Electronics controlling our lives

It is sad that people I interact with are blown away when they hear that I don't have an ipod. Its even sadder when my sister's 12 year old friends hang out at our house and don't converse because 75% of them have their heads down on their cell phones.
A recent article in the New York times brought to light the amount of time that teenage girls are actually spending on their cell phones. An average of 8 texts an hour are sent by teenage girls right now according to the article. This doesn't sound like too much until you add that up to discover the per-month total...4,050! And that is only the amount of time spent on the cell phone texting; this doesn't even start to account for the time spent talking on the phone, or time on the internet, or in front of the television. When you add up all of the time spent using these other technologies a majority of the day ends up being spent using one form of technology or another.


Many marketers profess that technology has been developed to the point that it is, to make our lives simpler.. but do you find that technology now days is really making anything about life easier? Is it really adding that much value to our lives?
I guess that would depend on what an individual deems as "Value."
The 'old fashioned' definition of a valuable life had to revolve around the family, the roles of mothers and fathers was different than it is now, and most importantly so is the role of the child. The old adage of "children should be seen and not heard" had long been trampled on. Now children get whatever it is that they want. I wonder if technology has anything to do with the changing ideals that society holds. Not that I believe that the old fashioned ways are best, I just see a significant difference from the way our parents our grandparents were raised.
What is even more alarming is that texters ages 18-24 only send 1,630 texts a month. What is it that is so important in teenagers lives that they have to send 2,500 more texts a month than everyone else!!!??? One thing that alarms me most about these numbers is the amount of texting that may be taking place within the classroom during school. How much learning isn't taking place because the student is spending so much time trying to hide their phones form their teachers and talking about nothing to their friends??

My sudden focus on technology began when my Marketing teacher began class by telling a story about him "having to buys his eleven year old daughter a cell phone because she was entering middle school" and how he was "surprised that her 3,000 texts a month were below the average" eleven years old!!! She hasn't even started her period yet and she has so many things to discuss with friends that she spends every waking hour on the phone.

With so much communication occurring over synthetic pathways now days, the amount of face to face communications has significantly declined. I do not have any studies to present at this point in time, but I have noticed a decline in the communications skills of young people over the last 5+ years. People I meet all the time and have lovely conversations with over text, seem to be socially inept when I spend time with them face to face. It is my theory that the ability of young people to effectively and articulately communicate face to face has declined since the implementation of cellular communication in their lives. Maybe it is just me, or maybe our interpersonal skills are being negatively affected by the 'beneficial' technology being developed. Then again, maybe it is just our own faults for not engaging in more face to face communication despite the introduction of new technologies. 

Simply food for thought- is this a troubling statistic? Is technology actually helping our society and adding as much value to our lives as marketers tell us it is? Or is it doing more harm than good? Lets consider how much bad may come with the good of increased usage of technology; by all demographics of people around the world and especially in the United States.

All I know is that the amount of time I spend doing homework and constructive activities has significantly increased since I stopped watching television completely; and to be quite honest, I have never missed it once. 

 View the entire article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/technology/18drill.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=so%20why%20talk%20when%20you%20can%20text&st=cse
http://www.google.com/imgres

Why I Value Your Opinion

To be brief, some thoughts came to me tonight while, again, talking with a friend. It struck me hard that all the emotions I have within me are derivatives of the life experiences I've had. I am a firm believer that we are all a product of our environment. But it is funny to see that opinions I have towards issues can be shaken so much by simple comments made by other people, with different points of view. Because I have not known the people they have known, nor traveled the path of life they have, I do not understand life in the way that they do.

Simple thoughts regarding any topic can seem so astronomical to me, but are passing thoughts to another; simply because they have experienced life in a way that those ideas have manifest themselves more clearly than they have in my twenty years. That is why I am grateful for all those opposing opinions that individuals choose to share, because they give me some insight into another human's 'bubble of a world' that I had not before experienced.

Every time I can step, even for a moment, into the realm of another persons world through intelligent discussion, I feel I am that much closer to being able see the 'big picture' of life and understand where exactly I happen to stand within all of it.
So thank you~

- Kate

Retirement Age Overseas

Here's some quick food for thought.

In an article in the Wall Street Journal today, David Gauthier-Villars recaps the intensity of the strikes that are occurring in Paris, France over a new pension plan passed by their Lower House. The pension plan increases the retirement age from 60-62. This change has caused a 'blow up' of sorts with the people of France, and has been the cause of strikes leading to shutting down multiple gas stations, refineries, as well as stalling one third of the flights leaving the international airport!

I find it kind of funny how this two year increase is causing such a raucous while in the United States, the retirement age stands at 65 in most industries and politicians are pushing for increasing that age as well. I need to do more research on the bills that propose an increase in age, but until then, I'll just laugh about how little action the angry people of the United States are taking as their retirement age is increasing and their Social Security benefits are decreasing.

I'll post my questions on Social Security tax and FICA sometime soon.

Do you think that Americans are being too compliant with the retirement age that is set? Or do you think that because Labor Unions are almost extinct in the States, that it isn't worth the strikes and trouble?

Photo and information sourced by the Wall Street Journal
Tuesday, October 19, 2010- Vol. CCLVI NO. 93
as well as google images

- Kate

The Issue of Divorce

I find it upsetting that the percentage of marriages that end in divorce in the United States is so high. Currently, according to cdc.gov the national percentage for marriages that end in divorce is exactly 50%. I feel that this number is overwhelmingly high. While discussing this unsettling fact with a friend the other day, he responded by saying that Mormon marriages only had a 5-6% divorce rate.I found this a very unconvincing fact and decided to do some research on the topic. I for one, believe that those married in the Temple are individuals of different character than those married outside of the temple; however, I do not believe that this makes them invincible from divorce nor less as likely to experience it.

I am not specifically choosing to single out the LDS religion from the rest of the world, religious or not, for any reason other than it was the specific topic of conversation that got my mind turning. I know that many other religions yield different results regarding the topic of successful marriage as well.
 
According to religioustolerance.org, a non-biased website that encourages understanding of other religions, Mormons do NOT have a significantly lower rate of divorce than non-Mormons. Before you discredit this information, let me first explain why it is that so many Mormons believe that those active in the LDS faith have lower divorce rates.

Temple marriages legally count as a civil union between a man and a woman. This can be rescinded just like any other civil union, and is. However, it is difficult to get a marriage canceled through the LDS church. The leaders are hesitant to do so and a majority of the time, a civil divorce is completed while the Temple divorce is not. Thus, in church records, there are many people still married who, in fact, have received civil divorces by the State. According to the church records, only 6% of Temple marriages end in divorce, because only 6% have been granted a divorce, while in reality, just under 50% of the Temple marriages have had civil divorces.

That said, I simply want to reiterate my disgruntlement at the skyrocketing divorce rate and use this research as validation of my intense skepticism regarding the decision to ever get married!
I am desperate to know why it is that the divorce rate is so high. Obviously religious involvement does not make anyone immune and I find it necessary to discover valid reasons for getting married when so many fail.

I guess more than anything, this is simply food for thought. I feel it is an alarming part of how Humanity is acting, regardless of politics or economic health.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/lds_divo.htm
B.A. Robinson
http://www.divorcereform.org/cau.html
Bernama - Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia

Corrupt politicians; are there any deserving of our vote?

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER/COMMENT ON

• Is the behavior of politicians/political candidates acceptable?
• Are the right people running for office?
• Should we be forgiving to candidates concerning their pasts?
• Does the pull of the 'power in Washington' breed unethical people?
• How do we choose the 'best' candidate to nominate?

It is a constant topic of discussion in the news, that of the scandals of our political leaders. Many may be false rumors, yet many may also hold truth. It seems that the issue can never be subdued, it is constantly popping up in the media. I believe that these issues beg the question: are any Politicians deserving of our vote? Are any of them worthy of being the mouthpiece for those they supposedly represent?

Some may argue that none are worthy of becoming leaders of our country, whether on a Local, State, or Federal level. Others may argue that the issues they face are like unto those that we all face. That they can relate to us because they have felt the same temptations we all have, and some have endured faltering to those temptations.

Aside from these arguments, it worries me that more and more politicians and political candidates seem to be gaining favor from the American people regardless of their unacceptable pasts. These thoughts are derived from an article in the New York Times I read today about the up-and-coming Tea Party. They are receiving more favor in the eyes of voters and a few may, in fact, come to hold office after the upcoming November elections. Although these tea party members hold very conservative values, (conservatism being the basis of their platforms) there are some who still have sketchy pasts.

For example:
Christine O'Donnell (Del. Senate)- "had to explain dabblings in witchcraft."
Tom Ganley (Ohio)- "was accused of sexual assault and attempted rape by a woman who wanted to volunteer on his campaign."
Jeff Perry (Mass)- holds a questionable past as a police sergeant from the 1990's where he "was the supervisor of an officer that placed his hand in a 14-year-old girl's underwear, saying he was looking for drugs. He was reported to have accompanied that same officer to the home of a 16-year-old girl to tell her parents that she had voluntarily pulled down her pants to show she was not hiding drugs"
Rich Lott (Ohio)- "dressed up as a Nazi re-enactor on weekends for years.
Jim Renacci (Ohio)- "Was assessed nearly $1.4 million in unpaid state taxes after trying to shelter $14 million in income. 

These examples may not be important enough to sway our voting decisions, but I believe that it is important that we completely get to know those running for office in order to make the most educated decision in regards to our voting behavior. Whether that be to vote for them, vote for those running against them, or to simply not support any candidate at all and withhold our vote.

What are your opinions regarding issues like this that creep up in the media?
What are your thoughts considering the questions posted above?
Is this even a relevant issue in your mind?

- Kate

source: The New York Times, Friday Oct. 15 2010
"For Tea Party, Sway Beyond Mere Numbers"
Midterm Results could Expand Influence
by Kate Zernike