Boyan Slat, 19, came up with the idea of a series of floating booms and processing platforms (pictured) designed to collect floating plastic rubbish

Steroids and Photoshop; are they Comparable?

Steroids and Photoshop; are they Comparable?

If steroids are illegal for athletes then should Photoshop be illegal for models? In my own personal opinion I think yes! You are altering your body for the best appearance and performance. They are both bad as in steroids give athletes an unfair advantage and Photoshop can make models look skinnier than what they are,

which can lead to more people going on diets, becoming anorexic and obsessive about their body. Most people think that they are fat because the media portrays the perfect body, the perfect woman. With Photoshop you can shred one hundred pounds right off, enhance body parts and make your skin look glowing. 

 

 

For steroids you are essentially doing almost the same thing, enhancing your body for the best appearance. You can look at both sides of this ongoing argument saying steroids actually mess with your body and are harmful by injection and Photoshop for models just “cleans them up,” doesn’t physically harm them. Harming just them or woman all around the world? Will we ever be comfortable in our bodies? Why can’t we go back to the 1950’s when Marilyn Monroe was the ultimate goddess with not a perfect physique?

 What do my readers think? Are steroids and Photoshop comparable?

September 11th, Going Down in History

Today is a day that changed the lives of every Americans, some for the worse, or for the best. If anything positive came from this, a reality check. I mean state of mind, Pride for our country, and the realization that we are all in this together. When I say worse, well there is no need for explaining. When 9/11 happend, everyone can vouch for where they were at that exact moment in time. Some were in class, working, sleeping, or driving. No matter what everyone was doing, September 11Th will always be the day that citizens come together and recognize the horrid and tragic events that came upon our Nation that day.

On September 11, 2001, 19 men hijacked four commercial airlines headed for the west coast destinations. This terrorist attack on the United States was orchestrated by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Three of the four airlines crashed into buildings, and the other one was crashed in a field in Pensylvania. Crashing into a field was not part of the hijackers' plan, their plan was abolished becasue the people aboard that plane were brave, some would call them heros for overtaking the hijack from the two original hijackers. Why would you call that a heroic act? Risking their own lives again to crash the plane in a field over the Capital (where the hijackers were originally going) seems pretty damn heroic to me. No body wanted to end up the way they did, and crashing into a field probably wasn't part of the plan. Could you only imagine what would of happened to this country, if that fourth plane, would have made it to the capitol?

What are the Impacts of Social Media?

There many new ways to communicate with each other than of face to face interaction, is this changing the way we talk to each other? My parents have said many times, "back in my day we didn't have cellphones or computers" and that we are losing our ability to effectively to communicate with one another in person.  I feel that I still communicate with other people just fine. On the other hand, I do have some friends who sit in front of their computers all day on Facebook and Twitter, and when it come time to do speeches or meet someone they don't know they choke up. I think that is because they are used to saying everything behind a computer screen, not having face to face conversation has seemingly deprived them of the ability to socialize away from the computer screen. There are also other very serious issues with social median in regard to depression as depicted in this video.

Although social media seems to have these negative effects on people, it is also very useful to many people. It allows us to keep up on certain events we would otherwise not know about if we did not have access to certain social media sites. We are also able to communicate with relatives and friends that we do not have the opportunity to talk to in person. I have relatives in Norway and thanks to social networking I can communicate with them although they are across the ocean. So the question I have is, does Social media a positive thing in society today, or does it deprive us of normal face to face communication?

Is It Modern Talk?

The 21^st century is the new page for the world and the most important highlight is technology. People continue to embrace technology to obtain new knowledge which is required by their professions, to connect to friends and families, and for other resources of their interests. However, technology results in some kind of a boundary in communications. One type of technology is a cell phone which has been a controversial topic in our daily life. Why do cell phones become a chronic debate in our society? Apparently, the cell phone is a significant tool connecting people closer around the world, to online resources, and to work related projects. It is also considered as “magic eye” that helps people guard their homes, their loved ones even when miles away. Nevertheless, most people take advantage of this feature using a cell phone instead physically communicating face-to-face with people in the moment.  For example, most people are experienced with texting; particularly it is most common in teenagers.  They communicate through a screen even though they can touch one another’s shoulder or be present in the same room. Because of the developing of technology, communication potentially affects to all relationships. It seems like a new style, but this new approach alerts us to the loss of beauty of the language. The young generation lacks interest in “face-to-face communication” with people around them. As the result, people eventually are caring less, misunderstanding more, bonding less, and expressing less their perspectives. In sum, the cell phone is a complement of most people’s daily life. It not only has different useful methods, but also can be a barrier in communication for everyone of us. If you master and understand technology functions, like the cell phones, people will go beyond the technology and controversy of cell phone use to communicate.  At least, communicating with the cell phone is the topic for people to discus.

The Lost Art of Reading

With the advent of e-readers and tablets, one might expect that in general, people spend more time reading than in the past. After all, countless books of every genre imaginable are available at the touch of a button, and for very little cost, too. Unfortunately, reality is far different from such an image. Although the ease of obtaining literature is much greater today, the United States has been experiencing declining rates of reading for leisure. This can lead to negative educational and social changes.

The performance of students in the United States is quite mediocre when compared internationally. School administrators have often been asked “Why is this so? What can be done about this?” A common response to the problem is to instate new programs, pass educational reforms, throw more money at the schools. But is academic achievement solely dependent upon the public education system? Absolutely not!

Students’ comprehension is also closely correlated with the amount of time they spend reading books (besides those required by their classes). According to a report by the National Endowment for the Arts, students who read for leisure almost every day had notably higher reading and writing scores than those who read once a week, once a month, or almost never. They were also much more likely to find a financially rewarding job. The nation’s resources should focus more on promoting daily reading from a young age, instead of ineffective programs such as the No Child Left Behind Act, which is more of a detriment and causes grade inflation.

Why is everyone ignoring their books, then? The answer lies in what has taken their place: smart-phones, computers, gaming consoles, television, and every other species of electronics built to hold our attention hostage. American culture has become almost entirely visual. It is common to find a group of friends staring at their devices rather than engaging in conversation. 

Because the natural incentive to read has been replaced by technology and its addictive forms of entertainment, America has unwittingly devalued its own literacy and intelligence. Instead of a printed newspaper, there are news stations; text messages have replaced written correspondence; movies have replaced books, and those books required by school are interpreted by others on Sparknotes and other such websites. The art of reading is slowly disappearing from American society.

For a full report on the subject compiled by the National Endowment for the Arts, see http://www.nea.gov/research/toread.pdf

Duck dynasty

Duck dynasty has made duck hunting and duck calls an “in” thing. I get a laugh when I have people that have never set foot in a duck blind or on duck calling contest stage tell me all about both like their old salts (experienced) in the sport because they’re starting the fourth season of the show. I was raised in a duck blind since I was three years old and have spent almost every fall day in a duck blind or goose hunting pit. My father in his younger years was waterfowl hunting guide in Minnesota and to save on babysitting cost toted me along. At age twelve I started competing in duck and goose calling contest and that lead me to a job in development of waterfowl hunting products.  So in a million years I never thought duck calls and duck hunting would become a “trendy” thing but Duck dynasty has done just that. The last time I can remember anything like this happening was in 1992, when Brad Pitt showed people how romantic and symbolic fly fishing can be in the movie, A River Runs Through It. I have mixed feeling about duck hunting becoming a popular trend. Waterfowl hunters are in decline in Minnesota and the new interest that the show brings may help bring new people into the sport which is a good thing. But most people that start something as a trend normally grow tired of it quickly. So we will see how long people stay interested in Duck dynasty and see what kind of impact it has on waterfowl hunting.