Hybrid Cars: Good v. Bad

In my first post, I explained the pros and cons of the hybrid car. It was brought to my attention that the hybrid car may be able to pay itself off along the way. After doing some research, I found this to be true. Some cars will pay off faster than others, but any owner of these vehicles will get their money worth. As stated in an article, Hybrid Cars Pay Off Quicker with Gas Prices High, some brands of these cars can pay themselves off in as few six years, while others may take as long as ten years. The author also goes on to explain how the increase in gas prices makes it easier for hybrid cars to pay off by stating that, "for every $1 increase at the pump, the time to pay off a hybrid's premium falls by about twenty-five percent." Hybrid cars will eventually be paid off, but how long will it take?

Women .vs. Men: Who's Better?

My blog is completely opinionative but states many facts and has proof. I am not saying that women are completely better than men or vice versa. I am saying that women are better than men in many things and vice versa. Apparently men are always thinking about sex while women are searching for emotional exchange, as stated in Advice: Men vs. Women. Women need validation, recognition, affection, and to be loved. Now I'm not saying that men don't need those things too, but are they willing to give women all of those things? And that's where men lack the most at. They fail to realize a woman's needs. They don't know how to be vulnerable.

As said in Do Women or en Lie the Most, women often "lie" in their appearance to be more attractive to men," she explains. "Women do change their appearance to look slimmer; they wear girdles to look slimmer; they wear makeup to hide blemishes; they wear wigs and contact lenses to change the color of their eyes." But men don't just lie to women, they lie to each other too. They lie about the sexual encounters they have women to make them look better. Lying makes them feel like a MAN, when really they make themselves look like fools. Because once the truth comes out, they look embarrassed. Women do the same thing though. I'm not going to just blame it all on men. But men do it the most. Back to my statement "women are better than men", women know when to lie and when not to lie. Which makes us better, in a way, because men often get caught into their lies. LOL. Meaning that women are indeed better at lying. As stated by psychotherapist, Vesta Callender, women are much more careful in their lies. They plan better," Callender notes. "They create a history around the lie, and they try to project into the future what might happen if the he is detected. With a woman, a lie has a beginning, a middle and an end. It's a real entanglement."

Women are also earning more degrees than men in male dominant fields from biology to business as stated in Women Passing Men in Academic Fields. The number of women enrolled in undergraduate classes has grown more than twice as fast as it has for men. Women outnumber men on campus by at least 2 million, and the gap is growing.“You have a large number of women in the administrative work force, and in the past, they were never able to be the managers and the vice presidents,” said Claire Van Ummersen of the American Council on Education. “Now they have those opportunities, and they are taking advantage of them. They can be something other than an administrative assistant.” Now men can't say that women can't do anything that they can do.

Women are also earning more degrees than men in male dominant fields from biology to business as stated in Women Passing Men in Academic Fields. The number of women enrolled in undergraduate classes has grown more than twice as fast as it has for men. Women outnumber men on campus by at least 2 million, and the gap is growing.“You have a large number of women in the administrative work force, and in the past, they were never able to be the managers and the vice presidents,” said Claire Van Ummersen of the American Council on Education. “Now they have those opportunities, and they are taking advantage of them. They can be something other than an administrative assistant.” Now men can't say that women can't do anything that they can do.

World of Dance acceptable outlet for provocative behavior?

Provocative dancing and outfits allowed for tiny dancers? The World of Dance, being an all age group competition allows the girls to show their moves and bodies in front of an audience. The controversial video and outfits were commented on, bringing up the points of those who found very little wrong with the girls and parents actions and also a very valuable point brought up by a comment that was against the outfits of the young girls. Arguments for the rights of the girls include, “the costumes are suppose to relate to what the dance is or the vibe your[e] suppose to receive from the dance, so I think the outfit was a perfect selection for this particular dance.” My point is thus far, both are inappropriate and should not be allowed on the dance floor let alone any other floor the young girls walk or dance. The comments also respond to the choreography taken to make the routine, ‘“The parents of these young dancers have also stated ‘that the girls were not trying to be overly sexual, but instead gotten many of the moves from the Alvin and the Chipmunks kid’s movie that was recently released.’ So should movies like ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.’” The dance number done by the animated characters and the very human girls showed no comparison. The animated chipmunks were very much modest in their dancing and their clothing (for a chipmunk) was nowhere near inappropriate.  

The controversial YouTube video regarding my previous blog is not the only performance danced by the young girls which contain a provocative and more mature nature. The following video was taken at another performance, the girls still wearing provocative outfits and in some means dancing more inappropriate than previously. Quoting a comment from the video responses, “They're am[a]zing dancers but a little inappropriate for their age!” I couldn’t agree more. The girls needless to say can dance but the choice of moves and wardrobe is too mature. A post taken from a blog on the subject states, “And some might argue, myself included, that the over-the-top sexiness of some of the moves (and the costumes) are not only inappropriate for their age but distracting from their talent as well.” If the costumes and “over-the-top” dancing was modified in a more age appropriate level, there would be no controversy in the routine. Who is really to blame though? By all means I believe the parents along with the choreographer, Molly Long, should be fully responsible for their child’s/ student’s actions. Parents as well as dance professionals know what is appropriate for the girls at their age. Another video of such maturity should not be allowed onto the internet! Something must change.

Same Sex Marriage

As in my other blog I talked about how homosexuals should have the right to marry. Although I was unclear in my last blog I still support the fact the people have the right to marry who they want.

In today's society the problem with gays being married is that most people are not comfortable with the idea of same sex marriage. As i was reading an argument one reason that society is uncomfortable with homosexual marriages is the fact that they might recruit. My problem with is if you are not a homosexual then why is society having a big fit over it. I also read that homosexuals do not recruit, because their sexual orientation is inborn. Even homophobes are repressed sexually with the same sex attractions.

Many religions such as Christians, branches of Islam, and Orthodox Judaism are against same sex marriages and others actually favor it. Some religious individuals feel if they allow same sex marriage it would violate their religion. Once again if a certain religion do not like the idea of homosexual marriages then why pay attention to it. It is their business in what they do. They do not necessarily have to get married in a church or temple.

Fast Food and Obese Kids

As explained in my first blog post, fast food has been targeted as being the cause of obesity in society's children for a while now. Though lawsuits against McDonald's and other restaurants have not been successful, they still prove that these places have a big part in this horrible act of obesity in our kids. No the "occasional cheeseburger" is not the cause of obesity in children, but these meals are not occasional anymore. It is becoming their everyday dinner. The process of these meals went from Kid’s Meals to Big Kid's Meals to Value Meals. This goes to show that our children are not even getting full off of “normal kid” servings anymore. An article by Vincent Iannelli, M.D. entitled Childhood Obesity: Who's To Blame explains how fast food plays a big part in children's obesity, but tells how there are others involved. This second party being the family or parents. "Busy and cash-strapped families increasingly rely on take-out food for family dinners," which proves the laziness of the parents. Jennie Murphy, in the article The Super-sizing of America: Are Fast Food chains to Blame for the Nation's Obesity?, tells how these fast food restaurants are "facing fierce competition for customer loyalty" so, they will basically do whatever is necessary to keep the customers coming, no matter the consequence; this consequence results in fat kids. Murphy also said that "the portions served by fast food chains and other restaurants are far larger than the recommended portion size for most foods." So, not only are they consuming unhealthy food, but also large portions of it.

Eating Ethically

Vegetarianism cannot possibly fix our environment, but it’s the easiest and most effective commitment an individual can make. Gidon Eshel, a geophysicist, and Pamela Martin, an assistant professor of geophysics at the University of Chicago, state that “if Americans were to reduce meat consumption by just 20 percent it would be as if we all switched from a standard sedan — a Camry, say — to the ultra-efficient Prius.”

By reducing consumption of meat or abstaining from it entirely, an individual reduces water pollution caused by the cattle and their waste reservoirs and air pollution caused by both the cattle’s’ carbon and methane emissions and the transportation of the meat.

Over seventy percent of the grain grown in the country is used to fuel feedlots. Meat could be considered a weak investment in food production as they are very inefficient. It takes sixteen pounds of grain to grow—let’s admit it, you can hardly call it farming or raising, anymore—one pound of meat. It takes five pounds of wild fish to grow one pound of salmon (and an inferior salmon, at that!). “According to the USDA and the United Nations, using an acre of land to raise cattle for slaughter yields 20 pounds of usable protein. That same acre would yield 356 pounds of protein if soybeans were grown instead”[sic]more than 17 times as much!”

Imaging what we could do with all the grain, land, and water we’d save if we just committed to spending a little more time on dinner—if we just brought ethics to the table.

It’s cheaper to grab a burger and fries on your way home, but it shouldn’t be. Government subsidies favor corn and wheat (both used heavily on feedlots) so they can be sold below production costs and fruit and vegetable farmers aren’t united enough to even ask for government subsidy. If we were to reduce the amount of money given to grain and corn farmers, we could reduce the cost of produce—and supply nutritious food for the poor — and increase the price of “junk food” and meat.

What is Worse than DUI?

In my first blog, I discussed what dangers there are with texting and driving. Statistics were even brought to further show that drinking while driving is not as riskier than texting while driving. Chris is shocked at this fact. However, Mr. Pye does not agree with this fact. Now, my question is are you referring to the standard drinking limit or excessive drinking?

I have continued to read articles on the issue. Articles such as Texting while driving is more dangerous than drink- driving, Is texting while driving really worse than drunk driving?, and Texting and Driving Worse Than Drinking and Driving show that texting while driving is more dangerous than drunk driving. In addition, the video that is provided on the Texting and Driving Worse Than Drinking and Driving further shows why texting and driving is more riskier than drinking while driving. On the video, it uses the legal amount of alcohol to display an accurate presentation of why one act is more dangerous than the other. One article states that it is not more dangerous because the driver does not stay impaired the entire time like a drunk driver does. This statement is true. However, it only takes a second for an accident to occur. Also, if the driver is texting, then he is, more than likely, going to receive a text back. If this occurs, then he is distracted trying to get his phone and reply to the text; therefore, this causes for his distraction time to increase, as well as his reaction. According to Christopher Neiger's article, texting while driving is more riskier mainly because the driver's eyes are not on the road which lowers his ability to react to changes occurring on the highway. Based on the information provided in the articles, I will continue to say that texting while driving is more dangerous than drinking while driving. Furthermore, to discontinue both acts, many laws are being enforced. We are familiar with the D.U.I. laws, so lets focus on the laws that are being enforced about texting and driving.

"The operator of every vehicle, while driving, shall devote their full time and attention to such driving", says the Oklahoma Governor. There are two laws concerning the act of utilizing a cellular device and operating a vehicle. The first law is the primary enforcement cell phone law, and the second law is the secondary enforcement cell phone law. There are differences between the violations of the two laws; however, they have a similar consequences. The law says that the driver can be pulled over and given a ticket. The laws will not immediately stop the act, but hopefully, it ends it sooner than later. Make wise decisions! What would you do to save lives and save money?

Rap turning youth violent?

People may argue that rap music is sending youth in the wrong direction with the sexual and violent lyrics. But, not many know that hip hop/rap music is being used as a therapeutic practice for "high-risk clients." It's called Hip Hop Social Work. It may seem like hip hop and social work wouldn't go together at all, but Lauren Collins, a therapist who has an MSW from Hunter College's Graduate School of Social Work. Collins says, "Hip hop provides a comfortable forum for honest self-examination while helping participants find their way along the path to personal growth." Even though hip hop and rap music is said to be ruining young people's minds and lifestyles, it's also helping people who need that way of expression.

The Seattle Times tells how Fans turn away from rap's violence. Are record sales declining because the public is tired of nasty lyrics? It's possible that parents are tired of their children listening rhymes that make no sense but to set them on the wrong path. Also, how many times can you rap about drugs before it gets old?

Many social disturbings are being blamed on rappers and their songs, as well. Jason Whitlock wrote on AOL that the disruption at the NBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas should give the blame to "hip hop hoodlums". He proceeded to say that the game should be moved out of country for a couple years, to keep the "hoodlums" out and let them find another gathering to ruin. David Banner, a famous rapper with the hit "Like a Pimp," argues that this is the type of music America wants to hear. Should we allow that to be an excuse: America wants to hear about cocaine, weed, sexual addictions, alcohol, and killings. Or is it just that young Americans are hearing it only because that's what "makes them cool."