Focus On Presentation

Some things that I will focus on while giving my presentation are to use the same cues that I would to the listening audience as I would to the reading audience. The way I would do this is to use a thesis statement, transitions, summaries and visual aids. Using these different techniques will help keep the audiences attention. I know that when I am listening/watching a presentation, the most interesting ones are when the presenter uses props and keeps things simple. Wordy and congested presentations are often dull and boring. Other techniques I will use are to rehearse the presentation and deliver it in a professional way.

Working with partners can at some moments be very frustrating because I would like to know what is going on, and know that everything is getting done. However, with the presentation we are doing now in class I like having partners. It allows more help and imput. I am working with two people who seem just as dedicated as me in the progress of this report. I think things will work out just fine.

Complications Presentations Research Plan

The Day in the Life of an EMT

• History/what an EMT is, define the role.......you tube video
• Training/Schooling needed
• First Day on the Job (experience)
• Career Length
• Salaries
• Working Hours
• Promotion Oppurunities
• "Days Work"
• Conclusion-Sum it up

EMT/Ambulance: Brainstorming

Here are some question that I thought of....

• 

• What schooling is needed?


• What are the different sirens used for?


• How do EMT's decipher which medication to use?


• How do they decipher who needs to be taken by Ambulance?


• Is there a certain time limit that EMT's have to get to a scene?

• Do you need to be in a certain physical/age requirement?


• What is an EMT's schedule like?


• Who decides who drives the Ambulance?


• What type of training is needed to drive the Ambulance?


• Why is Ambulance spelled backwards?


• Do EMT's get grossed out at all?

Idiomatic Verbs Used in English

As I was looking through the St. Martins Guide to witting trying to figure out what to write on; I came across a topic that I don't nessecarily have a problem with, but I thought was interesting. What I discovered were idiomatic verbs. These words and phrases are used frequently in the English language; but typically only natives to this language actually get the meaning of them. They are two or three word (or phrasal) verbs, and typically combined a verb with a word that appears to be a preposition or an adverb, that cannot be understood literally. To better get an idea of what idiomatic verbs are check out the examples bellow.

hand in means submit
hand out means distribute
look into means investigate
look out for means watch carefully
run away means leave without warning
walk out means abandon
want out means desire to be free of responsibility

If someone from another language were too try and interpret these saying literally they would be confused and most of the time wrong. English speaking natives, generally will give the correct or above mentioned interpretations. I thought this was an interesting topic, because I never really thought about these words in this way. I have always just assumed them not to be an issue, and everyone knew that they weren't intended to be taken literally.

Revised Paragraph from Pro Con Paper

It is a proven fact that while working out or doing an activity it makes us hot and sweaty. It is also a proven fact that those who live in warmer climates get something to drink more often. With both of these facts being put together, comes the idea of putting less fluoride in those who live in warmer climates water. This idea has been thought of and processed as to how much fluoride should be added to water. Those who live in warmer climates tend to get drinks more often then those who live in colder ones. Therefore, meaning they don’t need as much fluoride in the water. According to table 33-1, on page 550, of the Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist book, it gives information pertaining to this topic. When the temperature is a little colder between 50-53.7 degrees F the fluoride concentration is 1.2 parts per million (ppm), when the outside temperature warms up between 58.4- 62.8 degrees F the concentration is 1.0 ppm, and when the temperature is hot between 79.3-90.5 degrees F the concentration is 0.7. Typically the ppm added to the water is in-between 0.7-1.2, what it all coming down to though is the temperature of the outside weather.

Revised:
It is a proven fact that while working out or doing an activity makes us hot and sweaty, leaving us thirsty. It is also a proven fact that those who live in warmer climates get something to drink more often. With both of these facts being put together, creates the idea of putting less fluoride in those who live in warmer climates water. A logical idea such as how much concentrate to add has been thoroughly thought about and actually tested, and proven this hypothesis correct. According to table 33-1, on page 550, of the Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist book, it gives information pertaining to this topic. When the temperature is a little colder between 50-53.7 degrees F the fluoride concentration is 1.2 parts per million (ppm), when the outside temperature warms up between 58.4- 62.8 degrees F the concentration is 1.0 ppm, and when the temperature is hot between 79.3-90.5 degrees F the concentration is 0.7. Typically the amount added to the water is in-between 0.7-1.2 ppm, depending on the climate. If the amount gets any higher then 1.2 ppm, is when it starts becoming dangerous. Having the correct amount of fluoride concentrate added into water is key too creating and revealing a healthy smile.

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

A transitive verb is incomplete without a direct subject. To get a better understanding of what that is actually saying, lets look at a few examples. The shelf holds three books and a glass vase, the committee named a new chairperson, the child broke the plate. All of those sentences have a direct subject being used, holds, named, and broke. Without these a sentence can become boring and confusing. The following are some examples of when there are no transitive verb, but there should have been. The shelf holds, the committee named, or the child broke. Those sentences seem to stop and leave us thriving for more information.

Intransitive verbs cannot take a direct subject. To better understand this one the following examples help explain it. This plant has thrived on the south windowsill. Has thrived is the intransitive verb and the prepositional phrase, on the south windowsill, describes where the plant has thrived. Another example is, the train from Montreal has arrived four hours late. The ins transitive verb, has arrived takes no direct object, and the noun phrase four hours late acts as an adverb describing when the train arrived. One more example just to help get the idea is, the painting was hung on the south wall of the room. Was hung is the intransitive verb because its not taking the direct object, and on the south wall of the room is describing where the painting was hung.

I have had trouble mostly with using the transitive verbs. I tend to start writing and have too many other things on my mind to remember to finish my sentences. The things i find best that helps me is to set my writing aside and come back to it later. This insure that I catch all my stupid mistakes. If you want to find more information on these verbs visit this website, it has really great information and is from a reliable source.

Complications Part 1

WOW!! I really like this book a lot! I have had a hard time putting it down. One thing that I really like is, that he tells personal accounts; it makes the book more interring. It would be hard being a doctor and having to worry about, is this person going to die on my table. That would be the worst part of becoming a doctor, in my opinion. Gawande was telling of an account he had had when trying to help a trauma patient. The woman's vitals were fine but she was having a slight problem breathing on her own. Trying to get the tube down her trough, wasn't working, and with each try her vitals would start to slip. This soon led Gawande and eventually another doctor to give her an emergency "trache". The women pulled threw, luckily, she was very close to death. Another thing I found interesting is that some things come naturally to some doctors and not to others. Central lines for example, was something Gawande had trouble with, but with practice and much dedication things eventually clicked and he was able to preform the task. In general I really enjoy this book, it puts doctors in a completely new light. I respect them even more then I did before.

Apostrophes

There are many times when writing an essay that I get scared and a little nervous that my grammar wont be or isn't good. I just recently had an example of this is. Last night I submitted my paper to the writing center online, I am pretty sure I didn't use the correct grammar. I got a little nervous that they might read my email and not want to actually read my essay...haha The issue wasn't if the correct word was used or where to put the comma, it was, where does the apostrophe go? I have always had trouble with those little guys.

In the St. Martin Guide to Writing, it helps us determine where and when to put them. There are many options you can choose from, but the ones I am going to tell you are the ones I have the most trouble with. One option is to place the apostrophe so that it marks the possessive form of nouns and some pronouns. First you have to distinguish though if it is a singular noun (one item) or a plural (two or more items). Some examples are...a student's parents, the cat's tail, Katie's essay. These show who has the possession. Be careful where you place the apostrophes you don't want the reader to mistake your word for a plural noun instead of a singular one; it can completely change the entire outlook of your sentence. An example of this can be, The apartment's design lacks softening curves to tame the bare walls. If the apostrophe had been placed after the s it would mean more the one apartment looked that way.

A lot of people have trouble, including me, when or if you place apostrophes in personal pronouns. When you are using possessive forms of personal pronouns you don't need to put an 's in words such as, yours, its, hers, his, ours, theirs, etc. It's a common mistake too make.

Hopefully as we continue to writing we will be able to find where these tricky little apostrophes go, and not them get to the best of us.

Please Give Me Some Advice

If you could post your response to my essay here, that would be greatly appricated!! I look forward to this!! THANK YOU!!

David Lee- Poet

Last Wenesday I attended the poet, David Lees reading. I wasn't sure of what to expect because, I had never attended anything of the sort. The reading was very interesting because you actually get to see where he wanted to put an emphasie and where he wanted to make it more dramatic. David Lee was quite funny, he would use a lot of hand guesters, and change his voice tone and pitch. Some of his poems were really enjoyable, but there were some that I just didn't get. I would enjoy going to another reading.

Mixed Constructions in Sentences

I know I just did this in class today, but when I write things down and put them in a place that I look often, I remember them. The question is what are mixed constructions? Sentences that change structures midway through, and they don't logically fit well together. I have a problem with this because I will often start writing with no purpose. I start a sentence with one idea and end it with another. This is a habit I need to break. In a tutorial about mixed constructions by Bedford/St. Martin's it helps us get a better understanding of these sentences. From this article there are three things they suggest you do; make sure phrases or clauses work well together, make subjects and predicates consistent or agree, and avoid the constructions; is when, is where, the reason is....because. The follow are some examples that can help us better understand.

Make phases or clauses work:

Wrong: The fact that the marathon is twenty-six miles, a length that explains why I never have finished it.

This sentence starts out with an independent clause (the fact) which is followed by a dependent clause (that the marathon is twenty-six miles). All this sentence needed was a predicate to make it complete, but instead it added another noun (a length) and dependent clause (that explains why I never finished it).

Corrected: The marathon is twenty-six miles, which is why I never have finished it.

Subject Predicate Agreement:

Wrong: The most valued trait in an employee is a person who is loyal.

The reason why this doesn't work is because a person cannot be a trait. The way it reads right now is saying that it is.

Correct: The most valued trait in an employee is loyalty.

Avoiding is when, is where, the reason is....because:

Wrong: Indigestion is when you cannot digest food.

You are using is when.

Correct: Indigestion is the inability to digest food.

As you fix this sentences they become easier to read, and less confusing.

Painting Review

The support by Rolinda Stotts is captivating because of the contrast, texture, and symmetry. The instant I looked at this painting I fell in love with it. Its warmth is very inviting, and reassuring. This is done by the contrast/color palette Rolinda chose. Upon first glance you see white aspens popping off a brown textured canvas. The painting doesn't look like it was done on normal canvas though; it looks like it was done on a piece of wood. I believe this was done on purpose, to keep the same theme of trees alive. Looking at the painting closely you can see that there is a distinct texture. When you get closer it looks as though it is bark. The painting also creates a nice symmetric look making it look clean and crisp.

I think Rolinda created a piece of artwork that is absolutely amazing. There are so many different feelings that come from it; you can feel happy, peaceful, warm, etc. That’s the beauty of artwork; you can interpret something completely different then the next. Rolinda probably thought of her painting completely different then what we did. I think that is the intent of a painting like this, to allow others to think for themselves.

Do you have questions?

One question I have often wondered is, who manufactures companies? This type of question has always been something of interest. When finding out who manufactures a certain type of food, it always catches me off guard, I never expect the outcome. Would you have guessed that the company who manufactures Starburst is Mars? I sure didn't. It defiantly caught my attention.

Starburst

Manufacturer
Candy
Marketing
Different Types
Flavors
Ingredients
U.S. or Global
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Avoiding Slang

When I'm writting I tend to use lame 0r dull words making my writting boring. I usually write how I would talk, which isn't appropriate in most writtings. When your texting, then yes, you can write how you would talk; but when writting an essay, resume, etc. then its no longer appropriate. In the St. Martins Guide to Writting it talks more about this, and how we need to avoid using slang. The following of some sentences that help us better understand what we are talking about.
Approriate use of Slang for talking about a remembered event:
"This weather is awesome for peeling out. You oughta try it sometime."

Inapproriate Slang when addressed to college professors:
"Parties are an excellent way to blow off steam and take a break from the presures of college."

There are some ideas you can use to help you fix your slang. Replace slang expressions with more formal words, or replace with more discriptive words. Here are some examples to help you get an idea of what I'm talking about.

We shouldn't dis these girls. (replace dis with criticize)

The cast of the movie was awesome. (replace awesome with impressive)

The cast of the move was awesome. (replace was awesome with vividly embodied the historical characters)

To put it simple use your judgement when going to use slang, and think about the context you are using it in.

Best Movie Review

A movie that deserves to receive an Oscar is Ladder 49. The whole time watching you can't help but think, what’s going to come next, what is going to happen to this person, etc. Good movies keep the audiences attention, keeping the audience captivated. Ladder 49 has a well written plot, great actors, and the quality of the movie itself was great.

An important factor that decides if a movie is actually good or not; is the plot. It’s important to keep the interest of the audience alive. While watching this movie, you are put right in the place of a fire fighter, allowing you to feel like you are experiencing exactly what they are. There are many emotions that unfold because of events going on, but that is what makes this movie so good.

The actors in the movie are not very well known, but they do an excellent job at portraying their character. One actor that you might recognize and that has drawn an audience is Joaquin Phoenix. His plays a strong role, and does a wonderful job really captivating the audience and keeping us intrigued the entire time.

The quality of this movie is great, it looked very real. It is obvious that this movie wasn't just put together quickly, it was well thought out and planned. You can also tell that there was money put into it as well. This is apparent because the scenery looks real. It doesn’t look like they just made a miniature scale, and called it good. There are scenes in the movie where you can see this; the time spent to make it look good. A new rookie was just hired onto the job and went to his first fire. You are taken into the fire with him, but the cool thing is that you get to actually see and almost feel just what the fire looks like from their perspective. Another time we are taken into an abandoned warehouse, where again it is a real warehouse, the fires and explosions look real. Ladder 49 is a well made movie with great plot, actors and fantastic production value.

SMGTR Essay Reading

Christine Romano and author of one of the reviews in the St. Martin Guides to Reading wrote a review on the following essay "Children Need to Play, Not Compete" by Jessica Statsky. I really liked how Romano was very specific when she would reference back to the essay. It made it for a 'true' review. It also helped us as the readers gain more insight. She would use examples or phrases that were mentioned in the essay, which helped get the message across and to make us as the readers question Statsky. For example, Statsky would quote heavily from the authorities, which would make us wonder, do we believe her or the quotes shes using, if so we will move on. However, no matter what any body writes, there is always somebody questioning your work, and ready to tell their opinion.

Hyphens

During writing I have often wondered if and where to insert a hyphen. It usually ends up in the wrong place, but most often I just don't add it. This is due to the fact hat I have know idea where it is suppose to go. In the STMGW it helps us better understand this objective. When using compound adjectives, use a hyphen to join parts that precedes the word not after. For example, after-school activities: Yes, activities after school: No; well-known athlete: Yes, athlete who is well known: No. Add a hyphen to clarify that the words function as a unit.

When two different prefixes or initial words are meant to go with the same second word, use a hyphen and a space at the end of the first prefix or word. Example: Over twenty people crowd the small trauma room, an army of green- and blue-hooded medical personnel.

Compound nouns: Hyphenate fractions, compound numbers (up to ninety-nine). An example would be, Almost two-thirds of women... or The twenty-two year old... You can use a hyphen that begins with self-, ex-, or great-, or ends with -elect, or -in law. Examples would be ex-husband, self-esteem, secretary-elect.

So now that we have an idea of where to insert hyphens, I hope we will be able to find the right place to put them. You can always check the dictionary if you have any doubts.

Ethnographic Problem

The problem I have been having while writing this essay is whether or not I am even writing it right. It seems that I keep writing random things, but I don't know if it even applies. Its hard to know what I am suppose to write. When we did the peer review my group said they thought it was right but then again we were all kind of confused. I'm writing my paper on cold stone. So I have been writing about things about cold stone, such as the tips, ice cream, employees, etc. I just hope what I am writing is correct!!!

Affect or Effect???

Which one do I use?? Affect or Effect?? I find myself asking this question a lot! I can distingush between other homonyms such as their, there, and they're but I just can seem to grasp this one.


When writing a paper I usually think I'm using the correct one when in reality I have just guessed in hopes it was right. However now I know the defintions and some examples to help me out because of this website.


Affect means:
To have an influence on or effect a change in
To act on the emotions of; touch or move
To attack or infect, as a disease


Effect means:
Something brought about by a cause or agent; a result.
The power to produce an outcome or achieve a result; influence.



Some examples of theses words are as follows: Talking about a result, then use effect.

• Example: What effect did the loss have on the team?

Describing something that was caused or brought about, use effect.

• Example: The new manager effected some positive changes in the office.

Affect can be used as a noun to describe facial expression.

• Example: The young man with schizophrenia had a flat affect.
• Example: The woman took the news of her husband's sudden death with little affect.

Affect can also be used as a verb when describing how something has influenced someone, rather then causing it.

• Example: How does the crime rate affect hiring levels by local police forces?
• Example: The weather conditions will affect the number of people who come to the county fair this year.
  

Now that I have seen the examples and know the definition I can hopefully know which word to use, at least that is my goal!!

3 Elements To My Group

The founders of Cold Stone Creamery, was Donald and Susan Sutherlan. Their dream was to find the perfect ice cream. As they preceded to accomplish their dream in 1988 they started their dream by opening the first Cold Stone in Tempe, Arizona. This store became very popular and eventually the ball got rolling. Now Cold Stone is the most popular ice cream parlor.

There are many important tools at Cold Stone, but one that plays a major part is the granite stone counter. After the ice cream is selected and the mix-ins are chosen, a scooper dishes the ice cream onto a granite ledge, which is kept at 16 degrees to prevent melting.


When trying to get on the Cold Stone Crew you don't go in for an interview, but an audition. An audition is what determines if you get the job. You have to be able to entertain! If you are able to pass the audition, which entitles singing and having a good attitude then you are likely to get the job.

Ethnographic Essays

For my essay I chose to observe people at the Cold Stone. I love ice cream and love the atmosphere at Cold Stone. However I'm not sure of which angle to choose. I can't decide if I want find out more about the costumers or the employees. So I would like some imput on which way to go. I have been thinking of some questions...... why did you chose cold stone? Are you a regular customer? Whats your favorite combination? What time does cold stone get the most costemers? If there is anything else you can't think of please let me know...

The Use Of Italics

Have you ever been typing an essay or paper and have become stuck or lost because you don't know how or when to use italics, bold, or underline? I know I have, many of times, which tends to make my papers wrong and hard to follow. Sometimes I just can't help it, I have either forgotten the rules or just don't know how. However I have found some information at this site, that has been very helpful on italics. The following list is some ways or some "rules" you could say to help you know when to use italics.

• Naming ships or aircrafts
• Tittles of poems, books, articles, or newspapers
• Foreign words
• Introducing new terms
• Subjects of definition
• For emphasis
• Mathematical symbols
• Where a word is used as an example rather than for its meaning
  example: The word Kennedy is a proper noun.

Now don't forget there are other ways to put these words. This is just one way you can do it.

Fragments

Fragments have been a very big problem for me in the past. They are still something I have trouble with and still need to work on though. A fragment sentence is one that lacks a subject or a verb, or both. An example of a fragmented sentence is, after the rain stops, because he went outside, if you want to go with me. We as a reader don't know what they did, where they went etc. By eleminating the subordinates (after, because, if, when, since, etc.) you can have a complete sentence. It seems easy enough to not use those words, sometimes you can't handle it. I know I'm not suppose to start a sentence with but or because, however its those other words that get me. If you go to this website you will be able to learn more about fragmented sentences and what they entitle.

Revised Paragraph

Don’t Stop The Music by Rihanna. I guess you could say this song could be taken literally. I don’t want the music to stop. I love to hear the beats, they make me want to dance and dance crazy. If the music were to stop life would be boring. Think about watching a movie, the music is what creates the mood. If you were watching a scary movie you know something is going to happen just from the sound of the music. When watching a chick flick you start to cry or feel emotions from the music. Now think about if you were driving in a car what is one of the first things anybody reaches for, or has to fix before the car is even in motion? That’s right the radio. Music in this day and age is very important and without it, my life would be very dull and boring.

Revised Paragraph

Don't Stop The Music by Rhianna. This song could be taken literally. Music should never stop! Hearing the different beats and sounds makes me want to get up and dance. Without these simple things being put together, our lives would be completely boring. A man just walked into a room, pauses for a minute, then continues on his way. Seems innocent, until you add scary music to it. Your movie has just now set a mood, all from some music. This applies to every movie or t.v. show you have ever watched. Now think about this; what is the first thing you reach for when getting into your car? That's right, the radio. Is it not evident how important music is in our lives? Its has become very important. I know that without it my life would be very dull and boring.

Adjectives

Why is that the english language is so confusing? I find myself always having to ask and reask why we do certain things, and why we can't do that. I have been taught over the years a lot of what we need to know in order to progress and to communicate effectivly. I seem to have a problem with making my writing creative and more exciting. I forget about those things called adjectives that help me create these feelings and moods. The word adjectives sometimes scares me. It is not because I can't use them, but it is because I forget what an adjective even is. How are you supose to use something if you don't even know what it is? I did however found out what it is, and of course now I remember what they are. They are words that describe or modify another person or thing in a sentence. An example would be....The steak was tender and juciy. The adjectives would be tender and juciy. A really great site you can visit that discribes, in a lot more detail, everything you would ever want to know about adjectives is right here.

Songs of My Life

Touch Down Turn Around by HelloGoodbye. I am a very fun and energetic person and I like to listen to songs that put me in that mood. Touch Down Turn Around defiantly does that for me. The first time I ever heard it I was amazed at how fast it changed my mood. This song always makes me happy; every time it comes on I start to dance. For some reason the beat just makes me start moving and I can't stop. My life goes well with this song, because I am always moving, always doing something.

Sold by John Michael Montgomery. Country has never been a type of music that I like to listen to, until about 2 summers ago. I hung out with my sister a lot that summer and she loves the stuff, now I like it too. But the real reason I picked this song was because it reminds me of road trips I have had with my roommate Kayla. Every time we went to her house in Nevada, or were just driving around we would listen to this song. It just so happens though that we went there a lot. We know every word and compete with one another. At the end of the song there is a part that is hard to do because you have to take your breath at just the right moment, or you will lose. It gets pretty competitive.

Trying to Define My Life

As I have been thinking about a moment or a time in my life that has been a defining one it has been difficult. However I did come up with a few, but the one I want to share happened when I was five. It was June and a tragic thing happened to my family. My father had passed away. At the time I really didn't know what was going on, but since then I have come to realize the dramatic effect it has taken on my family. A few years after the passing of my dad my mom decided to get remarried. My family had now just gone from being a normal size family of five to becoming the Brady Bunch. There was now a total of 12 people in my family and I was the youngest. I was a little unsure of it all but decided to just go with it. Growing up wasn't always that easiest, but it worked. My dad I have now is still my dad, but I have often wondered what my real dad was like. One of the few memories I have of him happened one day during the summer. It remember it was a warm day, the sun was shinning, and we were playing outside on the swing set. I was so happy, we were both happy! I had fallen down and gotten hurt, and of course the first thing any little kid would do is start crying and run inside. When I got inside I looked back and in walked my dad. The first thing he did was come in wrap his arms around me and gave me comfort. That little memory has stuck with me all these years but it has thought me how to love. Looking back and thinking about it today I can say that just from his example and from what I have heard from my family he truly was a loving person. That is how I want to be remembered and that is what I believe is one event in my life that has defined me as a person.

Grammer Post: Those Crazy Commas

Commas can at times be really confusing for me. When writing an essay I want it to be good and use the correct punctuation. How I can achieve this goal is by taking it a sentence at a time. I have been told throughout high school many different ways to use commas in a series, but I have never known which one to believe, making me have an issue with it. I have been told when listing things to not put a comma before the and, and I also have been told just the opposite. The correct way to use the comma is to put it before the and. You can look at this site for more information.

I think that the correlation between the story of the arrow maker and us keeping an on-line blog is, that it is allowing us to speak up and speak freely of our thoughts. I believe that keeping a blog risks the way that I use my language because nobody has the same writing styles. I can write in a totally different way then someone else. By keeping a blog you are just putting yourself out there for others to basically evaluate you, in a way. Blogging and other types of communications such as facebook, myspace, texting, etc have become so popular because it is a fast and easy way to communicate with others. Its a way to stay in touch with old friends, those that live faraway and those who you never get to see.