With advancements in technology the article, The Flip Side of Internet Fame, explains how personal privacy might become a thing of the past. As new advances are made the market is flooded with new devices, and payment plans make new technology affordable. The most common among them, is the smart phone. With the ability to inconspicuously capture an event or an occurrence at any moment, a person’s privacy can be violated with ease. Even though the phone and the internet have many useful tools, unfortunately their primary use has become entertainment. This entertainment can be of a sound moral stand point, but quite often it is at the expense of others, as explained by Jessica Bennett. 

 

                Public Humiliation is a price that many have paid according to Bennett. A good example would be Ghyslain Raza. Raza a young Canadian boy who, in his personal time created a video of something he was passionate about. He was completely humiliated when the video was spread all over the internet. Although he filmed the video, I’m sure his intentions were not for it to be seen by everyone. I love to sing in the shower, but I could never sing in front of a huge audience. Personal time allows us to feel comfortable enough to explore things we normally would not have the courage to try. It’s like our own personal addition, where we are our only judge. Unfortunately for Raza he was judged by the world.  

 

                Being judged can’t hurt you emotionally, but being labeled can follow you forever. Social media can be a powerful tool to generate good feedback through networking and marketing. It gives you the ability to share information and create a good image through a web of people that spread information. Unfortunately, as stated in the title it works both ways. Bennett gives an example of a website called Juicy Campus. This anonymous website posts juicy rumors about students in college. Like many gossip websites it got carried away. The information generated on the social media site became very specific labeling students by name, posting information that may or may not have been true. This type of exposure can be devastating to person and possibly their career. For example a woman’s refusal to pick up dog poop was caught on a cell phone camera, which later caused her to drop out of collage due to harassment.   

 

                The Internet in America is very popular, consequently terrorist have used it to try to generate fear and panic among our people. We live in a time where a person or organization can upload a video of a heinous act, and can become known worldwide. A perfect example of this would be Al-Qaeda. They have posted countless videos of decapitations and other curl acts on the web. They take full responsibility for their crimes and are known for the monsters that they are. In the U.S. we do not glorify villains in any way, but we tend to judge swiftly and rule with an iron fist. Sex offenders have to make their presents known in their communities. In one extreme case, posters were placed outside the home of the offender with a picture of his face on it. Now with internet as a tool for spreading information shaming a person has no limits. Any angry parents or even ex-girlfriend can accuse you and stain your name nationwide. Criminals should have a reason to fear exposure for their crimes, but unlike Al-Qaeda most criminals are ashamed of what they have done. Yes they are criminals, but they still have rights.    

 

                Shame and embarrassment are hard enough to deal with on a personal level, and when exposed on a worldwide level they can be unbearable. This type of shame has many times led to suicide, because they believe it is unbearable. I do believe the worldwide web is a beautiful gift, but anything without regulation is dangerous. As stated by Jim Cohen of Fordham University, “The internet is a loose cannon” that in my opinion can destroy lives. In all, I believe there should be some legislation put into place to protect the people from the unknown. Privacy seems to be violated quite often, although these victims become famous, their fame only adds to the embarrassment they feel inside.

 

            Courage, is a commonly known noun thought to have a simple meaning, but when described by Karen Castellucci Cox, its true complex nature is reveled. Cox’s explains how people perceive courage to be one dimensional, but she believes that when it is described as an isolated emotion, it has various traits. In the article, Four Types of Courage, Cox, breaks down courage into physical, social, moral and creative. This article not only broadens the horizons on the many ways to perceive courage, but also how one can identify the type of courage they have. In life one always looks to find themselves and what they are capable of. Discovering the type of courage you have is one of the many steps to understanding what you can do.

 

            When I think of physical courage I think of strength. In my mind, when doing anything courageously you must be confident in your ability to do it. To have strength is to be able, whether it be physical, emotional or psychological. All of these types of courage are aspects of the physical. A good illustration of this would be a life guard. Due to his physical abilities he is able to save a person who, either cannot swim or cannot save their selves. Cox’s sheds light on the physical sacrifice of the job, instead of the physical ability. Her focus would not be in the life guard’s ability to swim, but him risking his own life to save another. Sure most people that take these type of risk are trained and prepared, but we shouldn’t overlook their courage.

 

            To have social and moral courage at times means facing your worst fears. In our society being social is almost a must. As children, from the age we start school and finish it we are grouped together. We use the buddy system to insure safety. We advocate peer interaction, because we believe it is healthy. In this article Cox’s address the scary reality that social and moral courage can cause your peers to reject you. Speaking out on things that are widely controversial can mean to suffer repercussions that one may not be able to handle. Dr. Martin Luther king spoke out for human equality, and was assassinated. To have this type of courage can cost you your life. Standing up for what is right is important, but do you think it’s worth the repercussions?

 

              Finally Cox’s addresses creative courage, and how this type of courage is the beginning of great things. When I think of the word creative the first thing that pops in my mind is art. Talent plays a big role in creativity. For example your capacity to think of an idea, set a goal and complete it. Often what is over looked is the thought process. Anyone can have an idea, but what makes it creative is its unique qualities. Cox’s address that creative courage has to do with thinking out of the box. Daring to do things that no one has done. A good demonstration of this is an Earth ship. An Earth ship is a house made completely out of recycled materials. Not only are the materials recycled, but the house is completely self-sufficient. When the idea hit the architect community it was disowned as extremely unconventional and ridiculous. Now there are thousands of earth ships nationwide. The idea became a reality, because the creator had the courage to go forward with it even though it was marked to fail.

 

            These four types of courage all had one thing in common. They all had a greater purpose behind them. Saving another’s person’s life, fighting for equality and taking risks for the well-being of the earth. Once you come to realize who you are, something greater starts to develop within you. Once courage develops inside of you, you start to think differently. Cox’s said, “We lose much when we dismiss it in ourselves, thinking we don’t measure up.” The fact of the matter is once we stop trying to find ourselves, we see the bigger scheme of things and take courage to be a part of it.

 

Jonathan Gonzalez         

ENGL 0250-153

H. Susi

Ana Veciana Suarez, author of, When Greed Gives Way to Giving speaks about a rare case involving both generosity and wealth. A man named Bob Thompson sold his company for $422 million dollars. Contrary to your typical stereo types, this man’s goal was not too wealthy. Although it may sound like a contradiction due to the money he inherited his generosity, not only blew Suarez’s mind, but mind as well. Selling his company and receiving the proceeds Suarez states “He divided $128 million among his 550 workers.”

Bob was an ordinary man with a family and a dream. He started his modest road building company in his in his basement. A dream takes many things to develop, but over all it takes drive, persistence and support. A wife is not only the back bone and pillar of the house, in this case, she was also the support. Bob’s wife worked as a nurse while he pursed his dream. I can relate to this, because my father and mother owned a restaurant. Although they both owned it, it was my father’s dream. He worked there full time, but my mother had a second job to make sure everything stayed afloat.

Mr. Thompson came from a very humble beginnings. As a man I cannot imagine how humbling is to have the woman you made a promise to always provide for provide for you. Humility is the beginning of understanding. In my mind the best way to learn is through accepting help. Thompson not only understood what it was to receive help, he also understood what it meant to give it. He made sure that his employees kept their jobs in the buyout, and even included employees that had already retired in his plan. He didn’t just think about the present he thought about their futures. This is genuine care and generosity.

When I think about this story I am reminded of a very important figure in my own life, Christ. Jesus Christ was very generous with all that he had. He also put others before himself. Like Christ, Thompson knew what was like to come from humble beginning. Also he was not born in a manger, he did never changed his modest home where he lived for 37 years. It is quite apparent to me that Thompson’s goal was to live his life and help others as much as he could along the way.

In the grand scheme of it all, as grand as this story sounds it is very hard to believe. In believing the story, told by Suarez, it provokes thoughts that might make you question your moral values. Some may think he gave too much, or if he gave less it would have been enough. Bob stated that he would continue giving for the rest of his life. I know for a fact it is not for taxes breaks. In fact I believe Bob is a hero with a big heart, like heroes he is set apart. Many rich people have given gifts, but Bob sowed seeds out of love not out of greed.

"My Two Lives" by Jhumpa Lahiri

          Not your typical American name, Jhumpa Lahiri, author of “My Two Lives” spoke about her quest to find her identity as a Indian America. Lahiri loved America, but she did not neatly fit into the average idealism of it. As a second generation immigrant Lahiri’s parents still practiced traditions from their own country, Bangladesh, India. From her name to her appearance, Lahiri, never quite felt she fit in anywhere. At home she tired so earnestly to please her parents. Even though in her heart her home was America, not Bangladesh. Once Lahiri entered school it became apparent to her that her traditions were not only different, but they also had to remain a secret. As time went on Lahiri realized being Indian American didn’t make her standout out, it set her apart.

           When one is migrating from one country to an other, sometimes there are barriers like language and cultural differences that make it hard to transition. In many cases these obstacles are to hard to over come. In fact some prefer not to change in any way to accommodate their new environment. Just as I take pride in being American;others, take pride in their country of origin. Lahiri’s parents strongly expressed pride in their country and traditions. Just as I expect my children to stand and hold there hand over their hearts when the national anthem plays; Lahiri’s parents expected certain things of her. This loyalty was not expected by force, but from admiration. Lahiri’s dilemma was that America had won over her heart.

            At home the language spoken was Bengali. Lahiri mentioned that she spoke perfect English, but her parents still had an accent. Her parents cherish the things of their past and their costumes like clothes, food and songs. I believe Lahiri cherished these things in her early childhood as well, but as time went on America and its wonders started to catch her interest. I don’t believe that Lahiri’s parents controlled her to the point that she didn’t make her own choices, but they did not support her enough in her development as a young women. When Lahiri stated, “According to my parents, I was not American, nor would I ever be no matter how hard I tried.” it was clear to me that her parents were not open to new things. Lahiri’s hunger to join the nation she had come to know as home had grown to a healthy appetite.

            As the story continues Lahiri highlights difficulties she experienced through out her life due to cultural practices. One that I found extremely interesting was the fact that she ate rice and lentils with her hands. In America to eat these types of foods with your hands can be thought of as uncivilized. I can not image that she had any friends over her house for dinner from school. To me these things would have been frustrating. It seems almost impossible to explore who you are in such small confines almost in a state of isolation. There is no freedom in secrecy, and no liberty in limitations. Lahiri should have had the room to blossom into a flower, not be molded into one.

              In the end she realize that she was a flower, and more importantly what kind. She was a Indian American. As time went by she came to understand that a persons approval was not necessary. She took comfort in knowing she was both Indian and American. Choosing at will when and where to incorporate values from each one. Instead of having to make a choice of one culture over the other she realized she didn’t have to choose. She became very close to her parents finally understanding their passion for their culture. It was what made them unique what identified them apart from others, and although she was different from them, in this aspect she was the same. Growing into her own identity cultivated by America, but nurtured by her parents all that she was had become one. Although I believe Lahiri was overly influenced by her parents. A bond between a child and their parents is inseparable, and will always be a contributing factor to the identity of a person.
  

         Brent Staple, author of “A Brother’s Murder” is a concerned brother who’s success had brought distance between him and his loved ones. Staple moved to Chicago after graduating college, then over time became a successful journalist. Living in a quiet area where whispers of winds created sounds of tranquility, inner city discord became a faint memory. Escaping the violent and disruptive city he was raised in, he left everything behind. Blake, Staples younger brother became a product of his environment, and was severely influenced by the streets of Pennsylvania. After Blake’s death Staple realized that he had not only left his past behind, but his brother too. Staple analyzed how things could have turned out differently. He wondered if his efforts to rescue his brother were enough.

           Staple was determined to become successful. It seemed to me that Staple had worked very hard to change the cards that life had dealt him. His motivation may have came from the violence and death he felt surrounded him. When one feels pressure to met a goal or a task that is important to them, they will work twice as hard to accomplish it. After gaining his career he completely submersed himself in his new life. His determination had paid off, and he was enjoying the rewards in peace. Staple stated, “Perhaps to protect myself, I added a psychological dimension to the physical distance I had already achieved. I rarely visited my hometown. I shut it out.” Using the phrase “physical distance I had already achieved” made it seem to me that one of Staples goals was to leave his home town.



           He was very descriptive about the violence and confrontation he had observed in his home town. He spoke about how Chester, Pennsylvania was an angry and heavily black populated place. He also mention countless acts of violence that he had witnessed and herd about. He expressed his distaste for the disregard of life by young black men who were being influenced by the streets. In a way I would venture to say that Staple was traumatized by this violence. In such a way it caused him to leave and not want to look back. With memories of pain and discomfort the past was not worth remembering.



            Blake also moved, but unlike his brother who moved to a tranquil place he moved to Roanoke, Virginia into public housing projects. The neighborhood was much like the one they had grown up in. Although Staple sought out change, his brother did not. Staple realized that Blake had become just like those young black men he once despised. Blake spoke about his run-ins with the law, and took pride in them. I’m sure it was surreal to Staple that they had turned out so differently. Staple’s determination led him to change the very thing that may have caused his brother to lose his life. He changed his environment. Although his environment did not have such a big roll in his success. Staple knew that it was a necessary change. For young Blake comfort was found in familiar situations and the life style he once embraced. Change was not something Blake was looking for.

              Staple had made an effort to help Blake change his circumstances. He pleaded with him to leave that place with the urgency he once had to leave Pennsylvania. He offered to buy him a plane ticket as long as he just got away from it all, but Blake blew him off. Staple’s attempt to help change his environment had failed. Blake was shot dead in his car by a person that use to be a friend. Through his success Staple had oppressed his passed selfishly thinking of his own well being. As time passed by he reached out to his brother after realizing the path he had chosen in life. Unfortunately it was to late. So wrapped up in the moment he had created Staple never stop to look back. Changing his environment allowed Staple to flourish in his success. In the end Blake’s environment caused his demise. Perhaps if Staple would have taken his brother with him from the beginning things would have turned out differently.

Martin Lindstrom, author of (What your supermarket knows about you) exposes secrets that will make you think twice at the grocery store.  For the working person money is what drives them to work more. So what is the motivation to spend the money one has worked so hard for? Necessity, things that would make life very difficult and or uncomfortable to go without.  In hard times do we simply buy what is necessary, or do over compensate?

            Work can be a great thing it allows independence to flourish extending opportunities in varies ways.  Although at times it can be tedious as well as strenuous hard work quite often leads to success. Success can be measured in many ways, but it is more commonly measured in wealth. For the average person money is at the top of the list of stress inducers. It is a known fact that money is what moves the economy. It is also statistically proven that people in poverty or below the poverty line are the ones who spend the most of it. In such dire positions one may ask themselves, why would they spend more? The answer is simply necessity.

           

            Things become necessary when we determine we need them. When a person is working to earn a paycheck to live week to week all the money they have becomes necessary! Every dollar severs a purpose in the everyday lives of the poor, and sometimes even the middle class. The flow of a good moving economy is comparable to the input and output of an impoverished man’s income.  As the money comes in it quickly goes out. Being that most of his money is tied up in prior commitments a greater concern arises from within this conflict. How can I save money!

            Good for the economy not so good for the working man. Cash flow management starts to become a priority when you barely have enough to get by. A good example of this would be the sale of gasoline. While the man in poverty can only afford to fill his gas tank half way. The better off man fills his tank completely. Known by most that a full tank of gas will last you longer than filling it periodically the man with more spends less. The gasoline station sells the gas regardless but when purchased by the man with less it sells more of it and more frequently.

            In this article Lindstrom unveils a wide range of tactics used by supermarkets, and their intentions behind them. Their main objective is to manipulate you into spending more. As stated by Lindstrom “there’s no way of getting away from our primitive survival technique of hoarding food to see us through lean times.” One of the tactics revealed in this article was the maximum three cans person with a sales price. This sign might have given the impression to shoppers that others thought it was it great deal. With this preset mind frame shoppers might think that the limit is due to people waiting in line to get it. Also they might think that there are not many left in stock because the deal is so good the product is flying off the shelf. In reality it’s all just to get you to buy more. Do you need all three cans? With the urgency instilled in the sign, and our desire to stretch our money you buy extra. Just like the man who is able to save on gas. Now you too get to save on food because you have more. So yes most of us do over spend, but justified in our minds money well spent is not money spent at all.