Monday, December 15, 2008

Myspace, My place

Myspace is a place to be anyone you want.  You can upload pictures, add friends, make friends and upload videos.  Myspace is very popular in todays generation.  Every teenager, ages 14 to 19 has one and even some older people.  
I did a test on myspace and made a wild profile nothing like me at all set up an account and just added random people to see who would add me.  I had over 100 friends, and I didn't know a single one of them.  Myspace can be a very dangerous place if your not careful incase of stalkers, sexual pedophiles and cyber-bullies.

Going Shoeless

An Iraqi news journalist threw his shoes at President Bush during his last visit to Iraq as President.  The man felt like President Bush was a tyrant to the Iraqi people.  Throwing a shoe in Iraq is one of the greatest forms of disrespect.  I think it was a ridiculous insult, because we have helped them in many ways, and they disrespect our country like that.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Journalism at its Best

Semantic Journalism is a vision of the future for journalism.  In this class we are taught how to deal with a form of Semantic Journalism.  This process of Journalism is all done on the web through sources such as Wikipedia and other online sources.  Semantic Journalism is a faster more efficient way of writing, you can check yourself, your topics; anything from the base of your own home or wherever you write.  Semantic Journalism is becoming a very popular writing method in todays generation.
Some people do not agree with Semantic Journalism due to the fact that they like the old way things were done.  They would rather wait until; it is issued in the paper and read it there.  Semantic Journalism is very up to date and I believe that it should be embraced rather than pushed out.

Where in Space

Space,  such a controversial topic.  We see it in movies and it looks so real, but it we know it is just a movie, we see pictures and we wonder "Can this be real?".  Space has always amazed me in so many ways.  We know it's there, and yet we still question ourselves.  If a man can make the Universe look so real in movies such as Star Wars or Rocket Man how are we to know if space is real.  What is space, is it real?  We see the stars, Sun and Moon and yet we can still question did someone really land on the Moon, are there really satellites floating out there somewhere.  Is this picture manmade or is it real?  I couldn't tell you.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Everyone tells a lie.

A four-year old told her mom that her dad was trying on lingerie. The little girl told the lie to get attention. But why do we lie, whats the cause? Everyone has told a lie in their life, either as a child or an adult. We tell lies to cover up for things we did, or to make someone feel better, or just the simple fact that we crave for people to listen and we don't think they would listen with enjoyment to the truth, so we lie, we fabricate the truth and twist it so that its sounds good.

I have lied many times to get out of trouble, or get what I want, I don't believe that lieing is ok, but face it sometimes we all have to. A lie can cause trouble or healing depending on the situation. I lie, but in the end it always catches me, I have found it easier to just get the truth out no matter the circumstances, but I still have problems doing so.







Monday, September 29, 2008

Guilt free ride.

The daycare situation in the freakonomics book, describes a daycare that had a few people showing up late to pick up their kids, so some economist decided to do a study to see how much the percentage would go up if they charged for being ten minutes late, this made the parents feel like it was okay as long as they paid the fine.

The reason the parents felt they could show up late and the percentage went up that did stay late is because they felt if they pay for it why should we have to get there on time. I mean if you think about that seems kind of how anyone who would do it to get some peace. The fine also made the parents think of this as "Oh this isn't such a big deal." so of course the parents would show up late.

I also believe the parents felt it was alright because the fine wasn't that great so they just took it as a way to get the things wanted to get done before they had kids running around screaming, just maybe the extra money they spent gave them their sanity back for a little while. I was a Nanny since I was fourteen and the children's parents would stay out late and throw other children in there without considering the fact that I had to get home at a certain time, so I started to charge them extra for the times I would stay later than I was supposed to, and they ended up staying out later and adding more children. I honestly believe that it has alot to do with the type of parent also, because not all parents would leave their children later than they were supposed to, some just don't have time, some just don't care and some have to put up with stress at work then they pick up there kids get home get dinner ready deal with bills so maybe that extra time they leave their children there gives them the means to face the rest of their strenuous day, the means to face their spouse and any other stressful situation.

I believe the parents might do it as a way of survival in their busy hectic lives. Who really knows why they would leave their children later than they are supposed to. There are so many reasons. If I had children I would be one who would pay the extra fine and leave my children there to get the things I had to do at the house done before I brought them home and before my spouse would get home.
I don't believe the parents were in the wrong for leaving their children at all. I think they just needed some alone time. Parents have alot to deal with throughout their day so I think parents just might want their time to unwind before they have their children around, I imagine my Mom would prefer doing that now that she sees how much of her time was devoted to my brother Kerry and I. So that 's the reason why I think the parents at the daycare left their children there later than the were supposed to.

Slave driven; The truth behind how Walmart treats their employees.

Walmart is a very good place to shop, I really love going in and being able to find practically whatever I need, but Walmart has a very sneaky conniving side, they have lied to their employees, hired people in other countries having them work all day and then come back and do the same thing again the next day; and we wonder why other countries hate America: we were asked the question is Walmart good for America and in my opinion, No it's not.
Walmart is a company that is almost making their employees slave's! Employees are told to work even while they are off the clock, Mark Curless filed a lawsuit against the world's largest retailer because recently discovered memos show it has deleted thousands of hours of time worked from payroll records in a practice known as "time shaving," according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court and assigned to Judge Alan Johnson in Cheyenne. WalMart Stores Inc. has cheated its employees for time worked, including overtime hours. Now does that sound like how they present themselves on their commercials for their great morals, and their great care for how they treat their employees. No it does not.

Walmart has so many lawsuits filed against them by employees it's sad. Doing research I found some of the reasons the lawsuits were filed.

*Altering employees' records to make it appear as if their workdays ended one minute after their meal periods ended, which effectively denied them three or four hours of pay.

*Deleting overtime hours over 40 hours.

*Deleting employee time card punches so they would not be paid for an entire day or afternoon of work.

*Altering records to make it appear employees took meal periods when they did not.

*Failing to pay employees for all reported time.

Oh, and they don't offer benefits on top of all that, does that sound like a company we need or that we really want to keep in America.

In China, Honduras and 48 other countries around the world they have sweatshops where there are children ages 10 and up to elderly people that have to stay and work for hours being physically and mentally abused, Some of the abuses in foreign factories that produce goods for Walmart include:
* Forced overtime
* Locked bathrooms
* Starvation wages
* Pregnancy tests
* Denial of access to health care
* Workers fired and blacklisted if they try to defend their rights

And we wonder why so many people hate Americans, I mean just look at what they do, how can you treat people like that. The National Labor Committee reported in September 1999 that the Kathie Lee clothing label (made for Walmart by Caribbean Apparel, Santa Ana, El Salvador) conducted sweatshop conditions of forced overtime. Workers hours were Monday to Friday from 6:50 a.m. to 6:10 p.m., and Saturday from 6:50 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. There are occasional shifts to 9:40 p.m. It is common for the cutting and packing departments to work 20-hour shifts from 6:50 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. Anyone unable or refusing to work the overtime hours will be suspended and fined, and upon repeat "offenses" they will be fired. This factory is in an American Free Trade Zone. Walmart regularly says it does not tolerate child labor or forced or prison labor, but when it comes to walking the walk the company refuses to reveal its Chinese contractors and will not allow independent, unannounced inspections of its contractors’ facilities.

But I can't say knowing all the facts that I'm not going to shop at Walmart. I mean yeah its awful but Walmart does make it such a convenience to go shopping for food, clothes, shoes and so many other things. I love the convenience of Walmart, but I hate how they make us Americans look.

So in closing this paper, I would have to say Walmart is a prick in our society, it causes more harm than anything else and I can't believe how we just stood back and let it get so bad. Walmart is a rich mans loop hole, a way for him to make money. If you think about it honestly it shows just how money hungry America has become, and that might just be the reason that our economy has become so bad, because we have those who would do practically anything for money.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Would I leave the U.S. forever and Never return for $10 Million dollars?

I would not leave the U.S. for $ 10million dollars because, I love my country and what it was founded on and for and I would not want to leave my friends and family.

The U.S. is a very beautiful country; It is strong, and it stands for so much. In The United States we have the right to practically anything, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of how you dress, act, or look in public. The U.S. stands for liberty and justice; it was founded on Godly morals and principles. In other Countries I have been to, there is so much poverty, and so much sadness. Here we can do anything, no matter who you are, what your ethnicity, race, or sex. The United States has a sense of honor and respect, when you go into a third world nation, and the citizens there find out your from the U.S. they treat you as royalty.

When Christopher Columbus came to America he wanted to get away from "The Man," so to speak. He wanted the freedom of what man thought was right not some queen or king standing over you saying; "You'll do it my way, or your out of here." Our nation was founded on freedom, and sure other countries now experience the right to freedom of what they want to believe, but The United States was founded on freedom.

I wouldn't leave because, not all of my friends and family could come with me and I am very close to my family. I wouldn't get to do things with them; like go to the park on just an ordinary day, or go to the beach just because the sun was in the perfect spot. I love my family so much and even if I could take them with me; there would always be something missing, because when you think about it, after being here all your life the U.S. becomes in a sense, part of your family.

I would not leave The United States of America because, I love my country; I love the people here and my friends and family and living here just makes perfect sense.