Dec

31

2006 was, 2007 is

In less than 2 hours, I will officially say goodbye to 2006 and hello to 2007.

I returned home from Los Angeles to Merced earlier today.

As I told my dad, I like to sleep on a bed. The living room couch at my parents’ house in Southern California just wasn’t cutting it after 10+ days.

Before I left, I had lunch with my parents. We had a good talk.

While the holidays are a time for family and friends, the holidays is also a time for individual/personal renewal, rejuvenation, and reflection.

As I was driving up to Merced, I made a pit stop in Delano and purchased a Dole Strawberry Kiwi juice.

I got back on the 99 north and continued to drive. To the west, the sun was setting and as I looked at the sunset I thought to myself, wow, that is going to be the last sunset of 2006. To be honest, I was a bit sad, but no, no tears.

Then I thought to myself, yes, that may be the last sunset of the year, but it is not the last sunset I will see.

2006 was my best year yet.

I have learned that there are a good many people out in the world who seek to change it. Whether its my family, my peers at UC Merced, my fellow student government members, people at the Great Valley Center, members of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, my friends back in Southern California, and anyone else, each person I have met along the path I call life is unique and inspiring.

I have learned to open my heart to a beautiful, intelligent woman named Mayra.

I have learned that each day is a day to be thankful for, to appreciate, to look forward to, and to seize.

I have learned that no matter your circumstances, no matter your doubts, that anyone can overcome anything. That we all have the power, the ability, the desire, to wake up each day and make a difference in the world.

Whether it’s smiling at a long-time friend or long-lost soul, whether it’s driving hours and hours to attend a meeting and return home the same day, whether it’s admitting fault and moving on, or whether it’s saying “Why do tomorrow what I could do today?”

For all the bad things that seem to be happening in the world: war, genocide, poverty and the like, there are a far greater number of good things happening: people working towards peace, people make others aware, people calling others to action, and people actually taking action to make their community, from local to global, better.

Life is much too short to say someone else is to blame, someone else is responsible, or someone else will do it. When, in reality, this world calls for more, our society demands better, we expect more from ourselves. The fact of the matter is that 2006 is gone and 2007 is almost here. A year from now, what will you have accomplished? How will you have made your community, your world a better place not only for yourself, but for the future as well? What difference will you have made with the time you have on this planet?

Dec

30

RIF: Living, Leading and the American Dream

Filed Under Human Development, Personal, Reading is Fundamental | Leave a Comment

One of the things that I like most about vacation, and in particular Winter Break, is that it is truly a break.

Unlike Spring Break, which is a period of time nestled in between the semester, Winter Break is preceded by the end of a semester and followed by the start of not only a new semester, but a new year as well.

I just recently finished reading Living, Leading and the American Dream by John W. Gardner. Mr. Gardner worked as the Secretary of the Department of Housing, Education, and Welfare under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Throughout Gardner’s life, he has proven to have an acute understanding of the human mind and human spirit.

His book, Living, Leading and the American Dream, is more than an excellent read! It is an inspiring book about how live, how to lead, and how to fulfill the American Dream. The book is segmented into five parts.

My favorite part is titled “The Release of Human Possibilities.” This part includes chapters on Commitment and Meaning, Motivation and the Triumphant Expression of Talent, The Full Expression of Human Excellence and Our Moral and Spiritual Lineage.

There is one passage that I found most insightful on page 91:

“If our leaders at all levels are to be capable of lifting us and moving us toward excellence, they are going to have to believe in the people of this nation - a people able to perform splendidly and inclined to perform indifferently, a people deeply troubled in their efforts to find a future worthy of their past, a people capable of greatness and desperately in need of encouragement to achieve that greatness.”

I will carry this quotation with me for the rest of my life.

Dec

25

Merry Christmas!

Filed Under Personal | Leave a Comment

I write to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Enjoy your time with family and friends!

Dec

22

Risk!

Filed Under Personal | 6 Comments

I am here at my house with Danny, Cynthia, Kenny, Saul, Chris and myself and we are going into eighth hour of Risk! Yes, we are crazy!

We are playing 3 v 3. Team 1 is Saul, myself and Cynthia. Team 2 is Chris, Danny and Kenny.

We have set up the board and Saul is first to move!

Pictures:

Dec

21

Letter to the Editor: UC, city are one

Filed Under Central Valley, Letter to the Editor, UC Merced | Leave a Comment

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/opinion/story/13133053p-13779716c.html

Editor: At UC Merced, Fall 2006 has been both a challenging and rewarding semester.

It has been challenging because students are experiencing what it means to be a UC Merced student: more reading, more researching and more responsibility. One vital responsibility that students have is to serve the public.

Much has been said about the relationship between students and the community this semester.

People who continue to erect boundaries between students and the community further propagate an “us versus them” mentality; however, I write to say that we are truly one and the same.

Students eat, shop, and live in the same restaurants, stores and neighborhoods as members of the community. Community members work, pay taxes and enjoy their weekends just as students do.

We drive on the same roads, we breathe the same air, we love this Valley, we read the Merced Sun-Star, and we each desire to make a difference in this world in the short time we have in it.

We each contribute to the vitality of this planet, whether it’s planting crops, mowing lawns, cleaning toilets, serving food, trading stocks, attending city council meetings, writing our representatives, e-mailing our professors, researching alternative energies, discovering cures for aliments or contemplating the future.

And while some semblance of division will always exist because few people will always feel unappreciated or unwelcome, such should not deter us from making our community what it must be: an inspiring beacon of perpetual hope.

Students value Merced, and this region, for the opportunities it offers and responsibility of serving the public it bestows upon us and we share this responsibility with the community.

Therefore, I conclude with a heartfelt “Thank you” to the people of the city of Merced for giving students the opportunity to learn about, live in and love the Valley!

JOSH FRANCO
UC Merced Student Body President

Dec

17

TIME’s 2006 Person of the Year: “You.” (and Me), But…

Filed Under Central Valley, Personal, The World | Leave a Comment

I appreciate TIME Magazine naming me Person of the Year. The Information Age is under my control, your control, and anyone who has a computer’s control.

However, this issue of TIME highlights a simple fact: that not everyone has control because not everyone has access to a computer.

The advent of the computer has transformed our society, but there are still segments of the society where the technology is beyond their finger tips.

Last year, I unsuccessfully applied for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship. In my application, I addressed the issue above:

Describe the problem or needs of society you want to address when you enter public service. (If possible, use statistical data to define the magnitude of the problem.) 1500 character limit.

In a world of rapid globalization, it is essential for people to have their voices heard. I want to address the lack of opportunity provided to people in the Central Valley and throughout the world to be active and effective political participants in the local and global political system.

The Great Valley Center reports in 2001 that Internet usage in the Central Valley was 60%. Moreover, the Central Intelligence Agency reports in 2005 that throughout the world, there are about 6,446 million people and 843 million telephone main lines in use. A telephone line is the principal form of access to the Internet. Therefore, access to the Internet is limited to 13% of the world’s population.

The other 87% of the world must have access to the Internet to better articulate their needs to both the local and global political community of decision makers. Without access to the Internet, information cannot be shared between people of diverse cultures and political viewpoints. In turn, this produces an information deficiency which perpetuates the socioeconomic inequality that exists in the Central Valley and throughout our world.

In other words, without information, individuals, societies, and governments can make ill-advised decisions and risk taking ill-fated courses of action.

Seeing the cover of TIME has reminded me of how far society has gone, but also how far it still has to go in providing everyone access to a computer and thus the world.

Dec

17

Everest: Beyond the Limit, Pineapple Juice

Filed Under Personal | Leave a Comment

I rarely watch television; but right now I am watching “Everest: Beyond the Limit” on the Discovery Channel and drinking a box of Dole Pineapple Juice.

The show is awesome!

I am surprised to learn that dozens of people climb the mountain at the same time. I thought only a few would attempt to reach the summit at a time.

The first team reached the Summit and now the second team is climbing. The second team includes a motorcycle biker, a double amputee, a Lebanese businessman and another person.

The commercials are very repetitive. If it weren’t for my will power, I would have gone to the market by now to purchase beer and some cologne.

Let’s see how the show concludes.

Dec

15

ASUCM: End of the Fall 2006 Semester Message

Filed Under UC Merced | Leave a Comment

End of the Fall 2006 Semester Message

The end of the fall 2006 marks the completion of the ASUCM’s first semester in existence and it has been both rewarding and challenging.

This semester has been rewarding because for all the long hours, for all the hard work that students put in last year to establishing the ASUCM, we are finally seeing the fruits of our labor. We are finally experiencing how our model government functions in the real world; our hypotheses are being tested and our assumptions are being challenged. This is incredibly astonishing and something to be thankful for; we are seeing the idea of student government at UC Merced become a reality.

This semester has also been challenging for the very reason that the ASUCM is new. Because the ASUCM is new, everyone is asking questions like: What is the ASUCM? Who is involved in the ASUCM and who is not? What is the purpose of the ASUCM? What are the issues the ASUCM is addressing and how is it addressing such issues? What is the role of the ASUCM in the university, local community, region, state, nation and world? What will the ASUCM be? It is such questions that require answers and together these will define the ASUCM.

Finally, UC Merced and the ASUCM are unique. Born in a new time, built in a new century and crafted for a new world, the university and the student government will be like no other. We do not have the burden of the past on our shoulders; we only have the benefit of the future at our fingertips. Learning from our sister campuses and student governments, next semester, we are going to advance the university and the ASUCM to the next level. To accomplish such will require energy, leadership and will and I believe we are up to the task for both the rewards it will bestow and the challenges it will offer.

I want to wish everyone an refreshing Winter Break!

Best regards,
Josh Franco
Student Body President

Dec

10

New CA.gov Website Soon

Filed Under California | Leave a Comment

During one of my many finals studying/writing breaks, I was browsing the Internet and visited http://ca.gov. I was surprise to read that the website is under renovation.

New California Website - Coming Soon In the first in a series of initiatives to improve access to government, California will unveil changes to the ca.gov site, including a new look-and-feel, search engine, and navigation to help you find what you are looking for more quickly.

I look forward to the new ca.gov!

Dec

10

Fall 2006 Concluding, Make a Further Difference

Filed Under Human Development, Personal | Leave a Comment

Greetings!

This week is the last week of the fall 2006 semester at UC Merced. To alleviate some of the pressure experienced during finals week, I have been cooking, listening to music, volunteering a few hours of time at the local homeless shelter, reading news article, browsing through some books (unrelated to school work) and pondering the future.

My interest in government, governing and governance, policy-making, decision-making, and political action has increased greatly over the past year.

I find myself attending meetings at all levels: informal discussions with my peers, meetings of grassroots organizations, student/local/regional/state government-sponsored meetings, public committees, online discussions, and occasionally watching C-SPAN for some national and international flavor.

What is most interesting is how people interact with each, how they reach consensus (or don’t), and how ideas are turned into action.

One general observation I have is that in order for an idea to result in action requires follow through. Unfortunately, it is difficult for the citizen X to participate in the follow through because the call to action rarely involves individuals and rather it is focused on the already existing institutions.

A public comment is not enough to satisfy the desires of the people to make a difference in this world. Citizen X wants to know how they can make a further difference.

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Dec

31