Year 2040

It’s the year 2040 and life is better than ever. I wake up at 7:00 AM and get ready for school which starts at 8. I stand in front of my outfitter 3560 and with the click of the button I choose an outfit. Once I have chosen one I click a button titled perfect and it appears on my body. I go through this process for shoes, bags and accessories. Now as long as this sounds it would take, I have no problem because I have this amazing watch that I say my exact destination and with the click of a button I'm there. And the best part is that it changes colors to match any outfit I have. So around 7:55 AM I zap myself in front of my classroom door. Any class I have takes you on a real life journey such as history. We are actually able to go back in time to really get hands on experience and better understand the topic of the day. Of course we can't be seen or talk to the people for that would jeopardize our beautiful future. School ends at 2:00 PM and I zap myself back home and relax.....when I realize I have a heap of homework to do! So I zap myself back to the past and watch like a movie, jot down answers and complete my history homework. Math homework is a little different, so if I need assistance I grab my 24/7 remote and type in what I need help with and a teacher appears. It's 4:00 PM once all my homework is finished. So I zap myself to a nice out of state spa and relax.

The Internet: A Clear and Present Danger?

Question #1

I believe the examples Clever lists in the opening of her essay violate our civil liberties because in some way all the examples either cross the line of privacy or protection. I believe legislation should be passed to make the types of behavior Clever describes illegal. There is no way in the world child pornography, fraud, copyright violation, antitrust or child-stalking could ever be seen as legal; these are unlawful actions, some more than others. Just because these things are done over the internet doesn’t make them any different if it were to happen without the use of it. I think the internet just gives people an easier advantage to perform these types of actions. I think that people shouldn’t be allowed to put certain content on the internet, even though some may say they are expressing their first amendment rights. And people should be more careful of what they share and do on the internet. The internet should be a safe place for anyone to use. A lot of times when searching for sites because of the name of the site or the name being closely related to something else, inappropriate sites come up. Along with that there are some copy sites; the site may look really legit or just like the site you visited the day before which was legit but this one is not.

I think it was clever of Clever to use these examples in the beginning of her essay because it really gets the reader thinking about the points she makes and really emphases the danger of the internet. Clever’s essay really shows how dangerous the internet can be. Although the internet was surely created for good, some have found ways of corrupting it.

Blog Five: The Cave

This trailer makes you want to see this movie on the big screen if you are a fan of suspense, action and horror. This trailer does so by appealing to you through the music choice; at some points there is no music just silence then the breathing of one of the cast comes in to create a dramatic scene. Not only does the music change the entire mood of the movie, but the sound effects of the diving equipment blowing up, the sound of the creatures echoing in the cave and the screams of the cast. The special effects in this trailer also play a part by showing the huge bat like creatures jumping out. This kind of effect will be very rewarding to see on the big screen. Through the dark scenes such as the one of the diving team hovering close together unaware of what surrounds them, creates a sense of suspense. Through the flash of action packed events that appear towards the end displaying the action the film promises you will see if you choose to watch this film also plays a part in helping its viewers decide, “Is this really worth watching on the big screen?”

Blog Four: The Cave

If you are looking for suspense, action, horror and a set of good actors/actresses all put in one, then The Cave is the movie for you. First you must know a few of the cast because without those movies are nothing. Cast: Cole Hauser, Eddie Crbrian, Morris Chestnut, Lena Headey and Piper Perabo. The movie takes place in a cave in Romania. Scientists and cave-divers go in to explore this great cave. Soon they are all trapped in this unknown cave and find their selves in a deadly situation; the cave is the home to unknown wigged creatures and no one knows the way out. As the number of crew members slowly begins to drop, the leader of the diving team played by Cole Hauser begins to experience side-effects from an encounter with one of the creatures. As you see this fun adventure is abruptly turned into a “run for your life” adventure. Over all, this is a fantastic movie and the ending has a great twist.

Less Privacy is Good for Us (and You) - Question #2

Amitai Etzioni’s article titled Less Privacy is Good for Us (and You) emphasizes the pros and cons of privacy. Through this structure, Etzioni help readers understand the complexity of privacy issues. The more privacy wanted the more the safety of every individual decreases. Then on the other hand not enough privacy invades individuals’ lives. It then becomes a battle of importance between public safety and our own privacy. Such as the HIV testing example Etzioni uses. This issue was seen as a violation of a mother’s privacy. If their child was tested then it would expose the mother. So instead of making it law to happen it simply became recommended. Continue reading and you find out that a study showed that most women; those prone to HIV, do not even show up to these recommended testing; privacy out weighted public safety.

Okay, say you lived a not so good life in another part of the world and you have changed and want to start all over. Then say someone in the same situation as you wants to start over except they have not changed. Both of you would want your past hidden for different reasons. Who is hidden and who is brought to light? Too much privacy given allows the second person privacy and puts the rest of society at risk, while less privacy ruins any opportunity that the first person had of getting a second chance. So who decides who gets what? The whole point of privacy and public safety is to protect the individual and the society they live in.

The invention of biometrics seems very promising and on a scale 1 to 10 would get a 10 in protecting the public but would get a 0 in protecting the privacy of individuals. Biometrics shows to put away fraudulency and protect the public from fugitives. As Etzioni stated, “Specifically, each year at least half a million criminals become fugitives, avoiding trail, incarceration, or serving their full sentences, often committing additional crimes while on the lam.” A lot of people would probably be in favor of this until they realize that biometrics will not be bias and would be used on everyone.

Etzioni makes a very important statement at the end of his article. He explains that although privacy is a very important right, we must also consider public safety and health.

Untold Stories: Immokalee

The videos explained the history and growth of Immokalee. It depicted how Immokalee moved from a complete agriculture land to an industrial land. It explained the ups and downs of the city and where it stands now. The communities represented in Immokalee are Hispanics, African-Americans and Caucasians. I was born in Fort Myers but only lived there until I was 7 years old then my family moved to Cape Coral where I still live. I think Immokalee is very different from Cape Coral because it is still much of an agriculture city. Though it has noticeably changed, with so much that has been built. There seems to still be a sense that there is this agriculture feel. Immokalee seems to have a unity that Cape Coral doesn’t. Not to say that the community of Cape Coral does not act as a close union. I think Immokalee exhibited the old American dream in the beginning, then later on the new American dream. In the late 1800s, Seminole Indians and pioneer settlers came to Immokalee for a better environment and life just like those who came to America for the “opportunity” it displayed. As the clip said, “Immokalee evolved into a bustling community where opportunity abounded for those with the vision and gumption to reach out and receive it." With the building of new things and the change that came along with that, I think that the dream that people have when they go to Immokalee is much different than before. I think that really big industries will drive Immokalee’s future. Why? Because they will notice that many people are drawn to Immokalee and they will increase in business. More diverse communities will also drive Immokalee’s future. In ten years’ time, I think Immokalee will be a big magnet site. They already have some much built up, I’m pretty sure they are not going to stop now. Immokalee’s population will definitely increase and be so much more diverse than it already is.

A Quilt of a Country: Out of Many, One?

Anna Quindlen's piece, A Quilt of a Country: Out of Many, One? was about how she believes that our country is united through tragedies or conflicts; using examples of 9/11 and the cold war. She also states that the diversity of our country is our strength. She compares the US to a quilt consisting of many parts. In which these parts are everything that makes the US-the US. This quilt is the notion, as she mentions, that holds these "ever-changing disparate parts" together. The notion that "all men are created equal". She goes on to tell her belief that our country's foundation is based on community and individualism.

I think Quindlen made some very interesting points in her article. I agree that our country is very diverse and that's what makes America-America. I remember 9/11 and thinking it was a shame that something severe as that had to happen to bring us together. In a part of Quindlen's article she explains how after the cold war people began to pull back apart realizing that "without a focus for hatred and distrust, a sense of national identity would evaporate,....." (pg. 16) This is an example of things such as 9/11, Katrina and any other major disaster occurred, people came together then when there seemed to be no need of help people just went back to the way things were. I also agree that the thought that our country's foundation is based on community and individualism are two conflicting ideals. Because our country consist of many different people, differences are sometimes accepted and sometimes not.