling card and one of its biggest problems. I've always been interested in the obesity pandemic because I tend to be a health nut on occasion. I'm not enough of a health nut to put down that oh so delicious piece of pepperoni pizza or the piece of pecan pie that swims in afterwards, hence the word 'occasion,' but enough of one to care about my weight and the weight of Americans in general. I always blamed obesity on fast food as a result of advertising and America's new greatest pastime: couch potatoing. I never really thought that anything contributed to lack of exercise besides laziness though.

When I started to really get into sprawl, my natural interest in health and the problem of obesity along with my sharp intake in appetite as a result of walking to my classes everyday drove me to begin considering walkability as a suspect for the death of America's physical activity. After all, if Americans can't walk anywhere and are forced instead to spend all their time driving, how can they burn off anything they've consumed? The article Childhood Obesity: are we missing the big picture?, which I found through the Georgia Tech library's search engine, helped to legitimize my suspicions. The article made claims which suggested that those people in environments which promote walkability are more prone to exercise. It also provided research which directly connected the magnitude of America's BMI (Body Mass Index) with the level of sprawl. After reading this article and skimming several others, I am convinced that sprawl, or at least some of the characteristics of it, is a major contributor to the problem of obesity. The article referenced here makes an argument against the case of sprawl as a contender by saying that research found inner city settings to have higher obesity problems in general than settings which are characterized as sprawl. This can be dealt with by simply acknowledging the level of crime which is generally associated with the inner city. Most people won't go outside if they feel unsafe, a truth which the article also addresses.

Regardless of the validity of the point for the inner city, it can't be denied that sprawl has some sort of hand in the obesity epidemic which is sweeping the nation. Once people can walk to work again, their belts will inevitably grow smaller.

Different Definitions of Suburbia

In May of 2008, an article from The Economist called “An Age of Transformation- America’s Suburbs” really interested me because it discussed the topic that we have been talking about in class except this author’s point of view was quite different than those of Suburban Nation. The main idea in this article was that suburbs are changing to be more like cities and are very different than how they used to be when the first suburb was built. Cities are losing population to the suburbs, and therefore, according to the author, the diversity of the cities is transferring to the suburbs. The old stereotype of the monotonous population of the suburbs in no more. He attributes this change in the decrease in people showing obvious racism, so people of different races and sexual orientation are more accepted and feel comfortable to live in the suburbs. The author’s of Suburban Nation make suburbia seem very dull discussing the outlay of the architecture, but they never discuss the statistics of the new population growth moving into the suburb. I really liked this article because it gave me a new outlook on the whole traditional neighborhood verses sprawl debate. To see every side is to truly understand.
Molly Waller

Little Five Points

As everyone read on Friday, I went to Little Five Points and had a great time. Little Five Points is a great neighborhood and fit all the major points on my list of qualities that make a neighborhood good.
As I walked down the sidewalk, I noticed that the sidewalks and streets were clean and free of debris. Also, the buildings gave a sense of unity to the neighborhood and I realized that this neighborhood was not very "sprawl-like" at all. I found this neighborhood to be amazing and only minorly flawed. It was a little expensive there and although there is public transportation, it is really crowded. only a minor draw back from an otherwise nice place.

-Michael Saunders

Historic Roswell.... an amazing place

I have decided to do my paper on Historic Roswell because it incorporates so many different aspects of life into one small area. Also, the history in Roswell has been spared because only the cotton mill was burned during the Civil War, but the houses and the church were left standing. These antebellum buildings now are home to restaurants and other small businesses. Originally, I said that a good neighborhood should have a sense of community, good school system, and be home to plenty of places of culture. After seeing Roswell, I have thought of some other requirements for a good neighborhood. Although, I think that it is so great to have unique stores and everything in close walking distance, I also think a town should be a short drive away from big chain stores, so that if somebody needs to go to a Kroger or a Gap, they can easily get there. Historic Roswell definitely meets this description because right on the other side of its quaint square, there is a much larger road with new, big stores right down the road. Also, before, I hadn't thought of history as a necessary component of a neighborhood, but I realized in Roswell, that its history adds so much to the homey sense of the town. Roswell offers distinct qualities that no other place can offer because no other city has shared in its past, and Roswell's history has been well preserved and is incorporated into everything. Overall, I love Roswell and everything in it from the Doggy Boutique to its historic graveyard. Everyhting is one of a kind there.
Molly Waller

All Chefs of Atlanta !

The blog, The Blissful Glutton, is mainly about the various cuisines and resturants available in Atlanta. The blogger recommends a restrauant and posts with its descriptoin and brief history. The one I read was recommending “Rolling Bones Premium Pit BBQ” that is in 377 Edgewood Ave. It is specializied with ‘Southern’ style Barbeque, and the pork dishes and smoked duck are also popular menus. The blogger also proposes a problem with the restraunt; the order takes too much time, and the limited parking lot makes the customers hard to pop in. Overall, the blogger is not only recommending a restraunt but also tries to improve Atlanta’s culinary culture.

Food is an also vital factor that can describe a city. This blog is not just describing restauraunts or their specialties. It is actually portraying Atlanta’s culinary culture. For instance, the blogger emphasizes a ‘Southern’ style in describing Rolling Bones Preimum Pit BBQ restraunt. This shows how this restaurant is different from any other restraunts in other cities. As the newcomers look at this blog and visits one restruant that is recommended, they will expereicne both of the Atlanta's food, and also its great culinary culture.

-- Geon Hui Yun

What's Good in Hot-lanta

I was fortunate enough to read a blog stating that Fabolous, a rapper, would be appearing in Greenbreir Mall. More specifically, he would be appearing in Footlocker and one ticket would be given to the first 1,000 customers who bought a pair of shoes. Unfortunately, I was unable to get to the mall the day of the event which was pretty dissapionting because the concert was for a very small crowd. I was suprised to find out that this performance actually netted Fabolous very little money. As an artist, Fabolous took part in this promotion to help stimulate business the best way he could.

It is easy to understand why this type of blog would be posted; in the given economy, anything that could be used to stimulate business is a good idea. Through the high exposure of sources like the internet, Footlocker ensured that the full one thousand tickets would be given out and that many pairs of shoes will be sold. I'm pretty sad that I couldn't make it because I really could use a new pair of shoes.

--Michael Saunders

Funny? Thoughtful? Or can it be both?

I couldn't but chuckle as I read about a mother scolding her daughter for drinking a 5-hour energy, because "they will kill you," while she, the mother, bought a pack of cigarettes. My chuckle grew louder as I read about a college kid who thought teachers taught high school because they never went to college. By the time I read about a lady complaining about there being no bottoms in a clothing store followed by the gay clerk shouting "Baby, that's Atlanta for ya!", I was laughing out loud. Overheard in Atlanta, a blog which posts funny phrases spoken and overheard by Atlantans is a very simple but interesting idea. At first I only enjoyed it for the comedy it provided, but after I sat back and looked at the whole page, I realized that it was much more than just a place to get a laugh.

The blog is advertising Atlanta's personality. It's not doing so through showing off shopping centers, or tourist attractions, or apartment buildings. Overheard in Atlanta is showing Atlanta's personality through the voice of the people. When people think of a city, they consider it for its business and its monuments, but very rarely does the average person think of a city in terms of its individual people, which is what gives this blog its purpose. The title of the website rests at the top of the page on a backdrop of the Atlanta skyline. Below the title is a little phrase which provides a summation of what Overheard in Atlanta is all about: "the sound of the city." The sound of the city isn't the clinking of its factory machinery or the ambient sound of traffic clumps, or police sirens and fleeing criminals. It's the voices people. Overheard in Atlanta gives people this new perspective on Atlanta to show that Atlanta is more than just a skyline.

Bloggers create things like this site to show the outside world what Atlanta is really about, but also to give those who live in or around Atlanta a sense of community. Posts like those on Overheard in Atlanta show the people of their city that they're not alone and that they have a voice despite the bustle of everyday life. Below each post is a button which lets the reader share the quotes that they find particularly funny with other people, which is a way to continue the word and also a way to create more communication between people. The more the people give see that they're not voiceless and alone, the more they'll grow to love the city they live in and see that they are not just a blank faced passerby on the sidewalk. They are a part of something great.

Andy Van Deventer

For the Love of Atlanta

Blogs are all about getting ideas out there for everyone to see, and the blog I read, “Dreams for Atlanta,” definitely has some compelling thoughts. This particular blog contains three items in which the author wishes Atlanta would change and invites others to explain their dreams too. It reminded me of Suburban Nation because two of the points, excellent public transportation and crime minimization, are addressed in that book. His other point related to concerts because he wants Atlanta to be included in all the big tours, but for that to happen, everyone has to want to come to Atlanta. Like the authors of Suburban Nation point out, people want to come to cities of interest and cities with qualities such as less crime and better transportation.
The author wants to make his readers think about what could be better about Atlanta hoping that with enough ideas and compassion, Atlanta might be able to change for the better in the future. The author loves his hometown of Atlanta which is why he does not intend to move to the other cities he mentions that already have his dreams accomplished. He thinks his home can become one of the great cities with a little assistance which is why he wants the ideas to flow to help Atlanta become a better place. He uses ethos to connect to his audience by using the second person, and his tone is very friendly and funny. That makes sense considering that the entire population of Atlanta might be reading this blog, so his language must be kept simple, so it is accessible to the common public. He did not use any links or visual devices to aid in his purpose, but his message still got accross well.
Molly Waller