Friday, June 5, 2009

My English 98 Experience

Table of Contents


All about me-portfolio


Introduction to Piece One


Ethical Standards in Business


Introduction to Piece Two


Poker


Introduction to Piece Three


Handguns at Issue


Introduction to Piece Four


My Service Learning Journey


All about me-portfolio

Hello,
My name is Scott and I am a 43-year-old college student trying to find my way through life’s obstacles. I am in the process of finishing my first quarter here at Everett Community College and I have definitely forgotten how difficult and time-consuming school can be since I graduated in 1985 (24 years ago) from Edmonds High School.

I am a father to four beautiful and feisty girls, who much like their mother, like to test me daily and know how the eye roll and the sweet “Daddy” works on me, most of the time anyway. My family has been supportive of my return to school, and my girls never miss an opportunity to look at me with the biggest and brightest smiles that they could possibly ever have and say, “daddy have you done YOUR homework today?” In all honesty, I will never again complain about listening to my children complain about their homework, the dread of this has most definitely come back to me. Having to set a good example for my children though I certainly cannot let them know I do not particularly like doing homework, rather I put on a smile and make sure they see me studying hard.

I came to this point in my life by accident, literally. I was involved in a horrible falling accident at work, which has prevented me from continuing my career as a HVAC Master Service Tech. This is most unfortunate for me because I enjoyed my work very much and I was exceptionally good at it. It took a lot of hard of hard work, effort, and dedication for me to reach the level in my career in which I was at, but my body just simply cannot handle the physical demands required to perform many of the functions of the job. I have always known that life has its ways of throwing curve balls that at times can require one to make major changes in their life, and I have had no other choice but to accept the fact that I have been thrown a curve ball! I thank God that things did not end up being worse than what they are and I try my hardest to stay positive.

Having to start an entirely new career now, moving into something that my body will be able to physically handle, with no doubt meant that I had to go back to school for something. After weeks of reading through materials from different local colleges and online, 3D Engineering Graphics and AutoCAD struck my interests the most so I enrolled in the Advanced Manufacturing Tech – Computer Aided Design (CAD) Program at Everett Community College to obtain my Associate in Technical Arts Degree and a new challenging journey for me has begun.

With all honesty, when I say my journey will be “challenging”, oh boy do I ever mean it! The reason being, I am completely computer illiterate! Yes, you really read that correctly, I am computer illiterate, but I have always loved a good challenge and with this one, I will certainly have my work cut out for me. Additionally, although I consider myself a well-educated man, I tend to get a bit nervous when anticipating some of the tasks that will most likely be required for a job in this field. The one task I worry most about is “written communication”. Exactly how much of this will be required? I have excellent verbal communication skills, but my writing skills have always been marginal at best. In fact, the last time I really ever had to do much writing (of any kind) was back in high school, I am currently in English 98, and this class has certainly changed that for me!

I am actually glad that English turned out to be one of my very first classes because I am leaving here not only with more knowledge, but I now understand the great importance in having the ability to write well. Although I have had some struggles along the way, mainly with the use of the comma, I have improved with things like cutting down on the use of “you” when I write. Overall, I truly believe this class has taught me to be a better reader, listener, and most importantly, a better writer. It has certainly given me the self-confidence and desire to continue with advancing in my writing.

For this portfolio, I have chosen four of my writing pieces that I enjoyed writing the most. The first piece is a major writing assignment titled “Ethical Standards in Business”. I personally believe that people in certain professions should be held to higher standards, and that is the focus of this paper. My second writing piece is an effective writing example in which I titled “Poker”. In this piece, I discuss the play of Texas–Hold Em and close with how I have a love for the game myself. “Hand Guns at Issue”, my third piece that I have chosen to present here, is an analytical writing that discusses the controversial topic of handguns, and as a pro-gun advocate myself I provided my two cents as well. For my final writing piece, a writer’s choice paper, I chose a blog I wrote on my Service Learning Project. This piece depicts the difference in contrast of my attitude from the beginning of this project to present.

Introduction to Piece One

First I chose my major writing assignment “Ethical Standards in Business”, written on April 24, 2009. This paper will show the use of the dreaded comma and the nonuse of “you”. “Holding people in certain professions to a higher standard is establishing the tone to creating the “greater good” for all people”.

Ethical Standards in Business

Holding people in certain professions to a higher standard is establishing the tone to creating the “greater good” for all people. People in certain professions should be held to higher standards of responsibility and legal accountability. For instance, if a reporter makes a wrong statement, it can be fairly easy to correct; however if a doctor/health care worker makes an error it can be a disaster.

The effects of a reporter’s false comments could cause some embarrassment or even complicate a person’s life, But words and statements can be altered to make things right. Usually the publication will settle with a monetary fine and a public apology statement, setting the situation right.

An error at the hands of a healthcare worker is one that is irreversible in many instances. This can result in a malpractice lawsuit or even the loss of the right to practice medicine. Major errors in the healthcare field are not only disturbing to those who hear of such situations through media publications, but it affects the lives of those who are directly involved with the one who has died or left impaired.

Of course, in any profession, there is going to be some amount of human error; this will never change because no human being is perfect. However, that is not to say that errors on one person’s part should happen with any frequency.

Professions that require more legal accountability and responsibility also require more education. These professionals are more knowledgeable than the average person in their respective fields and therefore more qualified to handle the tasks that the position hands them. Nobody would want just anyone performing open heart surgery on them; they would want a board certified surgeon who they know has obtained the required degree(s) and has spent the time working in the medical field. Although no one can force a person to be ethical or moral, if they do the requirements that are called for, they can enter into a profession such as the medical field.

Ultimately, the moral worth of actions or practices is determined by their consequences

Introduction to Piece Two

My second major writing assignment is my choice for an example of effective writing skills, it was first written April 29, 2009. I chose to write to an audience of beginning poker players. This piece is written in a clear voice that will take the reader through the step by step play of Texas Hold Em.

Poker

Poker “A card game played by two or more persons, in which the players bet on the value of their hands, the winner taking the pool” (Dictionary.com 2009).

Texas Hold 'Em is undoubtedly the most popular and complex poker game being played around the world today. Both men and women alike are spending countless hours attempting to master the game. The many variables of the game include poker knowledge, betting practices, mathematical odds, and pure luck, making it a game that cannot be mastered.

Poker knowledge of the four suits of cards and basic hand combinations is required to know when playing. The suits are as follows: diamonds, hearts, spades, and clubs; 2 through ace; ace being the highest. A player also needs to know the winning order of hands, which are as followed:

• High Card - whoever’s card is the highest. 2 to the ace.
• Pairs – two cards the same (2, 2)
• Two pair- two pairs of cards the same (5, 5 & 7, 7)
• Three of A Kind – three cards the same (8, 8, 8)
• Straight - 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 in any suit
• Flush - Any five cards of the same suit
• Full house - Three cards the same 7, 7, 7, and two others the same 5, 5
• Four of A Kind - A, A, A, A
• Straight Flush - 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 all of the same suit
• Royal Straight - 10, J, Q, K, A, of any suit
• Royal Straight Flush - 10, J, Q, K, A, all of the same suit

The basics for the play of Texas Hold 'Em include the following:
Two cards are dealt face down to each player (known as a players hole cards), followed by the first round of betting. After the first round of betting is complete, the first three community cards are dealt face up (called the flop), followed by the second round of betting. Next, the fourth community card is dealt face up (called the turn or fourth street), followed by the third round of betting. Finally, the fifth community card is dealt face up (called the river or fifth street), followed by the fourth and final round of betting. A player can use any combination of their two hole cards and the five community cards to create the best possible five card hand” (Answers.com 2009).

When starting the game with 52 cards in the deck the odds and betting will change with each card dealt, along with the number of players starting the hand, and the number of players in the hand after the flop, the turn, and river. This makes the computation of figuring odds an infinite number. The length of time it takes for someone actually to become skilled at betting practices combined with figuring mathematical odds is of course different for everyone, but there are many great books, articles, and websites available to help a person with learning anything from the most basic skills, techniques, and strategies to the most advanced of these.
Despite the fundamental knowledge of the game and the mathematical knowledge of odds, the element of luck is always present. For instance, any new player could sit at the same table with a skilled player and at the end of the game, due to dumb luck, be just as successful as the seasoned player is, for that particular game anyway.

Here is an example:

Scott and Phebe are in a Texas Hold 'Em game and the other four players at the table fold before the flop leaving the two to battle. Phebe is dealt a J, 7 and Scott is dealt a pair of aces. Scott bets $500 and Phebe calls. The flop comes out as J, 5, 8. Scott bets $1000 and Phebe calls, thinking her J’s are the best. Then comes the turn card, which is a 2. Scott bets $2500 thinking he is ahead in the hand, and Phebe calls thinking she is ahead.

The river card comes, and it is a 7. Now showing on the board is J, 5, 8, 2, 7. Scott fires $4000 thinking that his aces beat a paired board card. Phebe calls seeing how she has now made two pair, J’s and 7’s. Although Phebe was behind during the entire hand with a pair of J’s, she got lucky on the River with a 7 to make two pair and win the hand. All due to dumb luck!

Introduction to Piece Three

I’ve chosen “Handguns at Issue” as my third piece of writing to share with you. It is a controversial topic, but something I wanted to talk about. Although this topic could fuel many arguments, see what you think about it.

Handguns at Issue

Violence is one of the most rapid growing Public Health concerns society faces today and much of that violence unfortunately does not escape the involvement or use of guns. The problem is however, many people tend to place blame on the guns themselves as opposed to those who are pulling the trigger. What some people may fail to realize, as David Kopel, the Research Director for the Independence Institute states, is that “Guns in the right hands make all people safer, including those who do not own guns.” (par.2)

All the controversy over handguns throughout America is certainly nothing new, but these debates will always be just that, debates. Although I respect the views of those on both sides of the fence, I firmly believe in and appreciate my Constitutional right to bear arms. Safety and protection are among several of the reasons why I choose to keep guns in my own home. I want to be able to protect my family at all costs if the need ever arose. Burglaries happen all the time, and although the average burglar will avoid a house if people are at home, there are those instances where the family is not that fortunate. In fact, Kopel touches on this very subject in his article “Guns in the right hands make all people safer, including those who do not own guns.” In providing actual percentages, Kopel states: that “In a survey of felony convicts in state prisons, 73 percent of the convicts who had committed a burglary or violent crime agreed “one reason burglars avoid houses when people are home is that they fear being shot.” Another study found that over 90 percent of burglars said that they would not even attempt a burglary in a house that they thought might be occupied” (par. 8). However, “When burglars do encounter victims who cannot protect themselves, the results can be terrifying. In 30 percent of the cases in which a burglar does confront a victim, the victim is assaulted or threatened, and in ten percent of these cases, the assaults turn into rapes” (Kopel, par 18).

The high violent crime rate in the United States where guns are involved is a horrible epidemic and it definitely needs addressing; however, the anti-gun advocates place blame on the guns themselves, and not the criminals who use them and this is simply a wrong way of thinking. Let me put it to you this way, you could set a gun down on a table and watch it all day long and rest assured, the gun is not going to jump off the table and kill someone.

This brings me to mention another article in the SFexaminer, “Gun Control Restricts Those Least Likely to Commit Crimes,” written by Don B Kates, a fellow researcher at the Independent Institute in Oakland and a criminologist and former professor of criminal and constitutional law. Kates talks about there being three types of people groups in the U.S where laws currently ban them from having guns, felons, juveniles and those who are mentally unstable. Among these three groups, felons are responsible for 90% of murders committed leaving the juveniles and the mentally unstable responsible for the other 10 % (par. 2).

Even though statistics show 15 percent of all Americans have criminal records, and that more than 90 percent of murder suspects have a history of crime. Their criminal careers average six or more years’ length, including four major adult felonies, in addition to their often extensive juvenile records. A New York Times study of the 1,662 murders in that city between 2003 and 2005 found that “more than 90 percent of the killers had criminal records” (Kates, par. 4). Additionally, “eighty percent of the Atlanta murder arrestees had previously been arrested at least once for a drug offense; 70 percent had three or more prior drug arrests — in addition to their arrests for other crimes. Naïve, well-meaning people often respond to such facts with, “Still, wouldn’t this be a better world without guns?” (Kates, pars. 4, 6). In my opinion, no it would not be a better world without guns.

Americans who continue to own guns and stand up for their constitutional right to bear arms to protect their homes and families provide a safer environment for all. This includes making it safer for those who do not own guns, and even for those who are against gun ownership all together.




References

Kates, Don. “Gun Control Restricts Those Least Likely to Commit Violent Crimes.” 5 April 2009. San Francisco Examiner. Web. 9 May 2009.

Kopel, David. "Guns in the Right Hands Make Society Safer." Guns and Crime. Tamara L. Roleff, At Issue Series. Greenhaven Press, 2000. Reprinted from David Kopel, "Burglary and the Armed Homestead," Chronicles, January 1998, with permission.
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Web. 9 May 2009.
Gale Document Number: EJ3010015204

Introduction to Piece Four

For the last piece I’ve chosen a writing that was blog 3 for my service learning project. I really did not want to do this part of the coarse, but as it turns out, I really like it . Just the little bit that I do at the food bank is a very big deal to the people that we help.

My Service Learning Journey

My service learning site is the Lake Stevens food bank.I have been volunteering there for the quarter thus far and I've logged about 22 hours.The food bank has humbled me in that I have become more aware of the status of my community. As I've said before , I could be helping a homeless guy with his groceries or a woman with a child to her new escalade with a sack of groceries for her family.It doesnt matter how you dress or what you drive,everyone is being affected by the economy nowdays.I havent built a school or womens shelter but I know that my 2.5 to 3 hours a week has helped the people in my community undoubtably. I feel good about it also,in the beginning of the quarter I wasnt so hip on it but I am good with it now.Greg Mortenson did things on a different scale to what we are, but the fact is it really doesnt take a terrible amount of effort to help out your fellow man.Yes schedules can be very difficult to adjust but if at all possible,when you can make it happen,the a feeling you will get in return is worth it.I have people call me by name now (customers)and I've made a bond with the kids come to the food bank.I do simple things like offer up a nice piece of fruit or maybe an ice cream,or at times we've had little toys to hand out to the kids.It has been a great expierience for me and I am going to continue to volunteer ther as long as they will have me.