Thrill Killing our Wildlife

Q: It’s a fact that poaching is an extremely serious issue throughout the globe, but is poaching an issue issue in America?

A; While many people know that poaching is indeed a global issue, many may not know about the struggles of this in America. Animals such as deer, elk, and even raccoon are poached simply for the thrill of the kill. Liz Margerum states in the USA Today's article "Thrill Killing" that its the thrill of killing things, people just like going out and killing things. Unfortunately one state hit hard by the issue is Wyoming. Liz informs us that the cases are rapidly increasing in Wyoming to the point of where Universities are stepping in to do research to study trends.

Q:What types of people specifically would want to go out and aimlessly shoot at animals simply for the enjoyment of the death of the animals?

A: In my article is states that most of the killers are between the age of 14 and 23 who have the intent to kill as many animals as they possibly can said Chuck Horn of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Chuck also states, "These are cases where they're just looking for something to do and it seems like some of these cases kids are looking for instant gratification, like a video game." So according to Chuck most cases involve younger kids trying to find something to do.

Q; What do these kids do when they go out hunting for these animals? What do they do to kill them? Are there laws being put in place?

A: The article tells us of a couple incidents the call ‘Coon bashing. This is where the kids simply go out and hunt animals on foot clubbing them to death with spiked clubs and baseball bats. The disgusting trend is starting to hurt the overall population of these wild animals and now lawmakers are starting to try to enforce laws to discontinue these terrible sprees of killing. States such as Montana, Pennsylvania, and Washington have already cracked down on these killings with heavy fines and strict punishment if caught. If these laws can be put in place in Wyoming and all of the other large wild life states there can definitely be a positive impact on the number of animals slaughtered by young teens each year. 

Analysis: In my own opinion I find it extremely sad that we are able to kill the innocent wildlife in America. If you think about how inhumane it is to club an animal to death now think about it in massive numbers. There needs to be something done to stop the innocent killing of these animals before there is a major impact on the animals numbers in the wild.  

Picture link: www.theindychannel.com

For my next article I'd like to research one specific animal being poached at a large and growing rate.

Madonna or Madon't?

Madonna falls.. Or did she?

So recently in the news there has been videos all over the internet of a world renowned superstar, Madonna. "Accidentally" taking a tumble on stage and supposedly hitting her head. Although seconds later, she gets up and continues her performance like the "professional" she is.

Although there have been conspiracy's stirring in the news that this was just a stunt, a publicity stunt to make money. Although Madonna's skin isn't aging, it doesn't mean her career has not. There is stories that she purposely fell to cause drama in the pop culture world and get people talking about her again. Like they did centuries ago.

This is quite common in the world of today. Do celebrities purposely humiliate themselves for fame? Did J Law actually fall 17 times at the Grammy's or was it just a lie. Are we really suffering so much in the world of celebrities that we must fake normality and fake embarrassment to emphasize the talent you may or may not have.

Here is a video an audience member took, accusing the popstar of faking her fall!

Fact or Faked?

What happens next

The next article I looked out is from an official website all about the treatment of animals:

Peta animal organization


Image Source 

In this article it explains not just how the animals are treated, but why they are treated this way and what benefits there are. These are the four main points:

• Kept in small cages or jam-packed sheds or on filthy feedlots, often with so little space that they can’t even turn around or lie down comfortably

• Deprived of exercise so that all their bodies’ energy goes toward producing flesh, eggs, or milk for human consumption

• Fed drugs to fatten them faster and keep them alive in conditions that could otherwise kill them

• Genetically altered to grow faster or to produce much more milk or eggs than they naturally would (many animals become crippled under their own weight and die just inches away from water and food)

It states in the article that by making animals suffer so much through their lives they actually "lose money" This is because many animals die from discomfort, overeating and other disasters caused by the factory workers. If they treated these animals fairly and gave them a happy life none of them would die and they would get more healthy meat from surviving animals then young, dead ones.

This is a video posted on the website showing how animals are treated.

Youtube animal video

This is where it gets tricky for the factories. They have to make decisions. To give animals a healthy standard of life it costs more money. They need more land to keep them on, money for healthier food, money for better facilities and money for keeping them longer. Although letting animals die from this other "cheap lifestyle" makes them lose a lot of money. The farmers all chose death over comfort because it is apparently "cheaper" This is what i want to actually find out, is it cheaper? Is it?

Do you know where your meat is coming from?

Do you know where your meat is coming from?

Animals spend their whole lives in tiny cages just to be killed and fed to the clueless consumers of today's society. Do you know where your food is coming from and how it got onto your plate? You may say your meat is "organic" but how can you be sure of what has been fed to those animals throughout their lives.

According to the Rolling Stones: Factory Farming, which is known for writing about the more controversial topics in our day to day lives. It is written by Paul Solotaroff a proud an animals rights activist been discovering these issues for years. He takes us into the dark corners of slaughterhouses and show us exactly how some animals spend their lives:

Here is an image of an average factory farm. As you can see these pigs are places in cages just big enough for them to be able to stand. No room to more, lie down, eat or sleep. They are kept here all day and all night, they are over fed food and since they have no room to move they have no possibility of burning off the food they were just force fed. This creates more fat on the animals therefore more meat to be sold.


Being a vegetarian, I care about animals a lot. I believe animals should have equal rights as do humans. Problems like these are what stops that from happening. This Is just the first stage of animal cruelty, how they "prepare: the animals before being killed. In my next articles I will discover what happens in the next stage.

Is Traveling to Cuba Worth it?

Summary: In the article “CheapAir Says its First U.S. Online Agent Offering Flights To Havana Cuba” published by Yahoo news on Thursday February 26th. In the article it explains that there's finally an airline that is willing to fly American citizens to Havana Cuba since the restrictions have been eased between both countries. Now, if you are willing to jump through some hoops you could be on the next plane to…….Mexico City. Yes, not Cuba but Mexico City. If you are checking luggage you will have to go through Mexico City before actually traveling into Cuba. In addition you will need to purchase a Visa while in Mexico City. Not only that but while buying your ticket you will need to check a box stating for one of the reasons you are visiting the country. None of those options being for vacation however, it seems you will need an actual reason to travel to Cuba. Such as missionary work or Religious activities. So maybe traveling to Cuba is still a bit of an inconvenience. However, if you'd like to it is now possible through CheapAir.

Analysis: When I read this article I was actually fairly surprised that you had to jump through so many hoops in order to visit. I knew there might be a couple of things but to the extent of flying to Mexico City and then Cuba in my eyes is a little ridiculous. You can almost tell the author is leaning towards the side of it isn't worth the pain. I one hundred percent agree with him. I’d much rather take a trip to Cancun or Cabo rather than have to go through the extensive steps and never be able to truly relax on the trip. However, if you are a person that may be extremely interested in Cuba and want to see it first hand maybe this trip is for you!

Discussion Questions:

Do you think that eventually we will not have to go through these extensive steps and will be able to put down vacation for reason of entry.

Do you think that businesses in Cuba will extend to the U.S. if the embargo is fully lifted?

In the picture it shows a person filling out the Flight reservation showing it is now indeed possible to fly to cuba on the airline.

Both the Picture and Article found at this link: https://www.yahoo.com/travel/cheapair-announces-flights-to-havana-cuba-112116911602.htm

Age and Decisions

Marrying someone outside your age group can be a financial risk.

The Atlantic, which supplies news anywhere from politics to your own life, published an article entitled “For a Lasting Marriage, Try Marrying Someone Your Own Age,” showing how couples who married within their own age group were more likely to stay together, than couples who married with a large age gap between them.

SOURCE: http://www.justjared.com/

Megan Garber, at the Atlantic, uses the idea that marriage is not only based on “the having of money, the having of children, and the length of time a couple spends dating before they tie the knot,” but also about the age difference that is between the couple. She argues that married couples who have less of an age gap between them are less likely to get divorced. She uses a chart to depict that people who have a 1 year difference between them are only 1% likely to get divorced. With a 10 year age gap, the couple is 39% more likely to get divorced, and with a 30 year age gap, they are 172% more likely to get divorced.

I disagree with Garber’s take on age and marriage, because there are many differing factors that can lead to a divorce: infidelity, lack of lust, religious difference, etc. I do not think age has much to do with a divorce.

People date to get married. You want to experience time with that person with the idea in the back of your head that you might fall in love and want to get married. Age, however, cannot be a factor, because before you have even started dating, it is common to ask “how old are you?”. I believe maturity levels are a large factor in a marriage, because your age does not necessarily reflect your maturity levels.

Garber also does make the argument that age is NOT the only factor, but it is “above all, about 50-50 partnership” but differences in age means differences in life experience. On this point in her article, I do agree with Garber, because this is a fact that everyone knows. No matter what the age difference is, one person will always feel like they are not good enough for the other, because one is either more experienced, more mature, or have a different life path they are trying to take. Age is not the only issue, and it is not a big one either. But it is rather a small part of a relationship that both partners must be comfortable with in order to have a stable relationship, and be able to make the right decisions, whether that means financially, or personally.

FUTURE RESEARCH: Does comfortability and norms of society cause people to make certain decisions in a relationship?

Brazen, brutal: 5 terror groups making headlines this month

SUMMARY: This news article talks about the terrorist groups, such as Al-Shabaab, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS, and Taliban. It lists four questions: What is it? What’s being done? and Is it a global threat? For the last question, it says how most are global threats, like Al-Qaeda, Taliban, and ISIS, but it also states that Al-Shabaab is growing out of it’s boundaries in East Africa and it’s urging their sympathizers to attack U.S malls. The one with the highest threat level according to the article would be Al-Qaeda because most terrorist organizations have based off of this one. It also has had the widest range of attacks across the world, and has many admirers of it that take inspiration from them, like Al-Shabaab. For each group, there are being measures done.

For Al-Shabaab, UN forces are gathering troops to combat them and are slowly forcing them from capital of Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab is primarily located around Kenya and Uganda, and so they still control some regions there.

For Al-Qaeda, we have already killed the main head of this terrorist group, and now there are other nations who have been on a campaign to disassemble any other groups with ties to this group. Al Qaeda is so much of a threat because it only has a singular purpose and works to achieve this purpose at no cost: to destroy all “infidels.”

Next is Boko Haram, and measures taken against them are that Nigerian forces have combined to fight against them, along with some financial and technological aid by the U.S.

The fourth terrorist group is ISIS and counter measures are a lot of airstrikes, combined with the help of Jordan, Egypt, and U.S, which all joined the fight against ISIS after ISIS released videos of them killing their citizens. Along with that, the Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has decided to fight against them, even though this has been proven as a difficult task for them because of how the economy is in tatters due to their civil war and international isolation.

Lastly is Taliban, and what is going on to stop them is that Pakistan attempted to have peace talks with them, but it failed. Now, in Afghanistan, are U.S. and NATO forces training thousands of troops on counterterrorism operations.

ANALYSIS: All these groups have threats to each of their own regions where they are. I would also agree saying that the most dangerous group would be Al-Qaeda because they’re still here, even after their leader was killed. I’d have to say the second most dangerous is ISIS, and it’s close to Al-Qaeda in its threat level because ISIS uses social media, and there are many sympathizers for their cause. There have been many cases of someone joining ISIS. Also, it’s comforting to know that even though there are many terrorist groups, there are also preventative measures being taken up against them to make sure to stop the spread of them. I feel a lot safer to know all this, but it’s good to be aware of these terrorist organizations that exist, and what’s being done to stop them.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: What terrorist group do you think holds the most threat to us or in total? Do you think Boko Haram will start to pose a larger threat to U.S. like how Al-Shabaab has began to? Will ISIS do something on a large scale level like the attack Al-Qaeda orchestrated on the U.S?

LINK TO ARTICLE: http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/23/world/terror-groups-in-the-news/index.html

Streets to Homes

Several homeless people are receiving houses without working for years. Some are even recovering druggies.   "I was smoking lots of pot, smoking it for 30 years... You add that to my depression, and I wasn't doing much."  Learning just from this article who the Housing First program, operated by Western Dairyland Community Action Agency, was handing out their houses to I don't think they were careful with who they were handing their houses out to. Giving a house to a person who is now to lazy to work won't result in them keeping it. If they don't get a job they won't have the money to pay the bills or the taxes that come with possessing a house.

Source: Click Here

Pros:

• Less homeless people on the street for a short time frame.
• gives homeless some type of hope

Cons: 

• The people they've given the houses to so far haven't even attempted to get a job in years and just hoping they will get a job isn't enough for them to actually obtain one.
• Short term
• No guarantee of how the person will respond to having this house (having parties)

Getting Rich with Cards?

If you were going to invest your money into baseball cards, which cards should you buy?

www.baseballcardinvestment.com

In a recent post, by the Baseball Card Investment, a site that specializes in researching collectibles as investments, the website informs us that if was one high quality card to invest in, it would the be the Mickey Mantle card. There is a reason why this Hall of Fame inductee commands such attention within the investing community:  collectability. Mickey Mantle is not only very well known but also a retired player from a long time ago. As time passes, fewer and fewer Mickey Mantle cards will be available.

The article also states that there are three main reasons why Mickey Mantle is one of the baseball players to invest in. The first reason is “Mantle spent his entire career in a big market, New York”. Definitely a great point to mention. Mantle needed baseball enthusiasts to not only enjoy his skill in baseball but also his modesty and the way he dealt with such a large city counting on him to hit multiple home runs.

The second reason why Mantle is such an iconic star is because “he was a prolific slugger”. Not only could he make the ball soar high into the sky, but he also was able to “come through with a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, with his team down by a run”. Having this kind of star player on your team was historically beneficial as Mantle brought the Yankees to the World Series.

Finally, the third reason is because “his ability to perform well in front of a national audience”. His talent definitely didn't just shine down on him at practice, but also shined on him when his hit meant if the Yankees were going to win or not. Later in the article it states that this trait made him the “blue chip player” and was assumed that he was needed for every game to win.

In regards to what exact years are the most in demand years is pretty easy to see. As the price increases, the desirability of the card also increases. The Baseball Card Investment team states that the best years to buy are: 1952 Topps, 1951 Bowman, 1953 Topps, 1969 Topps.

I have seen every one of these cards at card shows or on the internet and the prices are very steep. The least expensive 1969 Mantle that Topps makes, as recommended, ranges in price from just under $100 and max out at almost $500. The most expensive Mickey Mantle card to buy is the 1952 Topps. From the price of $4500, for a card in “poor” condition, to a mint Mantle that will cost you $280,000+.

In conclusion, hopefully you can see that buying a Mickey Mantle card is a good investment.

FUTURE RESEARCH: What factors should collectors focus when deciding what cards to buy?

Positives VS Negatives of Technology in our Society

In the globalized world that we live in, technology thrives.  Everyday we rely on multiple sorts of advanced technology, whether it means getting to work, allowing yourself to work, keep in contact with family, or whatever it make be.  People are starting to realize that technology is somewhat starting to take over our lives, so I would like to list some of the positive and negative effects that technology has proven to show.  

The post below is based on information from a technology website called my daily alerts. 

Representing Technology

Positives

With the help of mobile technology we are able to talk to our friends and relatives who are living far from us. With the help of internet, we are able to learn new things and online courses etc. With the help of aviation technology we are able to reach distant places within hours which took years of time to reach in olden days. We are using the all natural resources available for making our life better. With the help of social networking we are able to find our childhood friends, relatives etc. and important events in their life. With the help of information technology we are able to share information to any part of the world with in milliseconds. With progressive technology in the agriculture field, we are able to meet food requirements of people all over the world.

Negatives

On the other hand, there are instances which show the problems with improved and advanced technology or the solution for one problem with the help of technology is giving rise to another problem. Instead of taking care personally we are sending sms or giving a call on important occasions which were attended personally in olden days. With the use of same internet children are getting addicted to online games and their physical activities and exercises are becoming considerably less. The same social networks are creating rivalry between best friends and couples are getting divorced. The same aviation technology is giving health problems for their workers and creating serious environmental threats. With the heavy usage of fertilizers soil is losing its natural fertility and several varieties of plants became extinct.

Consider the case study of automobiles regarding technology. Automobile technology was first developed to make the journey of humans more convenient. Now we are facing serious environment pollution issues due to vehicles which are releasing unwanted green house gases into the environment. Now we are trying for more environment friendly automobile technology which will have less impact on environment when compared with the present technology.

Conclusion
Overall, technology both has positive negative effects on our society.  We are the people who make it thrive in our society, and without it our lives would be much different than the way it is now.  Technology is only going to continue to improve, and whether you like to think thats a good or bad thing is really up to you.  Although it does make just about everything easier, better, and faster, its up to you to decide when and how to use it.  


Questions
1) Do you believe technology has a negative or postive effect on our society?
2) What points do you have to back your statement up?
3) Will it effect future generations in a good or bad way?

5 Reasons Survivors Don't Get Help

SOURCE: http://www.onyxtruth.com/

The constant question: why didn't you get help? Why didn't you tell anyone? Rape is the most unreported crime in the United States. 

From RAINN (Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network) and the hotline.org, two reference sites for survivors and supportors, here are five common reasons why survivors don't get help, even though they need it. 

    1.       They are ashamed. Because victimization, especially sexual victimization, is looked down upon as weakness by many, survivors often don’t want to let others know what happened to them. Many believe that they are at fault, that they did something wrong, that they deserved the hurt they got. Because of this, they keep it to themselves.

     2.       They are afraid of being blamed. Victim blaming and slut shaming run rampant in our society. Many cops do not believe it when people confess to being abused or sexually assaulted, leading already vulnerable people to doubt themselves, their story, and their worth. Again, they may start wondering if they deserved it. Some people may even ask what they were doing to provoke the abuse, especially if it is sexual abuse. In order to prove their trauma, they have to go through incredibly invasive procedures and interviews, which can be another trauma in itself.

     3.       Their attacker threatened them. Especially common in children where a family member or friend is the assailant, the attacker may threaten to hurt the survivor, or to deny the event completely, leaving the survivor looking like a liar.

     4.       They believe that their attack/abuse is not serious enough to report. As a society we are taught to suck it up and deal with it. People who have not been through a trauma sometimes can’t understand it. And because the media sensationalizes instances of unusually horrible trauma’s, many survivors feel like if their trauma doesn’t match up to the ones other people know about it isn’t “bad enough.”

     5.       The survivor does not have a support network. After a trauma, it is integral that the survivor have support. Without it, the fear of isolation that can come after being honest increases. The flashbacks and memories and feelings can be experienced to an even larger degree. And, very plainly, it is scary for a survivor to get help alone. Having moral support can give the survivor a boost in courage that they need.

    

My question is: how can we help? How can we change this? Is it a personal, familial problem, or a larger cultural/societal problem? Are these reasons the same everywhere, or do they vary from country to country?

The Best Music Marketing of 2014

SOURCE: zlybox.files.wordpress.com

Do you think music should be free?


This article from Advertising Age explains the best marketing moves done by artists in 2014. This site seems to be pretty reliable as the author of the article explains his credibility at the bottom of the article. We find out that the author specializing in analysis of content and innovation, plus the site is solely based around advertising in the modern age.

Each of the examples are different things that different artists and musicians did to promote their music and ended up generating tons of publicity and noise around their up and coming music. Most of these are probably well known to a lot of us which is good because that is exactly what the artist hoped for.

Probably one of the most notable move was the accidental download of U2's album onto all Apple devices. Many iTunes users opened up their phone to discover an album that they had purchased. It seemed like they were going for something along the lines of free music. Much of the music in the industry now is not bought fairly. With tons of music streaming sites and the ability to pirate music easily, many fans don't feel the need to actually go out and spend the money on the music. This way, fans could be given the music for free and could listen to it while people who may not have been fans of U2 could become fans because they had immediate access to the album. While people may have gotten annoyed with the initial discovery of this music on their device, but the overall move was quite smart.

On the other side of the spectrum, Taylor Swift not only managed to get her album "1989" to go Platinum, but took her music off of Spotify and sparked a debate around the music industry. Taylor claimed she did this because she thought all musicians and artists should be properly paid for their art. She doesn't believe that Spotify was generating enough profit for her new album. She also mentions that the music industry continues to do poorly but no one takes any moves to try and get rid of sites and other motives that do not give the artist enough money for their creation. While some people applauded her, others called her hypocritical saying if she really wanted to make an impact, she should remove her music from all other platforms such as YouTube and Pandora and keep sales strictly to iTunes and Google Music.

Both sides provided good reasons for why music should or should not be free on the internet. My personal opinion is that I believe music should be available on free platforms because if people discover this music and like it, they are more likely to go out and spend money on the artist's merch and tour tickets. Also, they might end up buying the album for themselves as well. The article also did a great job of explaining great moves made by artists and we continue to see the music community growing and thriving while the overall industry may be struggling.

1. Do you think music should be free or should artists make fans pay for their content?

2. Can you think of other examples that artists used to promote their content effectively?

Superbug cases reported in North Carolina; 1 dead

                                                     

        In the article by Vivian Kuo, it states that Eighteen people have contracted carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, so far this year, said Kevin McCarthy, spokesman with the Carolinas HealthCare System.Of those, 15 had CRE upon admission to the hospital in Charlotte; three acquired it in the hospital, and one died, the spokesman said. The cause of death was not immediately clear. In Los Angeles, seven patients contracted CRE after routine endoscopic procedures.Two of them died, the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center said last week. CRE was a contributing factor in the deaths, but the exact cause of the deaths wasn't immediately disclosed in those cases either. Hospital officials there have said the outbreak was caused by two medical scopes that still carried the deadly bacteria even though disinfection guidelines were followed.

This new Bacteria is spreading but not enough to be an issue. This bacteria has potential to extremely deadly and severe. I feel that we should carefully be watching over this bacteria but we shouldn't be worried yet.This article was very interesting and it talks about new and developing diseases.

1.) Should we be worried about this new disease?

2.) How deadly do you think this disease is?

http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/22/health/superbug-north-carolina/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_latest+(RSS%3A+Most+Recent)

Gay or Straight- Does It Really Matter?

SOURCE: https://stopthewaronchildren.files.wordpress.com

The LGBT community is often studied by academics but it is among the least understood. 

Summary:

In the article, author Larry Gordon writer for the LA Times, discusses the new voluntary poll that attempts to estimate the size of LGBT populations and whether or not they are receiving equal care. Later in the article, the author poses important questions on not only how the data will be appropriately used, but also whether or not it is ethical to ask these individuals about their orientation.

Important Passages:

“Christopher Ward, Block's chief of staff, said the law was partly inspired by a UC report showing that gay students had much higher rates of depression than their peers and more often felt disrespected on campus. The questions will provide insights about "the unique and specific needs LGBT students have for their safety and educational assistance," Ward said. State Sen. Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach), who voted against the bill, said: "It is an invasion of privacy." He added that the information might be improperly used and wrongly divulged.”

• Analysis
• I think that this law if vital in advancing the equal treatment of LGBT people. Without a survey or poll like this, it would be difficult to discover the needs of this community. As an ally of this community I simply want equality and for they to feel the same safety and inclusion that I do. As for the second part of the quote, the Republican State Senator, I think that because the poll is voluntary you are signing off this information to these universities. I think there is always a chance of things being wrongly divulged, unfortunately not everyone is honorable. 

"It would be useful to know if we are underserving the population," said Jesse Bernal, the UC system's interim diversity coordinator. In addition, giving students the opportunity to answer such questions, he added, "sends a positive message of inclusiveness to LGBT students and creates an environment that is inclusive and welcoming of diverse populations.

• Analysis
• I think this quote describes the exact need for this poll. I would love to see it across the United States in colleges. At the same time if this were applied in the workplace it could cause discrimination especialy in private companies. Then again I have to remind my choice that it is all voluntary. But would you really want to hide from yourself from the world. I feel like it’s very the motive for this law is great for an increase in equality, but at the same time could equally cause an unwanted issue.

Questions:

Is it ethical to ask someone's sexual identity?

How would these records be kept? (Who would have access)

 

Is what you wear your identity?

Have you ever wondered, what your clothes say about you?

SOURCE: https://guidedfromabove.files.wordpress.com

 What you wear, in some way, can define you. People sometimes develop ideas of who people are just by what they see them wearing.

 In this article from psychologytoday.com, by Dr. Fletcher, a professor of psychology, we see how what we wear can truly speak for us. This article touches on many studies that have showed how someone may judge one just by what they are wearing in a picture or out and about. This article shows how we might see someone and be able to judge that they are confident or intelligent just by what they are dressed in.

1. My first interesting fact would be a quote from the text. The quote states, "for many people, what they wear is merely a matter of habit, but when we dress in the morning, it might pay us to be a little more careful in the choices we make. Doing something different with your clothes might be a way of changing the impression others have of you." From a personal view I wake up in the morning, and if I am in a bad mood I tend to gravitate to more comfortable clothes, or if I am in a good mood, I tend to dress a little nicer. People sometimes feel they have to think twice when picking out what they will wear.

2. Fashion, I see as being completely about you and what makes you feel comfortable. So, for my second idea I want to touch on the stereotypes made. Sometimes when you shop at a certain store, like Hot Topic, you may be seen as somewhat edgy "sketchy" as some may say. If you shop at J Crew you maybe seen as preppy. Where we shop allows people to believe that you are a certain person by how you dress yourself. There is preppy clothing, goth clothing, stoner clothing, hipster clothing, and a whole multitude of others. We label people by the labels or the look that they maintain throughout their wardrobe.

3. The article points out that there was a study done in the U.K. where they showed participants a 3 second picture of a man in a suit. They were not asked to comment on how well-dressed they thought he was, but purely on what type of person they think the man is by wearing the suit he was. They showed two men, and they were in slightly altered suits, one from the high street and one made-to-measure. The man in the made to measure suit what favored. The people in the study said that they saw this man as being, "more confident, successful, flexible, and a higher earner," just based on his suit and how well it fit him.

4. These preconceived notions are started early. The article suggests that it can start as early as childhood. The article states that "one study found that teachers made assumptions about children's academic ability based on their clothing."

5. The article also points out that depending on what someone maybe wearing in the workplace can also be a big factor in the role of their job. Women dressed in a "provocative" manner were seen as "less favorable," but when dressed more "conservatively" she is seen as more "favorable."

6. While I have focused on the social and psychological side of clothing and how it may affect how you are viewed, I plan on tying in the economics side by seeing how trends work and how you may be viewed when following a trend or not. I also plan to really discover how brand market their clothing to attract buyers.

My next step in my research would be to find out:  How do certain stores market their clothes to attract a certain customer? Do stores like to be stereotyped so they are defined as selling one certain type of style?