The amount of money that Americans spend on Christmas per year is actually mind blowing. Statistics in 2010 say that $135.16 was spent on Christmas alone, including food, gifts, and holiday parties. In some ways, spending money is good. It’s a sign of showing that you care for someone, and you want to get the items that make them happy. But, spending money also has a negative; Children are raised with the knowledge that they will get presents on Christmas, and if the family has the money then most likely they will get what they want. That’s the thing; Children are excited for presents, not for the whole concept of Christmas. I actually asked my 4 year old sister a few days ago: “Why are you so excited for Christmas?” She replied excitedly with “Because Santa will bring me my Flutter-fly Fairy and my Tinker-bell bed set!” No matter how many times you explain to a child that the whole meaning of Christmas is about giving not getting, they will most likely only see Christmas as the day they can get the things that they’ve been wanting, and parents will usually buy them what they want. But what about the families who have no money? They’re put up to the expectation of spending all of this money for their kids and end up feeling sorry to their kids for being broke. And that’s not right. No matter how much money you spend, the concept of Christmas really has nothing to do with the cost. And that’s why it’s so mind blowing that people spend so much money on Christmas; because people these days are only thinking about the gifts, not the meaning behind it.

Album Reviews

Good Reviews

Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the Moon album review

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/48451/Pink-Floyd-The-Dark-Side-of-the-Moon/

Bring Me The Horizon- Sempiternal album review by Alternative Press

“Bring Me The Horizon have not built up a fanbase by playing it safe, and Sempiternal marks their most striking—and fearless—evolution to date. From the skittering electronics dominating the opener “Can You Feel My Heart” to the frail croon of Oli Sykes on “And The Snakes Start To Sing,” BMTH both impress and inspire at every turn. There’s plenty of metallic crunch to sate diehard moshers, and the spiteful anthem “Anti-vist” is pure hatred unleashed. However, the predominant mood on Sempiternal is a melancholic combination of regret and cautious hope, and blending this with ruthless riffs and widescreen drama makes the feeling behind this all the more potent. “Sleepwalking,” “Go To Hell For Heaven’s Sake” and “Seen It All Before” edge just ahead of the pack, but every track wields an anthemic chorus laced with ethereal grace and fist-in-the-air exhilaration. Sykes’ increased vocal range also proves a formidable addition to their arsenal, coalescing with the expanded sonic palette for a more intimate, cohesive and engaging collection.”

OK Reviews

Death Cab for Cutie- Plans album review by Jen Procop at Anti Music

“The new death cab for cutie CD Plans is a lot like buying a new pair of shoes. Bright, Shiney and in need of a few days to get use to the feel. Plans, the first album released on the mega Atlantic label is a much more glossy and ultra produced offering then their previous albums. Everything feels different, right from the moment you open the CD and see the photography and reproduction, but don't fret, try it on and almost immediately, it begins to feel familiar.

Gibbard and the rest of the DCFC have never sounded better musically as their arrangements are tighter and cleaner on this release. The Cd has a little less longing and a bit more pop delivery but underneath that shiney coating lurks a whole lot of substance. Nothing is lacking in their deep and thoughtful lyrics and "poetry to song" for which they have become famous. This is definitely not a "sell out" Cd as some suggest- tracks like "What Sarah Said", "Soul Meets Body" and "Marching Band of Manhattan" are as thoughtful as any Death Cab you have in your collection.

Every band has that one album that seems to define them and the brilliant "Transatlaticism" will be the benchmark for everything that Death Cab does in the future.Plans is not that album but new is good and this CD definitely shows growth and maturity. Wear it in and soon enough your new Plans will feel just as comfortable as your favorite old pair of shoes that you'll never throw out. ”

Shiny Toy Guns- III album review by Mesfin Fekadu at HUFFPOST

“From its opening track, the runaway love jam “Somewhere to Hide”, to its closing number, the piano tune “Take Me Back to Where I Was,” Shiny Toy Guns delivers a flawless collection of tunes on its third album, “III”. The beats throughout are flavored with dance, rock and synth-pop sounds enhanced by vocals by Chad Petree and Carah Faye, who has rejoined the Los Angeles quartet after leaving the band and missing out on 2008 album “Season of Poision.”

Her voice – light and satisfying – blends magically with Petree’s on songs like “Waiting Alone” and the outstanding “Carrie.” Faye also brings on the swag on the rock-charged “Speaking Japanese” and “Fading Listening,” with its summertime hip-hop beat. Her return is much appreciated – and much needed, helping make “III” one of 2012’s best.”

Bad Reviews

Taylor Swift- Red album review by user “Kuchii09” at Metacritic

“Huge fan at first but this is just awful. From the very bland acoustic/country tracks that have been done by anyone else and Taylor herself sounds redone, rehashed, reductive. No just no. Some standard tracks like Red, State of Grace, and Begin again save the album from trash. But everything else is just worth puking over but it looks like someone already did.”

Miley Cyrus- Bangerz album review by user "Skydog" at Metacritic
I actually can't stand Miley as a person, but I gave the album a chance. Some of the songs were just "okay" but others are so bad they sound like something anyone with Fruity Studios could make!
People giving this a 10 are definitely trolls.

two truths one lie

Mood Lenses

It has been announced that a childhood favorite is being merged with a new trend. Did you ever have a mood ring when you were young? Maybe a mood necklace or potentially even a bracelet. You've probably stopped wearing them by now. But if you want to put a classic twist on your new and older look, Heat sensitive color-changing contacts are scheduled to be sold on coolglow.com, a large seller of novelty contatcs. The same substances found on the surface of mood rings is being thinned enough to put onto contact lenses, providing a stunning effect that is both subtle and bold at the same time.

Laser beard trimmer

 In Berlin, an engineering and electronic company, Philips, has changed the future of men shaving. Recently they introduced the Beard Trimmer 9,000. It has a built-in laser guide for precise shaving. The reversible trimmer is also water-resistant, which allows for easy cleaning.

Nasal Ranger

Resembling a telescope in shape and purpose, the Nasal Ranger is used to detect and measure smells. It allows the operator to compare the odor to fresh air through the help of a carbon filter. The odors are measured in a ratio called dilution-to-origin. For people who want to visualize their odor data, the creators of the product include an ODOR TRACK'R to map out the smells.

Feedback to Ken Ross; Bullying in locker rooms vs bullying in other workplace environments

Bullying in a locker room would most likely mean you were under more stress and were more vulnerable because of your activities before or after it occurred. But, regardless, bullying is still bullying. It’s the same whether you were in a locker room or not.

Usage of the internet has undoubtedly increased throughout the years. If you were to look back in time, you would come to the conclusion that before iPhones/iPads/iPods, laptops, and Kindles were around, people were forced to actually use their imagination and think of things to do other than using the internet. Skip ahead to present time. “U.S children aged 8 to 18 spend an average of more than seven hours daily using some kind of entertainment media” Says Lindsey Tanner, an AP Medical Writer. I do understand that the internet seems to have corrupted children and teenagers, but only allowing them two hours of internet daily? I do understand that the way people seem to be using the social media is not, maybe, the right way. The internet is endless and universal; “It's been linked with violence, cyberbullying, school woes, obesity, lack of sleep and a host of other problems”, these ‘other problems’ including pornography, failing academic classes, and even depression. I do see that if the usage of social medias such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube is a big cause of these concepts but taking away these children’s freedom is wrong. It almost seems like a punishment; Such as when a child gets an F on their report card or does something that was against the rules at home. You limit their usage of laptops or smartphones to two hours a day, and take away that time limit after they correct their mistake or endure their punishment. In my opinion, taking away the freedom of the internet from children and teenagers will not make as big of an impact as they think. They will not like it; it may encourage bad qualities and even rebellion.

Throughout the years, different genres of music seem to both increase and decrease in popularity. A few years ago Country music was huge, but now you see people leaning towards Pop music, with popular artists such as Justin Bieber and One Direction. Do you think that music is decreasing in quality? Or is it just getting better as time goes by?

Paranormal Phenomena

     I have always seemed to have a liking towards the paranormal and supernatural aspects. This is odd, seeing how frightened these things make me, but that doesn't stop me from watching movies of the sort. I thought it would be interesting to look up data on paranormal phenomena, and I found many different things related to paranormal life. The information I have learned has made me quite skeptic on the subject; Is paranormal phenomena real? Or is it really just a myth?

     Based on various websites, I have come up with results on the matter. It seems that here, in America, many citizens have had experience with things related to the paranormal. 71% of them have confessed to having an unexplained paranormal experience, with odd stories ranging from doors opening by themselves to odd dark shadows lurking through their house. 34% believe in the existence of ghosts. 37% of people believe that houses can be haunted. 56% believe that ghosts are indeed spirits of the dead. The thing that really got to me, was the fact that 3 out of 4 Americans believe in the existence of paranormal phenomena. I know many, many people who think that ghosts are only a myth, that there is no such thing as ghosts or demons. Some people think that the movies related to the supernatural, such as The Exorcist, Paranormal Activity, Insidious, The Rite, etc., are not scary in any sense, and that these movies are just made up to freak people out. What people do not know is that people in this world do claim to have had a similar thing happen to them. They don't know why places in the world are said to be haunted, or why people have unexplained deaths. The definition of paranormal is "events or phenomena such as telekinesis or clairvoyance that are beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding". Paranormal aspects are things that can not be explained; hence the prefix 'para' meaning above or beyond, and 'normal', meaning usual, or typical. People seem to think that "because scientists do not have knowledge on the subject, the supernatural is nonexistent". The thing they don't realize is that it is actually something so complex and non-explainable that scientists have yet to come to a conclusion about it. Even the most famous of scientists do not know. How can you explain these weird things happening to people in the world? You can't. There is as good a chance of paranormal things existing as them not existing.

     In my opinion, I do not think people should give a say in the existence of paranormal phenomena without proper knowledge on the subject. Like I said in the previous paragraph, "71% of citizens have confessed to having an unexplained paranormal experience". Myself, and the other 29% of people in America are very blessed to not have had one of these experiences, but how can you explain the 71% of people who claim to have had one? In conclusion, there is no way to say if paranormal/supernatural aspects are in fact true or false. But, based on research, there is a possibility that it is not just a myth after all.