"Be a lifelong student. The more you learn, the more you earn and the more self-confidence you will have." – Brian Tracy

As a student at Virginia Western, I am required to pass CST-100, aka. ‘Principles of Public Speaking’. I happen to thoroughly enjoy the class, and look forward to the presentation of my work.

The semester has been in session nearly eight weeks. At this point we have completed two speech assignments only one of which a presentation was required. The first assignment was to create an outline, in the required format, in order for the teacher to verify our understanding of her instructions. I have posted a copy of my outline here.

The second speech was/is the subject of this post. The speech was supposed to be designed to ‘demonstrate’ or instruct the audience how to do…something. I chose Geocaching. In order to avoid any duplicate speech subjects we were required to email our thesis to the teacher. Apparently my thesis was vague, and I never used the word ‘Geocaching’, so she assumed that my speech was on a different subject than an earlier email she had received on Geocaching! It turns out that my classmate went first and his speech filled in the gaps of mine, and I believe vice versa.

For fun, I thought I would post my speeches here. Please do not copy them and use them for your own speech/public speaking class. I enjoy preparing and writing, so if you want help or advice let me know.

“Get Out and Cash In”

Introduction

Attention Getter: Ten years ago, three guys got together and started a company that ran a website. They came up with an idea, a game that anyone could play from anywhere in the world, and used their website to keep score. What started as a SunnyD bottle and tiny notebook became nine hundred eighty thousand game pieces across all seven continents, and joined players from countries around the globe. In the last week alone, two million moves were made on the game board which we know as planet earth. The game is Geocaching.

Significance: By raise of hands, who likes to play games? You see, all of us enjoy a challenge with a reward. It is like dangling a carrot in front of a horse. We are too smart to sit idle. Our bodies need exercise, and our brains thirst for experience. I am suggesting something to do with your mind and body when you have idle time.

Credibility: I have been Geocaching for over two years. I have found over fifty caches in both Utah and Virginia, and I have used four different GPS-enabled devices including a BlackBerry and the iPhone. I am not an expert, and there have been many times when I gave up because I could not find the cache. I love technology, and I enjoy being outside, so Geocaching is a perfect fit.

Thesis Statement/Central Idea/Purpose Statement: By using a GPS, and the hide-and-go-seek skills you honed as a kid, individuals and families can enjoy time together and the outdoors while Geocaching.

Transition: I will define Geocaching and explain how to play, and I hope to spur your interest by explaining why you may want to play.

Main Body

According to Dictionary.com, Geocaching is “a type of scavenger hunt for waterproof containers bearing treasure using the containers’ exact geographic coordinates and Global Positioning System devices.”

“Geo” stands for geology and is used as a prefix to represent earth. “Cache”, c-a-c-h-e is defined as “a hidden storage space”. I suppose we could say a “Geo-cache” is a hidden storage space somewhere on earth, technically speaking. In reality a cache is a small container with stuff in it: trinkets, toys, business cards, stuffed animals, Hot Wheels cars, figurines, etc.

Groundspeak, the company that pioneered Geocaching, began ten years ago by three little people, in a big world who wanted to play a game. They had no idea how far-reaching it would go, or how wealthy they would become. Due to the web-based requirements of the game they needed money to keep the site running and their players online. The initial funding came from the proceeds of selling one hundred forty four donated t-shirts!

There are just over three million Geocachers worldwide, and that number is constantly growing. In 2007 Chrysler’s Jeep mounted the Geocache bandwagon and offered cache-finders the chance to win a 2008 Jeep Liberty.

Transition: Naturally there are rules and equipment required to play any game; Geocaching is no different. Now that you know about the game I will tell you how to play.

The rules are simple: Be courteous to others. Be environmentally friendly. Have fun. You need access to the internet, a GPS, patience and persistence.

Go online to Geocaching.com. Create a FREE account and you are ready to start looking for your first cache! Of course, Groundspeak will let you pay thirty dollars a year for a “Premium” account, but I am not here to sell memberships to the website. If you want to give away thirty-dollars you can send it to me through PayPal. I am just kidding.

You also need a handheld GPS-enabled device. Using the website you can locate caches in any area you choose to play. The most important information you need from the cache’s page are the longitude and latitude of it’s location. Input the coordinates in your GPS, and go.

In theory you would be able to walk right up to the exact location of the cache, but that is not usually how it works. You will get near it, but rarely will you land right on top of it. Most GPS devices will take you within a radius of about thirty feet of the actual location of the cache.

The fun of Geocaching is in hunting and finding “treasure”. More often than not you will have no idea what you are looking for. I have found caches in the form of ammo boxes, Tupperware containers wrapped in duct tape or painted green, 35mm film canisters, and custom-made containers.

Transition: If you did not know you could take your GPS from the car, and hike into the woods to find a box of junk, now you do, but you are probably wondering why? I want to cover four reasons why I believe you should Geocache.

As human beings we demand entertainment, personal satisfaction and sense of accomplishment. We enjoy the company of others, and many of us like a little competition; in Geocaching you find all of these.

Reason number one: Get Outside.

Virginia was ranked fifth in the country in terms of unemployment rate, and proudly stood in the top twenty in “quality of life”, but it is also the most beautiful. We have rolling hills, amazing fall colors and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Geocaching provides an exciting opportunity through which to enjoy our great state.

Second: Exercise.

Geocaching can be very physically demanding, so be careful, but expect to get some exercise. Geocaching lets you play and get exercise at the same time. I have been surprised where some caches are hidden, and I assure you that there are many that will challenge you both physically and mentally.

Third: Family.

I have taken my wife, daughter, brother and sisters Geocaching. It is a great way to spend time working together, helping one another and sharing the thrill of winning as a family. I have even been on Geocaching dates!

Fourth, and finally: Sport.

Anyone can participate and everyone wins. It has become increasingly, albeit independently competitive. Rewards are available in the form of personal satisfaction, but people also take pride in the number of caches found, difficult finds unearthed and remote location bragging rights, like Antarctica. And yes, there are caches as far south as Antarctica.

Transition: If any or all of these apply to you, go do it. You now know what Geocaching is, how to get started and I have given you reasons why.

Conclusion

Transition: In closing, I want to point out…

Reference to the Introduction: …that five minutes ago some of you had never heard of Geocaching, and ten years ago, neither had anyone else. There are now close to four million people Geocaching around the world. Ten years from now, at the same growth rate, we can anticipate there will be between eight and ten million players, and one and a half million caches dotting the globe.

Review of Main Points: I have defined Geocaching and explained how it started. I told you how, and what you need to play and I covered some reasons why I think everyone should, at least once. You will not know if you like it unless you try it.

Strong Final Statement: Get out, and cache in!

I haven’t posted in a while for many reasons, but I felt this was more than appropriate for everyone in this COUNTRY to read. This message speaks volumes to what really goes on in Congress, and their failure at progress and necessary change:

Announcing his retirement plans this afternoon, Sen. Evan Bayh [D, IN] cited the dysfunctions of Congress as his main reason:

“For some time I’ve had a growing conviction that Congress is not working as it should. There is much too much partisanship and not enough progress. Too much narrow ideology and not enough practical problem solving. Even at a time of enormous national challenge, the people’s business is not getting done. Examples of this are legion but two recent ones will suffice.

Two weeks ago, the Senate voted down a bipartisan commission to deal with one of the greatest threats facing our nation: our exploding deficits and debt. The measure would have passed. But seven members who endorsed the idea, actually co-sponsored the legislation, instead voted no for short-term political reasons.

Just last week, a major piece of legislation to create new jobs — our nation’s top priority today — fell apart amidst complaints from both the left and the right.

All of this and much more has led me to believe that there are better ways to serve my fellow citizens, my beloved state and our nation than continued service in Congress. To put it into words I think most people can understand, I love working for the people of Indiana. I love helping our citizens make the most of their lives. But I do not love Congress.You can watch full video of his announcement here.

This is copied from a post by OpenCongress.org available here.

By my own thoughts I can become the man I choose. Nothing can stand in my way. I can choose to be, have, or do anything. This is what I was meant to be. A new life, a new opportunity for change.

I have not because I want not. I am not because I did not. I am who I am as a result of the decisions I made in response to the choices presented to me. I cannot choose every obstacle that enters my path, but I can choose my action(s) in response to the challenges presented to me.

“I think, therefore I am.”

Self-discipline is the key to self-control which can become self-mastery, and thus – resurrection.

“Cogito ergo sum.”

I’ve started another project which I call, “Expanding Vocabulary“. If you are interested in learning new words please bookmark this page and come back often.

Here’s an excerpt from the Project page:

I am steadily, and increasingly dumbfounded at the words used by people with which I come in contact. I have learned a substantial percentage of the words I use from reading books. On that same subject, I find it laughable how many people have told me, “I hate reading.”

I consider myself a Libertarian and enjoy reading the weekly “LP Monday Message” emails delivered by the Libertarian Party. This week’s email is of, in my opinion particular importance and therefore I chose to post it here on my website.

December 14, 2009

Dear Friend of Liberty,

Tomorrow, December 15, is Bill of Rights Day. I don’t know how much we’ll hear about it in the media, but you and I know how important the Bill of Rights is. The Founders recognized that it was important to be specific about what government must not do.

The Libertarian Party platform expresses support for the Bill of Rights in many places. For example:

First Amendment:
“We support full freedom of expression and oppose government censorship, regulation or control of communications media and technology. We favor the freedom to engage in or abstain from any religious activities that do not violate the rights of others. We oppose government actions which either aid or attack any religion.” (1.1)

Second Amendment:
“We affirm the right to keep and bear arms, and oppose the prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights of self-defense. We oppose all laws at any level of government requiring registration of, or restricting, the ownership, manufacture, or transfer or sale of firearms or ammunition.” (1.6)

Fourth Amendment:
“We support the protections provided by the Fourth Amendment to be secure in our persons, homes, and property.” (1.2)

Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Amendments:
“We oppose reduction of constitutional safeguards of the rights of the criminally accused. The rights of due process, a speedy trial, legal counsel, trial by jury, and the legal presumption of innocence until proven guilty, must not be denied.” (1.5)

Of course, one of the most serious problems America faces today is that the federal government completely ignores the Tenth Amendment, which says the federal government only has the limited powers granted by the Constitution, and no other powers. Unfortunately, our federal government has usurped a long list of powers that are not granted by the Constitution — far too many to list in this email.

The Democratic and Republican parties, and their politicians, have very little respect for the Bill of Rights. The Bush and Obama administrations have been especially destructive, not only continuing the expansion of federal power far beyond what is allowed by the Tenth Amendment, but also trampling on due process, privacy protections, and free speech.

Most Americans admire the Bill of Rights, but I think many of them are unaware how much our government violates them. If you run for office as a Libertarian candidate, you can help inform people. We not only need Libertarian candidates elected, we also need to convince Americans to demand that the government must get back inside the limits of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Sincerely,

Wes Benedict
Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee

This is not an endorsement of the Libertarian Party or the Libertarian National Committee. I am not a paid-member of the LP, just a concerned American interested in passing on an important message.

If you feel this post is in violation of copyright, or an infringement against the LP, or that credit has not been appropriately, or adequately given please email stephen@bruington.com.