research-pinkheart

Posted on April 19, 2023 by pinkheart84

Electronics Are Disturbing Sleep in Teens

Over time, teens have progressed to their electronics becoming an addictive source. Teenagers are forgetting about what is going on and happening in the real world because their eyes are glued to their phones. They are continuously waiting for notifications on their smartphones. Teens use their phones as a distraction from what they really need to be focusing on and they see it as a source to not pay attention. They need to be encouraged to put down their phones and see for themselves what they are missing out on.

Undoubtedly, teenagers have become dependent on their smartphones. Their main source of entertainment is social media and the apps that are built into these devices. It has been recommended from Pediatrics that teenagers should only be on their phones for an estimation of two hours a day. People argue about why teens being on their phones is such a big deal but there are multiple reasons for it. An article that talks about the value of putting down electronics states that teens are “replacing face-to-face communication with text messages and social media.” This quote can show how the constant phone use is becoming a serious problem because teens are barley getting the social interaction they need. An important part of being a teenager is meeting new people, hanging out with your friends, and just enjoying life. These teens are missing out on their life and opportunities because of these addictive devices. Would you rather sit on the phone texting someone about their day or go outside and talk to them face to face?  Teens are unable to see how much of an issue this is until we put it in this harsh way. 

Evidently, reporters have interviewed teens about their obsession with their smartphones, and as it turns out, some teens agree that they are spending way too much time on them. An article that shows evidence of teens agreeing states that, “According to the surveys behind the report, 95 percent of teens aged 13 to 17 say they have a smartphone or access to one, and 45 percent say they are online almost constantly.” The fact that teens are aware of this, makes it easier to help them put their phones down and live in the real world. Does this mean that teens should never use their phone or get time to post on their social media? No, but teens should not have their head buried in their phones at all times. Like stated above, a good two hours a day on the phone is sufficient, teens shouldn’t be constantly scrolling through different sits and platforms because this is how an obsession starts. 

Certainly, phones may be used as a distraction and a coping mechanism. Although the use of technology can be harmful, often times it can be convenient, especially in the world we live in today. People tend to use their phones as a way to deal with stress or other feelings. Some experts say that teens will go onto their phone during the day and scroll through their social media to release their anxiety or depression. These are all accurate reasons to use the phone but when it becomes overused, it becomes an issue. The screen times of high schoolers are skyrocketing as more students are signing up to various social media sites. Could this be because students need a distraction from their work or are they just becoming addicted to the social media platforms? These are bad habits that can come into place. Teens do not want to be obsessed with their phones, especially when trying to juggle school and other activities.

Surly, some teens may not even see that they have an addiction to their smartphones. In an article suggesting that people are unaware if they are addicted to their phones or not, “As well as putting a physical barrier between yourself and whoever you’re with, an obsession with wanting to compulsively check social media, sharing pictures of food, holidays and yourself, can mean you become more connected with your online world than the real one.” Teens may think they are using their phones so much, but they don’t see the problems are come to a concussion about it. Social media has become people sharing their everyday lives that it questions when they even have time to put their phone down.

Social media apps, like TikTok and Snapchat, intentionally implement features to keep users interested in their network. This often leads to an addiction, which is becoming increasingly common in young people. To help teens break the habit of checking their smartphones and using the platforms constantly, there are other ways to communicate and interact with people. The main reason teens use their phones is to interact and see what other people are doing. Activities and sports are a great way to stay busy and also keep in touch with friends and other peers. This can be so much more than a phone distraction but can also show that teens are able to interact with each other face to face rather than texting on devices. These days teenagers are so used to connecting online and posting pictures that they miss out on all of the reality. When they go, they take pictures to show off to other people, or they continue to hide in their phones. 

Ultimately, teens spending an inordinate amount of time on their phones is what leads to this addicting habit of never turning off their phones. Teens have becoming dependent on their devices and use it as a source to get away from their problems. They use interaction on social media to not talk to individuals face to face. They continuously ignore the problem when they know they are spending too much time on their smartphones. Soon enough, teens will realize that they’re wasting their time and not enjoying their life in the real world.  

The internet is a very powerful and impulsive environment for teenagers. Most teenagers find it very difficult to turn off their electronics and not have the internet control them. Sleeping is a very important and necessary act that each person needs in their life. It is the body’s way of getting a reset button or charging through the night. The internet is causing insomnia to teenagers who obsessively use their smartphones. Insomnia disorder is very common in adolescents. Using technology like smartphones, computers, and TV before going to bed can make it extremely hard to fall asleep. This can cause serious issues to teenagers and may overall become a bad habit and sleeping disorder. When technology interferes with our sleep process, it can allow us to lose the sleep we are supposed to have. Teenagers will begin to see an improvement of their energy and how their mind is if they get a good night’s sleep.

One thing to remember, the usage of phones before bed can make your brain think of so many other things rather than sleep. Some teens may admit that they have issues falling asleep at night but will refuse to say that social media is the cause of it. An article was written by Fran Molloy, who is an author and journalist. She mentions the issues that can be caused by overusing technology at night and the affect it has on people’s brains. Fran Molloy interviewed sleep specialists to receive their thoughts and opinions on this topic. She brings in a doctor’s point of view, Dr. Wayne Warburton, who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology. He states that, “using mobile phones in bed sends ‘mixed messages’ to your brain.” This simply can be the reason why most people’s brains are so stimulated and not relaxed after bed. For the most part, social media is not allowing people to receive the rest that they need because they are so addicted to their smartphones. Teens will need to understand the consequences of not receiving enough sleep because eventually this will severely affect their brain.

In particular, internet use before bed will cause lack of sleep and can turn into insomnia. This is a common sleep disorder that will make it hard for someone to fall asleep or stay asleep. Jean Twenge is a psychologist who advocates for teens to use less technology and believes it is draining for these young people. She complicates the matter further when she writes, “In just the four years from 2012 to 2015, 22 percent more teens failed to get seven hours of sleep. The increase is suspiciously timed, once again starting around when most teens got a smartphone.” This shows that once teens are old enough to receive unlimited technology access, their sleep time begins to decrease. Teens would rather scroll through their social media and stay up texting their friends, rather than get a good night’s rest.

Similarly, the internet is creating an obsessive and reliable place for teens to distract themselves with. Twenge actually started doing interviews with teenagers to see how deep this theory really was. Come to find out, most teens “checked social media right before they went to sleep, and reached for their phone as soon as they woke up in the morning.” This clearly means that teens are limiting their sleep and using their smartphones as an obsessive comfort source by constantly checking their media and scrolling through multiple apps and platforms. When a person is keeping their phone next to them or on them while they sleep, it may cause lack of sleep because this is a constant distraction. According to Twenge, “Nearly all slept with their phone, putting it under their pillow, on the mattress, or at the very least within arm’s reach of the bed.” Twenge believes the teens that were interviewed are obsessed with their phones and that those who sleep with it after using it see it as a sort of “comfort”. Initially this will cause bad habits and insomnia to people who continue to overuse their phone at night.

Furthermore, teens are deeply attached to their electronics and can seriously damage their sleep schedules. Insomnia is not something that teens should have to experience or go through. Nowadays teens are using their phones like crazy and becoming dependent on it. Sarah Rose Cavanagh is a psychologist and author who talks about the significance of teens separating themselves from their smartphones. She states, “Yes, we should put down our phones once in a while and take a walk in the damn woods.” This quote is a perfect example to show that not only is staring at a screen before bed genuinely unhealthy but if teens would get the sleep they need, they would be a lot more energized and able to do different things rather than staring at their smartphones all day and night.

There is no question that technology is ruining sleep for many people. The internet is a very arguable topic because people don’t want to give up their electronics. Insomnia affects not only the mind, but also our bodies in all different ways. In this generation, and many others, teenagers have become fixated on using social media and the internet before bed. For most of them, it is already a habit that they don’t even realize they’re doing. The constant notifications, buzzes, alerts, and other noises from the phone is a huge distraction when lying in bed trying to fall asleep. And with that, people will want to check their phones after ever noise which will be nonstop, and this can be deeply disrupting the time that they have to sleep. Social media and the internet itself are shown to be a struggle for people to let go of. Good sleep habits can help prevent insomnia, but those who stay up late on the internet will see that the lack of sleep is only hurting themselves.

Morning tends to come up before teens have even fallen asleep because they stay up so late at night on their phones. This means that teens stay up most of the night on their phones when their parents think they are sleeping. Sleep is the condition with which each of us is familiar from the very first hours of our lives. Sleep is essential for humans, especially teenagers because it is needed for our body and brain. Sleep is rest that is needed to restore the energy of brain cells after being awake. It is a physiological need of the body, which appears to be a deep protective inhibition, that prevents fatigue and can deplete the nerve cells. Sleep is one of the most important things as a human being. When teenagers refuse to put sleep first, it only hurts themselves. Sleep is something that needs to be taken seriously and the phones need to be put away before all teens become sleep deprived because of it.

Teenagers have becoming so addicted to their phones at night that it is affecting their sleep schedule. Some teens may even receive sleep deprivation from staring at the screens for so long. Sleep deprivation can have serious consequences for teens. It is a term often used to describe sleeplessness or lack of sleep. Teenagers suffer through this the most because they have a tendency to be addicted to their phones at night. An article shows how one of the consequences teens go through because of using social media at night is sleep deprivation. That same article states that, “In our analyses, we found that teens who spent more time online and on social media were more likely to sleep less. Time spent watching television had a much weaker link to fewer hours of sleep, and teens who spent more time with their friends in person or on sports or exercise actually slept more.” This quote explicitly shows how the teens that are consistently checking their social media at night are the ones who are becoming sleep deprived. Looking at texts and scrolling through all different platforms at night, is what leads to disturbed sleep. 

Do teens have trouble getting to sleep or sleep fitfully because their brains are busy processing the mixed signals of social media? Social media is an addictive platform that allows people to share their thoughts, information, and ideas. It is mostly videos, posts, pictures, and texts that people scroll through at night. It also contains personal information that people find intriguing. The brain is completely busy with all of the information it is bombarded with at night that it has no time to relax. The whole point of sleep is to rest your brain and body so that the next day it is refreshed and ready. Having trouble sleeping is very common for teens because they have become addicted to their phones. When teens are constantly looking at their phones and taking in all of this new information on the social media platforms, it is very distracting and hard for the brain to relax. 

Do teens sleep less soundly because their active brains are never calm enough for REM sleep? REM sleep stands for rapid eye movement. As stated in an article about REM sleep, “REM sleep plays an important role in brain development as well as other functions including mood, dreaming, and memory.” This shows how not having REM sleep will affect multiple parts in the brain. REM sleep also helps to ensure better mental concentration and mood regulation, which are two things that are important to your daily work performance and quality of life. During REM sleep, your eyes move rapidly behind your closed eyes, your heart rate speeds up, and your breathing becomes irregular. Rem sleep can cause a teenager’s brain to be less calm especially if they were actively on their phones for half the night and not actually sleeping. An article showing reports on sleep states, “Increased new media screen time may be involved in the recent increases (from 35% to 41% and from 37% to 43%) in short sleep among adolescents. Public health interventions should consider electronic device use as a target of intervention to improve adolescent health.” This is a prime example on how phones cause teens to lose sleep. Being deprived of REM sleep interferes with memory formation. However, memory problems associated with a loss of REM sleep could be due to overall sleep disruption, since those often occur together. Not having a sufficient sleep schedule and staying awake on the internet all night will also affect the REM sleep. An article states that, “following a sleep schedule can help maximize the amount of quality sleep, including REM sleep, that you get each night.” Not receiving REM sleep can be the reason that teens are sleeping less soundly because the brain cannot function and have REM sleep with the constant phone use at night.  

Does the alertness to possible notifications change the value of sleep for teens who are more interested in staying in touch overnight than being asleep? Notifications are the texts, emails, or calls that you receive on your phone. These notifications let you know what’s new, what you missed, or any other news. People will want to check their phones after ever noise which will be nonstop, and this can be deeply disrupting the time that they have to sleep. When people are ready for bed, they may stay alert in case of any upcoming notifications that may buzz throughout the night. This can be something that disrupts sleep because it does not allow our brain to fully relax or for you to be fully asleep. An article mentions, “It is not uncommon for notifications and alerts to arrive on your iPhone as you hit the bed for a sound sleep. These frequent text messages, apps, or email notifications can also affect your sleeping habits. That’s simply because we tend to check these notifications out of curiosity instead of avoiding them.” Because teens are so nosy and concerned for their notifications, they will jump up to check their iPhone while supposed to be sleeping. This is a major problem and the continuous notifications, buzzes, alerts, and other noises from the phone will continue to be a gigantic distraction when trying to fall asleep and will make teens sleep deprived. 

References

Molloy, Fran. (2019, April). Do mobile phones affect your sleep? The Lighthouse. https://lighthouse.mq.edu.au/article/please-explain/do-mobile-phones-affect-your-sleep

Twenge, J. (2017, September). Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/

Cavanagh, S.R (2017, August). No, Smartphones are Not Destroying a Generation. Psychology Today.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/once-more-feeling/201708/no-smartphones-are-not-destroying-generation

Mortin, A. (2021, March). How Much Should You Limit Kids’ Screen Time and Electronics Use? Verywellfamily. https://www.verywellfamily.com/american-academy-pediatrics-screen-time-guidelines-1094883#:

Eng, J. (2019, November). Teens Agree — They Spend Too Much Time On Phones. ParentsTogether. https://parents-together.org/teens-agree-they-spend-too-much-time-on-phones/

Preston, M. (2021, December). Am I Addicted To My Phone? Delamere. https://delamere.com/blog/am-i-addicted-to-my-phone

Twenge, J. (2017, October). Teens are sleeping less. Why? Smartphones. PBS WHYY. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/analysis-teens-are-sleeping-less-why-smartphones

Stibich, M. (2022, November). What Is REM Sleep?. verywellmind. https://www.verywellmind.com/understanding-dreams-2224258

Agarwal, M. (2023, February). How to Automatically Silence Notifications on iPhone At Night. WebTrickz.  https://webtrickz.com/silence-iphone-notifications-at-night/

Twenge, J. (2017, April). Decreases in self-reported sleep duration among U.S. adolescents 2009–2015 and association with new media screen time. ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389945717303507

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Research — Shazammm

Posted on April 19, 2023 by Samantha Szumloz

Theater and the Child

As someone who grew up performing in school plays, musicals, and choir concerts, it is impossible for me to imagine learning in an educational setting where the performing arts is absent. My high school’s drama club was the only thing that made me want to wake up in the morning and attend class, because it was the place where I could express myself the way I knew best: through acting, singing, and dancing. Calculus or gym class most certainly did not inspire me to come out of my shell, and I can say the same for many of my musically-inclined friends. The performing arts is my life. If my high school did not have a drama department, I would have lacked the creative outlet I depended on most to socially and academically thrive. In short, my mental health would have suffered immensely.

In the article “A symphony within: Frequent participation in performing arts predicts higher positive mental health in young adults,” Eryn Block, Mitchell Wong, Sheryl Kataoka, and Frederick Zimmerman writes, “During young adulthood, childhood passions often give way to higher education and career goals; yet these childhood passions, such as art, may be important to prioritize for mental health… Creative activities have been used for managing depression, anxiety, stress, and mental distress related to chronic illness and trauma, and for promoting positive emotions, social connection, and self-efficacy for people with mental illness.” Of course, not all young people utilize the arts for psychological purposes. However, for those who do, it is safe to say that taking away artistic opportunities would damage their mental health. 

Perhaps one of the greatest benefactors to the performing arts in education is the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, or NCLB. This is a bill that aims to improve the academic success of children in primary and secondary schools through standardized testing. It additionally requires teachers to meet “higher standards for certification” and accommodates subordinated youth by raising their test scores.” In simple terms, it holds schools accountable for the success of their students and assures the public that Congress will do everything they can to provide the best education possible for American children. 

How does this act positively impact the performing arts in schools? It provides students with the resources they need to thrive academically, including theater opportunities. In the article No Subject Left Behind, the authors place a huge emphasis on “scientifically based research” as a part of the No Child Left Behind Act, which incorporates three points: “Defining what constitutes acceptable “scientifically based” research for the purposes of administering our educational system,” “Encouraging and instituting research in arts education activities and programs that meets the procedural definition of acceptable research,” and “Working to ensure that, as a practical matter, important information regarding the real-world growth and development of American children is not excluded from the decision-making process because it has not been collected or formulated in terms of “scientifically based research.” The second point is extremely important to note because it supports the exploration of arts education as a whole, promoting theater departments within educational settings and highlighting the significance of the arts as academic subjects. 

From what I have observed as a teenager growing up in the public school system, all children have some sort of activity outside of school that helps them rewind and express who they are as blossoming individuals. Some students participate in sports, others draw or paint. Some even write stories and poetry. No matter what young people do in their freetime, it is vital for adults to acknowledge their interests and allow them to pursue their interests. As long as their hobbies do not cause harm to themselves or others, of course. 

The performing arts, in fact, is an umbrella term that shelters numerous pursuits – dancing, singing, and acting being the big three. If one were to think about it, the performing arts is a major factor that arouses joy and camaraderie within educational settings. Take high school cheerleading, for example. The activity consists mainly of dancing and chanting. Without the performing arts, what would make of cheerleading? In particular, what would make of high school sports? The games would be less exciting without the cheerleaders cheering the players on. The same goes for merely presenting a project in front of a classroom or reading a play out loud in English class. Both acts incorporate elements of acting, for they involve swaying audiences through speech.

The performing arts affect what students see and do in school more than we know. That is why taking away theater programs would cause catastrophe for the “full child.” In other words, for all children. Not just those who call themselves “theater kids.” If school administrations refuse to fund for or support their theater programs, that means they do not view the performing arts as valuable in the academic world and, most importantly, for children.  

What “anti-performing arts” adults do not understand is that theater arts can actually boost communication skills and self-confidence among kids. In the article “Involvement in the Arts and Human Development: General Involvement and Intensive Involvement In Music and Theatre Arts,” by James Catterall, Richard Chapleau, and John Iwanaga, they write about the benefits of kids participating in theater-related activities, quoting Tony Jackson and Dorothy Heathcote, “Children learn about the art form as well as about other more instrumental ends related to personal or social development. Among the latter, Jackson enumerates learning about, ‘group interaction, discipline, language usage, self esteem, and movement skills.’ Heathcote reminds us also that drama provides situations where we can or must put ourselves into the place of another; thus empathy for others is a possible or likely outcome of the dramatic experience” {1999, paragraph 41}.

It is additionally proven that participating in theater-related activities has the potential to enhance reading skills. Catterall, Chapleau, and Iwanaga compares the reading proficiency of theater kids and non-theater kids, “The involved students outscored the non involved students as of 8th grade; both groups gain skill as they proceed through high school; and the difference favoring students involved in theatre grows steadily to where nearly 20 percent more are reading at high proficiency by grade 12… This seems reasonable in that students involved in drama and theatre, according to our definition of intensive involvement, probably spend time reading and learning lines as actors, and possibly reading to carry out research on characters and their settings. In any case, theatre is a language-rich environment and actively engages students with issues of language” {1999, paragraph 47}. 

With theater opportunities accessible in schools, children have the chance to exercise their communication and language prowesses. The more they expose themselves to activities like performing, the more confident they will feel in their skin. 

To be clear, however, a child’s success in socializing or performing well at school does not depend solely on the theater arts. There are an array of creative activities out there that are healthy and beneficial for children to partake in. Also, every child’s interests are different. However, the theater is a phenomenal place to be a part of. Taking away theater opportunities in schools would also be depriving kids of chances to improve their social skills and self-confidence. The less opportunities they have to work on themselves, the slower it is for them to mature into young adults. 

According to the book “Social Skills of Children and Adolescents,” by Kenneth Merrell and Gretchen Gimpel, there are five common dimensions that form the concept of social skills: peer relations, self-management, academic, compliance, and assertion. I would like to highlight the importance of peer relations in terms of socialization. Merrel and Gimpel define this dimension as appearing “to be dominated by social skills that reflect a child or youth who is positive with his or her peers. Such skills as complimenting or praising others, offering help or assistance, and inviting others to play or interact appear to describe this dimension well” {1998, pg. 12}. It also incorporates the following: “social interaction, prosocial, interpersonal, peer preferred social behavior, empathy, social participation, sociability-leadership, peer reinforcement, general, and peer sociability” {1998, pg. 12}. 

There is a distinct connection between theater and peer relationships. In the article “The Impact of Participation in Performing Arts on Adolescent Health and Behaviour: A Systematic Review of the Literature,” by Norma Daykin, Judy Orme, David Evans, Debra Salmon, with, Malcolm McEachran and Sarah Brain, they detail one case study in particular about the performing arts helping with social skills, “The impact of drama interventions on social skills and interaction was explored in a mixed methods study by Walsh-Bowers and Basso (1999). This study focused on two drama interventions with seventh grade children in elementary schools in Ontario, Canada. The first of these involved 24 students at a rural elementary school in a class of 33 who with their parents agreed to take part in a 15-week drama intervention. This group was compared with a class in a smaller school in the region, which did not receive the drama programme… The quantitative data yielded ambiguous results. However, significant improvements in parent rating of social skills were reported in the intervention group over the comparison group” {2008, pg. 257}. 

In short, theater-related activities produce stronger peer relationships among children and, overall, healthy, well-rounded students. 

It has been proven over the past decades that theater is a beneficial instrument to helping kids reach their full potential in classrooms and social settings. However, there are still school boards in America that do not prioritize the arts in academia. Instead, they evaluate children on their standardized test scores rather than their participation in extracurricular activities. In lieu of assessing raw talent and social skills, school boards analyze their students’ abilities to solve strenuous math problems, or pick out complex themes from old texts in a short amount of time. Things that put students under immense pressure. 

From 2002 to 2015, the No Child Left Behind Act {NCLB} implemented this practice in schools. Its goal, according to Andrew M.I. Lee, “was to provide more education opportunities for students. It focused on four key groups: students in poverty, students of color, students receiving special education services, and those who speak and understand limited or no English… NCLB held schools accountable for how kids learn and achieve. It did this through annual testing, reporting, improvement targets, and penalties for schools. These changes made NCLB controversial, but they also forced schools to focus on disadvantaged kids.” 

The act came to a close in 2015 when a new law called the Every Student Succeeds Act {ESSA} entered the picture, which is still in effect today. But it still encourages schools to test their students on math and reading capabilities. Lee writes, “The Every Student Succeeds Act responds to some of the key criticisms of NCLB. One is that NCLB relied too much on standardized tests. Another is that schools faced harsh penalties when all of their students weren’t on track to reach proficiency on state tests. At the same time, the new law keeps some aspects of No Child Left Behind. For example, states are still required to report on the progress of traditionally underserved kids. This includes kids in special education… States still have to test students in reading and math once a year in grades 3 through 8, as well as once in high school.” So, even though schools are still testing kids, the procedure is not as played up as it used to be.  

Do not get me wrong, though. Standardized testing does assist the academic needs of children in some capacity. For example, test scores help educators identify struggling students, allowing them to properly assess their needs and make accommodations for them if necessary. Test scores are also used to distinguish advanced students from the student body, permitting them to learn at their desired pace. And just like what Lee wrote, standardized testing provides support for disadvantaged youth and kids with special needs. So the practice does have some perks. Especially now that the NCLB has been replaced with the ESSA. 

Still, there are some educators and parents who put too much pressure on their students to succeed on standardized tests. And not because their health will benefit from it, either. Adults have turned the process of standardized testing into a competition between schools. I took part in this “competition” when I was in secondary school, myself. Teachers would dedicate an entire day to go over the material on the tests – material that did not pertain to the curriculum whatsoever. My friends’ parents would force their children to solve nonsensical math problems in hopes that they would achieve a high score, hopefully, recognition from the school. My middle school even had a banner displayed outside the building that boasted about the student body’s overall test score. 

In other words, many educators and parents have warped the definition of standardized testing for kids. They view the practice as a means of showing off their childrens’ intellectual capabilities. Not necessarily to better understand their needs in school. Personally, this is one of many reasons why children have so much anxiety. Too much anxiety and pressure can lead to a disruption in artistic creativity. Especially for those who find comfort in artistic pursuits such as drawing, painting, and performing. Too much public focus on standardized testing and non-creative subjects can blind people from other areas in academia such as the arts. 

Therefore, how should school boards go about this issue? Teachers should understand that most children learn differently. That means there are some students who are stronger than others in certain areas of study. For them to prove their understanding, they must be accommodating to those struggling. Even if that means giving them extra time on tests, showing them new methods of solving problems/answering questions, and providing additional help if need be. Educators must also show support and interest in their students’ passions. That way, children can feel seen for who they truly are rather than their test scores. This goes for parental figures, too. 

Teachers should also always prioritize their actual coursework first rather than the standardized tests. That way, the learning environment will feel like a space of progression rather than a massive study session with no mercy. According to Lee, the ESSA basically states that “under the new law, states may now consider more than just student test scores when evaluating schools. In fact, they must come up with at least one other measure. Other measures might include things like school safety and access to advanced coursework. But student performance is still the most important measure under the law.” Teachers must look at student performance in the classroom first. They cannot merely go by test scores, for many students struggle with tests in general.  

Schools should additionally stop putting so much stress on standardized testing. Yes, it is a helpful thing to have to check the progress of students., and they should try their best on those tests. However, standardized testing, like I said before, should not be a competition as to who is more advanced or whatnot. So, if schools treat it less like a sport, the more students will be able to breathe. It will also allow them to explore their fields of interests more freely.  

References

Duignan, Brian, Jeanette, N.L., The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. {2008, September}. No Child Left Behind. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/No-Child-Left-Behind-Act

Block, E.P., Wong, M.D., Kataoka, S.H., Zimmerman, F.J. {2022 January}. A symphony within: Frequent participation in performing arts predicts higher positive mental health in young adults. Elsevier. https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0277953621009473?token=40F400BA9F2CC4C36A1EE2533D3B7C418CFFB5F301D8FF87A2BFA7046FCF6A319AF709D75C3087B59A9A315C558818B7&originRegion=us-east-1&originCreation=20230306162421

No Subject Left Behind A Guide to Arts Education Opportunities in the 2001 NCLB Act. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2023, from https://www.americansforthearts.org/sites/default/files/pdf/get_involved/advocacy/no_subject_left_behind.pdf

Click to access Involvement-in-the-Arts-and-Human-Development.pdf

https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=weEBAwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=importance+of+social+skills+in+kids&ots=LbIEfeL_iM&sig=Dh3n11sOmP6U9IDw7XCq3UVswzY#v=onepage&q=importance%20of%20social%20skills%20in%20kids&f=false

file:///Users/samanthaszumloz/Downloads/The_Impact_of_Participation_in_Performing_Arts_on_.pdf

Lee, Andrew. {date unknown}. “What is No Child Left Behind (NCLB)?”  Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/no-child-left-behind-nclb-what-you-need-to-know

Lee, Andrew. {December 10, 2015}. “No Child Left Behind Comes to an End With the Passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act.” Understood.  https://www.understood.org/en/articles/no-child-left-behind-comes-to-an-end-with-the-passage-of-the-every-student-succeeds-act

Klein, Alyson. {March 31, 2016}. “The Every Student Succeeds Act: An ESSA Overview.” Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/the-every-student-succeeds-act-an-essa-overview/2016/03

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Research – Giants

Posted on April 19, 2023 by giants19

Seatbelts Are Unsafe

Seatbelts are widely considered a great thing for society that save many lives every year, and I wouldn’t argue that they definitely do save a lot of people when used correctly. That being said, while some people believe that they are safe and can save lives in the event of an accident, others argue that they can cause serious injuries and even death in certain cases. When thought is put into it in an abstract way, one will come to understand that seatbelts often times lower peoples inhibitions and makes them less prepared for collision. For this reason, it is not a completely absurd idea to suggest that seatbelts really no not do all that much to prevent risk, and risk often results in danger. Additionally, seatbelts cause people to drive more erratically and pose more of a danger to themselves and others. This whole argument really boils down to how somebody would define the word “risk”, as some people have different definitions than others. For that reason, for the sake of this argument I believe it is important that we understand and potentially reconsider what risk means for most people.

Risk is generally defined as a chance or possibility of danger, loss, or injury. Typically, risk is bad. Risk is something that somebody want to avoid as much as they possibly can when driving; which is exactly why seatbelts are dangerous. Once one feels safe, they lose their regard for their own safety, and therefore, are at a larger risk for danger. A drivers job is obviously to get from point A to point B with as little risk of danger as possible to themself and their passengers. In doing so, the driver wouldn’t want anything that would make them lose their sense of protection or to lower their ability to react. Humans are intrinsically protective of themselves when they are vulnerable. Taking this vulnerability away causes many people to become less focused, more easily distracted, and most importantly, more at risk. At the end of the day, risk is something that most people go out of their way to avoid, but the truth is that there are a lot of hidden risks in this world. Nobody would assume at first glance that wearing a seatbelt may pose more of a risk to somebody than driving without one, but the correct answer is not always the first one that appears. That being said, while risk is not always avoidable, I would prefer to always have the best chance instinctually to make the decisions or the maneuvers to keep myself and my passengers safe. When we break down what risk is, by its definition, we see that seatbelts cause drivers of vehicles a greater deal of risk than not having one because they give drivers a false sense of security.

A study was recently conducted in Kuwait testing what exactly it was that resulted in collisions on the road, it was found that a vast majority of the accidents were a result of human error, which can be attributed to losing ones sense of safety and becoming distracted. “The relationship between factors that contribute to human error and road transport accident also determined. Data were collected from 80 respondents. Plus, observational technique was conducted at two roads chosen in Pahang and Terengganu. The questionnaire results concluded that there had association between factors that contribute to human error and road transport accident.” (Adibah) This study shows us that human nature will always triumph over human invention. At the end of the day, that is what this argument boils down to. Those that are more willing to place their faith in their intrinsic human instincts than a man made machine will agree that wearing a seatbelt can present somebody with a greater risk than not wearing one.

In one instance, a 49-year old man with no underlying medical illness was killed when he got into an accident and his seatbelt compressed against his neck. The ironic thing about it is that if that man lived, he would probably be so very grateful that he wore that seatbelt. Who wouldn’t be initially? At first glance, it is the seatbelt that saved them. At a closer glance, however, one can see that wearing the seatbelt caused them a much greater deal of risk than if they were without one. This is not even just seen in collisions of lower power/damage, as the man who was killed by his seatbelt when he would have otherwise been perfectly fine without one, was driving 110 kilometers per hour. Getting in a crash at 110 kilometers per hour was not enough to kill him, but the unpredictability and uncertain risk of his seatbelt certainly was. The one true way to truly mitigate day-by-day risk would be to begin driving without a seatbelt. In my opinion, if we limit our risk, we increase our safety, and as I have explained, not wearing a seatbelt is the ultimate way to limit risk while driving. Following that process, the safest way for somebody to get from point A to point B would be without a seatbelt, rather than with one.

Another thing to note is how much somebodies risk of dying or getting injured in a crash decreases when the speed decreases. When do people drive faster, with a seatbelt, or without one? Assuming most people drive slower without their seatbelts on, this fact alone probably saves thousands of people a year. Without the fear of the potential repercussions that may arise from getting into a collision without a seatbelt on, the likelihood of getting into one significantly increases. At the end of the day, we just have to decide that it is more worth it to lower our risk of getting into an accident at all than increasing our risk by preparing for the accident. In wearing a seatbelt, it is almost as if somebody is welcoming a collision. People do something that will make getting in an accident more common, but they do it in order to mitigate the damages of said accidents. That is one of the most counter-intuitive things imaginable, even more so than neglecting to wear a seatbelt for the purpose of increasing safety.

Seatbelts Kill

The effectiveness of seatbelts is not nearly as cut and dry as one might first be led to believe. There are lots of different factors to be taken into account when judging whether they actually save people or not. First of all, seatbelts really aren’t saving all that many people per year anyway. At least, not nearly as many as the figure would lead the public to believe. Many of the people who were “saved by seatbelts” would have been perfectly fine had they not worn one. Another thing to keep in mind is that seatbelts have only been shown to be effective when they are worn correctly. Not only this, but when they are worn incorrectly, it actually makes it more likely for a person to get injured in an accident. Additionally, wearing a seatbelt provides drivers with a false sense of security, which in turn causes them to lower their senses and inhibitions, making them more likely to end up in a collision. Considering all of these elements, I think it is safe to say that seatbelts cause drivers of vehicles to become more vulnerable to an accident.

Contrary to what many might believe, statistics are not necessarily on the side of the seatbelt. According to the NHTSA, of the 37,133 people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2017, 47% of them were not wearing their seatbelts (Medium). This means that more than half of them WERE wearing the seatbelts that were supposed to save their lives. This leads us to one question. If seatbelts are not making people safer, how come the amount of motor vehicle deaths has declined recently? We can reasonably infer that the reason this number has gone down is due to better technological advancements, more safety regulations and other outside factors.

Ultimately, people want seatbelts to work. They want to feel safer in their cars. However, staying with this naive mindset is giving people a false sense of security while driving. A lot of people think that they are invincible while driving. This is because they are so used to wearing seatbelts and not having to worry about having their life and other peoples lives in their hands.

Another thing that makes seatbelts dangerous is their locking mechanic. Anybody who has ever worn a seatbelt knows this. After trying to pull the seatbelt too fast, it freezes up, or locks in place. This is to prevent people from going flying when they get into an accident, but what it actually ends up doing is just giving people whiplash and causing injury and entanglement when they are in minor accidents, which are significantly more common than a severe car crash. One article read that “Since 2000, over 200 rear seat occupants have become entangled in the seatbelt when they inadvertently switched it from emergency locking mode (ELR) to automatic locking mode (ALR).

Since a method is needed to lock the seatbelt when installing child restraint systems (CRS), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) commissioned tool, inc. to develop prototype devices that could reduce the risk of seatbelt entanglement resulting from the lockability requirement.”(sae.org) This statistic just makes it seem like all of this isn’t even worth it. If these seatbelts are only going to cause a mass number of people to get injuries that they otherwise wouldn’t, they are not worth having in cars, and are actually making the roads a lot more dangerous.

While many people think that they are great drivers, the truth is that most are not. This false sense of superiority on the road is already a problem as it is, causing people to take unnecessary risks and try to do things that they can not pull off. Now imagine how much worse that is made because somebody is wearing their seatbelt and doesn’t even care enough to look at the road because they incorrectly believe that wearing a seatbelt makes them invulnerable and a better driver than Dale Earnhardt Jr. All of that extra risk is not worth what seatbelts provide for society, and anybody who thinks it is has to straighten out their priorities.

Also, not only do people feel safer and therefore are less safe when driving with a seatbelt on, but they also cause people to drive faster, which results in more deadly accidents. I do not believe that seatbelts giving bad drivers unwarranted confidence and the idea that they can afford to go faster than they actually can is making the road a safer place in any capacity. Another opinion that is important in this topic is that of those who are victims of wreckless drivers who became less able to operate their car properly because they wore their seatbelt.

A new phenomenon is something that is known as “seatbelt syndrome”. Essentially, after getting into an accident while wearing a seatbelt, certain victims report having lingering injuries such as intra-abdominal injuries and vertebral fractures. This has been known to cause chronic pain in its victims for the rest of their lives. Many sufferers of seatbelt syndrome never recover, and their quality of life diminishes heavily.

Seatbelts cause drivers to lower their inhibitions and become more susceptible to damage sustained during a wreck or collision. Many people refuse to accept this truth because they can not wrap their minds around the fact that something that is supposed to be protecting us is actually harming us, and it is being promoted by the government. If people opened their eyes up to this sort of thing more often, they would see that it is not all the uncommon. The government promotes things that are against the best interest of the people all the time, take, for instance, the fact that tobacco and nicotine is a billion dollar industry that kills people, but makes money, so its not a big deal to the government.

To conclude, the definitive reason that people should not wear a seatbelt while driving is that it does the one thing that we do not want to happen while we drive. It makes the road more dangerous. If people realized that a lot more often than they realize, this world is not as soft and protective as they have been led to believe. It is the lack of people that are willing to challenge common belief that allows the narrative of helpful seatbelts to prevail.

Misleading Statistics

My claim is understandably a very hard pill to swallow. The average person would be totally against the notion that seatbelts can do any harm at all. I am asking people to look outside the box and seek the truth that the average person would not. People have been indoctrinated to believe that these things can do no harm. “How many people do seatbelts save a year?” One might ask. While, yes, I must admit, the number of lives saved every year by seatbelts does not help my case by any means, but to assume that this number dismantles my argument would be to misunderstand my claim. I do not deny that seatbelts save many lives per year. I’m sure that they do. My claim asserts that if people don’t wear seatbelts, they are significantly less likely to be in an accident at all. Obviously, if somebody gets in an accident, they would be better off wearing a seatbelt than being without one, but perhaps if they hadn’t worn a seatbelt at all, there would be no accident to worry about.

While the numbers and statistics against my claim are certainly a worthy opponent, I believe that if somebody were to look at my argument through a different lens, the statistics seem to become a moot point. In other words, it doesn’t matter to me how many lives seatbelts save; what matters is how many people would have been unscathed and uninterrupted from driving on the road had they not worn their seatbelts. I believe that a lot of these numbers are actually facetious, anyway. One source brought up something very interesting to. They claim that people that have been involved in accidents have been lying about wearing their seatbelts in order to avoid getting in trouble, thus creating inaccurate statistics involving seatbelts. “Some authors have expressed concern that estimates of seat belt effects may be biased.1–4 In particular, some car occupants who survived a crash may falsely claim to police that they were belted in order to avoid a fine. If police sometimes believe these false claims, this would lead to exaggerated estimates of seat belt benefits if data from police crash reports were used.” This definitely raises an interesting point. How realistic even are these numbers? These inaccurate statistics are ultimately giving people even more of a false sense of security than they already possess, making driving even more difficult.

In many cases, wearing a seatbelt while driving is simply not worth the risk of getting into an accident. Especially in the cases of children or young people who may not have any help from seatbelts in the case of an accident, there is no point in wearing a seatbelt. One source really hit home with an excerpt about how seatbelts can very quickly become significantly more dangerous than they are safe if they are not used or manufactured correctly. “Defective seat belts can case catastrophic, often fatal, injuries.  These life-changing injuries can change an occupant’s life forever.  The most common injuries from seat belt failure are injuries to the heat and neck, chest injuries, and injuries to the arms or legs; these injuries can lead to permanent disabilities. If a seat belt fails in a head on collision, an occupant can be thrown into the windshield.  If a belt fails during a rollover, an occupant can be ejected from the vehicle and sustain spinal cord or neck injuries which can result in quadriplegia, paraplegia, paralysis or death.” I think that everybody who chooses to wear a seatbelt while they drive should read this before they buckled up, because I think it can really open up a lot of eyes.

The sooner that people begin to challenge the widely accepted notion that seatbelts are protective and safe at all times, the safer the roads will become. The truth is, wearing a seatbelt is oftentimes the catalyst for many horrific accidents that otherwise would not have occurred. This is a society that is full of people who want to feel safe. The ironic thing is that it is this infatuation with safety that is ultimately leading to them being placed further into harms way. It is easily one of the most counterintuitive things that I can imagine. If people want to feel safe, what they should do is read and educate themselves and form their own opinions that may differ from everybody else. Ultimately, people are afraid to challenge concepts when the alternative seems so absurd and incomprehensible to them, even if the initial concept does not make a whole lot of sense. Why would somebody want to lower their god-given inhibition while driving on the road, which is something that requires full concentration and coordination.

We know that we can’t put it past the government to exaggerate some statistics in order to push an agenda. To blindly follow and not question those numbers that seemingly so easily dismantle my thesis is to neglect the most important thing that one must do in order to understand my claim. We must be able to think outside the box and understand how something can seem so obvious and yet be so untrue. That includes being able to look past misleading statistics.

What should people value more? Becoming less likely to end up in a collision at all by not wearing a seatbelt, or preparing for this hypothetical collision, thus making it more likely to occur, in order to mitigate to the hypothetical damage from said hypothetical collision. Any logical or sound person would prioritize preventing the accident from occurring at all. I believe that a fascination with numbers and safety has skewed the average persons mindset when it comes to personal freedoms. If somebody feels safer without a seatbelt, I don’t think this concept should be seen as so preposterous. I think that challenging the status quo is something that is important to flourish in the coming years, and the more people that are willing to challenge what everybody believes, the more likely that change will come.

References

Syarah Adibah, J., Mohd Najib, Y. (2022). Contributing Factors Towards Human Errors on Road Transport Safety Among Commercial Vehicle Drivers. In: , et al. Human-Centered Technology for a Better Tomorrow. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering. Springer, Singapore.

Najari F, Alimohammadi AM. An Immediate Death by Seat Belt Compression; a Forensic Medicine Report. Emerg (Tehran). 2015 Fall;3(4):165-7. PMID: 26495409; PMCID: PMC4608342.

Klinich, K., Ebert, S., Malik, L., Manary, M. et al., “Seatbelt Entanglement: Field Analysis, Countermeasure Development, and Subject Evaluation of Devices Intended to Reduce Risk,” SAE Technical Paper 2019-01-0619, 2019, .

Shiobara, D. “Do Seatbelts Really Save Lives?” Medium.com May 15 2020 

Robertson LS. Estimates of motor vehicle seat belt effectiveness and use: implications for occupant crash protection. Am J Public Health1976;66:859–64. et al. 

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Research – SortableElms

Posted on April 19, 2023 by sortableelms

Art Can Be On the Canvas or Wall

Many negative works like incomprehensible, blasphemous, and obscene are used to describe graffiti. Graffiti is such a negative term for something that can be so beautiful. Graffiti isn’t defined as being bad as we are taught. The definition for graffiti is simply writing or drawings on a wall or other surface. It is another visual form of communication. The negative connotation revolving around graffiti artists with true talents gets lumped together with criminals or gang members. The term guerrilla art or more commonly street art is now used to differentiate the two art forms. 

Graffiti is characterized as being made up of words that are usually meant to form an idea. Graffiti predates street art, and many street artists draw their inspiration from different forms of graffiti. Street art uses images to get along meaning. Graffiti and street art are confused because there are many similarities between the two art forms, including location, politics, and materials. 

The location is the biggest form of comparison. Both graffiti and street art are forms of art that are displayed outdoors, in public and private places. They are free to view, making them valid forms of public art. Street art and graffiti can coexist in the exact same locations, sometimes they can be harmonious in a way that combines the two. At other times graffiti artists will tag over street artists’ work. Graffiti and street art are used to get artists’ political and social commentary and activism out in the world. They are both used to get the ideas of underrepresented groups to get the truth and most importantly, the uncensored message out into the public’s line of view.

The one major difference between graffiti and street art is the way they are trying to inform the viewer of a message. Graffiti is seen as unsightly and bad. Street art is used to help support a message and bring attention to it in a positive way. Graffiti is usually illegal and involves the unauthorized marking of public space. In street art, many artists will get to do it legally because their illegal work received a lot of attention. 

In the 1980s, street artists took a shift from the text-based works of the early 1960s and 70s to a more visual and artistic approach. Much of modern street art can be attributed to artists like Richard Hambleton, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. 

Richard Hambleton was an artist that emerged from the New York art scene in the 1980s. He’s most known for his street art but also had his works in galleries. His earliest forms of art are his Image Mass Murder artworks. From 1976 to 1978 he would paint outlines around volunteer “homicide victims.” He then would splash red paint on and around the outlines. It would leave behind a realistic crime scene. He did it in 15 different major cities in the United States. In New York, in 1979 he began doing what he would become known for. They were his “Shadowman” paintings. They were life-sized black silhouettes that had a splashy look to them. The shadows were painted depicting many different poses. They were painted in a way that is believed to have the most impact on unsuspecting passersby. Hambleton’s “shadowmen” have been painted on hundreds of structures in New York and around the world including Paris, London, and Rome. In 1984, Hambleton painted 17 “shadowmen” on the East side of the Berlin wall and returned to paint more on the West side. Hambleton’s artworks often had the effect of shocking people who walked by. 

Keith Haring was a pop artist that had animated imagery. He used his work to spread awareness of unpopular but necessary ideas that needed to be talked about. Much of his work includes social activism to advocate for anti-drugs, safe sex, homosexuality, and AIDS awareness. He is known for his graffiti art in subways. He created white chalk drawings on black, unused advertisement backboards in subway stations in New York. A crawling infant with emitting rays of light became his most recognized symbol. It is known as The Radiant Baby and Haring used it to tag his art work in the subways. Haring was one of only twelve artists to have the work displayed on a computer-animated billboard in Times Square in 1982. 

Jean-Michel Basquiat is one of the most recognizable artists from the street art movement in the 1980s. He was a part of the Neo-Expressionism movement. Basquiat’s art focused on portraying topics like slavery, colonialism, and the contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different, such as wealth versus poverty, integration versus segregation, and inner versus outer experience. He often used symbolism. Frequent symbols in his works include human bodies, boxers, and skulls and the most recognizable among them is the three-pointed crown. The meaning of all of his symbols is still debated by art critics but many different ideas and suggestions have been put forward. 

There are several blocks in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick called the Bushwick Collective where street artists have free permission to paint murals on building walls and are encouraged to let loose their talents. The Bushwick Collective was first established by Bushwick native Joe Ficalora. The first mural was created in 2011. The Bushwick is a great example of the wonders that can come from letting artists be able to be free and unleash their creativity in a legal way. The blocks have gained art from artists all over the world. Ficalora started the idea of an open art gallery in the 1980s when the area of Bushwick was only known for high crime rates. The open art gallery was made for everyone to be able to enjoy and help cope with painful memories. They hold an annual art event that has World-renowned local, national, and even international artists that are invited to showcase their creations. The Bushwick Collective Block party has been hosted every June since 2012.

Artists being able to create works in safe and legal places like the Bushwick Collective are able to create modern-day Richard Hambleton, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat without the fear that they faced when doing artwork.

The art outside galleries tends to be done by unpaid artists. Not only are they unpaid but more often than not they have bigger meaning than the artwork in the gallery. Street artists use unlikely canvases because it’s a way to pay attention to bigger problems or a way to be more expressive than what galleries will allow. Street art is regarded as one of the largest art movements that have achieved huge popularity and is still rapidly growing as an art form. Street artworks mainly appear in urban areas like walls of buildings, highway overpasses, bridges, and in underground areas. Art defines the outlook of many neighborhoods and cities all around the world. Since the beginning of time itself, people have been adding color to natural surfaces, like cave walls during the era of cave art, or man-made surfaces, much like the modern building walls of New York or other big cities.

The earliest form of art making Paleolithic Art or Cave Art can technically be considered the first form of street art. The painting found on the walls didn’t display political messages but it does give us a way to try and figure out how prehistoric people would live their lives back then. The art style of most cave art is being interpreted differently by archaeologists, historians, and scholars alike because of the abstract nature of the paintings. The importance of prehistoric art is just as important as modern art: it tells a story and keeps history alive through the years with how much information is given in simple pictures with no words.

The idea of painting on property not owned by a person is rebellious and illegal. The art form tends to convey social or political messages that provoke people to discuss and react to the pieces. Street art is connected to creating awareness about social and environmental issues. 

Before reaching international fame Banksy, an enigmatic English-based street artist uses a stencil to spread his messages of dissatisfaction with certain aspects of society, certain political situations, or even certain decisions taken by world leaders. Banksy was expelled from school at the age of 14 and served time in prison for petty crimes. When he was 18 Banksy was painting on a train car with his fellow gang members and a police car showed up. His friends disappeared so he hid from police under a dumber truck with oil leaking from him. Some of his earliest art produced more conversations than the likes of Pablo Picasso. Banksy’s Girl with Balloon had the inscription “There is always hope” next to it. Girl with Balloon depicts a young girl in a black dress releasing a red heart-shaped balloon. The painting was originally done in 2002 on a wall in London. In 2018 the painting was redone on canvas and sold in an auction. After the hammer was dropped the canvas started to be shredded by a hidden shredder in the frame. The way of destroying his own work was a way to represent the greed in the art world and anti-capitalism. 

Keith Haring’s artwork is now a fairly common sight being iconic for its bold line and its bright colors. His original canvas was not that of walls or canvas but chalkboards in subway trains and stations. Haring had been arrested multiple times on charges of vandalism. In 1980s New York, Haring’s art was a code to common social issues in the world then. He uses dogs to represent and stand in for big powers and the oppressive nature of the world. What was originally a spacing accident became a symbol of greed with his three-eyed smiley face. Haring uses pyramids to represent the past and otherworldly elements, like UFOs, to give distance to the pieces. His most famous symbols are anamorphic, non-gendered human figures colored with bright colors. The figures normally embrace or interact with each other. The human-like forms represent human love and embrace the importance of advocating for safe sex and AIDS awareness. Haring was openly gay and represented the hardships of the LGBTQ community in his artworks. He used slogans that were quick and easy to understand to spread messages about the dangers and negative effects of drugs. 

William Najger aka Will Love Strong is a current-day street artist and is not known to many people. He is the founder of the Love Strong USA Campaign. He is on a journey to spread the message of Love, Unity, and Peace throughout the United States. He does this by making signs in bright colors that have positive messages using old wooden boards. He posts signs on telephone poles, front yards, community spaces, store windows, and fences. A difference between Najger and common street artists is that he gains permission on being able to post his signs. Even if they are only temporary and able to be removed, his signs still spread the positive and powerful messages that other artists are trying to spread. His idea is that love is more important than ever before with everything going on in the world. He documents his journey on his YouTube channel Will Love Strong.

The most important message behind the art is being able to bring change. With more critics looking for art to just be pretty, mainstream art is losing what really matters: it is locked behind tickets and price walls, much like the advanced weapons that are in video games. Most of the artists in the streets are not being paid and are doing art to get their message across to their message out into the world in a way that everyone can see. The lack of a paywall frees the artist and the piece can be seen and gain attention. There is no lack of the ability to share pictures online which helps the message spread as far as online media can take it. Everyone knows that today’s media is limitless in its reach which spreads messages of art.

Street Art is a form of expression and an evolution from the graffiti that gang members would use in the late 80s. Famous graffiti artist turned street artist Banksy explains that graffiti is the natural art of expression for kids that have been told to hold their opinions. Though not everyone is a fan of the expression or the ideas behind the pieces of art as it is technically illegal still. A typical depiction of the word graffiti is that of an old man being critical of the newer art form. One of its critics is American filmmaker, visual artist, and actor David Lynch. Lynch believes that scrawled and spray-painted inchoate messages on “every corner of every city” does not help the world.

My opponent has a point with his idea of not wanting to have spray paint and the negative messages on streets but what he isn’t taking into account is the beautiful street art that has come from graffiti artists. Saying that there is only a tiny amount that is creative is foolish. There are just as many examples of graffiti that are creative, sharing a message, sharing culture or all the mentioned before, and more.
The words that are used to describe ideas behind graffiti and the art form as a whole is that the “vast majority of graffiti is ugly, stupid, and vaguely threatening.” Only acknowledging “a tiny portion of it is witty or creative.” There are many examples of bad and downright negative expressions on walls and fences that are just tags or a list of negative curse words. I acknowledge that. Talking about the negative slides leads to having to talk about the positives.

Located in any major city there is bound to be graffiti. Unlike my opponent who believes graffiti is just tagging words and scribbling in spray paint. I can see that there is a history behind graffiti. Take for example if you look up graffiti murals on Google it brings up everything from cartoon ghosts to Animals from the Muppets with an explosive color background to realist portraits of some of the biggest names in music like David Bowie and Micheal Jackson and messages supporting Black Lives Matter using faces like Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks.

The article talking about Lynch’s idea on graffiti leans heavily into just acknowledging the bold spray-painted words. The article never mentions that it is a form of a way of getting ideas out in the world without violence and is a way to make a concrete jungle more vibrant and colorful. Even the type of illegal graffiti can rise in status and become art, a gift that is given to us by talented individuals who may have no other outlet for their creative drive.

Lynch admits the idea that it is negative and nothing good can come from Graffiti. The usage of graffiti has many positive effects, one of which is that it brings a form of art out to the public without being locked behind the paywall of museums. A problem with art in the 21st century is the notion that it’s sometimes just not seen, thanks to a lack of interest from people. The younger generations don’t go to museums and art exhibitions. They are stuck on phones and computers. Meaning they aren’t exposed to works of art. Well-made graffiti helps to reassess this problem by bringing art directly to the public. Pushing it in their faces, and helps to grow an interest in artwork that will drive individuals to explore the art world further and get their ideas into the world.

It is a form of self-expression that can’t be taken away from the artist or limited by galleries. Graffiti gives people the advantage of being anonymous and the freedom to express themselves in a way that they wouldn’t have otherwise. This freedom comes from the accessibility of graffiti, the only thing that is needed is a spray can and an idea. The artist can create what he or she wants, as opposed to having to purchase expensive supplies to get started and expensive canvas. For other graffiti artists, the advantage of the medium is that they can express an opinion or idea, such as a political point, and get it seen. If the art is seen most of the time, it can create an impact.

As mentioned above graffiti can turn a skyline of gray boxes into a rainbow of colors of various tones and ideas. Well-done graffiti art is typically colorful and bold, and thus it changes the mood of the particular area where it appears. In most cases, this change is positive, since the art turns drab and monotone boxes and bare walls into interesting and eye-catching exhibitions of the imagination. Neighborhoods are brightened up without local authorities needing to engage in helping to clean up buildings since the paint covers them.

The idea of graffiti seems negative to Lynch but in reality, if a piece is done well it can bring attention to a previously unknown area. A group of high-quality graffiti contained within a particular area can raise that neighborhood’s profile significantly as an arts scene and spot in a trip that can bring thoughts to a group of people or just smiles, depending on the piece in question. Other artists will begin to travel there, and the cultural value of the area increases. This can in the long-term aid the local economy, as tourists head to the area to look at the graffiti, and locally made tours pop up to show visitors around and show off the works of art littering their streets.

Art is often taught to children as part of their education, but not everyone likes it. Some individuals might not enjoy traditional forms, such as painting and sculpture, while others fail to find art relevant to their lives. When graffiti is taught as an alternative to traditional, it may inspire individuals.

References

Auriemma, R. (2019, June 19). Banksy: the best paintings and the meaning of his art. Auralcrave. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://auralcrave.com/en/2019/06/19/banksy-the-best-paintings-and-the-meaning-of-his-art/

Five Things to Know: Keith Haring. (n.d.). Tate. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/g/graffiti-art/five-things-know-keith-haring

Hencz, A. (n.d.). What is Street Art? History & Famous Artists. Artland Magazine. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://magazine.artland.com/street-art/

Picasso, P. (2022, March 17). Cave Art Movement Overview | TheArtStory. The Art Story. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.theartstory.org/movement/cave-art/

Jones, J. (2015, March 13). Graffiti is ugly, stupid and threatening – there’s more creativity in crochet. The Guardian. Retrieved April 13, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2015/mar/13/graffiti-ugly-stupid-threatening-ruining-world-david-lynch

Laboy, S. (2011, July 13). Miami graffiti artists free to leave their mark. Washington Times. Retrieved April 13, 2023, from https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jul/13/miami-graffiti-artists-free-to-leave-their-mark/

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Research — Sunflower

Posted on April 19, 2023 by sunflower0311

Exergaming: The Key to Eliminating
Childhood Obesity?

One of the biggest problems afflicting our youth in America today is obesity. However, these children are not only overweight they are dangerously overweight. Technology has become increasingly easier to access and the amount of video games, movies and television shows being created has promoted a more sedentary lifestyle to kids at a young age. Once you realize just how problematic being obese can be for children it’s natural to wonder what we can possibly do to reverse this. School is the number one place where kids can get physically active in a safe environment through physical education classes and recess. However not every kid loves to play sports or is considered to be athletic, so those kids often do not get the same amount of physical activity that their more athletic counterparts get. There is a surprising solution that can solve all of these problems and it is called exergaming. This new form of physical activity called exergaming can be utilized in American schools and help alleviate childhood obesity.

Exergaming is a fairly new concept, and it stands for exercise gaming. This new gaming experience combines the technology aspect that kids are fond of and physical activity. Exergaming requires the kids to physically interact with the game by moving their arms, legs or in some cases, their entire body. Dance Dance Revolution is one example of an exergame. An article from the Journal of Sports and Health Science goes into detail of how a game like Dance Dance Revolution can impact kids. “Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) combines dancing, which involves agility, balance, and cardiorespiratory endurance, with energetic music and visuals, which capture children’s interest and promote a health-enhancing level of PA for fitness.” One of the reasons kids find exergaming to be fun is because they find the gameplay to be more engaging than the typical methods of physical activity we are used to. 

Physical activity is not easy for all kids especially in a group setting such as physical education. Many children experience anxiety or low self-esteem because they constantly compare themselves to the more athletic kids. These feelings are especially apparent when playing games such as soccer or baseball where some of the kids have been specifically trained in that sport. While it is understandable for some kids to be reluctant to participate due to these confidence issues it ultimately does affect their health and sometimes it can be in major ways. To combat this problem utilizing the exergaming within physical education classes can make physical activity more accessible and enjoyable for all types of students. Exergaming is fairly simple and does not require a high athletic ability to be able to effectively play and win the game. This allows for students to be more equal in their abilities and helps build up confidence.

In addition, exergaming can be used anywhere and at any time. Seeing that exergaming is meant to be used indoors it is not dependent on the weather and therefore can be used whenever and wherever as long as there is electricity. This type of gaming can be a great substitute for indoor recess or physical education class because it allows the students to still get their energy out and get active without having to brave bad weather. In addition, for families that can afford it they can even incorporate these exergames at home as well. They do not require much space and can be easily played inside the house.

In addition, exergaming also gives students more motivation than some of the more typical physical education activities. A study was done involving two different physical education teachers who implemented exergaming within their classrooms. Overall, throughout the study both the teachers and the students reacted positively towards the exergaming. . In an article from the Journal of Case Studies in Education two physical education teachers were interviewed about the use of exergaming in their classrooms. “It was really highly motivating for them; they were really into exergaming. I thought that, depending on what station they were at, the engagement for all of them was almost equal, it didn’t matter what station they were at, they were all excited.” Being able to have high scores that can be beat within the game is one reason why exergaming helps motivate students. They continuously want to do better and therefore put in more work and increase their physical activity. In addition to motivation the students also showed a lot of enthusiasm when they saw improvement in their performance on the games. 

Another interesting thing about exergaming was that gender played no role in both enjoyment of the game or the amount of physical activity that they got out of it. When it came to testing out a bunch of different types of games it was found that both boys and girls enjoyed all of them equally. In addition, it was found that regardless of gender more than fifty percent of the students saw an increase in physical activity while playing the exergame. This was surprising because when it comes to most things there seems to be some sort of divide between boys and girls however the fact that both genders were able to equally enjoy exergaming makes it the perfect thing to utilize in physical education.

 The issue of physical activity is a huge one in America today. Kids do not play outside or do as many physically demanding activities as much. Having unlimited access to technology such as iPads, iPhones and television have promoted sedentary lifestyles in children.  An article from the Journal of Sport and Health Science talks about how it is recommended that kids get at least sixty minutes of physical activity a day however more and more kids are missing that mark.“Research indicated only 42% of U.S. children aged 6–11 years and 8% of adolescents participated in the recommended 60 min of MVPA per day. Schools reach nearly 95% of children in the USA and are important venues to promote weekday PA participation.” Even just the community that the child is from can play a huge part on whether or not they will get enough physical activity. Some communities have many different programs that kids can participate in such as sports teams or classes such as dance or gymnastics. However underserved communities do not have these opportunities and rely almost exclusively on school to provide physical activity opportunities. Being able to have exergaming equipment in schools can be an answer to help provide physical activity opportunities to every type of student no matter their gender, athletic ability or even where they reside. 

Throughout the years technology has become more and more prominent in people’s everyday lives. People are extremely reliant on technology and love the benefits so much that we install it in every aspect of our lives including our homes and our cars. However, we often turn on technology when something goes wrong with our children and blame it for everything. Just think when kids don’t sleep, have no social skills and exhibit signs of depression we instantly blame technology. This same logic is used when it comes to our children being obese. While the idea of technology being the cause of sedentary lifestyles in children sounds plausible technology is actually not to blame when it comes to childhood obesity. In fact, technology, specifically exergaming can actually be one of the reasons we are able to combat the growing rate of obesity in our children.

One big reason kids do not get enough physical activity is because they have low confidence due to having a lack of athleticism. There are many children out there who are naturally athletic or have been substantially trained in a sport whereas there are many other children who do not fall into this category. Clumsiness is a natural deterrent from physical activity because it’s impossible for clumsy kids to gain the confidence they need to be able to perform well in physical activities. Since these kids are less likely to actively participate in their physical education classes then these children are missing out on what could be their only form of structured physical activity they get. However, one thing that can easily fix this problem is implementing exergaming into physical education. Exergaming is something that every kid can participate in confidently because you do not have to be particularly athletic to do well in these games. It is said in an article by Catherine D. Ennis that, “Exergames typically are situationally interesting and motivational both to skilled and unskilled students.” Exergames incorporate simple movements such as moving your arms and legs and jumping up and down. These simple movements allow students who are clumsier to feel more comfortable and be at an equal playing field with their more athletic counterparts.

Another reason why many kids are lacking physical activity is very surprising and rarely thought about. Kids from underserved communities typically have less opportunities to participate in physical activities than those kids who grew up in more affluent communities. Affluent communities have plenty of after school organized activities such as little leagues, dance classes and more that are meant to get kids active and train them in that particular activity. However underserved communities do not have the money to support programs like this and it naturally puts the children in these communities at a disadvantage. This also causes a problem when it comes to physical education classes because those children who did not have access to sports programs will be less likely to succeed when playing these games with kids who have participated in afterschool sports programs. A study found in the Journal of Sport and Health Science found that, “Schools reach nearly 95% of children in the USA and are important venues to promote weekday PA participation.” Since physical education is so important for our children it is important to play games that every child will be able to be confident playing and successful at. Integrating exergaming into schools will help allow kids of all skill levels regardless of whether or not they had the money to participate in sports programs to be put on an even playing field and find their physical education classes to be more enjoyable.

In addition to lack of opportunities many kids also lack physical activity simply because of where their home is located. Not every child is able to live in a home with a big backyard that they can run around and play in after school. For some the only safe place that they can play with children their own age is at the school playground. While being able to play outside for recess every day substantially increases their physical activity, they unfortunately cannot always have outdoor recess due to weather. In order to remedy this, exergaming can be used when recess is forced to move indoors since it does not take up much space yet still allows the kids to get their energy out and participate in physical activity.

So while it is easy to blame technology for why our children are becoming increasingly more obese the facts point to technology being one of the things we can use to combat obesity. One of the most important parts of exergaming is that it has some of the same benefits as the more conventional forms of physical activity including however it has more cognitive benefits as well. Exergaming requires kids to solve problems while being physically active to complete the game. In addition, an article called “Exergaming and physical education: A qualitative examination from the teachers’ perspectives” interviewed P.E. teachers who utilized exergaming in their classrooms. These teachers said, “It was really highly motivating for them; they were really into exergaming…the engagement for all of them was almost equal, it didn’t matter what station they were at, they were all excited.” They found that the exergames were clearly more motivating and enjoyable to the students than the typical games they played in physical education. When you really think about how beneficial it can be, incorporating an exergaming program into a physical education class is the best decision.

Exergaming can solve all the reasons why kids are not able to be as physically active as they should be. It helps kids become more confident when doing physical activities since exergaming requires kids to do basic movements that everyone can do without having to be athletic. It can easily be set up and used at a school in order to give kids somewhere safe to go and be active in inclement weather. In addition, schools can take it a step further and start after school exergaming programs which further gives kids the opportunity to be physically active. Clearly technology cannot be the first thing we blame when our kids are found to be obese. Instead, you have to carefully consider the other less thought about factors. In addition, we need to realize that when it comes to childhood obesity technology is not our enemy, instead it can be our children’s savior. 

Exergaming is a relatively new idea so it is natural that there would be some speculation regarding the effectiveness of exergaming and whether or not it truly has any positive effects at all. Even noted exercise researchers Nan Zeng and Zao Gao, who promote the benefits of exergaming as part of a school based physical education program, are not ready to confirm the long-term benefits of exergaming versus more traditional team sports. In an article called “Exergaming and Obesity in Youth: Current Perspectives” Zeng and Gao worry that “… the evidence regarding its effectiveness on health-related outcomes… remains unclear.” But despite those reservations, there is actually plenty of evidence that exergaming is extremely effective in improving health.

Exergaming without a doubt increases the physical activity of kids who play them compared to other games. Typical videogames are sedentary and cause kids to sit on the couch and watch a screen for hours on end. This plays a part in kids continuously missing the recommended sixty minutes of physical activity they are supposed to get each day. The numbers are shown in the article, “Impact of exergaming on young children’s School Day Energy expenditure and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity levels” which said, “research indicated only 42% of U.S. children aged 6–11 years and 8% of adolescents participated in the recommended 60 min of MVPA per day”. While this shows some kids are able to reach this benchmark it is concerning that more than fifty percent of children do not. Exergaming however can easily remedy this. Exergaming combines the technology kids love while forcing them to get off the couch and be physically active in order to progress in the game. Unlike typical videogames, exergames require kids to actually move around in order for the character on the screen to move and earn points. Utilizing this technology in school will dramatically increase the amount of physical activity kids get each day and help them reach that sixty-minute mark.

Exergaming appeals to the children of today’s world. While the typical outdoor games of tag or manhunt would have appealed to past generations this generation tends to prefer video games that include physical activity such as Just Dance or the Kinect games for Xbox. These games incorporate the physical activity kids need in order to stay healthy and the video gaming aspect that they enjoy. Exergames make kids be physically active by moving their arms, legs and moving and jumping around in order to advance through the game. These types of games are more motivating to today’s children because of the challenges that are present and ever changing within the game and the ability to always increase your scores. Motivation is an important factor when it comes to exercising and being physically active and a study was conducted on what causes people to stick to an exercise regimen or physical activity. The article based on that study entitled “Intrinsic Motivation and Exercise Adherence” said, “… competence and enjoyment motives were predictive of greater adherence and attendance to one’s chosen activity.” So, for kids they find video games and technology to be enjoyable and motivating. Those things are easily incorporated into exergaming meaning that since the kids find it enjoyable, they are motivated and more likely to stick with exergaming causing them to continue to be physically active. It is important to remember that the best form of physical activity for kids is the one they are willing to actually stick to.

The physical activity children get through exergaming has just as many health benefits as a more typical form of physical activity has. Exergaming allows kids to participate in light physical activity. We have a preconceived notion that the only form of physical activity that has any real health benefits would be heavy physical activity however a study done by Minghui Quan, Zachary Pope and Zan Gao proved otherwise, “… LPA is independently and positively associated with improved health outcomes in children and adolescents, including reduced total body fat mass, some cardiometabolic risk factors, and improved body bone health, in addition to cognitive function improvements…” The amount of health benefits exergaming has can be surprising to many of us however exergaming really is not much different than the physical activity kids would typically get. A surprising benefit is the fact that exergames help improve cognition. This improvement will help students in school because their brains will be more ready and open to learning. In addition, being physically active has been proven to improve brain function and kids who are often physically active have better grades and overall school performance.

It is understandable when you first think of exergaming it comes off as an odd or even unconventional way of combating childhood obesity however perhaps we should take a look at some of the unconventional things us adults do to reduce inactivity. Since many of us are stuck working at desks we often incorporate things such as standing desks, bike desks and yoga ball chairs to help reduce our sedentary lifestyles. When you really think about it, each and every one of those things is unconventional and has less proof of their benefits than there is for the benefits of exergaming. Overall exergaming solves the problem of childhood obesity while also being fun and enjoyable to the kids playing the games. It has obviously been proven without a doubt that exergaming would be a perfect activity to help kids increase their daily physical activity.

References

Ennis, C. D. (2013, July 1). Implications of exergaming for the physical education curriculum in the 21st Century. Journal of Sport and Health Science. Retrieved March 25, 2023

Gao, Z., Pope, Z., Eun Lee, J., Stodden, D., Roncesvalles, N., Pasco, D., Huang, C. C., & Feng, D. (2016, November 24). Impact of exergaming on young children’s School Day Energy expenditure and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity levels. Journal of Sport and Health Science. Retrieved March 7, 2023 

Lindberg, R., Seo, J., & Laine, T. H. (n.d.). Enhancing physical education with Exergames and wearable technology … Retrieved April 18, 2023

Quan, M., Pope, Z., & Gao, Z. (2018, September 25). Examining young children’s physical activity and sedentary behaviors in an exergaming program using accelerometry. MDPI. Retrieved March 7, 2023

Ryan, R. M., Frederick, C. M., Lepes, D., Rubio, N., & Sheldon, K. M. (n.d.). Intrinsic Motivation and Exercise Adherence. Retrieved April 8, 202

Sheehan, D. P., Katz, L., & Kooiman, B. J. (2015). Exergaming and physical education: A qualitative examination from the teachers’ perspectives . Journal of Case Studies in Education, 4, 1–14. Retrieved March 7, 2023Zeng, N., & Gao, Z. (2022, November 23). Exergaming and obesity in youth: Current perspectives. Taylor & Francis. Retrieved April 11, 2023

Zeng, N., & Gao, Z. (2022, November 23). Exergaming and obesity in youth: Current perspectives. Taylor & Francis. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.2147/IJGM.S99025

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Grammar Exercise – InspireAngels

Posted on April 18, 2023 by inspireangels

If primary caretakers have a negative attitude towards their children it increases the risk that their children will grow up hostile towards others. And its not just aggression toward others that results from child abuse; a large amount of children raised by abusive parents also harm themselves. This negative behavior is because the children don’t learn appropriate techniques for handling life’s disappointments. If we aren’t raised with coping skills, we are much to likely to act “inappropriately” then if we had developed more reasonable approaches. The effect of poor parenting, as reported by Dr. Geoffrey Dahmer in “The Bully Papers,” is that everyone gets the child they deserve.

Posted in Grammar Exercise, InspireAngels | Leave a comment

Enough About You – InspireAngels

Posted on April 18, 2023 by inspireangels
  1. Taxpayers wonder whether the amount spent on students makes a difference. When considering all the possibilities, it really does make a difference. Ask any parent whose child goes to an expensive school.
  2. There are different types of injuries that happen in each sport.  Would individuals object if they knew that a surgery performed before any injury occurs could make an athlete stronger?
  3. Imagine a person’s body being consumed by a drug. That individual would do anything to get this, not taking account the consequences that come with it.
  4. When Syrians are invited in, it causes more problems that resolving the issues.
  5. Does the idea of not actually having our money on-hand sound trivial?
  6. The little green piece of paper that individuals have in their pocket holds no actual value other than the cost it took to produce it, and yet these folks will work their whole life just to acquire more of those little green pieces of paper just so they can take them and stick them in a bank.
  7. Next time individuals are reading their bank statement or looking at their at their dollar bill, they will remember that their bill is a made up value that someone decide to make up. Without it, society would still be trading goods like livestock and produce.
  8. I now understand that a dollar is only worth what we can receive in exchange for it.
  9. Being able to walk around with money without holding the money in our hand brings me back around to the idea of the stone because, just like stone currency, we don’t need to be in physical possession of these Bitcoins to own them.
  10. I heard an individual talk about the American Dream, which require a person to have enough of these pieces of paper to be financially stable. If individuals think about it deeply then they will realize, that they receive these pieces of paper called money and base their whole life on them.
  11. Money is an adroit concept and its pursuit lasts a lifetime. Our goal from the moment we start school is to join the game of making enough of these pieces of paper to make our life more fun and acceptable.
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Enough About You- Doglover846

Posted on April 18, 2023 by doglover846

Money seems to have a big role in our society; we can’t do much or get far if we don’t have any. Money is valuable in different ways, even when we don’t see it physically. In today’s society we must have faith in the government and in the banking system that our money is being handled in the proper manner; if not, then we would have to hide all of our money under our mattress or around our house. We have no clue what happens in the banks, or how they take care of your money. We always thought money was simple; we either have some or we don’t—that’s it. However, being introduced to this assignment, the Yap Fei, US gold, French francs, Brazilian cruzeros, and debit accounts now seem similar. We don’t actually see our money being transferred. When we get paid, we aren’t handed cash, we don’t receive a physical check, the money’s all directly transferred to our bank account, and we just have to trust that we got more money.

  1. Taxpayers wonder whether the amount spent on students makes a difference. If we really think about it, yes it does. Ask any parent whose child goes to an expensive school.
  2. There are different types of injuries that happen in each sport.  Would there be an objection knowing that a surgery performed before any injury occurs could make an athlete stronger?
  3. Imagine our body being consumed by a drug. We would do anything to get this drug and we don’t worry about the consequences that come with it.
  4. By inviting Syrians in, we’re causing more problems than we’re solving.
  5. Does the idea of not actually having our money on-hand sound trivial?
  6. That little green piece of paper in our pocket holds no actual value other than the cost it took to produce it, and yet we will work our whole life just to acquire more of those little green pieces of paper just so we can take them and stick them in a bank.
  7. So just remember the next time we read a bank statement or look at dollar bill that you’re holding an made up value that someone decided to make up. Without it, we might still be having to trade with goods like livestock and produce.
  8. I now understand that a dollar is only worth what we can receive in exchange for it.
  9. Being able to walk around with money without holding the money in our hand brings me back around to the idea of the stone because, just like stone currency, we don’t need to be in physical possession of these Bitcoins to own them.
  10. We hear people talk about the American Dream, which requires that we have enough of these pieces of paper to be financially stable. If we think about it deeply we will realize, that we receive these pieces of paper called money and base our whole life on them.
  11. Money is an adroit concept and its pursuit lasts a lifetime. Our goal from the moment we start school is to join the game of making enough of these pieces of paper to make our life more fun and acceptable.
Posted in DogLover, Enough About You | Leave a comment

Grammar Exercise- Doglover846

Posted on April 18, 2023 by doglover846

If a primary caretaker has a negative attitude toward their child, it increases the risk that their child will grow up hostile towards others. And it’s not just aggression toward others that results from child abuse; a large amount of children raised by abusive parents also harm themselves. The reason for this negative behavior is because the children don’t learn appropriate techniques for handling life’s disappointments. If you aren’t raised with coping skills, you’re much too likely to act ‘inappropriately’ than if you have developed more reasonable approaches. The effect of poor parenting, as reported by Dr. Geoffrey Dahmer in “The Bully Papers”, is that everyone gets the child they deserve.

Posted in DogLover, Grammar Exercise | Leave a comment

Enough About You – chickennugget246

Posted on April 18, 2023 by chickennugget246
  1. Taxpayers wonder whether the amount spent on students makes a difference. If we really think about it, yes it does. Ask any parent whose child goes to an expensive school.
  2. There are different types of injuries that happen in each sport. Would there be an objection knowing that a surgery performed before any injury occurs could make an athlete stronger?
  3. Imagine our body being consumed by a drug. We would do anything to get this drug and we don’t worry about the consequences that come with it.
  4. By inviting Syrians in, more problems would be caused, with less solutions.
  5. Does the idea of not actually having money on-hand sound trivial?
  6. That little green piece of paper in our pocket holds no actual value other than the cost it took to produce it, and yet we will work our whole life just to acquire more of those little green pieces of paper just so we can take them and stick them in a bank.
  7. Reading a bank statement or looking at a made-up value of a dollar bill is better than trading goods like livestock and produce.
  8. I now understand that a dollar is only worth what the exchange rate is for it.
  9. Without physically holding money, just like stone currency, it is still possible to own these Bitcoins.
  10. Thinking about it deeply, lives are based on the American Dream, which is having enough money to be financially stable.
  11. Money is an adroit concept and its pursuit lasts a lifetime. The goal is to join the game of making enough money in order to make life more fun and acceptable.
Posted in ChickenNugget, Enough About You | Leave a comment