War on Obesity

Kids are increasingly becoming more obese.  This is a known fact, and America is attempting to fight back.  The newest strategy?  Banning fast-food ads on TV.  However, not everyone supports such a bold decision.  The Week rounds-up various opinions on the topic in their recent article, but I want to know which one you agree with?

Personally, I think parents should be responsible for making choices related to food, television etc. and not the government.

Foreign Language 101

The United States' college system has always attracted students from countries far and wide.  However, it seems this trend may be on the downfall especially among Indonesian students.  Foreign students are increasingly afraid to venture to the U.S. for college because we live in a post 9-11 world, plus the rising cost and distance from home don't help.  This has sparked an increase in recruitment of these foreign students by our government and agencies.  They lure students in by promising them a visa as long as they are enrolled in school here, and they get the benefit of one of the best educations money can buy.

I think this is a great goal that President Obama has set.  Education is a good thing, and America's collegiate education system is superb.  We should be sharing our success with other people, and hoping that they in turn use their education to do good within their own home countries or within ours.

Talking Quarters

Quarters.  They are a coin most of us handle daily (or used to, before the invention of debit and credit cards).  But, how much do we really know about this historic coin?  For example, have you ever realized that some coins, such as the quater, have ridges but others do not?  It's true.  Ridging coins all started back when money was made of more precious metals.  Ridging acted as a way to deter people from shaving off pieces of the coin and made it harder to counterfeit these valuable coins.  However, this process has never been applied to pennies and nickels because these coins have never been made of what was considered a valuable metal.  So, just how many ridges are on your twenty-five cent piece? 119.

Investigating Journalism

You may or may not have heard of David Protess, a professor at the journalism school at Northwestern University.  For 30 years, he has been behind the Medill Innocence Project, which has freed 12+ prisoners who were wrongly convicted.

However, now the tables have turned, and he is being investigated.  Lawyers are claiming that his and his students' tactics are too deceptive and that there have been cooperation schemes.

Whatever the outcome of this trial, I hope that journalists will still continue to dig for the truth and help to free the innocent.  Journalism is a public service, and we must remember that just reporting the news is not enough, we must dig a little deeper.

Casey Anthony

The Casey Anthony saga continues this week, although the case has finally come to the defense portion.  After a few grueling weeks of prosecution, the defense, it seems, has a lot of ground to cover.  One of the questions facing the defense is whether or not Casey will actually testify.

I remember hearing about this case/the search for Caylee while I was vacationing in Florida a couple of summers ago, and I have followed this case ever since.  I hope that the right decision is reached, no matter what it may be.

One thing is for sure, America is getting ready for this case to be over and decided, so that justice will be served one way or the other.

What are your thoughts on the trial?  Have you been following it?

Happy Belated Centennial Birthday IBM!

Yesterday was IBM's birthday & they turned 100 years old! But, they were not always called International Business Machines.  At their origin, the company was named Computing-Tablet-Recording Company, reflecting a merger of the three companies that formed this new business.  Nonetheless, they have become a powerful force in today's world, and have helped revolutionize technology.

On Loan

Student loans.  Two of the most dreaded words among college students and college graduates.  The cost of college is high these days, and only getting higher.  Even with scholarships, students and families oftentimes still don't have enough money to pay for tuition, books, housing, food, etc.  This results in student loans, which start to stack up quickly.  More colleges are starting to realize the burden of these loans, and are offering help to students for paying back these loans.  These colleges are especially focused on helping students in majors that benefit society, but will result in low salaries.

I'm impressed with the colleges that have these programs.  I personally have a pretty large sum of student loans, and am worried about repaying them.  My dad is a single parent, and even with all my academic scholarships, there is still not enough money.  On top of that, I'm studying journalism, which is not a high-pay career starting out.  Kudos to universities for encouraging students to pursue their passions without having to worry about how exactly they can afford to get ahead.

Facebook Fix

It seems that just about everyone is on Facebook these days.  But, in May, 6 million users defriended themselves from this social media giant.  There are several theories for this decrease in users on Facebook from seasonal variation to being burned out.  Check them out here & let me know which you think is the most plausible.

Head Start

Many states don't require students to attend pre-school or even make pre-school programs mandatory.  However, a long-running study has found that pre-school actually does have beneficial effects.  These effects include employment and delinquency rates, and are especially prominent among disadvantaged children.

I have learned about the positive effects of pre-school effects in many of my classes during college, and it always amazes me how such a simple program can have such a dramatic effect.  Hopefully, schools, daycares and state boards of education will take these results to heart and begin to expand and enhance these programs as well as require free early elementary programs.

QWERTY QUERY

Ever wondered about the history of the keyboard?  From the typewriter to today's touch screen key boards, the keyboard has evolved a lot over the years.  Mental Floss dug into this interesting history today, and even dug up some connections that go beyond the surface.  So here's your chance, learn more about what is really behind our life-saving QWERTY friend.

Bad Dog

Is there such a thing as a bad breed of dog?  According to some, yes.  But in reality, no.  No breed of dog is inherently bad.  Some breeds of dog just get a bad rap because of the way they are trained and used by people.  In addition, some breeds have more natural tendencies that we consider "bad," but these are only triggered when a dog is taught to use them in certain situations or learns to use them over time.  We have to remember that dogs were not always domesticated, and that many of their ancestors are not domesticated.  They can be great, loving, family pets, but not everyone uses their four-legged friend this way, and that's how dogs go bad.

Class Nap

I'll be the first to admit it, college students don't always get enough sleep.  There is so much to do throughout the day, that students often forgo a few hours sleep to get everything done.  Sometimes the fact that there is too much to do is the students fault due to procrastination, but sometimes it is just college.  No matter the reason, getting too little sleep leads to lowered academic performance.  The solution?  Mandatory naps.  Studies have repeatedly shown that 20-30 minute naps during certain times of the day can lead to increased productivity and success.  This is one "class" option that I know I can support!

Good Apple

Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference kicked off today with a keynote address from Steve Jobs.  Included in his address were changes to many of Apple's programs/products/software.  To see a live blog of his address and the Conference click here.

100

Today's news: this is my 100th blog post! Woohoo! Enjoy your weekend!

Ahoy Matey!

The anchor off of Blackbeard's pirate ship has been found off of the coast of North Carolina.  I think this is pretty exciting news because honestly, who doesn't love a good pirate?  Plus, the beach is great especially during the summer months, which have commenced.  Enjoy reading about this little piece of history & enjoy the hopefully beautiful summer weather wherever you may be.

Numbered

Today's story isn't really a news item perse, but it's a piece that comes from Mental Floss.  This article lists and describes 10 important numbers in America.  These numbers range in purpose from gas prices to math class to population.  Check it out, see what you think and maybe learn something.  Enjoy!

Personal Blog

For those of you who want to see the personal side of me: http://sweetteaserendipity.blogspot.com/