If I were a Costco Sample...

The name “Mind Craft” was inspired from a video game called “Mine Craft,” a sandbox builder which allows you to create essentially anything with the tools given to you, even things you didn’t think were possible. My blog title is a play on words to say that I can create anything with my mind, as long as I know of the tools I possess within my own sandbox.

I love to do activities that challenge me mentally, because I’m constantly looking for ways to broaden my knowledge. Some of my hobbies are playing video games, exercising and debating. I only have one true passion, which is writing poetry. As I said before, I love activities which challenge me mentally, and poetry is one of the best ways to force the mind to step outside of the box. 

The Year Up program has helped elevate my self confidence, and I hope to do great things over the next few months because of it. I don’t know what I want my future career to be, mainly because I don't know where I'll be for sure this time next year.  Whatever it is that I venture into, I want it to support my focal motive, which is independence.  This is just a sample of Michael Jones. There's so much more to know.

The Future of the Nation

The past decade has shown our nation some very tough times.  We’ve experienced the unemployment rate hit an all-time high, but as of today the unemployment rate, specifically among young adults, hasn’t been this high since the days of World War II.  It’s slowly becoming a nightmare, as more and more adults are living with their parents at much older ages than normal. According to new stats released by the Census Bureau, only 55.3 percent of youth between the ages of 16 and 29 were employed in 2010 on average, and just to give an idea of the substantiality of that change, those numbers were 67.3 percent in 2000. A 12 percent drop in just ten years is much larger than it sounds.

Times have gotten so bad that about 5.9 million Americans between 25 and 34 are still living with their parents, and that number has gone up 25 percent since just 2007! I really believe this is a ridiculous thing because these numbers are too high for what’s supposed to be a successful country.  I do understand that some people undergo unfortunate circumstances which cause for them to do things such as move back in with their parents or siblings.  It just amazes me that they have to do these things at such a mature age as 34. According to this article, men are twice as likely as women to end up in this predicament.  To make matters worse, the marriage rate went down as well. It fell to a new all-time low of 44.2 percent, along with home ownership which declined consecutively four years.  This is saddening for the future because if our country grows negatively, the people will continue to fall, and who knows what’s bound to happen to our future streets and generations?

 URL:

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/battered-downturn-young-americans-put-off-adulthood-160406776.html;_ylt=AgsAjjGxu1GpT1ANmNSk02Os0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNtZDJhZHBlBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBGUARwa2cDMzllMTk5NzQtODg5MS0zNmVmLWI3ZjYtZTExYmE5N2M5MzFiBHBvcwMxMQRzZWMDdG9wX3N0b3J5BHZlcgNkNzFjZjVjMC1lNTNkLTExZTAtYWYzZi04ODU5MmEwNGE5NjY-;_ylg=X3oDMTFvdnRqYzJoBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3

The Home of the Comets

Westchester High School has so much history behind it. Famous people such as Regina King, voice of Huey on the Boondocks, and also Trevor Ariza, former Los Angeles Lakers forward, attended my school.  It started in the 1950's with predominantly white students, and as the decades passed, it slowly became a melting pot.  I attended this school from 2004-2008, and to give a clear visual of the atmosphere, all I would say it was pleasing to those who just drove by Manchester Avenue looking.  The inside of the school had its good sides to it, but barricaded windows and poorly up kept restrooms didn’t exactly give the most friendly feeling to those on the inside. LAUSD shipped students from Crenshaw High on the other side of LA to attempt to give them balance and lessen the load on the overflowing schools. Unfortunately, this gave the school a very bad look/reputation in less than a decade. The facilities were clearly run down and the students obviously contributed to the look of the buildings. The teachers were very friendly for the most part. I could’ve lived without some of them, but you’ll never get along with everyone, right?  

The Oddball Out

Slang is no stranger to my vocabulary.  I cannot count the amount of times that I've spoken some form of slang while with a friend, relative, or even a teacher in the past.  It molds culture, and defines a person so much more than they know, because people on the receiving end can always read a background or lifestyle depending on what slang is used.  

The prompt surprised me when I read that the influence of any young person's use of language is his or her peers rather than parents, teachers or other people. This is because I believe that my mother heavily influenced my speaking habits.  The reason being, that I have always had a sense of articulation in the way I speak, whether with friends or not.  My mother has always pressed that on me, to say things the right way, and although I do tend to speak slang often, I never forget what my own mother taught me.  From time to time I will catch myself and repeat a statement the right way, just because it feels right.  

Now, I'm not saying that I speak perfectly, with great pronunciation and such, but I don't intentionally speak with heavy slang for the fact that I always reflect back to my mother's teachings.  That is why I believe she has heavily influenced the way I talk.