Response to Ethical Writing Research

I found the research for dehumanizing language quite interesting. It seemed as if all logical examples were intentionally omitted from online publication. I must have thought up of five excellent possibilities of where to find dehumanizing language, and every time I search for that topic I came up with no examples. Some of the possibilities were of European tyrants who slaughtered a certain people, basically some sort of ethnic cleansing. Those included Francisco Franco, who alongside Hitler slaughtered the Catalan people for trying to secceed from Spain. In more recent history, Slobodan Milosevic butchered the Bosnians because they were Muslims, and he believed that all should be Christian like the Serbs. I found my sites talking about such tyrants using dehumanizing language, but never managed to locate the original documents. I began to suspect as if this might have been an exercise to find out first hand that such documents are so offensive that their publication is looked down upon.

Ethics in the Workplace

In response to the article, I think that first unethical conduct in the workplace is natural. Human psychology can be blamed for that. Everyone has different standards of ethics, therefore different people will behave differently at work. Talking about the actual ethics of employees is one thing, but more importantly we must discuss the solutions for unethical conduct at work. What struck me the most of all the fact listed in the article were not the percentages of unethical conduct or the number of people involved relatively, but the three reasons listed to why unethical conduct is not reported, especially conduct which could result in a scandal. All reasons had to do with the company as opposed to the employees. Employees interviewed were reluctant to report such actions because of company procedures, whether it is how much action the company will take or the method of reporting. I think it is very important to highlight ethical situations on the company's part. By setting high standards of ethics, there would be no question to the ethical nature of any situation. Coming 5 minutes late to work everyday is unethical to such a company, and the employees will agree if ethics are stressed. If the company does its part, so will the employees.

Web vs. Paper writing

From an architect's perspective, it's all a matter of design. Most paper writing must be designed to fit certain borders, sizes, and length. When considering web writing, the restrictions can possibly be fully eliminated. Technically, you can have unlimited space. There are no restrictions. Linking can easily be compared between the two. I recall an example of a magazine to which I subscribe, Saltwater Sportsman. One can read most of the articles published in the physical magazine on the SWS website. The same article that would have to be restricted to a quarter of a page can be displayed in a full link from the main section. Another issue is the consideration of the audience, and how much time that audience will be spending reading a certain portion. In physical form, an article has to be designed to include a lot of information in a concise form that keeps the reader interested. In web design, things can be seperated with links that direct the user from one page to the next based on interest. Concept of designing the two is very similar, but the possibilities are different. On webspace, paperspace is unlimited, but nothing can compare to having the physical copy in your hands.

Spring Break Reflection

We headed down to Florida with high hopes. Everything was going perfect. The spring storms were contained in the Carolinas and Georgia. The weather in the Keys was going to be flawless according to the news. It was almost too perfect; too good to be true. Sure enough, my luck ran out. As soon as we reached the house and unloaded our luggage, things started to go badly. I started the trip by chipping a tooth biting on a fishing rod instead of using a pair of pliers. Half an hour later, we decided to go out for dinner in an attempt to improve my morale. While backing out of the driveway, I ran into a tree. I was barely moving when I hit it, but to my continued misforture, a branch was perfectly positioned to miss the bumper and hit the rear glass dead-on. After dinner, I prayed for better luck the next day. The next morning I had to pick up the boat. To my luck, it was low tide, and the boat owner decided to pick the shallowest boat ramp in the area. Five minutes after leaving the ramp, I ran aground. We spent the rest of the day trying to manually push the boat in futility. Not until the tide rose again were we able to get out with the help of another boat. I wasted a day of fishing wallowing in a saltwater flat. At this point I was losing all hope. Everyone assured me my streak of bad luck must have run out, but I doubted. Unfortunately, I was right. The rest of the trip was cursed with bad weather. We were able to reach open water once in five days. On that day, we pressed our luck to reach blue water, only to have most on board get sea sick. We ended the trip with two mackerel and a small shark. This was by far my most disappointing fishing endeavor.

Resume Cheating

At first, I did not fully understand how someone can expect to lie and get away with it on a resume. My assumption was creating positions not held, which in fact was mentioned. Predominantly, however, the article focussed on smaller "white" lies. At first, one must wonder why should there be the need to lie in order to get a job, since experience is gained as time goes by. When considering the situation of someone who has been rejected over and over, and the period goes into months of unemployment, it is easy to see why such a person would lie about something so trivial as expanding the timeframe of a job held. It is human nature to try to mask the imperfections. More shocking, however, was the mentioning of elaborating on job titles, and how this can be viewed as lying, leading to termination. It is easy to see how one can expand on a previous job position. Speaking from experience, if certain tasks performed are not part of the position's description or title, one can easily be tempted to expand on the title to include those tasks. The scary thing is that is still considered dishonest, even if it were meant with honest intentions. I guess the best thing one can do is thoroughly understand the description of a title, and ask for modifications to that title if certain tasks are not part of that position. Otherwise, don't mention those tasks in the form of a newly invented job title.

Presentation Response

Last week we were busy in class giving presentations. The presentations could be about anything, from persuasive to instructive. Personally, I chose an instructive presentation on the preparation of the perfect burger. I felt that appealing to the audience's sense of taste would be the force behind my presentation, and the reason to be attentive. Hence, I chose the most vivid pictures of what I would expect a burger to look like. Surprisingly, I had someone talk to me about cooking after class because of my presentation. I thought the other presentations were excecllent. I especially liked the one on the presidential election. I felt that she addressed an issue that is always ignored because of ignorance. Many people, especially students, ignore the election because of the crazy terminology that comes with it, such as "superdelegates," "caucuses," and "primary." The student did an excellent job of explaining most terms and procedures of both parties. She kept it concise, and managed to remain unbiased in her presentation of the two parties. In the end, she stressed the importance of voting, which I thought to be a nice ending.

Interview Reflection

I felt the interview went very well. I was relaxed, and Angie seemed to sense that. We conversed freely and casually at the beginning, discussing issues such as my origin and travels. She incorporated my foreign experiences into several questions, which I feel I used successfully to show my broad knowledge and experience of Architecture. I was limited by my clothes (I only had jeans, leather shoes, and a nice sweater at my disposal) but was comforted by the fact that Angie, herself, was not in extremely formal attire. Coincidentally, Angie shares some of my experience in French. Both of us have been involved in the Clemson Declamation, she as a coach and I as a student. We shared some memories of competition, and Angie recited some of the popular poems used. Overall, it was a comforting experience. I never felt choked up or nervous to converse and share my thoughts.

Spring Break Fishing

Since this post will be a free topic one, I would like to express my high hopes of offshore fishing during this upcoming spring break. Seven friends and I will be fishing the blue water of Marathon, Florida. Marathon is the centermost island in the Florida Keys. It offers a short distance access to the Gulf Stream. We have a house and a boat for one week, so there will be many opportunities to hook many different species of fish. Topping the list of desired species are sailfish and tuna. Sailfish are the pinnacle of sportfishing, and since I have yet to catch one it is on the top of my list. Tuna are lots of fun to catch, and sushi happens to be my favorite food. Sailfish and tuna are bluewater fish, caught about 20 miles offshore. Some of the inshore species targeted include tarpon, bonefish, snapper, shark, and barracuda. Most of my friends coming along have never fished, and I hope to not disappoint them. Hopefully a week of Florida fishing will be enough for them to like fishing enough to make them understand my obsession with saltwater fishing. I will report the fishing results in a later blog.

Cover letters

When asked whether I agree with the articles or not, I must say that I have no specific opinion. The writer seems to be well-experienced on the subject of hiring and evaluation of resumes. I must admit, however, that all of what he said was new to me. If what he says is true, then all of what he claims is useful to me. Most importantly, the fact that the cover letter is not a letter describing you or your skills, but an application of your skills towards the specific company for which you are applying, contradicts all of what I thought a cover letter is. I admit that I fall into the category of belief in sending as many resumes to as many companies in hopes of getting a percentage of those companies reply, but according to the author, that's not an productive method. I learned that careful study and research of the company, and tailoring the cover letter (which will be reviewed after the resume) to match the company's goals is the most effective way of getting responses.

Interview Articles

I selected two articles that I think relate to my field the most. In the architecture world, things are different in many ways when it comes to finding and getting work. Most of what we do in school is generally considered 10% of our education as architects. Most of our knowledge will be acquired in professional practice. The first article I chose dealt with the "what to ask the interviewer." I chose this one because architecture firms are very different. They differ in size, style, projects, age, and location. It is very important to choose a firm that matches your "kind" of architecture. Otherwise, you will not enjoy the work, which curbs your creativity. My studio professor in Spain stressed the fact that "you are interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you." From the article, I learned that the type of question you ask can be used strategically to bring out your strengths. I also learned that different people at the firm have to be asked different questions based on their position as recruiter, boss, etc. The second article was concerning the second interview. Similarly, it can be used as a means to distinguish your skills, especially from other interviewees that might be invited at the same time. Also, if an offer is not made at the end of the day, a follow-up thank you note was recommended.

Hitler's Speech to the Reich

I agree that all great speeches possess a craft of logos, ethos and pathos; however, I think that any given great speech relies on at least one the these techniques more than the others. In the case of "A Letter from a Birmingham Jail," MLK relies on ethos to persuade the reader. He expresses his strong opinions of what is just and right. He supplements his ideas of ethos with logos and pathos to form a powerful example of a persuasive speech. Looking at our speech with the Army representatives, one can only be disappointed in the delivery. The speakers' reliance on logos, the descriptions of the facts of public speaking; were heavily opposed to the audience's knowledge of the speakers' ethos, the need to recruit people in the audience to the army. In my selection of a speech, I chose Hitler's declaration of war on the US to the German Reichstag. Like MLK, Hitler's speech mostly utilizes ethos, aiming at the audience's sense of propriety. He explains the duty of the German people to protect Europe from the US and Soviet Russia. He supplements his speech with historical logos of ancient and modern examples of how Europe was defended in the past from invaders the likes of Persia and Africa. There historical references are delivered in a manner that evokes emotion of nostalgia for what Europe has been, should be, and will always be (pathos.) The result is a powerful speech that brings about a sense of patriotism, one so strong that he convinced Germany to fight against the powers of the world: USA, Russia, and England.

The link to the speech is : http://www.famousquotes.me.uk/speeches/Adolf_Hitler/index.htm

My life in ten years

Obviously, I can not possibly predict my life a decade from now, but I can think about where I would like it to be. Following in my education, I would like to be a well-established architect in the Upstate. My father plans on starting his own firm soon, as he too is an architect. I hope in ten years I will be his partner. Ten years from now, I envision myself married, possibly with a child. Now that I have explained what might actually happen within the next decade, I would like to dream about the impossibilities. Ten years from now I will be a residential architect based in Key West, Florida. My designs are desired by the Key's most respectable clients in the most remote locations. I will have a sixty foot sportfisher, in which would be a small studio where I can sketch ideas for new homes when the sailfish bite is slow. Like most college seniors, I have no certainties in my future; not in one year, and especially not in ten. I hope my hard work here will lead me to enough success to at least entertain my hobbies.

Web 2.0

I'd like to start by saying I enjoyed the format in which the video was created very much. I did a similarly styled video while in Spain about riding a bicycle in Barcelona. It is a recording technique that shows a common action, such as the use of a computer or the riding of a bike, in the manner that the action is experienced while being performed. I find it very absorbing. I think the video carries a very powerful message.
Web 2.0 means to me the revolution that the internet has created, 2.0 insinuating the new and refined digital lifestyle that accompanies the internet. Our new dependence on the internet has affected our lives in extreme ways. As related to the workforce, any new or current employee has his or her live revealed on the net. An employer can access any criminal information for any employee or applicant. Knowledge of the internet has become a prerequisite for hiring in many jobs. Internet-knowledgeable employees are viewed as being able to take a company into the next generation of technology and commerce, this revolution of the internet. Web 2.0 is the idea of total change. We will indeed have to rethink everything. People, especially the current generation of students, lead two lives. The internet has become so personalized that it call be almost thought of as alter lives, as can be seen by the Facebook and MySpace. In some extreme cases, it is a literal alter life. Soon, personal communication could be obsolete.

1. Introduction

My name is Charlie Miraziz. I am 22 years old and a senior in Architecture. I am originally from the small country of Jordan. I speak Arabic fluently and am studying French as a third language. I am politically liberal. I spent the first six years of my life in the smaller country of Kuwait before moving to Jordan because of the Gulf War. My family moved to lovely Spartanburg, SC in the summer of 1997. Even though I was young, there was still some culture shock. I play soccer as do most foreigners. I am the president of the Clemson Indoor Soccer Club. I plan to start my professional career this summer in the Upstate. I hope to gather materials in this course to help me apply for jobs in the near future.