Alli's Blog A collection of writings

This article is different from other news stories because it is considered a PR story. I feel like this PR story specifically is different because the lead is a call to action and the overall tone is overly positive while also being persuasive. 

The article starts with a call to action. Right away the reader is persuaded to do something. “Share the love of the outdoors…“ This way of starting the article tells me that the company wants something from you. They want to sell something to you. Another call to action included in the article is “invite someone…“ Where they are asking you to tell someone about their membership program. 

The overall tone of the article is fairly positive, but at the same time is persuasive. The calls to action make it feel persuasive, along with phrases, like “best gifts” “best gear and apparel for adventure”, “favorite gear and apparel brands”, “top brands”.  These phrases make it seem like REI has the best products. In marketing this is called a value proposition. They’re making themselves stand out from their competitors.

In addition to the article having a persuasive tone, the author manages to keep it positive. They continuously mention loved ones and friends along with gift giving. A lot of people find joy in picking out a gift for someone they love.

If someone were to purchase something because of this ad, it would be a mutually beneficial transaction. The person purchasing the item is going to feel good because they have been convinced that REI carries only top quality products and that they got a deal on it. REI in turn gets the purchasers money.

The Good and Gather Cranberry Jalapeno Dip has been calling my name since I saw someone on Tik Tok eating it. I have been craving a taste I don’t even know yet. I told my roommate about this craving and she did not share the same excitement about the product. I decided to go to Target to try to find it. 

The package of the dip has a cranberry colored label. There is a description of the dip written on the label. “Made with Cream Cheese, Dried Cranberries, Jalapeño Peppers & White Cheddar Cheese.” There are some photos of jalapeños and cranberries on the left of the letters, giving the label a fresh and bright look. 

I bought sun chips to eat with the dip. I first had my roommate try it. She was hesitant but when I told her it was for an assignment, she agreed. She said the dip smelled sour, but I described it more as spicy. My roommate described the taste as sweet and said the texture was rich. She did mention that the aftertaste was pretty spicy. 

When I tasted the dip, I was delighted. It tasted exactly how I imagined it would. I liked the juxtaposition of the sweet and tangy cranberries with the sharp spice of the jalapeños. The cream cheese itself was slightly sweetened too which helped balance out the heat. The texture was creamy and smooth except when there was a piece of cranberry or jalapeño.

A green apple Viper Fizz looks like a cough drop. The smell is faint, but fruity. The outside candy is a dusty bright green color. The outer part of the Viper Fizz tastes like a typical green apple candy- slightly sour. The inside mixture feels like what I can only imagine eating the contents of a science fair baking soda and vinegar volcano would be like. The flavor of the inside filling is bitter.

After my shift at the HPER this morning, Monica Olson met me at the front desk to take over. Monica is a 21 year old female with long, wavy, light brown hair. She wore a gray Morningside crew neck and her silver wire frame glasses.

Monica greeted me with a friendly “Hi” and told me that she had been accepted to a graduate program in Colorado. I excitedly high fived her as she told me more about the application process. We moved on to talking about some plans we have to go axe throwing later. She mentioned that our friends who signed us up spelled her name wrong. We laughed about it as Tilda Wahlen walked up to the desk to join the conversation.

Tilda is a tall blonde girl with blue eyes. She was wearing work out clothes, ready for dance class.

Tilda told us that her dance class was supposed to start over 10 minutes ago, but the teacher was nowhere to be seen. I looked down the hall to see a line of other students also waiting for their teacher. She asked what we thought she should do. Neither Monica or I really had a good answer for her. We suggested she wait 5 or 10 more minutes, and if she hadn’t heard from her teacher, it would be acceptable for her to go on with her day.

As time went on, more and more of Tilda’s classmates gave up on waiting, and I left the HPER as well.

Stuart Scott gave a speech while accepting an award at the ESPYs last night. Scott started his speech by thanking the MC and mentioned that he was a fan. He went on to talk about how he has been diagnosed with cancer and mentioned that he doesn’t plan to give up. “I now have a responsibility to also not ever give up” He said after referring to past role models who didn’t give up on him. 

After speaking more about his journey with cancer, Scott stated, “So, live. Live. Fight like hell. And when you get too tired to fight then lay down and rest and let somebody else fight for you. That’s also very, very important. I can’t do this “don’t give up” thing all by myself.” Scott emphasized the importance of knowing when to lean on your support system. 

Scott moved on to talk about his family and specifically his daughters. He ended the speech by bringing his youngest daughter on stage and embracing her with a loving hug.  

The overall feeling of Scott’s speech was inspirational and uplifting. The audience was engaged and receptive to what he was saying.

story 1

Maybe you should reconsider letting your child use social media. Meta, the parent company of popular social media sites like Facebook and Instagram is being sued by a majority of the country. 41 states claim that Meta knowingly used features on their platforms to cause children to use them compulsively, according to The New York Times. 

David Greenfield, a psychologist and the founder of the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction in West Hartford, Conn. explains how intermittent reinforcement makes social media compelling. Users realize that at any time they could be “rewarded” for scrolling, Greenfield claims. 

Tom Moss, a Morningside student and young professional understanding the importance of interpersonal relationships and communication has some input on the topic. “Young kids need to understand that interpersonal connections and in person interactions are key to success. Being addicted to social media or the internet hinders those key connections which can then have lasting effects on the kids’ relationships and mental wellbeing.”

Greenfield adds that adults can fight the temptation better than younger social media users. “They’re all about impulse and not a lot about the control of that impulse,” Dr. Greenfield says of young users. Aligning with Moss’s point, Greenfield also explains that the young brain likes to make connections with others and social media is a perfect place to meet new people.   

Our next story comes from The New York Times. 

story 2

Wait a day before you eat that spaghetti. Research suggests that leftovers could be healthier than freshly cooked meals. According to recent studies, cooking and then cooling rice and pasta causes a different type of starch to form called resistant starch. The molecules in the food become more tightly packed together and are more difficult for the body to digest. 

Jared Nicholas, a Morningside University student passionate about health and fitness explains what he knows about resistant starch. “It doesn’t break down in your intestines.”  Kimberley Rose-Francis, a dietitian in Florida who specializes in working with patients with diabetes explains why this isn’t a bad thing. 

When the body has to work harder to digest food, blood sugar doesn’t spike. Resistant starch is said to have a variety of other benefits including lower cholesterol, lower inflammation, better overall gut health, and high fiber content . 

Moving on, our next story is keeping us on our health and wellness kick. 

story 3 

Looking for that magic pill? Supplements have grown in popularity in recent years, but may be more harmful than you think. Many supplements are not tested thoroughly for safety or effectiveness, Dr. JoAnn Manson, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School told The New York Times.

Despite their rising use, Dr. Manson explains that there is really only one reason to take supplements, which is to prevent or treat a nutrient deficiency. Pregnant and elderly people are more likely to become deficient in certain vitamins, so a doctor usually would recommend that they take supplements. 

Tru Brittain, a sophomore Morningside University Student has always been cautious about her health. Brittain tells about her experience with supplements. “My grandma has always been very encouraging for me to take supplements to help prevent me from getting sick, and my doctor told me to take zinc to help with my immune system while at college.”

Dr. Jafari, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of California, Irvine encourages others to follow in Brittains footsteps and ask their doctor before taking supplements. 

https://www.foodandwine.com/eminem-debuts-moms-spaghetti-sauce-8384869

“Lose Yourself” by Slim Shady was released in 2002. Even today, the song is still widely known and highly popular. 

In 2017 a restaurant opened featuring dishes like “mom’s spaghetti” and “mom’s spaghetti with meatballs” paying tribute to the lyrics in the song, “His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy / There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti.”

Recently, Eminen announced the availability of a jarred spaghetti sauce called “moms spaghetti sauce”. 

“This isn’t a sauce that tastes like what your neighbor’s Italian grandma would spend all day simmering. No. This is a clean take on classic jar sauce…not saddled with nonsense.” Eminem told Food and Wine. 

This is news to Eminem fans. Even people who are not interested in buying the sauce would still find the story interesting. I personally am not really an Eminem fan, but I know the famous lyrics very well. As of 4 days after release, the sauce has sold out. This shows that people found the announcement exciting and wanted to take part in the action. 

I think the story was written well. We got quotes from Eminemn about the sauce and about the taste of it.