5th Post for LSC100

The article that I choose to read for this blog post was Food Lobby Mobilizes, as Soda Tax Bubbles Up. I choose this one because it seemed like a very interesting topic that can affect everyone. After reading it, I decided that the companies with the sugar drinks are being made into the scapegoat for our nation’s health problems. It almost seems as if the politicians in Washington are looking for any way they can to get extra revenue and to make a solution the fastest and easiest way possible.

I feel that obesity is not the soda companies fault because all they have done is put a product out on the market that people were willing to buy. I can agree in part with the fact that, in Washington’s’ eyes, a sugar tax on sodas would be a good decision because it would probably cut down on consumption, but the sugar tax also calls for a tax on flavored juice drinks and chocolate milk! I think that is just ridiculous. Drinks such as Snapple and Hawaiian Punch are less harmful alternatives to soda for people. If these healthier drinks are taxed, the whole purpose of alternative beverages is defeated because the tax would be like saying choosing something else other than soda is bad in the eyes of the government.

In the end, I feel that this proposed tax will fall through because it won’t get enough support to pass. The article mentions how a few senators were against the idea because of their ties into sugar and corn. It seems that even though this whole idea stemmed from an unfair accusation of the soda companies, it will be eventually shot down by politicians who ultimately have the intentions of helping out their own interests.

Demonstration Speech: How to Stick Handle

To be totally honest, I was a little afraid to do this demonstration speech. I have had a lot of practice as far as talking to groups of people goes, but it is always something that I get butterflies doing. I choose stick handling because it is something that I have done for a very long time. I think that my intro was fairly decent and that I was able to keep the audience interested throughout the entire speech. I was able to incorporate my visual aids well because they were such key parts to the whole presentation. My delivery was the part of my speech that needed work. I had good pace and body contact, but I needed work on my volume being consistent. There are parts where it is hard to hear what I am saying. I could have looked at the audience a little more as well.

I think that overall, my speech was very informative and interesting because not many people realize how much work goes into being a great hockey player. My length was good and the audience gave me a fairly positive feedback after the speech was finished. One thing that I would really have to work on if I had to do another one is I used “um” quite a bit and it made me seem unsure of myself at times. This is something that would disappear if I just practice my speeches a little more.

For the most part this was an enjoyable experience for me. I also enjoyed listening and learning from other peoples speeches as well. I think everyone should learn to speak in front of a group of people and this is a great way to learn how.