Nearly 12 years ago, on May 6, 2005, I joined Facebook. I know–earth-shattering. Well, I didn’t exactly, but my dormitory’s resident assistant did for me. She said she was signing me up because it would help me meet others on campus and possibly snag a date. I rolled my eyes, but allowed it while I lied on her dormitory floor rummaging through whatever snacks she had stowed … Continue reading Connecting through Social Media Eases Stress (Part 2)

If I could depict my life at this moment, the following meme captures it. From what I can recall, I’ve lived with stress as long as I have my shadow. Stress tends to come naturally for anxiety-ridden individuals like myself. My typical week consists of working and attending school nearly full-time, attempting to study, exercise, write and read, and maintain a social life while keeping in touch with family. … Continue reading Connecting through Social Media Eases Stress (Part 1)

While opioid addiction increases among Americans, so escalates pharmaceutical companies’ addiction to profit. Evidence reveals pharmaceutical companies, considered collectively, (aka Big Pharma), purposely mislead physicians and patients via marketing and drug representatives in order to increase sales. In 2007, Purdue Pharma, producer of the opioid painkiller OxyContin, agreed to pay $600 million in fines in one of the most costly lawsuits against a drug company. Purdue pleaded guilty … Continue reading Big Pharma’s Addiction, Profiting off U.S. Opioid Abuse

I came across a letter to the editor titled, Men’s basketball win reinforces UTA pride, while reading UTA’s student newspaper, The Shorthorn. The author and UTA alumnus, Jason Silva, explained how he graduated from the university in 2000, when support for student athletics was modest, at best. He recently attended the National Invitational Tournament quarterfinal on March 22 at College Park Center as the Mavericks played … Continue reading Student Athletics – To Support or Not to Support?

When you think of addiction, what comes to mind for most of us is drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc. But in the 21st century-in 2017-addiction has broadened its form of psychological and physical habits to, wait for it… Social media. On April 30, 1789, our first president of the United States, George Washington, was inaugurated. Communication by the president to citizens was limited to letters, newspapers … Continue reading Twitter and Trump- A Presidential Problem?

By definition, popular culture is “cultural activities or commercial products reflecting, suited to, or aimed at the tastes of the general masses of people.” Pop culture entertains us, but it is also a powerful influence on the clothes we wear, films we watch and even the politicians we vote for. Democrats, republicans and independents are aware of pop culture and, at times, may base their judgment or solidify … Continue reading Pop Culture and Politics – Spotlight on Media

The word “feminist” tends to frighten some men. At least, that’s how Robert Jensen, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, felt until the age of 30. Then he decided to face his fear by studying the feminist critique of pornography throughout graduate school. Nearly 30 years later, a confident, and sometimes objectionable, Jensen stands in front of audiences speaking on behalf of radical … Continue reading From Fear to Fostering Feminism

Photo source: https://twitter.com/littleredfoxdc On February, 16, Matt Carr, owner of the Little Fox Restaurant in Washington, D.C., read a note left behind by his kitchen staff. Three of his prep cooks had taken initiative to prepare food, taking care of business to participate in the strike, “A Day Without Immigrants.” “We’re a very small business, and without them we would not be able to open today,” Carr … Continue reading A Day Without Immigrants – Mutual Respect

As a nation founded on many freedoms, an American’s right to freely express him or herself under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution comes naturally for many of us. A privilege often taken for granted, which a myriad of countries are denied. And while it is illegal in America to advocate overthrow of one’s government, as in most countries, it is perfectly legal to criticize it–politicians, the … Continue reading Satire and Politics – Entertaining, but Solution-less

This is the excerpt for a featured content post. Continue reading Freedom of the Press – Battling Media Bias