Are Professional Athletes Over paid?

In my previous blog, majority of the comments disagreed saying that professional athletes are overpaid. Many viewers felt that the money that professional athletes make should be distributed to other professions that help provide security for the world. I noticed that most of the people that felt this way were females. I believe that most females feel this way because majority of them do not understand what it takes to become a professional athlete.

Is the fast food industry responsible for America’s obesity?

It seems that we all eat fast food. At least one quarter of American adults eat fast food everyday. It's easy, it's filling, and it's convenient and inexpensive. Compared to other foods it's something that working people and ordinary people can go out and enjoy on their lunch break. McDonalds is the of course the most popular fast food chain. The all-American meal is hamburger, fries and a coke or a shake. McDonald's revolutionized fast food. They introduced a way to eat food without knives, forks or plates. Most fast foods can be eaten while steering the wheel of a car and the restaurants are usually drive through.

The food looks like food that you would make in your kitchen, but it actually has become a manufactured commodity. French-fries at all the fast food chains use to be made by potatoes peeled in the back room and cut into strips. Today they are made in large factories, frozen and processed. The size of the meal you order makes a huge difference. The fast food chains have been making larger sized items at really no cost to the company. People just don’t understand the harm done, but they want to cry about the doctor bills when they become so unhealthy their life is at sudden risk.

Just about all the food in a fast food industry is processed; so much of the flavor is destroyed. So flavor has to be added. For example chicken McNuggets contain different additives including beef extract, the French fries contain animal products and they won't say which animal, and the buns and condiments also have artificial additives added to them.

Dietitian Cathy Nonas hints, “we need to watch what we eat. “ Parents and these companies should be more responsible when it comes to consuming and marketing fast food to children. Fast food is heavy on fat, salt and sugar, and reduced nutrient. Fifteen percent of American children are overweight and the number is growing. Fast food is quick and easy and working parents resort to it and it's no fuss and you get a toy.

Personally I can’t say I don’t eat fast food because I do, but I do try to avoid it if at al possible. I agree that it is a personal choice to choose what you eat, but the fast food industries should have to pit nutritional facts on their products simply because some American’s still don’t know and understand how harmful the food is. If the food is so real and rich like they advertise, then why are the fast food industries still hiding nutritional facts from their customers?

I do not think fast food should be shut down by any means, because it can come to good aid when someone is in a rush or just too tired to cook. I do think that fast food companies should be forced to improve the quality of their products and warn the general public of their product if it is bad, not try and reel in ever American to eat the unhealthiest hamburger ever made. About 300,000 people die each year from being obese or overweight, this is second only to smoking. Fast food isn't the only reason people are gaining weight, but it contributes to it.

Hip-Hop, The Way it is Changing

Many people agree with me and disagree. This could be considered an opinion but the facts are right there. Rappers don't want to talk about what goes in around them and tell about the hardships. Rappers now want write something catchy to get on the radio to sell albums. That's not what rap and hip-hop was about when it started. We have seen a huge change in rap and hip-hop some say its for the good some say its for the bad. When people get money hungry they'll do anything for it. That's what happened to all the rappers and hip-hop as we know it is dead.

Facebook: Is it really a good way to stay connected with friends?

After reading my peers opinion from my blogs, I have come to the conclusion that Facebook has gotten completely blown out of proportion and people have become addicted. It is now turning into a waste of time and it seems that people don't use it for the right reasons anymore. If people really want to stay connected with friends I think there are better ways than using Facebook. The younger generation is our future and if their wasting their time with things like Facebook, the future doesn't look too bright. In the end, I think Facebook is a fun thing to do, but people shouldn't let it control their lives.

Celebs & Their DADT Efforts

In my last two posts I centered around celebrities bringing this unjust law to the forefront in the media. Different stars like Lady Gaga and Russell Simmons are shining light on this issue in their own way. In this continuation, I want to give my feedback on what difference their efforts are ACTUALLY making. Or if they are making any strides at all. President Obama has stated that the repeal of the DADT policy WILL end under his watch, however he wants the congress to repeal the law and not the courts. DADT was ruled unconstitutional earlier this month by a California federal judge. Then two days after recruiters were told they were allowed to let openly gay soldiers sign up for active duty, the defense department pulled out stating the DADT policy is "back in force and effect". I would like to see more action from the president. Yes, I know we are in the midst of a recession and a war, but what happened to the days were the president could do more then one thing at a time? I wonder if the president has even seen lady gaga's video addressing the senate or Russell Simmons' letter. This is a national issue, we do not have equality for all and until we do, we will not give up until gays are appreciated in every facet of life. 

Games and Learning

There has not been very much feedback on this topic, but the few that has been presented were positive towards my argument. Which it would be rather hard not to agree with all the facts at hand. Not to mention the in class discussion of a virtual learning game, and the game being Second Life. So not only are parents looking for games to help the learning process for children, but school systems are doing the exact same thing. It does not come to any surprise, yet the only question is "why did it take so long?" Now I'm not saying that every school should take this option, but if the school as a whole is struggling with a few subjects I see this as an easy solution. In The Washington Post there was an article about SMART Technologies. That the problem that many teachers have with keeping their students grades up is the ability to keep them entertained and interested with the work at hand. The article showed that it is not the lasted and greatest that the student always need, but just something to help the attention span of the child. Video games should not be a tool that is forced upon students, but simply an alternate learning solution that never seams to fail.

Monsters in Your Pants (Part3)

Colleges most likely have way more students that you had at your high school back home, and with more students comes more awareness of your surroundings.  Make sure that if you’re going to be sexually active in college, than you better gain full trust and get to know your partner very well. Do you know who your partner has slept with previous to you? Well you might think you do because of what he/she has told you, but you can never be one-hundred percent sure.  Being that you’ll never know for sure who your partner has slept with before you; when you decide to sleep with him/her, just know that you’re always going to have a chance at catching a Sexually Transmitted Disease. Statistics shown from “Sex, Lies and HIV,” The New England Journal of Medicine, reveals the following information: 34% of men and 10% of women have told lies in order to have sex, 68% of men and 59% of women have been involved with more than one person that their current partner doesn¹t know about, and 47% of men and 42% of women would understate the number of their previous partners in order to convince someone to have sex. From these statistics alone, such information has basically said that more than half of our sexual encounters could be simply lies for all you know. Could sex possibly mean more to our college students than their peers or sex partners? Just think about it, if we have the nerve to lie to get sex, than we obviously know that we could past our dangerous STD to another. Maybe it’s that we for sure know that we’re positive, or think that with a condom you can’t past on your sexually transmitted disease. In this type of situation, lies can eventually turn into death for a student. “Most HIV and STD educational programs are taught at the high school level. Very few are taught at the college level. Many of these programs discuss HIV and STDs primarily from an informational or clinical point of view (transmission, symptoms, etc.). Unfortunately, many of these programs do not discuss behavioral risk reduction issues like condom negotiation skills, and ways to talk to a potential sexual partner about HIV/STDs” stated in a response from the body Q/A’s, by Rick Sowadsky. Although we might think we’re too old for a sex talk, this just might be what college students need. Another big problem could be that we just don’t know how to ask our mate if he/she is positive for an STD, so we simply don’t. I would like to be STD negative and figure out a way to ask my partner, being overly cautious seems to be the only solution to the stop of sexually transmitted diseases these days.

What is stereotypes doing to our minds???

Stereotypes could be considered both friendly or unfriendly depending on which side you lay. Those who consider to stereotype to an extent should be considered ignorant because they seem to ignore the difference between individuals, and consider everyone to be the same. Its rude to make an assumption based on someone's image to decide what group they would better fit in. For example a stereotype that is often used is that Americans are friendly, generous, tolerant, arrogant, but also impatient. Which is definitely not true, because not all Americans are generous and friendly. But yet that i show most people view Americans. Since stereotypes are normally not true like the example i gave you, i do not understand why they are so important. It is just a way for enemies to lie and try and make fun of each other. The aggression used towards stereotypes is unnecessary it is doing nothing but tearing people away from each other for reasons that not even true. The one place that stereotyping is the worse is when you are in high school. Everyone tries to be something they are not because they want to fit it, or because they do not want to be someone the cool kids make fun of. In high school the jocks who are the guys that play an important sport and they are good at it. Which would normally be football and basketball. The Jocks are considered the cute guys that all the girls want, they are also known as the dumb kids in the school. Who often pick on the people that are not as popular as they are. Which would normally be the nerds or the geeks, or even the the emo's. No one likes being stereotyped so why do we all do it. It does not only hurt people but makes you an even worse person for doing it. Hopefully the world will be a better place and will get better and stop stereotyping everyone and will give everyone a chance.

Cell Phones, and How I'm Addicted

These days just about everyone owns a cell phone, grandparents, parents even little toddlers. My little brother, who is ten now, got a cell phone at the age of eight. What do children at that age possibly need a cell phone for? Learning how to handle technology at that age is a good thing, but could also be bad too. Kids have so much access to learn with the different types of computers and other things. However, with all the access kids have to particular information, technology may not be as good as we think it is for our children. More than half of teenage students text on a daily basis at school. Is this okay? Probably not. Yet, cell phones in school can be a good thing.

Cell phones have so many things going for them these days. There are over a thousand applications that can be used for school. Applications like dictionary, thesaurus, graphing calculator, textbooks or anything that you can pretty much think of. People use cell phones like computers these days, and considering how many kids have cell phones, then every has access to these useful applications.

Schools should allow students to keep their phones on in case of an emergency or in case they need to look up any information needed for class. They could easily find any information that could be useful for any project. Considering how education has had a downfall in the last couple of years, allowing cell phones could bring school work to the next level. Students won't have any excuse to have late work because it will all be saved on their phone.

Schools should take into consideration that phones aren't going anywhere anytime soon, and accept them by allowing phones. Even if the phones aren't allowed in the school, then having certain "phone time", where phones can be used with no consequences, will make them less of a desire to pull them out during lecture and students grades will increase.

Monsters In Your Pants (Part2)

Although most students are aware of the sexual dangers that lie ahead of their college lives, they may not seem to realize the small picture of STDs. For one, Sexually transmitted diseases are able to be caught through ANY type of sexual contact, and there are more than just a couple. Our generation of youth seems to get more ignorant as it grows, and don’t seem to realize that HIV/AIDS is not the only STD out there! Not only do college students need to watch out for the big time STD’s, but be aware of the less popular too. There are many sexually transmitted diseases, such as: HPV, Chlamydia, Syphilis, HIV/AIDS, Herpes, Gonorrhea, Hepatitis, Crabs, Vaginitis, and Genital Warts. “I know for a fact every time someone is diagnosed with an STD, they have to notify the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) no matter how mild it is. When they report these diseases, they have to stop it somehow. It keeps spreading and spreading” written in an associated content article, by Lora. The CDC is a helping center that aids to those who have caught a disease, and can help people at risk of further danger. College students may also seem to realize the symptoms of an STD can be warning signs to get checked, and the situation can be handled before further damage. As a part of this generation, I know that we could be self-conscious about ourselves and that could easily get us hurt. Stated in an essay from teens self help, “Adolescents are notoriously self-conscious; you may feel as though the whole world is watching your every move. You may imagine that others are sizing you up through a magnifying glass - enhancing every little flaw. We have to learn not to let others make us feel bad; and I know that's very hard to do. If we concentrate too much in every little defect we have - people will notice more.” For example, a student may think that since they have the symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease, they might be scared to get tested because of what other people would think if the rumor got around. Basically, my generation may be scared of the truth and what it holds for their future. What is worst in your opinion, a student with an STD that still has a cool rep? Or a student that is getting an STD treated and can later admit that their clean? I would personally go with the second answer. Our college students of today should be aware of all STDs and know that a clean body is better off than having a dirty one with a social reputation.

Hip-Hop, The Way it is Changing

With rappers these days changing the way rap sounds many people call it an evolution.  Most of the rappers are sorry to say fake. Lil Wayne is a good rapper but he is somewhat fake. Lil Wayne always raps about being a gangster and breaking the law. Not all of his raps are like that but a lot of them are. The reason I say he’s fake is because in an interview with ESPN Lil Wayne said "I do not think Pacman should be in the NFL" he said this because Pacman Jones was involved in a shooting. If Lil Wayne doesn’t think that Pacman Jones should be in the NFL because he’s getting into trouble then maybe he should stop rapping about illegal things such as drugs and violence. This is showing that Lil Wayne is somewhat a fake.

With Lil Wayne being a hypocrite and Ice Cube doing children’s movies it shows that raps greatest are changing. I do agree it’s for the good but then maybe they should stop rapping about things that they so highly criticize. Lil Wayne is for some a role model but he still ends up in prison a lot. If rap is rapped by someone it should be someone that doesnt want to change the way hes living. For example if someone raps about smoking weed and saying its cool then don’t go out to the public and say it’s bad. Ice Cube has done good and now only comes out with a few albums in the last decade.

Monsters In Your Pants

College is a chance to further your career and is a test to see how students handle their freedom, but too much freedom might just be dangerous for some students. The percentage of STD’s increases tremendously once college starts, while it seems to be getting worst. According to an article from Article Doctor: the pill fails 6.2% of the time, the condom fails 14.2%, the diaphragm fails 15.6%, and the spermicidal fails 26.3% of the time. (Byrnes, January 30, 2009) Basically the safest way to go is waiting until marriage or just not being sexually active at all, which college student is going to choose those options? I’m probably going to go with none or a selected few. Although it may be hard to deny that beautiful girl who says she’s only had sex twice, you just may have to do it. “Other horrific stats include that one of five Americans is now infected by a viral STD”, was also stated in the Article Doctor. (Byrnes, January 30, 2009)   Do you know how many students enroll into a college every year? Thousands! Every five boys/girls may have an STD at your college, just think about it. For example, imagine that your class is about to start so you decide to take a shower. You then grab your shower caddy and head off to the shower, let’s just say that you put your caddy down over the drain. As you start washing your body the water builds up to your flip flops. Turning around to wash your back as your bathing comes to an end; you accidentally make a splash from stepping.  Let’s say the person that just got out your shower before you, left his towel crouched in the corner where you couldn’t see it. The person that left his towel had crabs, and that towel was used to wash his testicle area. The towel has contaminated the water and that splash of water landed on the bottom of your testicles. You’re in a rush to get to class air drying back to your dorm, never completely drying off with a towel you put on underwear and clothes. Since your testicles weren’t absolutely wiped off with a towel, you have a high chance of contracting crabs. Maybe college students should start taking STD’s as serious as they take those pregnant scares, and go get free testings at local or nearby health centers. I feel that the smartest way to go if you’re going to be sexually active is just to be wise about whom you choose to go in the dorm with, and it wouldn’t hurt to be aware of your surroundings either.

Efforts of Russell Simmons

Russell Simmons

Joining the ranks of GAGA, Russell Simmons wrote a letter to the senate urging them to repeal the DADT law. He is not only the mogul behind Phat Farm clothing but he is also a powerful business man and I respect his driven attitude. Quoting Mr. Simmons from his letter, "Being forced to lie daily about who you are is the ultimate killer of the soul. To inflict this on troops defending us is a destructive form of torture. That may not have been the intention, but that's what it is, especially as the rest of society awakens to the diversity of the human family.". I believe that this is the most powerful quote of his entire letter! Gays in the military are asked to hide who the are in order to make the straight soldiers feel more comfortable, is hiding their sexuality making the gays comfortable? If anything it alienates the gay soldiers from the others. I feel that if more celebrities get behind the movement, it will attract more and more of a public following. And this will, in the end, bring about the repeal of DADT. It wont happen overnight but I feel the change will come. If you would like to read his full letter please click on this link http://www.huffingtonpost.com/russell-simmons/stop-the-lying-repeal-don_b_712423.html 

Efforts of Lady Gaga

Lady GAGA in Portland, Maine



Lady Gaga is one of the most captivating stars of our time. I have been following here efforts to repeal the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy from the military. She recently held a speech in Portland, Maine in order to bring awareness to this important issue. I love how opinionated she is and the lengths shes willing to go to in order to say her two cents. I really don't think that some people take her serious because they believe that her and her gang of loyal fans, known as her little monsters, are secretly out to make the world a more gay place! This is not the case!! She wants equality for all and if that means she has to exploit herself to do it, she's willing to go there. Gaga uses her celeb status to get through to people about how serious this issue actually is. I feel that it is important for gaga to help the repeal of DADT, because people listen to her music and LOVE HER STYLE!! I already know that all of her little monsters and other openly gay celebs are right behind her on her journey to equality in the military. She's a woman on a mission, and the mission is the repeal of DADT. If you would like to see GAGA in action please watch this link of the star advocate.

Smoking on College Campuses

Smoking on college campuses is a very popular fad among college students. There are many people who smoke, but there are just as many if not more that hate smoking or being around it. At Valdosta State University you walk around campus and you will see people walking around smoking, by the dorms, or just sitting around with friends smoking.

It is a fact that second hand smoke is deadlier than actually smoking a cigarette. In the article Second Hand Smoke Statistics it talks about the harmful and dangerous affects of second hand smoke. Smokers do not think about their second hand smoke and how it affects the people around them. They should be more respectful about the people around them.

When doing research I found out that many college campuses have banded smoking on campus, or having any source of tobacoo by any student or professor. In the article No Smoking On Campus it says that more than 300 schools have banned smoking on campus and the violators can be fined anywhere from $100-$500.

Is the fast food industry responsible for America’s obesity?

As we know the fast food corporations response to that is they don’t make us eat it everyday. Well if you look at the fast food restaurants around the World today, they are now staring to introduce special prices on different items each day of the week. For example, Sonic has reduced prices on their Coney Dogs on Tuesday and Thursdays, discount on the chicken basket on Wednesday and a discount on slush’s everyday during a certain time. They don’t make us eat fast food everyday, but they sure don’t mind encouraging us to do so with these bargains they propose.

McDonald's Monopoly game promotion is back on the market and will again bring in more American's to consume this harmful food, and as research has shown the odds are far from realistic. Jim Gaffigan of Food-Facts, defines it as "a total scam." The odds of winning a Small Mcflurry, a Medium 'trans fat' fry or a Breakfast Sandwich are approximately 1 in 7.2, statistics from Bad odds for McDonald's Monopoly. So you should win something every 7th time you eat at Mcdonald's. The scam (McDonald's Monopoly game) reels in millions of people to McDonald's on a regular day basis, because people really think they have a chance. When all it is doing is slowly, but surely killing themselves.

The Mac Salad was a huge hit when it was first introduced to the fast food world, because it gave the public a sudden assumption that, “hey it’s a salad it has to be good for you”. Well in this case its not as much so, the Mac Salad contains just as many calories at the Big Mac sandwich. This is absolutely ridiculous that a fast food company can make a salad equal the unhealthiest hamburger known today. Why should fast food corporations be allowed to lead people on that they offer healthy foods when in reality they are just as bad as everything else on the menu?

The fast food industry has tried to avoid providing nutritional facts and warnings about the food for some years now. The cheeseburger bill does state for the facts to be shown, but they seem not to worry very much. It has come to be, that they must provide the nutritional facts, but they don’t have to be on the actual product. As Morgan showed us in Super Size Me, the large corporations such as McDonalds do not always follow the rule of proving the facts, considering that many of the restaurants didn’t even have a nutritional fact sheet and if they did it was in the basement or even covered up by a board sign of Ronald McDonald. Almost every other food produced has to provide these facts on their products, but fast food restaurants don’t or at least it isn’t enforced. As stated above fast food is second only to smoking among today’s most addictive products (Super Size me). If you have ever bought a pack or cigarettes or any tobacco product for that matter you notice the bold writing that is on the side of the box “WARNING: This product can harm you and the ones around you”. This warning label has been put on the products to warn the general public how back these products are for your body, but what blows my mind is fast food is doing the same thing, harming our body. If these once dominating tobacco corporations can be overpowered and forced into providing this information then why cant these large food corporations be overpowered?

The same people with the same plan have controlled the entire food industry for some time now. When I say the same people I don’t mean a single person or a single family, I simply mean a group of people that make their way up in the industry and then once at the top they then run for a government position (Food Inc.). This has been the case recently as the president of the FDA is now holding a government position, the Vice President of the fast food industry also now hold a governing position. Well as an outsider you may say, what is exactly wrong with this? Well it all goes back to how the fast food corporations seem to be able to get away with so much. We now have officials who were once in charge of this corrupted fast food industry in charge of the government floor on food issues. This may not seem like such a bad thing, but it in all reality the fast food industry is often mistaken for a form of monopoly in America.

Games and Learning

Well due to all the comments that I have gathered from my last post, it makes creating this post so much easier. Its not hard to add to where I left off in my last post since I am talking about gaming, and I am an obviously serious gamer. I guess as far as examples are concerned, I didn't list any companies that actually make a living in helping children learn through video games. One of the bigger companies in this industry would be Leap Frog. This company made over 15 million dollars in last year alone. This is a market from children from the ages of 3 to 12. Which if your recall from my last post is not the age range majority of gamers. So this is obviously a prestigious industry. It is companies like this that can "hit two birds with one stone" so to speak. These companies are creating and selling a product that goes under the category of a game as well as education. This spreads the buying market from the vast variety of young gamers, and the the parents that want to help their kids beginning education. Schools actually try to learn from the aspects of video games. What I am saying is that teachers have always tried to find ways to help make subjects and learning fun. This was the most simplest solution to come up with. Take the amazing thrill from video games, and put educational facts, puzzles, and information in them. It does not get much easier than this, literally.

Facebook: Is it really a good way to stay connected with friends?

First of all I would like to say that I personally didn't think anything was wrong with Facebook until I came to college, but since being here it made me question is this really a good way to stay connected with my friends back home. Based on the responses I got from my first post, it has come to my attention that Facebook seems to becoming a bad thing overall. I think that everyone can agree with me, on the fact that Facebook is a just a way to waste time. Most people, including myself, now just get on Facebook as a habit. It is a way to help people procrastinate from things they really need to get done. For example, writing a paper for their English class. I also now think that it helps promote laziness. Now people would rather stay on their computers all day than going outside and doing something with their lives. Not only is Facebook becoming a non-reliable source for communicaton, but it has also become a bad addiction.

Cell Phones, and How I'm Addicted

Considering my last post, I plan on just adding a little bit more information to support my argument on cell phones in the classroom. Students should take into consideration when it is an appropriate time to use a cell phone in class. I mean clearly, it is understandable that cell phones should not be used during a time of testing or quizes or anything of that sort. Cell phones are a huge part of my life and is much needed throughtout my regular, everyday routine. Schools should allow students to use their phones in class if the reason for using it is reasonable. Texting is obviously not a good enough excuse to use it, unless it’s like a family emergency. "Sixty-five-percent of students admit using their phones during school, while 77-percent of parents believe their innocent little babies study cell phone-free." This statistic isnt that shocking to me because parents are pretty oblivious of what's going on in their childs' life.

When I was in the ninth grade we had a serious bomb threat. A guy who went to school with me planted about four bombs throughout the school in lockers and trashcans. When a woman (who worked in the office) came over the intercom yelling, “There’s a bomb. Evacuate!” Every student I know grabbed his or her cell phones and ran out the building. I called my mom as soon as I got a chance to tell her what was going on and to come pick me up. If I wouldn’t of had a cell phone at the time, I wouldn’t know what to do. My cell phone is definitely a necessity in my life, and if someone thinks that it will help them to be a better student by using different applications, then teachers' should allow a them to at least use it until proven otherwise.

Are Professional Athletes Overpaid?

 

Are professional athletes overpaid? This question is frequently asked and is debated about all the time. Being a professional athlete takes a lot more hard work and dedication than credited. Most professional athletes have been playing sports all of their life and are some of the most elite athletes in the world. It takes hard work and dedication to become a professional athlete, and if they do not perform to their expected potential, they can get displaced from the team. They often practice more than 40 hours a week and that doesn’t include team meetings and watching film. They also must be in extraordinary shape since they are competing against some of the best athletes in the world. Their jobs are also not secure, if an athlete inquires a serious injury, it can end their career and may result in them having to retire. And they can be replaced by a better athlete at any time. Professional athletes also do not have control over the state they live in, because most players live in their team’s home state, and if they get traded they have to move.  Majority of professional athletes are book smart too. Because during college they are constantly on the road playing games and they have limited time to do their homework and maintain a 2.0 GPA (grade point average).

     Most high paying jobs have a limited supply of people in their field. There are only 954,000 doctors in the United States today and only 800,000 lawyers. Well only 5 percent of athletes in high school play sports in college (5 out of every 100 student athletes) and only 3 percent of the college players go on to play professional sports, which leaves around 16,500 prefessional athletes. I must say that most high paying careers like doctors, lawyers, and professional athletes are not easy to come by and deserve their pay.

Cell Phones, and How I'm Addicted

In a recent poll taken throughout the country, roughly 71% of North American teens own a cell phone, meaning that over half the teenage population has some sort of communication device at all times. It is estimated that 250-300 million cell phones are currently being used in the U.S. Is this a good thing? Or a bad? I, personally, am very addicted to my cell phone. If anything was to happen to it and it didn’t work for a couple hours, I would serious not know how to function. I find myself always checking the time or waiting for a text message. If I could figure out how much of my life I wasted on texting I totally would.

If you think about it, students aren’t allowed to have cell phones in some schools and classes, however sometimes a cell phone might actually be useful. There are calculators on cell phones and other applications you can purchase to help you throughout your period in school. Schools, the survey found, often ban cell phones from classrooms, and some from school grounds entirely, seeing them as a "disruptive force." Yet, even though having conversations during class may be disruptive, still, more than half of teens that own mobile phones said they have sent a text message during class, even though their school bans mobile phones. Kids are going to text either way.

I believe that kids should be allowed to have cell phones at school. Maybe not in class in general, but in the hallways or the cafeteria should be acceptable. If I child wants to look something up on the internet on their phone they should, or if they want to read a book online instead of carrying the actual book around, they should also be able to do that too.

The world is changing so fast and we need to let go of America’s old ways and realize that the change is occurring and if we don’t change with it, we will be left behind.

Education in the Black Communities

I have found that in most black communities, education differs a great deal than in the white communities. There are a few main factors that play a part in this conspiracy.  Crime, support, and organization are the reasons why they differ so much.

            In the white communities, they make it an effort to explain the importance of education, however, in the black community, there is very little focus.  The focus is taken off of education and put other things.  There is a lot of crime in the black community. Therefore, the students are distracted from their work and more focused on remaining safe or staying out of trouble. 

            Also, there is not much support.  By support I mean from parents, the government, the surrounding communities etc.  There is a lot of suffering that takes place in most black communities and there is no one that is willing to assist and help guide the children more towards education.  This is a major distraction for the children because instead of doing homework, they are often wondering how will their family survive and they will be thinking about things they do not have that they may need. 

            Last but not least, organization.  Most of the black communities do not have any organization amongst the community.  Too assist the children that are trying to learn organization is needed.  When a community comes together to help each other it will give a better environment for the young children in school.  Also, when there is organization, there could be things found to help the kids stay in school.

            These three factors are just a few of the issues that is taking place in the black communities.  Unless a change is made, the educational rate for black children will continue to drop.  If people pay attention and lend a hand , it could bring upon a change.  The cycle needs to be broken.

Hip-Hop is it Dying?

     I love listening to hip-hop and rap but its not the same as it used to be. The most known and best hip-hop artists came out in the early 80's and throughout the 90's such as Snoop Dogg, N.W.A. , Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., and many more.  Now most of the rappers out of that era don't rap, are dead, or just don't have it anymore. With them not around anymore sales have declined.

    

     According to the New York Times, Rap sales have declined 21 percent from 2005 through 2006. With many rappers deceased ( Eazy E, Tupac Shakur, and The Notrious B.I.G.) the sound of rap and hip-hop is changing.  In the 90's many of the rappers had success not with just one album but with multiple albums and many of their songs making the charts. Rap use to dominate the charts in the early 1980's,90's, and between the years 2000 and 2004. Now the only ones dominating the charts and record sales come from the genre Pop.

     Pop has dominated the charts with  Lady Gaga, Katie Perry and Justin Bieber.  Many of the teens today love Justin Bieber and would die to watch Lady Gaga preform. Most of the Pop singers do have something that many of the rappers of today don't have. They have catchy songs which make people listen and buy their album. The radio then plays it over and over again. I've never personally heard Lady Gaga sing but according to ladygaga.com  her songs also have a poetic touch to it with everything she says have a double and sometimes triple meaning to it capturing more audience. Parents also would rather have their children listen to pop than rap. With rap consisting mostly of violence many parents would rather have their kids listen to pop which has hardly any or no violence at all.
    
     That's the problem with rap today. They are simply getting beat by Pop artist around the world. Less people listen to rap and instead listen to pop. Pop has double meanings and talks about more than one thing and its catchy. While most rap songs of today talk about one thing and that one thing will be the most irrelevant thing ever and no one wants to really listen to it. Rappers still might be getting famous today but it will never be like before.
    
     Rap is simply not what it use to be. With many famous and notorious rappers dead it will never be reborn. It will never be what it once was back in the 90's. People don't care about other peoples struggles they would rather just have a song they can dance to. Most people care about how high your voice can get. With rap being mostly violent adults don't really care about it. Hip Hop is a dying breed.
    

Euthanasia

Euthanasia is a legal practice to end a life with medicine. It will only be considered due to a terminal illness or in a state that they can’t heal or recover. Medical procedure is seen to some people as devalue to human life. It is a resourceful way to make confusing situation in a medical field go easier especially if a patient is in tremendous pain. So do you think that Euthanasia is ethical way of life?

Clearly, some support Euthanasia without hesitation and others refuse the thought of the whole process. To receive the treatment you have to go through a large amount of testing from mentally and physical testing. The doctor’s want to make sure that the patient is capable to make a huge decision while being in a stable mindset. Assisted suicide is legal in the states of Oregon, Washington and Montana. Oregon legalized assisted suicide by ballot in 1994 and Washington slowly joined them threw ballot in 2008. The Montana State Supreme Court legalized the practice in 2009. It is just a matter of time until the rest of the United States joins the movement.

Consider also, that Christians and different religious groups have their different views on the idea of euthanasia. Some would say god is love and if someone love’s their family member keeping someone in pain and suffering wouldn’t be a good way to live. So as you can see some Christian’s support the practice but on the flip side some would see it as unethical way to die instead of dying under your own will. So there lies an issue between the views of ethical and unethical choices.  Someone shouldn’t be forced to live if in unbearable pain because in the long run it isn’t doing anything but letting them suffer and build debt for the family to take care after they have passed away.

When I consider, these simple points and counter points it makes me believe that the procedure should be legalized all over the world because a person knows when they are in so much pain that they can’t handle. So back to the question at hand do you think that Euthanasia is ethical way of life? I support the procedure yes without a doubt it is a personal choice that should be given to citizens as a right.

http://www.euthanasia.com/

Will you let me suffer from this pain and let me you collect debt for our family?

Cars on Campus: It it Worth Bringing Your Car to Campus?

Throughout high school careers do students think about the freedom they gain once they attend college; parents aren’t looking over shoulders, no curfews, no one to answer to other than themselves. Owning a car is an example of that freedom that is innate in every person. Free to travel as we please, us young adults often express ourselves through our cars. Some view that having the freedom to use them is a privilege, and that we do not necessarily have the right to use our cars. Whatever the reason may be, wether it are our parents or universities who restrict our freedom, it seems our ownership does not guarantee our right of use. What do you think? Do we, as students, have the right to use our cars during our college careers? Is it worth bringing your car to college?

One of the main issues in deciding to bring a car to college is the restrictions set by many universities regarding cars on campus. Many schools do not allow students to bring their car to campus, especially if you are a freshman. The main reason why they do this is because many schools try to minimize the problems involved with cars on campus. Putting restrictions on their students disheartens them from doing so, leading them away from the freedom they were looking forward to as high school students. An example is that some schools have very large campuses that require students to store their cars in parking lots or decks that are located in remote places on campus.On every campus it seems there is always a limited amount of space or storage for a car. Schools discourage students from bringing cars on campus by setting permits at high prices. even though some schools try to have benefits for their students like other modes of transportation, it is is still a discouragement towards our freedom. The benefit of schools offering transportation, especially if it is a large campus, truly is helpful and is the most logical conclusion for a large university to do. However, small colleges tend to have limited transportation, This is because their campuses are so small, especially compared to large universities, having less finances to support a buss line or car service makes it difficult for students to get around quickly and efficiently. Once people understand the pros and cons of having a car on any size campus, they must then look at students’ perspective. Having a car on campus is only mostly beneficial to students who can maintain a part time job as well as attending college at the same time. All the stories are true wen it comes to a college student and their money; we tend to use it unwisely. Although the freedom gained as a college student is great, prioritizing and spending money wisely is not a strong point for many students. If a student is able to maintain a job as well as attend college, the issue of money would be less of a burden and one less thing to worry about.

Having a car on campus has its own rewards, however not having one on campus has its benefits as well. The cost of maintaining a car is high and some college students do not have financial support to pay fora car; it is extremely difficult to pay for a car when you are a full time student. We have to think of our future in both lights not having to pay car expenses can help a student stay out of debt. It is difficult for a student to find a secure job with a stable income right out of college and staying away from having to pay extra expenses is ideal. The reliability of school provided transportation is another reason it benefits not to bring a car to campus. Modes of transportation other than bus or train which are two common and readily available ways to travel around campus, are biking and walking. Looking at it simply, it all depends on what a student’s financial support and future looks like, as well as the size of university they attend in order for them to decide if it is worth having a car on campus or not.

Is the fast food industry responsible for America's obesity?

Across America today the obesity rate continues to increase and has now moved the United States into the top ten for the most obese countries in the world. Americans believe there are a variety of reasons for this sudden increase in weight within our country, but the one that stands out among others is fast food. Fast food has been around for some decades now and has never been quite the talk as it is today. There has been a sudden increase in the number of people who are actually interested in the health issues caused by fast food. These numbers are believed to have increased after two girls pursued to sue McDonalds for their obesity. The only thing is that the fast food industry rose to the occasion and passed the “Cheeseburger Bill”, which prevents obese citizens from filling suits against these major companies (McDonalds, Burger king, Wendy’s etc.) for their gain in weight.

Fast food is now the second most addictive product in America, only being passed by smoking according to the FDA. This product has become so addictive because it is fast, good tasting, and above all else cheap. The food industry has realized that Americans would rather spend less of their overall income on food for their families than in the past. Before fast food was introduced to America, people were spending up to fifty percent of their overall income to feed their families, where now they spend about sixteen percent of their overall income on food. This sounds like a deal when people are balancing their checkbooks at the end of the month, but in the long run fast food is doing nothing but slowly killing us.

The fast food corporations say it is a personal decision on whether to consume the fast food, but should it even been a question that this is wrong after seeing the studies on obesity and it relating mostly to fast food. The weight an individual can gain or even the health issues that an individual can face from fast food is second to none. Fast food has proven to be one of the most harmful foods in society today. Morgan Spurlock gains over twenty-four pounds in just three weeks from consuming McDonalds everyday, during his experiment of SuperSize Me. Doctors were scared for Spurlock to even try the experiment because of the harm this food could cause to his body is just three weeks. Neal Barnard of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Dr. Barnard states that one typical serving in a fast-food restaurant is loaded with addicting components. For example, cheese proteins contain mild opiates. And when a cheeseburger is washed down with a soft drink, you're adding the addictive powers of sugar combined with caffeine.

Doctors suggest that on average each person should consume about one fast food meal a month. Now is that even reality in today’s society? That might not be, but the health problems that come with consuming fast food more than once a month is reality. Type ll diabetes has suddenly become one of the most aware health factor caused by fast food, not to mention the number one health factor caused by this corrupted food OBESITY.

WHO YOU REALLY ARE...

I'm sure there has been a time where you have judged someone on their appearance and never gave them a fair chance. The assumptions made about the way you dress, wear your hair, or even speak keeps a lot of qualified people unemployed. People should not be judged on their appearance because the person underneath could be someone you will need one day, or even have to answer to. So instead of overlooking someone based on their appearance get to know them first before making your final judgement.

What is Sterotypes doing to our minds???

People seem to think that everyone fits into a category which is never true. In high school there are all types of groups that people try so hard to fit in. there are the jocks, the mean girls, the cheerleaders, the list goes on and so forth. People do not realize that stereotyping is both rude and childish. Not fitting into a group does not make them weird or different.

Facebook: Is it really a good way to stay connected with friends?

Over the years, Facebook has become a huge phenomenon. It has become a very popular way to communicate with friends and family. Facebook is a social network, where you can see what people are doing, look at others people's photos, comment on a friend's profile to see how they are doing, and a bunch of other stuff. It has been stated from an article by Sid Yadav, that facebook is the second largest social network on the web. Yadav also states, since the launch of it in February 2004, it's been able to obtain over 8 million users in the United States. Another article written by Katarina Taurian states that on average, users have a minimum of 130 friends and log in at least once per day. Taurian also states that 39 percent of facebook users claim to be addicted. I know when I get on my computer the first thing I check is my facebook and my guess is that it's the same for those who are reading this.
When Facebook first started out, it was a way for college students to stay in touch with other colege students. Now, it is so popular that anyone can have one and it seems that everyone is getting one. Since it has become so popular, facebook seems to not be that special and the question has come up on whether it is really helping people stay connected? In a recent article, written by Ori Brafman, it was stated that Facebook lacks specific factors that contribute to help make and keep a strong connection. One of these factors is it lacks physical proximity. Proximity is something that helps people stay close because it creates intimate occasions with someone. This is something that can never be achieved when using Facebook. Brafman also states that people are also less vulnerable because nowaday so many people can see what a person is doing. For example if someone comments on another person's wall it is most likely going to pop-up on people's newsfeed. So people don't say what they's really like to without someone else seeing it. Vulnerability is a huge factor in creating friendships. In conclusion, I think that people have let the internet take over and have stopped thinking about making connections in person, and without actually having people physically in your life it can be very lonely. People's lives wouldn't be as treasured if they didn't have people to share their experiences with.

Is Skipping Breakfast Making Kids Fat???

All your life you've been told "breakfast is the most important meal of the day," "make sure you eat a good breakfast," etc. well you would be surprised to know that this is actually true. It is well known that obesity is becoming a high rising reality among Americans, especially in children. Not only does breakfast give you energy to get through the day, it is proven that children who eat breakfast are less likely to be obese compared to a child who doesn't. In Allison Brewer's blog, "Kids Who Skip Breakfast May Have Higher Obesity Risk," she lets us know more about this topic. "According to a study conducted by the Journal of American Dietetic Association, children (age 9-13) and adolescents (age 14-18) who consumed Ready-To-Eat cereals in the morning had lower intake of total fat and cholesterol as well as a higher intake of carbohydrates, dietary fiber and other essential nutrients in their diets compared to those who chose to spend more time with their pillow." Not only do the "breakfast skippers" gain more weight, they are also lacking the essential vitamins that breakfast provides.

It is a common misconception that skipping breakfast will help you lose weight. Contrary to popular belief, skipping meals actually makes you gain weight. Studies have proven this to be true. The article titled "Why Breakfast Is the Most Important Meal of the Day" lets us know all the benefits of eating breakfast. Obesity is more common in children who tend to skip breakfast. It is proven that it is more difficult to control your weight when you skip breakfast. Those children who DO eat breakfast in the morning are usually slimmer compared to those who don't. So the answer to the question is YES, skipping breakfast is making children fat. It is the responsibility of the parents to make sure their children are informed. Are you making sure your child eats a balanced breakfast?

Relationships...A blessing or a curse?

A beautiful relationship is a thing to cherish. You get into a relationship to make your life better and happy. But, this doesn’t happen for everyone in the world. Think of a friend whose boyfriend or girlfriend is really jealous. It may seem like your friend’s partner really cares about them but actually jealousy and controlling behavior are not signs of affection. Love involves respect and trust.

Abusive relationship statistics are not always exact statistics because most people never report their sufferings because they consider it as a private affair. This gives the relationship ample opportunity to grow worse each day that the person remains silent.

I know a lot of people that have been victims of an abusive relationship. Whether it’s physical or verbal it’s still abuse. They try to hide it but over time it becomes more and more noticeable. An abusive relationship kills the personality of those involved in it, which leads to other abusive relationships. It brings about many negative characteristics in a person, like self-pity, grave dependability, lack of respect and trust, and fear and insecurity.

According to the Liz Claiborne Inc. study conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited; Technology & Teen Dating Abuse Survey, 2005 73% of teenagers say that if they happened to be involved in an abusive relationship, that they would ask a friend for help. But only 33% who have been in or known about an abusive relationship said they haven’t told anyone about it. Nearly 80% of girls who have been physically abused in their intimate relationships continue to date their abuser.

According to the City of New York, Teen Relationship Abuse Fact Sheet, March 1998, of women between the ages 15-19 murdered each year, 30% are killed by their husband or boyfriend.

Dating abuse via technology is also a serious problem. 30% say they are text messaged 10, 20, and 30 times an hour by a partner inquiring where they are, what they’re doing, or who they’re with. 24% communicated with their partner via cellphone or texting HOURLY between midnight and 5:00am. (Liz Claiborne Inc. study conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited; Technology & Teen Dating Abuse Survey, 2007)

It’s sad that some people actually have to deal with this every day. You could only imagine what the affect could be from such trauma.

Games and Learning

Video games are a past time for many Americans. According to Ars Technica, up to 63% of Americans play video games. This is an expanding wealthy business organization. With all the advancements in technology its no surprise that video games are able to broadcast to a wide audience. Video games have no discrimination against race, age, or religion. Impressive for the gaming industry was that the stress-relieving aspect of the hobby was mostly seen in older gamers ranging from 15 to 65 years of age. This is a market that was intended to bring family and friends together to enjoy themselves.

With these few pieces of informational background, there is now the question of how to link video games and learning. What exactly are you doing while playing a video game? Reading, solving problems, and broadening the imagination of gamers at large. In fact, video games can promote thinking skills, motor skills, and also communication skills. Gamers are developing these skills, and since they are doing something that makes them happy it makes gaming a fun and enjoyable way to learn. So if the early start to learning is what your looking for, pick up gaming as a hobby.