Week 11 - Let em' watch it!

Television has the potential to affect children in many negative ways. Too much of it can cause children to be obese, act out aggressively, have troubles developing mentally, and even distort their sense of reality. Parents need to regulate the amount of time their children spend watching television, as well as be wary of what sort of television content their children are being exposed to.

However, there could be a ton of other possible explanations why children these days are more obese, aggressive, socially incompetent and so on. Who is to say that television can cause all of this? It sounds a little ridiculous. Children could be more obese these days because of the fast food industry, which is bigger now than it ever was. All that MSG and fat really add up when you eat fast food three or more times a week, which is becoming more and more common for the average American family. As for aggression goes, there have been some studies done that show that there is absolutely no correlation at all between television violence and actual violence in children. The things that children see on television—especially violence—does not affect them to act out aggressively in real life situations. In fact, it has been hypothesized that children who watch more television are actually better off than those who hardly watch any at all. The constant onslaught of new information, pictures, colors etc that television provides actually helps to increase the rate of brain development, thus causing television-viewing children to be more cognitively adept than their average peer.

With all of these positive things that can come from allowing children to watch television, it is a shame that some parents limit its use in the home. Perhaps schools should consider using television more as a means of helping children progress in their education. After all, there are a lot of programs and educational videos on the market that are available for the purpose of educating children. Do you want a super-genius for a child? Try giving television a try, and see for yourself what happens! You won’t be disappointed.

Week 11- It's All Up to You!

If movies, then, can have such an impact on the mind, then is not possible for books to have the very same effect? The answer is they can.
However, many could disagree with this statement. One could argue that it is your choice to allow the images to come to your mind. Not everyone is the same; therefore, certain descriptive words in books can not affect the minds of individuals. It all could depend of the mind of the person who is reading it. If a person has a strong mind and does not allow words and images to penetrate it, then certain descriptions could have no effect upon the mind. It could also be argued that when one is watching a movie, they are seeing live people perform actions. When one is reading a book, they are simply reading black and white words and creating people doing the actions in their minds. So while one is actually seeing something take place in a movie, when they are reading, they are making it up in their heads. It is the difference in seeing something live and having someone describe it to you. It just is not the same. When people see something live, it is possibly easier to remember than if someone just described it to you. A description does not have the same effect upon you than if can see the object before your eyes. People could also argue that if one thinks that the book will affect them, then they do not even have to read the book. What one reads is their choice. They do not have to subject themselves to reading a book they think will have a negative impact on their mind. This assertion, in essence, could all be based upon the choice of the individual; whether the individual is strong minded, or whether they care if what they read may impact them, it is all their choice. One could argue that individual choice is the basis of the effect of books upon the mind. If one chooses to read the book, then chooses to let the images described seep into their minds, then in all reality, it is their fault that the book had such an effect upon their minds. Just remember, what you read and take in is all your choice.

I must assert now, that I don’t believe wholly in this; this is just what others may think of.

With the Internet becoming the dominant site for reading and writing, especially among young people, some scholars predict that eventually only a small "reading class" will ever read novels, book-length nonfiction texts or serious magazines. They agree that reading is a vital skill needed in the 21st century. However many others do not agree with their views, believing instead that basic skills such as the memorization of multiplication tables, long-division algorithm,making change, and state capitals were only useful to past generations because they did not have any handy and speedy way to look them up. They believe that communication is also a basic skill, and once all books are recorded, the Web reads itself [aloud] and every child and adult has a text scanner in his or her cell phone that can read any printed text aloud, they wonder if all those years should still be spent teaching kids phonics. What is the use? If these skills are taught and never used it would be better and more practical to not teach them at all, instead focusing on internet and technology instruction that will be far more useful in the student's lives. They argue that schools are not effective in teaching these skills to students in the classrooms and that the time is wasted on memorizing information that is easily accessible online, leading to redundant and impractical learning inside the classroom.

Week-11 Opposite Day- Campaign Finance Laws Rock My Socks!!!!

Campaign finance laws are bad because they restrict valuable information, are limiting on free speech, and cause a lessening of citizen awareness and lower voting rates. However, without campaign finance laws elections would be mostly controlled by huge mega corporations like Wal-Mart and McDonalds. Campaign Finance Laws such as BCRA (Bipartisan-Campaign Reform Act) control the amount that corporations can donate to candidates. First, these corporations would have a huge amount of power because they would be able to donate so much that they could swarm the air with campaign ads and drown all other opponents out. Second, the politicians would know this so they would constantly be trying buddy up with these big companies, they would vote how they want them to vote and probably even sneak in side favors to give those companies advantages over their competitors. Third, because there would be so much money in politics corruption would skyrocket. Politicians would do anything they can do for extra cash in order to stay on top of super competitive elections. They will be pulling side favors left and right. (No pun intended) These guys will open up the treasury doors to these companies to all gobble up their share of America's money. Worst of all, campaign ads would be covering TV day and night. Because of competitive elections these ads will probably get really negative. It will get so bad that many people will get turned off from politics all together. This will cause even lower voting rates and the power will slip farther and farther to the huge mega corporations. The Supreme Court is on a bad trend in nullifying our valuable campaign finance laws that keep our elections fair. These ruling are on the pretense that these laws hinder "free speech." These laws however do nothing to inhibit speech. They simply regulate money in order to stop corruption. People are still free to say whatever views they want. It is "free" speech so you shouldn't needs loads of money for it. Also even if it was the case that money=speech, both sides have to abide by the same rules. Candidates may be able to buy less campaign ads but his or her opponents will have to abide by those same rules causing no unbalance to elections.
Well that's the opposite of my paper so don't get mad at me if you disagree with some of this stuff.

Week 10

Dear Mom,

I just wanted to write you and thank you for restricting me from watching all kinds of movies. As I have done research I have realized that many factors influence movies and their ratings systems. I have discovered many interesting facts about the effects of watching movies with high ratings. Did you know that people of all ages who watch movies with sexual content, abuse, and drugs have been shown to view rape as a more trivial offense, and dwell more on female victimization. These facts are seen with adults, and not just children and juveniles. This showed me that it doesn’t matter how old or mature you are movies with high ratings can still have a negative effect on you.

Remember those times when I would whine and complain about how I should be able to watch it it’s only PG-13. Well I now realize I was a little off base. In today’s world movies rating from G to PG 13 make four times as much profit as and R-rated movie. This influence movie producers and effects how they adjust there films to try and get them to fit in a lower rating category. A movie rating does not specifically mean it is the same as the last movie you saw with that same rating. Just because a movie is PG-13 does not mean all children 13 and over should watch it. In one of the articles I read it discussed how smoking in movies effects the audience. It showed that the more movies a child or teen had watched with on going smoking throughout the higher the chance of that child or teen ending up being a smoker themselves.

I know that when it comes movies certain things stick out to you more than others. It is scary to realize that even adults can be affected by watching certain films. In today’s world there are more R-rated movies made than G, PG, and PG-13 movies combined. No wonder we are seeing an increase in violence, murder, and robbery’s in todays world. These movies have negative effects on more than just a young audience. Maybe when parents are watching a movie instead of wondering whether or not they will share this film with their children they should consider whether or not they are benefitting from viewing this film.

I thank you mom for keeping me from watching high rated movies, but still allowing me to learn about the problems and negative aspects of those kinds of movies, so I am not completely wrapped up in my own world and unaware of the troubles going on around me. This world is a crazy place, but I don’t have to watch R-rated movies to discover all the problems in the media.

Love Karlee :)

Week 10-Teenage Body Image

To Whom It May Concern:

I’ll be honest; I spend a lot of time watching TV. I enjoy it. I know it is a huge waste of time, but I do it anyway. I even watch the dumb teenager shows, which probably makes it even worse. While watching these shows I have realized something. All the girls on these shows weigh maybe weigh a hundred pounds and most of them probably have breast implants. Watching these shows could easily make young girls feel like they need to look a certain way, which is an almost impossible way to look.

I know people always talk about the fashion industry and how they have tiny models and their airbrushed photos, but it’s been exposed so much that we know those models are anorexic and that those photos usually aren’t how the girl really works. On the TV shows it is very different. This is a real life girl, walking around, attracting all of the dreamy guys that these young teenage girls would want to attract.

I say it’s time to leave the fashion industry alone and start attacking the TV shows. Movies also have tiny actresses that could make any girl feel fat or ugly. Something needs to be done about these real-life dangers to young teenage girls. When a teenage girl sees someone like that on TV, it is very easy for her body image to change and for the girl to not feel very good about herself. If she is not attracting tons of boys, she might feel like it is because she does not look like the skinny girls she sees on TV and in movies. That is when girls start excessive dieting, or even anorexia. They feel worse and worse about themselves and sometimes suffer from depression and start to hurt themselves, because they aren’t who these girls on TV that they think they should be.

I think it is disgusting that we are putting teenage girls through this. They need TV shows that build them up and make them feel beautiful, because every girl is a daughter of our Heavenly Father and she deserves to feel that way.

Week 10- Cell Phone Use

Dear Friend,

I understand that you are in love with your cell phone but did you know that cell phones are responsible for many negative events in our Nation? Our church always preaches that you need moderation in all things and it is no exception when it comes to cell phone use.

Last week when we were in the car and you were texting your friend at the wheel I got a little nervous, not going to lie. Every year thousands of accidents are caused by this distraction at the wheel and the statistics are a little daunting. Take for example that drivers are four times more likely to get in a serious accident when texting and that driving while texting has the same decreased reaction time as being over the blood alcohol limit: those are some scary numbers. I want to live to at least be 30 years old so next time you think of wiping out your phone to text, please don’t do it while I am in the car.

Cell phones surprisingly are a very new invention contrary to your belief. Compared to the telephone which has been around since the 1870’s, cell phones have only been around for the past 20- 30 years. That is a relatively short time. One would not believe that they are so young if you look at how many people are in possession of them today. It is reported over 90% of United States citizens’ age 18-30 own a phone and boy do they love them. In essence a cell phone is an extension of us. It adds a new dimension of communication, instant media access and so many other tools to use and many people are overly obsessed with this luxury. Did you know there is a cell phone and internet rehab center in WA State for people to overcome your addiction? Just a heads up to not become too dependent on your phone, it is only a piece of plastic and metal.

Lastly I would like to let you know that I feel distant from you because of your cell phone. Whenever we hang out you always seem to pull out your phone and text away. I am sitting right next to you and still you neglect that. Face to face interaction is 100x better than texting anyways. At least then you can see the person you are talking to and read body language. Talking on the phone is even a little better than texting too because you can hear voice inflection. All I am saying is using your phone cuts you off from what is happening around you. Don’t get too secluded.

I appreciate you as a friend but please don’t let your cell phone control your life. It is not worth it and can only endanger others or yourself. I am not advising you to get rid of your phone, just use it less.

Sincerely,

Alex Holland

Week 10 - Dear Dad

Dear Dad,

A few weeks ago you sent me a pertinent article about how e-books are taking over the literary world and industry. It sparked my interest, especially since I plan to be heavily involved in the book industry. I decided to write my issues paper on whether e-books are a better alternative to traditional print. Personally, I feel that traditional print is superior for sentimental, personal reasons. But through the course of my research thus far I have concluded that on a technical, individual level e-books are more convenient and effective. Overall, e-books are a better alternative in the academic and professional sphere, as well as preferred by public and library patrons when offered the choice, though there are certain drawbacks involved.

The principal advantage that e-books wield over print is their widespread access to information. An article that analyzes the effect of e-books, “The Future of eBooks? Will Print Disappear? An End-User Perspective ,” points out that print books have to be physically sought out, checked out, bought, kept track of and stored while e-books can be accessed anywhere in the world at anytime. Basically, the affect and access to e-books is limitless. The article goes further to profess e-books invaluable contribution to efficient student and professional research: “With e-books you can find relevant content much faster by searching for keywords. You can use them anytime and everywhere, in contrast to library-provided books, which are often not available when you need them (Springer, 2008).”

On the other hand, print books are still considered the primary source for “cover-to-cover” novel reading and “heavy” literary analysis because they are more manipulatable. Another article titled “Beyond the Web: TEI, The Digital Library, and The Ebook Revolution” describes student’s difficulty in finding a particular chapter when “navigating lengthy Victorian novels.” Margin writing and highlighting are highly praised and helpful tools when digging deep into a work and analyzing it. Also, e-book readers have been criticized for ruining the essential creative format of poetry, in which style and structure are often a crucial component in the work as a whole. But although they have certain limits, e-books still allow for that novel and piece of poetry to be read anywhere and at anytime, and at a cheaper cost.

Sincerely,

Rachel

Week Ten-The Constitution

Dear Daddy,

With the election still hanging over our heads, we need to be thinking of what this means to us. With the new members of the senate, and members of the House, they all will try to make laws to their own judgment. Our Constitution, the very thing that holds our country together will be tested.

Our Founding Fathers had different ideas than the people of today when they were forming the thing that would govern our country. They did not think of gay marriage, abortion, or other things that are in the world today. Now that they are gone, and the constitution does not say something about every issue people think it is outdated.

Some argue that we have to fit the constitution to the lives of the people today. They want the document to be interpreted loosely while others want to interpret it strictly, or use the original intent of the Framers. Just like with this health care thing. The House felt that we needed it, but it was considered unconstitutional to force anyone to buy anything. They use the example of car insurance. If you buy a car, you have to buy insurance. The one thing they leave out is that you don’t have to buy the car in the first place. They are forcing people to buy something which in and of itself is wrong. They think that they are doing this for the good of America, but it still does not make it right. Then there is the order of making a bill a law. With the Health Care Bill the House just voted on the Senate’s bill because they could not combine one to fit both of their needs. They went around the true order of things to get it slid in. The Constitution is barely there in some of the decisions that are being made now a days.

Supreme Court judges are supposed to be nonpartisan, but they all have their personal opinions that come into play when they are making decisions of court cases. People cannot interpret something and have it be okay. They will just end up giving themselves more and more power.

~Kenzie

Week 10 - Children and Television

Dear Parents,

Did you know that your children spend more time with television than with any other in-home activity except sleeping? That is pretty crazy if you ask me. Whatever happened to old fashioned family time? Now-a-days it seems like everyone is always just glued to the tube. That would explain the rising obesity rate among children and teens, though. It is hard to be physically active when you are sitting there staring at a screen. However, obesity is not the only problem that comes from watching too much television. Children who watch too much television can end up not progressing cognitively as they should be. There is a lot of weird, distorted things on television, and children often take those things to be reality. It is actually proven that children can’t tell the difference between reality and fantasy in their younger years of life, thus they just take everything they see to be reality. This can be especially dangerous when it comes to violence on television. Children who watch violence tend to be more aggressive and violent themselves. This in turn inhibits children from forming friendships with their peers, because really, who wants to be friends with someone who beats up on you all the time? I know I don’t.

So now that we have seen some of the effects that come about by too much television use by children, we must ask ourselves: what is to be done? Well, it is my suggestion that it is up to you the parents to stop this madness! You need to take step up and take a greater role of responsibility in protecting your children from the media’s grasp. There are many things you can try. You can limit your children to an hour of television a day, or make sure the things that they are watching are age appropriate. Did you know that they even have this fancy thing called “parental control” with televisions now? Yes that is right, you can actually block channels and moniter what your children are watching electronically! However, I would caution against going to crazy with this, as it is not uncommon for children to just go to their friend’s houses to see what is not available at home. There must be a balance. So I leave it up to you to decide how you are going to save your children from the horrifying effects that television has the power to inflict. Good luck!

Sincerely yours,

Concerned Citizen

Week 10- Censoring of Books

Dear Perry,
As you know, I love to read! The other day something happened that has never happened to me before: I actually had to put down a book! I only put down books if they are too difficult for me to understand, totally un-interesting, or pornographic. In this case, I had to stop because the book I was reading was extremely graphic in its descriptions. That night I found the graphic descriptions popping into my head. I awoke extremely distressed. I decided I wanted to find out if what we read can really affect our minds. So, I went onto the Harold B. Lee Library home page and began to search.
I decided to begin my research with a simple question of what the history of censorship was like. I found that in 1873, the Comstock Act was passed, which outlawed all material that could influence the “tender minded.” But people began to think that censorship was a violation of the first amendment because it was restricting the freedom of the author’s speech.
After finding the background I began to look into the controversy of censorship. It is argued that because life is uncensored, we should not censor books because they introduce children to real life situations. But I also found that when children see people in the movies, they look up to them. Therefore, if the person is engaging in gratuitous sex, the child will think it is okay. But, as a counterargument expressed, if we censor these types of situations, then the person reading, or viewing, will be more likely to experiment with it then if they already knew about it. What they are trying to assert is that ignorance is not always bliss.
As I searched out these things, I found so much more pertaining to censorship in the media. I found evidence both for and against censoring the material we read. I know that what I read did affect me. It has caused me to believe that the only way to get around this problem is to have a rating system like we have for movies. That way, those that want to read the juicy details can, and those of us that don’t, don’t have to! I am truly shocked that it had to come to this, but I am glad I did some research about the problem.
Sincerely,
Amy

Week 10-Body Image

Dear Typical College Girl,

It is extremely sad to me the fact that you are so focused on what the media in magazines perceive as “beautiful.” You are looking at the models who practically starve themselves to look a certain way, and then on top of that, magazines computer enhance certain aspects of these girls so they aren’t even real for the most part. So when you look at magazines and say “I want to look like her,” you are striving to look like someone who doesn’t even exist! A study showed that about 70% of girls feel that magazines affect how they feel about themselves and that they strive to look like them. I don’t think that is very healthy for you to be reading so many magazines and longing to look like the models in them. Often times girls develop eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia because they are trying to obtain the ideal look or weight because of what they see in the media. I find it interesting that back in the 1940’s, Marilyn Monroe was the big idol for teenage girls. She was looked at as the perfect body size and shape. And nowadays she would be considered overweight, because now models and celebrities are stick thin! On the cover of almost every women’s magazine you see some famous celebrity with a seductive face and a skimpy outfit, revealing a flawless body. All the articles in the magazine are about improving your body image and become more beautiful. It is all focused on outer appearance and having the best clothes, hair, makeup, etc. You never see any articles about “discovering your inner beauty.” These days, outer beauty is everything! It is really sad to see this because it is really not all about outer beauty and more and more girls are believing that it is. An experiment showed that the ads shown in these magazines can be broken up into five different categories: beauty products, entertainment, food/beverage, clothing/accessories, and public service announcements. Almost all of those have to do with your body or looks. I just hope that you don’t feel like you have to look like any of these girls in magazines, because as much as the world may say that outer beauty is everything, it is more about your inner beauty and how you feel about yourself. Don’t let a magazine show you how you are supposed to look.

Sincerely,

A Friend

Week 10

Dear Brooke,

Are you still trying to lose weight? If you are, I would highly advise that you avoid any type of advertised diet at all costs—a lot of those diets are mere fads and are not FDA or government approved. You see, many weight loss brand promoters don't really care if you get ripped off. They will do whatever they can to sell their product to you, and they do this mostly through propaganda. Often times, weight loss products you see on TV will leave you with either no results, weight gain, or even an instigation of health problems. Being that some are not approved, any of these will likely be your end product. Fad diets have become exceedingly popular lately. They may restrict you from sugar, carbohydrate, or any other nutrient intake—in case you haven't realized it yet, nutrient deprivation is BAD for you! This is exactly why many weight loss programs are not government approved. The government is not about to support a program that endangers your health and inhibits you from a healthy nutritional intake. That would be absurd.

Also, don't ever fall for a company's menacing attempt to sell you supposedly alternative medications. I have seen magazine advertisements for green tea, which is supposed to cure some sort of medical condition. Although green tea may in deed alleviate pain or reduce severity, it is NOT FDA approved. What I mean by this is, since it is being broadcasted throughout the media as unapproved medication, there is a likely chance the medication is flawed or prone to putting you at risk for an even greater problem. Much like with weight loss advertising, some companies who are wishing to promote strange medications will completely disregard your safety to sell you their product. Many will reinforce this idea by creating an all-sales-final policy. Even if you found the medication to be flawed, there would be no way to retrieve your money. As sad as that may be, this concept is immersing itself throughout society little by little.

Lastly, online pharmacies are a major red flag, as well. These websites, obviously not government approved, may sell you phony or ineffective prescriptions. One helpful hint in determining whether one of these sites is legitimate or not is to look for a government approved label. But even then, it may be difficult to decipher whether a site is fake or real. My hopes are that you are cautious when looking into these types of medical advertisements. I know that online pharmacies and alternative medications won't be an issue for you, but be careful when you are choosing a weight loss program. There are several that may be harmful to your health or that will rip you off. Hopefully you will take my advice on this, and always make sure the advertisements you are looking at are government approved. Good luck!

- Brittany

Week 10 - Music

Dear Buddy,
Guess what? I have a feeling we should talk about the illegal acts of music! Did you know it is very easy for people access illegal music material online? They are relatively easy to find because there are multiple music sharing programs that are called P2P (peer-to-peer) that allow people to access files such as music and photos. In the past couple of years, researchers have found that P2P programs have been downloaded well over a million times through the website cnet.download.com alone. The number of peer-to-peer files downloaded almost tripled during the short time span of three years! This is way interesting huh? Limewire and Morpheus are among the many different software programs that allow users to browse and download any song for free of charge. Remember our buddies back home when they use to download music? Yeah, they can be charged for every song they downloaded illegally, which can add up to quite a hefty fine. Users of these legal programs claim it is a great way to advertise different kinds of songs and a way to enhance listeners in potentially purchasing the song in the mere future. This is something that I found to be really staggering, did you know that every 1 percent that piracy increases in the world, there is a .6 percent decrease in sales for the music industry. Limewire’s true intention is to have people publicly share and view files from others that are not copyrighted, such as photos taken during our vacation trip up to Alaska when it was way cold. But people are being dishonest so they distribute music online to share and exchange songs that could have been otherwise purchased. There is definitely a negative correlation being attributed to these software programs with the increasing trend of music being pirated. Something else that I found out is that people are becoming more and more accustomed to illegal sharing of music. For the past 10 years, there has been a steady incline pattern that is continually rising. Man, think of all that money that could have gone towards the different music companies. They are losing billions of dollars because of this, imagine losing that much money!Well, I guess I'll see you later. We'll have to hang out and talk more about it, and perhaps go to Tucanos!
Your Buddy,
Blake

Week 10

Dear Shanna,

I know that in middle school your social life seems like the most important thing in your life. Everything revolves around your friends. You spend your day with them at school, you text them, and you talk to them and see what they are up to using Facebook. Facebook is fun. You get to talk to you friends, see their pictures, leave messages on your friends’ walls, give birthday shout-outs, and maybe even be “added” as a friend by the cute boy that sits next to you in math. I know first-hand that Facebook is a fun website. But I also know that Facebook can have many negative effects on you. Many people become addicted to Facebook and spend hour after hour pointlessly scanning their News Feed and looking at the profiles of various individuals. Facebook can hurt your social life and people skills if you spend too much time on it. Be sure to interact with your friends in person. Don’t spend your Friday nights chatting to them on Facebook, plan something with them and spend time with them in person. You should have more face-time with your friends than Facebook time with them. You also need to be careful for sexual predators. Never allow people that you don’t know to have access to your information. Keep your profile settings on private and only add people as friends if you know who they are. Also never post information or give out any information that contains where you live or other personal information. I also want you to remember to never post anything on Facebook that you wouldn’t want Mom or Dad to see. Future employers and colleges often access the Facebook profiles of applicants and turn away individuals with offensive or inappropriate content. Also be sure to not participate in cyberbullying in any shape or form. Do not post offensive remarks about people and never threaten anyone, even jokingly. I hope you take my advice seriously and use Facebook cautiously. There is nothing wrong with Facebook, but like all things in life we need to use it wisely and in moderation.

Your Sister,
Nicole

Wek 10-Obesity in Children

Dear Person,
In our American society, we often blame the overconsumption of fatty, greasy foods and processed foods as the biggest contributor to children and adolescent obestiy. However, I think something that is either just as important or even more important to consider is the amount of time children sit and watch TV, and what the advertisements that they see on a daily basis are telling them. Media is greatly affecting the health of children and adolescents; probably alot more than many may think. It's really important to realize that Americans used to be much more active a century ago because there weren't machines that could do everything for them. Now, most American's have a very sedentary lifestyle. The majority of jobs require sitting all day at a desk and kids sit all day in school. Therefore, if most Americans want any real physical activity, they have to be very self-motivated. Research tells that obesity trends have been rising in both children and adults for the pass 30 years. The most recent research suggests that by 2006, close to 15% of all children in the United States were considered obese.

The main reason that people are obese is because energy increase is greater than energy expenditure, meaning that alot more calories are being consumed than are being used. Genetics also plays a role because some people just naturally have metabolisms that are alot slower than others. However this is not what we need to worry about. We need to learn how to keep the intake and expenditure in balance. Research states that T.V. advertising for food probably affects children and adolescents the most because that is when eating habits are developing. Since most children watch television at least once a day, they have frequent exposure to these same advertisements, it affects their food choices, especially in kids that are 2-6 years old. Sometimes I think that parents often look over the fact that their children are really dangerously overweight, and that is what gets them into trouble. Parents need to realize that just because they are their child, doesn't make them any less susceptible to health risks if their child is overweight. Also, if the child is overweight, there is a great chance that one of the parents is overweight as well; because children learn mostly from example.

Basically, what we need to do is create a greater awareness for this problem, and the risks that it entails. Because it is more important to keep our children healthy and ensure them longer lives, than to overlook their problems, and choose to not do anything about their obesity.

Dearest You,

I've always found it entirely interesting that not everyone reads classics like I do. When I was little my mom and dad would take turns reading Dickens and Bronte to my little sisters and I right before bed, as a result I grew up believing that everyone read classics and that it was the normal thing to do. The sad truth is that it is not how it is at all. I remember a specific time in my fourth grade class we were going around the room sharing our favorite stories, when it was my turn I excitedly told everyone about my favorite story of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, only to receive blank looks from my classmates. Since that time I have come to realize that, not only is reading classics becoming increasingly rare, but reading in general has started to decline. The number of people who read for fun has been slowly diminishing over the years. Books are going out of style. In their place are computer games, X-box, Wii, Facebook, Twitter and many other electronical forms of entertainment. As a result, less and less people know who writers like David Henry Thoreau or James Fenimore Cooper are, let alone the books that they wrote. A question that has arisen as a result of this issue is whether the literacy of non-readers is at stake. Do people who focus more on online reading really read at a lower level than those who read traditional books? That's what I am going to find out. I've looked at many different articles and studies that have many interesting points of view and results, but I think I'll wait to keep you updated. I know you're just dying to find out, but I'll have to keep you in suspense for a while longer... at least until I finish the rest of my essay.
Sarah

week 10-Letter

Dear Dude,
I found a ton of stuff about the negative effects of campaign finance laws. So everyone thinks that campaign finance laws, which regulate the quantity of campaign money spent and how it is spent, help to keep out corruption and stop people from being turned away from politicians because of all the negative ads that would arise. This apparently is far from the truth. There has been studies done by people such as the studies from one article I read called “Campaign Advertising and Voter Turnout: New Evidence for a Stimulation Effect” which directly disagree with this premise. Instead of negative ads turning off voters, they found that negative ads actually interest voters. With more ads, especially negative ads, people are more informed, have more opinions and are much more likely to vote. When limits on campaign spending are removed, campaign spending increases. The increase in political advertising which results from this not only causes the previously mentioned effects but also these effects are concentrated on people who would otherwise know little about politics and would be least likely to vote. Most people would say that these are the people who need to be informed the most. It's interesting how these laws limit the very effect they are designed to cause. Just another example politicians bungling around with our society.
Remember how the supreme court overturned BRCA last January? You can't believe the amount of people who are upset about that. It's like they don't know that because of all these regulations regular people and small grassroots organizations are unable to spread their views. They seem to think that it will cause all the big evil companies to control the system where really it's the present laws that are allowing just that. With all these rules no one can really show their support for candidates without savvy lawyers to advise them. The big companies who can afford these are able to easily slip around the rules while regular grassroots organization are being fined by the federal campaign commission left and right. That doesn't even take into account the costs of regulating this stuff. We pay for all these bureaucrats to make sure these people are "playing by the rules." I bet that money could be mush better spent. Hopefully the courts keep fighting these crazy rules and let people bee free to spend their money how they want. Well, I know how you like this stuff, Ill see you at the barbecue.
Later Dude,

McKay Salisbury