ESSAY 5 FINAL PROJECT/PAPER

John Petropoulos
English 101
Dr. Smith
12/10/09
Final Paper

Every Thursday my brother, Timothy Petropoulos, sneaks quietly into our bedroom in an attempt not to wake me. Always unsuccessful in his attempt, I glance at the time and see exactly what I am accustomed to seeing every Thursday night; it is five o’clock in the morning and my brother just got home from school. The reason why he gets home at all hours of the night is that he is the Sports editor of “The Ticker,” the Baruch College newspaper. Wide-awake, helplessly alert and frustrated I stare at my ceiling in deep thought and ask myself ‘what it is he is doing all night?’ Trying to answer my own question, I set out to discover what really lies behind this job that disturbs my peaceful night’s sleep. I chose to take full advantage of this assignment the was given to me and embark on a journey to answer the question that has puzzled me for years. Through this journey, I realized that the true question is not what keeps my brother up this late, but what really goes into being a student journalist. I went behind the scenes of the only current weekly newspaper in CUNY to get a taste of what it’s like for the people who work for a college newspaper.
"The Ticker" is a twenty-four hour, seven day a week responsibility. In order to work on “The Ticker,” an editor, or the person who is in charge on a specific section, must be willing to make personal sacrifices in order to put in the amount of time needed to produce the paper. An editor’s job description goes beyond just editing. Each individual section editor is responsible for coming up with stories, recruiting writers, editing, layout (or style), photo requests, and in most cases, writing stories of their own. In order to get the week’s most important student news out to the readers on time, everyone must be on the same page.
“The Ticker” has eight different sections featured in its paper. A section is a part of the paper that is dedicated to only one subject, or a range of subjects all in one field. The eight sections include News, Opinions, Business, Features, Science, Arts, Lifestyles, and Sports. In order for each section to thrive, the editors must find new and interesting topics to write about. The News section is the usually considered the most important section of any newspaper, and is consistently the section with the most pages in “The Ticker.” News is responsible for covering the most important actions and events around the school and bring stories that are important to Baruch students to their attention. The News editor, senior Lillian Rizzo, is responsible for finding the most compelling and important stories, making sure that, on a weekly basis, she successfully gets all the information to the student body.
The Opinion section is a section in which the student get a chance to speak freely about the issues they feel are most important to themselves and their peers. It is the only section in the paper in which political, personal and professional biases can be published, Articles like "Being Friendly goes a long way" by Daniella Bondar, gives advice and friendly tips on how to make new friends as well as how to become more active in schools events.
The Business section covers everything from the economic crisis we are currently in, to the everyday news at Baruch, which is a business school (a vast majority of the students enrolled have a major that involves business) . This section is one of the most popular in he paper because of all he student interest in the subject as well as the professional style of writing.
The Features section is where investigatory journalism shows in full force. The stories address topics from problems in the community and gives way to try to fix the problems and prevent them from happening to a friend or loved one to mental health concerns rising for college students to even pointers on how to fight bed bugs.
The Science section focuses on science-related topics. "Cutting edge assistive technology" is a remarkable article in which Hsi Chan explains how hard the Baruch front office has worked in order to make a easier and less challenging environment for the mentally disabled to be able to learn and communicate. Topics like this and advice on the latest gadgets are what make the section a must read for a student living in the 21st century
The Arts section is a section in which the paper informs you about art galleries going on in the vicinity of the school as well as plays, CD reviews and musicals and that are being held in Baruch as well as reviews of Broadway and off-Broadway shows.
The Lifestyles section is a section were the health fanatics of Baruch turn to first, and the ones who want a better life style begin. The section gives the student body tips on how to eat, where to work out and what to eat as an alternitive when you are craving a McDonald’s Big Mac. With articles like "Between the buns - a burger review" and "Getting fit after class," this section guarantees a healthier you when you put down the paper. Talking about health, who is the more physically fit then a sports athlete?
The Sports section of the Ticker is found on the back of the paper, maybe saving the best for last. The sports section covers every sports team in Baruch, gives you updated standing severy week and the inside scoop on the Baruch “Bearcats’” (the teams’ nickname) rising stars. Not only is the sports section a great read but writing makes you feel as if you were in the actual game.
In order for the ticker to come out with its weekly printing there must be funding, Dmitri Kutcher is the business manager of the Ticker and he handles the money spent as well as the income of the paper. In order to generate an income, the Ticker relies on the advertisments that appears in the Ticker newspaper or on the Ticker online newspaper edition which vary from national, local as well as clubs in the school. In order for the ticker to generate a steady income, the burden falls heavily on the shoulders of the advertising editor. The revenue the ticker brings in is mostly put in a separate account in which the student body, as well as the business manager can not touch that gets allocated to paying certain bills. Since the Ticker is a school based newspaper there are many funds that play a huge role in the Tickers week to week printing.
"If i had to pick a number from the top of my head i would have to say 70 to 80 percent of the total budget, which is a large number in the tens of thousands, to be general is for printing, The other aspects of the budget relate to administration costs such as office supplies[...] There are about fourteen to fifteen budget lines[...], it is a dynamic system but like i said most of the costs are fixed." said Kutcher.
As for the Ticker making its income, Kutcher says, "We are a pretty big bureaucracy, so simply for corporations you just take a corporate credit card and pay for it, in this situation we had to go threw justifying how much we are going to spend, getting invoice from the Chinese restaurant and then they will be paid in a matter of two to three weeks, so its a bureaucracy but its officiant to the extent that everything works out." The Ticker is a very well organized with its funds and expenses but is also very coservitive in the money spent.

"With a student paper, a lot more work goes into it then a lot of people realize, it’s a seven day process [...] a lot of the time it is hard to schedule it into our classes, our work schedules, our internships but we all make it a point to be here so that the paper can run smoothly." said Kerri Jarema, long time Ticker staff member and current Arts editor.
Because the newspaper runs on a weekly schedule, the new issue comes out every Monday. On Tuesday, the editorial meeting is held where the Ticker staff discusses the issue coming out that week, this is one of the most important days of the week for the staff because not only do they work on new and catchy ideas, but also work to correct any mistakes that were made. During Editorial meetings, the staff discusses what they felt they liked and disliked about last-weeks article. They also discuss what they would like to do differently, and what ideas they would like to keep intact for the upcoming article. The staff then focuses their attention on the staff group as a whole and tries to fix any problems that have risen and give tips and pointers to one another to make a better issue for the next week. Most importantly, the editorial meetings allow the staff to discuss upcoming stories that will run in the newspaper.
After the meetings on Tuesday, the staff devotes their time on Wednesday nights to their own specific sections. Editors in charge receive articles and start making changes on these articles. This allows the editors ample time to edit the writers work in order for the article to be worthy enough to make it into the paper. While time at Wednesday night meetings are allocated to editing, Thursday is production day, the longest and most arduous day by far. Production is the day where every editor, copy editor, and production assistant sits down and goes over every article they receive and proceed to edit and copy-edit each article. Once that is done, every editor must make a layout of his/her section in the newspaper. A layout requires making headlines for each article, finding the pictures that are most appropriate for the articles and laying out the section in a program called Adobe InDesign (R) which is what is sent to the printers so that they know what print.
Friday is the unofficial last day of production. Friday is the day where the paper is complete, where the editors finish correcting the paper, tie any loose ends, and send it to the printing press. The production process is finally complete and the newspaper will now be available for the student body on the upcoming Monday.
However, in order for this process to continue, the editors must send out there Story ideas for the following Monday on Friday in order to secure a smooth production. During the weekend, “The Ticker” office is filled with reporters starting there articles so that come Wednesday, they will be able to submit a well written article to there commanding editors. The process that is required to produce this weekly newspaper is a huge task for any college student. Even though most of the students time is spent hovering over a computer typing in order to produce a worth-while finished product, it is an accomplishment in the end to view the finished piece.
"In the end, if there is a good paper with quality work that is being printed, and the students likes what we do, it’s all worth it" said Timothy Petropoulos, the editor of the sports section.
Hard work, commitment and the love for writing is what every journalist needs in order to become successful. The hard work of slaving over a computer key board for hours at end, the commitment of every single article being a extension of the writers heart and soul,the love for writing, when the day is over and all your energy was put into writing that one article you wake up the next morning see the readers enjoying one of your articles and are ready to go back to work.
As of today, massive cuts have plagued the journalism industry. The demand of print journalism diminishing with the invention of the internet and personal news outlets like blogs, twitter and other media. Yet, the staff at the ticker stay dedicated to this profession because of the love and passion they have for writing and delivering the news.
"Alot of people say journalism is a dyeing profession,but when you are a journalist, what you really get into journalism for is not to be rich, not to be famous; its for love, getting the news out there, letting people know what you want to know, what they need to know, there will always be a demand for journalism, people love hearing stories and I love telling them so as long as there is [newspapers], as long as there journalism, it doesn't matter how much you make in a year whether it be ten thousand or one hundred thousand dollars a year its not about the money its about the love and I love it" said Petropoulos.
Others disagree that journalism is a dying profession at all, "I actually disagree that journalism is a dying profession, there is always going to be a demand for news and good writers, and people who are pushing to get the truth out, i like to write and i like to let people know what is going on I just love journalism" stated Jhaneel Lockhart, Editor in Chief of the Ticker.

EXTRA CREDIT THE MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE

The museum of the moving image was a great location to bring the cluster on a feild trip because, there were great example of american film, aswell as the impact f the media. The great example of American film was the creation of the green screen in which the museum allowed us to go infront of a actual green screen and goof around, the real we looked into individually were the faster you turned the knob the quicker the images looked and formed into a movie, the voice over romm were we had the opertunity to put our voices on fictional charecter. The music room were we had the opportunity to chose the backround music for suspense movie scenes aswell as drama and action. The movie rooms showed us different movies created in the 80s, the clips of the movies were all scenes that special effects were used in. The museum had the actual items used in movies such as freddy crugar and the exercist and showed the viewers how the special effects were made possible. This gallery was great because it turned fiction into reality. I believe we should have wen to the museum a little bit earlier in the semester because it gave us a good grasp on the history of american film but i belive the knowlege was brought to us a little to late. All in all i really enjoyed the experience and i hope Dr. Smith continues to bring his classes to the museum of moving image

EXTRA CREDIT SLEEP DEALERS

Sleep dealers is a fantastic movie in which a boy growing up to be a man is made a victim of thinking outside of the box, and eventually paying the consequence by the death of his father. In the matrix Neo was also curiouse about the out side world, he would always wonder what more is out there and eventually he was able to detach himself from the matrix and in to the world were he dreamed about for years. In sleep dealers the plots are very much equal in that sense. Another equality between two movies is technology. Technology is assumed to one day take over the human race. Which in both movies the producers does a great job of grasping. In both movies in order to survive "In the Matrix" or "In the outside world" you must be "plugged in". In order for Neo to get back into the matrix he must plug himself in by infecting a plug into the back of his head. In sleep dealers inorder to survive in the every day life and make money in order to feed your family you must plug into a work station in which then you are hooked up to a machine someware around the world. In sleep dealers you controle the machines with your movements, in the matrix you controle the matrix with your mind. Both movies there is a man on a mishion. In the matrix Neo is in doubt his whole life of what is really out there. He then goes on to take the pill go into the matrix and conquer what he set out to do while in the matrix which is to be the "One". In sleep dealers the kid makes a satelite to be connected to the outside world. When that gets him in trouble and is the reason for the death of his father he is forced to be connected to the outside world and work to support his family. At the end both conquer there goals Neo becomes the one and the kid from sleep dealers breaks down the man made wall which was stopping water flow into his home town and "beats the system". The sleep dealer movie is mainly a mexican movie because of the way the film was made. Mexican movies are famouse for there love interests in the movie. In sleep dealers there was a love interest which was a main part of the movie.

ESSAY 6 LOOK AT THIS ONE NOT THE OTHER ONE

I live in the matrix, I am vulnerable to the network life. “There is a wired telecommunications network that began with the telegraph, evolved into an analog telephone network, and is now transforming into a multifunctional digital system. And there are multiple forms of wireless networking – particularly broadcast radio and television, microwave, cell phone, pager, and 802.11. Horizontal network links make use of terrestrial, subsurface, and aerial real estate, while vertical links run through the service cores and chases of buildings” (Me++ 170) William J. Mitchell is arguing that mankind has been a slave race to the networking criteria since the beginning of technology.
Since the beginning of time we have been networked, connected to one and other , Starting with communication and working its way to the present. Everywhere we go we are connected, We are connected to one and other in everything we do, our everyday lives, everywhere we turn. The expectations of each man and woman being connected to each other is inevitable, you must be connected in order to survive. Having a cell phone is no longer a rarity but a expectation. Being connected to the internet twenty four hours a day seven days a week is a must. “You are automatically looked down on when you reach into your pocket and take out a flip up phone” I was told recently while taking out my flip up phone on a job interview. The reason behind This is because we have become so connected and reliant on outside sources that the everyday business man expects you to have every resource possible in your arsenal, and if you don’t the next person will and will be better then you. Knowledge is not what you know these days but how quickly you can figure something out. You no longer have to walk outside your house to the library to do research. Today all you have to do is reach into your pocket, take out your cell phone and search for the answer on Wikipedia. The internet is the world of knowledge at your fingertips. A extension to your brain which feeds you knowledge whenever you feel the desire. A connection to everything and everyone.
William J. Mitchell states “Traditionally, there was safety in numbers and in surrounding walls. Now urban security and resilience are grounded in patterns of connectivity.” What William J. Mitchell is explaining is that, it used to be that if you surrounded yourself with a bigger group or if you were in the four walls of your own home you were automatically safe. That is not the case anymore. Through technology man has built weapons that have the capabilities to destroy the entire world. Connectivity has allowed us to be able to learn what the person next to us already knows and right away come up with the next best thing. We are never secure or safe. The connectivity to everything and everyone surrounding us has us trapped and the only thing we can do is join the network or attempt to survive without the network. The everyday person has become reliant on the connection of the networks in every way possible. So what would happen if the networks shutdown?
In 2006 there was a MTA strike where all bus drivers, train conductors wanted to higher salaries, so they decided it was in there best interest to abandon the jobs until they got what they felt they deserved. The regular everyday newyorker depends on transportation to get them to and from work, school etc. So when the network shutdown no one new what to do. Schools were closed, businesses were shut down and the city that never sleeps was very quiet for the first time. This is a example of how the everyday individual has grown so accustom to the network life, it is scary to know if one minor network shuts down we all will shut down with it. Convenience is expected, having the internet, transportation, television etc at our disposal twenty four seven is what the everyday person has grown accustom to. These tools are extensions of our body’s. Live coverage of a high speed car chase on 59th street being viewed on New York one bringing us coverage into our living rooms is a extension of our eyes because without the television there would be no way to view the car chase. The radio station which plays our favorite music is a extension of our ears because without the radio we would not be able to listen to our music. We are connected to everything, Networking has taken control of us and we cannot do anything about it.
We are all slaves to the network life whether we choose to or not. Civilization is dependent on everybody else and no matter how bad you want to sugar coat it I depend on you and you depend on me. We as networking citizens are vulnerable, we are vulnerable to our everyday lives, The Networking life.

ESSAY 6

I live in the matrix, I am vulnerable to the network life. “There is a wired telecommunications network that began with the telegraph, evolved into an analog telephone network, and is now transforming into a multifunctional digital system. And there are multiple forms of wireless networking – particularly broadcast radio and television, microwave, cell phone, pager, and 802.11. Horizontal network links make use of terrestrial, subsurface, and aerial real estate, while vertical links run through the service cores and chases of buildings” (Me++ 170) William J. Mitchell is arguing that mankind has been a slave race to the networking criteria since the beginning of technology.
Since the beginning of time we have been networked, connected to one and other , Starting with communication and working its way to the present. Everywhere we go we are connected, We are connected to one and other in everything we do, our everyday lives, everywhere we turn. The expectations of each man and woman being connected to each other is inevitable, you must be connected in order to survive. Having a cell phone is no longer a rarity but a expectation. Being connected to the internet twenty four hours a day seven days a week is a must. “You are automatically looked down on when you reach into your pocket and take out a flip up phone” I was told recently while taking out my flip up phone on a job interview. The reason behind This is because we have become so connected and reliant on outside sources that the everyday business man expects you to have every resource possible in your arsenal, and if you don’t the next person will and will be better then you. Knowledge is not what you know these days but how quickly you can figure something out. You no longer have to walk outside your house to the library to do research. Today all you have to do is reach into your pocket, take out your cell phone and search for the answer on Wikipedia. The internet is the world of knowledge at your fingertips. A extension to your brain which feeds you knowledge whenever you feel the desire. A connection to everything and everyone.
William J. Mitchell states “Traditionally, there was safety in numbers and in surrounding walls. Now urban security and resilience are grounded in patterns of connectivity.” What William J. Mitchell is explaining is that, it used to be that if you surrounded yourself with a bigger group or if you were in the four walls of your own home you were automatically safe. That is not the case anymore. Through technology man has built weapons that have the capabilities to destroy the entire world. Connectivity has allowed us to be able to learn what the person next to us already knows and right away come up with the next best thing. We are never secure or safe. The connectivity to everything and everyone surrounding us has us trapped and the only thing we can do is join the network or attempt to survive without the network. The everyday person has become reliant on the connection of the networks in every way possible. So what would happen if the networks shutdown?
In 2006 there was a MTA strike where all bus drivers, train conductors wanted to higher salaries, so they decided it was in there best interest to abandon the jobs until they got what they felt they deserved. The regular everyday newyorker depends on transportation to get them to and from work, school etc. So when the network shutdown no one new what to do. Schools were closed, businesses were shut down and the city that never sleeps was very quiet for the first time. This is a example of how the everyday individual has grown so accustom to the network life, it is scary to know if one minor network shuts down we all will shut down with it.
We are all slaves to the network life whether we choose to or not. Civilization is dependent on everybody else and no matter how bad you want to sugar coat it I depend on you and you depend on me. We as networking citizens are vulnerable, we are vulnerable to our everyday lives, The Networking life.

Reaserch Blog Info

http://johnpetropoulosessay5.blogspot.com/
This is wear you can see my updates for my Project

Blog #10

The main issues research writers seem to face when writing a research paper is plagiarism. Even though the writer does not copy the source word for word the writer often takes ideas from the source and states them as there own. You can tell when a plagiarist mistake such as this occurs when the writer is thrown from there style of writing and adds in the quote/statement as if it was his/her own. This throws off the reader because the style of writing are two completely different styles and most of the time that is how plagiarism is caught. As for me my biggest flaw is that i am lazy. I have fixed this problem this semester but I still find myself procrastinating when writing a paper. I must fix this problem and not always wait till last minute. Waiting till the last minute always comes back to haunt me. There have been many times I have not written up to my capabilities because the paper has been rushed. When i procrastinate and wait till the last minute my final paper is not as good as I can write it. Waiting till the last minute does not allow you to stretch your brain and come up with theory's that the readers have never heard/seen before. When i write i think my advantage is that i am able to stretch my brain which leads to stretching the length of the paper. Theory's, Hypothesis that you come up with when you do not wait till last minute are phenomenall. But when a paper is rushed you can tell there was not much thought going into it and the reader can tell that is wasn't done up to full capabilities. I be live i am a good writer and my best days are still yet to come. I have much to learn and i must leave the past behind me. I must stop being lazy because it only hurts me in the end.

Blog 9

For my research project i am thinking about making a documentary about behind the scenes of a college newspaper "The Ticker". It is the weekly newspaper at Baruch which my brother Timothy Petropoulos is the Sports editor. Coming home at all hours of the night i would like to get a grasp of the hard work and dedication it takes for a student who is success full in all his classes to manage the time between studying, editing and writing articles along with having a job working for a online newspaper "NY hoops.com". I would like to interview different people in the staff office and go behind the scenes of how the newspaper is actually run as well as the hard work it takes for the paper to actually get made. I will be keeping a separate blog which i will be keeping track of all the activities and resources on a day to day basis. i will link the blog to my class blog so it will be visible to Dr. Smith. I am still uncertain if this is the topic i would like to do my project on because of the fact that i would need permission from the head of the newspaper to be allowed to film in the newspaper office and interview the staff. If this is possible i am shure this will be my project topic. I believe i can satisfy Dr. Smith and Professor Loucca with this project because it attaches to networking as well as a visual presentation for the mass media class.

Blog 8

"I consist of a biological core surrendered by extended, constructed systems of boundaries and networks."Under my skin there are bones, mussels,blood, tissue, our outer exterior stretches over these awkward ligaments in order to protect us from sickness and disease. Our skin is our shell, and in order to discover someone Else's emotions and feelings you must rip in to it. The problem is most people are afraid and would rather look instead of touch. My skin gives me a label. My dark skin tone manipulates a owner in a store to feel threatened, which leads him to believe he must follow me where ever i go until i walk out the door. Threw out my life i have been judged mainly towards my skin color. Every one i have ever became friends with has told me that they did not expect me to be the nice, kind, loving individual i am. In order for me to have picked up these traits i had to have had a great family and good parenting. My family means everything to me and they are what molded me into the man i am today. My clothing gives society a impression which is false. When i pick out my cloths in the morning i pick the outfit which fits me best for that day. If I'm feeling lazy i put on my sweat pants, when i feel happy i put on a nice pair of jeans and shirt, when i feel sophisticated i were nice pants and a button up shirt. All three of these styles give off a impression which indicates three completely different emotions/feelings. In all three of these different out fits there are three different reactions from the people around you. Sweat pants gives off a "I don't care" attitude. Casual jeans and shirt gives off the "cool, calm and collected" attitude. Nice pants and a button up shirt gives off the "confident" attitude. This is the label society around us has put in place. The connections and net works which penetrate these boundaries are our everyday lives, our surroundings. Living in a slum were you would have to fight everyday for food and money is the envirment you were placed in. This penetrates your emotions and you have a distinct view of the world through your eyes. Its like living in a jungle, your mentality is only the strong survive, so you have to make shore you will steal whatever it is you need to become the Alpha male, to build your reputation. If you were to live in the burbs your attitude on life would be extremely different. You would believe in order to survive you must go to a prestigious college and pursue a job which will earn you 6 figures. As for me who is right in between i have the belief that i should pursue what ever it is that makes me happy, i should not steal, but if someone try to steal from me and harm my well being, i must harm them back. I access the Network of well being and goods in my life when i wake up in the morning. I go downstairs and breakfast is waiting for me on the table, my mother woke up a half an hour earlier then her regular schedule to make shore i eat. When i get home from school and my little brothers are the first ones at the door because they are excited i am home. The Network of the good in my life stems from my family. They are my thrive to do well for my self. The regularity of my every day existence starts with school. I wake up at 7:30, get into school at 9:15, get out of classes at 2:00, get home at 3:00, give my self two hours of free time, 5:00 start my home work, 7:00 eat diner, and continue my home work after. This is my every day schedule for five days out of the week. This dictates the regularity of my existence because if i want to pass my classes i must have a schedule in which i dedicate most of my time towards school. If i wake up in the morning put on a suit, take my brief case,drive into the city and work a 9 to 5 job that gives me the label of successful. Our skin color, surroundings, networks, schedules will always give us a label. There is no fighting it, this is how the society around us has labeled things and no matter how hard you wanna fight it there will always be some one who disagrees.

Blog 5

I belive my life is based on fate and free will. I belive there are times in your life were you will have to make decisions, the decisions that you make are based on your free will. The decisions you make in life are compleatly up to you and no body else. Ofcourse there are influences around you at all times, like the angle and devil on each side of your sholder. People try to minupulate your mind and make there decisions in your life. But dont you have a say in your own decisions? Ultimetly you are the one who will make the final decision no matter who pursways you to do what. Are you going to be influence by the people around you? Ofcourse, the people around you shape the person you are, your style, personalitie and so fourth. When you make a descision you take a peice of who influences you with you, but they are not making the final decision. In the end it is your life and your life is the one that will be affected with the decision whether good or bad. Thats were fate comes in to play. Whether you make a decision for the good or the bad i belive once you make that decision your future has already been set in stone. In my life i slacked off in highschool, even though it wasent a good decision and i regret it i made the decision. By slacking off in highschool i did not get into the colleges i applied for. My free will was to make the decision to slack off in highschool but my fate by making that decision was here in Laguardia Community College. I know i must do welll in all of my classes to get into a better college and later on pursue my hopes and dreams. You have free will up to an extent, once you make a decision the fate is in the hands of your boss, principle and so fourth.

Blog 7

My reflections on the Mid-Term reaserch paper are thankful. The Reaserch paper was a great way to learn how to reaserch correctly. It also showed me how to create a Power Point presentation which i was not familiar with before the reserch paper. Learning how to create a Power Point presentation is a very useful concept because if my other classes ask for a Power Point presentation i am familiar with the concept on how to make one. The Reaserch paper also helped me learn how to write in MLA format. Before this paper i didnt know how to write in MLA format or any format in that. I just knew i had to indent and start new paragraphs. A paper that is written in MLA format gives much more information from were you are getting your information from. Its is also much neater and and looks much more profesional. My project topic was Jayson Blair. Learning about Blair made me realize how easy it was to plagerise and cheat. Jayson Blair was a journalist for the New York Times who cheated and falsely made up storys to benefit him self. The storys he was putting in the paper were being plagerised from other papers or were just being compleatly made up. This project taught me alot. It benifited me in the ways that i learned alot of valuable information and i hope it benifited others to open up the audience eyes about Jayson Blair

Blog 6

The Truman show is a funny movie about a man (Truman) who is living his entire life as the star of a a T.V show. Never knowing what is real and what is fake, the town he was put in is nothing like the outside world. He never experiences Real sunlight, clouds, rain and stars.His best friend is a actor who is getting paid for his work, his wife isn't even who she says she is and who knows if that is his actual biological mother. Trumans life is all a act. When he is presented with the choice to leave sea heaven and join the real world he has no idea what he is getting himself into. I believe he chose to leave the world he has known since birth because he was shore of what was on the other side of that door. Even though he wasn't positive he knew his actual love was waiting on the other side. He also knew he can finally pursue his dream of becoming an explorer. He was no longer trapped in the world of the same ruitean. Truman dared to be different and his courage to do so is what pushed him out of that door. Christof acts as God in seahaven. He is the creator, the root of all happiness. But Christof and God differ because i believe God puts evil on this earth to test the pure goodness in a person. Christof does not, he made the the town of seahaven full of smiles ,with no crime. The battle between Good and Evil will always be in our lives no matter how peace full you are. Trumans evil was indeed his god and the good inside him prevailed. It gave him the strength to question his everyday life and eventually figure it all out and walk threw that door to the real world.

Blog #4

Metaphysics is the study of what is real and what is knoweble. Garcia and Sanford preach Metaphysics useing words such as ontological status and source inorder to explain there claims. Ontology is the branch of metaphysics that studies the nature of excistence or being as such. So what are Garcia and Sanford's objectives when using ontological status? Garcia and Sanford believe that the world outside the matrix is "unreal" and the world inside the matrix is "real". Garcia and Sanford state (on page 61 of the reading) that " one way of determining ontilogical status is in terms of dependence". We as human beinings depend on "facts" that the real world does not depend on something else for its excistence it stands by itself. We assume that this is the real world and there is nothing else. In order to belive in the matrix you must believe that there is something more then the world we all know and enjoy. You must believe there is something more. You must belive that the unreal world depends on the real world for its excistence. Garcia and Sanford use ontoligical status because they depend on the theory. They depend on the thory because they belive that it may be true. I dont agree with Garcia and Sanford because if onthological status depends on being dependent. I depend on what i see hear feel smell and touch each day. I belive that the world as wee know it is the " real" world and there is no other outside world except heaven and hell.
Garcia and Sanford use the word source when describing metaphysics. Source is any thing or place from which something comes. (Dictionary.com) Metaphysics describes what is real and what is imaginary. I belive Garcia and Sanford made a great observation when using the word Source. We know the exact source for all the things in the world of the matrix. Even if you belive the matrix is real or fake we know there is a source with information that can support the claim that the matrix is real. "The matrix is a very complex computer program made by artificially intellegent machines. The very excistence of the virtual world and varigated demensions are the product of these machines" (page 61 of the reading). I agree with Garcia and Sanford for using a source to support there theory. I belive if there is a source then there is a possibility it is real.

Blog # 3

What is real? How do we know what is real and what is fake. We know if we touch,smell,see,feel or hear something then it must be real. In the movie The Matrix (and on page 50 of the reading) Morphues disagrees, he states "What is real? How do we define real? If your talking about what you can feel, What you can smell, What you can taste and see then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain". But this strikes the question if real is in fact electrical signals interpreted by your brain then does it matter where these signals are coming from , does it matter if it is coming from inside the matrix or not. If the five senses truly indicate what is real and what is fake then no matter where you are it must be real.

Its three a.m in the morning, after a long night out you arrive home and head straight to your bed where you immediately fall asleep. You enter a new world, not the matrix not "reality" but you enter the world of dreams. (In the reading on page 41) it states that " From 1981 to 1990 120 mysterious deaths occurred in Atlanta where healthy adult men were dieing in there sleep." This sparked up the question, can dreams kill people? A dream is illusions caused by brain stimuli. (on page 42 of the reading) The matrix has the same definition. While you are sleeping you do not have your five senses to your disposal, the only thing that is triggering your thoughts is your brain,so in reality the only thing controlling your brain is your brain itself, just like when you are in the matrix your brain is what controles you, but is your brain powerful enough to controle your five senses while you are fast asleep.(In the movie) Neo sees himself in the matrix as he wants to see himself, his hair is different and all the plugs in his arms magically disappear, so his new appearance is a illusion to his reality, but what is actually the illusion? Have you ever had a dream you were falling off a cliff or down a flight of stairs and when you wake up you are on the floor because you fell off your bed? Did you ever realize you always wake up before you fall to the bottom of the cliff? You wake up and you are on the floor, your brain realizes that you have awoken from a dream and instead of falling to the bottom of the cliff you have in fact only fell three feet off of your bed. When you wake up you feel the effects, your heart rate has risen intensely and the arm you fell on is battered and bruised. What if you didn't wake up from that dream? Do you think you would in fact feel the effects of actually falling off a cliff, would you fall to your death? Your five senses are working because you feel the affects of falling off the bed, if your five senses equal reality then you falling off the cliff is in fact 100% real.

In conclusion no matter where you are, it is all reality. Whether you are in the matrix, in reality or dreaming the fact of the matter is your brain is what controles all three of these realms. What you believe is real in that moment and time is in fact reality. Even if you wake up on the floor, two seconds earlier your brain had your body convinced that your were in fact falling off a enormous cliff and your hart rate is what proves this theory. Your brain is what controles your body, your body is just following the commands it has been programed to follow from your brain since birth. What is real? Real is whatever your brain allows you to believe is real.

Blog #1

Only knowlege in its form constitutes as real knowlege. I wake up and i am chained , forced to keep my arms and legs in place i do not even think of moving my ligaments. I see the light shining on the wall infront of me, I hear the images coming, how will they look today? The best part of the day is when the images come. I hear the images in the distance how do they apear infront of me? The noise is coming closer and closer, The images have arrived at last. They are beautiful all different sizes and shapes, the noises grow farther and farther away, thay are gone, the images dissapear.
I belive if man was adapted to being in the cave everyday for there whole lives not able to move there necks arms or legs, not able to move or see side to side or behind them that we would believe that this is what life is. The only thing we would know is the wall of the cave, the light from the fire and the shadows of the people and animals behind us. If we did the same thing on a day to day basis since birth we could not even imagine what the out side of the cave looks feels or smells like. We would not even know we were in a cave. If the cave is all we know then it is our reality and everything else is fake.

Blog #2

In response to the matrix Neo is the chosen one, he is the one who is believed to come into the world of the matrix and find the answers.Neo is the one the followers of the matrix have been waiting for. Neo was chosen by Morpheus (which means the god of dreams) to bring a sense of relief to the matrix and save the people in the matrix from the agents who are going to destroy the matrix. This draws great comparison to Jesus who was chosen to be the son of God. Jesus came to earth to spread the word of God and make believers out of non believers. Just like Neo was sent into the matrix to save the people from the agents who seak to destroy the matrix, Jesus was sent to earth to save mankind from destroying them selves. To spread the word that there is a god, he was sent to protect the world from evil (the agents). Both Jesus and Neo have followers Jesus has the 12 disciples and Neo has the people in the matrix, both betray them, Jesus was betrayed by Judas and Neo was betrayed by Cypher. But do you blame either Judas or Cypher for betraying there leader, how do they know what is real and what is fake? Just like in the Allegory of the cave, the people in the cave are chained and are forced to constantly look in front of them and not move. There is a fire in back of them so that is the only light they no, they hear the sounds of animals and people behind them and the only image they get is the shadows on the wall in front of them. The people in the cave have spent there whole lives in chains that they think this is what life really is, if you were to put one of the people from the cave into life out side of the cave that person would not believe his/her eyes, let alone if that person was brought back in the cave and told the rest of the population in the cave about his/her adventure what would they think? They would think the person who was brought out of the cave was telling lies. Jesus, Neo and the men in the cave all draw comparisons because they all depend on faith, faith that the people who they reach out to will believe them and follow them. How do we know what is real and what is fake. Its all up to faith, just like Neo he had faith in Morpheus that he was telling the truth in weather to take the blue pill or the red pill, Neo took the red pill, in order to sometimes understand the truth you must have faith

“I am a cyborg”

On May third, 1991 I became a cyborg.  A cyborg is a cybernetic organism, a man-machine, a person who is so dependent on machines that if you took the tools of technology away from him his whole life would be different.  I beleve we are all cyborgs. 

I wake up in the morning  turn on my light and enter my bathroom where I  turn on the faucet. The television says it will be 35 degrees today so I should put on something warm. I walk into my room I put on a pair of jeans, a sweater and I leave my house.  I reach in my pocket take out my metro card and swipe it in the turn style. I walk up the staris and rush to make it to the train,  sitting in my seat not moving at all, my body is moving at thirty miles per hour. My stop has arrived, the doors open while the voice from the speakers says “thank you for ridding new your city transit.”  I arrive at LaGuardia Community College and walk right threw the automatic door. Waiting for the elevator I finally enter. Standing straight in place I am moving vertically to the seventh floor. I walk to room c723 to Dr. Smiths class, we are ironically discussing cyborgs.

Within that hour span I use countless forms of technology just to start my day. Whether it be the magnetic currents that power a Metrocard swipe, or the electric volts that move a train, our every day lives have become so dependent on technology that not only do we take these technologies for granted, we don't even realize we are using them at all. 

We are all born as cyborgs and will all die as cyborgs because we don’t know anything different. From birth we have been trained to accept man made technology as an essential part of everyday life, without considering the ramifications. Everything from the warming of water in our homes to the computer I am typing this essay on, man has become so dependent on technology that they have become one. 

About me

By John Petropoulos

When you first look at me you see only what your eyes allow you to see, you see my appearance. Tall, skinny, dark skin, shiny ear ring and baggy cloths. An appearance many individuals may get the wrong impression from. An appearance, no matter how good the prescription of your glasses, are will never change. The only way you would see the real me is if I handed you a pair of x-ray glasses and let you see what’s inside.
I am an eighteen year old man determined to succeed. A man who is driven by the numerous amounts of doubters and the pessimists who say I cant do it. I am a man who is tenacious in the act of making my life purposeful, a strong willed man who is searching for his calling.
My regrets are unmistakable, if only I had the will power in the past that I am driven by in the present, the obstacles I am faced with today would just be side streets on a main highway. My goals have been set , and now I set my standards then they have ever been.
I know I am capable of what ever it is I desire, and so does my family and friends. I am a kind hearted, caring, funny individual, who puts family first, loves sports and will thrive. I am one hundred percent Greek, and no matter how big the obstacle, I am ready to stomp on it. I guess it’s the Spartan blood in me, I am John Petropoulos