American Dream

American Dream

            The American dream can be many different things to many different people, but the American dream is really whatever the dreamer wants it to be. It can be anything from owning a home and having a family, to being famous and rich. Some peoples dream is simply doing what you love, and being happy doing it. You can look around and see people and think they are living the American dream. Pursuing this dream no matter what it may be is what makes this country great. It is your choice to do so or not. It is your dream that you must define and try to achieve. There are many things needed to achieve your dreams, and it is up to each person to put the right people and devices around them to do so.

            The American dream to me is owning my own home on a nice piece of land. I want a lot of kids and my dream is to raise them to be good people. I believe God has given me the knowledge and ability to be a good father, due to the many ups, downs and adventures I have had in my life. Having a job I enjoy and making a quality income is required (to me) to achieve my American dream. While I was an X-Ray tech in the ARMY I learned that I enjoyed working in a hospital and even more working with children. Working as a nurse is something I want in order to help people and it will also allow me to achieve my dream financially. With a nurse in the state of Florida making an income from 41,123–79,574, and an average of 55,231, this is a career field where I can help people while making a decent income.

            There are many people out there you can look at and say they are living the American dream. Some may say growing up to be president of the United States is the ultimate idea of the American dream. You can say President Obama has lived the American dream by becoming the first black president and writing his own chapter in history. Others may say the American dream is to own their own business. Whether it is starting your own business from the ground up or taking over a long time family business. Being Financially Independent seems to be the majority favorite and ultimate goal when pursuing the American dream. Most people don’t care what they do, as long as the income is an extremely high amount. However I truly agree with Mo Garcia when he said “money follows passion”.

Pursuing the American dream and fulfilling it is accomplished in many different ways. Professional Athletes all seem to have lived or are living their American dream. From Professional Football Players, to NASCAR Drivers, to Olympic Athletes they all are doing something that many people, mostly children, view as a dream job. Business owners appear to be pursuing their dreams, however many of them will tell you it is a very stressful dream to pursue. With the recent suicides in Pro Football, it would make you wonder if they are truly living their dream. Being famous is sought by many but achieved by few. Famous actresses and actors appear to be living in a dream with all the wealth and the fame they’ve acquired. However with all the fame comes a life that is no longer very private and causes some famous people to turn to drugs and even sometimes, suicide. So living that kind of lifestyle doesn’t look as promising and is truly only for those that really want it.

            Having an idea in your head and in your heart as to what you dream is and actually achieving that dream takes many different routes. Depending on what your dream is or where you want to be in life, there are going to be different routes to get there. If it is wanting to help people and save lives like being a nurse, it’s going to take a lot of school to achieve your dreams. If you want to become an athlete, there will be a lot of training and a lot of exercise. Warren Buffett once said “Someone sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” No matter what your dream, it is only going to come to light if you surround yourself with the right influences, and plan on starting small and work your way to the top. The key is a good mentor to keeping you on track and preparing you for the hardship that will lay ahead on your journey.

            When pursuing your dream it’s not how many times you fall down but how many times you get back up. I understand that there are going to be many ups and downs on my road to an education, good job, and a nice home. I plan on achieving that with help from my wife and family. The career or job that you choose to pursue in your life will have its ups and downs no matter what it is. Understanding what it takes to get there and placing the right people and mentors around you is key necessity in achieving your dreams.

Citations

·         Maurice Garcia “Find your passion, Live your purpose” Lecture Florida State Collage Jacksonville Kent Campus

·         www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/warren_buffett.html. for Warren Buffett Quote

·         www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Registered_Nurse_(RN)/HourlyRate For Nurse Salary in Florida

Journel 4-The American Dream

As I try and think of what the American Dream is to me, I have a few ideas and even a few dreams./the real debate to me is what has become the New American Dream. From my childhood i remember being told that the American dream is to grow up, then go to college, get a good job, meet  a girl, buy a house, and start a family. With a faltering economy that idea is still a realistic dream just a little harder to reach. the American Dream for my self is that of owning a house and having a family, with a few extras. I'm curious to talk to people even after this essay is due to get peoples opinions and find what they believe is the American dream. in the end the American dream can be whatever you wan tit to be, it is truly going o be different for each and every person.

Social media-video games

Violence in gaming, Good or Bad?

The violence in gaming has become extremely graphic and realistic, but this violence could be what is needed to prepare young soldiers and marines for combat. Statistics show that Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a real and true problem in soldiers returning from combat. The violence in today’s video games and online gaming has become extremely graphic and some people believe it has gone too far. Is it too much for our youth of today and is it causing kids to act out in extreme ways? Are the video games a good tool for the army to use in recruiting or can they be used to train and prepare people for combat. Due to more realistic training through video games it could possibly prepare military personnel for what they might see and experience. This in return could reduce the amount of PTSD in soldiers and marines.

            Video games have become extremely violent over the past few years. Many people have grown to dislike the violence in video games and believe they are harming our youth. Common sense media rates a manhunt as the most violent game by today standards. A game that encourages the player to commit to “bloodier and more violent” murders as you assassinates people. Grand Theft Auto draws the most controversy though. In 2003 a young boy who killed 2 police officers and 1 dispatcher was brought into an Alabama police station for questioning. A young boy by the name of Devin Moore was said to be acting out scenes from the game Grand Theft Auto. Child Psychologist David Walsh (CBS News) says that young children like Devin Moore who play upwards of 10 hours a day of violent video games, as Devin Moore did, and are pre-wired to commit to crimes are at high risk of actually doing so. Children like Devin Moore who come from a broken home filled with abuse and play violent video games in excessive amount are at risk. “All it takes is a child like that to be put in the ideal situation and they will act out scenes from the game” said David Walsh. It is this kind of violence from video games that has caused so much controversy.

            The military is using a first person shooter game called Americas Army to recruit and get younger teens interested in the Army. The game created by Colonel Casey Wardyaski, was designed to help the army save on recruiting cost and keep up with today’s youth in technology. The game was designed to target 14 year old kids and older teens. The army hosts tournaments at colleges and local recruiting stations to help draw crowds of possible recruits and/or future recruits. The idea was to make it seem realistic and team oriented to teach future possible recruits what they will learn in the army, in the way of team work and tactical maneuvers. Some video game style machines are used in military training already. Realistic video game style training could be used to prepare possible pre-deployment soldiers for combat, by using more graphic images to prepare one’s mind for what they might possibly encounter.

            A key reason for preparing military personnel for combat mentally is Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD affects 1 in every 5 soldiers returning from combat. That is over 300,000 military veterans. The prevalence rate for Vietnam veterans is 30.9%. The prevalence rate for OEF/OIF veterans is from 10%-30%. PTSD is a real and horrible problem effecting spouses and families as well as the individual with PTSD. However, a way to possibly bring down the amount of people returning with this problem may be to better prepare their mind for what they are going to go through. If we do not try and fix the problem now we could end up with veterans of OIF/OEF following the same paths of Vietnam veterans before them. Some have ended up in prison or homeless.

            In closing, video game violence has become quite extreme. The graphic’s and realism is not something a young teen should be exposed to through the developmental years. If they do play video games it up to the parents to set the parameters of what games and how often they are played. The army using video games to recruit is a new and more modern way to attract people. The true value of the video games can come from the preparing one’s mind to be ready for the horrors of combat. It can also be used to desensitize veterans as well. From taking one vet and having them play games corresponding with what they went through and slowly back off of the violence to help the desensitization. It can also be used to help with later PTSD problems and give relief in a therapeutic way.

Citations

-CBS News for article on Devin Moore

-Common Sense Media for video game statistics

-www.americasarmy.com

Digital nation

Well to start off, I thought the video was very interesting and I wonder what way I will go with my paper. I liked the idea of arguing between computer gaming and using computers in educational ways. There is plenty to talk about when it comes to teaching young 2nd graders about computers and introducing them to multitasking at such a young age. Knowing now that multi tasking is dumbing down college students, what will it do to our youth? Will we be starting them off at a disadvantage or will be teaching them how to do it fluidly and more effectively than college students of today.
The way that I will most likely go with my paper though is going to be violence in video and computer gaming. I personally don't care for extreme violence in video gaming that our youth play, but when it comes to a military aspect of it, it is very much needed to train and prepare soldiers (and marines) for the horrors of war that they may be exposed to in the field of combat.
Then again I do like the idea of researching the addiction that is online gaming. There seems to be a lot of new research and unknown, when it comes to this area of the new social media world. I like this assignment and wish I had more time to research and develop a good paper on it.  

journel 2

I personally do not care too much for reality TV. I have one reality TV show I watch and that’s the ultimate fighter. the ultimate fighter is a show with several martial artist are placed in a house and have a fighting tournament and the winner gets $100,000.00 for a fighting contract as well as bonus' along the way. The fighters live in one house for several moths. They train and fight while they are staying in the house. They also have no contact with the outside world. I tune into watch this show cause I like to watch the fights, not to see what their wearing or to follow how they act in the house. I enjoy watching the fights, the training styles, and the coaching because I used to teach combats in the military so it’s a show I am able to relate too.

            Most of the reality TV shows on TV now I don’t care for. I feel as though some have scripts they have to follow along with and the producers only pick certain footage to show to help persuade your judgment of a particular person or thing. With controlling the footage they put on TV they can make some one look like a villain, a hero, or a winner of a competition. Thus I believe the producers pick and choose who they want you to like. I like the idea that TV use to be for special people, as some people are very special and gifted. They then shared their gifts on TV. Now day’s people try to get on TV to be special or famous not to even share any special gifts they have. They just want to be on TV and with the amount of people growing that will do anything to be on TV. That’s why I do not care for reality TV shows.

            However I enjoy the psychological break down of understanding why people watch certain shows. There are people who enjoy watching people get humiliated. They either enjoy it because they think it’s comical, they can relate to it, or even those selves have a self esteem issue. There is a familiar factor that keeps some people watching. Like seeing some one they might know. in a whole though I believe people watch reality TV because they enjoy watching the lives of people they wish they could be or to even feel better about them selves or their lives. I dislike reality TV and do not find it very entertaining.

ENC 1102 Final Draft

Joshua D. Johnson

ENC 1102-Warren

Essay 1 Final Draft

Love, Hate or Whatever

Love, hate or whatever, but find three photos to write about is a broad subject to me. I found four photos to talk about and wanted write to about more as I looked at my cell phone pictures. I found there were even more photos that I could have talked about or even complained about. There were many photos in the competition, but few I felt I could talk about. Here is a quote that I found that represents how I feel about a few of the photos and is a quote that I enjoyed reading. “In my view you cannot claim to have seen something until you have photographed it." This is from Emile Zola a novelist and journalist who passed away in 1902. I felt it was a statement that made me truly think about some of the photos I saw in the gallery.

            My favorite picture in the photo gallery was a photo by Kaila Bacon, titled Mermaid. I enjoyed the photo most because it seemed to blend photography and art into one picture. I enjoyed how unique it was with blending the face of a pretty woman and the tentacles of an octopus. I found there to be a good use of many different bright and beautiful colors. The photo itself actually placed second, which I think was a fitting spot for it. Though, the photographer was actually the same photographer that placed first. It was quite different to use the name mermaid for the photo when people normally would picture something completely different when they hear the word mermaid. They would not think a pretty face and octopus tentacles.  It was not what you expect from just hearing the word mermaid. This also drew me to the photo, how different the name and actual image was.

            I enjoy photos that are from my home town, Jacksonville. Specifically of places that I have been to and have fond memories of going there. That’s why the second photo I choose to write about is another photo by Kaila Bacon called Home. It was a photo of the Jacksonville Beach pier. I liked it because it reminded me of the many good memories I have at the beach and of the old and new pier. The timing of the photo was something I enjoyed. It was sundown on a cloudless day, very serine, and peaceful. The photograph reminded me of the night I proposed to my fiancé on Jacksonville Beach. It was a beautiful night as represented in the photograph, but a little later in the evening. Looking at the photograph more I began to see my life and how it has changed from that night when I proposed to now having a family.  I would have like to have seen the photo taken in the morning, as a sunrise. I feel that the sunrise is more unique than a sunset. I liked that it was a fairly clear sky in the photo and it appeared to be a low tide with a damp beach. With what appeared to be a nice evening on the beach after a hot Florida day. I could almost see myself walking on the beach barefoot with my son running in and out of the surf and playing while the cool evening breeze blows off the surf after a hot day. That is what I truly enjoyed about this photo. To me it brings good memories to mind, and after looking at it I found myself day dreaming of my family and the fond memories my family and I there.

The one photo that I saw that I don’t think should have been in the competition was, Taylor Davidson's “Vicious Solutions”. I liked the actual art that was in the photo, but to me the photographer only photographed another artist's work. In the first photograph by Kaila Bacon (Mermaid) it appears to be her personal art work not a photographed picture of someone else's art. In Taylor Davidson's photo it seems to be unknown who the artist is, but is not Taylor Davidson. I don’t believe you should be able to photograph another person’s art and enter a competition. I did like that it was street art. I enjoy many street artist works such as Alec Monopoly.In this photo competition it was a better photo than some of the other photographs in the gallery, but was not an original. Some of the photos in the gallery were very tasteless without any real thought to them. Some of the photos were originals and seemed to go along with common or easily selected subject.

            I choose these photographs to write about because they each gave me a different feeling. The first by Kaila Bacon, ‘Mermaid’ I like due to it being so unique using a woman’s face andintrigate an octopus with a lot of bright hues, it was different and off the beaten path. I like how she also blended art and photography in the same piece of work. The second photograph also by Kaila Bacon, “Home” I was really able to relate to. I liked being able to envision myself inside the picture and remind myself of good memories I have had on the beach and on the piers in Jacksonville. The last photograph I wrote about was to give anargumentative point. I felt as though it was not an original piece of his and he only took a picture of another artist work. With the first two photographs I was able to really look at them and see what the artist was trying to capture. They brought back good memories and gave me a drive to go photograph some of the special places I have been so that I may proof to the claim that I have been there.

Acknowledgements: www.pixiq.com for Emile Zola quote