How much is too much?

You're not the only one that suffers from anxiety, even celebrities do. This source is reliable because they had direct quotes from Amanda.

http://img23.fansshare.com

Celebrities are looked up to by most of society, so it should not come as a shock to hear that even celebrities suffer from anxiety. Since they also suffer from anxiety, it shows us that they too “have issues with their weight, their look, and even with the silliest things.” I believe that being in the limelight and being watched on by so many people may play a major role in having an anxiety disorders. 

One actress that is among the many that struggles with anxiety is Amanda Seyfried. She has told many people about how she goes to therapy to try and prevent panic attacks. According to Amanda, a panic attack usually happens when there is something major and or important coming up. One thing that makes her nervous is telling people that she takes medication for anti-anxiety. By Amanda confessing to what I am sure is very relevant in Hollywood, and telling people about what she does to prevent her anxiety attacks, is inspiring to people with it because it might make them see that they need to get help and that it isn’t embarrassing if you need help. Also by Amanda talking about what she does to solve them can inform people on what the possible choices are. 

Actors are more prone to anxiety because they have very “active minds.” This could be an issue because when the self criticism becomes serious and hurtful it can lead into serious issues such as anxiety or panic attacks. In Amanda's case even though she is doing therapy and taking anti-anxiety medication she still gets nervous about little things, this shows that anxiety is a very hard thing to live with.  

What is the main trigger to a panic attack? 

Pets Are Our Real Medicine

Instead of taking bad drugs to lower stress levels and hardships, how about getting a dog? Maybe another fury friend? Just care for them, and you'll see the difference.

In this post, I seek to find the answer to the question, how does interaction between humans and animals effect how we live?

http://thepetproductguru.com/

Authors Lawrence Robinson and Jeanne Segal write about the positive effects of pet ownership (mostly with dogs). These authors both wrote for healthguide.org, which is a well trusted site for both mental health and a person's well-being.

1) Dogs, and even cats, bring great joy to humans. It has been proven that dogs can "ease loneliness, reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, promote social interaction, encourage exercise and playfulness, and provide unconditional love and affection." (Robinson and Segal). This then proves that owning a fury friend can make a bad day feel better. I agree with this observation because, from experience, just holding your animal can bring warmth and love quickly and the bad day seems to fade away.

2) Dogs have been scientifically proven to evolve in knowing how humans feel. It's like telling your dog to "sit" and they do, because they have adapted to learn what we say. Many may argue that their pets don't know what they are saying because they don't sit when they say "sit", but dogs are able to determine what the owner is saying by watching their gestures. Dogs are proven to be "even better at interpreting our tone of voice, body language" and our hand movements (Robinson and Segal). This statement is one I believe is true because my dog cannot distinguish what I am saying when I say "sit" or "down", but she knows to sit when I put my hand up in the air and to lie down when I put my hand palm-down.

3) Petting, touching, stroking, and even hugging your pet can make a huge difference in how you behave and your attitude. Their genuine happiness makes humans feel a great release of stress and depression after interacting with their pet. It has also been proven that "hardened criminals in prison have shown long-term changes in their behavior after interacting with dogs, many of them experiencing mutual affection for the first time." (Robinson and Segal). With experience, whenever I have a tough time with friends or I get a bad grade on a test, I scoop up my cats and give them a big hug. This sends a great deal of warmth through my veins and I almost forget about the bad day I had.

4) Dogs, and other animals as well, can give owners a better view of a healthier lifestyle in their future and what's good versus wrong. Even taking your dog for a walk provides a healthier lifestyle because you a forcing yourself to take a walk or run. Also, because many pets must run on a regular feeding schedule, exercise schedule, etc., this can allow humans to adopt a schedule of their own that can promote less stress. In order for this stress to be maintained, it is said that "[s]troking a dog lowers blood pressure" and allows the owner to feel a wave of relief over their body. This proves that owning a fury-friend can allow humans to live healthier and enjoy life just as much, maybe even just a bit more.

Killer Cell Phones

www.sellcell.com 

Try to think of a way that a cellphone may physically harm you. You probably can't. Most people are unaware that cell phone radiation poses a threat to our well-being. In this article, the company RFsafe writes about how cell-phone radiation needs to be recognized as a bigger problem. RFsafe is a company that sells equipment such as cases that keep you safe from cell phone radiation. They may be biased towards the side of cell-phones being dangerous in order to sell more product, however they do cite evidence from many reliable sources such as professors and scientists.
The article argues that cell phone radiation needs to be recognized as a greater problem because too many people don't know the effects it can have on the body, and because the FCC needs to create stronger regulations over the cell-phone radiation allowed.

It is clear to many that cell-phones are not directly hurting us now, but "research on humans has found that 25 years of mobile phone use is associated with a three-fold risk of brain cancer". I didn't know this fact and I am sure there are many others who have no clue of it either. There are many people trying to get the word out about this, but most people regard it as not a big threat. The same thing happened with global warming and look where it's getting us now. I think people need to start opening their eyes to the many things around them, and not just trusting the labels on the boxes, or the news. Things like this are harming us now but there is no way to know it is happening, this is because the damage doesn't show until it's too late.

The FCC regulations may not be as protecting as we need. "Current regulatory standards only protect us from thermal or heating risks; yet, many hundreds of laboratory studies have found that low-intensity, non-thermal exposure to cell phone radiation can promote carcinogenic mechanisms" Many scientists have tried to bring this to the attention of the FCC, but other than that no progress is being made. I believe with so many people using so many phones constantly we need to be positive that the phones being used are not hurting us. The next pandemic may be being bred right now without anyone knowing.

Who Was Here First

In a world of rapid urbanization, we often assume there are no tribes left isolated without external contact on Earth. But the Sentinelese people who inhabit the tiny island of North Sentinel that is part of the Andaman group of islands in the Bay of Bengal are living proof to the contrary.In a world of rapid urbanization, we often assume there are no tribes left isolated without external contact on Earth. But the Sentinelese people who inhabit the tiny island of North Sentinel that is part of the Andaman group of islands in the Bay of Bengal are living proof to the contrary.

According to an article from Atlas Obscura the Sentinelese tribe is considered to be one of the oldest tribes in the world.

 thepublicblogger.com  

Where is the Tribe’s Orgain

Perhaps no people on Earth remain more genuinely isolated than the Sentinelese. They are thought to be directly descended from the first human populations to emerge from Africa, and have probably lived in the Andaman Islands for up to 60,000 years. The fact that their language is so different even from other Andaman islanders suggests that they have had little contact with other people for thousands of years. This does not mean, however, that they live just as they did 60,000 years ago. Commonly described, for instance, as belonging to the ‘Stone Age’, they do in fact make tools and weapons from metal, which they recover from ships wrecked on the island’s reefs.

How Many People From the Tribe are Still Alive Today

Believed to number anywhere from 50 to 400, the Sentinelese have lived in isolation on the island for 60,000 years, resisting attempts by authorities and anthropologists to study their culture and integrate them into the modern world. And when someone wanders to their island, like it happened for two fishermen on January 26, 2006, they relentlessly murder them. So protective are the Sentinelese of their territory that an Indian coastguard helicopter that attempted to retrieve the fishermen’s bodies (they had been tossed into shallow beach graves after their killing) was greeted by a volley of arrows from the tribesmen that prevented the craft from landing.

What Do the People Eat

Their diet consists mainly of coconuts and fish that can be found in the shallow waters around their shores. Based on observational data, they are hunter-gatherers, as agriculture is not known to them. Their meat consists of turtles and small birds found on the North Sentinel Island.

Is the Tribe Healthy

The islanders are clearly extremely healthy, alert and thriving, in marked contrast to the two Andaman tribes who have ‘benefited’ from Western civilization, the Onge and the Great Andamanese, whose numbers have crashed and who are now largely dependent on state handouts just to survive. Pressure from Survival and other organisations has led the Indian government to alter its policy towards the Sentinelese, from attempting to make contact, to recognising that similar policies have proved disastrous for other Andaman tribes, and accepting that they have the right to decide for themselves how they wish to live. Underpinning this shift is the simple acknowledgment that the people themselves are best placed to decide what is in their own interests.

Why Is the Tribe Considered to be “Stone Age People”

If not for their metal-tipped arrows carved from hulls of wrecked ships, the Sentinelese would be described as Stone Age people. For instance, Sentinel canoes are constructed to fish in only shallow water. New Delhi has deliberately carried out little development in much of the tribal area, intending to preserve the culture of the tribes people and for fear that bacterial contamination may cause their extinction. As of now, the Sentinelese will be left to the isolation they had so vigorously defended over many centuries.

Question: What makes this tribe so different from everyone else?

What Organizations Are Working to Save Biodiversity?

People can talk about how much trouble the planet is in, and how animals are dying and biodiversity is flourishing, but what is actually being done to stop this from happening? The World Wildlife Fund and the World Nature Organization are just two of the countless organizations that are truly making a difference.

 

                                           http://payload.cargocollective.com/

 

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is one of the largest global wildlife preservation organizations, and they are rapidly taking action. The WWF focuses on different aspects of the environment, from endangered species preservation, to protecting other biomes, one of the most preserved being the forests. Forests across the globe are being destroyed for various reasons, and the WWF is working hard to protect these environments from diminishing. “WWF helps create and strengthen policies in the US and worldwide to deter illegally sourced timber. For example, in the US, our focus is the Lacey Act, created in 1900 to prohibit illegal timber and timber products from entering the US market. We are working to ensure full implementation of amendments to the act that were made in 2008—amendments that are already leading companies to make smarter sourcing decisions and monitor their global timber supply chains to avoid any illegal timber.” By creating these laws and policies for illegal timber, illegal traders and companies will not have any big countries to trade with, therefore they will not be able to make money and will discontinue their timber businesses, therefore there will be significant reductions in the amount of trees and vegetation that are being cut down, along with all of the animals inside those forests.

 

This is a great improvement and effort on the WWF’s part, and their laws and regulations are actually taking an effect, as a recent report on their website shows that illegal timber and forest companies have been reduced dramatically and many companies have been caught and ended due to the new policies. I think that not only the WWF’s effort to end illegal timber trade, but all of their hard work is having a great impact on our planet so far. WWF is also working extremely hard to save endangered species, as the changes in their environments, whether it be from deforestation to global warming, are causing them to adapt in all of the wrong ways. Luckily, the WWF will not give up in their efforts to protect these species, and keep their environments as stable as possible.

                                                   http://www.scienceclarified.com/

Another major conservation group is the World Nature Organization, which focuses a lot on marine pollution throughout the world’s oceans. The WNO strives to protect the oceans from pollution, and save the life that the oceans contain. One major goal of the WNO is to end dumping of toxic wastes into the ocean, a practice that has been outlawed, yet still is done today.

The WNO states that, “once in the oceans, these chemicals are absorbed by tiny organisms like plankton. The chemicals accumulate to high concentrations in the plankton’s bodies, which are eventually consumed by other animals. Each step in the marine food chain results in a higher concentration of the chemicals. For instance, polar bears can have contamination levels that are three billion times higher than the surrounding environment”. As I have talked about in a previous post, the toxic wastes and man-made materials that get into the ocean are causing the animals to adapt in negative ways, for example by consuming the products and chemicals, therefore ruining the whole food chain going forward.

Pollution is a major threat to the biodiversity of our oceans, and the WNO team up with governments of different countries all across the globe to put an end to the pollution, before all biodiversity there is lost. I think that the efforts put forth by the WNO are outstanding, and the fact that they reach out and team up with many different governments shows that they are capable of really getting something done for the oceans and hopefully helping the oceans prosper. Although the WNO does do extensive other actions to benefit the ocean animals, their main priority is to raise awareness about the problems and get the public involved and aware of the horrible effects of ocean pollution. I agree that getting the public’s attention and raising awareness is a phenomenal way to get everyone involved and work as a team to save not only our oceans, but our one and only home that is the Earth.

HOT DOG CHALLENGE

Many cities around the world have their own special cuisine or food, whether it's something from the sea or something sweet, they're all really special in it's own way. This video talks about three of the biggest cities in America, L.A., Chicago, and New York and their food. But most of all, this video is about how people think of each cities' most mainstream yet convenient food to get on the streets, the infamous American hot dog.
Video can be found "HERE" Since the thumbnail has spoilers.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia

The sausage was invented in Germany, and the hot dog was popularized in America. The New York dog is the most well known and original hot dog in America, and they even have their own stands like the picture above all around New York City.

The Chicago dog is the only one that doesn't have ketchup inside the bun, but instead includes the Vienna beef sausage, poppy seeds, Jalapenos, a whole pickle, and relish, which actually surprised the people from New York and Los Angelos.

The L.A. dog was the winner of the challenge, but why? It was because people enjoyed its creativity, such as adding bacon, mayo, and even grilled pepper and Jalepeneos, with a bit of Mexican style in it. People also liked how it had more flavors than the New York dog, and how it actually had less "stuff going on" than the Chicago dog.

Because of geography, people change the way a hot dog (or any other food) tastes judging by what the people living in the city like to have on their hot dogs. Whether it's by adding spicy Jalapenos or just squeezing some ketchup out of a bottle, people will keep on enjoying food in their own way.

Revolution

Nothing will ever be the same. These musicals changed theatre. This article talks about 10 musicals that changed theatre. The first one is Showboat with music by Jerome Kern and the book and words by Oscar Hammerstein II and opened in 1927. Showboat confronted issues such as racism, interracial marriage (which was illegal at the time), and captured the lives of second class citizens. It was also one of the first musical to have music that advanced the plot as well as a continuous storyline. The second is Pal Joey with music by Richard Rodgers, book by John O’Hara and lyrics by Lorenz Hart and opened in 1940. Is about a bad man who is untroubled by the pain he causes others. It has what is considered by many to be great music and also is about the darker parts of human nature.

The third one is Oklahoma with music by Richard Rodgers, and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and opened in 1943. It was the first show that was a collaboration between Rodgers and Hammerstein. It was also one of first shows to connect the plot with singing, dancing as well as the addition of a well remembered dream sequence. It took everything good about Showboat and made it better. The fourth is West Side Story with music by Leonard Bernstein, book by Arthur Laurents and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and opened in 1957. It took what people liked about Oklahoma and put it into a modern setting that appealed to the audience. The show  combined the real world with fantasy as well as ballet. 

http://www.concordplayers.org

The fifth is Hair with music by Galt MacDermot and Book and Lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and opened in 1968. The show had many small scenes put together each of which was as good as the last, It also started the rock musical genre and supported the anti war movement. The sixth is Company with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth and opened in 1970. Company allowed theatre to move into terior realism. It is about a group of people and how the 1960s affected them. It has to do the changes of society and allowed people to see lifelike situations.

The seventh is Jesus Christ Superstar with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice and opened 1971. This show was considered to have created rock opera. Other shows such as Les Miserables had the opera and hair had the rock, but this was something new that has continued to current times. The eight is Rent with music, words, and book by Jonathan Larson and opened in 1996. Rent is a show that changed many things. It allowed many young people to start enjoying theatre. It has influenced many young people’s voices and pushed the limits with it edgey qualities.

http://www.oncenter.org

The ninth is the Lion King with music by Elton John, Book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi and lyrics by Tim Rice and opened in 1997. The Lion King was originally an animated cartoon. It was one of the first broadway musicals that was considered to be family friendly. It also brought back the popularity of Times Square. The final is The Producers with music and lyrics by Mel Brooks and Book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan and opened in 2001. It’s won eight Tony awards since it came out and has pushed the limits with its fourth wall breaking theatre.   

I have heard of showboat, but I had never thought about its significance in changing theatre. I enjoy the music of pal joey but have never seen it. I don’t really under how it changed theatre, but it has its merits. I don’t really like Oklahoma, but I see how it changed things in broadway and it important to consider. West Side story is a show that I like personally and I understand how it has changed things with its ballet and other dance sequences. I have never heard of hair before, but I like rock musicals and it makes sense that hair started. I have seen scenes and songs from Company that I have enjoyed and it makes sense that it would have changed things. Jesus Christ Superstar is one of my favorite musicals. It is one of the first rock operas and I like rock operas. Rent is my other favorite musical. It is a limit pusher and I like how it has influenced theatre. The Lion King is one of my favorite musicals and I like how it is a family musical that revitalized Times square. The produceers is also a limit pucher and is very funny. It made modern comedy what it is today.  

In the future I plan to research people who have changed theatre.  

http://theater.about.com/od/behindthescenes/tp/10musicalschanged.htm This source is reliable, because the author had a lot to say about a lot of things, all of which already knew.

Athlete's Competitiveness Taken to the Limit

Many elite athletes are heavily pressured and put under stress to lose weight and/or get in better physical fitness shape by their coaches, peers, and the competitiveness of the sport.

In this post I will share information from the University of Adelaide, which is a reliable site and organization because of its knowledgeable authors, subscribers, and articles that inform readers about health and mental wellness. I will specifically discuss, “Elite athletes under stress to lose weight.”

http://www.medindia.net/

Why are the standards set so high for highly-achieving athletes?

Elite sportsmen and women are often pressured into going above and beyond with their sport with intense dieting, weight loss, and muscle building. "Most people in the broader community struggle with their weight, but for elite athletes it is an ongoing and precisely measured part of their daily working lives," says research leader Associate Professor Amanda Lecouteur. In order to compete at the advanced level that most coaches expect from their students and athletes, they’re forced to drastically change their daily lifestyles, eating habits, and exercise plans to accommodate the expectations set for them.

When do the pressures become too much?

"For example, having their skin folds measured is an important part of the day-to-day routine and a very big issue for many elite athletes.” states Mr. David Ellis, head Psychology researcher at the University of Adelaide, a highly accredited medical university. Their bodies are measured daily and they are under constant surveillance from their coaches. I believe that this kind of personal examination and stress is extreme and slightly unreasonable. If this is taken too far, it is sadly common that athletes get addicted to losing weight and not eating the amount they should, which could potentially lead to eating disorders or anorexia. thletes should prepare and perform at what level they believe they can, not at the level certain programs and coaches set for them.

Is this technique of physical and mental alteration effective in the performance of athletes? Is it worth it?

Results from athletes’ performances after working hard to fulfill the duties of their sports level of play have proven that it does pay off. For example, many wrestlers are hard on themselves and strive to achieve a lesser or greater weight to compete in a certain weight division. This type of physical pressure can lead to mental instability and insecurity about an athlete’s health and fitness.

Horoscopes: Fact or Fake?

Horoscopes are readings about someone's day that foretells what will happen and describe how their day will go. Astrologers base these readings off of the constellations known as Leo, Taurus, Pisces, Gemini, Virgo, Cancer, Aquarius, Capricorn, Libra, and Scorpio. Yes, there are other constellations such as Orion and Ursa Minor and Major, more commonly known as the The Big Dipper and The Little Dipper. The month and day of your birth determine what sign describes your personality. Some people say that these are useless superstitions that are used to make people feel better. Other people believe that these are a religion that are actual prophecies. What determines whether these are real or not? Absolutely nothing. Everyone believes in what they believe in. It is like asking an agnostic man to prove to a Catholic that God doesn't exist. It is all about faith. These star signs can be taken seriously or not at all. It all depends on what the person believes.

http://www.erinpavlina.com/blog/2013/11/are-horoscopes-real/

Why are Sports so Important?

Why are Sports so Important?

 http://ts1.mm.bing.net 

Sports aren't just games that prove how good you are at something. Sports help you achieve many amazing things in life. People who play sports sometimes do it for the fun and making new friends, but some use it as a way to get good at something and possibly use it to help build their future. In the article The Importance of Sports, Dr. Sylvia Rimm talks about how important sports really are and the impact it has on athletes.

In this article, it talks about how sports result in achievements. For example, sports  produce how a person can play the game and their ability to have the right mindset. Athletes discipline themselves by planning out their schedules and attending practice in order to get better and learn more about their sport. In the article, Dr. Rimm also shares how competitive our society is and that sports has a huge part in that. It helps people have something they can work out and something that doesn't always have to include book smarts. According to society, being smart means that you will most likely go very far in life. If you are good at sports in high school, you have a high chance at getting a scholarship which can help many families that can’t afford to send their kids to college. This article has helped prove that sports is important because it has given so many opportunities to so many kids in the world and has changed their lives.

Another important factor in sports is the confidence that kids build. Once they find the sport they are good at, they can then express themselves and not be afraid to show their talent. Some parents and friends might think that their athlete would never become who they worked to be. After they realized how much time and effort they have put in, they were amazed at how well achieved their child and friend has become. Being good at sports sometimes comes naturally to some kids. On the other hand, some have to work twice as hard as those kids in order to just be able to play the game. Hard work definitely pays off and helps you achieve greatness and success. This article has helped understand that having confidence in yourself can be the result from working hard and expressing themselves.

Sports has become such a huge part of my life and I wouldn't be the same person that I am now without it. This article has helped teach me more about the views of hard work and the amount of confidence you can gain.

Are We Thinking Too Much?

If you came to America, how would you feel if they wouldn't restricted you from doing certain things?

visanow.com

I believe that American lawmakers are harsh to illegal immigrants because they make restrictions against illegal immigrants and argue with our country's government over it.

Arizona law makers have proposed a package of immigration restrictions that might strike controversy in our country. Many of these restrictions make illegal immigrants mad because most of the restrictions are things that many people need. The Obama administration went to court to block this issue. All of the information from this blog post is from the article Arizona Lawmakers Push a New Round of Immigration Restrictions. This article was published by the New York Times. The New York Times is an award winning newspaper that is very popular.

Q: What restrictions are include in this bill?

A: According to the article illegal immigrants would be barred from driving in the state, enrolling in school or receiving most public benefits. Their children would receive special birth certificates that would make clear that the state does not consider them Arizona citizens. They are also not allowed to access schooling and the right to state citizenship but the Supreme Court is dealing with them. There was also a legislation that was passed that compelled police officers to inquire about the immigration status of those they stopped whom they suspected were in the country illegally.

Q: How do illegal immigrants feel about this?

A: The author claims that illegal Immigrants do not like this. There have been some revolts, boycotts, and accusations but none of them were a big deal. In Tucson, a community group was so enraged by what it called the extremist nature of the proposals from Phoenix that it proposed severing the state in two, creating what some call Baja Arizona. “Denying citizenship to children because they have parents without documents is crazy,” said the Rev. Javier Perez, a Roman Catholic priest and immigrant from Mexico.

Q: What has the government done about this?

A: The author of the article states that republicans have a majority in the Legislature, the restrictions on citizenship failed to win approval in the Judiciary Committee. The Obama Administration has declined these bills. Many state lawmakers are furious over the Obama administrations lawsuit challenging the restrictions. There has been no compromise over this issue.

After reading this article I learned that many lawmakers are very harsh, It is almost like they are jealous of the people coming to America. I think that we should just accept them because they do benefit our country.

What is similar or different about America's healthcare system compared to Canada & Europe?

Have you ever wondered the difference or similarities between the healthcare in the U.S. and the healthcare in Canada and Europe? Are we getting the best care we could in America or is it better elsewhere?  US, Canada and Europe have good quality health care. However, the Americans generally pay more for their healthcare and Europeans & Canadians have more access to healthcare. 


Well here is the comparison between the U.S. and Canada and Europe: 

Total health expenditure compared with the U.S., Canada, Europe. 

According to some of the facts in the Health Journalism.org, the two countries had similar health care systems before Canada changed its system in the 1960s and 1970s. The United States spends much more money on health care than Canada, on both a per-capita basis and as a percentage of GDP. In 2006, per-capita spending for health care in Canada was US$3,678; in the U.S., US$6,714. The U.S. spent 15.3% of GDP on health care in that year; Canada spent 10.0%.^[5] In 2006, 70% of health care spending in Canada was financed by government, versus 46% in the United States. Total government spending per capita in the U.S. on health care was 23% higher than Canadian government spending, and U.S. government expenditure on health care was just under 83% of total Canadian spending (public and private) though these statistics don't take into account population differences. 

The U.S.: 

• In the U.S.; they generally pay more for the medical healthcare systems there. 
• Some people, compared to Canada, have more unmet needs than those in Canada. 
• The uninsured Americans are lagged behind. 

Canada:

• In Canada, they don't pay as much as the U.S. for the healthcare systems there. 
• In Canada, they have fewer unmet needs, compared to the U.S.
• Canadians have universal access to publicly funded health care services, primarily physician and hospital services. 

Europe:

• The people are not worried as much as the Americans about losing their insurance; because of their healthcare systems. 
• The U.S. has the highest overall spending rate; and the lowest percentage of the population covered by government programs.
• In Europe, they have a higher average number of percentage of physician visits than the U.S.. 

FUTURE RESEARCH: What can the US do to make healthcare more affordable and accessible to more Americans? 

Future technologies and their capabilities.

To better understand how technology will affect / change in the future I researched futurist ideas, the theories of what will happen in the near future. In an article, written by George Dvorsky, he argues that artificial intelligence, man-made organs and robots will be the most likely to have an impact in the future.

The first idea was artificially intelligent robots, which are expected to have completely learned the English language, making conversations with a robot possible. There are some being made to be duplicate of the owners, being a virtual copy of who you are. Some people are scared at the thought of robots making decisions for us, which for any technological item, may make a mistake, and we would be accountable for what they would do.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/

Another future idea is that an anti aging genetic change might be created, in the article it suggests that by 2030 a vision would be at least be shown. Anti aging technology might sound exciting and futuristic to some, but in my eyes it is kind of scary. To think that people would be able to willingly to extend the age of their lives would be a hard thing to contain, it would probably be very expensive too.

A third technology that has a foresight for the future are law abiding robots, who would be able to arrest, even kill, those who betray the law. Something else which is scary to think of, especially comparing against movies like Terminator, of course it would allow for a more lawful environment but it would still be terrifying to think of what they would be capable of doing, especially scary of thinking what would happen if these would malfunction, thinking of a robot against human war is fun to think about. But above all else which is easy to believe, the only thing that is very predictable are man made human organs. This is a technology that we need, although it does basically make someone into half robot half man, it is good to think that donating organs would be set aside for another option.

What technology was seen futuristic 60 years ago but now that is invented, is useless?

On Sale Vs. For Sale

Why can we simply buy what we need? There are too many factors that fall into play while thinking about the different choices. Before making a final purchase, ask yourself, “what brought be to get this item?” The reason you bought something can be simply out of habit, because we saw someone else buy it, and finally because people are naturally impulsive.

The reason we buy certain products can be directly linked to the habits we've formed, what others around us have and how impulsive we are. My research was found at Psychology Today.

 Image found Here.

Habit plays a very large role in not just what we get, but what specific brand of that item we get. The first time you go to a store by yourself to get groceries, what kind of bread do you get? Do you get the new fancy loaf? Or do you get the same kind of bread you grew up on? This kind of habit is called inertia, or a resistance to change. According to Psychology Today, this habitual style of buying comes in two forms, inertia and basic repetition. I know that my mother always gets bananas from the store out of habit because we never eat bananas and yet she comments on how she should stop buying them because they go bad before anyone wants any. Next time she goes to the store she still get bananas.

Buying things we see other people have or we see them buying. In a sense it is almost childish to want something just because someone else has it. Back when the Wii was a brand new console and all my friends had it. I would hear them at school talking about it and what games they had and everything along those lines until I admittedly became jealous. My sister and I practically begged my mother to get it for us. Four years later and we sold it because no one was using it. This sense of others influencing others can happen right at a store. Someone buys a new brand of candy at the checkout line and states how much they love this new candy and then chances are, you will try it too.

Impulsiveness is not something you can learn to become, you either are or aren’t. Just like being outgoing, impulsive people are more likely to buy all sorts of foods just to see what tastes best in soup. A not impulsive person would more likely follow the cookbook and buy exactly what they need for the soup. It is producers jobs to target the impulsive people to grab their item off the shelf and indirectly influence the not impulsive people to try something new.

With all these different ways for companies to get to a buyer, that buyer may even feel overwhelmed by all the choices. This can be solved with customer service. It is a little weird how everyone who works there just so happens to like the brand that is getting the store the most money. If a customer service person recommends a certain brand of food, it would be awkward to not get what they recommended. This all ties back into the idea that buying and selling goods have many different sides and back alleyways to get a customer to buy your product.

D-day, 1944

Imagine planning an event for more than a 100,000 people---could you do it?

According to the video created by PBS, D-day was one of the most complex operations in military history which required significant planning and the use of sophisticated weaponry. 

Source: http://mstecker.com/images/Europe/france2011n/map-d-day2d.jpg

          D-day, or Operation Neptune, took place on June 6, 1944. Around 160,000 allied troops were against 40,000 German troops, which was caused overload. The troops were split up to different sections onto the beach front. The front was split up into five different sections. Utah (U.S.), Omaha (U.S.), Gold (Great Britain), Juno (Canada), and Sword (Great Britain). Omaha was the heaviest defended and the U.S. troops going there were known as the 'Suicide Wave.' Germany was occupying Normandy, France. Allied troops were crossing the English Channel in 5,000 ship vessels. The plan to invade Normandy was very complicated, and took many months to plan.

         The allied troops would run into many obstacles, many they could overcome, but there were a few that caused quite a few other issues. For example, the vessels would run into what they called the Devil's Garden. The Devil's Garden was located right on the shore and was made to prevent ships from getting closer to the beach. To avoid these obstacles the vessels were planned to arrive during low tide.

However, an obstacle they could not avoid was Hitler's Buzzsaw, or MG-34. At the time, it fired twice the rate of any other weapon on the planet. Another setback they faced was low cloud cover. The low cloud cover made it hard for the bombers to see. Since they didn't want to bomb any of the vessels or their own people they held off on dropping the bombs. However, every half-second they waited to drop the bombs they were a 100 feet off their original target. The bombers' job was to help take out the tanks on Omaha beach, but since they missed by a great amount the troops had an even harder job than they already had. Despite the issues they faced D-day was made a success on June 30th, 1944, when the Allies got full control over Normandy.

FUTURE RESEARCH: How did the bombing of Pearl Harbor affect U.S. involvement in the war?

What would you do without an arm?

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Could you imagine not having an arm?

Imagine having such a great talent that you live for and work at everyday and one day you lose a special part of it that helps make you talented. In the article  “Bethany Hamilton: Soul Surfer”, Bethany Hamilton experienced a horrible tragedy and then found her way to overcome it make something great out of it..

Bethany Hamilton survived after being bit by a shark while she was surfing. Her left arm was taken off making her life change instantly. Bethany is a professional surfer who was training to compete in the finals and then this horrible tragedy happened to her and she’s living with her challenges to this day. Bethany started learning to surf at age five because of her parents. She lived in Hawaii, which is the best place to surf. She entered her first surf competition at age eight. Bethany has always had a connection between surfing and her relationship with God and Jesus Christ. As Bethany said in the article, “I just kind of grew up with an amazing lifestyle of knowing God and having a personal relationship with him and being able to surf some of the best waves in the world.” If Bethany didn't have God, she wouldn't be able to live the experience she is living now.

In the article it described how now she has a movie and her own book out that describes her journey. After losing her arm she had to wait a week before she could get back in the water. It was definitely a challenge not being able to use her left arm. Surfing involves you getting up on your board with the strength of your arms. She had to learn how to just use her right and she did! Bethany Hamilton is a great example of a professional athlete who had something terrible happen to her and it affecting her life greatly because of the loss of the thing she needed most. She found a way to overcome it and work around it.
My research for the future would be to find out more about the lives of professional athletes that have had their lives changed and impacted.

What's really happening with TV?

What about T.V. is affecting teens?

The biggest danger of TV that is affecting teens is the amount of TV that teens are watching. “The average teen is watching 28 hours a week of television.” -Reality TV’s effect on teens. This would mean the average teen watches more hours of TV then the hours they spend at school! This is a huge problem, because this would mean that people are using a lot of time ,that they could be using for something else, on watching TV.

What is the worst type TV for teens?

Reality TV. Reality TV is by far the worst type of television for teens because it can change their state of mind. If they think the things in the show are normal then they will try to do the things they do. The way people act in reality TV is very corrupted. Teens shouldn’t be exposed to that much negative commentary and bad language. These shows can also support drugs and alcohol which can definitely influence teens behavior.

Should teens never be exposed to the television?

No, a lot of the things that children and teens are exposed to on the television are educational. These lessons help the teens grow and become a better person. Also it’s what the kids are watching is what is most important.

Question: What do you think is appropiate for teens to watch?