UNIT 3 JOURNAL 4.

TASTE Vs. JUDGMENT.

My favorite comedy show of all times is the "Cosby Show". The reruns were shown about the time I came to this country and it is not an exaggeration to say that my English language skills were put to use by listening and understanding the interactions in the show.

It was awesome to see a family as depicted in the show and see that the show did not required the usage of the staples of what passes for humor in other comedy shows. There was no bodily functions humor, no double entendre, no sex-as-humor references and it was (and still is) one the funniest shows of all time. It presented a family such as one that all could aspire to, a normal family, with a dad married and very much in love with his wife of years and 5 children that went thru all the trials and tribulations of being kids, growing into adolescents and becoming fathers and mothers themselves. And all was clean, tasteful and relatable to.

Contrast that show with anyone of the modern so-called comedy shows and you will see depicted the decline of our culture and a lack of judgment as to what is funny that you weep for them sometimes. Political correctness, the debasing of the culture and all kind of societal ills are now depicted with an astounding lack of taste and presented as not only the norm but the funny norm as well.

I do not know if there is a silver lining in the cesspool that is today's television programming, but I hope that one day the pendulum will swing back and family will be funny without being dysfunctional.

UNIT 3 JOURNAL 3

CHURCH OR SCHOOL: THE DEBATE.

The decision is made. We are going to form a community action group and see how to address situations created by acts of nature and how we are going to rebound and rebuild the business, the homes, the lives disrupted.

My choice would be the school. This is so because in order to have a more inclusive debate and questions and answers session, the venue should as neutral as possible. This avoids issues such as location in areas that can be considered questionable, thus curtailing attendance to the forum. Also, the church has already come out in support of one of the candidates which could mean that in the event of a question and answer session, softballs will be lobed to the church candidate and hard balls to the other candidates.

The members of the group have to be aware of these sand traps and ensure that their community action group is not tainted from the start with partisan politics and concentrate instead in the welfare of their community.

UNIT 3 JOURNAL 2.

JOHN AND ZORAB DILEMMA.


While reading the narrative about the efforts of John and Zorab, it strikes me that the approach used is not, perhaps, the most adequate to address the differences that are coming up in the way they view the business and even their place in it.


A more balanced approach would require that they do at the beginning, what they are doing just now, which is to find out: first, how they see the business, meaning what is that they expect to achieve with the business, is it money? is it fun? a mix of both? what percentage of "fun" as opposed to "business"?
These differences in approach can doom the enterprise from the beginning if a middle ground is not defined and adhered to.
Also, roles should have been defined from the get go. What is John going to do? What is Zorab responsible for? If these items are not addressed, resentment will start festering and will explode sooner or later, probably at the most inopportune time.
I would have found the answers to this questions prior to start a business plan that is doomed if the parts can get an agreement in these basic items.

UNIT 3 Journal 1


My choice of dream vehicle is the Honda Accord 2015 EX-L V6 4 door sedan. This vehicle is powerful, good looking and fuel efficient. There are stereotypes surrounding this car; for example, a supposed outstanding reliability and value holding characteristics are part and parcel of this brand. There is also a belief that this car is "bland", meaning that it does not provides any kind of adrenaline in the person driving because it is meant for "drones" that value more bland efficiency over the going fast adrenaline characteristic of muscle cars.
There is, like in any advertising, a mix of truth, lies and exaggerations inherent to the selling car business. This car is "bland" , I suppose, for a NASCAR driver; but for the person driving it day after day to go to and from work, or picking up the children at school, the characteristics that are more valued are precisely  that reliability and efficiency that the car displays.

UNIT 2 JOURNAL 3.


The confluence between politics and disaster relief was put forth with stark clarity during President Obama visit to the town of Brigantine, NJ in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, with him was Governor Christie, and with them were also the political implications of the elections that were held a mere 6 days after the visit.


Mr. Obama pledged "we are here for you and we will not forget." at the time of his visit and spent the time hugging residents that had lost their homes to the storm. Now, almost two year after the storm hit, apparently they are not there and seems to have forgotten. The government response seems to have been slow in coming and there has been still issues confronting the community members and the insurance companies.


It seems that still a just and good balance is not found regarding the roles that government and community must play. It is clear that governments should and could exercise their power by making sure that the communities have the  resources needed to rebuild as well as being stewards of said resources to ensure that they are spent in the proper way.

UNIT 2 JOURNAL 2.


 The situation created by the Storm Sandy is still unresolved. For the longest time, the debate rages as to what is the proper place of local government and national government when a disaster strikes a community. In this writer's opinion the National government place is to provide the funds and assistance necessary for the local governments to ensure the prompt rebuilding of the community in such a way that the reoccurrence of any natural disaster will not affect the community at large in such a devastating way.


This is simplistic, but it is my deeply held belief that, although problems can be complex beyond measure, the solutions should be simple enough as to be grasped by everyone involved. Simplicity precludes the great majority of the ills that plague any rescue effort, among them the belief that only certain people can solve the problems at hand. It is apparent to me that the affected community should be the one doing the solving with the assets provided by the national government.

Unit 2 Journal 1.




MISSION STATEMENT:


       "To provide our customers with the most cost-effective, health-conscious and most enjoyable culinary experience in their homes"






STATEMENT OF GOALS:
         
           Our passion is to cook meals that are healthy and delicious and at the same time, to fulfill the necessity we see in our community to provide access to meals at home that will be a delight to your palate but not a burden to your wallet.


We expect to:
 In one year:
           
             "To have not only advertisement, but also (and more important) word of mouth shoring up our business reputation and allowing us to dedicate our full time attention to you, our customer."


In 2 years:


           "To experience sustained growth by widening our service area, including more young chefs that share our zeal and commitment to great food and outstanding service"


In 5 years:


           " To have our passion become our business by initiating a franchise system in other states. We will make our passion for cooking go national!"

Unit 1 Journal 2.-

 The narrative for this journal is something that in my opinion should concern every person that is responsible for a household in a place subject to natural disasters such as Florida.

It raises questions that are timeless and valid in any context that I can think of: Who has the responsibility for solving community problems? The answer is simple and straightforward: the elected officials bear the lion share of responsibility in the solution of community problems. Consider the case of New Jersey, victim of the Hurricane Sandy. It is the responsibility of the elected officials of the state to ensure the prompt and equitable resolution of the problems created by any storm that affects the state. 

They are called to be the necessary custodians of their constituents regardless of the size of the citizen sample. Government is supposed to look out for the governed, plain and simple; more so in the case of situations that cannot be controlled or corrected by the sole efforts of the family. Unless wealthy, no family can readily disburse the monies required to repair or replace a home devastated in a natural disaster; and it should not be so if the family, like every other homeowner family pays insurance to be covered in the event of such catastrophes...

The family role, as the base unit of society, is to nurture and protect the young so that they, in turn, do the same to their own families, and to instill in them the education that will enable them to become members of society, playing by the same rules and following the rules and regulations that make our communities livable and part of the nation that we belong to.

A caveat, however, a big part of what makes a community is the creation of communal groups that have a correspondence of values and life outlooks that foster that sense of "community". If that similarity of outlooks is not there, there will not be a community or community group worth the name...and that lack is what makes difficult the resolution of the problems that affect a community.

Similarity of outlooks and the desire for a commonly applicable solution to the community problems should be a the forefront of creation of the community groups. The outcomes should be equally applicable to all the members, so that everybody feels that they have "skin in the game". And, like any other group in history, certain roles need to be fulfilled for the smooth functioning of the group.

For example, a leader needs to be present to provide focus and direction to the group's enthusiasm and drive.

And the group should be concentrated in what is achievable given the scope, constraints and resources that they have on hand.

The formation of community groups is a necessity in these troubled times, because they are the lookouts and in a way the arbiters of the well-being of teir communities. 

Unit 1 Journal 1.-

As an exercise in Critical Thinking, it was...interesting to see how one would go about the process of having an idea to making that idea a reality. It seems that the process is not as easy and straightforward as the conception of the idea and that the realization of the concept is way more demanding than the simple birth of the idea...

Consider the example given to us in class regarding John and Zorab. Both young, hard workers and seemingly intelligent. They conceive an idea that can be potentially profitable for the both of them but, strangely enough, even with the career tracks that they find themselves in, the conception of a business plan appears to be beyond their capabilities.
Were I in their shoes, I would be using all the resources that they obviously have. Resources such as John's Father who we are told have a restaurant; their teachers in their corresponding career tracks should be a very valuable resource putting together the necessary business plan. 
But they miss the necessary introspection to even think of the basic tenets of the idea:
"What do we have at hand now? What do we need in the event of having to go to someone's home? Is this the best way to bring the idea to fruition? how about having an internet website or a you-tube video that will introduce what we can do? How are we going to get the necessary exposure to the demographic that we desire to get? ". All valid points that give them the knowledge that will make their dream idea a reality.