Dec

28

What’s Bigger Than The Grand Canyon?

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Answer: 4 National Parks and 4 States, that’s what bigger than the Grand Canyon!

Right now, I am in Kingman, Arizona with Saul at my friend Liz’s parents’ house.

After talking with Liz and Saul we have a change of plans. Instead of visiting the Grand Canyon, we are going to visit four national parks and several other cool places.

At 7:00am, Liz, Saul and I are going to leave Kingman and by the end of the day we will be in Cortez, Colorado.

On our trip across Arizona tomorrow, we are going to visit Sedona, Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest National Park, Four Corners Monument, and then stop for the night in Cortez, Colorado.

The next day, we are going to Mesa Verde National Park, Arches National Park and then we are driving to and stopping in Cedar City, Utah for the night.

Saturday morning we are going to Zion National Park, Las Vegas, Nevada and then visiting Hoover Dam and then finally returning to Kingman, Arizona to ring in the New Year!

The trip is approximately 1500 miles!

Yes, I know, we are insane but this is what life is about. ;-)

Dec

28

“Wagons East!”

Filed Under Personal, United States | Leave a Comment

Today, I am heading east on the highways of America with my friend Saul.

Our destination is the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona. I have not been to the Grand Canyon for at least 10 years.

The primary reason for the journey is to go out and experience what this world has to offer. Southwest America appeals to me, therefore I want to explore it.

I will take a lot of pictures and keep a journal of my travels.

You only live life once so live it up! As mentioned in John Candy’s last movie, “Wagons East!”

Dec

27

Re: “Plan Would Put Reform in Citizens’ Hands”

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Yesterday, the LA Times published an articled titled “Plan Would Put Reform in Citizens’ Hands.” Time Staff Writer Dan Morain writes that Assemblyman Joe Canciamilla (D-Pittsburg) and Assemblyman Keith Richman (R-Northridge) “plan to introduce the citizen idea when the Legislature convenes next month.”

The plan basically calls for the establishment of a citizens’ assembly that would be responsible for studying “California’s political system and suggest improvements.” Citizens would be randomly selected, be offered a stipend, meet twice a month for a year and hold public hearings to gather citizens’ input on what can be done to improve government.

This is a novel idea. It is critical to any government to empower citizens and encourage their participation in the political process. By creating a citizens’ assembly, the public is afforded the opportunity to give directly involved in the policy making process. The assembly would serve as a de facto extension of the government and it would put people at the center of a process by which real problems can be discussed and solutions created.

However, such a citizens’ assembly is not a prerequisite for people to get actively involved and directly influence the policy making process NOW.

If you are not satisfied with how your government is functioning, then contact your local legislator and express to them your concerns and your ideas to improve government.

Visit http://legislature.ca.gov/port-zipsearch.html, type in your zip code and discover the contact information for your local legislator.

Moreover, don’t be disappointed if you don’t get to directly speak with the legislator. Like you, they are extremely busy people so when you call (or write), you will most likely speak to a staff member or intern. Hence, be sure to be clear, concise and to the point.

As an intern at Congressman Dennis Cardoza’s office, I speak with people all the time who have an opinion about something. While I make an effort to draw a more articulated opinion from a constituent by asking the constituent questions, I don’t believe its commonplace for staff members or interns to do so. Therefore, I want to emphasize the importance of being clear, concise and to the point. This way, your opinion will get across better.

Also, leave your contact information and let the person who you are talking (or writing) to that you will follow up with them in 2-3 weeks. It is best to give an exact date. This informally gives the legislators’ staff a deadline by which they should have a follow-up response to your opinion. If you are prompt, then this will show the staff how important the issue is to you and will make the staff more inclined to be prompt as well.

In the near future, I will create a webpage that describes, in great detail, how you can get in contact with your legislator, effectively communicate your concerns to them and participate in the public policy making process.

Dec

26

2006 is Fast Approaching

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I am not just idly waiting for 2006 to arrive as I sit here drinking a hot cup of green tea with honey and lemon juice mixed in.

Unlike previous years, 2006 holds a lot of visible promise. Put another way, as I grow older and wiser, my understanding of the world also grows and therefore I am able to see more.

The world is much more complex that it was to me 5 years ago and it has become more so over this past year. But the added complexity has helped me to realize and focus on what I want to do and accomplish in life.

Over the next week, I will reevaluate myself, the goals and objectives I have set and my life in general, as I believe most other people do, and rearticulate an improved vision and mission for my life.

A new beginning is approaching and I will seize it!

Dec

25

“On Leadership”

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In the December 2005 issue of the American Political Science Association (APSA)’s Perspectives on Politics, I read an excellent article by Nannerl O. Keohane, a Laurance Rockefeller Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Woodrow Wilson School and the Center for Human Values at Princeton University, titled “On Leadership.”

In “On Leadership,” Keohane bring “together two decades of experience in educational leadership” to “offer advice to prospective leaders.”

The article is broken down into 21 sections, each focusing on a particular aspect of leadership. Below I discuss the first three sections.

Section 1: How Organizations Differ in the Concentration of Power and the Ends They Are Designed to Pursue. In this section, Keohane draws attention to the fact that “it is important to bear in mind the level of authority and kind of organization for which the advice may be most relevant.” In other words, she describes that different organizational structures require different leadership styles and approaches.

For example, she describes a university as a “flotilla” or a large gathering of ships and each ship in the flotilla has its own captain, its own crew and its own particular objective. The role of a patrol boat is much more different than that of an aircraft carrier. While the former ensures that no foreign vessels approach the flotilla undetected, the latter is designed to launch critical air attacks and defenses when commanded to do so. Therefore, each vessel has a unique role, but both are part of a larger entity. The flotilla, as a whole, has one general mission to complete.

Keohane states that it is prudent to “be cautious in offering generalizations about leaders in diverse kinds of settings” because “many have come to grief in overlooking the truth of this observation, in making statement notable for their blandness and lack of relevance to the diverse situations leaderships face.”

Section 2: On the Activities of Leadership. Keohane states that “when embarking on a venture that others have taken before us, we nearly always follow the tracks made by others, proceeding in their paths my imitation even though we cannot entirely attain the excellence of our models.”

While she does not go onto elaborate on the point regarding the past, it is important to state that history cannot be ignored. For those who aspire to become great leaders, it is worthwhile to often pause and take a look back to reassess one’s self and the situation one’s in with respect to the past. She asserts that “leaders make decisions” and that “no one else has the same opportunities or obligations” that a leader does.

One obligation a leader has it to understand and continuously reflect on the past because a leader must exhibit tremendous foresight. We often question the decisions of others: Is this the best course of action to take at this point in time? What if we are wrong, but then again, what if we are right? Decisions that are the most sound are the decisions made based on accurate data and understanding of the past.

Referencing the concept of the “great man” theory, Keohane states that “historians and social scientists often concentrate on the constraints that leaders face, the role of followers in shaping the leader’s behavior, and the importance of circumstance,” however, the “choices leaders make” are just as important. In other words, we cannot ignore what leaders do.

Section 3: On Choosing and Assessing Subordinates. This section is of particular interests because it makes me think about my past and how I have gone about selecting people to serve with me. “Subordinates who are both competent and loyal reflect well on the leader because observers assume that the leader knows how to judge their competence and acts so as to deserve their loyalty” remarks Keohane.

I do not view selecting subordinates as selecting subordinates. I am not selecting someone who I am going to boss or be in charge of. Rather, I select someone that I want to work with and choose them based on their abilities, qualities and character. A leader should answer the following question in the affirmative: “Can I work with this person?” Yes, of course because leaders must be able to do so for their success and the success of the organization. However, if the leader has the ability to select those he or she is going to work with then the most critical question a leader can ask is “Do I want to work with this person?” It is important to for a leader to choose people who believe and are willing to dedicate themselves to the cause the leader is championing.

I agree with Keohane that it is important for a leader to have a strong understanding of the organization they are leading, be able to “judge competently” the specialties of others, and be able to recognize where he or she is deficient and “act accordingly.”

Furthermore, she states that a “leader must be considerate of [their] ministers and reward them appropriately.” The leader “should be quick to praise [their] officers in public, giving them ample credit for their roles in successful endeavors.” This is something I truly believe in because a leader is not a leader without a team, a group of people who seek to accomplish the task and mission at hand. It is remarkable what receiving praise can do to a person. To recognize someone for their work and commitment allows for the true champions of organizations to rise and be recognized. I will never forget how it feels to see someone, who I have worked with, who I have seen grow and mature and who has committed themselves to a cause I believe in and see the joy on their face. And recognition doesn’t solely need to occur in public, a leader should also praise in private. To sit down with someone over a cup a tea and discuss pending organizational issues that must be address and then to abruptly stop and say “thank you” are the type of moments that a person does not soon forget.

Dec

23

A Quick Holiday Note

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Greetings,

This is a quick note to tell you that I hope you thoroughly enjoy the holiday season with your family and friends. Take care!

Sincerely,

Josh Franco

Dec

20

A Precursor

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It’s Wednesday night and instead of celebrating the end of the semester, I am on duty. In other words, I am working.

This is the last night before residents officially leave UC Merced for Winter Break and as I sit here, I contemplate life.

Life is more than school, meetings and internships. Life is about going out “there,” wherever “there” is, and absorbing what “there” has to offer.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have realized that I need to go out and experience life. I need to see what life truly offers.

This post is a precursor to something more. What it is, I am not exactly sure. However, it will involve a car, a digital camera and America’s transportation system. ;-)

Dec

17

Saturday Morning

Filed Under Personal, UC Merced | Leave a Comment

At approximately 6:50am, I woke up. I put on my shoes, a jacket and scarf and went for a walk down Scholars Lane.

It was dim and cold.

Walking up the street, the cold consumed me. I could feel it reach into every pour of my exposed skin.

It was brisk and gray.

Standing at the corner of Scholars Lane and Muir Pass, I looked south/southeast at Little Lake and the farm fields.

It was blue and gloomy.

Right below me, I stood at the edge. One more step forward and I would descend on dirt, rocks and some grass for there is no sidewalk yet. But soon enough, there will be.

It was dim and cold.

Returning to my room, the moment I walked in, my alarm began to ring.

At 7:00am, I returned to bed.

Dec

12

The Final Stretch

Filed Under Human Development, UC Merced | 3 Comments

A person can run a race and run it strong, leading the pack, but if they don’t finish, for whatever reason, then the race is lost.

With about 10 days left in the fall semester at UC Merced, I encourage myself and others not to forget that we have been running for 15 weeks.

Even though we may have tripped up or slowed down throughout the course of the race, this is the final stretch. This is not the time to quit, to waiver in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, or to say “I just can’t do this.”

Rather, this is the time to catch your second wind, maybe third, and recognize that you can overcome whatever obstacles stand in your way to achieving success.

Dec

10

“Tax measure badly needed”

Filed Under City of Merced, Letter to the Editor | Leave a Comment

I wrote the following letter to the Merced Sun-Star Editor on 12/7 and it appeared in today’s (12/10) newspaper. :-)

Editor: I was pleased to read in the Wednesday edition of the Merced Sun-Star that the Merced County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to put the Transportation Sales Tax plan, a half-cent sales tax measure, on the June 2006 ballot.

Specifically, I have come to better understand and recognize the vast need for the measure by attending Merced County Association of Governments meetings, reading reports in the Merced Sun-Star regarding transportation, personally driving on the roads and highways, and talking with people who feel something must be done to improve the transportation infrastructure of the county.

Even though transportation is not the only issue facing residents, it’s an important one and it’s vital for people to support the measure.

I encourage people to visit http://www.mcag.cog.ca.us/measure.htm to learn more about the measure and read how it will directly affect them and their community.

Seeing individuals and organizations taking proactive steps to solve tomorrow’s problems today, I am inspired to do the same.

Looking forward to the future of the county and the Central Valley, I am excited. This place is undergoing an amazing metamorphosis and I am grateful to the people for their hospitality and genuine effort in making me, and other students, feel at home. Simply put, it’s great to be here!

I have filed this post under the new “Letter to the Editor” category. ;-)

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