Don't even get me started...

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The LOUDNESS War

(aka, what ruined the sound of modern music)

You may not be familiar with what the loudness war is, but you are definitely familiar with its effects. To explain, try to picture yourself in this situation. You are selling newspapers on the sidewalk of a busy street, you shout, "Extra! Extra!" People hear, and buy your paper. Now imagine a different newspaper hires a different newsboy to sell across the street from you. What are you going to do? Probably shout a little right? Shout louder, more people hear, more people buy. Now imagine that the number of paper boys increases tenfold... you're probably screaming at the top of your lungs. Well that's exactly what happened in the music industry.

For some reason people decided that louder is better. I have absolutely no idea why. However the fact remains that the new philosophy is that louder is better, so let's make all these tracks louder, purely in a sense of decibels. To do that one needs to decrease something called dynamic range. Dynamic range is the difference in sound between the softest and loudest note playing in a track. The thing that lets a song develop and move and sway and have... well... range. 

The three steps done in this process are as follows;

1) Decrease the dynamic range so no note is significantly louder or softer than any other

2) Increase the overall volume of the now modified track

3) Sound terrible

So say goodbye to crescendo, range, powerful vocals over soft instruments, focus on the specific instrument in a solo, and clear cut, non-scratchy music. So this, this is why digital music fails miserably in comparison to vinyl.

Caity Tirakian Blog Post #4 "How to Stop Whatever the Heli is Going On."

PP#4 

Caity Tirakian Period-1

Title: How to Stop Whatever the Heli is Going On. 

Image Source: http://yowpyowp.blogspot.com/2012/12/snooper-and-blabber-scoop-snoop.html

As we’ve learned, helicopter parenting is an overbearing parenting style in which the parent becomes obsessed with the child’s activities or academics and often lives vicariously through them in order to obtain a sense of authority and perfection. This type of parenting is predominantly negative for both the child and the parent and must be prevented or stopped in order to better the child’s future. In Deborah Skolnik’s article, “How to Stop Helicopter Parenting,” she explores different ways in which helicopter parents can ease off of their intense parenting habits. She begins with why this hands on parenting has spiked recently and claims “You can go online and find out every scary thing that could happen to your child. You can also investigate every illness. So there's endless opportunity for fear. At the same time, ‘the rules for setting your little one on the path to lifelong success have become murkier than ever’, adds Margaret Nelson, a professor of sociology at Middlebury College, in Vermont, and author of Parenting Out of Control: Anxious Parents in Uncertain Times. ‘Even if you've managed to be financially comfortable and happy, you're aware your child may not be able to duplicate what you've accomplished, even if he does exactly what you did,’ she explains. ‘So you ask yourself ‘What should I provide him with?’ Without an answer, you start trying to provide absolutely everything you possibly can, including too much help.” These nervous parents need to stop exhausting themselves while impeding on their children’s development. One way Skolnik recommends this is to be a “submarine” parent instead. This means that instead of hovering, you “stay close by—in case of real danger—but mostly out of sight, so he gets out of the habit of running to you for every problem.” Another tip is to ask what your child does when you aren’t present. If your child can tie his shoes alone at school but makes you do it when you’re around, then you need to back off on the assistance there. Perhaps you can make incentives for your children using the idea of a token economy. She recommends making a chart with various chores and the child getting stickers when they can complete said tasks on their own, “Practice some basic playground skills with your child... Show him how to kick a ball, climb on the mini-monkey bars, or even just go down the slide. If you see he can do these things safely, you'll feel more comfortable sitting back on the bench during his next park playdate”, count to ten before taking action. This means that when your child begs for your attention (as long as they aren’t in danger), to wait 10 seconds before taking action. In that time, you may realize it’s not really necessary to rush to the rescue after all. Finally my personal favorite, “Sit down and have a cup of coffee. Make a brief time every day when your butt's in a chair and your metaphorical copter is on the landing pad, too. “If your child calls for you and it isn't an emergency, say ‘I am drinking coffee right now,’” advises Caine. “If he really needs you, he'll come to you, and if you do this enough, he may stop asking for help with every little thing so often.” This is the epitome of the point I’m trying to make. Parenting is a 24/7 hour job but it shouldn’t be made more draining than it needs to be. It’s okay to sit back and relax every once in a while which in turn, will actually be a benefit to your child as well. 

Further Research Question: How does this type of parenting compare to other kinds? Is there one kind that is the best? 

https://upload.wikimedia.org

The moon is our closest cosmic neighbor. And we’ve been exploring it surface since we developed the first telescope. The first tries of exploring the moon were not very productive. In that time, we were still unable to find out everything we wanted, but only about decade later, we had a human being walking on the moon. Luna 2 was the first object that landed on the moon’s surface in 1959. There were a few missions by NASA. They wanted to get as many pictures as possible from the flying object before it just smashes at the moon. These spacecrafts were named “Ranger”. Ranger 7 had really successful mission, because it collected more than 4,000 photos before it crashed. Around 1966-67 Russia had two successful missions. Luna 9 was the first vehicle that landed softly on the surface. Luna 10 which was launched about one year later, was the first object that orbited the moon. Probably one of the most important events that occurred on the moon was Apollo 11 mission. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, were making historical move. They were the first human beings who landed on the moon’s surface. In 1999 the lunar prospector orbited the moon in searching for ice at the lunar poles. It also explored the moon’s gravitational field. This mission was ended with smashing the craft into the moon on purpose. With smashing the craft, they wanted to find out if there was water on the moon. Nowadays, many countries are involved in researching the moon’s surface and the moon’s environment. This can actually bring a lot of goods for us, because one day we will maybe be able to use the moon as the first station in further research of the universe. The U.S. has probably one of the most ambitious plans, because they are planning to return the humans to the moon by the end of 2020.

NEXT RESEARCH QUESTION: How much did the apollo 11 mission cost?

Horses as therapy animal

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When we think of animals helping with therapy we think of dogs, we usually don’t usually picture such a large animal helping with small children with disabilities or soldiers coming home from overseas with ptsd. Well it has become quite common for these large animals to be helping these people with their problems. “psychological benefits of working with horses are being recognised by growing numbers of therapists who work with autistic children, young people with behavioural problems, adults with depression or celebrities with addictions.”  After horses are known to be gentle giants when they are trained properly. When they help with problems they are well trained and won’t try to do anything that the person wouldn’t really like. In the article “Not just horsing around..psychologists put their faith in equine therapies” by Tracy Mcveigh, http://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/feb/26/horses-therapists-stress-autism-addiction. She talks alot about how these big animals help many people suffering from autism ptsd and addiction. She is reliable because she is the chief reporter for the observer and has covered many stories around the world. Horses are good for therapy considering when you ride them they reflect your emotions and will feel what you feel.  "The horse is the perfect mirror, they are very emotional beings; we're only starting to realise how intelligent they are,"  Horses will react to your emotions as well as their own, so when coming near them be gentle and caring also don’t be scared they can sense fear.  “ As a herd animal attuned to stress and body language, a horse will move away from an angry person, follow someone it trusts and be unsettled when it senses fear.” See from my experience with horses, i’ve learned to not fear them and it has become easier for both me and the horse i’m intending to ride, if you're going to ride a horse the best thing to do is approach the animal in a very calm manner so that it does run off and get scared of you.

How much does deforestation cost?

Source: http://wallpapercave.com

For years we have been cutting down thousands of trees per day for years. Dozens of companies travel to remote areas of the world for the greatest supply of trees. They get paid by the hour to do that job. It doesn’t cost the companies much in comparison for what they are getting in return in profit. But what is it costing the rest of the world? What does it cost to destroy the planet?

Cutting down trees and destroying the environment does not come cheap. According to NRDC, “The BBC is reporting on a new study which estimated that current deforestation is costing the world $2-5 trillion per year.” This staggering number shows that each year we are spending ½ of what we owe in the national debt in destroying the planet for resources. Even in this modern technology day and age where we could use the money we are spending to cut down trees to pay off some of the national debt just by going paperless.

The world needs saving now. We can’t wait any longer to start saving the planet. Deforestation is a huge factor in why the planet is suffering every day. If we stop doing this we could help save the only world we have to live in and start paying off the national debt.

My next research question is: what regions of the world are the most popular for deforestation?

Withholding Rights to Our Information

Withholding Rights to Our Information

http://www.projectcensored.org/withholding-rights-to-our-information-2/

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    According to the article, which draws from both established writers Gary Pruitt and Michael Felberbaum at mediachannel.org and mcclatchydc.com, as citizens of the United States, we should have the right to know what is going on with reagrds to information that the government would otherwise classify as secret or sensitive. When all things are considered, the real question to ask is “is the government really protecting us by withholding information?” Which leads to another question of “what exactly is the government hiding from us?”   


   
The article makes a point how “our government isn’t forthcoming with knowledge of controversial topics,” where technically speaking, being on the same page as far as public enlightenment of information goes would be mutually beneficial. Through informed judgements forthcoming from the people, our government would gain insight into how the general population would react to certain situations and would furthermore have the ability to execute decisions with the nation's general interests in mind.


Not only should the government regulate and give us access to all information, but also should allow it to become a much easier process to receive specific documentations of which hold certain importance. According to the writers, accessing information is difficult to come by in the modern United States. This due to the charging of thousands of dollars just to see and/or find the truth. The authorities have been keeping information from the public for quite a while now, for example, in a Florida case, the Broward county Sheriff’s Department charged $399,000 to receive emails that contained bad words for homosexuals. This process also took four years, proving the daunting task that regulating information to the public is today.


By filtering in and out what information they feel is important to the public, the government is taking away our rights as citizens gaining way to the truth. They must conclude treating us as objects that are manipulated instead of people who have their own minds. Our country is left vulnerable and the people critical of the government, thus, it should be left to us to decide for ourselves whether to learn of something or not. We must support our country's name of being “united” and begin to act less of the people against the government and as one nation under God.   





 



Athletes and Financials

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Athletes making bad decisions is not just getting into fights or using illegal drugs, they can also make poor decisions financially.  It seems like every year we hear about a pro athlete who goes broke because he spent all of his money and declared for bankruptcy.  These athletes make a lot of money, money that most of them aren’t used to having because majority of athletes were poor before they get to the professional level.  These young men do not know how to handle their financials for a couple reasons, like many of them don’t have the education on how to handle money, also many of them have children with women whom they are not married too, so they need to pay hefty fines child support.  One of the most famous athletes who went bankrupt as Maureen Callahan writes in her article titled, “How Pro Athletes Lose Everything” was Mike Tyson.  She wrote, “Mike Tyson, who tore through $300 million on multiple homes, cars, jewels and pet tigers. In 2003, he filed for bankruptcy.” Mike Tyson was ill informed on how to spend his money wisely and ultimately ended up going bankrupt.

Vast majority of professional athletes come from families who were not wealthy growing up. Maureen Callahan writes in her article, “Far too many of them, he found, had not only failed to plan for their future, but lacked a basic understanding of money management.” When these athletes first reach the professional leagues, they do not know what to do with these large sums of money that they just acquired. They have not been educated well throughout their whole lives. These athletes go out and spend their money on material objects instead of investing it, as they should.  These athletes have no idea on how long they will actually be playing their sport for.  Anything can happen, ranging from getting injured to getting cut from the team.  If they can no longer play the sport then they are out of a job in which they have no income to support themselves and since they didn’t invest their money they are going to have to declare for bankruptcy.  In my opinion there should be a required class on managing your financials before you are allowed to enter any professional sport.

Another reason so many athletes are going broke is because they need to pay hefty child support fines on kids that they have.  We know now that athletes do not make the smartest decisions ever, and many of athletes have kids with multiple women.  These athletes need to pay a large sum of their income to these women in order to take care of the children.  Callahan writes in her article, “Divorce and child-support payments, Foyle writes, are two things most young athletes never anticipate. “Early in my career, I heard a league official say that once they retire, there is an 87 percent divorce rate among NBA players,” he writes.” Even if the athletes are educated on their financials, they are still at risk for divorce payments and child-support payments.  They never anticipate it because they think they will be happily married with their kids for their whole life, but that is not the case.

Overall the main reason for athletes going bankrupt is the lack of education followed by paying large child-support fines.  Many of these athletes need to become informed on how to spend their money wisely or else we will see this trend continue in the future.  These young men are only about twenty years old and they are making such large sums of money.  It is a dangerous thing to give these kids this amount of money when they do not know how to spend it.

Are the Pads that are used in Contact Sports Protecting the Players from Concussions?

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As long as anyone can remember we have always had some type of sports in society dating all the way back to before 6000 BC.  Sports are introduced at a young age in society today and are taught that you have to be the best at whatever you play.  In today's society there are a vast amount of sports that can be played in a club or in school.  If you are good enough in a single sport you can go on to play in college and then maybe the pros.  The one question everyone asks though when seeing these players hit as hard as they do is the equipment they are wearing actually protecting them?  The short and simple answer is no, the pads that these players are wearing are not only not protecting against concussions.  The helmets are designed to help protect the outside layer of there head and where the real damage occurs is in the inside of the player's head.
U.S. Senators Tom Udall and John D. Rockefeller both together talk about how “athletes and their parents need to be fully informed of the risks and should never be given a false sense of safety.” (U.S. Congress Documents quoting Udall)  When Udall and Rockefeller talk about this they are trying to elaborate on the fact that the equipment that is used in sports like football are not even being tested to see if they can protect against a hit that can cause a concussion. Udall and Rockefeller state “during the hearing, it was revealed that sports equipment manufacturers have repeatedly made claims that their equipment "prevents concussions" or "reduce the risk of concussions" without scientific evidence to back those claims.” (U.S. Congress Documents)  If the people that make the equipment are not helping keep the players then the players playing the sport are just not safe when they are pursuing their sport.  Overall it's like the athletes are just running around like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode and get a concussion because there equipment cannot properly equip them.

Future Research Question: What is CTE and what does it do to a person?

What coping skills help in business

                                               Source: http://thehappyhousewife.com

If you're the smartest kids class or one of the smartest kids in class you have probably dealt with a dyslexic student without even knowing it. Every kid, while going through school, has learn to develop coping skills for things they aren’t good at or struggle with. Most kids need to study a certain way or they have study a little longer than for one class rather than other. But, for dyslexics they cope with school through a much different way. They become friends with the smartest kid in class. You're probably wondering how becoming friends with with smartest kid is a coping skill that could help you in business, well let's find out.

Dyslexics manage to get kids to do their work for them. Not because they are lazy but because they don’t know how to do it. By getting the smart kids to do it, the dyslexic student knows it’s done and done right. So, at a young age they are learning delegation and how to motivate others. Delegation is a skill that you have to have in order to be successful in business. It is impossible to for one person to do all the work needed for a business to become successful. Dyslexics learn to motivate others so that the work gets done to the best of their ability.

Dyslexics are developing entrepreneurial skills by doing things to get by in school. Being dyslexic myself I have used coping mechanisms like this when I was younger. But now that I have a computer, I have the ability to reteach myself the material in the best way I learn. Which is an entrepreneurial skill because I have to find a new way to solve an issue. Next blog post is how dyslexics ability to listen are often one of their best tools.

Save Space for Later

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                Earth's surface is seventy percent ocean and to this day humans have only explored less than five percent of it. As a species that has inhabited the world for thousands of years we know little to nothing about the oceans that cover our world. Recently there has been new research to understand the effect the ocean has on our planet and how polluting it has effected our environment and the creatures that inhabit it. But more recently there has been an interest in other worldly things such as the ninth planet in the solar system as well as our neighboring planet Mars, and with that interest there has been speculation on why we spend so much exploring beyond our planet when we know so little about our own. In CNN's article "Mars Can Wait. Oceans Can't" the author, Amitai Etzioni, talks about how the oceans play a crucial role in both science and medical advancements. 

              Etzioni begins with the technological argument. She highlights how "Ninety percent of the ocean floor has not even been charted, and while we have been to the moon, the technology to explore the ocean's floors is still being developed". I must admit that it is a bit absurd how we have the means to travel beyond our planet, but not into our own. With that being said though, humans have always fought through adversity when there is an incentive, and only recently have humans had any incentive to explore the oceans, a place just as inhabitable as outer space. Had there been an ocean counter part to the space race I bet there may be technology today for humans to explore the depths with. A large portion of the serge for advancements in ocean tech has been related to climate and advancements in medicine.

            Etzioni brings up that the importance of new technology comes with our little understanding of the ocean and its role on our climate as well as organism use to help cure disease. In the article the author states, "The oceans play a major role in controlling our climate. But we have not learned yet how to use them to cool us off rather than contribute to our overheating. Ocean organisms are said to hold the promise of cures for an array of diseases". Climate change has been a major issue as of late and scientists searching for evidence are looking to the oceans. This years El Nino could have played a crucial role in this years hectic Winter, with weather ranging from normal lows to all time highs. Medicine as well has shown need of enhancement as new viruses and diseases find their way to the U.S. With all of these issues revolving around the ocean it may be time to set aside the space program and explore more of our home. Though I am one to advocate for space exploration, there is not much use in the search if we cannot survive long enough on Earth to make it practical. All in all I believe there is a sufficient argument against space exploration, however, I do not think that means exploration should be shut down, just slowed while funds go towards more urgent issues. 

Future Research: Expert opinions on the issue as well as economics. 

Images and Advertising Around the World

Although we are quite accustomed to the images we see in advertisements in the U.S., if you were to travel to another country the advertisements you see might be completely different. The role of images in advertising can be very different in places across the globe when cultural values, beauty standards, and governments come into play. By looking at photoshopped images and laws, you can get a lot of insight into the values of countries and what consumers are looking for.

Source: incomeschool.com

In one study, Ester Honlg sent a picture of a woman was sent around the world to 27 different countries to be photoshopped to what was considered to be the ideal body image of the people. I was so surprised to see that they all looked so different. Some countries barely changed the image at all, while others made her curvy and full figured, and others made her anorexically skinny. They asked female designers because they “wanted a woman’s view of what her culture finds attractive,” which in turn affects how they decide to target consumers in advertisements.

Some countries have decided to attack the issue of photoshop in advertising using the law. Israel recently adopted a new “photoshop law” that requires models to have a BMI of at least 18.5 and they are now also “additional regulation placed on advertisers requiring clear labeling on ads featuring digitally-altered images of models.” This law was created to prevent deceptive advertising and eating disorders. Other countries, like France, are beginning to consider adopting laws that likewise mark images that have been altered, so that unhealthy beauty standards are not used for advertising. However, this is far from a universal movement, as the U.S. says that “under the federal trade commission act, advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive,” yet it does not go as far as to require labels and minimum BMIs. It will be interesting to see if in the future we decide to adopt such laws, or if they will be considered as an infringement on our rights.

Different things sell across the world. What is attractive in one country might be irrelevant in another country. Because of this, what advertisers target in their photographs can greatly vary. However, no matter what it is they are targeting, what is clear is that each country takes into account the specific preferences of their consumers to maximize their profits.

Future Research: What is the psychology behind advertising? What affect can it have on children?

Strength in Numbers

Source: www.xperiencefitnessblog.com

You have heard the saying “strength in numbers” before, so can the more people you workout with actually increase your strength? The answer is hard to determine because there are many factors that go into having a successful workout and they are different for everyone. People workout for both their physical and mental health. This post will go into the depths of group versus solo workouts. 

Men and Women’s Health writer, Markham Heid, wrote the article Should You Work Out Alone or With a Group? in 2015 for the Fitness section of Shape Magazine, which entails articles about diet, fitness and beauty. The overall argument is that group workouts are more effective because you are motivated by those around you, this is especially true for outgoing people who want to build their energy. But on the contrary, working out alone is also very beneficial because it yields mental benefits that do not happen in a group workout.

We were all taught in required P.E classes that the “goal is to maximize both the psychological and physical benefits of exercise” when working out. But as we get older, it becomes harder to stay motivated to workout and more expensive since high school gym is the last time you will be expected to workout due to state laws. That is why having a likeness towards working out whether it be alone or with a group must be developed so that you can continue working out. Also, a good support group (friends, classes, your own motivation) can help too.

Group workouts, for many people have proved to be a successful way to staying motivated, “95% of those who started a weight-loss program with friends completed the program, compared to a 76% completion rate for those who tackled the program alone.” Individuals within a group of friends who are all working towards the same fitness goals will stay motivated to keep up with the group. I can relate to this because when I go to a yoga sculpt class (intermediate yoga with weights) with one of well-experienced friends I use heavier weights than what I would train with alone. In a class setting “you tend to gravitate toward the exercise intensity of those around you,” so in my experience my friend makes me work harder in class because I want to keep up with her level.

Although I am a strong advocate for group workouts and fitness classes, other people may feel anxiety from them.Depending on how trained you are can affect your likeness to working out in a group setting. If you are more introverted and untrained, then working out in a group may make you feel more self conscious especially in a yoga studio with mirrored walls allowing everyone to see you. That is why group workouts are most effective for outgoing people that like being challenged by others while working out. Another factor that goes into your preference of working out alone or in a group is the amount of time in your day that you have to workout.

People with more time to workout usually workout in groups, and people who workout only if they have time after their work will often work out alone. If you are working out in the morning to energize yourself for the day, then working out in a group will help build that energy, but if you have limited time to work out at the end of a long day, then working out alone will help you relax and clear your mind.

Whether you regularly workout alone or with a class or a group of friends, it is important to understand the mental health benefits that come from solo workouts. “When you exercise alone, your brain has time to think through problems and reflect on issues.”  This is not to say that group workouts are bad for your mental health, but they do not allow for that prolonged thinking time that working out alone yields. When deciding to workout with friends or alone, only you know what works best for you! You need to know your personality type, your skill level, the amount of time you have to workout for the day, and your workout goals for the day in order to choose if working out solo or in a group will be the most effective for you.

Future Research:

• What are advantages to working out? What are disadvantages?
• What is considered an average workout?

Economics Behind College Selection and is it Fair?

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Colleges look for a hand full of reasons why they should admit you to their college including, sat/act scores, GPA, extracurriculars, recommendation letters and where you live. Say two students have all equal qualities when it comes to those requirements, though there is one thing different, their social class. One of these students is from a poorer family and would be the first in his family to go to college. The other student is from a wealthy family where all of his family has gone to ivy league or BIG 10 schools. Which one will get in?

“In America, everyone has equal opportunity.” This statement is not true. According to Sam Fulwood III, a director of CAP Leadership Institute,  “Only 3 percent of students at the 146 most-selective public and private colleges in America are from the bottom socioeconomic quartile.” These kids have not had the same opportunities because of their social class and their access to education. It not fair for students that don’t have the access to good education to not be admitted to a college based on their wealth.

“Just 10 percent of students attending one of U.S. News & World Report’s top 30 public and private universities are from families with incomes less than $30,000” (Fulwood). It isn’t a coinisanice that these kids aren’t being admitted to college. They simply either aren’t being chosen because of their families income or don’t have the best education and that isn’t the student’s fault.

The kid with the higher wealth will get chosen because colleges don’t want to take loans from the students, they would rather get the money up front, and that is the economics behind it. Colleges select these students for higher profit for their University.
Future Research Question: Why do richer students have the "advantage'?