Friday, March 6, 2009

Open Letter to President


Dear President Barack Obama,

First of all I would like to congratulate you on your recent yet historic win. You had a great campaign that brought aboard many supporters. Obviously, many of us, the citizens, believe that you are the perfect person for the job. I suppose that is because you promised many things that would benefit all of us as Americans and would also help the world in general. Some of the issues you planned to correct or improve were the financial crisis, the great decline in jobs, the ongoing wars, and the reducing performances of schools. (Remarks) The major issue that worries me right now is the expensive cost of to get a higher education.

You have actually already started to make some progress with the other matters. I commend you for getting to your job immediately. By doing this you instill in us that you do care about your job and the people of our country, and that you understand what our country really needs. One of the first issues you have addressed, I believe, was our economy. This is one of the major issues because since our economy is in the dumps all other aspects will eventually follow in its steps. Another problem you have began to modify is the decreasing number of jobs and Health Care Reform. We all appreciate that you are taking the time to do so, but there are some other things to be done. (Organizing for America)

As stated before, one of the issues that you did guarantee to change was the increasing cost of an education. This issue is one that directly affects many of your supporters considerably, including me. As you already know the cost of actually getting a good education is very expensive. In my opinion, the cost of a higher education was not discussed as much as I wanted it to be throughout the campaign. Your website however does go into some detail about it. On this particular website you described the expense as “soaring”. (Education) No matter how any of us describes it, it is still a major problem; a problem that needs to be resolved. With more than 31,000 colleges and universities, college bound students should be able to afford to attend at least one of them. (Facts and Figures)

There are millions of college students who all depend on you for this. Upon graduating from school you and your wife, the first lady Michelle Obama, also experienced being in serious debt. (What) Given that you both found yourselves in this position and are familiar with this situation, you should definitely relate. We all wish to graduate close to debt free as we can. On average a college student graduates in $19,000 debt, and within the past five years college tuition has increased 40%. (Education) Therefore it will continue on to do so if nothing is done to resolve this problem. In fact, compared to last year, families can expect to pay $108 to $1,398 more. (2008-09) If the country continues on this route, two million students will be denied an education between the years of 2001 and 2010. (Education) Just imagine all of these students are academically qualified too. All of their dreams, plans, and aspirations will be destroyed because of this. Maybe it will motivate you more if you thought of it as one of your daughters who will be qualified but not able to attend a university because of the expense. Education is very important to many of us so college is a necessity.

Yes we can! This was your slogan for the 2008 campaign. It ensures all Americans that major change is approaching within the near future. So I believe it is your duty as President of the United States to uphold your promises. We all understand that you are a very busy person, mainly because so many tasks lie ahead of you. We also know that you are working diligently considering some of the solutions you have already come up with this year. I just hope you remember us, the people who also want to achieve their goals in life. It all starts with a great education, in which we can obtain from college. It is all in your hands now, and it is your responsibility to fulfill the many promises you have made. We are relying on you .

Sincerely,
Candace Gibson


Works Cited

Education. 4 Nov. 2008. Obama Biden. 1 Mar. 2009 http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education/.

Organizing for America. 6 Mar. 2009. Obama Biden. 6 Mar. 2009 http://www.barackobama.com/index.php

Remarks of President-Elect Barack Obama : Election Night. 4 Nov. 2008. Obama Biden. 23 Feb. 2009
<http://www.barackobama.com/2008/11/04/remarks_of_presidentelect_bara.php>

What Was Barack Obama like in 1990? Joe Wrinn. 19 Jan. 2009. Global Research. 6 Mar. 2009

2008-09 College Prices. 2008. College Board. 1 Mar. 2009 http://www.collegeboard.com/student/pay/add-it-up/4494.html.
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Friday, February 13, 2009

Who Are They Really

There are many ways to learn about a person or get to know someone better. From observing a particular person you may find out many things by which to identify them. Skin color, gender, height, and weight are just a few of the visual characteristics that may help a complete stranger identify someone. Using the internet will also allow anyone to discover information about a certain individual through networking pages such as MySpace, Facebook, and Friendster. Although these networking pages make this possible, learning about someone online is not be the best thing to do.

There is a big difference in someone’s cyber identity and their real-world identity. One of the most obvious differences includes true personality. Cyber identity is just how someone wants to be portrayed in the public eye or how they want to be known to others. On the other hand, real-world identity is who the person is in reality which also includes all of their characteristics that might not be acknowledged on networking pages. People are told consistently to be careful while online in general, but they should be extra careful while examining and posting things to networking pages.

The word harmful might come to mind when thinking of networking pages. Many of the devastating stories heard from the media always make parents and guardians a little edgy. Young children are always getting advice from their elders not to talk to strangers, but once they are older this advice is only regarded to a certain extent. Networking pages are sort of like the entire world population in one area so people have to know a little about them in order to stay safe. Granneman states that “We can sure try to educate kids and parents and schools about MySpace, but I’m just not certain how effective we’re ever going to be. (MySpace) Meaning now-a-days everyone has their own mind set, and they basically do what they want to do.

According to the article MySpace Vows to Protect Kids, MySpace officials will not allow sexual predators, or anyone for that matter, to improperly use this particular networking system. (Miners) So this should put guardians at ease, but to be rational about this, monitoring everyone with a profile seems to be close to impossible. One way the officials approached this is by having a restriction on the age; only individuals over the age of fourteen are permitted to maintain a profile. These officials need to be more sensible about this matter because many of the younger kids are smart enough to know how to get around this preliminary block. Knowing that MySpace is “adding around 270,000 new users each day”, it is pretty safe to say that some of these newcomers are younger than fourteen years old, and some may be in the category of “bad” people. (MySpace)

If the officials are monitoring the members so closely, then why can an undercover FBI agent pose as a teenager and arrest dozens of predators for falling into her traps? (Sher) It is because not everyone is being observed thoroughly. There are tragedies that occur from carelessness or naiveté on networking systems. Some of them consist of sexually abused adolescents and others are murders. One story that was unlike others and stood out is when a thirteen year old female committed suicide because her online boyfriend insulted and then dumped her. The catch was her so called “boyfriend” wasn’t actually a male; in fact the “boyfriend” was a mother of one of her friends that lived down the street. (Tiemann) Unexpected things can occur from these hidden dangers is what this demonstrates.

All of this ties in with the fact that anyone with a profile can post falsifying information. Checking out new profiles can be interesting, but it is just not the same as holding a conversation with someone face-to-face. In this case, it is easier to decipher what is true and what is not true by their voice and facial expressions. There are only words, pictures, and videos on profiles so other users may view something that is not true. There are various categories displayed on a profile that can describe that individual in a personal and insightful manner including sections such as “about me”, “ethnicity”, “schools attended”, “interests”, and “orientation.” The “about me” section is where most of the general information is located such as name, birth date, and future plans. These categories are supposed to give the viewer a better idea of the person’s characteristics and personality.

I thoroughly looked at a friend’s profile and received the impression that ethnicity is one of the more significant categories because it is the most common way she is perceived by others on and off line. Being that MySpace allows you to post your race and Facebook does not give that pleasure this is one difference in the two major networking systems. She described herself as African American, but a viewer may not exactly be able to tell that from her appearance in her pictures. She also listed some of her like and dislikes under the “interest” category, and some of her hobbies, favorite books, movies, and things to do. What if this was all a hoax, though? What if this female teenager was actually a middle aged man who has a record of being a sexual offender?

There is not a sure fire way to make sure people are who they say they are on networking pages. Therefore, the phrase “what you see may not be what you get” can definitely be applied when viewing online profiles. Some individuals just might stretch the truth to seem more appealing to others or to be liked by many people. For example, a nerd at school may become an extremely cool person while online, and no one would ever discover this unless they decide to meet somewhere offline. When one or the other request to meet, that is exactly where all the worries should begin.

Although there are plenty of negatives to networking pages, there are coupled with some positives. Therefore banning these favorable online activities is not the answer. (MySpace) Something major would have to be put into action to solve this problem of falsified information being posted as the truth. Things can happen all because of one simple lie, and everyone should understand that fact. Aspects like place of origin, age, religion, and interests all have a great impact on how someone is represented in society. In contrast, these same exact features can make up someone who does not exist in reality but does in the virtual world. Until the problem is resolved, those who manage a networking page will just have to be cautious of others.



Works Cited

Miners, Zach. "MySpace Vows to Protect Kids Better." District Administration 44.4 (02 Mar. 2008): 12-12. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Wilson Library, Chapel Hill, NC. 10 Feb. 2009

MySpace Statistics and Adult Responses. 8 July 2006. Moving at the Speed of Creativity. 10 Feb. 2009 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2006/07/08/myspace-statistics-and-adult-responses/.

Sher, Julian. "The not-so-long arm of the law." USA Today (n.d.). Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.Wilson Library, Chapel Hill, NC. 10 Feb. 2009
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspxdirect=true&db=aph&AN=J0E292026400207&site=ehost-live.

Tiemann, Amy. MySpace Tragedy and 'helicopter Parenting'. 1 Dec. 2007. CNET News. 10 Feb. 2009
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