Can microwave popcorn cause cancer? Yes. How common is it? That's unkown.
The popcorn bags are made out of paper that has to be coated with a substance to repel grease and moisture so the bag doesn't become soggy and rip while it's getting heated in the microwaave. The chemicals used to coat the paper break down, when heated, in to a substance called perfluorooctanoic (PFOA). Read More »
Nowadays many popular T.V. shows have to do with crime, court, investigations, etc. Some of these shows include Law & Order, Criminal Minds, CSI: Miami, the other CSI shows, Bones, etc. Now I don't watch these shows because I don't like that type of show, but I have seen an episode of them every once in a while. Sometimes while watching I wonder, are criminals watching this and planning their next crime? Read More »
Why all the violence in the U.S. as opposed to all other countries, such as Canada, Japan, etc? We have been trying to find possible answers to this question for the past few weeks in my American Government class. Here's one possible answer that was proposed during our discussions:
Americans glorify their wars/violence.
One example: cowboys and Indians. When you hear this, does your stomach feel sick the way it may feel when a person mentions Hitler, concentration camps, the killing of millions of Jews? Probably not. Why is this? Why is "cowboys and Indians" a game played by little children? We glorify this, but it is actually based on absolutely appalling things. The cowboys massacred the Indians. The killed them, scalped them, and did many horrendous things to them. Yet this is a game children play in the States. Read More »
Lately there have been outbreaks of old diseases such as the measles. Why the sudden appearance of the diseases which had been basically wiped out in the U.S?
Well, one theroy is that in the late 1980's the vaccination for those diseases was strengthened. Right now all of the people who were the last ones to get the lower dosage vaccination are in college now. Many of them are contracting these diseases in college. Read More »
Why is there so much violence in the U.S.? In the U.S., over 11,000 people die per year due to murder by gunshot. Yet in other countries such as Japan, Canada, England, etc they have less than 500 deaths per year from this. In Canada the total number is only in the 30's. What is the root of this problem?
I'd say the news shown on television, on the radio, and in newspapers. In the past 10 years, violence has gone down 20%, yet the amount of violence shown on the news has gone up by 600%! Why are we shown so much violence? It scares us. Read More »
The state of Georgia is trying to pass a law that will let all public schools have a course on the Bible incorporated into their curriculum. I don't think it's a bad idea...as long as they aren't making the students believe in the Bible.
And Georgia is predominantly Christian, so most of those students already read and believe in the Bible. So why not let them have a course on it in their school systems? Read More »
So many Americans commute very far distances every single day to get to and from work. Is all of this commuting really necessary? Does it have adverse side effects on a person's health, or the well-being of their family? All of the statistics I mention I got from the article, "The Long and Grinding Road," from the May 1st Newsweek.
1984: the average number of meals people ate while in the car was about 18...in 2004 it was at 32. Americans are spending so much time in their cars that they are eating entire meals while driving. Most cars nowadays have more cup holders than seats. Fast food restaurants like McDonalds are making food that can fit into cup holders, like their fruit and yogurt parfait. But what about family meals? I think families should eat together. But obviously many families are not doing that anymore. The new Dodge Caliber offers an optional refrigerated glove box! Read More »
Today we had a discussion about this in my contemporary issues class and some of the laws that I didn't know existed are really weird.
If a burglar is breaking into your house and robbing you, you can get charged with murder if you shoot them, unless you have enough evidence that they were endangering the lives of you and/or your family members. I don't think this is really fair. If someone is breaking into your house, you're scared and will probably do whatever you think of first. If you own a gun, that first reaction may be to shoot the robber. Well, don't because you could go to prison. Read More »
