Post-Thanksgiving DJ's/ Week of 11/26
orionfarr
http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/16/mars-radiation-levels-tolerable-to-humans/
NASA: Radiation Not A Problem If Humans Decide To Live On Mars
This CNN published article reports that due to a recent compilation of data
from the Mars Science Laboratory, or “Curiosity”, have revealed that past
recordings of the “deadly” level of surface radiation level on Mars were
incorrect and radiation levels on most places on the Red planet are tolerable
to humans. This is a great step for the ground-work that is currently being
constructed for the first manned-mission to Mars, and greatly increases the feasibility
of a permanent station there aswell. Even though the levels on the surface may
be acceptable, that doesn’t mean the planet isn’t hostile, with an atmosphere
with only 1% of Earth’s density, average temperatures routinely dipping below
the -200 mark, and the low gravity will still stop us from going to Mars right
now. But the future exploration of the Martian surface may be years closer than
the US expected mission around 2030. As a future Martian this is great news for
MSL and future NASA or other space programs, and this only proves why more
money should be spent on the space agency.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/nov/17/eu-referendum-poll
56% of Britons would vote to quit EU in referendum, poll finds
According to this article from the guardian, more than half the population of the British Isles would rather leave the European Union, rather than staying with it. With the general consensus leaning towards seeing the Union as a bad thing, this could spell disaster for the EU as a whole, since Britain is one of the richest within the Union. Without the British support programs like the European Space Agency and others will risk being defunded or scrapped to cut costs in the already terrible economic climate in Europe. One may relate this drastic majority to the state of some of the countries within the EU, like Greece or Spain. With some countries going in the toilet and dragging the rest down, what will the EU decide to do? Allow Eastern European countries to join? Cut the extra weight countries? In my totally professional opinion, Britain should stay in the Union while getting rid of the problematic countries that they’ve been burning money over, no sense in severing political and economic times over a brief period of hardship.
grace miller
http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/18/world/asia/bangladesh-fire/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
In this article, Farid Ahmed reports the devastating disaster that occurred in Bangladesh on Sunday. It was reported that 11 women and children were killed in a fire that swept through the capital of Bangladesh. About 700 houses were burned by this fire leaving several thousand poor people homeless. It took nearly 4 hours to diminish the flames that left many people with nothing. Although short, this article is very somber with a sympathetic tone to those who lost their house or family members. The purpose is to make the public aware of this disaster and let the people who lost a lot to speak their mind and reveal how serious this fire was. I think this story, along with stories like these, are so sad. the size of this fire was very surprising to me.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/18/us/oil-platform-blast/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
In this article, the CNN Wire Staff reports about the victims of the Gulf of Mexico oil platform blast. In the beginning of this article it states that there were many injuries from this oil spill and a death found on the sea floor but then goes on to talk about the survivors. There are four patients in the hospital from this explosion, two in critical condition. The tone changes from the seriousness of the disaster to the triumph of those who survived. Even the title has a little bit of both. About 28 gallons of fuel spilled into the region yet the cause of the spill is still being investigated. It occurred on Friday morning on a platform located 20 miles off the coast of Grand Isle, Louisiana. After reading this article you can’t help but feel happy for the survivors and their families.
--
sian.barry
In this article, Emily Flitter reports on the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy that ravaged though the tri-state area just a couple weeks ago. Her purpose is to provide an update as to what is happening following the storm in the state of New York and inform us about the masses of debris that are building up from the apparent destruction. With shocking statistics, she verifies the reality of what has happened and how “the cleanup job is far from over.” I liked how she opened with a small anecdote that paid tribute to the New York of last summer, filled with beachgoers, sunscreen and umbrellas and then contrasts it with what it is today: an enormous waste collection site. Fortunately, Sparta didn’t fall victim to flooding and the complete destruction of houses as places on the shoreline did. It did leave many of in the dark for days, and this weekend, we had a little scare when a drunk driver hit a poll and knocked the power out once again in my neighborhood. This lead to a series of bad events in my house, such as the fire alarm going off because of the lack of power, which resulted in the fire department showing up to my house, but there was no fire, thank god, so everything turned out alright.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/robert-pattinson-looking-forward-to-taking-on-more,30427/
The authors of the onion most definitely have a wit about them and a great sense of humor. I read this article, thinking it was going to be somewhat serious, but instead, I succumbed to laughing continuously throughout the piece. Although I am a huge Twilight fan and am looking forward to seeing the final movie that will bring the saga to a closure, this article succeeded in making me laugh and seeing the stupidity in something that actually watch. They successfully disguised their humor with a rather serious tone to begin with, however, as the reported statements from Robert Pattinson started to emerge, their satire became grotesquely evident. My favorite line from this article came from Robert Pattinson when he said, “I’d love to challenge myself with more complex, harder-hitting material, maybe a vampire war veteran struggling to return to civilian life, a gay vampire living with AIDS, or a Jewish vampire during the Holocaust.” I loved this article, and it fulfilled its purpose of poking fun at the vampire series Twilight and making the audience, Twilight lovers and haters, laugh.
rippeyrachel
This article written yesterday by Jason Koebler for usnews.com, informs the people of today’s age that global warming is predicted to greatly impact life on planet earth. The World Bank has issued a report titled “Turn Down the Heat” which is supposed to shock people into action about the potential destruction if global warming isn’t stopped or slowed down. Because of the uncertainty of this event, new developing countries are strongly encouraged to consider certain aspects when building a strong economy for the future. The president of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim writes “A 4 degree Celsius world is so different from the current one that it comes with high uncertainty and new risks that threaten our ability to anticipate and plan for future adaptation needs.” He estimates the future comprises of flooding for cities along the coast, an increasing risk for food production as well as higher malnutrition. Also, geographically he predicts the dry areas become dryer, and wet areas become wetter and vast amounts of heat waves throughout the globe. With this comes an increase in natural disasters and water scarcity which is detrimental to desert regions. It is critical for nations to heed these warnings and act upon them for the sake of future generations.
With the recent closure of Hostess Snack Foods Company, a scramble for possession of these timeless treats takes place via internet. This article enlightens the reader on the current state of panic erupting throughout the United States (internationally known as the land of the obese and you don’t need a rocket scientist to figure out why). With the iconic Twinkie being distributed for ridiculous, and unreasonable amounts of money through various websites, it’s no wonder Americans are fat people. I myself being a genuine Hostess fan, whether it be Twinkies, Donettes, Ding-Dongs, or Ho-Hos, deem it utterly repulsive that people would go to this length to get their hands on these snacks. Other companies should definitely invest in buying out these brands, putting an end to this internet auction of Twinkies. This event allows more light to fall on the fact that the poor Americans thrive off junk food.
Mikaela Litchfield
http://health.yahoo.net/articles/nutrition/photos/10-most-addictive-foods#0
In an article titled, “10 Most Addictive Foods”, Mandy Oaklader lists the ten most binged on foods, but adds a scientific insight as to why it’s nearly impossible to stop eating these treats. The list is as follows, starting from number 10: white bread, donuts, pasta, cake, chips, cookies, chocolate, French fries, candy, and finally number one, ice cream. Honestly, I could have made this list myself with absolutely no research, but it was definitely interesting to see what exactly made these foods so addictive. As it turns out, sugar, salt, and fat are a deadly trifecta and most of these items contain heaping amounts of all three. They have the ability to release a hormone called dopamine, which is also a similar reaction to drug use. In today’s society it would be nearly impossible to avoid these things forever but one can only hope that America learns a little bit of self control to stop its constant over-indulgence.
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/flooding-in-venice-slideshow/
A series of pictures depicts a surrealism that is occurring in Venice. The streets have flooded up to 63 inches and many people can be found swimming or floating on tubes down the formerly cobblestone streets. Other pictures show tourists and parents trying to work their way across the risen tide with either children or luggage in hand. This is apparently a seasonal high water. In most of the pictures people are smiling or look generally unperturbed by the water, even though it is thigh-level for most of them. I found the pictures very interesting and I was actually jealous that some people were able to swim or even canoe in the streets of their city; it’s probably a very rare opportunity.
isabella.cuan
http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/24/opinion/johnson-progress-overlooked/index.html?hpt=us_c2
“We’re living the dream; we just don’t realize it” is an article written by Steven Johnson, a bestselling author. The article analyzes human psychology and the very reasons for which we tend to believe in the negativity of our nation, rather than its ever-growing progress. In an enlightening tone, Johnson educates society about the American psyche in relation to the positives and negatives of 21st century of America. I thought this was a fascinating article because of the inherent truth in his arguments. Characteristically, the American people are complainers; we highlight the areas in which our country has failed. For example, Johnson states that despite the huge decrease in violent crime rates, two-thirds of Americans believe that crime is getting worse, year after year. Unsurprising, he relates this problem to the media, a direct source of distortion in the modern era. Even though the United States has made significant progress over several decades, Johnson makes sure to note that there is still room for improvement: no country can ever be perfect, we can only continue to strive for perfection. It is riveting how so many people believe the country is deteriorating one crisis at a time. Yet, when you look at the big picture, many of us truly have it good.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/11/16/signs-may-have-anxiety-disorder/
This article written by Amanda MacMIllan of Fox News details the symptoms involved with an anxiety disorder. In an extremely informative, yet concise, tone, MacMillan is able to effectively communicate to the reader the warning signs of a disorder. Almost every person experiences anxiety at one point in their life, some more so than others. However, while anxiety may be harmless, it can have a significantly detrimental impact on your physical and mental health as well as your lifestyle. I thought this was a very relevant topic considering the amount of stress many people endure on a daily basis. The victims of these anxiety disorders are not just adults; often, they are students with demanding schedules, during and after school. This article not only allows concerned men and women to educate themselves, but more crucially, it enables them to be proactive about their health and recognize their disorders.
Liz Anderson
On Monday, November 19, 2012 9:45:02 PM UTC-5, orionfarr wrote:
Liz Anderson
On Monday, November 19, 2012 9:45:02 PM UTC-5, orionfarr wrote:
Dylan Panicucci
http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/25/pf/black-friday-sales/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
This Black Friday was a record breaker. A total of 247 million shoppers went to either stores or websites this weekend. This was a 9 percent increase from last year’s 226 million. With all these shoppers, the total spending also reached a new record ($59.1 billion, up from $52.4 billion). Stores that opened up earlier contributed to this increase of customers. According to a survey 10 percent of shoppers were at stores by 8 p.m. and 28 percent were at stores by midnight. The whole thing is crazy. People get trampled or attacked at these doorbusters. Not to mention people should be spending time with their families on Thanksgiving, not leaving for the mall.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/25/world/asia/china-aircraft-carrier-landing/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
I saw this article and wondered why it was even news. It is an article about how China landed a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier for the first time. It’s hard to imagine a powerful country without a Navy. The article states that the US, Britain, and Japan launched their aircraft carriers almost 100 years ago. The US is the only country to operate more than one carrier today with 11, but still to have just made one now? I guess you do not need an advanced military when you rule the world’s economy.
Julie Daniels
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/11/19/us/ap-us-climate-change.html?hp&_r=0
Iowa Scientists: Drought a Sign of Climate Change
The recent issue of climate change and global warming has presented many theories and opinions. The fact of the matter is however, that the world is changing. Something is happening to the climate and the atmosphere, and no one scientist is 100% sure on why. Recently, it has been the work of many colleges to research this and present their findings, giving a new outlook on the entire issue. More than 130 scientists from Iowa colleges and research facilities have come together to determine that the recent drought is very much due to the steady change in temperature. Also, more droughts can be expected as a result of this because the climate makes the fluctuations between wet and dry years more extreme. This will soon trickle down and cause more flooding and natural disasters. So, what is the big concern with this? The extreme variations will cause less crop growth and therefor, less to eat and less jobs. The environment effects in more ways than one may think.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/17/how-to-live-without-irony/
How to Live Without Irony
A “Hipster” is defined in the dictionary as: A person who follows the latest trends and fashions. However, it seems in society that it is just the opposite. He or she is one who does everything they can to stay away from the mainstream and cultivate their own culture of mismatched clothes and personalities. The concept of individuality is not a foreign one to these people because they achieve it almost every day in their doings. Not to say that this is wrong in any sense, it’s what they like to do. They plan to stand out but in reality, they are hiding in the public eye. This is ironic living. Author Christy Wampole goes into detail of this way of life by almost giving a step by step process on how to become a “hipster”. She contributes much of this fad to the digital and social networking advancements while claiming that much of it is staying true to yourself while also being able to make fun of yourself by being someone else. The entire concept is very difficult to put into words. I find in this article that she seems to poke too much fun at them because they do what they want to and she cannon understand them fully. Moreover, she does understand how they live with irony and more and more people continue to do so every day.
On Monday, November 19, 2012 9:45:02 PM UTC-5, orionfarr wrote:
mdsaba1126
This article “Psychological Warfare with Missiles: Why Tel Aviv Matters” talks about the current conflict between Israel and Pakistani militants and the causes for attacks on Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv is neither a political nor an economical center for Israel. What it is though is a place that is a seventh heaven for the Israelis and a place looked at with fury by the Pakistanis. According to the author, the most meaningful battle at this point is for perception and psychology. A huge reason that casualties have been so low is that Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system has been extremely effective. Throughout the article the author uses quotations, anecdotes and statistics to explain his points. I believe that this conflict is unnecessary and wasteful and should be stopped immediately.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/16/us/oil-platform-fire/index.html?hpt=us_c2
On Friday the 16 in the Gulf of Mexico, an Oil Platform off of the Coast of Louisiana caught fire and exploded. 11 people were killed and two others were missing with search crews using boats and helicopters to look for them. BP will have to pay $ 4.5 billion to the federal government for restitution. This is the second time two years that an oil platform has exploded with both of them belonging to BP. I feel that this may be a sign that it is time to find another source of fuel. There have been to many accidents and lives lost from these oil rigs and it would probably be better for the future generations if an alternate solution is found.
elizabeth.smith.24
On Monday, November 19, 2012 9:45:02 PM UTC-5, orionfarr wrote:
brook...@gmail.com
katherine...@gmail.com
On Monday, November 19, 2012 9:45:02 PM UTC-5, orionfarr wrote:
Doug Triolo
This article talks about Cyber Monday, and how shopping continues online throughout the workday following black Friday. She talks about the benefits and reasons why we shop online, and the mysteries behind the vanishing deals and cookies that result from it. The author suggests that shopping online is a privilege that says, “work can wait,” and invites people to procrastinate and shop to their hearts content. Throughout the article her voice really seems to come through, and she relates herself to the story using, for example, the Star Wars furniture she so desires. This is, for the reader, quite humorous and encouraging, as is the comment about shopping at work to get away from the family. Ultimately, the article makes you face the harsh reality that online shopping, or the internet in general, manipulates data to influence your decisions.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/5yearold-says-sesame-street-has-sucked-since-2010,30432/
This piece, as always in The Onion, is a satirical article, discussing how bad Sesame Street is. The interviewer brings in a five year old boy who believes the show has gone downhill since 2010. The boy says he has struggled to find the “hidden gems” in the show such as the letter P since 2010, and in previous years the production of the show was much better. It makes you think; maybe we don’t need Big Bird after all…
brook...@gmail.com
Gonna be one less lonely girl.
Randy May
--
stephen.voc
This satirical piece by writers at The Onion hit the nail on the head in their efforts to portray the pandemonium that swept thousands of shopping malls across America this Black Friday. Utilizing over-exaggerations to get their point across, the authors of the article state that, at midnight alone, "...13 million shoppers were reportedly trampled, pummeled, burned, stabbed, shot, lanced, and brutally beaten to death while attempting to participate in early holiday sales events." Not only is this statement absolutely hysterical, it gets the message across that Americans will do anything within their power to buy as much stuff as physically possible, often for the sake of just doing it. I agree with the purpose of this piece, as I believe that Americans need to tone it down in terms of their consumerism.
http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/real-benjamin-buttons-brothers-matthew-michael-clark-aging-193400085.html
As a Benjamin Button enthusiast, I was surprised to see the title of this article, and it got me intrigued to read more. The authors of this piece illustrate a disorder that many Americans probably never have heard of or thought was a mere myth: leukodystrophy. This disorder, as described in the piece, causes the two brothers who have it to age backwards. Although the men physically appear to be two men, their minds become less complex as they age; they literally now fight over monopoly pieces and play with legos. The article is informative; its main purpose is to shed light on a disorder that was likely never thought of before it. Such an article makes me depressed to think of these men and the phenomena that they suffer from.
On Monday, November 19, 2012 9:45:02 PM UTC-5, orionfarr wrote:
Alexandra Chin
jamiemelville1
OliviaPasserini
In this article, biology professor at the University of Alabama, Amy Bishop was charged with the murder of three of her colleagues and wounding of three other colleagues in 2010. After at first pleading not guilty, Bishop finally pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a lifetime in prison on Monday. She barely avoided the death sentence. The author of this article has an approving tone of the outcome of Bishop’s trial. She is obviously incredibly unstable and has severe mental disabilities if she is able to do something as serious as that over a matter of not getting tenure. It is frightening to think of how easy it is for someone like Bishop to just snap and do something like what she did. I am not a supporter of the death sentence, so I believe that Bishops lifetime sentence is very just. She hopefully will be able to get some sort of help through therapy in prison.
On Monday, November 19, 2012 9:45:02 PM UTC-5, orionfarr wrote:
Ben Skalla
Dylan Panicucci
I am super pumped for “Zero Dark Thirty”. Months after the assassination I heard rumors of a movie, and the hype began for me. Now it’s finally coming out. It is going to be so sick. This movie will give the common man insight as to how our government gains intelligence and carries out secret missions that people never even get to hear about. I doubt it can ever be 100 percent accurate with everything classified, but it will still be amazing. This movie better not disappoint me, and I doubt it will.
Dylan Panicucci
PTSD is just one more terrible obstacle a returning serviceman or woman must face. They have lived through hell, but hell does not want to leave them alone. Those who suffer from it, which is basically all soldiers, are constantly jumpy and have flashbacks and nightmares among many other things. PTSD affects everyone returning from war as no one can go through war unchanged. It affects the whole family too since everyone feels the tension. Many victims suffer depression, start to drink a lot, and go as a far as to commit suicide. It is extremely sad that these terrible things happen to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
sian.barry
Mikaela Litchfield
Mikaela Litchfield
sian.barry
Julie Daniels
In response to “A Lot of Dough: Hostess Closure Spurs Thousand-Dollar Twinkie Sales”
What is the current major crisis in the world? The economy? The war? The correct answer is the favorite snack the “Twinkie”. Recently, this classic treat has been in much discussion because of the fact that the “Hostess” company is shutting down. Some people have taken this much to far because they have decided to start to buy these treats from E-bay in bulk. There has even been records of a user putting up a box of 10 Twinkies for over $10,000. This may seem silly but to some people, it is the end of the world. The supply and demand of the country has gotten way out of hand.
On Sunday, November 25, 2012 2:14:51 PM UTC-5, rippeyrachel wrote:
This article written yesterday by Jason Koebler for usnews.com, informs the people of today’s age that global warming is predicted to greatly impact life on planet earth. The World Bank has issued a report titled “Turn Down the Heat” which is supposed to shock people into action about the potential destruction if global warming isn’t stopped or slowed down. Because of the uncertainty of this event, new developing countries are strongly encouraged to consider certain aspects when building a strong economy for the future. The president of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim writes “A 4 degree Celsius world is so different from the current one that it comes with high uncertainty and new risks that threaten our ability to anticipate and plan for future adaptation needs.” He estimates the future comprises of flooding for cities along the coast, an increasing risk for food production as well as higher malnutrition. Also, geographically he predicts the dry areas become dryer, and wet areas become wetter and vast amounts of heat waves throughout the globe. With this comes an increase in natural disasters and water scarcity which is detrimental to desert regions. It is critical for nations to heed these warnings and act upon them for the sake of future generations.
With the recent closure of Hostess Snack Foods Company, a scramble for possession of these timeless treats takes place via internet. This article enlightens the reader on the current state of panic erupting throughout the United States (internationally known as the land of the obese and you don’t need a rocket scientist to figure out why). With the iconic Twinkie being distributed for ridiculous, and unreasonable amounts of money through various websites, it’s no wonder Americans are fat people. I myself being a genuine Hostess fan, whether it be Twinkies, Donettes, Ding-Dongs, or Ho-Hos, deem it utterly repulsive that people would go to this length to get their hands on these snacks. Other companies should definitely invest in buying out these brands, putting an end to this internet auction of Twinkies. This event allows more light to fall on the fact that the poor Americans thrive off junk food.
Julie Daniels
In response to “Bangladesh Prime Minister alleges arson in deadly factory fire”
Recently in Bangladesh, a factory fire that killed more than 100 workers was determined by the prime minister to not be a result of an accident. Two suspects were arrested because they were seen trying to set fire to the place. All apparel factories were closed because of this. Walmart also banned all purchases from these companies saying the company was no longer permitted to do this. An investigation has been started to see if the two suspects are the ones actually guilty. Local police are working as hard as they can because they never want this horrible accident to happen again.
isabella.cuan
isabella.cuan
rippeyrachel
Ben Skalla
Ben Skalla
brook...@gmail.com
On Monday, November 26, 2012 8:21:27 PM UTC-5, stephen.voc wrote:
brook...@gmail.com
On Monday, November 26, 2012 3:27:08 PM UTC-5, Liz Anderson wrote:
Honoring the TwinkieTwinkies have been used not only for consumption, but they are a valuable tool in the world of science. The twinkie is so artificially preserved that is a specimen unlike anything the world has seen. It takes great lengths to get them to burn, dissolve, explode and so on. The ingredients in the twinkie make these tasks harder and harder to preform and this is what fascinated scientists around the world. This is interesting to me because it exposes the twinkie in all its horror. Twinkies are made by way of chemicals, and chemicals alone. They are not even to be considered food as they are engineered to appear as something edible, but in reality they are far, far different.
merstriolo
Yeah this is actually quite surprising, and it’s very interesting that China, which is a prominent world power, doesn't have the navy to support it. As Alfred T. Mahan said, all major world powers should have a strong navy to support and protect them, but China has somehow made it without this major milestone until now. I wonder if it’s even a concern for China though because, as you said, they rule the world’s economy, and if they were to be under attack the whole world would go into economic instability. That’s somewhat of a protective aura in itself.
On Monday, November 26, 2012 3:49:32 PM UTC-5, Dylan Panicucci wrote:
http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/25/pf/black-friday-sales/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
This Black Friday was a record breaker. A total of 247 million shoppers went to either stores or websites this weekend. This was a 9 percent increase from last year’s 226 million. With all these shoppers, the total spending also reached a new record ($59.1 billion, up from $52.4 billion). Stores that opened up earlier contributed to this increase of customers. According to a survey 10 percent of shoppers were at stores by 8 p.m. and 28 percent were at stores by midnight. The whole thing is crazy. People get trampled or attacked at these doorbusters. Not to mention people should be spending time with their families on Thanksgiving, not leaving for the mall.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/25/world/asia/china-aircraft-carrier-landing/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
merstriolo
It’s definitely important for us to find an alternate solution to the pressing fuel source predicament. As we run out of resources, and face the dangerous task of retrieving the diminishing oil supply, the world is getting closer and closer to a modern stone age. People take for granted, well, having energy, power, fuel, and a society that runs on these things should be attempting to resolve the crisis. BP is obviously struggling, with its major accidents and all, but it can be resolved with the discovery of an alternate source, which is quite frankly more important than many of the things that America, and the whole world for that matter, focuses on.
On Monday, November 26, 2012 4:16:56 PM UTC-5, mdsaba1126 wrote:
This article “Psychological Warfare with Missiles: Why Tel Aviv Matters” talks about the current conflict between Israel and Pakistani militants and the causes for attacks on Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv is neither a political nor an economical center for Israel. What it is though is a place that is a seventh heaven for the Israelis and a place looked at with fury by the Pakistanis. According to the author, the most meaningful battle at this point is for perception and psychology. A huge reason that casualties have been so low is that Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system has been extremely effective. Throughout the article the author uses quotations, anecdotes and statistics to explain his points. I believe that this conflict is unnecessary and wasteful and should be stopped immediately.
katherine...@gmail.com
On Sunday, November 25, 2012 4:30:58 PM UTC-5, Mikaela Litchfield wrote:
http://health.yahoo.net/articles/nutrition/photos/10-most-addictive-foods#0
In an article titled, “10 Most Addictive Foods”, Mandy Oaklader lists the ten most binged on foods, but adds a scientific insight as to why it’s nearly impossible to stop eating these treats. The list is as follows, starting from number 10: white bread, donuts, pasta, cake, chips, cookies, chocolate, French fries, candy, and finally number one, ice cream. Honestly, I could have made this list myself with absolutely no research, but it was definitely interesting to see what exactly made these foods so addictive. As it turns out, sugar, salt, and fat are a deadly trifecta and most of these items contain heaping amounts of all three. They have the ability to release a hormone called dopamine, which is also a similar reaction to drug use. In today’s society it would be nearly impossible to avoid these things forever but one can only hope that America learns a little bit of self control to stop its constant over-indulgence.
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/flooding-in-venice-slideshow/
A series of pictures depicts a surrealism that is occurring in Venice. The streets have flooded up to 63 inches and many people can be found swimming or floating on tubes down the formerly cobblestone streets. Other pictures show tourists and parents trying to work their way across the risen tide with either children or luggage in hand. This is apparently a seasonal high water. In most of the pictures people are smiling or look generally unperturbed by the water, even though it is thigh-level for most of them. I found the pictures very interesting and I was actually jealous that some people were able to swim or even canoe in the streets of their city; it’s probably a very rare opportunity.
grace miller
In Response to “Justin Bieber Responds To Overalls Critique”
Apology accepted. First of all I would like to say that I agree with you that it is ridiculous that news like this categorized as the most popular news. Although I say that it is also quite logical. A website like that wants the most viewers it can possibly get so in trying to do that, with the information that computers are most used by kids at hand, yahoo presents that article as the first article that is shown. Even if it is wrong for articles about celebrities to trump articles about social issues that inevitable truth is that many people give a hoot. Being a Justin Bieber fan myself I have to admit an article like this catches my attention.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/making-family-gatherings-stressfree,18487/?ref=autoIn this article, the writers at the Onion post a few tips about how to host a Thanksgiving sans stress. With statements laden with sarcastic wit, they go on to mock all of the stereotypes of Thanksgiving dinner, or any family gathering for that matter. As someone whose relatives live multiple states away, I've never had the experience of a Thanksgiving get together, so I found this article hilarious because really, I have no benchmark for how terrible these meals can be. The fact that the Onion is even able to make jokes about it being that bad leads me to believe that a Thanksgiving get together is something I'm lucky to have been able to avoid, and I think that later in my life I will take their last bullet point of advice to never host Thanksgiving dinner, because quite frankly, it sounds torturous.
My first reaction to this is, "Why is this news?!" I find the fact that this article was one of the top stories on Yahoo to be quite unsettling. There are tremendous amounts of world issues currently, and Yahoo deems this piece more important? I think there's something wrong with that. If Justin Bieber wants to wear overalls to meet the Canadian Prime Minister, then honestly, why should anyone give a hoot? I think this article, and its placement on Yahoo's homepage just goes to show how much mainstream media and online social networking is harming our social environment. Nowadays, we can't go online without being bombarded with stories about celebrities ranging from Bieber, to the Kardashians, to One Direction (even though we all care tremendously about them because they're fabulous in every sense of the word). There's a time and place for everything, and I think that the front page of a popular internet search engine should have more world issue related stories and less on the plague that is "Bieber Fever" (sorry Grace).
On Monday, November 19, 2012 9:45:02 PM UTC-5, orionfarr wrote:http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/16/mars-radiation-levels-tolerable-to-humans/
NASA: Radiation Not A Problem If Humans Decide To Live On Mars
This CNN published article reports that due to a recent compilation of data from the Mars Science Laboratory, or “Curiosity”, have revealed that past recordings of the “deadly” level of surface radiation level on Mars were incorrect and radiation levels on most places on the Red planet are tolerable to humans. This is a great step for the ground-work that is currently being constructed for the first manned-mission to Mars, and greatly increases the feasibility of a permanent station there aswell. Even though the levels on the surface may be acceptable, that doesn’t mean the planet isn’t hostile, with an atmosphere with only 1% of Earth’s density, average temperatures routinely dipping below the -200 mark, and the low gravity will still stop us from going to Mars right now. But the future exploration of the Martian surface may be years closer than the US expected mission around 2030. As a future Martian this is great news for MSL and future NASA or other space programs, and this only proves why more money should be spent on the space agency.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/nov/17/eu-referendum-poll
56% of Britons would vote to quit EU in referendum, poll finds
According to this article from the guardian, more than half the population of the British Isles would rather leave the European Union, rather than staying with it. With the general consensus leaning towards seeing the Union as a bad thing, this could spell disaster for the EU as a whole, since Britain is one of the richest within the Union. Without the British support programs like the European Space Agency and others will risk being defunded or scrapped to cut costs in the already terrible economic climate in Europe. One may relate this drastic majority to the state of some of the countries within the EU, like Greece or Spain. With some countries going in the toilet and dragging the rest down, what will the EU decide to do? Allow Eastern European countries to join? Cut the extra weight countries? In my totally professional opinion, Britain should stay in the Union while getting rid of the problematic countries that they’ve been burning money over, no sense in severing political and economic times over a brief period of hardship.
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katherine...@gmail.com
On Sunday, November 25, 2012 5:07:51 PM UTC-5, isabella.cuan wrote:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/24/opinion/johnson-progress-overlooked/index.html?hpt=us_c2
“We’re living the dream; we just don’t realize it” is an article written by Steven Johnson, a bestselling author. The article analyzes human psychology and the very reasons for which we tend to believe in the negativity of our nation, rather than its ever-growing progress. In an enlightening tone, Johnson educates society about the American psyche in relation to the positives and negatives of 21st century of America. I thought this was a fascinating article because of the inherent truth in his arguments. Characteristically, the American people are complainers; we highlight the areas in which our country has failed. For example, Johnson states that despite the huge decrease in violent crime rates, two-thirds of Americans believe that crime is getting worse, year after year. Unsurprising, he relates this problem to the media, a direct source of distortion in the modern era. Even though the United States has made significant progress over several decades, Johnson makes sure to note that there is still room for improvement: no country can ever be perfect, we can only continue to strive for perfection. It is riveting how so many people believe the country is deteriorating one crisis at a time. Yet, when you look at the big picture, many of us truly have it good.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/11/16/signs-may-have-anxiety-disorder/
This article written by Amanda MacMIllan of Fox News details the symptoms involved with an anxiety disorder. In an extremely informative, yet concise, tone, MacMillan is able to effectively communicate to the reader the warning signs of a disorder. Almost every person experiences anxiety at one point in their life, some more so than others. However, while anxiety may be harmless, it can have a significantly detrimental impact on your physical and mental health as well as your lifestyle. I thought this was a very relevant topic considering the amount of stress many people endure on a daily basis. The victims of these anxiety disorders are not just adults; often, they are students with demanding schedules, during and after school. This article not only allows concerned men and women to educate themselves, but more crucially, it enables them to be proactive about their health and recognize their disorders.
OliviaPasserini
I also found this article refreshing and interesting as opposed to the countless articles on how our generation is the worst yet. However, I do not think that the morals of our generation are any better then those of any other generation. In fact, one could argue that shows like 16 and Pregnant and Jersey Shore are degrading the morals of teens. But on the other hand, parents and teachers have been getting a lot more involved in their kids lives in recent years. It seems that parents are more on top of their kids then ever before and teachers are getting more and more involved in the after school lives of teens. This surely will have a huge impact on how teens morals are formed.
Orion Farr
http://www.theonion.com/articles/42-million-dead-in-bloodiest-black-friday-weekend,30517/
This satirical piece by writers at The Onion hit the nail on the head in their efforts to portray the pandemonium that swept thousands of shopping malls across America this Black Friday. Utilizing over-exaggerations to get their point across, the authors of the article state that, at midnight alone, "...13 million shoppers were reportedly trampled, pummeled, burned, stabbed, shot, lanced, and brutally beaten to death while attempting to participate in early holiday sales events." Not only is this statement absolutely hysterical, it gets the message across that Americans will do anything within their power to buy as much stuff as physically possible, often for the sake of just doing it. I agree with the purpose of this piece, as I believe that Americans need to tone it down in terms of their consumerism.
http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/real-benjamin-buttons-brothers-matthew-michael-clark-aging-193400085.html
As a Benjamin Button enthusiast, I was surprised to see the title of this article, and it got me intrigued to read more. The authors of this piece illustrate a disorder that many Americans probably never have heard of or thought was a mere myth: leukodystrophy. This disorder, as described in the piece, causes the two brothers who have it to age backwards. Although the men physically appear to be two men, their minds become less complex as they age; they literally now fight over monopoly pieces and play with legos. The article is informative; its main purpose is to shed light on a disorder that was likely never thought of before it. Such an article makes me depressed to think of these men and the phenomena that they suffer from.
On Monday, November 19, 2012 9:45:02 PM UTC-5, orionfarr wrote:
http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/16/mars-radiation-levels-tolerable-to-humans/
NASA: Radiation Not A Problem If Humans Decide To Live On Mars
This CNN published article reports that due to a recent compilation of data from the Mars Science Laboratory, or “Curiosity”, have revealed that past recordings of the “deadly” level of surface radiation level on Mars were incorrect and radiation levels on most places on the Red planet are tolerable to humans. This is a great step for the ground-work that is currently being constructed for the first manned-mission to Mars, and greatly increases the feasibility of a permanent station there aswell. Even though the levels on the surface may be acceptable, that doesn’t mean the planet isn’t hostile, with an atmosphere with only 1% of Earth’s density, average temperatures routinely dipping below the -200 mark, and the low gravity will still stop us from going to Mars right now. But the future exploration of the Martian surface may be years closer than the US expected mission around 2030. As a future Martian this is great news for MSL and future NASA or other space programs, and this only proves why more money should be spent on the space agency.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/nov/17/eu-referendum-poll
56% of Britons would vote to quit EU in referendum, poll finds
According to this article from the guardian, more than half the population of the British Isles would rather leave the European Union, rather than staying with it. With the general consensus leaning towards seeing the Union as a bad thing, this could spell disaster for the EU as a whole, since Britain is one of the richest within the Union. Without the British support programs like the European Space Agency and others will risk being defunded or scrapped to cut costs in the already terrible economic climate in Europe. One may relate this drastic majority to the state of some of the countries within the EU, like Greece or Spain. With some countries going in the toilet and dragging the rest down, what will the EU decide to do? Allow Eastern European countries to join? Cut the extra weight countries? In my totally professional opinion, Britain should stay in the Union while getting rid of the problematic countries that they’ve been burning money over, no sense in severing political and economic times over a brief period of hardship.
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grace miller
I think that this article is stupid and irrelevant. To base a percentage on a survey of the students, first of all, is inaccurate. Most kids will lie on things like that or don’t care enough about it to put the time into really answering the questions. Also to base something like moral value on if somebody has cheated on a test or copied someone’s homework in the past year is absolutely ridiculous. Honestly, what student, no matter how ‘moral’ or serious about school they are, has never copied someone else’s homework? I also think its really degrading to any aged person say something like this new generation is a "a small ray of sunshine shining through lots of dark clouds" based on something as stupid as these little surveys. It’s like saying these past years teens have been really bad so we can just not care about them and focus on this new ‘ray of sunshine’.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/08/15030092-after-hurricane-sandy-kills-parents-rutgers-student-must-raise-3-siblings?lite#__utma=238145375.1613310072.1353982786.1353982786.1353982786.1&__utmb=238145375.1.10.1353982786&__utmc=238145375&__utmx=-&__utmz=238145375.1353982786.1.1.utmcsr=nbcnews.com|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/&__utmv=238145375.|8=Earned%20By=msnbc%7Cus%20news=1^12=Landing%20Content=Mixed=1^13=Landing%20Hostname=www.msnbc.msn.com=1^30=Visit%20Type%20to%20Content=Internal%20to%20Mixed=1&__utmk=29970044
This NBC article by Jim Gold captures the effect that Hurricane Sandy had on east coast families. Gold depicts the story of a family of five that lost both it's mother and father to the storm, leaving three children to live on their own. The eldest child, a student from Rutgers, decided to leave college to care for her 14 and 11 year old siblings. Though the manner of this article gives off a depressing tone, it also captures the compassion and bonding of families over personal catastrophes. The 19-year-old daughter, Zoe Everett, in essence became thrust in the positive media light, when she held true to her statement, I now have two goals: caring for and being guardian of my three younger siblings and keeping my family in the house we grew up in." She posted her story to a hurricane relief website, and donations piled in at over $56,000. Instead of keeping all of the money, Everett kept a mere $5,000, what she needed to get by, and then donated the rest back to other families in need. This article is a perfect example of finding positives in the hardships of negatives, and how positive chain reactions can emerge from one compassionate person, and an understanding for the difficulties one is enduring. Singlehandedly, Zoe Everett demonstrated astonishing selflessness, as she considered her family "truly blessed," after losing both her parents, whereas a multitude of people ruthlessly complained at the loss of power.http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/26/15459845-young-people-cheating-a-bit-less-these-days-report-finds?lite#__utma=238145375.1613310072.1353982786.1353982786.1353982786.1&__utmb=238145375.3.10.1353982786&__utmc=238145375&__utmx=-&__utmz=238145375.1353982786.1.1.utmcsr=nbcnews.com|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/&__utmv=238145375.|8=Earned%20By=msnbc%7Cus%20news=1^12=Landing%20Content=Mixed=1^13=Landing%20Hostname=www.msnbc.msn.com=1^30=Visit%20Type%20to%20Content=Internal%20to%20Mixed=1&__utmk=55329512
The article by Vingesh Ramachandran focuses his lens on a different perspective than the seemingly rebellious generation of teens. Among the countless articles about teen drinking, drugs, and crimes, Ramachandrand proves that moral value in the upcoming young adults has been slowly increasing. Surveys have concluded that the level of cheating in schools has gone down from 59% to 51% in one year. Where that is still a high amount of cheating, the optimistic article presents a theory of shifting in parenting, which in turn has caused children to be more in touch with the value in being a person of good character. Describing this as "a small ray of sunshine through dark clouds," it shows progress and hope for an increase in moral value among people.
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Orion Farr
In sports related news, Gene Chizik, the head coach of the Auburn Tigers football team was fired yesterday. Chizik lost every single one of his games in the SEC this year by a more than reasonable margin. And after losing to Alabama by more than three touchdowns, the Presidents at Auburn had enough of his losing streak. Although Coach Chizik lost almost all his games this season, most people forget that he had a national championship less than 28 months ago. Sports writers are saying that Chizik is one of the first coaches ever to be fired less than three years after winning a national championship. After reading this article all about Chizik's teams and there history, I do not think that they should have fired him. It does not make any sense to fire a coach that brought your school a national championship. I believe that this shows a true lack of character in the athletic department of Auburn.Wal-Mart Stores Inc. put some distance Monday between it and the clothing factory in Bangladesh that caught fire over the weekend, killing more than 100 people. More than 100 people were killed and at least 200 were injured as they rushed to escape the factory in Ashulia, police said. This incident involving Wal-Mart, creates a lot of suspiscion over labor laws. I believe that this horrible incident should be investigated deeply, because there are obvious labor laws being broken. For this amount of people to be hurt and killed, the working traditions and hours must have been terrible.--
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stephen.voc
The purpose of this article by writers at The Onion is very clear here: Robert Pattinson needs to play other roles besides those of vampires in order to make a career in the movie industry. With every other series in the world today, Americans will soon grow tired of plot lines that exclusively focus on vampires. Yet Robert Pattinson, as described in this piece, will remain faithful to his undead background. Through sattire, the writers of this piece depict that Pattinson needs to change it up a bit in order to stand a chance against rival actors that are eager to get famous over serious roles that people, besides teenage girls, actually want to see.
On Sunday, November 25, 2012 1:33:12 PM UTC-5, sian.barry wrote:
In this article, Emily Flitter reports on the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy that ravaged though the tri-state area just a couple weeks ago. Her purpose is to provide an update as to what is happening following the storm in the state of New York and inform us about the masses of debris that are building up from the apparent destruction. With shocking statistics, she verifies the reality of what has happened and how “the cleanup job is far from over.” I liked how she opened with a small anecdote that paid tribute to the New York of last summer, filled with beachgoers, sunscreen and umbrellas and then contrasts it with what it is today: an enormous waste collection site. Fortunately, Sparta didn’t fall victim to flooding and the complete destruction of houses as places on the shoreline did. It did leave many of in the dark for days, and this weekend, we had a little scare when a drunk driver hit a poll and knocked the power out once again in my neighborhood. This lead to a series of bad events in my house, such as the fire alarm going off because of the lack of power, which resulted in the fire department showing up to my house, but there was no fire, thank god, so everything turned out alright.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/robert-pattinson-looking-forward-to-taking-on-more,30427/
The authors of the onion most definitely have a wit about them and a great sense of humor. I read this article, thinking it was going to be somewhat serious, but instead, I succumbed to laughing continuously throughout the piece. Although I am a huge Twilight fan and am looking forward to seeing the final movie that will bring the saga to a closure, this article succeeded in making me laugh and seeing the stupidity in something that actually watch. They successfully disguised their humor with a rather serious tone to begin with, however, as the reported statements from Robert Pattinson started to emerge, their satire became grotesquely evident. My favorite line from this article came from Robert Pattinson when he said, “I’d love to challenge myself with more complex, harder-hitting material, maybe a vampire war veteran struggling to return to civilian life, a gay vampire living with AIDS, or a Jewish vampire during the Holocaust.” I loved this article, and it fulfilled its purpose of poking fun at the vampire series Twilight and making the audience, Twilight lovers and haters, laugh.
stephen.voc
On Monday, November 26, 2012 7:41:50 PM UTC-5, merstriolo wrote:
This article talks about Cyber Monday, and how shopping continues online throughout the workday following black Friday. She talks about the benefits and reasons why we shop online, and the mysteries behind the vanishing deals and cookies that result from it. The author suggests that shopping online is a privilege that says, “work can wait,” and invites people to procrastinate and shop to their hearts content. Throughout the article her voice really seems to come through, and she relates herself to the story using, for example, the Star Wars furniture she so desires. This is, for the reader, quite humorous and encouraging, as is the comment about shopping at work to get away from the family. Ultimately, the article makes you face the harsh reality that online shopping, or the internet in general, manipulates data to influence your decisions.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/5yearold-says-sesame-street-has-sucked-since-2010,30432/
This piece, as always in The Onion, is a satirical article, discussing how bad Sesame Street is. The interviewer brings in a five year old boy who believes the show has gone downhill since 2010. The boy says he has struggled to find the “hidden gems” in the show such as the letter P since 2010, and in previous years the production of the show was much better. It makes you think; maybe we don’t need Big Bird after all…
elizabeth.smith.24
After reading about this strange disease I was thoroughly interested but also somewhat worried for these two men and their families. These two brothers were having fairly typical lives- working, married, and with kids, when the wer diagnosed with a Benjamin Button-esque disease where the are beginning to age backwards. After hearing about this strange disease, it makes me wonder if any other "fictional" (read mostly unheard of) diseases are real. I feel extremely bad for these men and the fact that their parents, who probably thought they were done raising kids, once again have to deal with the hardships of raising a child, only this time the child is easily stronger than they are.
elizabeth.smith.24
I agree that this is obviously a rare and surreal opportunity but the fact that the streets are filled with boats, and in return a bunch of pollution must be kept in mind when swimming in the canals of Venice. Having visited the city over the summer, I can easily say that the city, while amazing, does not have water that I would voluntarrily swim in, in fact it can almost be compared to one of the main rivers in the US. The streets of Venice annually flood, but this year seems like an extreme version. I know that the people if Venice don't really have a choice other than to wade though the waters, but I hope that no one tries to do anything stupid to get themselves hurt. Lastly, I hope that people are only swimming in pedestrian areas because the canals are typically quite deep. The flooding is an extreme, yet very cool and rare event, and I have no problems with other people enjoying the rarity, I just hope that everyone tries their best to stay safe.
mdsaba1126
Randy May
I also find it interesting that Venice, I water filled city finally flooded. It makes me wonder if the city has ever flooded before at all with all of its tributaries and rivers almost in the center of the city. Although people are taking advantage of the opportunity to canoe around their city in high water, I can only imagine what kind of damage it has caused thousands of people living in Venice. Also, this may draw more and more tourists to come to the city. People are probably going to be very interested in how that a city that is already basically flooded, some how became even more flooded. I have always wanted to go to Venice, and this, even though it has probably caused many problems, makes me want to go even more.
mdsaba1126
On Monday, November 26, 2012 3:20:53 PM UTC-5, Liz Anderson wrote:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/24/us/politics/with-stickers-a-petition-and-even-a-middle-name-secession-fever-hits-texas.html?ref=politics&_r=0Talk of Secession in TexasThis article is focused on the Texans and their movement to secede from the United States of America. This immediately stuck out to me because of the ridiculous nature of the article at all. The fact that the Texans feel it is necessary to secede simply because of the election of Barack Obama is troublesome. The man was president for four years and you're all still alive, I assure you all that you can survive another term. However, tens of thousands of Texans have signed this petition and are viciously fighting this battle headed by Larry SECEDE Kilgore. It is not to be said that all of Texas hopes to secede, but the numbers are large enough that the Obama administration needs to respond.
jamiemelville1
jamiemelville1
I think Cyber Monday is kind of an ironic example of greed among people, just because it sends people insanely attached to shopping for things even if they may not need it. Just because it is so hyped up and anticipated, people will buy things they don't necessarily need, and Cyber Monday is a great way to avoid the mobbed crowds of Black Friday. It's ironic because it is so close to Thanksgiving (giving thanks for what you have) and then immediately busting down doors to get more. I think most people (me too hehe) are guilty of it, but it's strange how two opposite actions happen so close to one another.