Category: RCL Blog

In order to create my e-portfolio, I have chosen to use wix as my platform. As a person who struggles with technology and especially with creating websites, wix seems like the best platform for me. According to the website builder expert website, it has an above four star rating for ease of use and help and support; both of these measures are significant to me because I will most likely run into trouble while trying to create my e-portfolio and it would definitely help if I found the web builder accessible and also having easy access to tech support when needed.

I have decided that I will have my grandparents as my audience for this project. All three of my grandparents live very far away from me and it has always been difficult to see them, especially during the pandemic. I am sure that they are curious to know what I have been up to my first year at Penn State and I believe that this project would be the perfect way to show off my accomplishments and my hard work to them. I would certainly include a tab regarding my Civic Issue Blogs; my one grandmother, a Filipino American, would definitely enjoy reading about my analysis of the Asian American expirience during the pandemic. I’m both all of my grandparents would like to read my passion blogs too. I would include the projects I’ve done for this class and for other classes. I would also create a tab displaying my acceptance into the NSLS. All of these things would allow them to see what my life has been like so far at Penn State and I’m sure they would love the idea of having a final project created for them.

DWI Courts: The Best Solution to Drunk Driving

Every year, over 10,000 fatalities occur as a result of drunk driving. Each day, over 800 people receive injuries due to this issue bringing the total number of alcohol related traffic calamities to 290,000 annually costing nearly $114.3 billion. This cost includes loss of life, car impounding, court fees, and education programs for those under the influence. Most importantly, repeat offenders cause over ⅓ of drunk driving accidents. This costly issue has persisted in the United States throughout the twenty-first century even with laws and restrictions in place against the issue. While these mandates can punish offenders and create incentive to drive sober, it has not made a major dent in the issue of drunk driving. Statistically, drunk driving fatalities have remained relatively the same over the last ten years; the lack of a difference made with mandates in place signifies the need for new solutions. Rather than focusing on police surveillance and harsh punishment, the government should focus on the rehabilitation of drunk driving offenders. By requiring treatment, reeducation and consistent BAC tests, the number of drunk drivers and repeat offenses could decrease. All of these fall into the realm of DWI courts, the most successful preventive measure against drunk driving. In order to best combat this issue, DWI courts should receive greater funding in order to extend their resources to help more drunk drivers. 

After doing more research, I changed my intended policy instrument from mandates to capacity building.

The issue of drunk driving in the United States is an exigent issue. While the numbers have gone down in recent decades, 36,000 deaths comprising of 29% of all crash deaths is still too high of a number. Especially since over half of respondents to an American Addiction Center survey feel capable of driving after consumer, the issue of drunk driving still persists. Even if a drunk driver somehow reachers their destination safely, every time they drive on the road they create more opportunities for danger. In order to properly address this policy issue, it is key to make clear the dangerous consequences of impaired driving.

In order to best discuss this issue, it is key to understand the audience. In this scenario, the audience can be anyone who drives, consumes alcohol, or anyone who knows someone who does either or both of these things. This policy issue effects people of all ages and backgrounds. People may know the dangers of drunk driving but can still ignore the warnings; harsher penalties for these actions could motivate people to not drink and drive. This policy intervention would also have a government audience, since the intent is to change policy in order to protect the lives of citizens. Both audiences can make a differece. The government can implement new policies and mandates to incentivize people to stay away from drunk driving; the people are the ones who have to follow these rules and actively cut down on this dangerous practice.

Works Cited:

American Addiction Centers, American Addiction Centers, 2019, americanaddictioncenters.org/learn/drunk-driving-statistics-in-america/#:~:text=Interestingly%2C%2023.2%25%20of%20people%20admitted,46.5%25%20who%20don’t.

Over 119,000 people died as a result of drunk driving in the United States from 2003 to 2011. Driving under the influence of alcohol impairs the driver’s ability to make the proper reactions in order to safely conduct a vehicle. Their impaired abilities put the lives of other drivers and innocent bystanders at risk. Drunk driving affects people of all ages, but has a large impact on younger groups of people. In 2017, 42% of drunk driving related deaths were people between 16 and 24 years of age. In addition, the highest percent of drunk drivers in the year were 21 to 24 year olds comprising of 27% of all drunk drivers. Although drunk drivers can be punished by insurance companies, interlock systems, breathalizers and liscence points, roughly 800 people are injured in drunk driving accidents daily.

I could consider drunk driving to be an accidental cause. While drunk drivers willingly become intoxicated and make the decision to get behind the wheel of a car, most of the time they do not intend to kill people when they drive. Impaired driving is a poor decision however people do not make that decision because they hope to kill someone on the road. While this issue is more of an accidental cause, it does not make these actions acceptable by any means. I feel that it could also be argued as an intentional cause since the drivers willingly got drunk and chose to drive knowing that their condition would diminish their ability to drive safely. I feel like drunk driving could fall into either category.

I would consider mandates to be the best solution to the issue of drunk driving. Harsher punishments need to be taken against drunk drivers to prevent people from doing it more than once but to also give drivers a reason not to do it in the first place. I think that there should be different levels of punishment based off of a certain BAC, but at a certain BAC the minimum punishment should be jailtime, even if no one has been harmed. Regular offences should always be met with heavy fines and should restrict the offender’s ability to drive. Many people continue to die from drunk driving each year; harsher punishments for this action should prevent people from drinking and driving. With less impaired drivers on the road, the world will be safer for people operating vehicles or simply just passing by.

Works Cited:

“Drunk Driving Statistics + Facts (Including a 2021 Survey): The Zebra.” Drunk Driving Statistics + Facts (Including a 2021 Survey) | The Zebra, Insurance Zebra, 16 Mar. 2021, www.thezebra.com/resources/research/drunk-driving-statistics/#:~:text=Drunk%20driving%20statistics%20in%202020&text=35.8%25%20of%20respondents%20identified%20Generation,year%20olds)%20with%2031.0%25.

“Facts and Laws about Drinking and Driving.” Auto-Related News, Trends, & Tips – I Drive Safely, I Drive Safely, 2021, www.idrivesafely.com/defensive-driving/trending/facts-and-laws-about-drinking-and-driving.

“Check please.”

You’ve just finished a delicious meal at a very popular restaraunt. You and your friends have had a nice night out and it’s time to pay your bill and get going. The waiter/waitress comes back with your bill. You take a quick look and hand them your card. They come back a few minutes later with your card, a receipt, and a pen. They thank you for dining at their restaraunt and wish you and your friends a happy evening. You look at the thin piece of paper and it asks how much you will leave for a tip: 18%, 20%, 22%, custom, or gratuity (20%). Your server was very friendly, patient, consistently had your drinks replenished, and got your food out very quickly, even on a packed Friday evening. You decide that they earned it and leave them a 25% tip on a $200 bill. Having worked as a server full time at a busy restaraunt like this last fall, something miniscule like leaving a decent tip can make your whole day.

I believe in tipping. I believe in tipping generously. From my personal experience, being a server isn’t easy like it may seem to those who haven’t worked the profession. You’re on your feet all day, you have to be able to multitask, take care of several different tables at a time, and, the most difficult part, you have to pretend to be nice to people and maintain a friendly and professional appearance. The job may appear to be “simple”, but it is far from easy. It can be very stressful, especially during busy hours, when you can out of nowhere have to take care of 40 different orders all at once without messing anything up. These people are under constant stress while working and they have to hide it under a mask (figuratively), the least you can do is leave a 20% tip. Sure, they may take a little bit to bring your drinks or there might be lettuce when you asked for none, but keep in mind the several other things they have to do along with everything else that is going at the restaraunt whether it’s in the kitchen or at the bar.

Sometimes, leaving a nice tip can make a servers day. This happened to me, as I just starting out. It was one of my first nights working as a server. It was busy; all sections of the restaraunt were packed. As such, I was “in the weeds”. I had six tables, two of which were large parties. Even though I was young and a little inexperienced, I was doing alright. I hadn’t messed up any orders, I had kept everyone’s drinks filled, and I was having friendly conversations with the customers. Still, I wasn’t exactly feeling great. I had already been working for seven hours and my legs and my heels were cramping up. I was losing patience, as three of my tables had finished eating yet had not left, meaning I still had to attend to them. Eventually as it got towards the end of my shift, I began to close out all my tabs. I went to clean up one table and picked up the receipt so I could enter in the tip information. To my surprise, the customer had left me $100 on a $130 bill (77%). I was ecstatic. After several long and tiring hours of putting on a nice, happy face I received a generous tip. In my mind, that made all the suffering of that day worth it because someone noticed my hard work and rewarded me with a little extra.

I believe in tipping your waiter/waitress well. They work long hours while barely being able to sit down or even look at their phone. Most of the money that servers make is from tips and a lot of them, rely on that money to pay for school, bills, or for me two months of traveling. Those long hours can be intense and grueling; even leaving 30% can absolutely change their entire mood. I’ve experienced this myself and with my coworkers. Such a small gesture can change the entire course of another person’s day.

For my next passion blog series, I have decided to continue/spin off my last theme of traveling. Since I have already written about most of the countries that I have been to, I am going to write about countries that I would like to visit, once the pandemic is over. It will follow a similar structure. I’ll name a country, list activities I’d like to do, places I’d like to visit while also providing general background information about the country and why I would like to visit. I think this will be a fun continuation of last semester’s blog while also trying something new. I have always loved learning about different countries and geography has always been a personal interest of mine. I subscribe to several youtube channels covering these topics and it will be fun writing about it myself rather than just observing. Being able to write about my hopes and dreams of visiting these places will only continue to fuel that passion and maybe it will inspire to keep working towards those goals.

The topic of my civic issues blog will be about the experiences of immigrants coming to the United States. I want to cover the good and bad experiences that people have had trying to grow accustomed to and integrate into American life. My paternal grandparents immigrated from the Philippines in 1967. My grandmother told me stories of hardships that my grandfather had to through in medical school, the workplace, and general life. I would love to cover and bring to light certain issues that immigrants face in this country. The United States is an oddity in the sense that the overwhelming majority of its population is not indigenous to the land it inhabits nor is it mostly homogenous unlike countries such as Germany or Japan. But I would also like to share positive experiences too. It would be interesting to write about immigrants overcoming hardship and finding great success in this country. That is the American Dream after all and the driving force that brought a number of people’s ancestors to this country. Overall, I want to highlight the immigrant experience and how that either fits or contrasts the American Dream while pointing out issues and discrimmination that immigrants face.

“Check please.”

You’ve just finished a delicious meal at a very popular restaraunt. You and your friends have had a nice night out and it’s time to pay your bill and get going. The waiter/waitress comes back with your bill. You take a quick look and hand them your card. They come back a few minutes later with your card, a receipt, and a pen. They thank you for dining at their restaraunt and wish you and your friends a happy evening. You look at the thin piece of paper and it asks how much you will leave for a tip: 18%, 20%, 22%, custom, or gratuity (20%). Your server was very friendly, patient, consistently had your drinks replenished, and got your food out very quickly, even on a packed Friday evening. You decide that they earned it and leave them a 25% tip on a $200 bill. Having worked as a server full time at a busy restaraunt like this last fall, something miniscule like leaving a decent tip can make your whole day.

From my personal experience, being a server isn’t easy like it may seem to those who haven’t worked the profession. You’re on your feet all day, you have to be able to multitask, take care of several different tables at a time, and, the most difficult part, you have to pretend to be nice to people and maintain a friendly and professional appearance. The job may appear to be “simple”, but it is far from easy. It can be very stressful, especially during busy hours, when you can out of nowhere have to take care of 40 different orders all at once without messing anything up. These people are under constant stress while working and they have to hide it under a mask (figuratively), the least you can do is leave a 20% tip. Sure, they may take a little bit to bring your drinks or there might be lettuce when you asked for none, but keep in mind the several other things they have to do along with everything else that is going at the restaraunt whether it’s in the kitchen or at the bar.

Obviously sometimes you will receive poor service and maybe they won’t be worthy of a 20% tip. It happens. But I can assure you, 99% of the time, your server puts forth their best effort to ensure you have the best dining experience possible. Keep in mind, they’re doing that for several other people too, at the same time. The ability to restrain yourself from flipping out on a rude customer or someone just trying to get free food is the greatest display of strength I have ever seen.

When a person leaves a 20% tip it shows a few things about them. It shows that they have the deceny and manners to do so and appreciation. I remember one time, I had a table of about 7 people. We were very friendly and there was no delay with any of their food or drinks. I found out that they were all waitstaff too and they understood what I was going through and everything I had to put up with. After they left, I noticed that they had left me 35%. I had never felt happier at work.

In conclusion, be a decent human being and leave 20% on a bill. They work long hours while barely being able to sit down or even look at their phone. Most of the money that servers make is from tips and a lot of them, rely on that money to pay for school, bills, or for me two months of traveling. If you don’t have enough money to leave a fair tip, then you shouldn’t have gone out in the first place. It’s the least you can do for something in that situation and if you were the waiter, you’d probaby want a good tip too.

For this semester, I have been thinking about several different ideas about what to write the “This I believe” blog. Two of my ideas are my belief that people should travel to other countries and my belief that more people should strive for individuality. I would love to write about the need for travel because it can show people how different each part of the world is. Our life experience as Americans is vastly different from most of the world and I think it is tragic to only stay in one place and to say that America is the best at everything without seeing what the rest of the world has to offer. In my experience, travel can also help you figure out what you want to do with your life and you can meet so many amazing people along the way. I would also like to write about my belief individuality because too many people today try to go with what’s popular or what everyone else is doing. To me, being different from other people and having your own interests is more valuable than any popular fad these days. I would go into greater detail as to what I believe individuality is if I chose that as my topic.

I have two ideas for the next passion blog. My last blog was about each country that I have visited. I actually managed to write about most of them, so since I don’t have many left, I think it would be interesting if I wrote about the countries that I want to visit. I love researching and watching videos about other countries so writing a blog about it would come naturally. Another interesting passion blog idea would be to write about movies. Basically, I would name a movie that I’ve seen, give a brief summary, and state why I like the movie and other interesting facts. I took a film study class in my senior year of high school and I enjoyed watching all of the films and writing essays on them; I would love to continue that in this blog.

As a person of color, I believe that there are many different civic issues that apply to people like me in this country. I think it would be interesting to write about xenophobia because I sometimes think about the struggles that my grandparents went through when they came to this country. Immigration is a hot topic and I would like to explore this issue more. Another interesting civic issue blog topic would be the role of religion in America. The United States is supposed to be a secular country but sometimes I wonder how true that is given its preferrence towards Catholicism. I could possibly write about how the Catholic majority in this country discrimminates against, marginalizes, or makes it difficult for other religious and non-religious groups to find a place in our society.

After completing my Ted Talk presentation and hearing feedback from my peers, I feel confident in my work. I was told that I was articulate, had good slides, and overall a well-organized presentation and flow. I felt that I started off with a decent analogy (comparing the original distaste for sound movies with the years of discrimmination towards multiracial people. While the Ted Talk was very good in my opinion, there still are a few things that I could have done better. I feel like I was a little rushed and spoke very quickly; I also think that I could have prepared for the presentation a little better. Besides those two elements, I believe that I created a decent Ted Talk about the paradigm shift of multiracial people in the United States.

For the History of a Public Controversy video, I have a few ideas. I think it would be interesting to create a video about the drug/opiod epidemic in America. The United States has spent billions of dollars on the war on drugs. Although the United States has been involved with fighting Mexican and Colombian drug cartels, the flow of drugs into our country has continued to grow; we are also the number one market for drugs in the world. I think analyzing how the world’s biggest junkie spends so much to fight against a business with such a high demand would make a great presentation. It would also be interesting to look at the opiod crisis and how pharmaceutical companies can profit off of the pill addictions of millions of Americans while still maintaining the front of a regular business. Like the Super Size documentary, this would cover an issue that affects millions of Americans and is brokered by legal businesses.

Paradigm pPt

This link will take you to the slides that I have made for this presentation. I tried to keep the slides simple and attention grabbing, but may continue to make slight edits before uploading my Ted Talk.