PowerPoint part 3: DST is so Annoying!

       As I was somewhat stressed by the midterm and final of my history class, I decided to get a jump start on the final for my philosophy class (which ended May 26 this year).  I ended up changing the PowerPoint three times however as I was supposed to work fallacies into the document - which I didn't foresee as a problem until I was told I'd have to provide the name for the fallacy.  Oh, Oh ... I thought that might be a problem. 

       So we were supposed to pick a topic and have premises and conclusions for the Pro as well as the Con . . . my original PowerPoint was very one-sided and so I had to redo to include the opposite.  I brought in a fallacy slide which didn't feel like it belonged.  I didn't think I'd receive full credit as it still felt one-sided.  It was hard!  The more research I did, the more biased I was about having to set clocks every six months.  So this was the very first slide that I created:

 

I brought each of these in one at a time as I would discuss them

            "With online universities, it doesn’t matter if the instructor lives in Florida and her students live in 16 other states, lectures at the university I attend happen to start on Mountain Time as they are based out of Utah. Two weeks ago a student signed on five minutes before the lecture ended. This student lives in Arizona and according to her clock, it was 5:00 Mountain Standard Time.  

           "Utah and Arizona are both on Mountain Time. But not all of Arizona observes daylight saving time.  Utah happens to be on daylight time.  This time confusion made her late for class. Though Utah and Arizona are in the same time zone, their clocks are in sync only six months of the year.  Except for certain parts of Arizona.  This pink area observes daylight except for the reservation in this red section. Except for this purple tribe which observes daylight saving time.  There are some places in Arizona which display two clocks as to display each time.  How confusing is that?"

         I have always found that adjusting our clocks every six months extremetly annoying.  Until I'd been given this assignment, I didn't realize how harmful that is as it disturbs our sleep patterns.  There are statistics and proof of studies in which disturbed sleeping pattern may lead to stroke, heart attack, headaches and so forth.  Forget DST being inconvenient (which it is) maintaining proper sleep patterns and thus better health is a great reason to do away with DST.

         The Pro side will also argue that the extra hour of sunlight is good for one's health as it helps with the adrenaline.  I could not find any statistics.

         My initial  PowerPoint included a slide to point out that DST upsets both farmers and travel industries. As with many others, I had grown up believing that DST was an agricultural thing.  Research shows that it farmers were just as opposed to DST as I am - although the only statics given was specifically for dairy farmers

              Have you ever heard that saying about trains always running late or never on time?  After my research, I think I have figured it out.  It's too much cost to change the schedule every six months. Especially when not all states or countries use DST.  Daylight Saving is harmful to airlines as well as the traveler.

           The pro side argues that daylight is better for business - certain businesses maybe.  Like those involved in retail or selling merchandise.  Malls use to be flooded with consumers.  But guess what?  Some malls are a thing of the past (see here).  Over 25 malls across the nation have shut down.  We have entered a new century where online shopping has become a hot item.  What difference does it make where the sun is in the sky when we're online shopping?

             If, with all the technology that has taken place throughout time, someone were to invent a way to actually take that extra hour of sunlight that is supposedly "saved" during DST and apply it to standard (so that children are standing in "daylight" waiting for bus ALL year round especially in the winter) I'd be impressed.  I remember waiting for the bus in the dark.  And you know, we're always going to have the same amount of hours of darkness in the winter and light in the summer regardless of whether those hours fall between 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. or 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. - so why not just go with one or the other and leave our clocks where they are and avoid adjusting them every six months?

PowerPoint part 2:my last class in 2016

          As with my instructors, I find I recycle the same design for my PowerPoints.

Though the majority of instructors have seemed to go for a darker design, I have always tried to go with a white background. 

But did try my hand at a dark background for one of my projects in History. The first was a midterm

In the assignment, I was to choose from four events or movements that had been discussed in the first two weeks (Immigration and Expansion) and two  (Business and Technology).

I chose immigration and transportation.

I started out by talking about immigrants who had come to the US in search of a better life and how many dreams were not met.  Many had taken jobs in the factories and textile mills just to help make ends meet

"It wasn't just the men who worked, but women and children would put in long hours as well, still dreaming of a better life.  Some had come to acquire land that they might grow crops or raise cattle. It hadn't been their dream to stay in New York to invest their lives in somebody else's dream.  They worked long hours in very primitive conditions.  They had no say.

"But the growth of the textile industry gave some an opportunity to migrate westward.   In 1807 Robert Fulton introduced this nation to the steamboat.  The steamboat could carry product as it made its way up and down the river.  This made it easier for delivering cotton to the Textile mills and distribute product which created more jobs.

That gives you a small taste of the PowerPoint I had created.

          I did not use animations or transitions. I was supposed to have 200 words per slide, but misunderstood and so did not receive full points, but the instructor let me know that she was impressed with the amount of research I had done.

          For my final, I took I quick tour of history throughout the centuries.

We were asked to make a timeline in the form of a PowerPoint.  The two groups I decided to focus on were slavery and the women's movement and their fight for equality over the centuries.

"By 1770, more than 2 million people lived and worked in Great Britain's 13 North American colonies (Col. America). Men and women were expected to fulfill certain roles.  A woman could not own property.  She was expected to stay home and provide for the family.  A man was expected to work, but there were no specific guidelines on how or if he would provide for his family.

"For over a century, African men, women, and children were being stolen away from their native land and brought to America.  They were chained and brought to the colonies in ships.  Upon their arrival, they were auctioned off and sold as slaves.  Meanwhile, the colonists were getting fed up with the misconduct between themselves and the British law.  It didn't seem fair that they were taxed at the expense of a king many miles across the ocean. They wanted rights.  They wanted freedom. They wanted equality."

 

"Many men failed to see that their woman and slaves also wanted a sense of freedom and equality(Colonial America (1492 - 1763). "

I brought each amendment in one at a time.  Words missing from

this slide "unless you were a woman" following "the right to vote"

I continued on with more statistics.  In this slide, I used animation and talked about each amendment one at a time.

"Fast Forward into the 20th century - almost 100 years after the Civil War. 

Though blacks were granted their freedom, they continued to fight for equality and equity, particularly in the south where the states have enforced segregation and treated the "coloreds" less than second class citizens. In many ways, it seems like it was worse to be black than in the times of slavery.

In 1957, nine black students were admitted to an all-white high school in Little Rock, Arkansas.

"On November 14, 1960, a first grader named Ruby Bridges was admitted to William Frantz Public School in New Orleans, Louisiana. She had to be escorted to the school by four state marshals - two would walk in front of her and two would walk behind.  They were there to protect her from the mobs who would bully her with their ugly words of hatred.  For a full year, it was just Ruby and her instructor, Mrs. Henry.    White parents had pulled their children out of the school thinking the policy would change back to an all-white school.  Thankfully, Ruby continued to be brave and assisted with earning more freedoms for others who wanted a better education

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Eleanor Roosevelt as chairwoman. Although she died in 1962, a report was made to improve fair hiring practices, pay for maternity leave, and affordable child care; an equity that women suffrage had been searching for over a century before."

"There have been several advocates acting in the name of Women's Rights, or Civil Rights - equity or equality.  Many groups have received the attention of the media.  Some attention has been less positive than others.  But all attention brought results. 

Obama was still in office of President during this class

"Starting January 20, 2009, our nation saw our first black president lead this country for the past eight years.  This year (2016) Hillary Clinton represented the Democrat Party in the Presidential Delegates.  She got a lot closer to becoming president than did Victoria Woodhull back in 1872.

I have just briefly mentioned two groups of people who have fought for freedoms and equality.  There are certainly many more that have existed throughout the centuries. Regardless of what group we may be in, we all continue to fight for freedoms and equality.  May we find the equity needed to truly make us free.  Thank you for your time. "

PowerPoint part 1: Computer Fundamentals

          I wish the instructors would provide entertaining power points as is expected of the students.  One of the first courses I took at the online university was in computer fundamentals.  I did not know much about
PowerPoint at that point.  In fact, my baby girl knew her way around it much better than I as she had not only used it before, but enjoyed doing it.

          I don't know if we (the students) had been introduced to the "speaker's notes" part of the PowerPoint at that time.  I know I didn't use them in that particular class.  Yet I still received full credit.  We were given certain requirements for completing these assignments:

Create a professional 6 to 8 slide presentation on the topic of our choice. 

Our  PowerPoint was to include all of the following: 

1.      Title slide with your name, course, date and title of the presentation

2.      A standard design theme for the entire presentation

3.      Clip Art

4.      Smart Art

5.      Word Art

6.      Transitions between each slide

7.      At least 1 animation

          Insructor PowerPoints are generally 20 - 40 slides long.  No animation, few use word art or smart art.  I have only seen one use transitions.  Several have used Clip art.  Very few (if any) PowerPoints have entertained.

          For my first power point assignment, I made the topic obviously simple.  I used animations for all of my slides.  I had Jenna help me with some of it.  These are three of the slides  I ended up with:

          For our other power point assignment, I was  required to find a celebrity who had gone into the same major as I and do a power point on that person.  I learned that both Bob Newhart and Kenny G both accountants.  Who knew?  I remember I did research for them both.  I don't know why I ended up doing Bob Newhart instead of Kenny G.   Kenny G. has been a major investor in Starbucks (here) I find that interesting.

 

          So my Bob Newhart videos featured only three slides about him personally.  One on his background: 

his accomplishments:

and where he is today.  The images for the slides had to be retrieved from Window insert provided by Bing.  I would have liked to use this picture for "Where he is today" but was not allowed as it did not come up in Windows by is protected by copyright (I have not always honored that as I hadn't considered that aspect - figuring if they came up on Google images, I could use them.  But I have learned that isn't so, and apologize to any I may have offended by using copyrighted pictrues on my earlier posts and will remove those who send a request for me to do so.

Each slide was numbered and had my name at one side.  The next powerpoint I did my first philosophy class (here)  I did not use a numbering system in that class.

Integrity

I have many thoughts in my head, but need to write them and haven't done well with the timing.  So here is a very real situation that may tie my readers over.  Same Theatre.  One actor possessed integrity, the other didn't.

Stephan had auditioned for a local theatre and signed a contract that paid 16 dollars a performance - which really isn't much.  The show was a parody of Star Wars. Though he absolutely LOVES Star Wars and seems to see the humor in many parodies, he really did not care for the show.

At some point during before the show had started but still practicing, Stephan was contacted by a colleague who needed a fourth for putting on the show "Forever Plaid" something that Stephan was familiar with as he had performed at college.   Forever Plaid's payment would have been $40 a show, plus expenses (as the group would be traveling) which sounded so sweet to Stephan's ears, but he explained that he had signed a contract and had to honor that.

Stephan stayed with the company for several years and was among the highest paid actors by the time he left the theatre to move to another state.

 Ian was also hired on a 16 dollar per show contract.  I believe he was hired more for his looks than his acting ability.  Ian had enough resemblance to be cast as Leo Decaprio in a Titanic spoof.  After a few performances, Ian was contacted by a film studio that would pay him over 100 dollars a day - or so Ian believed.  Ian decided to leave the theatre and pursue a career in film.

The director was upset with the challenge of having to replace Ian after the performances had already started and tickets had been sold.  Ian's film career was a bust.  The project was canceled.  And because of his decision to quit during the performance, Ian had been blackballed from every theatre in Utah.  

What may or may not seems like a big deal at the time may have a great impact on one's future.  Integrity is so important.  Be the person who honors his word so that others may also.

A Fork in the Road

            Many of us may have a destination in mind.  Some are fortunate enough to choose a path that they wish to follow.  For others, it may seem that life threw them a curve ball and the path they are on is not one of their choosing.  For example, you may be in a car accident on your way to work.  You may experience back injuries that will stay with you for the rest of your life.   

            You may have a son who is a victim of a knife wound that damaged his brain.  He can still carry on a conversation, even an intelligent one, but his social skills will always be like that of a nine-year-old and it will be frustrating for you to watch a forty-year-old man resort back to his immature childish reactions.  He might not be embarrassed when others snicker at him but perhaps you are.

           

            Your mother may get Alzheimer's or another form of dementia. She forgets names and events.  Her reality takes her back to another place in time - a time that you, yourself, have not experienced.  Her reality and yours are no longer the same. 

            Your niece had made plans of attending a more prestige high school in another city, but your sister gets pregnant with her second child.  Your niece now has to attend the local high school as your sister is now on bed rest and unable to drive her to the other school every day.

            Or you recently started having seizures and have been to several hospitals and doctors in less than a year and end up in a wheelchair.  You are not even seventeen.  This path you're on was definitely not part of your plan.

            Or your spouse dies three years after you marry and your only child hasn't even turned two yet.  Of course, all of these statistics affect many people.  We become caregivers or call on others to assist.  We don't wish to be a burden to anyone, nor do we wish to have our lives disrupted - not only emotionally but many feel financially drained as well.  So why does it happen?

            Why do some lose their minds at such a young age while others live to be old and just as sharp as ever?  Why are some more physically fit than others who have worked so much harder to stay in shape?  Why do some people always seem to have money while others struggle from paycheck to paycheck and never seem to get ahead?

            We might not be able to choose our trials, but we can choose our reaction - though at times displaying a positive attitude seems to be more of a challenge than our situation.  I feel bad for not being in Utah to be with my great aunt and uncle.  When my daughter-in-law passed, we went back for the funeral.  When my great uncle passed, we did not. 

            My great aunt has always been in good health and aware of his surroundings.  Her hearing had declined over the years - but she was sharp.  Both her and my uncle until his dying day.  She took a fall one Easter back in 2013.  She was in a rehab center for a while in 2013 and seemed to be getting better.  She passed the center and returned to her house. She gradually declined after that.  My cousins and family have been taking care of her.  In a way, I wish I was there to help them.  In a way, I am grateful that I have an excuse to not have to go through it again.

            Attitude is everything.  I pray that I may always have a grateful attitude.  Especially when I don't understand why the destination of the path doesn't look the same as where I thought I (or we) was/were headed.