Billions Spent To Teach C.E.O.'s to WRITE?

R. Craig Hogan received e-mail from prospective student. Student needed help. Boss wanted him to help improve workers writing skills. Employees write more on the job than previously. Study by NCW concluded a third of employees in blue-chip companies wrote poorly. Businesses spending as much as $3.1 billion on remedial training. Problem shows in e-mail and reports. Businesses need people who write clearly, many fall short. Millions of e-mails clog corporate computers and many are chaotically written, results in confusion. Even C.E.O.’s need writing help. Many write in inflated language.

What Do you think? Everyone believes that the internet has been nothing but good news for this generation, but is it detrimental to our writing skills as educated people?

Minimum Wage: Can We Help?

In my sociology class, I have an assignment in which we must discuss minimum wage. Minimum wage is an issue in this country, especially for those living with a family. A show called 30 days, is a show in which a man lives in conditions that most would seem hard to live, but does it for a cause. He does it to show the average american the issues that are barely discussed, and he wants to expose the average person to the issues, because in the end, we can help. Minimum wage was set up in 1938 for one reason. So people could live at the bare minimum living styles. It was setup so that one could just barely get by, and not have to worry about being dirt poor. Unfortunately, minimum wage was set up for a single person themselves, and did not take into consideration the fact that one working for minimum wage may start a family. Since 1977 minimum wage has only increased $2.10.

The man in the show tried living a month off of a $7.25/hr income, and found himself living in inhumane conditions, and a huge factor that seemed to affect him and his wife was healthcare. He found himself wasting a day in the free-clinic when he could have been working, and didn't even get to see a dr. because the line was so long. He was then forced to go to the emergency room. He got the bill at the end of the month, and it was over $500, which was more than his entire month's income. My point is, can we help those in any way living under minimum wage? As time passes, it seems that the people in this country act oblivious to issues unless they are the ones affected. What can we do to help the minimum wage affects?

Dreams Foreshadow?

I left a commented response to sunshyne's blog about her recent dreams. Visit her blog and express your thoughts about dreams at , http://sunshyne8701.blogspot.com/

Tattoos: Acceptable in Society?

What do you think about tattoos? Being a person with a couple of tattoos, I am usually scorned for having them. I don't understand why. Tattoos are a way to express yourself and even show that you are artistic and maybe at the same time a little bit different. People use blogs, people use clothing, and some use tattoos. Nearly all adults that I have some affiliation with that see my tattoos seem to hate on me. They ask why I would ruin my body with stupidity. I tell them that the tattoos I have are worth sentimental value to me, and I have them because I never want to forget the meaning behind them.

Honestly, yes I can do without my tattoos, but let me explain further. On my left shoulder, I have my initials: MCU III. I am proud to have the family name, and I consider it an honor. I wanted to make that public. On the other shoulder, I have a bulldog and the initials JYD under it. It stands for Junk Yard Dog. My family owns a scrap metal business, which is basically a junkyard.

My father got the tattoo when he was 35 years old, and my brother and I both thought that since one day we will be running the business, that we both get the tattoo my father had. When my brother and I showed my father, he seemed touched. My brother and I both wanted to express to our father that no matter what happens in the future, we will still be junk yard dogs at heart because the yard is what made our family what it is.

At first I used to think tattoos were for Harley riding bikers, perhaps this is why a vast amount of people have harsh opinions about them. But as I grew I realized the true reason. People get "tatted" up to express themselves and express the things they care about. I know a girl in my English and Psychology class that has some pretty serious tattoos. The colors alone on one of them is enough to surely catch one's eye, and just the design overall. While we were walking to our english class that followed our psychology class, she told me about how excited she was to be going to the tattoo parlor later that night to get a new tattoo she has been dying to get. When I listened to her explain exactly what she wanted to get, I could see a twinkle and sparkle in her eye. People who feel that tattoos are unacceptable, you need to realize why people do it and have respect for their reasons why. Don't be so quick to judge.

SHOUT OUT TO MY PSYCH AND ENGLISH BUDDY.....YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE

Argument: Friends/Family are necessary for productive leisure time

What do you think about the issue of leisure time spent in solitude vs leisure time spent with family or friends? I want you to kick back and think about it. Leisure time is a time where you put down all necessary work and do something that you want to do instead of the rigorous schedule you may have at work. It is best for one to achieve the goal of positive and effective leisure time by spending the time with family and/or friends. I believe that one achieves ultimate happiness when one is accompanied by a loved one or great friend. Why shouldn't this apply to leisure time? I also believe that spending time alone, only relates to the tedious work one may do throughout the day; all alone behind one's own cubicle doing solo work. I don't believe that it isn't possible to have leisure time by yourself, but I think that leisure time with an accomplice positively affects someone more than one who were to spend leisure time by themselves. Great evidence to support my argument is provided by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his book Finding Flow. Csikszentmihalyi is a professor of psychology and education at the University of Chicago, and has much experience in the field of psychology. Another source that supports my argument is a journal titled Sociology of Leisure on the JSTOR database by John Wilson. Wilson is a member of the sociology department at Duke University and talks about nearly every aspect of leisure. What do you think?

Affirmative Action: Promoter of Racism?

What do you think about Affirmative Action? I think its ridiculous. If I were living during the segregation era, I would be totally appalled, and stand up and fight for equal rights. I don't believe in any race being more superior than any other. We as a nation must understand that all men are created equally. I feel that all Affirmative Action is doing, is openly admitting to blacks that white people messed up, and for messing up, the blacks will be given preferential treatment. All Affirmative action is doing, is further promoting segregation and inequality. You take the poor white families living in the Carolinas or Mississippi or Alabama. Why should any race have preferential treatment? When senior high schoolers go to apply for colleges, there should be no race section. No person should be given any advantage in life because of the color of their skin. Affirmative Action should be abolished. I know what happened to blacks was horrible, and the fact that I'm white, I can't really express the pain.

To let you all know, I do have black family in Hickory, North Carolina. I have heard their stories, and trust me I felt their pain. I'm proud to have such a diverse family, and I wish I were there in the past to stand up for the blacks. In all reality, I wasn't. I'll tell you this though, all affirmative action is doing is further promoting racism and favoritism. Think about it though.....do these universities that follow affirmative action truly believe in it, or are they doing it for the wrong reasons? You make the decision

Wet feet, Dry feet Policy

Being born and raised in the County of Dade is something I value. I have never moved houses that were more than 5 miles away from each other. Living in an area of Miami that is extremely overpopulated with Cubans is an issue I have to live with. It is annoying because Cubans have no respect for the American way of life, no respect for our laws, and what pisses me off most, is that nearly all of them are illegal immigrants. They are living in my city, and living off of the taxes that my family and friends pay. But the fact that they are illegal immigrants, and there are no records of their existence, they get to benefit from the money we pay as American Citizens. The wet feet, dry feet policy came into accordance in 1995 when Bill Clinton said that we would stop admitting people into this country that were caught at sea. Those caught at sea represented the wet feet part, and would be sent back to Cuba or a third country. Those that made it to dry land, and had "dry feet," were allowed into this country, and would later be qualified for legal U.S. citizenship. But even when they are given the chance to become citizens, many of them don't even try.

This is where it gets tricky. A couple of years ago, there was the issue of Elian Gonzalez. The young boy who fled Cuba with his mother to escape his father, who was said to be an abusive father and husband. The boy along with multiple other Cuban refugees, were caught at sea before making it to dry land. Unfortunately, Elian's mother had died on the trip over. The fact that Elian's only family besides his father was located in Miami. The problem is that he didn't make it to dry land. The boy was put into the house of his grandmother, and a huge protest occurred. Fidel Castro argued with the American government that Elian must be shipped back to Cuba. The American government had no problem with sending him back, but the Cuban community was not allowing it. This is where I became infuriated. These illegal immigrants, who were living in Miami at the time went to the Freedom Tower in Miami and began to protest and rant; Causing traffic jams and riots. The only way to take care of this issue was to sneak into the house, and take the boy. (top picture) Easter night, a group of government soldiers ransacked the house Elian was in and took him away from his family. In the end, he was sent back to Cuba. Protests continued saying that the boy should be in Miami. What do you think? I don't think any government policies should be bent for anyone because before you know it, others will be bent.

Another issue of this, is that if it applies for Cubans, why shouldn't it apply to Haitians. When I was in 7th grade, i boat full of Haitians made it into biscayne bay. They were being jumped by the U.S. Coast Guard, (bottom picture) they knew that the only way to be allowed to stay here was by making it to dry land. I was watching the news around 5:00 p.m., and I see the live news feed of hundreds of Haitians running crazily on the biscayne bridge. All of the Haitians were apprehended, and deported back to Haiti because of the reason they were trying to flee. They weren't trying to avoid "persecution" like the Cubans claimed they were. The Haitians were fleeing because of their horrible living conditions and low wages in their own country. They were unable to make an income that was enough to live off of. Do you honestly think Cubans came here because they feared their lives? No way, they wanted to live in the greatest country in the world and experience the American Dream; just like the Haitians. Is it fair that the hundreds of Haitians were deported? Or should the wet feet, dry feet policy apply to Haitians as well?