HELP ME!

One of the most helpful topics that we covered in LOR 101 was the topic over plagiarism.

I think they're are a lot of vague rules and regulations on plagiarism, but Ms. Farmer's presentation and assignments over plagiarism rules were very helpful (even if I did flunk the quiz.)

The rules on plagiarism have been stressed since Middle School.

I remember having to turn in papers online to "Turn It In".com in order to check our paper's for plagiarism. In fact, I turn to that website sometimes for personal reference before I turn in a paper.

How has the Internet and technology affected an individual's right to privacy?

I began to allude to this topic in my last post.

There are several ways in which the internet and technology has affected an individual's right to privacy.

Lets just state the obvious - the Internet and technology has become so advanced, there is hardly anything known as "an individual's right to privacy." Technology geniuses could find anything that ever was published on the Internet - its like a giant cloud of history and information that is never truly deleted from the atmosphere that is the Internet.

Take for instance, FACEBOOK. (dun dun dun)

Or any social network, for that matter.

More and more people are publishing their "private" information on social networks. The networks provide "privacy policies" and "privacy settings," which allow some control. But really, as I mentioned, any expert has the capability of retrieving any history on the internet.

You can even consider Google.

They have employees who's job is specifically assigned to tracking user's history. They know when you searched what and how much you searched it. I understand the necessity of this.

All of that being said, I feel like people today are becoming more vulnerable, more transparent. They are more willing to put more information on the Internet than ever before. Because of that, the world has become more connected. This is producing negative and positive side affects. Which I could write about for days! Ill spare you!

I believe it to be imperative for individuals to have rights to privacy.

This comes in moderation, of course.

In light of the internet - I believe it is understood that whatever is placed on the internet is on the internet forever. Its hard to find hardly any privacy on the internet.

The government will constantly be collecting data about individuals, which I believe to be necessary. However, there needs to be regulation even on this matter. The Law of Privacy regulates what can be taken, and where it is stored.

DIARY OF A MAD SENIOR WOMAN

(a collection of self portraits from the past two weeks)

WORK

WORK
WORK

...and more WORK.

School is demanding. And it requires much discipline.
I need more discipline.
I have two weeks left of my college career, and I'm feeling the weight of all assignments, and the urgency to GET THINGS DONE.

These tips from College Fashion have helped me out:
1. Avoid stressful people.
Stress actually is contagious. During exam week, resist the urge to have a study session with your super-tense friend, especially if she’s complaining about all the work she has to do and breaking pencils all over the place. Her stress will only add to your stress.

2. Eat healthy and exercise.
This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s a wonder how many people forget it. Skip the sugar, which will make you crash, and go for snacks like granola bars, healthy cereal or fruits and veggies to keep your blood sugar stable. If you’re studying for a long period of time, eat some protein too. Also, try to get some form of exercise. Even a 10 minute walk will leave you calmer and more focused.

3. Just say NO.
I don’t mean to drugs, although I’m not recommending them or anything. What you need to say no to are the people who want to take up your time. There will probably be a friend who needs to talk to you for hours about her life, or a keg party the night before your final, and if you say yes, you’ll probably be tempted to blow off studying. Resist the urge. Say no to the distractions and be selfish for a day. You want a good GPA, right?

4. Force yourself to take breaks.
For every hour or so that you work, take a 10 or 15 minute break. Let yourself do whatever you want (check Facebook, check out that guy sitting nearby, stare off into space, call a friend, etc.) for those 10-15 mins, then start working again. This gives your brain a little rest and will help keep you more focused when you are actually doing work.

5. Visualize it all going right.
This is actually my favorite tip of all, even though it sounds kind of nuts. Imagine yourself taking the test and feeling confident that you know all the information. Picture getting all of the answers right, and focus on how relaxed you feel. Then picture the A on your test paper. When you imagine a happy ending, that’s often what happens, because you make the decisions that lead to it without even realizing.

6. If you’ve studied all you can, get up your confidence!
When test-time rolls around, it’s time to get yourself into confidence mode. You’ve prepared as much as you could, and now it’s time to ace the test. The tip here is to do whatever works to convince yourself you are going to do really well. Again, I know this tip sounds a little crazy but you just have to try it for yourself. I think you’ll like the results.

KENTUCKY NATIONAL GUARD



This semester, I am in my final Public Relations class.
My capstone class, if you will.

When we started the class, my professor stated, "This is your 9-5 job."
It has been just that, my demanding-last-semester-of-college job.

We are planning a recruitment campaign for the Kentucky National Guard on Murray State's campus.
We have had to do a lot of RESEARCH for this campaign.

JSTOR has come in handy.
Through JSTOR, we've been able to find a lot of articles about the history on the National Guard, as well as research reports on various issues with the National Guard.

Copy Right

The one part of the Copy Right Law that I would change is the Intellectual Property Rights.
This part of the law is confusing to me!

"Intellectual property (IP) is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law. Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs."

The public domain part of the copyright law states:

"Works are in the public domain if their kind is not covered by intellectual property rights or if the intellectual property rights have expired, have been forfeited, or have never been claimed. Examples include the English language, the formulae of Newtonian physics, as well as the works of Shakespeare and the patents over powered flight."

I wish there were a more clear definition of Intellectual Property, so that it would never be in question what is or is not Public Domain!

ODE TO ROOMMATE

I can't believe I've written on this blog all semester and haven't even mentioned my sweet roommate and BEST FRIEND,

STEVIE MIRANDA WEST.

Introducing the one and only.

Stevie is quite the technology extraordinaire. And by that I mean, she doesn't know much at all. But through this, I have learned much. Ignorance is bliss. She's pretty happy.

I say this out of love. She is dear to me, and I have learned so much from her.

Stevie is from a small Amish community in Tennessee. She left the Amish sect for college - her family has disowned her. My family has been given the privilege of taking her in and loving her like she is one of our own. I remember meeting Stevie freshman year. She is full of life and love, and her name is really cool.

Could you imagine transitioning from a technology-less community, to a world where technology RULES? She stepped into the "information age" at 18.

Okay, I'll cut the crap.

She's not from an Amish community or any of those things - but she really does hate technology. Stevie doesn't know much about it, and she is okay with that. I admire her - I truly do. I am not ashamed of my love and obsession for the Information Age, however, I do wish to live more simply sometimes. And thats that - Stevie lives simple, and she is satisfied. She'll deal with technology when she needs to, but unlike me, its not something she has to have every day.

In her case, ignorance truly is bliss.