Statement of Purpose

In my research paper I will be informing people in Silicon Valley what serious crisis the drought is bringing in California. The information will be focusing on governmental decisions taken in the city of San Jose. I will mention the affects of this recent drought everyone in Silicon Valley is experiencing and what to prepare for. The information I will provide will grabbed farmers attention and citizens in San Jose because they may have to regulate their water usage. It can bring a lot of negative changes like produce prices going up and the vegetable quality that may be disappointing for many people. All of these aspects connect into one purpose that I will want everyone to realize that our weather is very important and even though many prefer a hot weather over a cold rainy day we all need to face reality and use our water wisely before drastic changes arise.

Chapter 6 Research Strategies

In Chapter 6 in Compose Advocate Design I found this reading very helpful to layout main topics for my research paper through questions. The main points I took in this chapter is strategies to find my own research for example using the library and how to ask librarians for help by coming prepared with questions. There are many ways to look for research the one I avoid is interviews, but reading this chapter and Andrew Rajala’s essay it made his essay more interesting to read. I will like to write an interesting essay I clearly do not want my essay to lead into boring research that only provides statistics and facts. I know following these guidelines it can help me write a good research paper that I will like writing and people will enjoy reading. The one thing that stood out to me the most and will find this helpful in my writing are the charts on page 147 and page 159 questions to guide research. It talked about a statement purpose and I am hoping by paper will direct on more question like it said, “Research questions evolve as you do the research” (CDA, 147). On page 159 it gave me information where to find my research the questions type to guide research are facts, definitions interpretation, consequence, value and policy. In the end of the reading Rajala’s essay on loss of manufacturing jobs I found surprising that there were two well detailed critiques of his writing. Usually books showing how to write will give you the information how to write a research paper and then write the perfect essay that they will like you to learn from. This book is different is was very helpful to read what the critiques suggested.

The topic I will be doing researching on is California’s current water drought, but focusing on San Jose’s. This chapter helped me linked to an article that can help my research because I do not only want to find governmental decisions, but peoples concern or what they are going through. An article in the San Jose Mercury News “Dry spell: California farmers struggle with impending drought” by Ken McLaughlin talks about farmers struggling by the water drought in California. This kind of information is what will make my paper develop in more questions and be much more interesting. What I read in Chapter 6 I will use the research techniques and learn from it to write a good research paper.

Water Drought Might Be My New Topic

ALMADEN RESERVOIR
Water Drought in California
As I was researching more to consider another research topic I came across an article in the San Jose Mercury News and it grabbed my attention. I had already researched about the weather in San Jose, the city is not getting enough rain and the reservoirs are dry. In the San Jose Mercury News I found appealing to read and know about our water drought in California and its outcome. The article “Drought to cut off federal water to Calif. farms” by Garance Burk, said this shortage of water is affecting everyone in California. They are planning to cut off water for the farmers, courage people to reduce usage of water because it will affect everyone since we are in a recession. This can be a good research topic, because I can narrow down my research of the reservoirs in Northern California. I can also research people in San Jose, for example the farmers or get a statistics of how much water people use in their homes. In addition, I can include the affects of cost in food and water in our homes. Burk mention how farmers are trying to keep their plantations and usage of water wisely, but farmers have already layoff a lot of people. Water is very important and if we do not reduce the usage, farmers will not have other options, but to buy well water and it will only affect us to pay a lot more for food. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in another article “Schwarzenegger declares Calif. Drought emergency” by Samantha Young in her article the state water director said, agriculture will probably lose 2.8 million dollars and cost 95,000 jobs (Snow, Mercury News). In this article Arnold Schwarzenegger called out in emergency because the reservoir needs help and we are not getting rain, so therefore he order the state Department of Water Resources to spread as much water to the dry reservoirs. This is a serious problem and I hope people in San Jose will not have to experience a high cost of food and not worry cutting down our water usage.

Advocacy Social Change in AVODAH

Advocacy is a search of influences that effects people lives in a good way. In the book Compose Advocate Design written by Anne Frances Wysocki and Dennis A. Lynch have a section in chapter five mentions different types of advocacy. There is a website called AVODAH and organization by twenty selected Jews for a year supporting low income Jewish people to improve their communities. Participants join with them in poverty and provide assistance and social change which gives an example of advocacy. This website gave information of the organization the word AVODAH in Hebrew means “service” that is what the organization was determined to do for many of the Jewish people. In this website there is a relationship with the community and participants being Jews I will definitely believe is shapes advocacy being a much stronger result. Many other relations like religion and believes encourage people to work harder and it brings a better outcome like AVODAH organization. It brings a positive effect on Jewish people and they know selecting their own affiliation will have a better effect. It even changes the participant’s lives that make this organization stronger to advocate by reading participants’ respond and outcome of AVODAH. Finding an organization with same believes participants and many similar relationships it attracts others like in this website for Jews to consider applying and working in this organization to help their own people. Advocacy for many of the alumni’s who participated in AVODAH mentioned how this organization’s mission absolutely shows the commitment, “radically transforming our world into a more just and righteous place” (Goodman, 119). Relations does bring a stronger advocacy because everyone will like to feel connected and sharing beliefs, religion with people whom they are trying to help out in the world bringing a stronger connection for the organization to grow and change communities.

We Need Rain in San Jose

"We Need Rain in San Jose"
There is not enough rain in San Jose and our summer we are expecting a very hot summer by not having enough rain. In the San Jose Mercury News article “Another rainy day weekend nowhere enough to ease Californian’s drought woes” by Dennis C. Theriault talked about San Jose’s weather 4.6 inches of rain as of Sunday, February 22, 2009. This little rain we are getting I agree with him is not helping the city this dry weather is going to affect farmers crops to get their own water. In Northern California many reservoirs are so low in water that affects major cities like San Jose to receive 50% of water from San Francisco delta. This is very scary we may all hate the rain, because of its gloomy weather, but is a necessity to have rain. We may not have a big storm like other cities and states where it is snowing or raining all the time, but at least rainy clouds came and showered all San Jose. The rain in San Jose did not cause and major accidents from its recent rain, but in other cities like Santa Cruz approximately forty five minute drive from San Jose the rain cause some damages on the road with spinouts and falling rocks, said Theriault. Thankfully in San Jose we do not have winding roads, but we do find stuck in traffic all the time. I really hope it will rain a little more because I know the importance of the rain because I do not want a really hot summer and I want all the crops to be well watered and grow because it will affect us all in Silicon Valley.

THE MOON!!

In the San Jose Mercury News I was interested to know in Silicon Valley there is research being done to help America design the lunar lander. The article “At NASA Ames, designing America’s next lunar lander” by Mike Swift, mentioned the NASA Ames research center in Mountain View are trying to design the next lunar lander. It plans to land by 2020, I found this very interesting because I like to know the latest things with science. Knowing something about the moon is very interesting because it good to know what is going outside of earth and what is best for astronauts’ to be save in space and find research. As I was reading this article I found others sources that related about NASA, because we are updated or may not have a lot of knowledge on a daily basis on what is going on in NASA or what a lunar lander is. I went and researched and found out what NASA purpose and proposal is for the lunar lander which will be made later in Spring 2009. I hope by 2020 they will be able to have this new and modified lunar lander. Famous Apollo astronauts like Charlie Duke, Harrison Schmitt, and Rusty Schweickart felt landing on the moon was a great experience and basically what is needed to be done and engineers are working really hard to build the lunar landing and how it should interact with a human pilot. When I was reading this it made me think how science and new technology is changing for the better for all human beings. I am glad people in the NASA and astronauts’ who help and alert Earth of any danger in space are brave and brilliant people which amaze me.

Chapter 13!!

In Compose Design Advocate textbook Chapter 13 thought me the different type of writing that I found it was interesting to know about author’s persuasion in writing. As a reader I started to get persuaded in the writing because I saw the writing techniques were to capture attention. I learned there is different ways to persuade a reader using ethos and pathos writing. Ethos is a writing style convincing the audience by the character of the author and pathos is persuading by appealing to the readers emotions. In these editorials pieces they let the audience know what is going on in the world and what we do want to hear in this generation. They share opinions and it made me think of magazines a lot because in magazines we like to read the latest gossip or what is good to eat and wear. Also it made me think about the Spartan Daily it is news, but sometimes opinions are thrown without even knowing it like the Iowa State Daily printed in the textbook. A lot what we read editors are trying to get our attention in a very sneaky way. They do not state “I believe” they instead find other ways to re-state a thing that makes us think others have already agreed. It made me think how to become a better writer when I want to persuade something and ethos or pathos style can work.

Is fun to blog with classmates!!

My Favorite Journal
After reading all the journals I have to say my favorite one was “Having a BALL with Blog-Assisted Language Learning” by Jason Ward, Instructor, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. All of these journals were quite similar how they found out about blogging and how it has brought out a positive effect on them. This journal stood out for me the most because I felt it connects with this class in a similarity that Ward used blogs in order to makes his class fun and students were able to write more and share ideas and were open to write on any topic. He made the blog academically for students to find time outside of class with deadlines that encouraged students to write and enjoy writing. After reading this journal I think this class will be a very fun class because I like to post things online like to hear other opinions and will like to share my own. I am glad blogs have become a positive use to other people like mentioned in the other journals because it has changed point of views and it a great way to network. I believe by using the online system of blogging in class we will be able to know everyone than sitting in class in groups because being online I feel are more comfortable to share than in person. All other journals were very interesting to read and I did had other favorites, but when I got to this journal I felt more of a connection because is what I believe I will be doing in my English 1B class with my fellow classmates which I am looking forward too.