Looking Back on It All

     I have never done a blog before until this class.  I even had little knowledge of what a blog was.  The blog was something different than how traditional school work has been done so I thought that was a cool thing to do.  I lets people have different ways to the same overall outcomes which is good.  Some of the posts were a little confusing though.  A little more direction and instruction would have helped in some cases, but only minor circumstances.  I am pretty computer illiterate so for people like me more guidance on how to set one up and use one, especially with all the images and videos we were assigned, would have been helpful.  Overall experience with the blog though is a good one and I enjoyed it as I became better equipped to handle it.  

My Trips Around The World

Passing out school supplies in the Philippines.

Standing where the flag raising was done on Iwo Jima.

The Korean War Memorial in Seoul, South Korea.

Jungle warfare training in Okinawa, Japan.

My patrol base in Afghanistan.

Analysis of "Society is Dead: We Have Retreated into the iWorld"

In Andrew Sullivan’s article “Society is Dead: We Have Retreated into the iWorld” he cracks down the modern world and how we have become isolates.  Sullivan comments own his journeys through New York and the change he has noticed.  From when people used to talk to strangers and meet new people on a regular basis.   But now with iPods and MP3s it has become a closed world to individuals.  People don’t live how they used to and turn themselves off to the world around them. 

            I don’t know what world Sullivan grew up in, but how he describes the old norm is not what I have ever known.  Unless you’re from a small town you wont ever talk to a stranger on a daily basis.  I think with the spread of iPods and personal music players people now have an outlet during their commutes or a simple stroll around town.  Music has a huge role in people’s lives and it’s a form of entertainment.  If people have their headphones in, it’s a choice and something they want to do at that moment.  If someone wants to meet someone or have a conversation with another person they will make an effort to make it happen.

Analysis of "The Dumbing of America"

According to Susan Jacoby, the author of “The Dumbing of America,” with the advancements in technology, Americans are actually becoming less intellectual.  In Jacoby’s article that was published in the Washington Post, she states that with the rise of personal computers and web surfing, there has been a steep decrease in percentage of college students who read novels for pleasure.  Her research even declared that in babies who watched videos there is a proven fact that it made them less developed the more they watched videos. 

            I think Jacoby was a little one sided in this article.  To me she seems against the rise and advancements in technology.  Her case with the study of college students can be argued a different way.  Just because personal computers and the web have developed since when they first started the study, doesn’t mean this made the students not able to read the novels, but maybe it’s a choice.  Some people like to do other things than just sit and read a book like the old days.  In today’s world technology affects almost all of what we do.  If she wants to prove that in this study college students became less intelligent, then they should do a study on the modern college student’s intellectualism and see if there’s a different compared to 1984.   

   

Review of Profiles of Generation M2

In the video “Profiles of Generation M²” produced by Renato Perez, three teenagers between the ages of 13 and 15 talk about their usage of modern media and technology.  The amount of time they spend on computers, phones, texting and video games was quite surprising to me.  Especially their ages and how they spend the majority of their time on the computer or playing video games even when they are doing homework didn’t exactly disturb me, but did shock me.  For parents to allow this kind of behavior is alarming and makes me ponder on what future generations will be like. 

            When I was growing up the coolest video game was a Nintendo.  Even with that as an option, growing up with 3 other brothers and a neighborhood full of kids our same ages, we still chose to play games outside.  I think with the change of technology we are going to see laziness increase in the generations to come.  It’s up to parents to urge their kids to step away from the screens and buttons, and drive them to play sports and physical activities.  

Review of "Shooter"

     The movie "Shooter" was directed by Antoine Fuqua and is a Paramount Pictures production that was produced in 2007.
     I picked this movie because it is one of my favorite movies and no matter how many times I have seen it, I can always watch it at least one more time.  It's just a cool movie that is action packed and actually has a pretty good story line that goes with it.  It has an all star cast including Mark Wahlberg, Danny Glover, and Kate Mora.
     The movie is about a sniper named Bob Lee Swagger, played by Mark Wahlberg, who is framed by a "mercenary" type company that he assassinated the Arch Bishop of Ethiopia here in the U.S.  Swagger must jump through hoops to figure out why he is being set up and try to prove his innocence.
     The big idea throughout the movie is that there is a lot of strings that are pulled behind the government curtain.  There are numerous government officials that give off the sense that the government can't be trusted to certain extents and that it hirers these "shadowy organizations" to do things the government can't.
     Everything about the movie's style I like.  It's just an action packed thriller that always has something exciting happening next.
     I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes action with a conspiracy twist similar to those of the Jason Bourne series.    

Dr. Flyswithhawks Lecture

     Since I was absent on 26 October I can only comment on Dr. Flyswithhawks presentation.
     Dr. Flyswithhawks is a very powerful speaker and obviously very educated.  Her stories of growing up and the challenges that she faced were very surprising to me.  Before hearing her and reading Reservation Blues, I had no idea that life on a reservation was like that.  I could definitely tell she is very passionate about passing her knowledge on and her life stories.  I got this feeling when she started to compare reservations and how Native Americans were put into them, to Adolf Hitler and what he did with the Jewish communities in Europe.  Thats a comparison that you don't hear on a regular basis.  The way Dr. Flyswithhawks presents herself and how she talks, I can tell that she seems to be a strong woman and determined to educate people on these events that are going on in our country.  It really makes me ask the question, why do we spend so much money on foreign aid to other countries, when we should focus on fixing these poverty stricken reservations that our own country men and women have lived on for generations?  After listening to Dr. Flyswithhawks, I have a whole new perspective on the Native American people and I am now aware of the fight they continue to struggle with day to day.
     Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie was a very interesting read.  There is a strong message in the novel about reservations and the problems they face.  His writing style is one that I found to be confusing at first, but once I caught on it was effective.  The confusing part was when he skips around from situation to situation, but somehow he relates them eventually.  The story line and everything was very interesting.  All the characters had an important part throughout the novel which made me remain interested in every problem that every character faced because I wanted to see how it ended.  Music and dreams are a huge part of the novel as well.  The different dreams the characters had seemed to help explain what just happened or gave me insight on what to expect.  Overall I thought the novel was very good and Sherman Alexie is a very powerful writer.