There are several benefits of owning a pet, but do you know that owing a pet can actually reduce stress? Studies have shown that owning a pet can relieve certain health conditions. Owning a pet can even be as therapeutic as yoga and meditation.
Who could resist this face? http://static.desktopnexus.com/wallpapers/6707-bigthumbnail.jpg
“Pets can control blood pressure better than drugs. Inhibiting drugs reduce blood pressure, but they aren’t as effective in controlling blood pressure due to stress and tension. Owning a pet such as a dog may encourage you to get out and exercise, helping to reduce obesity. Also, American studies have shown that patients who owned a pet had a much better chance of surviving for more than a year after a heart attack,” http://preventdisease.com/lifestyle/pets/articles/more_evidence_pets_lower_stress.html
This past May, my grandmother passed away. I have never seen any two people love one another more than my grandparents. Married for 65 years, it’s needless to say that he was very upset and depressed in losing her. I thought that it would be a good idea for him to get a pet. Being old, and somewhat fragile, I figured that a cat would be a perfect fit for him. A cat is a great, loyal, reliable friend to anyone that will give it attention.
Now, four months later, he is gradually doing better, and seems to be much happier. When I asked him why, he told me because he is no longer alone. The cat has definitely helped him in more ways than one. She provides company for him while he eats dinner and she even sleeps with him. This is definitely beneficial to older people who have lost loved ones, like my grandfather, as well as people who have had health problems. Pets tend to ward off elderly depression with just a lick on the hand, or the purr of a cat.
Pets can help reduce stress more than people; even more than talking about your problems with a best friend. Recent research shows when conducting a task that’s stressful, people have truly experienced less stress when their pets were with them than when a friend or family member was present. This reason might be because pets don’t judge us, they just love us.
I know that whenever I am upset or need to talk, I always turn to my cat, Mystic. As crazy as it sounds I’m aware that other people do this as well. It’s just nice to talk and not be interrupted, or judged on what I am saying. Sometimes I don’t want my friends or family to know about things that are bothering me, so I know I can talk to my pest, and they won’t tell anyone.
For those who love animals, me included, it is virtually impossible to stay in a bad mood when a pair of loving puppy eyes meets yours, or when a super-soft cat rubs up against your leg. Pets can be there for you in ways that people can’t. They can offer love and companionship. They also enjoy comfortable silences, keep secrets and snuggle on the couch with you. Pets can be the best antidote to loneliness if they are given the chance.
“In fact, research shows that nursing home residents reported less loneliness when visited by dogs than when they spent time with other people. All these benefits can reduce the amount of stress people experience in response to feelings of social isolation and lack of social support from people”
http://www.mainstreet.com/article/family/family-health/7-ways-pets-lower-stress-and-save-you-money
Pets are not for everyone. They do come with a set of responsibilities that not everyone can handle. However, for most people the benefits of having a furry friend greatly outweigh the disadvantages. When times are tough it is nice to be able to talk to someone who you know is always willing to listen.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Kanye's diss on Taylor, my opinion
MY OPINION, with some support from the VMAs and various websites
We have got one big reason to call this year’s MTV VMAS Awards night one crazy show. The show brought many wild moments from some of our favorite and not so favorite celebrities. Celebrity wars are nothing new to us. However, for 19 year-old Taylor Swift this was something that she has never experienced on live TV before. Smiling, and very excited she started her acceptance speech for Best Female Video, and then was rudely interrupted by celeb Kanye West.
West yet again continued his history of on-stage award-show rants. The rapper stormed the stage just after the first award was presented to Taylor Swift. He cut the teen singer off, grabbing the microphone and protesting in support of Beyoncé Knowles.
This is pretty bothersome. Who nominated Kanye West as a judge? Oh, wait no one did. What did Taylor Swift do to him; nothing. Who gave him the authority to jump up on stage, grab the mic, steal her moment of glory and turn the focus on Knowles? This left Swift silent and confused on stage. The audience started to cheer and applaud her, however, she never got to finish her speech, and her moment was ruined. This angered many of the other artists, as well as most of the fans watching the VMAs Sunday evening.
“According to reports from inside the house, once cameras cut away from the action, West flipped off the crowd and returned to his seat. Wale then said to the crowd, "You can't blame a man for speaking his mind." His words were met with boos, and Wale then said, "Kanye, I tried." During the next commercial break, Pink walked by the rapper and appeared to shake her head in disgust before security escorted her away. West remained steadfast amidst the commotion as he kissed his girlfriend Amber Rose” (Rodriguez, mtvnews.com) http://www.mtvnews.com/
Many fans were also outraged by this incident as it was displayed nationally via emails, internet blogs and magazine articles. I logged onto my Facebook where I saw about 20 status feeds about how rude West was and how messed up the situation was. It was only ten minutes after it happened and there was already YouTube videos and Twitter blogs about how racist West is. I would have to agree. Just because Swift is a young, white girl he acted out. If it was Rihanna I guarantee he would not have jumped up on stage and said what he said. He was comparing Swift to Knowles simply because he is black and therefore wanted Knowles to win because she is black. Just because Swift is a country singer and plays a guitar he verbally bashed her and ruined her moment of fame. Not only did he leave Swift speechless, but he embarrassed himself and made himself look like an idiot.
Here is a link to Kanye's blog apology...
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/09/kanye-west-apologizes-to-taylor-swift-.html
How ironic that the next day West posted an apology to Swift, her mother and her fans on his blog. He doesn’t mean it. He is saying he’s sorry because “it’s the right thing to do.” He knows that now more than ever people are going to have him under a closer watch. This took a huge toll on his image and will definitely affect his career, what’s left of it. West then updated his blog a day later and apologized for a second time. Again, he doesn’t mean it.
West also apologize for the third time on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He had his fake tears rolling down his cheeks, and an almost-convincing quiver in his voice. Then he throws on his shades, gets on stage and sings a lousy song, that if you listen to the lyrics you will see that it voided his entire ‘apology.’
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. However, if West didn’t think Swift should have won, which clearly he didn’t, that’s fine, but he should have kept his mouth shut.
Another website that helped me write this was from RollingStone Magz, http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/09/13/kanye-west-storms-the-vmas-stage-during-taylor-swifts-speech/
In case you are unfamiliar, here is a youtube clip of what Kanye did at teh VMAS,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to6_7OEYrPU
We have got one big reason to call this year’s MTV VMAS Awards night one crazy show. The show brought many wild moments from some of our favorite and not so favorite celebrities. Celebrity wars are nothing new to us. However, for 19 year-old Taylor Swift this was something that she has never experienced on live TV before. Smiling, and very excited she started her acceptance speech for Best Female Video, and then was rudely interrupted by celeb Kanye West.
West yet again continued his history of on-stage award-show rants. The rapper stormed the stage just after the first award was presented to Taylor Swift. He cut the teen singer off, grabbing the microphone and protesting in support of Beyoncé Knowles.
This is pretty bothersome. Who nominated Kanye West as a judge? Oh, wait no one did. What did Taylor Swift do to him; nothing. Who gave him the authority to jump up on stage, grab the mic, steal her moment of glory and turn the focus on Knowles? This left Swift silent and confused on stage. The audience started to cheer and applaud her, however, she never got to finish her speech, and her moment was ruined. This angered many of the other artists, as well as most of the fans watching the VMAs Sunday evening.
“According to reports from inside the house, once cameras cut away from the action, West flipped off the crowd and returned to his seat. Wale then said to the crowd, "You can't blame a man for speaking his mind." His words were met with boos, and Wale then said, "Kanye, I tried." During the next commercial break, Pink walked by the rapper and appeared to shake her head in disgust before security escorted her away. West remained steadfast amidst the commotion as he kissed his girlfriend Amber Rose” (Rodriguez, mtvnews.com) http://www.mtvnews.com/
Many fans were also outraged by this incident as it was displayed nationally via emails, internet blogs and magazine articles. I logged onto my Facebook where I saw about 20 status feeds about how rude West was and how messed up the situation was. It was only ten minutes after it happened and there was already YouTube videos and Twitter blogs about how racist West is. I would have to agree. Just because Swift is a young, white girl he acted out. If it was Rihanna I guarantee he would not have jumped up on stage and said what he said. He was comparing Swift to Knowles simply because he is black and therefore wanted Knowles to win because she is black. Just because Swift is a country singer and plays a guitar he verbally bashed her and ruined her moment of fame. Not only did he leave Swift speechless, but he embarrassed himself and made himself look like an idiot.
Here is a link to Kanye's blog apology...
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/09/kanye-west-apologizes-to-taylor-swift-.html
How ironic that the next day West posted an apology to Swift, her mother and her fans on his blog. He doesn’t mean it. He is saying he’s sorry because “it’s the right thing to do.” He knows that now more than ever people are going to have him under a closer watch. This took a huge toll on his image and will definitely affect his career, what’s left of it. West then updated his blog a day later and apologized for a second time. Again, he doesn’t mean it.
West also apologize for the third time on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He had his fake tears rolling down his cheeks, and an almost-convincing quiver in his voice. Then he throws on his shades, gets on stage and sings a lousy song, that if you listen to the lyrics you will see that it voided his entire ‘apology.’
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. However, if West didn’t think Swift should have won, which clearly he didn’t, that’s fine, but he should have kept his mouth shut.
Another website that helped me write this was from RollingStone Magz, http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/09/13/kanye-west-storms-the-vmas-stage-during-taylor-swifts-speech/
In case you are unfamiliar, here is a youtube clip of what Kanye did at teh VMAS,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to6_7OEYrPU
Thursday, September 17, 2009
News Organizations' Troubles
Some news organizations have had trouble adapting to the digital world for a few reasons. One reason is because they operate under a broadcast sensibility. They tend to produce discrete bias of centent, finished products meant for passive consumption
Some information and videos I found that are helpful come from this website, http://www.vanderbilt.edu . There is much evidence to support that big organizations and companies are having trouble making the transition from the old, fossilized technology to the newer modern, digital world.
Some researchers find this change to be healthy. For many young researchers this may be chaotic and frusterating. The digital aids to research such as having a wide access to electronic publications places greater stress on the researcher to keep up. Some organizations are having problems trying to keep up, once it has finally made the transition.
This site also helped to support this, http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10100&page=38
Some information and videos I found that are helpful come from this website, http://www.vanderbilt.edu . There is much evidence to support that big organizations and companies are having trouble making the transition from the old, fossilized technology to the newer modern, digital world.
Some researchers find this change to be healthy. For many young researchers this may be chaotic and frusterating. The digital aids to research such as having a wide access to electronic publications places greater stress on the researcher to keep up. Some organizations are having problems trying to keep up, once it has finally made the transition.
This site also helped to support this, http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10100&page=38
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Media Changes Over Time
When I think back about ten years I can distinctly remember my first cell phone. It was navy blue and it was rather bulky. It was a Nokia with a long embarassing antenna.
http://www.stopbuyingcrap.com/pics/sbc/cellphones1.jpg
I know now that cell phones have drastically changed over time, from touch screens to sliders, from black to red to pink. Cell phones now have cameras and internet access among many other applications. The Internet has also changed a lot in the past ten years. I remember my family's first computer and it's internet access. It was a dial up which took forever to connect. The biggest thing for me was to get on aol and hear the familiar "you've got mail!" I also loved instant messaging with friends. The internet now is much faster and easier to use. I have since 'upgraded' from my aol email account to a more professional account. I still use aim to message with friends, however, it is the updated version which also has its perks. Mass communication has become much easier over time, due to the advances in technology.
http://www.stopbuyingcrap.com/pics/sbc/cellphones1.jpg
I know now that cell phones have drastically changed over time, from touch screens to sliders, from black to red to pink. Cell phones now have cameras and internet access among many other applications. The Internet has also changed a lot in the past ten years. I remember my family's first computer and it's internet access. It was a dial up which took forever to connect. The biggest thing for me was to get on aol and hear the familiar "you've got mail!" I also loved instant messaging with friends. The internet now is much faster and easier to use. I have since 'upgraded' from my aol email account to a more professional account. I still use aim to message with friends, however, it is the updated version which also has its perks. Mass communication has become much easier over time, due to the advances in technology.
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