No newspaper, No News

In my Art History class this semester, part of our assignment was to read the New York Times everyday. We would then be randomly quizzed on our knowledge of the current events displayed in the newspaper. I found this at first to be completely irrelevant of Art History, and also, simply unnecessary. However, as I was forced to read the New York Times due to the sake of my grades, I found that I actually enjoyed the reading, and also felt well-informed of the news.

Having just finished my final English paper on the impact of the Internet in political journalism, I learned much about the transforming media. Because of the birth of political blogs and websites, a significantly less number of Americans today use traditional media sources, such as newspapers, magazines, and broadcasting.

Though the Internet would seem to benefit American general education in its convenience and availability, it consequently allows for inaccuracy, decreased focus on political policy, and dangerous partisan division. Unlike this lack of credibility, mainstream media emphasizes heavy editing and concealment of any bias which might inhibit the reader's ability to form opinions of his own.

Though it may be more time-consuming to sit down and sift through the articles of a newspaper, more people would probably have a clue about what is going on in the world today. Not only is it important to remain informed, but a lacking state of public knowledge impairs our society and government. People need to be fully informed of present events, influences, and occurrences, as they effect not only the nation in which we reside, but also our own lives.

The Loss of Love

Only a few days ago, a fourth-year student at the University of Virginia was murdered. She was not killed by some mentally insane psychopath or serial killer, but instead, was strangled by her own drunk boyfriend. The morning on which Yeardly was found dead, the police immediately went to her boyfriend. George Huguely was still asleep, however, and did not have much recollection of the previous night, due to his heavy partake in binge drinking. Although he was not in a clear state of mind, Huguely's actions remain, in that he drunkenly beat and strangled his girlfriend.

As one of my friends attends the University of Virginia, she called me to share with my this tragic and horrifying story. The fellow students, friends, and family of Yeardley Love are all in utter disbelief not only have they lost their loved one, but also how it happened, as alcohol managed to create a killer.

In the story of Yeardley Love, the extreme effects of alcohol is apparent. Though college campuses do reiterate the ways to safely drink alcohol and abstain from binge drinking, people often forget that it even alcohol poisoning is not the only thing that can be dangerous. Alcohol effects a person's judgment and behavior, and as proven at UVA, can completely change a person's actions.

College students today, take an attitude that is often too casual when it comes to binge drinking and alcohol abuse. They think that it is simply a way to have fun and conform to the college "partying" age. Students need to be encouraged to abstain from binge drinking not only for the sake of their safety, but also for the safety of others, in order to avoid dangerous and tragic results, such as the painful loss of Yeardley Love.

Freedom of Anti-American Speech?

Many people today think that the days of the violent hate groups are over since the civil rights resolutions in the 1960s. However, my roommate recently showed this to be far from the facts. A current group that refers to themselves as the Westboro Baptist Church, has created a notorious fame of publicly displaying their prejudices against homosexuality.

The members of this "religion," exhibit their hatred for homosexuals in quite the public manner. With their website titled "God Hates Fags," the Westboro Baptist Church has tried to spread their message to the public. The groups ideology conveys that through tragic events such as September 11th, the killing in combat, and the increase of diseases like AIDS, God is trying to send a message: to terminate homosexuality. Members of the group frequently attend the funerals of American soldiers, in order to reiterate their beliefs that God killed this soldier as punishment for the American army's allowance of gays.

The hate organization also condemns those of the Jewish, Catholic, and some Protestant faiths, professing that Hitler had it right during the Holocaust. The WBC finds that these religions are almost as low as the homosexuals in the mind of God. Unlike these faiths, the WBC believes the sinful nature of American acceptance of diversity to be the central principal.

Upon my initial discovery of this current hatred, I was in complete disbelief. Irrelevant to whether people morally support homosexuality or not, there are no exceptions to this behavior. As lawsuits have been filed against the Westboro Baptist Church, the WBC has legally prevailed, arguing their American right to free speech. However, as this behavior is contradictorily Anti-American, shouldn't their be some type of legal justice?

Facebook Stalking

Recently I found myself having a conversation with a friend after coming back from spring break. While she was telling me all about her vacation, I realized that I creepily already knew all about where she had been due to pictures on Facebook. The more I thought about this, the more I realized how creepy Facebook actually is.

Whether it is wall posts, pictures, or other Facebook applications, our possession of Facebook accounts does indeed take a lot away from our right to privacy. When we upload our latest photo albums publicly displaying where we have been and whom we have been with, it allows basically anyone on the Internet to have intense insight into our lives. Though we can set our privacy settings, Facebook ultimately has ownership over everything we post to it.

While we sometimes may not realize it, when we post pictures or comments on Facebook, we have control over who maybe seeing it. This may not initially seem like a problem, but this has currently developed into a serious issue in the professional world. Now, when we are applying for jobs or scheduling interviews, companies and employers frequently browse Facebook first. When inappropriate pictures or posts bombard potential employees Facebook pages, employers now wave this as an automatic red-flag.

Though it may in some ways infrine on personal privacy, Facebook provides many benefits. It is an awesome way of communication and sharing, but we must remember to take caution in what we display, as is open for all eyes to see.

Internet Diagnosing

As we begin to choose topics for our next English paper, I found the idea of the Internet and its effect on health a particularly interesting subject that had not crossed my mind before. Though doctor visits and check-ups are always important to our health, now it is much easier to research symptoms, browse through treatments, and even diagnose ourselves with the help of the net.

Websites such as WebMD, provide thorough and quality information of all health issues from the common cold to cancer. One can compare symptoms or medicines and create fairly accurate predictions about one’s own health through this wealth of medical information.

In the past, whenever people have stuffy noses or stomachaches, people would run to the doctor. But now, we can simply click a few buttons and find that there is actually no need for emergency care, which in return may help the crowded waiting rooms of the doctor’s office. It also may help detect signs of serious illnesses earlier, when finding that medical treatment should be sought. Who knew the Internet could be our new medical aid?

Fighting At Five?

Throughout the year, I have been working with a ministry in Dallas, helping to tutor and mentor children of families which are less fortunate. I help them with homework, play games with them, and have also helped serve food at snack time. One particular time really struck my attention however.

After snack time, the group of kindergardeners came back to the class room and were very riled up and hyper. They were constantly provoking one another. Not only were the kids especially irritable and aggressive, but also the teacher was absent much of the time and I was left responsible to watch out for the group. All of the sudden two boys, only at the age of five, started to punch each other and yell, while the rest of the class gathered around them, cheering "fight! Fight! Fight!" Since the teacher was still missing, I had to step in and break up the argument.

I have never had to actually intervene and physically pull boys apart from one another during a fight and I don’t really think that as a 19-year-old girl volunteer, the teacher should have left such activities left to me, but it was an interesting experience. It made me feel uncomfortable that kids at only the age of five were already fighting and throwing punches at one another, while the other classmates chanted as if this were normal behavior. This was somewhat disturbing to me, because when children are developing habits like this at such a young age, their future of developing aggressive habits is inevitable.

Yet, we wonder why there is so much violence and crime. If behavior like this is rooted in children at such a young age and fist fights are a normal kindergarten occurrence, I think we need to be taking a little more time and energy on early childhood education, as that is where children learn their habits.

Mornings at Mac's

We've all heard it. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Though I myself am a huge breakfast eater and never go a day without it, many people, especially teenagers, tend to skip breakfast in exchange for a few more last minutes of shut-eye. However, studies have shown that those who consume the nutrition benefits from breakfast do better in school. With the intake of vitamins and protein from breakfast, students have more energy and concentration in class.

Therefore, as a freshman college student, as well as a frequent customer at Mac's Place, I think that Mac's Place should offer the option of breakfast to students. It stays open every night until midnight, but it doesn't open until 11 A.M. everyday. Since college students like to sleep as much as possible, and since three dorms are all very close to Mac's Place in location, I think more students would eat breakfast if it were offered close by. Why not close a few hours earlier at night time in order to open a few hours earlier if it will enhance our learning? I think it is definitely worth it.