Problem Statement

   Bicycles are ranked number one on this list of most stolen items in the United States. One location that definitely has this problem is the University of Florida. Bikes on this college campus are taken away from their owners every day. Finding bikes missing there tires with just the frame on the concrete isn’t too rare while walking through campus. Bicycle theft at the University of Florida is a big problem because it promotes an unsafe environment, and isn’t a priority to security or law enforcement.  

   Many students use their bikes on a daily basis because its convenient and saves a lot of time. The University of Florida has a very large campus and a student population of approximately 50,000 students. With thousands of students attending school at UF, the limit on available parking spaces becomes an issue for many that have cars. Using a bike to commute to class and other places around campus resolves the issue for many students. Biking on campus is quicker than driving because it eliminates the hassle of finding parking which from my experience can take a decade. Bikes can take more direct routes, that cars can’t go, around campus without having to deal with traffic lights and congested streets in the afternoon. Saving time isn’t the only benefit of biking, it also keeps you active, healthy, and conserves the gas in your tank. Unfortunately, all these benefits can be taken away within hours of you leaving your bicycle unattended.

    During the Spring semester this year, my friend had his road bike stolen overnight. Even with a lock, the thief or thieves still managed to take it away. He wasn’t the only one with missing property, many others at UF have reported their bicycles as stolen too. Bike theft happens when you would least expect it to, as the robbers are very swift about it. The market for stolen bikes is huge in the area because it’s easy money to those that don’t get caught. After taken, these bikes can be sold in various ways. They can be sold online through websites like Craigslist and eBay, or even at pawn shops in the area. Stolen bikes are difficult to recover because there are very few ways to identify them, and they could be hundreds of miles away in a matter of days. UFPD (University of Florida Police Department) recommends registering your bike with them. In the case that it gets stolen, the information from the registration can be used to help identify it to the owner. Details like serial number, color, brand, model, and size can help officers spot the bike if they come into contact. After hearing about my friend’s incident, it made me rethink whether or not to invest in a road bike due to the fear of it getting stolen.

    Knowing that many bikes are stolen on University of Florida’s campus is disheartening. As a well known public university, things like theft shouldn’t be tolerated. College students and professors shouldn’t have to worry about their mode of transportation being gone after class or lecture. Universities should have a safe and secured environment where students and faculty don’t have to worry about this kind of issue. Students have insane amounts of homework to worry about but are also here to have fun. No one can be worry free and have fun in what seems like an unsafe environment.

    The number of bike thefts occurring on the University of Florida’s campus tells us that security isn’t giving it enough attention.

Solutions

I believe the best solution to this problem is bicycle theft prevention. Preventative measures like "U locks" can be used to secure bikes while parked around campus. This lock is very thick steel that is incredibly hard to cut through. Another solution I think would be great are secured bike parking spots that require your UF ID and scanned bar code to put in and take out your bike.

Proposal

Bicycles in the United States are ranked number one on the list of most stolen items. It's a huge problem in cities throughout the country and is way up on the theft list. Bikes get stolen from fellow Americans daily even if they have it locked up. Reports by law enforcement range from stolen tires, frames, and the entire bike if they can cut through the lock. 

Practical Solution

Cities that have a high number of bicyclists should invest in secure public bike storage systems. In Tokyo, Japan, many Japanese opt to bike to their destinations because of traffic. Underground bike parking locations are all over the city. Having this system prevents bikes from being stolen because a identification card has to be scanned. The universities and busy public places across the country would benefit greatly by doing this because it would decrease the number of bikes stolen.

Challenge Check In #2

My progress so far has been me jotting down characters and scenes that I think relate well to the definition of Gothic. There are many aspects of the Game of Thrones that are Gothic so I could really choose anything in the show to talk about. I plan on watching a few episodes over again and taking note of more specific details that I see.

Blog Post #3

Entertainment

 Above is a picture of Tiger Woods playing in the World Golf Championship in Shanghai, China. Tiger Woods in the first pro golfer in history to earn over 1 billion dollars in his sport. He is without a doubt one of the best golfers to ever play the game.

 I grew up playing sports like soccer and tennis, but my favorite sport was always golf. Golf is my favorite sport because the only person in control of the outcome is you. I was born in 1995 which was the year before Tiger Woods turned professional. After he turned professional, Woods was always on the golf channel. My motivation to get better at golf came from watching Tiger Woods play and win many tournaments. He always seemed very focused on the golf course and played aggressively by taking risks that very few pros would take in major tournaments. I admired the way he played and made it a goal to improve a little bit everyday. It was easy to relate myself to him because he's also Thai and Buddhist. With personal traits in common, he became someone I modeled the way I handled myself during tournaments. On the golf course, I  became was very focused confident with every shot I made. The hunger to hit shots like Tiger really pushed me to play well and win many junior tournaments. Without Tiger Woods, I'm not sure if I would have been as motivated as I was to practice for hours daily.

Challenge: Check-in #1

The challenge I will be working on in the coming weeks is Gothic on the Tube. I specifically chose this challenge because the television show Game of Thrones popped into my head and I knew I could find many Gothic examples in the series. In the Game of Thrones, many locations, characters, and actions fit the definition of Gothic. For the duration of the assignment, I plan on noting characters that portray what Gothic represents and comparing them to characters that do not.

Blog Post #2

Family Discourse: A

 As a child, I grew up in a Buddhist family that went to temple pretty much every Sunday. A strong memory I have of my childhood were the trips we took to temple every week. On Sunday mornings, everyone would wake up early to get ready and prepare bento boxes filled with asian cuisine that consisted of Jasmine rice, vegetables, various meat dishes, and sweets for dessert. The meals would then be served to the monks at the temple later that day around noon. The purpose of doing this is to gain merit through serving the monks who symbolize Buddha and his teachings. After years of doing this with my family, I believe that the time I spent learning about my culture, and the teachings of my religion really shaped me into who I am today. Unlike religions that have a god to worship, Buddhism does not because it’s more of a ‘way of life’ or philosophy. It has taught me to be mindful of my thoughts and actions, and to lead a moral life. Through my practice of meditation, I have become more patient and focused on my everyday tasks and it definitely shows during golf practice. I’m able to focus more on the range and course which helps me improve quicker. The qualities I have attained from Buddhism absolutely has shaped my emotional, physical, working, and social life. I continue to live by these values and try to become a better person everyday because of my extremely supporting family. 

Blog Post #1

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1219378/The-quiet-heroes-The-awe-inspiring-stories-Army-medics-saved-countless-live-recent-British-wars.html

 This photo is of a couple of army medics tending to an injured solider in a recent war. The picture reminds everyday of the goal I’ve set to become a physician. What’s really motivating about military medics is they risk their lives to help their injured comrades and don’t expect anything in return because giving their brothers’ a better chance of survival is enough.

 I’ve been very fortunate to have a family that loves to travel the world and explore different cultures. One very vivid memory I have during our past trips is when we visited Thailand back in 2006. I got to visit a few villages in the countryside and was astounded by their living conditions. Their houses aren’t the type of houses you’d see in the United States. They were formed using big logs, bamboo, and straw like material. Electricity was received through generators and air conditioning was very rare in that type of area. And yet, all of them were a lot happier than many people I know in the States that have everything you could possibly want.

 Thailand really opened my eyes and made me think of those who are less fortunate when I begin to complain about all the work I have to get done. All these experiences have motivated me to push through school when I feel like giving up because of the stress. My goal is to become a physician because I truly want to care for those that need it around the world.