Interests in Chapter 6

The most interesting part of chapter 6 was the different modes of communication.  I was very interested to see how some of the modes were so similar, yet so different at the same time.  The mode that interested me the most was the hearing and seeing mode.  I never really thought about the fact that you picture someone talking even if you are only talking to them over the phone.  I realized that I often do that too without even knowing it.  I also think that the hearing and seeing mode is the most important because it incorporates to senses while communicating.  I feel that an audience would understand the information that was being said if they could see and hear someone while the information was being taught or given.

            Another thing that made me like the hearing and seeing mode the most was the fact that you don’t really need any formal education to use that mode of communicating.  The only reason you would need formal education in it would be as stated in the book, “for contexts like public speaking, and for alert group communication”.  Unless your career entitled you to speak in front of people often, you wouldn’t really need a formal education in using this form of communicating.  I also feel that I respond the best when communicating while hearing and seeing.  I am a visual learner so being able to see someone while they are talking will help me remember the information better.

Modes of Communication Workshops:

http://www.staff.vu.edu.au/fmiunit4/fmi2/workshop1.html

The Cleaning Up of Illegal Signs

When you drive down streets in San Jose, you often see loose signs hanging on light poles and street signs.  What you may not know is that it is illegal.  It is illegal to hang signs advertising things such as garage sales on the city’s property.  No matter what the message is that the poster is trying to get across, it is still not acceptable.  The problem isn’t so much of people hanging them up, but the fact that not everyone picks them up after.  When no one picks the signs up, they end up just hanging there until they eventually blow off, which then causes there to be more trash on the streets.  One other problem that often happens after people hang signs are that the staples or tacks still remain on the city’s property.  This forces the city to make unnecessary repairs that wouldn’t have to be made if no one hung signs in the first place.

This is another potential topic for my research paper because it is a big issue in San Jose.  There are signs hanging on the city’s property everywhere you look.  Then the signs end up blowing off and end up littering the streets.  We are trying to make San Jose a cleaner city and this isn’t helping.  It is also illegal to hang signs, which makes it even worse.  This is a topic that we may be hearing more and more about to make more people aware of the problem and encourage them to help clean up the city of San Jose.

Article Link - http://www.mercurynews.com/localnewsheadlines/ci_11829297?nclick_check=1

6 Years in Prison Is NOT Enough Time

In 2007, a young girl was hit by a driver that was high on meth.  She was hit in Willow Glen by the Walgreen's where she had just purchased some candy.  The driver hit her in a stolen car and double backed so he could pick her up.  He put the young girl in the car and continued to drive for a little while.  The young girl was smart enough to let herself out of the car while the man was still driving.  She shattered her pelvis in 8 places and continued to run to a nearby house so she could call for help.  Later in court, the young girl also said that the man had tried to sexually molest her.

For committing such an awful crime, you would think that this man would be put away for hard time.  Instead, after all he had done to this poor girl, the man is only sentenced to 6 years in prison.  In court, he claimed that he hadn't tried to molest the young girl, and had only picked her up so he could take her to the hospital.  Even with a story like that, after what he did, he should have to pay a bigger price.  I feel that this sentence isn't fair and the man is getting away easy. To make it even worse, if the man is able to find a job in prison, he can expect to only serve half the time which is 3 years.  This is absolutely not right.  Not only did he commit the crime of stealing a car, but he had a hit and run, and potential kidnap.  On top of all this, he was using an illegal drug.  This should be enough to put him away for at least 20 years.  He has obviously committed more than one crime, that should be taken into consideration.  This man is practically getting away with murder in my eyes. 

http://www.mercurynews.com/crime/ci_11751600

Chapter 13 Opinion

            After reading chapter 13, I realized how little editorials I have read.  I agree with the book when it is saying that writing our opinions brings us together.  If everyone kept to themselves and never shared their opinion, no one would ever know what one another thought about certain issues.  Unfortunately we can’t read minds on planet earth.  Writing editorials and opinion articles or essays teach us more about life and the right and wrong things to do.  By reading other people’s opinions and takes on certain issues in life, we can potentially learn from their mistakes and not make them ourselves.  

Unconditional Love

            The article I read was about a man named Ron Bahr that was born with Down syndrome and a hole in his heart and doesn’t have much longer to live.  Even though he is mentally challenged, it hasn’t stopped him from declaring his love to Lorraine Hatfield, who is also his best friend.  Ron is 47 years old, and doctors didn’t expect him to live past one year old, but he has definitely beaten the odds.  Fearing that his time on earth is coming to an end, the one thing he wanted the most was to marry Lorraine on Valentines Day.

            This article touches me in so many ways.  I am majoring in Occupational therapy so I can work with special needs kids in the future, and just by reading this article, I can understand the type of love Ron has for life and Lorraine.  Many people don’t realize it, but people with special needs are the kindest, sweetest people you will probably ever meet.  They have such big hearts and their love is unconditional.  These people can teach you so much about life and love and those are the best qualities a person can have.  This article and Ron’s story touch me in a way I can’t even explain.  I hope he continues to chase his dreams and do the things he loves most with all the life he has left.

Article Link: http://www.mercurynews.com/topstories/ci_11700048?nclick_check=1

Related Site: http://fcsn.org/index.php

 

Online Essay

The online essay that I read was from an online source called the Oroville Mercury Register.  I chose this essay because it is about the streetlights in San Jose being replaced.  I have always hated the yellow streetlights and I never understood why they were yellow.  It was something small that has always bugged me.  When I have visited other cities growing up, I realized that San Jose is one of the few cities that have these ugly yellow lights.  Having no lights at all may be better than having the yellow lights that seem to just be distracting.

            This essay is about the plans that the city has to replace the yellow streetlights with new bright white lights.  Just because the yellow streetlights are ugly isn’t the reason the city is choosing to replace them.  Pedestrians, cops, and motorists have all often complained about our awful yellow streetlights.  They often make painted curbs harder to see and are often confused with traffic signals and lights.  The yellow streetlights are now not only an inconvenience, but a hazard. A quote from chapter 14 that explains the frustrations residents have been feeling for many years is, “How small changes in repetition call attention to something”.

            The city plans to replace 62,000 streetlights and have the project completed by 2022.  The new streetlights will be an LED version that will not only glow white, but cut energy costs in half.  Another bonus is that the new streetlights will be able to be controlled better when it comes to intensity and timing.

            This is a very interesting essay to me because I have always wondered why the streetlights in San Jose were yellow, and they have always bothered me.  It sounds like a great plan to get new white lights that make driving or walking the streets better for everyone.  The fact that we will be saving energy and eventually money also makes me very happy.  I just wish that the lights had replaced sooner.

(http://www.orovillemr.com/news/ci_11646883)

Print Essay

The printed essay I read is from the San Jose Mercury News.  I chose this article because I was interested to learn more about what the title was referring to.  The title is, “San Jose residents oppose public safety cuts as budget worsens, may accept sales tax hike or reduced library hours”.  This title caught my eye because a sales tax hike would affect my family, friends, and myself.  A quote from chapter 14 that helps me explain why I chose this essay to analyze is, “Smith’s title draws special attention to what otherwise seems like a small part of the overall story”. 

The essay is mainly about how an annual survey is given out to 1,000 randomly selected adults and how most of them were opposed to public safety cuts.  Many residents would rather make cuts when it comes to parks and libraries.  Many residents also would rather just swallow another tax hike than reduce the budget for public safety.  As much as I don’t want public safety to be compromised, increasing sales tax doesn’t sound so good to me either.  

The economy is suffering right now, and raising sales tax wouldn’t help many residents’ situations.  The sales tax increase would be a quarter-cent, but no matter how high or low the increase, it still adds up.  I realize that the city is unsure of what cuts to make first since they were forced on Tuesday to trim $9 million to keep the budget in balance.  The city has even searched for savings in order to keep all or mostly all the programs in action.  I completely understand the situation, but there has to be costs we can cut in other areas to ensure our public safety programs get as much funding as possible.  Who knows what may happen to our tax dollars in the near future.