Is it Really Our Call?

 I believe that the death penalty is an out dated form of punishment and should be abolished. It is costly and unjust and should be abolished.

The thing with the death penalty is we spend millions on this program to kill people and yet this penalty is very rarely imposed. Scott Burns the executive director of the National District Attorney's Association says "that people are being given another- perhaps less complicated- option: life without parole"(http://www.npr.org/2011/12/15/143736447/death-sentences-drop-to-historic-lows?ps=cprs). It's not just the cost thought that has me opposed to the death penalty it's the fact that people think that when we kill murders legal that it's justice. It is NOT just or right no matter how you look at it. If we put murder's to death are we not saying that we are not better than they are. The old saying "an eye for an eye," really means nothing more than lowering yourself to the others level to get revenge. The death penalty is an old world form of punishment that we need to get rid of to grow. In an article by Deborah White she states that "Most democratic countries in Europe and Latin America have abolished the death penalty... but the United states, most democracies in Asia and almost all totalitarian governments retain it" (http://usliberals.about.com/od/deathpenalty/i/DeathPenalty.htm). I don't see how we can justify making ourselves just like the men and women we are putting to death. Let them live in prison knowing that they will never see freedom again than give then the satisfaction of knowing that we are no better than them. 

Homeschooling- Good or Bad?

There are three main issues to explore when considering homeschooling, and those issues are the social growth and experiences of the child, are parents really qualified to teach their children, and what they are being taught. These issues must be considered and explored in depth when thinking about homeschooling.

Now the social growth and development of a child determines how they will interact with people when they become older. Children who are homeschooled can miss out on important social growth that other children will have. Rachel Gathercole wrote in an article that children who are home schooled are happier and that "Homeschooling affords children with plenty of time and opportunity for social interaction"(homeschooling's TRUE COLORS, Rachel Gathercole). This can be true for some cases where there the child is living in a place where there are a lot of people like a city or large town where they can participate in many group activities and sports. Though the same cannot be said for a child who lives in a smaller community or a more rural town. There is also the child's ability to deal with strangers when they get older. This ability is developed early in life along with other socializing skills that we use in every day life when interacting with people. If these habits and understandings of social cues are not developed early in life then most interactions with others can be strained and difficult. Though this is not the only factor that must be considered, one must also look at whether parents are capable of teaching their children.

The next factor that must be considered is if parents are qualified to teach their children. Now their are very few teachers that are qualified to teach their children themselves but know their are online resources, tutors, and other ways to teach a child at home that doesn't involve that parents. Yet a child that is taught by their parents can still not get as far another child. After all one of the cons of homeschooling is "family crisis, illness, and lax supervision by parents can interfere with learning"(http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/homeschooling-pros-and-cons.html). This shows that homeschooling can impede a child's ability to learn and understand concepts that a child in a public school would not deal with. Though the child's learning can be impeded when one parent is against homeschooling. It's hard to homeschool a child and have them learn when their parents are fighting over the proper way to educate their child. This can effect what the child is learning from their parents.

The final factor that must be considered is what is a homeschooled child being taught. Many homeschoolers are taught the same subjects as a child in a public school. In an article published in The Journal of College Admissions it talks about how "research and probability show that the home-educated college applicant is very likely to succeed in college"(Dr. Brain D. Ray). This shows that a child that has been homeschooled can have the same education as a child in a public school. They have the same abilities and understanding of basic concepts of school subjects. So homeschooling a child isn't going to set them back but it does have it's down sides that must be taken into account. There is no real answer to if homeschooling is right or wrong. It's all up to the parents and child to figure out whats best for them in the end.

Is Testing Welfare Recipients for Drug use a Good Thing?

Many states are now considering giving welfare recipients drug tests. There are many that say this is stereotyping those on welfare as as lazy, drug users. There are also those that believe this is a good thing. I believe drug testing welfare recipients is a good thing it can be found that a welfare recipient is using drugs they can be taken off and save the state money. It also makes sure that the money is going to the children if there are any.

The first real reason for having welfare recipients drug tested is to see if the money is really going to help them make ends meet or to their drug use. Now anti activists of this policy are saying that it is just stereotyping welfare recipients as lazy, drug abusers. This is untrue. Many don't see welfare users as this description. They are just people that are down on their luck. While many may not due drugs and as an article by Robin Marty says "the percentage of welfare recipients using drugs was actually lower than that of the regular population" (http://www.care2.com/causes/drug-testing-welfare-recipients-is-compassionate.html). This proves that this the amount of drug users n welfare is very low. Though it is still enough to require a drug test. After all is the money being given to these people is being spent on drugs instead of what they need then it is just a waste of tax payer money.   Just think if these drug abusers are parents how can they support their children will spending money on their addiction.

Now as previously stated not all welfare recipients use drugs but those that due need to be weeded out. After all what if they are parents. They cannot provide for their children. They would leave their children unfed just to get high. After all if you can't make ends meet in the first place while being drug users how can you do it while being a parent. In Florida if the parents are taken off welfare then the payments will still continue to the children though another family member (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/11/us/states-adding-drug-test-as-hurdle-for-welfare.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&hp&adxnnlx=1318348709-n%20qDLowhd0sUnSL9VNLgHw). This is a good policy because the parents can't abuse the money their given and the children aren't left out in the cold with their parents. After all why condemn the child for the crimes of the parent. The children nee to be thought of and taken care off.

So while some people are going against this policy with vigor and hate, there are those like myself that find it a good plan. We need to make sure that the money we are giving these people is not being abused and used for the wrong things. We need to use this policy to help those that deserve this money are getting it and those that don't aren't. 

Offshore Drilling: Do the Benefits Outway the Costs?

There is a big debt right now over offshore drilling. Many environmentalists are very opposed to it, where as the oil companies and their supporters in Congress wish to support it. I think that we should learn form our mistakes and just let the oil in the ocean be left undisturbed. After all didn't we fill most of the Gulf of Mexico with five million barrels of oil, endanger hundreds of species of sea life, pollute our water and spend millions of dollars and months cleaning up the spill. This is the point that the environmentalists are arguing. They believe we should leave the oil to sit and use alternative fuel sources. I fully see their side of the story, they don't want another B.P. oil spill polluting our waters and killing hundreds of species of sea life. I also see the oil companies' side. They what to get more oil make profits, and give us a little more time to make our cars usable. I don't, however see the point in taking the chance of another oil spill. In a New York Times article stated that "Ken Salazar, the interior secretary, "acknowledged that "drilling 5,000 feet beneath the gulf or in the unforgiving conditions of the Arctic would never be free of risk."(http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/09/science/earth/us-to-open-new-areas-to-offshore-drilling.html?_r=1). This show that no one believes that nothing will happen, that there will always be a chance of having a catastrophic failure and that we will have another terrible oil spill. The oil companies may think that they have a noble endeavor, which in a way they do after all most of our methods of transportation run off oil and gasoline. This maybe true but destroying our earth even more than we have is only going to hurt us in the long run. In a 2008 USA Today article a Greenpeace activist named Melanie Duchin says "Oil smothers wildlife"( http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2008-07-13-offshore-drilling_N.htm). Truer words were never said. Offshore drilling upsets natural ecosystems and causes massive damage to the surrounding area. We cannot allow this to go on. The end does not justify the means.

Are Drop Outs Going to Save our Economy?

Many highly successful, multimillion dollar companies have been started by college dropouts. These are men and women without degrees, without the completion of their formal education. Yet these men and women have made millions on an idea. They took a huge risk jumping from the beaten path to make their own through a thicket of challenges. They little money, support and resources, yet they made it big. These men and women made it big by relying on themselves and not their degree to become a success. Steve Jobs started Apple out of his garage with Stephen Woznaik. A Daily times article said that Steve Jobs dropped out of Reed College. He dropped out of college but made so many revolutionary creation such as the iPad, iPhone, and iPod. Another man who made it big and drop out of college was Bill Gates the man who helped started Microsoft, one of the most widely used computer softwares. Bill Gates went to Harvard University, one of the hardest schools to get into to, and "dropped out of Harvard in his junior year to concentrate his efforts on a company he called Microsoft" (http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\08\15\story_15-8-2011_pg9_3). Both these men have accomplished great things and neither had any degree of diploma from a college. An article of the New York Times website said "American academia is good at producing writers, literary critics and historians. It is also good at producing professionals with degrees. But we don’t have a shortage of lawyers and professors. America has a shortage of job creators" (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/opinion/sunday/will-dropouts-save-america.html?_r=1&ref=opinion). This quote gives a very good assessment of the author's point of view. He views the American education system as flawed and personally I would have to agree with him. The American education system is more focused on good test scores than on any real world application of skills. We are being taught how to take tests and how to become more desirable, but not how to create more jobs. We are being told failure is not an option, that any mistakes will haunt us, if we don't do good on a test it might affect our lives outside of school. The school system needs to push children to become people that are not afraid to fail, that know that failing is a part of life and you need it to learn. While I do see the point in being someone of a higher education can be beneficial. Having a degree can get you more money on a job, it can get us a second look for a job over someone else. Yeah okay I get it with the degree being a good thing but having a degree isn't all that great. Some people will not give you a job because they will have to pay you more over someone else is you have a a higher degree. So what if you spent the last four years in college getting a m]Masters or Bachelors degree if you have no real world experience. So yes will having a degree makes you smart your not creating jobs or boosting the economy like some of the college dropouts that are out there.  

Bullying, Can it Really be Stopped?

Everyone is going on about bullying in and out of schools. People believe that it needs to be stopped, but how can this really happen? Can we really stop bullying? How can we do this when bullying occurres when people have no self confidence and take out their insecurities on those that are weaker than them. The only way to stop bullying would be to destroy perdijustes, insecurities, and weaknesses.These are the causes but they cannot ever truly be removed. How can you remove a personal weakness or a hatred that was harbored towards another race since birth by the parent. Some of our pains are caused by those around us. Some one who is bullied may find someone or something weaker to take out their frustration at their own weakness on. This chain continues until there is nothing smaller to or weaker for the last in the chain to become frustrated at. Bullied children will also probably become depressed and maybe even suicidal. There is also the other end of the spectrum where they become extremely violent and will fight back and even try to kill their bully. These are all painful and terrible aftereffects of bullying that hurt many people. I will admit that it is possible to stop bullying, I just don't believe it's possible within our lifetimes. Things like I described earlier are extremely hard to remove from society. People have long memories and will not easily forget someone that has wronged them. Pain is long lasting and will not be forgotten easily. I was bullied when I was younger and it pushed me to a dark place, so dark I thought that there was no way out, but I found my way back with help. So I believe it is possible to stop bullying, it will just take awhile.

Why Should We Make Ourselves Appeasing to Society?

Why should we make ourselves appeasing to those around us?  For what reason is there for me to be any different than I am. I have no reason to care what others think of who I am. I am me, that's all i can be but everyone is always saying that I need to look acceptable , I can't wear baggy, comfortable clothes because that will cause people to judge me. I don't care how I look, but I'm always told that I need to look better. i don't care what other people say, they don't know me, they don't have any right to say that I need to build up this facade of being different from myself just because they don't like it. I tried that, it didn't work for me. I will be myself and that won't change. You can try to tell me that if I don't look great that people will treat me differently. Well know what let people judge me. those that do are just proving my point even more. I will not make another me, another false me that only faces the world while the real me is locked away only to be shown while no one else is around. That doesn't work for me. You cannot live within a facade you have to be free to be you. Why can others not see this? Telling others to be different, to conform, to be just like everyone else. Well you know what? I gave up caring what people thought of me a long time ago because while you say what you want about me, you have no knowledge of me as a person, you know not me, you know not the true person I am if all you do is say that I have to appear acceptable to those that don't even know me. How can I trust someone that tells me to conform to what others what? This is unacceptable we need freedom to be us for if we are not us, if we are not allowed to be our true selves, then who are we really?

The New Friendship

The little sheep was so excited he could barely sleep, in a few hours he would be able to play with Cornelius. The little sheep now slept during the day under the old willow tree on top of the hill. He new this would be a safe place to sleep for none of the other sheep would come all the way up the hill just to bother him. He loved playing with his new friend. He and Cornelius would play until the stars in the night sky began to vanish. Then Cornelius would go back into the sky and sleep with the others in the sky while down on earth the little sheep would go to sleep under the willow tree at the top of the hill. This night though was especially exciting because Cornelius said that he was going to give the little sheep a name, but he need time to think of one. So he said "In three days I will give you a few names to chose from and you can tell me which one you like best and then it shall become your name. So that night the sheep woke up and could barely wait to chose his name. Then Cornelius descended from the sky like he did and said....   

The Little Sheep's Wish

"Oh, how I wish I had a friend to talk to," said the little sheep as he sat on the hill looking at the stars. He did this almost every night. Sometimes he would just sit there looking up at the sky just wanting a friend. None of his own herd would get near him because of his hair. Sometimes he just thought of running away, but he realized that was impossible because he would never survive on his own out beyond the fence. The thought that no one wanted, even his parents stayed away from him, made him so sad. So the little sheep just sat there looking up at the stars for a few minutes. Then he just started crying, crying in such away that even a being with a heart of ice and stone would feel for this little, lonely sheep. "Why are you crying so terribly," said a voice. The little sheep was startled by the voice and jumped. "Who's there he," he asked. "Look up," said the voice. the little sheep did and to his amazement the was a little shining creature floating right above his head. "What are you" the little sheep asked in awe. "I am Cornelius. I am a star without a friend," the little being answered. The little sheep suddenly jumped up and said, " I don't have a friend either. How about we be each others friend?" "I think that would be a splendid idea," cried the little star, "May our friendship never break." 

The Odd Sheep

The little sheep stood on the edge of the pasture not daring to get to close to the others. This sheep feared the others for how they treated it an thought they would do more than just chase him away if he got to close. The treated him like a monster just because he was born with this weird hair that grew straight out. He was the little sheep with no friends and even his own parents would no longer associate with him for fear of ridicule. The little sheep was sad. He couldn't play with the others and no one would talk to him. He was never even given a name. His heart ached for someone to be his friend just once. That was all he asked for, all he ever wished for at night when the stars shining up in the sky.

The Odd Sheep Ball Thingermabober!

This week for a trinket I have this odd sheep ball thing, to be perfectly honest I have no idea what this is. It has four feet and legs with cloven hooves. It has the head of a sheep and a sheep's tail but its body is odd. It has all these little plastic strings coming out of it. It reminds me of those balls with all the plastic hairs on them that you would get as a kid for being as a treat from the dentist's office( well I would at least). Those balls that tickled your hand and you could dangle down the stair because the hair on it would stretch. Well it looks like it has a little hanger on it's back, so I guess you can attach it to your backpack or something like that. I honestly have no idea what I'm going to write about with this during the week, but that's what imagination is there for right?

The Endless Cycle

There is a cycle out there that we have been a part of, no matter what walk of life you come from you have seen some form of it in your life.This cycle causes pain, suffering, hate, war, rage, and sorrow. This cycle is caused by those who have no idea of the cost of a human life. This is the cycle of revenge. A painful cycle that can and probably never be broken by anyone in this time. There are so many things that cause entrance into this cycle. Greed, lust, envy, pride, wrath, an unwillingness to see others as equals. All these things are what brings us into to this cycle. We know this and yet we persist that when we participate in these things we are righteous and good, it's everyone that's at fault. You may be wondering why I have started talking about something like this. This was brought about by the recent story of the Arlington terrorist that was arrested a few days ago. He said that he was going to destroy the Capital Building, The Pentagon, and The White House because he believed that America had become evil. Many may say that these are the delusions of a murderer, but I believe that to all words there is some truth. This man believe that this country was so evil that he had to destroy no matter the body toll. This I cannot condone but there must be some truth to his words or he would not have done this. Our country has no been a saint, we have hundreds of civilian war causalities during the Iraq war on our hands. We have spilt our own share of innocent blood over the years, so has every country. This is not an excuse this is a  statement of fact and no matter what I don't believe that when someone is killed, some else doesn't deserve to die. Death begets death, hate begets heat, revenge begets revenge, war begets war. This is an endless cycle that will not be broken until someone can stand up and say that this is wrong and some how bring peace to the world. 

Is the Fast Food Industry Causing Obesity?

There are a lot of people saying that the American society is becoming obese. Now there are many reasons why this could be happening, some people are even trying to point the blame at the fast food industry. This is a little outrageous, I mean really are people so out of control of there own lives that they can't even control their own eating habits. It's not like I can't understand where people are coming from. Fast food is easy to get and it's really cheap. There are even promotional items and some places, like McDonald's, even host birthday parties. These make people want to go to fast food joints even more. This is, I agree, is a very valid point, but there apparently is no more sense of personal responsibility. People cannot deal with something that is wrong with them so they make it someone else's  fault entirely. This is just unreasonable in my opinion. If you see that something is wrong with yourself don't blame others, fix it yourself. Problems we have are usually self inflicted. If you see that your over weight don't blame the place you go to eat. Go to the gym, eat healthier foods. Heck you don't even have to go somewhere else for lunch since most fast food places now offer healthier choices for meals. I work at McDonald's and I know for a fact that there are salads and we even have grilled chicken as an option on sandwiches. People need to think about what they eat and how they can fix it them selves as opposed to who they can blame for how they look. Really someone suing the fast food companies because they're over wait is like someone suing the tobacco industry because they have lung cancer. It's your own fault, your actions caused this not someone else. Deal with your own problems instead of ignoring them and blaming someone you don't even know for it.

The Adventure's of Hippie (The End)

Hippie's new form caused by the rainbow wheat had now become near permanent. He was changing back less and less. The others had now started calling this "beast" that haunted them the Basilisk. Hippie liked the name and decided to stick with it. He screamed it to the night and his cry pierced the night air like shattered glass. He had been hunting more and more of the other chickens. Only one so far had been able to escape by not looking him directly in the eyes, but at his reflection. The survivor described his eyes as slitted snakes eyes, with acid green for the pupils. He was terrifying and stood four feet high. Hippie made sure that on his next hunt the survivor was his first target before he could spread anymore rumors. Just as that night's hunt began Hippie heard a cry not unlike his own when in the form of the Basilisk. He ran at his fastest pace to the barn and found that another chicken had found his stash. He began to charge the other Basilisk. They fought for hours but Hippie finally gained the upper hand he was about to strike down his opponent when... the farmer awoke with a start in a cold sweat. He ran to the bathroom and started to lose his dinner. "I am going to throw away all the chicken in my fridge first thing tomorrow morning," he thought. He went to his medicine cabinet to get some Peptobismol. When he shut the cabinet door to look at himself in the mirror he saw two slitted, acid green eyes staring at him four feet off the ground. He turned around slowly and saw what was behind him. His blood chilling scream was cut short by a screech that pierced the night air like shattering glass. Then just like that all was silent.    

The Adventure's of Hippie (part 6)

The others chickens on the farm had become very lax since Hippie had said that the beast was no more. Little did they know that the beast was among their own. Hippie had finally begun staying conscious of his actions after consuming the wheat. He realized that it turned him into a monster with and unsatisfiable urge to devour his own kind. This he knew now was the cause of the beast appearing after he had found the wheat and why he had never been around when it happened. He was the beast, a monstrous being ten times the size a normal chicken with a snakes tail and a lizards main. His eyes paralyzed his prey instantly. No one could escape his grasp. He was invincible the only thing that could stop him would be if another chicken found the wheat stash and tried to fight him. Then he would be in trouble. This gave him reasons to hide his precious stash even better than he had before. No one and I mean no one was going to appose him and get away with it anymore. He was the all powerful king of the farm now, "Muwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah," his laugh rang out like it was the Devil's own voice. 

The Adventure's of Hippie (part 5)

It had been around six days since the beast come and everyone on the farm was starting to relax a little, but a little mind you for they knew that at any moment one of them could go missing. This was a fear for many because they thought that the beast was just waiting for them to let their guard down. Hippie was worried more then the others, but for different reasons. He fear the if he didn't get more of the wheat he was going to start having trouble acting normally. This was causing him great fear. He decide that that night he was going to sneak away and try to get to the wheat and back before anyone noticed he was gone. He would rather chance seeing the beast than go another day with out the wheat. So off he went for what seemed like hours he walked afraid of every noise,  every stick breaking, every rustle of wheat. He had almost lost his nerve when he got to the wheat. He made it back just before day break with a new, larger stash. He decided to tell the others that the beast was gone and all was well. Once this was done everyone calmed down because they believed Hippie the smartest of them all. So they all went off that night thinking everything was fine, but little did they know that Hippie was dead wrong ....

The Adventure's of Hippie (part 4)

He awoke to the sound of screams emanating from the chicken coop. Hippie was so shocked he almost jumped out of the hay loft. He realized what was happening and ran outside to the chicken coop as fast as he could. He came to the coop in time to see three on the chicken hysterically running around yelling. He ran up and asked what was the matter. They told him that another chicken had gone missing. "This is the work of the cruel devil beast," they cried. "It has stolen away our poor friend. We must do something about it." "But how," cried one, "we don't even know what it's suppose to look like, it could be anything." "Then we should have everyone stay on the farm until we find away to deal with this menace." Hippie was terrified now, not because of the beast but because his stash of wheat had run out and he was desperately in need of more. How was he going to get some if no one was allowed to leave the farm? This was a great fear to Hippie because he was starting to feel the affects of not having any wheat. This was bad because he knew what would happen if he tried to resist for to long, but with no choice he decide to wait a few days and deal with the side affects and see if the beast just left.

The Adventure's of Hippie (part 3)

When we left off Hippie had come back from a freaky hallucination caused by an odd kind of wheat that he found at the very edge of the field, so let us now return to our story of Hippie the Technicolored Chicken.
   This was the third trip to the "Edge," Hippie called these trips to find the rainbow wheat, that week. He was starting to not be able to run properly without it. He had also started noticing some odd side affects like he needed to eat more and was starting to have a higher body temperature. He had also begun to notice a decline in the number of other chickens around him. They said that a monster had come from over the mountains and was beginning to devour their brothers. This last bit made him fear that his trips to get the grain would be very dangerous so he decided to grab as much as he could carry and take it back with him. So he found a spot up in the hay loft that few rarely went and decided to put his stash behind a loose board in the roof. This he knew would keep it safe even if someone went looking for it. He decided to have one piece before he went to bed just to help him go to sleep....

Why the MCAS should not be used by any School

The MCAS, the mortal enemy of every student from third grade up until Sophomore year. These standardized tests are extremely useless in my opinion. They do nothing but cause unneeded stress and anxiety in kids that don't need that kind of pressure put on them at such a young age. These tests take away from class time and cause teachers to teach methods that are never used again in real life. These test don't even test anything about the student, but about how well they have been taught. I'm going to say that these test caused me to stay up all night worrying if I was going to pass. I always did but that didn't matter because this test was always made to seem like it was the be all, end all of the testing world. I despised doing them because you failed you had to go through remedial courses on what you didn't do good in. Now there are those that will say that these test are necessary to see how good a student is and how smart they are. I think those people have never even taken this test and should be forced to take it after being repeatedly told that the way their life is going to turn out depends on how goo they do on this test, but they are entitled to their own opinion no matter how wrong I think it is. Another thing about the MCAS is it's needed to graduate from high school which I think is that worse thing of all because what if your not good at testing and the only reason you can't pass high school is because of some test that  the state made you take because they thought it was a good idea. The fact that these tests are mandatory until your second year of high school is way to ridiculous for me, but that's just my opinion take it or leave it.

The Media's Manipulation of the General Population

In recent years the mass media's reach has spread all around the world. With this so has it's ability to influence that population. The media tells us what to buy, what to eat and drink, what to wear, what we should care about, and how we should live our lives. This is just not right to me. Our society bases everything from where we go to how we should look off the media. Now I'm not trying to say the the media is bad, just some aspects of the media. The media brings us news and entertainment but it also is a way of bring us ways to think. Many of the eating disorder cases have been attributed to the media showing images of models and superstars causing people to think that they are inadequate to said models and stars. The media as a whole also gives us things that they say we should be interested in. On the news there are always stories about some mishap that a star has had and I ask myself "Why should I care?" If you can give me one good reason why I should care that Charlie Sheen is on drugs or the Arnold Schwarzenegger had a kid with his maid then tell me and I'll give you ten reasons why it's non o my business and is uninteresting to me.
    I despise what the media is doing to us as a culture. It sickens me sometimes thinking about all the people augmenting their bodies, starving themselves just to look like what they see on television. Now there are those that say people make all there own choices in life and falling for the media's manipulation is their own fault. I completely disagree. I think that no matter what you do or who you are your going to in someway fall for the media at some point because no one is immune to it's influence. There is almost nowhere  where there is no connection to some sort of media and that makes all the more worse. There is so much stimuli and persuasion how could one not fall into the net of the media.