Plastic Surgery for Teens

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/36101073/ns/today-parenting_and_family/

Dr. Sam Rizk argues that, "It’s no different than kids getting braces for crooked teeth.” I can see the option of plastic surgery being reasonable for a teen if they had some type of physical deformity but in most cases I would feel like it would be wrong to alter your body in that way at such a young age. What do you think?

The Web Responds to Moscow Bombings

If you haven't heard yet, two bombings on Moscow's subway have killed dozens of people earlier today. When this was first announced, at least 38 people had been killed; with over 60 wounded. The bombers are being called, "black widows" by numerous news organizations. The term refers to Chechnyan female suicide bombers who have been radicalized by the continuing conflict in the North Caucasus of Russia. As you can imagine, the cold, hard facts have not come to light yet. Because of this many people are turning to the internet for answers. Key words such as "moscow bombings," "subway explosions," and "black widow bombings" have rocked Google and other searches.

Believe it or not, Twitter is covering the bombings. Twitter user "zlaw" has uploaded pictures and "RT_com" has a Twitter feed with the newest updates on the bombings. There is even a video with an eyewitness description of the bombings. *All of these contain disturbing images.* The question is whether or not social media sites should be allowed to be posting this information, and if so, should there be a censor/limit on what users can and cannot post? Also, should we wait for the more "legitimate" information from respected news organizations like CNN to be announced; or is it better to find the latest news on social media sites? What do yall think?

http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/93516?fp=1

Any 'Idol' Fans Left in the House?

I must admit that I still turn on Fox every Tuesday and Wednesday night at 8/7 central to get my 'American Idol' fix. However, for myself and many others, Season 9 has been quite the disappointment. It suddenly seems like this "talent" competition is more focused on style and appearance, rather than actual vocal ability. And yet, it still manages to take the top 2 spots every week in the TV ratings. Eventually, people are going to have to realize that most of these contestants just don't have what it takes.... My question for you: Can 'Idol' be saved? No matter what, those of us who continue to watch will have to endure what contestants we've been given. And with the show featuring such talented singers as Ke$ha and Orianthi (who can play guitar, but my oh my does she get off-pitch), my faith in the judges being able to choose successful contestants is slowly but surely dwindling. What say you?

http://www.mercurynews.com/tv/ci_14764269

CA Legalizes Marijuana

California recently voted on a ballot measure to legalize marijuana for people over 21. Isn't that a little old though? I mean if you think about it most people who have smoked weed in their life did it when they were young and eventually decide to put it to rest. If the legal age is going to be 21 then a large percentage of people smoking will still be doing it illegally. Then we have the law abiding citizens who are over 21 and have decided to give it a try now that it will be legal. This can cause a problem because they could potentially be going down a slippery slope and losing whatever progress they've made by getting a job or even a family due to the fact that they did not smoke marijuana in their younger years and don't have experience and can't be responsible about it. I just think that if you can buy cigarettes when you're 18, which are worse for you than marijuana, then why not weed? Here's an article from NY Times about it

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/26/us/26pot.html?hp

Can media not leave a good thing alone?

A few weeks ago Sandra Bullock was seemingly on top of the world and melting the hearts of all who watched her accept her Oscar for best actress. As if it was almost too good to be true, not soon after her big moment on the Oscars did news surface of her husband, Jesse James, having a long term affair with a tattoo model named Michelle McGee which supposedly all took place during Bullock's absence during the filming of "The Blind Side" for which she won her oscar. In addition to these reports of scandal from various sources, Sandra's husband troubles were coupled with various other stories of misfortune such as the James-Bullock family dog went missing, Jesse James was seen walking around in a controversial Nazi outfit in his home, and custody issues with James' child and his previous wife.

Is it just me or can media not leave a good thing alone? It seems as though the media can not solely report on a fortunate story but instead must couple it with something negative or tragic. Sandra's fortune was seemingly not enough for the media that more had to be dredged up. That or her husband and the insider sources saw her success at the Oscars as an outlet for them to receive publicity or present tabloids with lucrative and prevalent stories. Shouldn't a recent recognition in the Oscars be one of the happiest points in Bullock's life? I recognize that bad or shocking news sells more but sometimes good news has its success as well. Must all good press be followed with bad or does success as a celebrity come with inevitable misfortune?

http://www.comcast.net/entertainment/popcast/35031/problemspersistforjessejamessandrabullock/

The FBI is Now Following You–On Twitter

I have always been amazed at the stuff that people put on social media sites. Whether it be pictures from the party last weekend or personal griping that's no longer personal, there's certain things that the whole world doesn't need to know. Some of us use privacy settings to manage who sees what, but that may not be enough...

The FBI has turned to social media to catch wanted criminals. No matter how careful a suspect may be, it may not be enough. Under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the FBI can force social networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace, or LinkedIn to reveal confidential information such as private inbox messages. My question is this: Should the government be allowed to "intrude" on the privacy of anyone like this in order to protect the American people?

http://blog.brickhousesecurity.com/2010/03/22/fbi-twitter/

South Park: Crossing a Line?

Any other South Park fans in this class? I imagine there probably are, considering South Park is one of the longest running cartoons on television right now. Personally, I love everything about the show. I love that the creators are not afraid to call it like they see it in terms of making fun of celebrities and current events.
Many may say the creators of South Park are insensitive. Obviously, the creators of the show go all out in their attempts to rip on everything and anything. Because of television and the Internet, millions of people are able to watch South Park. My question is this: Should there be a line that separates what the creators of the show can and cannot do? Should they be allowed to call Tom Cruise gay, Kanye West a "gayfish", and Michael Jackson a "little white girl" and get away with it?
I personally think the creators of the show are some of the most down-to-earth people I can think of, even considering their crazy show. Whenever they rip on a celebrity or a current event, I can honestly say that I agree with them 99% of the time (excluding Cartman being racist, of course).
Attached is a clip from a new episode of the show, but I must warn you, it is uncensored and may be too much to handle for those with profanity sensitivity issues. It is just an example of how South Park is not afraid of lawsuits when it comes to making fun of celebrities.

March Madness Vasectomy?

As I was stumbling through online articles, I ran across an article about March madness. As I continued reading, I realized the article wasn't about March madness but rather it described a new trend sweeping across the middle-aged male population: enter a bracket, take care of chores, and get a vasectomy. While this may seem rather shocking, more and more males are scheduling vasectomies in March than any other month of the year. Why you ask? The answer is simple. Working men dream of sitting on the couch with a bag of chips in one hand and a beer in the other preparing to watch their bracket succeed (very unlikely). What better way to capture this dream than by scheduling a vasectomy? From this type of media exposure, I believe this vasectomy number will continue to increase each March.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MensHealthNews/march-madness-means-bets-basketball-vasectomies/story?id=10140703

Demi Moore's Twitter Stops Possible Suicide

I had many concerns when I saw this article. I use twitter and other social networking sites but it makes me very uncomfortable that there are people that use these when they are feeling suicidal. Or maybe it is a good thing since the responses to people's twitter, facebook, & myspace is so prompt. Good for Demi for being able to help out but when I am feeling down should I turn to social networking sites to find someone to help me out?

http://www.tmz.com/2010/03/19/demi-moore-twitter-suicide-nia-verdalos-call/

I see on CNN another fantastic story pertaining to a woman dressing her baby daughter up as historically significant terrorists. The whole idea from what I understood was to be a piece of art and to help us understand new ideas about why what they did was unacceptable. To quote from the article:"You need to be conscious that your actions have consequences that impact your fellow human beings," Kleivan told Haaretz. "The people I let my daughter portray didn't give a damn about the human cost, the casualties their thoughts caused."

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1973372_2089555,00.html#ixzz0iaUUz1xX.

Do you think her intentions are honorable, and should this be considered art?