We always hear about how terrible TV is; it contributes to the obesity epidemic, is linked to attention disorders, and harms values by highlighting the worst society has to offer.
Lets take a few steps back. Is TV really that bad? After all, we can choose what we watch (and don’t watch) and no one is forcing you to spend hours a day planted on your couch. Like many things, it's all about selectivity and moderation.
The Norman Lear Center at USC has outlined 10 reasons that TV is GOOD for you. Check out a few of them, below.
TV Can Change Policy
In 2005, Congress unanimously passed the Patient Navigator Act after being shown an episode of ER. An episode of Law & Order that dealt with pesticides elicited an official response from the Environmental Protection Agency.
TV Can Make Us Smarter
Of course you can learn from documentaries and shows on PBS or The History Channel, but Author Steven Johnson (Everything Bad is Good for You) argues that keeping up with increasingly complex storylines in some series can actually make us smarter. He used The Sopranos as an example. Don’t expect the same benefits if you’re watching Jersey Shore.
TV Can Save Lives
By incorporating topics like alcohol abuse, HIV/AIDS, or childhood obesity into their storylines, popular TV shows have a unique ability to educate enormous groups of people that might otherwise never take time to learn about a certain issue. In some cases, they might not even know the issue exists. A study showed that, after viewing an episode of Numb3rs about organ donation, people were more likely to register to become donors themselves. TV remains an important means of getting the word out about things like food recalls or new vaccines.
Research has shown that lonely people can benefit from watching favorite characters on TV.
Just remember: all things in moderation.
See the entire list of reasons that TV is good for you here.
Aspiring billionaire Travie McCoy, B-baller Shaq, some not-so-desperate housewives, a couple of Kardashian sisters, and all three Jonas brothers are among the more than 150 celebs participating in an innovative new auction to benefit orphans and special-needs children in Haiti.
TwitChange is not your typical celebrity auction. Instead of bidding on an autographed picture, you can bid on actual attention from your favorite celeb! Winning bidders will be followed, retweeted, mentioned, or all three by their favorite celebrity on Twitter.
Eva Longoria will tell you all about it:
Bidding begins Wednesday, September 15th and lasts for 10 days. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to aHomeInHaiti.org to help build a permanent home for disabled children and orphans in Haiti.
Find out if your fave actor/athlete/musician is participating by checking out twitchange.com. For all you Bieber fans (we know you're out there) - yes, he's in. Happy bidding!
Helium balloons might become a thing of the past but not because something new and better has come along, simply because we’re running out of helium. Despite the fact that it’s sold cheaply, which experts say is “ridiculous,” it’s a non-renewable resource and cannot be manufactured artificially.
It has more uses than just making parties more festive and making you sound like one of the chipmunks; it’s needed for MRI scanners, airships, rockets, deep-sea diving, and document preservation.
In 1925, the US government started building up an enormous reserve of the gas in Texas - the largest in the world. Then, in 1996, the reserve was $1.4 billion in debt and, to recover some of the money, Congress passed an act saying that it should be sold by 2015, regardless of how cheaply.
Physics professor and Nobel laureate, Robert Richardson, says that helium is worth 20-50 times what it’s sold for, making a helium-filled balloon worth around $100.
"As a result of that Act, helium is far too cheap and is not treated as a precious resource. It's being squandered."
It’s possible to recycle helium in some cases but, because it’s so inexpensive, recycling it is not cost effective and not even NASA does it.
Would you still buy balloons if they cost $100 each? What about $10?
In the midst of job-hunting but reluctant to remove those less than professional images you have on Facebook?
You might want to consider taking your career to Germany, where a new law on data privacy prevents employers from screening potential candidates on social networks.
As of last year, nearly half of all employers used sites like Facebook to check out candidates and around 35% had rejected hopefuls based on what they saw online.
Offenses include inappropriate photos, comments about previous employers, and posts about drug use.
They’ll still be able to use any site that’s meant for job-seeking, like LinkedIn. They can also still Google you, although they may not be able to use certain info if it’s either out of your control or too old.
Some argue that it's only fair that employers get a glimpse into the life of someone they'll be hiring. Others argue that it leaves too much room for candidates to be judged based on things like political or religious views.
Where do you stand? Should Facebook be fair game or is it none of their business if you do your job well and keep the partying limited to Saturday nights?
Jail time for plastic bag use, a 9-day, 62-mile traffic jam, and cannabis cars. Here are a few tiny slices of what’s happening around the world.
Mexico City Says Peace Out to Plastic Bags
Mexico City is the latest place to ban the use of plastic bags. Stores will be required to charge customers who want them, but they can only sell biodegradable varieties.
While major cities around the world are implementing laws like this, some take it further than others. In Mexico City, failure to comply will get you fined up to $90,000 and tossed in the slammer for 36 hours. Believe it or not, that’s mild compared to the consequences in Delhi, where you can be jailed for up to 5 years for the offence!
(Via BBC)
China’s 62-Mile, Month-Long Traffic Jam
Think rush hour traffic is bad in your city? A traffic jam spanning more than 60 miles has had drivers in gridlock since construction began on August 13. Drivers say they’d rather wait it out than try alternate routes because the cost of tolls and gas would be too high. Instead, they’re getting out of their cars to play cards and buy overpriced instant noodles from street vendors who’ve decided to make a profit off of the situation. The tolls might start looking pretty appealing very soon; the traffic is not expected to clear until construction is completed…. halfway through September. Beat that, New York.
Extremists Take Advantage of Flooding in Pakistan
Millions in Pakistan are still without basic necessities. The flooding that began nearly one month ago has left millions living in unsanitary conditions, while their homes and livelihoods remain underwater. Aside from concerns about the outbreak of diseases like cholera, Pakistan's president cautions that Islamic militants are using the situation gain support from those affected. International aid has been slow to reach victims and some Islamist charities with ties to terrorism have been using the opportunity to provide aid to victims while promoting their agendas.
You can earn donations to help provide basic necessities to flood victims by supporting Music for Relief on SocialVibe.
Cannabis Cars for Canada
A Canadian car company has announced that it will begin testing biocomposite electric cars made from cannabis. Pothead jokes aside, if they succeed this could be a great way for auto companies to become more environmentally friendly. Hemp is not only very strong, it’s also a renewable resource.
The idea isn’t new; Henry Ford created one in the 1930s (above). Maybe it’ll catch on this time. Would you buy one?
Catching cancer in the early stages drastically increases survival rates but catching it early poses myriad challenges, particularly with types of cancer for which there are no effective screening tests. Scientists may have found a solution. A new device can detect cancer through a person’s breath.
"This study shows that an 'electronic nose' can distinguish between healthy and malignant breath, and can also differentiate between the breath of patients with different cancer types... It could also be an easy way to assess and monitor the effectiveness of cancer treatment and detect relapses earlier."
Apparently, as cancer grows, the cells emit chemicals that can be detected in a person’s breath. Even more exciting is the fact that the device can detect different types of cancer (so far lung, breast, bowel or prostate have been tested).
The study is still in the early stages and more research is needed, but the possibilities are very exciting. The hopes are that the device will be able to detect cancer before tumors are large enough to be felt or even seen on X-rays.
You can earn donations that fund research to help advance treatments and cures for all kinds of cancer by supporting Stand Up to Cancer on SocialVibe.
In places like Afghanistan, most children do not go to school and the ones that do often attend small fundamentalist religious schools. Those children lucky enough to have families willing to send them receive a less than stellar education; 25% of the teachers are illiterate.
Even with incredible tools like the solar-powered XO laptop, designed specifically for children in the developing world, trying to find qualified teachers in places where most of the adults are no more educated than the children is a daunting task.
You can’t simply give a laptop to a child and expect them to learn on their own… can you?
Nepal
Philippines
Pakistan
Sierra Leone
OLPC tried it and as it turns out, you can. Not only do the children teach themselves how to read and write, 50% of them also teach their parents how to read and write.
The key to a better world, says Nicholas Negroponte, founder of One Laptop Per Child, is to “use the kids as agents of change.”
A simple laptop can give disadvantaged children in remote areas an understanding of the outside word, creating a more educated, hopeful, and tolerant global population.
You can earn donations to help educate children in developing countries by supporting One Laptop Per Child on SocialVibe.
"The age of privacy is over," according to Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Facebook. Since privacy is sooo last century, the New York based blog, Gawker, decided Zuck wouldn’t mind having his invaded.
"All in all, Facebook's CEO doesn't seem too preoccupied about your privacy, or about ours. Likewise, we weren't bothered by the notion of tailing him around the Valley for a few days, or about sharing the experience with you. Enjoy."
Zuckerberg leaving his house
Zuck on his iPhone
Zuck and his girlfriend
Though he originally claimed that the ability to make info private was vital to Facebook, Zuckerberg has since overseen moves to make friend lists, pictures and other info public and even shared users’ info with partner sites without the users’ knowledge.
In his defense, it is his website. It’s a free service and no one’s forced to join. Most people are well aware that what you put on the Internet is not exactly private. Still, having your privacy settings changed on you without your consent is irritating and possibly unethical.
What do you think about Zuck being followed around for a week, paparazzi-style? Did he deserve it? Share your thoughts in the comments?
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