The case for Snopes.com

Snopes.com usually Is my go to website when I have an issue with a post I see on Facebook. I find it truthful and dependable. I’ve read through some of the articles under the News section and I have not found where there is a bias towards liberals or conservatives. I think they do a good job of just putting the facts and the source of article together. What I find in today’s world of news is that there is always people trying to say or do anything to get point across through absolute believe. Snopes.com, truthorfiction.com, or just plain google.com should not be an end all source search. In this day of information at our fingertips, there is no reason why a person should count on just one site for all their source of information. The problem lays in that thought pattern and the reason why there is a Snopes.com. I know of at least four or five people on my Facebook list who actually believes everything they see on Facebook. I have posted things also that have been debunked by my friends through sites like snopes.com. I feel if it is something that a person believes in they are not going to research it. They will just roll with it, causing so many Facebook urban legends. To me, Snopes.com is just another tool, in the information source kit, that will give a balanced opinion of things that people like to spread like the true meaning of Black Friday comes from the fact that slaves were sold the day after Thanksgiving., which is very untrue. (Snopes.com) Works Cited Snopes.com. Black Friday. 12 November 2015. 06 December 2015. .

The KSU Sentinel

As I view the KSU Sentinel, I find myself interested in the opinion and political pieces of the website, both current and past issues. The story title “Investigators Hungry for Answers at KSU” piqued my interests. I’d like to know if there is nepotism and corruption in my local government and I want it published by my local newspaper. The opinion piece about retail stores bypassing the Thanksgiving holiday and going straight for Christmas, titled, “Let’s Abolish Thanksgiving.” I have said to my wife on several occasions, that It seems like the Christmas decorations go up the day before Halloween. I see from these two articles that they are inline with my current views of what I want to hear. I read an article about Hispanic Heritage month, and the diversity of KSU, which is a big issue in our household. All of these common interest articles lead me to believe that students at KSU are interested in the same things we all are interested in: crime, discovering corruption, and diversity. These items are the same types of articles I look for when I look at news websites. I read an article about the need for inclusion of immigrants in getting in-state tuition. This is just another item that effects of our society: immigration. The writers and editorial staff talk about the same current national issues that I read but they are localized for KSU students on things that effect KSU students. I mentioned crime because there was an article I read about a shooting a few blocks away from campus that raised concerns for students. Sadly, deadly shootings all over the country are being publicized because of the senseless nature of them. I don’t care where you stand on the fence of gun control, I feel that guns used in crimes are clearly an issue, nationally and at KSU. The Sentinel is different from the USA today, because the Sentinel covers the interests of students at KSU, but the substance in both papers are the same: politics, crime, diversity, and pop culture; things that seem to pique all of our interests, no matter the age, or location.

Ending of China's One Child Policy: Formulating A Response

            China announced it will end it forced one child policy and raise the limit to two children. The change was necessary to curb China’s expected slow population growth. The old policy was put in place in the late 1970’s to stop the growth of poverty in China. Now that China is the second biggest economy in the world, the population has aged and there will be fewer children to take care of their parents, and, possibly, two sets of grandparents. The government felt it was time to change the policy, but some experts disagreed, and felt that the original policy was unnecessary. Researchers are expecting an overburdening of health care and elderly care systems in the future due to the pre-1970’s population growing into those systems.

            With this change, things still aren’t any different in China in the realm of human rights. Since the 1970’s, women have been forced to abort children and forced into sterilization to meet the regulations. Yet all of these measures are unnecessary because the birth rate was actually slowing down as China’s economy was growing. Many families will not take advantage of the two child policy and stay with only one child. It is looked at the cost of success in China. 1 out of 11 families had applied for having a second child when some restrictions were eased last year. These measure still don’t stop the fact that the government of China is in their societies’ bedroom; dictating how they are to run their personal life. Sadly, there is still a large group of impoverished people in China, and very little is being done to raise them out of it; changing this policy does not to improve their condition or lift the heavy human rights violations that the Chinese government has burdened upon its people.

Article:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/29/asia/china-one-child-policy/

Response:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/29/opinions/ghitis-china-one-child-policy/index.html

My relationship with literature

Literature has always been a big part of my life. It started with science fiction and mystery books when I was a child. I loved to read books with Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and the stories of a young scientist named Danny Dunn. School readings were sometimes interesting, but I appreciate having to read them. I loved “Lord of the Flies”, “Animal Farm” and “1984” (which I had to read in, ironically, 1984!) As I grew older, I found myself reading more horror and African American books, like stories from Clive Barker, Stephen King along with classics like “The Autobiography of Dick Gregory”, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple”. I found that old classic books, like Shakespeare and Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales” were books I had a difficult time reading and understanding. I also find reading plays difficult. Currently, I don’t read as much as I did when I was younger. I like to read James Patterson books currently and I’m a big fan of his Alex Cross series. (I’m anxiously waiting for the new one in November!) I enjoy reading about the sociopolitical climate that we are in. I truly enjoyed book I read by Michael Moore that made me a fan of his work.

                  When working on a literature assignment, I like being told what must be accomplished in the assignment. I hated ambiguous book reports when I was in middle school (over the summer) that just told us to give a report on two books we read during our break. I liked when we had to give a summary of the elements of fiction of a book. It made me aware of each character’s role in the book. I liked describing the roles of conflicts, as well as figuring out the theme of the book. In high school, literature assignment wasn’t as big as they were in middle school due to the diverse school I went to. We were able to take things like acting, AP English, or writing. I chose acting because of the minimal amount of reading and writing that had to be done to be successful in that class. Choosing pieces to act out was the difficult part, but I had good partners that were flexible and liked picking out the part, so I did my part by getting props and materials.  I feel I work better when I can feel compassion about the work that I am reading. I can relate to most modern stories, I can not relate to Shakespearean English, and the flow of plays that I am not actually acting out seems to interrupt my logic.

What led me to IT

It’s important to first note that this isn’t my first go-around in selecting a major.  I have previously worked in the chemistry field, as a metallurgist, and also in various quality control inspector roles.  Chemistry, Mathematics and Pharmacology were the previous majors that I gravitated and aspired to.  Currently, however,  Information Technology is my selected major.  Pivoted over to a new major isn’t easy, especially when you have been out of school for a number of years.  It helps to have a major that you enjoy doing in your everyday life.  For me Information Technology is something that I immensely enjoy, from building new computers, fixing computers,  writing code, and solving the everyday problems people encounter with technology and software programs. 

Information Technology is also a major that is booming wherever you turn.  There are a number of  occupations within the Information Technology field.  According to the United States Department of Labor, the occupations are: Computer and Information Research Scientists, Computer, Network Architects, Computer Programmers, Computer Support Specialists, Computer Systems Analysts, Database Administrators, Information Security Analysts, Network and Computer Systems Administrators, Software Developers, and Web Developers (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014).  A majority of the occupations require a Bachelor’s degree, with the exception of web developers which requires an Associate’s degree, and a computer and information research scientist occupation requires a doctoral or professional degree (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014).

After completing my Associate’s degree in Computer Programming from Augusta Technical College, the next step for me was to continue my pursuit for a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology.  In reviewing the U.S. Labor Statistics, career websites, and job searches, it was clear that I needed to go further in my educational pursuits  and complete a Bachelor’s program in Information Technology if I wanted to obtain a job.  Given my current schedule and being a father of six children, it was important to find a college that had an online Information Technology Bachelor’s degree program.  Kennesaw, was a top choice for me to help me achieve my goals to complete my Bachelor’s degree and finally obtain a great job that is aligned with my passion in Information Technology.

Reference

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2014, January 8). Computer and Information Technology Occupations. Retrieved September 26, 2015, from BLS.org: www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/home.htm