The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Presentations

A good presenter uses many different techniques to make sure the presentation goes over smoothly.  The first thing they need to do is make sure that they catch the readers attention at the very beginnings. They also have to make sure that their presentation (mostly the media) flows smoothly. There also needs to be a logical progression of what they are talking about. Finally its okay if they stumble over a word, but they have to take a second and collect their thoughts to get back on track.

A bad presenter rushes through the material. They start right into the presentation and don’t have an introduction. They aren’t sure of the order of their presentation and need to look at the screen to see what comes next. They also don’t make much eye contact with the audience and don’t give them any time to think about what they are saying.

Rhetoric of OP-ED

An op-ed piece should have a clean position on an issue, but not blatantly state the position. The writer needs to use reliable facts to back up the issue. The tone and writing style of the piece should not be to formal. It should sound a little like a conversational piece. In the first paragraph the writer should introduce the issue, and in the final paragraph the writer should come back to the issue, but still not blatantly state their opinion. The purpose is to inform the reader and let them come to a conclusion themselves, even when the writers position should be made clear. Also, 750 word limit.

Changes in 5 Areas

1. Need to reorganize my data

2. Progression works

3. Not Sure

4. Make audience more involved

5. Research fits

The Green Fad

I think a lot of the hype about going green is a fad. There are too many people in the world who try to be environmentally friendly just because everyone else is doing it. People brag about their hybrids, start shopping at only eco-friendly stores, and wear green clothing. All this would be great except that most people just care about their image and aren’t really in it for the planet. And the worst part about a fad is that it always dies out. What happens when people start to lose interest in going green and find something else  to do?

Exploitation of the Environmental Movement

Many companies exploit the environmental movement by donating funds towards green projects. They act as though they are doing so much to help the environment and be green. The reality is that most companies could be giving so much more money then they actually do. The only reason they actually do donate is for the positive reputation.

Companies also market their products as green products or eco-friendly products when in reality nothing has changed in the product. Most of the time the product isn’t eco-friendly, but just eco-neutral. The companies try to make people think that by buying theit products they are saving the environment.

Many auto companies also exploint the environmental movement with their hybrid cars. The hybrid car isn’t that much more efficient then regular cars and throughout it’s production process can have a bigger foot print  then regular cars. The auto industry taps into the guilt of people and exploits the people who actually want to go green by selling a hybrid version of their cars for a couple thousand more dollars.

The purpose of Project 1

1. Become aware of the different rhetorical strategies

2. Not just be aware, but also know the purpose of each strategy

3. To build our analytical skills

Bazerman’s Quote

Bazerman is stating that the publishing of scientific findings does not do any harm or invalidate the findings themselves, as long as the public doesn’t interpret them the wrong way. He says that the only way the publication of scientific findings would do devaluate the findings is if the public thought they came out perfectly with no errors and are immediately considered correct. Any scientific finding that gets published will be read and analyzed and even tested, before they are known as the “pure word of truth.” He says the realize this, one must also realize that we live in a human world and are not perfect.

Differences in Strategies

One of the differences from my version of the UM recycling article and the actual article is the tone used. I thought that my tone was a little less formal than the one used in the article. This is because I was writing for a blog and whoever wrote the article was writing for a much larger audience, so they used a more formal tone. There was also a difference in the language and style used. The article was written as a report, which it was, and used a very factual language. The style of my version was more of a synopsis using language that was less complex.

U Recycle?

In an attempt to revamp UM’s recycling program, starting this semester, single-stream recycling will be used at all five residential colleges, the apartment area, University Village, and at some marine campus buildings.

Last semester students were faced with the burden of having to separate their recyclables into the two bins designated for mixed paper or comingled containers. Single-Stream recycling uses only one bin. The idea is that you can put any recyclable into the bin, which is then taken to Pembroke Pines where men and machines separate the contents. “Single-Stream makes recycling a lot easier and helps us reduce out waste on campus,” says Ken Capezzuto the director of environmental health and safety. The single-stream recycling bins can even take items like soft-covered books, file folders, and catalogs.

There was an attempt to institute the program at the Miller School of Medicine, but problems arose with patient confidentiality. Paper from the School of Medicine containing private patient information is dealt with differently. It is put into secure bins and taken to Goodwill where it is first shredded then sent off to a recycling plant.

Also, around campus half of the 160 trash bins have been converted into recycling bins with blue tops. This is an attempt to reduce trash around campus and give students, faculty, and visitors a place to recycle when walking around.

UM started recycling on campus in 1991, but the program never gained any momentum. However, three years ago “Green U” was started and has pumped new life into recycling on campus. Currently, about 25 tons of material is recycled each month.

Our president, Donna E. Shalala, signed the American college and University Presidents Climate Committee two years ago. This led to a Greenhouse Gas Inventory of the campus, which is a report of the carbon footprint for the last nine years. The purpose is to find the best ways to reduce the size of the footprint. Already the campus has converted all of the Hurry ‘Cane Shuttles to biodiesel fuel, introduced UBike which offers affordable bikes to students, and started a new Public Transportation Program for employees. Since the new the program there has been an increase of 1,200 to 3,000 employees who use public transportation to get to and from work.

Who is Lisa Jackson?

Lisa Jackson has been around for quite some time now, but her presence hasn’t been rather low key. Unless you are big on the environment, then you probably haven’t heard of her. Jackson most recently came into public light when President Barack Obama nominated her for the position of the Administrator of the EPA on December 15, 2008. The U.S. Senate has already upheld Obama’s nomination, and as of January 23, 2009 she became the 1^st African-American and 4^th woman to hold the position.

Lisa Perez Jackson was born February 8, 1962 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Within weeks of her birth she was adopted and was relocated with her new family in New Orleans, Louisiana where she spent her childhood and adolescent years. She graduated summa cum laude from the Tulane University School of Chemical Engineering and went on to get her master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University. After finishing school she spent 16 years with the Environmental Protection Program (EPA) as the Assistant Commissioner of Compliance and Enforcement. During her time with the EPA she worked with the federal Superfund to reinforce hazardous waste cleanup in the US, most specifically in New Jersey. This led to her next position in 2005, where she worked for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection as Assistant Commissioner for Land use Management. She developed programs in New Jersey to help with land use regulation, water supply and regulation, and conducted geological surveys.

Prior to being nominated by President Obama she had just been named Chief of Staff to the Governor of New Jersey, which is the second highest position in the state government. Now that she is the Administrator of the EPA, she says the top threat is climate change, but there is still much more that the nation needs to do, including hazardous waste cleanup. Everyone who meets her says she is an extremely intelligent person, but she also likes to have fun. She was known for her annual Mardi Gras party, but hasn’t had one since Hurricane Katrina destroyed the house she grew up in. I think the nation as a whole hopes she can do her job efficiently and help to get the U.S. on the right track with strongly enforced environmental programs.