Are you getting enough sleep?

College students are all too familiar with erratic sleeping habits. As I write this post at 12:30 in the morning, acknowledging the fact that caffeine will be essential for my 10 o'clock class, I wonder if my sleeping habits have any negative side effects on my mental/physical health? Oftentimes I have found myself the morning-after the all-nighter, in a mental state where my brain processes seem to be in limbo - half awake half unaware of the world around me. In a 1998 study of British college students, it was proven that the sleepier an individual is, the more active his/her prefrontal lobe becomes - this part of your brain is associated with more systematic tasks, such as mathematics, organizing, and even short term memory. While the typical side effects of sleep deprivation were noted - speech, typing skills, increased irritability - it is interesting to note how the brain tries to compensate for being overworked.
Not that I encourage a warped sleeping schedule - apparently students who study all week and stay up on the weekends can lose up to 30% of the information they absorbed. As if I didn't have a problem retaining information already...the recommended amount of sleep for the average adult is 8 hours - so i'm going to call it a night and get my time in. GOODNIGHT :)

Re: Why I Don't Hate Britney Spears

This post is in response to sara's post concerning the controversy surrounding britney spears' influence on the female youth. i completely support sara's post, especially when it comes to the belief that it is the responsibility of the parents to provide a good understanding of sexual relations to their children. you can blame celebrities and hollywood all you want, but it will do nothing to dissuade the marketing trend "sex sells." unless you plan on raising your kids in a bubble, they will inevitably be exposed to such things as sex and violence - however a good upbringing will allow the young individual to evaluate between wrong and right. as much as the media is intertwined with our daily lives, it is wise to take everything you see "with a grain of salt" - if hollywood is intended to be a role model for society, we have a very bleak future.

Changing the Drinking Age

This is in response to Seth's post questioning why the drinking age in the US remains 21. The question lingered in my mind, so to quench my thirst I encountered an article from msnbc.com which spoke about the debate. An important aspect the article brought up was that there is no "legal federal drinking age" - it is the drinking laws concerning possession and consumption which hinder our attempts at drunken debauchery. In the state of New York, you must be 21 to purchase alcohol (although you can transport unopened containers at 18?), and consumption under the age of 21 is permitted in a "private setting." Ahh, how devious Uncle Sam is. Unfortunately, by cutting off the underage direct purchase, you have cut the underage (or in particular, the awkward 18-20 phase) out of the equation. John M. McCardell, former president of Middlebury College, stated that the true problem lies in the fact that teenagers are poorly educated on how to consume alcohol appropriately. "Education works,” McCardell says, but “it’s never been tried. Now it’s mandatory only after you’ve been convicted of DUI. That is not an act of genius.” Couldn't have said it better myself. Before coming to Ithaca my own sister told me she would sleep better at night knowing I had some sort of alcohol tolerance - alcohol is nothing new, in college especially it's inevitable that one will find themselves in a situation where alcohol is present. Moral of the story, drink responsibily.

Facebook

I must concur with abuzzweekly in his post about Facebook. I find myself succumbing to the evils of facebook - spending odd amounts of time playing Jetman, poking people, or drawing graffiti on my friend's wall. As it is a very useful networking tool in helping you keep in touch with old friends, I cannot condone the existence of Facebook, however, I do believe we should all partake in the activities with a grain of salt. Today's technology has allowed the internet to have quite a substantial reach - this is something to consider when tagging pictures from those fuzzy Saturday nights.

Giants Shock the Patriots in a 17-14 Win

Giants fans across the northeast are simply ecstatic right now - a tremendous defeat within the last 35 seconds of the 4th quarter led the New York Giants to a victory against the acclaimed New England Patriots in the 42nd Superbowl. Building upon a prestigious 18-0 record, the Patriots fell prey to a flawless pass between Eli Manning (Superbowl MVP?) to Plaxico Burress, who predicted a 23-17 victory according to abuzzweekly. Following the immaculate reputation of the Patriots, the Giants were easily deemed the underdog in this game, however they managed to succeed with a relentless defensive line. After last year's upset in the World Series, New York really needed this one...

Best & Worst Cities of 2008

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? The question has been proposed to myself several times in the past, and upon encountering two intriguing articles from Forbes.com, “America’s Most Miserable Cities,” and “Best Cities for Jobs in 2008,” I have become strongly inclined to journey out west to reap the benefits of my soon-to-be hard-earned degree (a.k.a. make some cash). The first article evaluated 150 of the United States’ largest cities based on factors of taxation level, commute time, unemployment, crime, and weather. Our very own New York state placed 4^th on the list, winning the longest commute time as well as the highest taxation rate. Having been a New York resident for the past 18 years of my existence, this deliberation comes as no surprise.

In contrast, the Lone Star state scored big with three cities (Ft. Worth, Austin, Houston) sitting among the top ten best cities for jobs in 2008. Cities were evaluated on factors of unemployment level, job growth, income growth, and the cost of living. This may be due largely in part to Texas’ immunity from the recent surge of inflation in real estate markets throughout the United States. Although part of me thinks these rankings are biased and not well-grounded, who knows? Maybe a relocation looms on the distant horizon…

Top 10 Most Miserable Cities 1. Detroit, MI 2. Stockton, CA 3. Flint, MI 4. New York, NY 5. Philadelphia, PA 6. Chicago, IL 7. Los Angeles, CA 8. Modesto, CA 9. Charlotte, NC 10. Providence, RI

Top 10 Best Cities for Jobs 1. Salt Lake City, UT 2. Wichita, KS 3. Austin, TX 4. Atlanta, GA 5. Fort Worth, TX 6. Indianapolis, IN 7. Houston, TX 8. Omaha, NE 9. Raleigh, NC 10. Seattle, WA