Extra Credit- Capitalsm

Recently in class we watched a documentary by Michael Moore called "Capitalism; It's a Love Story." Already at the age of nineteen I can tell you that I do not like to listen to anything involving politics or economics. I will be completely honest and tell you that i was indeed one of those kids that fell asleep and daydreamed in government/econ. in high-school. However, for some reason when I saw this movie I kept my eyes wide open the whole time.

The whole movie was completely factual. It was the kind of movie that bores you to death with a bunch of stats and other numbers and figures that are like a whole other language. They were facts that you were able to completely sympathize with. In the movie you see various cases in which people are getting there homes taken away without the banks giving them a fair amount of time to get the money they need to keep their home. One day the bank tells one of the couples that they have a certain amount of time to get out and the next they say a whole different story.The movie opens your eyes to the possibility of this happening to you one day. To me, that is a very frightening reality. to have something that you have worked soo hard for to have your whole life taken from you is one of the worst things in the world. Someone else profiting from your loss is even worse.

Michael Moore definitely uses a lot of slanted reporting in the movie. He uses it for good. Instead of giving facts and says that you have to agree with him he shows you first hand the reality of capitalism. He makes his audience want to learn more as well as investigate and establish their own opinion. What he ultimately wants you to do is to find your voice and to protect what is yours. When it comes to what you have worked for, you are your own superior!

The Brain at Low and High Levels of Stress

 Alright guys! I saw this video a few days ago and i wanted to share it with you guys! The video talks about the brain at low levels of stress and at high levels of stress. In the beginning of the video, the narrator talks about two of the main parts of the brain that are affected dring stress, the hippocampus and the amygdala. Just like he said in the video, when stress causes cortisol to flood the hippocampus the volume of it decreases. When this happens, you start to experience more emotions, anxiety , and you even start to forget things. At this point, I bet that any of you who are reading and or viewing the video are all remembering a time when you have experienced this. I remember the first time I presented a major assignment in my reading class and long story short I was soo nervous that when my teacher had asked me if my book was fiction or non-fiction I told her that I didn't know. At the time i was really nervous that I forgot what fiction and non-fiction were. Further in the video he talks about how the prefrontal cortex responds when certain levels of dopamine and norephrinephrine are involved. When the levels are low, we are generally bored and don't perform as good as we need to. Even when the levels are high we don't perform like we need to because we are highly stressed and emotional. Which is way they say to stay in the "flow" zone. Some of you are probably thinking " that's easier said than done." I know I am. Lets face it most of us are either too stressed or too bored and are almost never in between. However, what this video has taught me and what I hope that you guys learn, is to find a way to establish a "flow" zone. Don't let yourself get over stressed. Plan ahead accordingly so that you have what i call "wiggle room" to make mistakes, and fix things if need be so that things can go the way you need and or want them to. When you're bored and have nothing to do try something that is out of your comfort zone or is something you don't normally do. NO, that does not mean to start picking up nasty habits.What that means is to do things that stimulate your brain. things such as reading, writing, watching funny videos, exercising, volunteering, etc. Do something for you!

Blog Entry #5- Arizona Republic.

  This article in the Arizona Republic talks about ASU's possible decision to change the schedule and times of their classes. The article provides general information about the topic without taking a specific view point about the topic. Clearly, just like any other debatable topic their are two or more opinions about the topic. In this case, Some people are against it due to the fact that they believe that different courses require more time to learn. Some people think that its a good thing and that professors and students would highly benefit having shorter classes to catch up on homework and research. Then there are those who haven't quite exactly formed an iron clad opinion about it yet. Reading the article made me one of the people who have a split decision about shorter classes. On one hand only having a 7 week course sounds like an absolute dream. However, on the other hand 7 weeks of having to cram all of that work and knowledge in a short amount of time is absolute hell. Especially if you are someone like my self who struggles in either one or more subjects. For me math is a struggle. So, if i were to cram all of that algebra into 7 weeks I would definitely be having some serious doubts as to whether I would pass or not. However, i still think that 7 week courses is a good thing for students. If they were  to completely do that though they would definitely need to scale down the work load for the courses.

Entry # 4: Effects of stress

 Besides the obvious depression, anxiety, headaches, etc, ever wonder what kinds of long term effects that stress can cause? Here are some of the things stress can do.

 Stress can potentially cause heart disease.People who tend to be more hostile, competitive, impatient, etc. are more susceptible to heart disease due to their response to stress.. When you think about it, most people react to stress by having bad food habits, smoking, and or drinking. Which all happen to be leading causes in regards to heart disease.

  Hypertension can also be a side effect of stress. When someone is properly diagnosed with hypertension, they generally run the risk of  stroke, heart failure, heart attack, and even kidney failure. It is important to manage hypertension due to the fact that at any moment and of these instances can happen. Stress levels need to be at a level in which your body can react without over doing it.

  Everyone has an immune system. For those of you that don't know, the immune system is in charge of diseases and what not. When you are under an extreme amount of stress, your body's immune system is actually suppressed which lowers its ability to fight off diseases. Stress can also effect the recovery period of ones disease.

    These are just a few of the MANY problems that stress can bring. Some stress is healthy for the body . It helps the body exercise its pressure. However to much stress causes the body to have a lot of problems both physically and mentally. Which is why it is extremely important to distinguish what stress your body can and cannot take.

Entry #3 : Slanted Reporting.

When I say  "slanted reporting" how many of you imagine it meaning that whatever you write is slanted? Some of you who are reading this may or may not be saying " me, me, me" however i know that that's exactly what I was thinking when I first heard about this a long time ago. Spoil alert, that is far from what it actually means. Slanted reporting is a writing technique in which an author persuades their audience to agree and or disagree with a certain oping without the author actually stating their opinion.


WATCH :https://youtu.be/2JnYcuRW_qo


 I stumbled upon this Nike commercial featuring this boy named Nathan. In the video, they show Nathan running and they continue to talk about greatness and how its for everyone throughout the video. Then they proceed to end the video with "Find your Greatness." Nike uses slanted reporting in this commercial not only to promote Nathans greatness but to also promote their brand. By showing that Nathan is being supported by them by wearing their gear and what not shows the audience that they are doing what other brands aren't. They are trying to get people to think that their brand is great and is the best without having a completely biased opinion.

Blog Entry #2: College, Stress, College, Stress, Stress, Stress!

At this moment do any of you feel as though college is like being in a never ending maze? Do you guys feel as though the "maze" that you are in gives you soo much stress, and anxiety that it makes you want to throw your hands up? Some of you may answer yes and some of you may say no. To those of you that say yes,  I can relate to you 100%. Having a job, going to school, helping out around the house, doing homework, and having friends at the same time is VERY stressful. Which is why in this post i want to talk about some things that you can do to help relieve your mind of stress, even if it is short term. These are some of the things that I like to do.

1. One thing that has helped reduce my stress levels throughout high school & today is time management. Time management needs to be a huge part of your schedule. Take the time to figure out what needs to be done first and what can be done later. What I personally like to do is get all of the things that I know will take me the longest time done in the beginning of the week and do the " little things" and the end of the week so that way I have time to do things that are strictly for my mental health. 

     2. Another thing that i like doing is setting small goals for myself to complete throughout the week. When you set little goals for yourself it gives you more motivation to complete bigger goals. Not to mention it gives you a great sense of satisfaction when you achieve what you put your mind too!
     3. TAKE A BREAK!  I know, I know this is might be hard to do but taking short 5-10 minute breaks here and there to scream, talk, read, listen to music, or whatever gives your mind a break from stress will help you a lot in the long run. Just remember, some stress is good. But too much stress can lead to a breakdown. So, take some time and do something for you!

Blog Entry #1: How Do I Feel About Blogs?

How do I feel about blogs you ask? Well ... I don't quite know yet. However, what i can tell you is that as an outsider I believe that some blogs are put together really well and capture their point to their intended audience. I think that when someone is capable of making their audience relate to what their specified topic is, the audience will be intrigued and will want to know more which is what you want.
                                                             

I was doing some research on some different blogs and i stumbled upon this one called,"http://ww2today.com/." For some people who aren't all that into history, and probably fell asleep through every history class in high school, this blog may be extremely boring to you. But for someone like me who ABSOLUTELY LOVES history especially anything about WWII this blog is definitely something i would read everyday. I love how he starts from the beginning of the war and fills in the stuff that they didn't mention in previous history classes. When he writes about each topic he writes in a tone in which can be related to how the people on The History Channel talk (which again can be boring for some). He doesn't write paragraphs upon paragraphs either. He gives you enough information to keep you interested which is important because you don't want to give your audience a whole history book to read in one post. I absolutely love this blog and i would definitely give it high ranks!

Another blog I looked at called "http://maddieonthings.com/" is another blog i like as well. I like that the blog is very positive and it gives you the vibe to be happy and to enjoy the company that you have in your life. Its like one of those pages that you stumble upon that literally "turn your frown upside down." In my opinion, this blog deserves 4/5 stars!

Now, on to the last blog. The last blog i went through is called "http://blogger-templates.blogspot.com/2008/10/dfire.html." To be honest, this blog was absolutely boring. It is helpful but it doesn't provide a way for the audience to connect with anything besides enhancing their blog. All it gives you is different things to download to your blog. I think that the author should at least describe the benefits of each affect and how they can be used as attention grabbers. To me, this bog isn't something I would continue to look at.