The End

Rhetoric as we've discussed throughout this semester, is the art of using language to communicate effectively and persuasively. So now here in lies my attempt to rhetorically analyse the source behind my last three blog posts. Highway Contractor is a heavy civil/highway construction trade journal. To analyse this publication i'll use a basic format of rhetorical analysis that more or less provided the backbone for most of our class discussions.

The rhetorical situation this publication is built off of is not one that neccistates persuation, it is more of a platform for factuakl knowledge about th industry to be shared so ultimately it is this need for a common source of information thats lead to this (and many other) publications existance. As for the author (the same person authored all of my articles), well its no mystery who he was, his name is at the top of each article and due to the very nature of a trade journal he provides little in the way of credintials but this is a freedom that we as the audience have afforded him. We assume his credentials to be sufficent else the journal wouldn't publish him. He "speaks" well and refrained from any attacking/defensive positions in my articles. The intension of this journal, or at least the article i read from it, is simply to enform and the enlighten.

In addition to the situation and the speaker we must address the audience. As i mentioned just previously, we afford this type of writting a certain amount of liberty in that we do not question their credibility to any great extent. The intended audience for this particular publication is obviously someone with an interest in horizontal construction or at least the equipment that is used in that industry. In the article "The Wage of Smart" i mentioned the primary things that this audience values; safety, accuracy and effenciency/production. These article about equipment innovations appeal directly to these values and this publication is certainly no work of fiction so you can rely on its words to a certain extent.

The author takes full advantage of the situation he and his articles are in and provides information that is directly in line with what his primary audience is concerned with. There is little acknowledgement of a secondary audience but when its the primary audience thats the ones spending a couple hundred thousand dollars on these machines he's got to cater to them first.

I think thats enough of that for know, sounds like a pretty good retorical analysis to me, though perhaps maybe i'm a little biased. Its been a unique experience so i'll leave you with a unique video.



See if you pick out some of these.

0:02 foolish nazi 0:11 please hurt me while i molest0:49 im molesting oxes now hell yeah 1:01 SHITSTER1:03 n*gga needs a whole bottle of soap 2:47 im molesting horses now.

Clean Diesel

This weeks blog post is gonna be pretty short, what with fall break and my Certified Constructors Exam looming i barely had time to read an article.

For this weeks blog post i read an article about a new diesel engine developed by Komatsu. This new engine conforms to U.S. EPA non-road Tier 4 emissions regulations; essentially it reduced its exhaust gas particulate by more than 90 percent. By utilizing computer controlled multi-injection technology this new engine cut fuel consumption and gained throttle response.

Its cool to see innovations within the equipment market that supports the construction industry that i intend to make a career out of.

Choice and Productivity

Last week i was unable to post since i was in Birmingham AL at a highway construction competition. My team took home first place so the 36 sleepless hours we spent toiling over the project was well worth it.

Now, back to the task at hand. For this weeks post i read another article from Better Roads, this one discussing the new John Deere Motor Grader. The new grader offers unequaled choices for operator comforts like fingertip controls and an LCD screen for monitoring critical aspects of the machine. A rear view camera provides an added measure of safety as the machine navigates on a job site. Additionally, a Grade Pro Package is offered for high-production grading operations like road construction. This package provides additional operator comforts like a high back, air ride operators chair. The added comfort plus enhanced cross slope controls and 6 wheel drive, coupled with never grease joints and self diagnostic system mean the new grader can work longer shifts for lower daily operating costs. All this technology combines to help inexperienced operators while still saving on fuel consumption; technology is no longer a stranger to the dirt and grime of  high production machinery.

The Wages of Smart

The article i'm writing about comes from Highway Contractor, a heavy civil/highway construction trade journal. As with any construction project, completing the early stages of road building is all about doing it right the first time. Often this requires the use of new technologies.

Contractors typically have three goals for a job: do it safely, move the dirt one time and move the dirt quickly and efficiently. The article i read talks of evolving technologies for grading equipment that will help contractors meet the 3 goals just mentioned. When site preparation companies start talking about their work we find that it is less about the dozer, the grader or the compactor and much more about the available technology that will make the most efficient use of the equipment.

In this article there is a lengthy discussion about a program the CAT is releasing that connect all of a projects grading equipment together and to the project drawings so that each machine can monitor grade elevations, grade slopes and soil compaction as they work. This alleviates the need for a grade checker (person) to continuously survey the site. Not only does this new program allow the machines to stay in constant calibration and avoid hitting each other, it also allows for underground utilities to be input and subsequent avoidance zones implemented. This information helps insure no damage is caused to these utilities and certainly drives home the contractors' goals of doing the job right the first time and moving dirt as fast and as efficiently as possible.

Miller

So i'm supposed to be study for 2 exams that i have today but instead i'm trying to read miller, good luck with that. Basically all I've gotten out of miller is that she is more concerned with the action on which the rhetoric is used, the actions are inherent in the rhetorical situation and that these situations happen again and again over time thus similar actions occur.

Question is, what does miller have to do with us writing our commissioned documents? Seems to me that if most of us have to read the assignment 2 or 3 times and still have several questions about its meaning then we probably wont be very successful at implementing the ideas into our work.

Don't get me wrong, i have not problem sitting in class delving deeper and deeper into the philosophical ideas behind all of our readings but i need it to tie into the class deliverables (graded assignments). I don't mean in the form of a quiz or test either; like when we talked about rhetoric and audience before writing our instructions, that was applicable to a certain extent, so far "Genre as Social Action" is providing less than a clear correlation. Maybe its just me, idk.

Smart Mobs and Wiki

"A smart mob is a group that, contrary to the usual connotations of a mob, behaves intelligently or efficiently because of its exponentially increasing network links. This network enables people to connect to information and others, allowing a form of social coordination." (Wikipedia) 


Ha, take that academia! 

Working in Groups

Throughout my academic career I've had the opportunity/misfortune to work in a number of group settings. On the whole i prefer group work but I've had a few projects that i would've been much better off doing it all on my own. To me, the worst part of the group environment is not the Controller or even the Monumentally Busy person that can never meet; it's the Slacker. If you want to control the project thats fine with me, i know i can manage a group and probably even get the project done before the eleventh hour. If you can never meet with the group i'll have your email and phone number and you will be given work to contribute; if you don't do it then i'll have someone else (or myself) do it last minute and your name will not be on the completed project. 

I'm currently taking 22 hours of class and i am a member of a Heavy Civil/Highway Construction project team so i have no problem letting someone else take the lead role in most group settings this semester since i'm too busy anyway, but i refuse to let my grade suffer as a result of someone elses ineptitude. That said, if the controler begins to fail at their controlling position and misallocate work or take on too much for themselves, i will be the first person to tell you about it. 

Through numerous experiences in the "real world" of the construction industry i have found that a higher sense of pride and commitment exists and that while you may still have a Slacker in the group, they're no where near as useless as they are in the academic arena. If they Slack too much for too long they'll be fired; i'm ok letting them sign their own headstone.

Its all in the eye of the Beholder

Tuesdays class began and ended like most, but there was a time in the middle where i could swear i was in a philosophy class. Other the being mildly entertaining, the philosophy lesson drove home a good point; context/situation. The so called "poem"/homework assignment we discussed showed just how much we as readers rely on context. Not only do we rely on context, we unknowingly give an authority figure superiority; represented by the second class not asking any questions about the "poem" but rather just immediately fitting meanings to the words. Additionally, let us not forget that readers draw on their own experiences and expertise to derive meaning from text.

Now i laid all that information out because the combination of them lends itself quite nicely to the notion that text cannot be defended once it leaves your hands. This an idea we discussed in the first few class meetings but it was embodied by the example from Tuesdays class. It was unique to see how people, as readers, draw their own, individual conclusions based on personal knowledge and perceived situational indicators.

Seeing how easily a written statement can be misinterpreted definitely made me think a little more about my own instructions.

Instructions

I'm discovering that while i know seemingly exactly how to do the task i am writing instructions for, i am still struggling slightly. For me the ultimate problem, i think, is truly defining the audience. I don't know quite how much background/teaching to include. If i assume a very skilled audience then its easy but most likely i'm dealing with an audience somewhere between beginner and expert and that a broad range to write instructions for.

The other major issue i have come across is simply writing down every action that goes into the process. Certain movements or thoughts i take for granted while i'm acting out the task must now be clearly and concisely communicated to the reader.

My task is one that i essentially learned how to do by simply doing it, normally that makes the instructions easier but in this instance  it means going through the process several times and identifying exactly what is needed and in which order; eliminating my own learning curve from the instruction set is proving more difficult than i had initially thought.

Anyone else running into similar issues?

Seems kinda silly but this little assignment is really grinding my gears lol

Obama

After reading Obama's remarks on the Ground Zero mosque and after hearing a few peoples opinions i decided i should shed some light on why it my be perceived in further class discussions that i do not like the current administration. This may get a little long but Let me see if I got this right...

- IF YOU CROSS THE NORTH KOREAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET 12 YEARS HARD LABOR.

- IF YOU CROSS THE IRANIAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU ARE DETAINED INDEFINITELY.

- IF YOU CROSS THE AFGHAN BORDER ILLEGALLY, YOU GET SHOT.

- IF YOU CROSS THE SAUDI ARABIAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE? JAILED.

- IF YOU CROSS THE CHINESE BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU MAY NEVER BE HEARD FROM AGAIN.

- IF YOU CROSS THE VENEZUELAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE BRANDED A SPY AND YOUR FATE WILL BE SEALED.

- IF YOU CROSS THE CUBAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE THROWN INTO POLITICAL PRISON TO ROT.

- IF YOU CROSS THE U.S. BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET............

1 -  A JOB
2 - A DRIVERS LICENSE,
3 - SOCIAL SECURITY CARD,
4 - WELFARE,
5 - FOOD STAMPS,
6 - CREDIT CARDS,
7 - SUBSIDIZED RENT OR A LOAN TO BUY A HOUSE,
8 - FREE EDUCATION
9 - FREE HEALTH CARE,
10 - A LOBBYIST IN WASHINGTON,
11 - BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS PRINTED IN YOUR LANGUAGE,
12 - AND THE RIGHT TO CARRY YOUR COUNTRY'S FLAG WHILE YOU PROTEST THAT YOU DON'T GET ENOUGH RESPECT.

I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I HAD A FIRM GRASP ON THE SITUATION...

And what about that stimulus package we were all promised? Well aside from not delivering it promptly, it is littered with almost $20 million dollars in "kickbacks" and other suspicious money. Not only that, the money promised to all the states for highway and infrastructure construction requires PLA's (Project labor Agreements) What these agreements do is mandate that any federally funded project over $25 million dollars be built using UNION LABOR. First off, most any infrastructure project is going to cost several hundred million dollars, thus they will all be built with union crews. Union crews drive up the cost of any project because they get paid a lot more per hour than any open shop company. Now think for a moment where we live, the southeast, we do not have unions! That alone is why BMW built in Spartanburg and why Boeing built in Charleston; and is expanding that plant rather than any other plant. What does all this mean? It means that our local (southeast) contractors wont even be allowed to bid on most of the stimulus projects in our region and if they can bid they will still be required to use union labor; which is not the local labor force whose unemployment rate in construction is nearing 20%. Sound like a good thing to you? 

But who says that Obama hasn't created job?, Take a look at this...

"In my own life, in my own small way, I have tried to give back to this
country that has given me so much," she said. "See, that's why I left a job
at a big law firm for a career in public service, " Michelle Obama

No, Michele Obama does not get paid to serve as the First Lady and she
doesn't perform any official duties.. But this hasn't deterred her from
hiring an unprecedented number of staffers to cater to her every whim and to
satisfy her every request in the midst of the Great Recession. Just think Mary
Lincoln was taken to task for purchasing china for the White House during
the Civil War. And Mamie Eisenhower had to shell out the salary for her
personal secretary.

How things have changed! If you're one of the tens of millions of Americans
facing certain destitution, earning less than subsistence wages stocking the
shelves at Wal-Mart or serving up McDonald cheeseburgers, prepare to scream
and then come to realize that the benefit package for these servants of Miz
Michelle are the same as members of the national security and defense
departments and the bill for these assorted lackeys is paid by you, John Q.
Public:

1. $172,2000 - Sher, Susan (Chief Of Staff)
2. $140,000 - Frye, Jocelyn C. (Deputy Assistant to the President and
Director of Policy And Projects For The First Lady)
3. $113,000 - Rogers, Desiree G. (Special Assistant to the President and White
House Social Secretary)
4. $102,000 - Johnston, Camille Y. (Special Assistant to the President
and Director
of Communications for the First Lady)
5. $100,000 - Winter, Melissa E. (Special Assistant to the President and Deputy
Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
6. $90,000 - Medina , David S. (Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
7. $84,000 - Lelyveld, Catherine M. (Director and Press Secretary to the
First Lady)
8. $75,000 - Starkey, Frances M. (Director of Scheduling and Advance for the
First Lady)
9. $70,000 - Sanders, Trooper (Deputy Director of Policy and Projects for
the First Lady)
10. $65,000 - Burnough, Erinn J. (Deputy Director and Deputy Social
Secretary)
11.. $64,000 - Reinstein, Joseph B. (Deputy Director and Deputy Social
Secretary)
12. $62,000 - Goodman, Jennifer R. (Deputy Director of Scheduling and Events
Coordinator For The First Lady)
13. $60,000 - Fitts, Alan O.. (Deputy Director of Advance and Trip Director
for the First Lady)
14. $57,500 - Lewis, Dana M. (Special Assistant and Personal Aide to the
First Lady)
15. $52,500 - Mustaphi, Semonti M. (Associate Director and Deputy Press
Secretary To The First Lady)
16. $50,000 - Jarvis, Kristen E. (Special Assistant for Scheduling and
Traveling Aide To The First Lady)
17. $45,000 - Lechtenberg, Tyler A. (Associate Director of Correspondence
For The First Lady)
18. $43,000 - Tubman, Samantha (Deputy Associate Director, Social Office)
19. $40,000 - Boswell, Joseph J. (Executive Assistant to the Chief Of Staff
to the First Lady)
20. $36,000 - Armbruster, Sally M. (Staff Assistant to the Social Secretary)

21. $35,000 - Bookey, Natalie (Staff Assistant)
22. $35,000 - Jackson, Deilia A. (Deputy Associate Director of
Correspondence for the First Lady)

 *There has NEVER been anyone in the White House at any time who has created
such an army of staffers whose sole duties are the facilitation of the First
Lady's social life.. One wonders why she needs so much help, at taxpayer
expense, when even Hillary, only had three; **Jackie Kennedy**** one; **Laura
Bush**** one; and prior to Mamie Eisenhower social help came from the
President's own pocket.**

Note: This does not include makeup artist Ingrid Grimes-Miles, 49, and
"First Hairstylist" Johnny Wright, 31, both of whom traveled aboard Air
Force One to Europe.

WAKE UP PEOPLE!


Tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and

impressive? Can't think of anything? Don't worry. He did almost all this, and more,
 in his first year (maybe two) as president -- so you'll have plenty of time to come up
with an answer.

First Post

I've been sitting here reading a Construction Industry Annual Financial Survey for another class of mine and i'm convinced that rhetoric is reserved  for situations where the "author" wants to create a sense of superiority. Of the 3 sections of the survey i have to read only one is in "la men's terms" and it is the Executive Summary, the rest of the document is technical jargon and, sophisticated sentence structures and terminology.

Rhetoric, at least to me, has always been shown in a negative light and i think it is mostly because the use of it almost comes across as a way of establishing superiority over the reader/listener. None the less, i do believe that rhetoric is an effective tool for communication as thus has its place in our speech and writing.