James Dyer- Past and Present

Former Danbury, CT Mayor James Dyer recently spoke about his past history in politics, and the past is the key word here. It seemed Mr. Dyer was living in the there, driving around in his convertible campaigning for civl rights and going against the Vietnam War. Personally, it felt like he mentioned many things surrounding his golden (and sometimes not-so-golden) days as Mayor, and the years prior to that. I feel like he definitely has a lot t brag about being the former Mayor and all, but the fact that he went on about it kind of made me feel like he was stuck in that decade.

James Dyer gave many good pointers on how to be a good speaker. He said, "Never rely heavily on audio or visual aids because you want the center of attention to be you, and you alone." I find that to be both true and no so true, but depending on the situation. VIsual aids are great, say, if you are presenting something to your business firm on how to generate more revenue. That way, if you are charismatic enough, the attention will be focused on your, and your presentation as a whole. Dyer also noted that "giving the audience some form of paper or handout to bring home" is a great way to keep the audience informed and talking about you, even after the speech, presentation, etc., is over. You will find that most seminars and lecturers will do that very same thing.

According to Dyer, the steps you need to follow in order to be a good speaker are these: 1.) Organization, 2.) Articulation, and 3.) Presentation. Agreeably, these are what most public speakers do. They make sure their material is organized to be presented in a chronological and well-fashioned manner, and they make sure to articulate everything they say. It's always good to follow those steps, and they seem to work well for the former Mayor.

Although I wouldn't agree with some of James Dyer's politics back when he was Mayor (or currently), I feel that he presented some useful information on how to be a good speaker, and how to handle being a part of (and handling) the media. You always have to remember who your audience is, and maybe try and rethink going into politics at this time, because, according to Mr. Dyer, "This is the worst time to be a part of any government."

Dr. Abbey Zink

Dr. Abbey Zink, Assistant Dean of Arts and Sciences at Western Connecticut State University, is one of the great Journalistic minds on campus. She is a woman who grew up in West Virginia playing softball and listening to Billy Idol, who graduated with a doctorate in Journalism, and became one of the key components of our small New England college.

As well as being well-read and highly intelligent, she is also very funny and compassionate to all her students' needs. For all my years here at Western, I have grown to accept her as my advisor, and highly recommend her to anyone seeking mentorship. It's hard not to have a good time with her when you sit down and talk. This woman knows her stuff, and she is more than happy to help anyone out, no matter what their major or problem.

I am proud to say that I know Dr. Abbey Zink, and regard her as one of WestCONN's most valuable faculty members.

Poynter

One of the more curious things that Poynter.com suggested in it's "Writing Tools" section was to "choose words the average writer avoids, but that the average reader understands." This got me thinking of how I, myself, write. I tend to use my best friend (the thesaurus, or the Web site, Thesaurus.com) to come up with synonyms of words I commonly use. I try to avoid using the same word more than once in my pieces, because that way the writing seems more colorful and intelligent rather than boring and redundant. Also, avoiding jargon is another technique. I would never use a word a reader might not understand without possibly explaining it first. Jargon doesn't ever help. It falls along the lines of "filler" in my book.

Snapshot Profile

There was a time in my life when I was sorely absent, emotionally, from the rest of the world. I found myself feeling completely disconnected from everyone around me: my family, my friends, my colleagues, and I saw myself falling into a deep depression. It was only when I was eighteen when all of the accumulated emotions burst from me and I found myself institutionalized, and that's when I truly found out who I really was. With the help of psychiatrists and other in-patients, I grew to accept who I had become as a person, and deal with mental illness and all the other issues circling my life.

I've come to the realization that not everything in life is perfect, and that everyone has problems (not just me), and dealing with reality is a normal way of life. Instead of disconnecting myself from my own harsh reality, I had an "awakening" of sorts. With the encouraging of my friends, co-workers, family, and therapists on campus, things have finally started to normalize themselves.

Looking back on that period in time, I didn't realize how "lost" I actually was. It took something so horribly damaging to me, personally, for me to come out on the other side and embrace acceptance.

Health-Care...Reform?

Health-Care Reform...It's something that's been on my mind since the election. What does this new bill mean for people my age? Does it mean that I will be covered forever, and not have to worry about being kicked from my health insurance company because I am too poor to afford to live? I honestly don't know what to think about this new bill. I grew up in a very conservative household, and I, myself, am a registered Republican, so this kind of thing has me shaking in my boots. I found myself perusing articles on aol.com, but quickly switched over to the hot topic of the week on PoliticsDaily.com, Health-Care Reform, and the passage of the bill.
My mind is boggled by this. I am not one to really follow such hard-hitting topics as health-care, even if it means a life-changing turn in Obama's presidency, and, according to Politics Daily writer Patricia Murphy: "the defining domestic issue of his presidency."
I am afraid, however, of what this means for me in the future. The idea of "tax increases" on the upper class is a much-needed plan for this bill, but the thought of that not being enough to fund this huge reform is troubling. Because, once it becomes too expensive, and the Bill Gates' of America start complaining about being unable to afford the tax-hike any longer, than the taxes wil than be placed on the middle-class Americans, such as myself and my family. Now, already we find it tough to maske end's meet. My parents both work (and have been working ever since my sister's and I were born), and they have to worry about putting 3 children through college, pay off the cars, and deal with the mortgage for a house that is already too small for 5 people. I am not saying that things were going to be easy without the inclusion of a health-care bill, but once the middle-class starts getting taxed (and there is no doubt in my mind that we won't), than it will become unbearably difficult, and the little money in my parent's wallets is going to become even more constricted.
I am afraid for the future. I don't know what to think anymore. It is just something I wanted to bring up on this blog because 1.) I cannot fully grasp its impact, and 2.) It's a hot topic that we should all be looking at.

From the mouth of Mary Connolly...

The field of Journalism is a typically male-dominated area, but Mary Connolly, former News-Times Editorial Director, new that going in. She was our guest speaker today in our News Writing class, and what a talk she gave! I highly enjoyed her lecture, because she touched on some issues I have been worrying about in the news for some time now. She covered the topic of malpractice extensively, and in the medical world, that is a touchy subject. She mentioned the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act), in regards to those such "adverse subjects" as immigration laws and medical mishaps, and recalled how most malpractice incidents go unreported, and those that do can become public records.

I found this quite interesting, and worrying at the same time, because it makes me wonder how many things go unreported each day, and how many misdiagnoses' are happening. Things like that should be made available to the public, and Mary Connolly believes that the FOIA is a godsend for news reporters. "The public has a right to know," she says, and I couldn't agree more.

She also states how you should "know who your readers are," and know what they want to hear. You try and keep opinions respectful and well-developed in the eyes of "those who pay the bills" (i.e.- the big-wig companies you work under). You don't want anyone getting upset over something you write. That is also true for subjects that may be touchy for some, such as the aforementioned immigration and calling them "undocumented" instead of "illegal aliens." It's always good to sound politically correct when you are reporting news.

To finish off my brief little blurb with a quote of Miss Connolly's, "When you let the sun shine in, people start acting differently." In this case, she is referring to when you shed light on a subject that people don't want out in the public, they will begin to change their attitude. It's scary the way some react to what becomes public and what doesn't.

Drink Up, Ladies!

Prep your livers for some tasty news, ladies! In a recent article published by USA Today reporter Nanci Hellmich, women who drink a moderate amount of alcohol on a daily basis are LESS likely to gain weight than those who do not consume alcohol. This is pretty shocking to me, personally, because I thought it was the other way around. I always figured that those who drank ended up with so-called "beer bellies." It turns out, though, according to the research conducted by Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, that out of the 19,000 women in the study, those who drank "light to moderate amounts of alcohol" each day were more healthy and least likely to become obese than their sober counterparts. It is all due to the belief that the alcohol drinkers eat less carbohydrates, and less food in general.

Althought this may come as a surprise, Hellmich does mention that excessive alcohol consumption can lead to serious health problems, and only those who work out regularly and have a healthy diet will not gain the weight when they drink lightly or moderately on a daily basis. This is news to me! I can now tell my friends that are female who are afraid to drink and get the "beer-belly," that as long as they keep up with the gym and remain eating healthy, that they should have no worries about whether or not to take another glass of wine.

For Nanci Hellmich's original (full) article, the link is here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-03-09-womenandalcohol09_ST_N.htm