A recent Pew poll of 1,002 adults found that over 50 percent of people in the United States could not answer five questions correctly about local and global current events. You can take the quiz yourself to see how you fare (http://www.pewresearch.org/quiz/the-news-iq-quiz/)...
I decided to take the quiz, and ended up getting nine correct, out of 12, which wasn't great, but I found myself in the upper echelon of quiz takers  -- 86th percentile to be exact. So, what does this make me? A well-informed inhabitant of the world? I don't think so. There is no reason that a person should get a question wrong on this quiz. After all, these are events that affect people around the world, and whether they directly impact us or not, they are still pertinent to our lives. Then I thought about it some more, and I've reached an entirely different conclusion.
The questions asked in the quiz are important. Certainly much more meaningful issues than what Kim Kardashian wore the other night, the semi-nude Nick Jonas photos, and certainly more important then the name of Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis' baby. Sadly, the aforementioned occurrences are what regularly make the news. And, furthermore, relevant news pieces are tarnished with opinion of some self-proclaimed analyst or expert. The actual reporting of pertinent world and domestic issues is sub-par at best, and the mediocrity shows in low ratings. But news shouldn't be about ratings. It should be about informing the people of the United States about what is going on in the U.S. and around the world.Â
Let's say we do watch the news on a regular basis. What news stations would we pick from? The big three are CNN (moderate), MSNBC (liberal), Fox News (conservative). In my opinion, it is difficult to surmise which one is worse than the other. CNN manages to report every news story with suspense or added, and unnecessary, effects and visualizations. MSNBC can't tell a story without shoving a hearty dose of liberal agenda along with it. And Fox News, which may be the worst of them all, actually takes regular events and somehow seems to tie them into being anti-American or anti-Obama. Take this coffee "debacle," for instance.
So what do we, as Americans, do? I have two solutions to the issue at hand. First, a fix that has recently worked for me has been making my browser homepage an international, unbiased news website. Even, if upon opening your internet browser, you navigate to another web page, there is still the fraction of a second in which you could see an important news headline. Something like this is enough to become more informed about the world around us.
Reputable news organizations that broadcast worldwide events through talented journalists are the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) and Al-Jazeera. If you automatically linked the latter with some terrorist organization, then you can see what American media has already done, and the dire need to fix an issue that has been affecting many of us for quite some time.
Finally, on a broader scale, we as Americans must revisit what we find important in our society. There are reasons for why there are more headlines about a black man shooting a white girl, rather than a black man helping a white girl. It is not that the former happens more often than the latter, but rather that the former is just reported more often.
Things do not have to be the way they are. We, as college students, have the power to determine our future. We can decide what is really important in our lives. The few of you who read this article are obviously the few who want to work towards a better tomorrow. The way to do this is to become globally aware and resist the vanities of the world. Fight for the causes that you are passionate about and develop thoughts on issues that you can call your own.
At the end of the day, there is only so much that we can do to better the world around us. And to better the world, we must better ourselves first.
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Brisanis
Working in the restaurant industry is possibly the most fundamentally challenging occupation I have ever experienced when it comes to hospitality and customer service. When you go to a five-star restaurant you expect the time of your life, a two hour getaway, a walk through another time period (rustic Italy, France, Spain, etc), or simply a honeymoon undergo. What you don't see are the behind the scenes scut work: carrying trays, polishing glassware and silverware, kitchen chaos, the list is endless. Now, I'm not saying being a host, server, or bartender is the worst thing in the whole wide world, there are definitely worse things. But the fact of the matter is that it isn't always sunshine and rainbows. In the two years that I have spent in restaurant and customer service, I have spoken my share of expletives, yelled at kitchen staff, and dealt with not-so-happy guests. It isn't easy to keep a bright and shiny smile on your face when all you want to do is choke every person who walks near you. Anyone who has spent even two weeks working in a restaurant understands the rigor and stress that comes with it. Restaurant culture is a tiny world in and of itself that operates on its own principles and creates its own society. It even has its own language. The sayings "runner", "corner", and "on a bus" wouldn't make sense to anyone otherwise. My mother and I both work in a restaurant and the best advice I can give someone going out to eat is to treat us like people. Yes...believe it or not we are people, people. Say "please" and "thank you", or stack your cleared plates before a busser gets to the table. Trust me, the gesture goes a lot farther than you may think.
So, if you work in a restaurant, you can relate with the following points. If not, check out how the brain of a restaurant service (or any customer service) worker actually works. See if you can identify any crazy weird habits your friends have a tendency to partake in.
Anytime you turn a corner the words "corner!" without you even realizing.
You just wanted to be very aware of your surroundings when entering the bathroom at your own house...no judgment.
People are amazed at how professional you are when speaking to strangers, or on the phone
The words "absolutely" and "certainly" are the only acceptable words to use, while using "dude" and "you guys" are like committing the unforgivable sin.
When we say "table 17 is on a bus", table 17 isn't LITERALLY on a bus.
Table 17 is on a bus? Where is it going??
You understand the frustration of the functions of another existing restaurant when going out to eat.
Silently criticizing my server's mannerisms, and verbiage is something I often do. Most of the time it is inevitable.
When you repeat the same spiel 40 times you start to sound like a lifeless robot.
Why don't we just stand on a chair and announce it to the entire restaurant instead of saying the same thing a trillion times?
The rush of prime dinner service. The chaos is riveting.
The rush of constantly being on your feet is unbelievable. There is never a dull moment in the restaurant business. You know you work in the restaurant business when you can multitask four tables, their orders, and still find time to go pee.
You have "that guy" at a table that makes you want to pull your hair out.
And you know exactly who I am talking about. The guy who wants everything, and wants it RIGHT NOW. Then proceeds to run their server in circles.
Getting stiffed an entire tip is worse than dealing with a difficult human being.
I gave you immaculate service and you left me how much on your $100 check??
When you're sitting in a restaurant you don't dare interrupt your servers table presentation.
We work really hard to please our guests, please do. not. interrupt my money-making process.
At the end of the night, you take the first opportunity you get to take a seat.
The feeling of your body weight coming off of your feet after an eight hour shift is heavenly. We take that feeling for granted until we can't sit down for eight hours at a time.
If you related to any of these above points, you have probably worked in a restaurant setting at some point in your life. Working in a restaurant can be the best, and worst moments you experience, but you make the most of it. You can complain about the pay, the hours, and the labor quality, but someone has to do it. I have learned quite a bit working in customer service as a hostess, and am thankful for the opportunity to grow as a person functioning in society. Restaurant culture is its own entity, but definitely worth the chaos.
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Adulting
11 Things I Learned My Freshman Year of College
Not everything you learn in college can be found in a textbook.
1h
67
Breanna Vogel
One of the scariest things we will ever face in our life is going to college. Many of us move away to a new town, join new organizations, and make new friends. We are expected to study, have a social life, relationships, maybe work, and be healthy. It seems pretty easy to do, and in high school all we wanted to do was graduate and move on to this next chapter of our lives. If you are in high school, here are some things that you can learn from before you get to college. If you have already been through your freshman year of college, hopefully you can relate to the things I have learned in college.
Your self control and motivation directly correlate to how close the end of the semester is.
You start the beginning of each semester very hopeful and excited for all your new classes, but that excitement lessens each week of the semester. By the end, you are searching for every excuse to not complete your homework or to even leave your dorm room. Because leaving your dorm room means looking presentable, and at this point you do not even have the motivation for that.
Group projects seem to be something created by the devil himself.
Even though you know that there are plenty of people smarter than you, it seems that you always get stuck with the group members that do not measure up to your standards. Your partners never ask you about the project until the last minute, so you complete most of it yourself. Another outcome is that they do not care about the work they are doing, therefore, you end up doing the project yourself. Just like a unicorn, it is rare to get amazing partners for group projects.
Remember when you were young and you knew everything there was to know? Wrong: you knew nothing.
Once we hit high school we thought we knew everything we would ever have to know. We anxiously waited to turn 18 because being an adult couldn't possibly that hard. Turns out, once you become an adult, everything you learned your entire life has no purpose in your life. You have to know how to budget your money, create a killer resume and cover letter, change your flat tire and cook for yourself. None of these skills were taught in high school. Adulting is hard, very hard.
If there is free food offered - go!
When you get to college, you are so excited to have so many food options within a five-minute walk of your dorm room. By the end of the first semester there already seems like there is nothing good on campus because you are already so sick of the same restaurants you've been eating at for six months. Usually, at the beginning and end of each semester there are endless options for free food because everyone is either recruiting or celebrating their club. Write down the meeting times and go eat some free food. You might even find a really awesome organization because of going.
Never believe a professor when they tell you "Don't worry, this won't be on the test."
Professors are notorious for saying that the class does does not need to worry about a certain slide on the PowerPoint, or a certain section of the book, but there is a 99 percent chance that there will be one or more questions about it on the next exam. So, you might as well memorize every slide the professor has and every page of your text book. Or, do some educated guessing, which is probably the more likely alternative. And if you are guessing, just know that "C" is the most common answer on multiple choice tests.
If you want a relationship with someone, it will take effort.
When you get to college you will hear "your future spouse could be in this room right now". If you were annoyed with the couples holding hands and kissing in the hallways in high school, just wait until all your friends are getting engaged. You will meet some really awesome people in college, and you may find someone you want to have a relationship with. This relationship may be just a friendship, or way more than that. Just know, it takes a lot of effort. Class, homework, meetings, activities and friends keep you very busy, so you will need to make time when you can. Dating looks a lot different in college, it is doing homework together, walking to class together, sitting in church together and grabbing a quick lunch together. But, if you are willing to put in the effort, it is so worth it.
Check your email before you trudge all the way to class to find out it is cancelled.
Confused from the first snow of the season?
byu/everydayslowmo ingifs
You just walked all the way to class while the snow was blowing in your face and the temperature is below zero. You get to class and see that class is cancelled. You trudge all the way back to your dorm room to see that you got an email this morning that class was cancelled. Then you get upset with yourself because you could have stayed in bed for an extra three hours and watched Netflix.
You do not need a ton of friends, just a couple of really good ones.
You meet so many people during your first semester that it seems like you have more friends than you can manage, but as time goes on, you find your people and you stick with them. You probably won't be best friends with the girl you met at orientation. You probably won't be best friends with the people you went to high school with, but you will find your group, and they will be there for you no matter
what.
Take the time to do what you love.
You will spend countless hours doing homework, studying for tests and reading textbooks. Make sure you are taking time to do things that you love to do because otherwise you will not enjoy your time in college. Take a break from studying and take a walk with a friend. Spend the weekend exploring new places around your college. Take the time to have some fun and relax because college can be pretty stressful.
Every Saturday you will avoid doing homework like it is the plague. When Sunday rolls around you will complain that you have way too much stuff to do and not enough time to do it.
On Saturday you want to sleep in, hang out with friends, and not look at a single book or even open your email. Most of Sunday you will do the exact same thing and then try to cram all your homework into a few short hours. Then you will whine and complain about how you do not have enough time in your life to do all this homework. But, you will never admit it is because you are a great procrastinator.
Your college experience is what you make of it.
You may not have a clue what you want to do in the future, but that is OK. College has plenty of opportunities for you to figure that out. While you figure it out, make the most out of your experience. You can choose to get involved and have a lot of fun, or you can choose not to. No matter what, just know that you control how great your college experience will be. So go out and try new things, join new clubs and meet new people. College can either be the best four years of your life or the worst.
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Tumblr
It's about that time where we are too tired to do anything productive, too cold to leave bed, and too lazy to find a new show to watch so we result to re-runs.
For all of you home-bodies, for all of you cold weather haters, here are my suggestions for this holiday break. Let the binging begin!
How To Get Away With Murder
This show will drag you in from the beginning. I've never watched such an addicting and interesting show. Watch Professor Keating and her five law student employees weave their way through the law and the many murders they encounter.
New Girl
The main character, Jess, finds herself needing a place to live after a bad breakup and runs into 3 young guys looking for a roommate, but are not ready to take on the challenge of a woman.
Fuller House
A Netflix Original and a spin off of the ever so wonderful Full House, watch DJ raise her sons with the help of Kimmy, Stephanie and the 3 boys Uncle Jesse, Joey and Danny of course.
Stranger Things
The perfect mystery show to draw you in and just short enough to be able to binge in one day. Catch actress Winona Ryder as she joins a cast of brilliant 12 year olds.
Bob's Burgers
This show is great if you don't have the brain power to intensely follow a show with a strict story line. Join one of America's funniest families in their journey of owning a local burger restaurant.
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
This hilarious show includes a group of friends that own a local pub that tend to always find themselves in awkward, sticky situations that they can only seem to make worse.
Friends
You can't go wrong with Friends, that's all I can say.
Glee
Tune in to watch the heartwarming journey of a group of high school outcasts as they try to turn a failing arts program into a national champion Glee club.
Grace and Frankie
As a Netflix original, Grace and Frankie goes that extra mile to make you laugh and make you cry. Watch these two go from enemy wives of business partners, to single women living together.
Criminal Minds
With 11 full seasons on Netflix, this show will take up a good portion of your days off and will keep you tuned in. This FBI squad will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions from episode to episode.
American Horror Story
To add that bit of spookiness to your day, give this chilling series a try. May it be Hotel, Coven, or my personal favorite Murder House, you can't go wrong with this wonderful cast of celebrities.
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Relationships
12 Long-Term Relationship Milestones
You've got a keeper if you've made it to any of these milestones.
7h
508
Pexels
You've been together for so long. It's great. And as the time spent in your relationship grows, you hit certain milestones where you know it's real. These can be make-or-break moments, or just little things where you finally realize that you're both doing it. Everybody hits these milestones, no matter how long it takes; they're inevitable.
You know you've made it when you hit these long-term relationship milestones.
So. Many. Inside. Jokes.
You can't help it--once you have spent that much time with somebody, you're bound to have jokes just between the two of you.
Selfie masters
You now have more photos together than you do apart. Your entire camera roll is photos of the two of you.
What's personal hygiene?
You've gone past the point of no return: no makeup, sweatpants, maybe your hair is unwashed? But it doesn't matter, because you're comfortable with your significant other.
Knowing what to order
Photo by Jeremy Bishop on UnsplashYou know exactly what to order them when they want food--and they'll do the same for you. You know their order like the back of your hand, and it's secondhand nature now when you pull into the drive-through.
Caring for hobbies
It begins when you start to genuinely care about their hobbies and favorite things. You're truly enjoying what they enjoy while you're with them.
Offend who?
You two know you're just joking around, but to others, you sound like you hate each other. It's just a weird way of showing affection, I promise.
Deep conversations
You know you're truly close with someone once you can have deep conversations without it being weird. Hitting these pretty much means there's no going back now.
Who pays?
One of you can't go on paying for the other for the rest of your lives (and, come on, it's 2016). Splitting bills or taking turns paying for dates or food is a good sign--everything is fair, and there's no feeling awkward about money.
Becoming a two-for-one package deal
If you're alone, people start asking where your S.O. is, and vice versa. You go everywhere together when you can--and there's nothing wrong with that.
Bodily functions
Being comfortable with another person means a lot of things: you can talk to them without fear of being judged, and you can also hear them fart around you.
You can be weird
There's no stopping you now--once the weird has been unleashed, there is absolutely no way to put it back.
Code words
Is what you're speaking even English anymore? Although, as long as the two of you know what a word means, does it even matter?
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Entertainment
10 Of The Best Shows To Binge Watch Over Winter Break
You've got a busy break ahead of you.
28 December
1604
As the semester is coming to an end, most of us are going to have more free time on our hands. This calls for binge watching a new show on Netflix and really using this break to relax from the stress of school. Here are some of the best shows on Netflix that you should be watching.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
This is a musical series about a woman who leaves her prestigious job in Manhattan to follow her ex-boyfriend to a small town in California. This series is unlike any other, making it a must watch on Netflix!
Jane The Virgin
This show is about a young girl, Jane Villanueva, who is accidentally inseminated by a specimen that was meant for a patient in the next room. This show has to be one of the best comedies on TV right now. What makes it very unique is although it is a comedy, it contains a compelling storyline with unexpected thrills as well.
Arrow
This show is based off a character in DC Comics, where the main character Oliver Queen fights crime in Starling City using just a bow and arrow. The series is a combination of dark characters with a sprinkle of humor here and there. Not to mention the main character is extremely nice to look at (you’re welcome ladies).
The Flash
This is a spinoff series from Arrow, but has a totally different story line. The main character Barry Allen, who is a forensic scientist for the Central City Police Department, is struck by lighting and given the power of speed. Like Arrow, The Flash has a team of people behind him who help him fight crime in Central City. The only downside is if you are going to watch this show it is smart to also watch Arrow simultaneously, as the two shows tend to intertwine with one another.
The Office
The Office is one of the greatest sitcoms in history. The first four seasons are the best of the series when Steve Carrell was still a apart of the cast.
Gilmore Girls
Being that the show has just released a new season Gilmore Girls Revival, catching up on the later seasons could be a good idea. It is a great show to watch if you need a break from life.
Orange is the New Black
This in my opinion, is the best original show on Netflix. It features a diversity of characters with a compelling story line, that is extremely addictive.
Friends
If you haven't seen this show yet, you've been living under a rock.
Breaking Bad
There’s nothing I can say about this that I’m sure you don’t already know. As everyone says, this is the best series of all time.
The Vampire Diaries
Despite what critics say, The Vampire Diaries is not just a knock off of Twilight. The storyline goes in the complete opposite direction and has it’s own unique characters. This follows the life of a beautiful teenage girl, Elena Gilbert, who is stuck in a love triangle with two vampire brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Not only is this series compacted with action and thrill, but it offers one of the best romance stories of all time.
Well there ya have it. So which show are you going to binge watch over break?
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