Glasses vs. Contacts
Glasses. An accessory that most teenagers dread needing and having to wear because of the nuisance value it carries. To hear that you need them, is basically a slap in the face, saying that I have watched too much television, played too many video games, or was on the computer for way too long. Not only does their onset prove your parents to be right, but they are also a constant reminder and a showcase of your bad eyesight. However there is a way around them, for the lucky ones that is. There is a savior: the contacts. This lens that is directly inserted onto the eye is an escape from the ugly and inconvenient glasses, at least for some. However, it is debatable whether contact lenses are better than glasses or is it just that they are less conspicuous and thus the more attractive option for young adults who are afraid or self conscious of wearing glasses.
With glasses, one must always be careful not to break, scratch, or dirty the lens. Everyone knows that the cleaning of the lenses is definitely the biggest hassle. The lenses of your glasses never seem to remain clean. Clleaning them regularly during the course of the day is a necessity because no one, other then someone who is depressed, would want a perpetually bleak and dirty view of the world. However it is not only their upkeep that gives glasses their bad reputation, they are also the mother of all nuisances. They force you to keep your head at an angle because of the constant threat of them sliding off the nose. As a result one is left with this ungainly habit of continuously pushing the glasses back up. Another problem glasses prompt, although usually only for someone who has just gotten glasses, is that it is very easy to forget they are there. The result of this forgetting could be laborious; yet another cleaning, or then costly; you might need to replace your broken glasses, but most often it is embarrassing; just looking really stupid. It would have helped if the nuisance value of glasses were to end there, but no, there is the aesthetic component that is all important to young adults, and one that glasses affect in a big way. Have a person who has had glasses for a long time remove his glasses and what hits you are the deep sunk eyes that make one look tired and ill. The imprints on the bridge of the nose, a result of the rim pads, obviously don't do much for the face either; probably why modern glasses have become lighter and needless to say more expensive. In the young adult world, glasses, the traditional sight aids are losing out to the more aesthetically pleasing contact lenses.
Contact lenses are known as the alternative to glasses, but are a different story altogether. Unlike glasses, they are placed in the eye, and are virtually invisible; therefore making sure there is nothing to break on ones face. The most recurring reason for people to wear contacts instead of glasses is that they feel their appearance to be more attractive with contact lenses than with glasses. Teenagers will keep nagging their parents making it seem that contacts are a necessity. However, contacts offer much more than an upgrade on appearance, as most teenagers believe. Contacts are less affected by wet weather so there will be no water droplets tolook through while walking home on a rainy day after soccer practice. They also do not steam up in the shower area after swimming, thus allowing one a clear vision and not having to wipe the lens. The greatest advantage however is that contacts provide a wider field of vision than glasses do, therefore giving a better peripheral vision; which is an absolute necessity for any teenager for a variety of reasons. For example, they offer a crystal clear view of the answer booklet on the adjoining dask without having to turn ones head. Being that contacts are not on your face like glasses, one can play sports without the worry of breaking them. This also means there is no need for those notorious athletic goggles, that look incredibly goofy. Not to say that there aren't stylish glasses available; glasses are available in a wide range of styles, materials, and even designer labels, but they are still glasses; something parents just don't seem to understand!.
Despite the fact that glasses will always remain in existence for many years to come, contact lenses seem to be the product of the future, and soon enough kids will not dread a failing or faulty vision.
Middle East Crisis Sends Oil Price Skyrocketing
The sudden escalation of violence in the Middle East has created unrest around the world — and it has the potential to cause a rapid surge in oil prices.
For those who have not been following the news, the conflict is between Israel and the Hezbollah of Lebanon, which the United States and several of its closest allies refer to as a terrorist organization. In late June, after Hamas militants crossed the border from the Gaza Strip and captured an Israeli soldier, Israel sent troops into the territory. On July 12, Hezbollah militants captured two more Israeli soldiers and killed eight others. As a result, Israel launched air and artillery attacks, striking many Hezbollah sites in South Lebanon and later Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Hezbollah responded by striking several cities in Israel, including Haifa, a major city in Israel.
Oil prices have risen to as high as $78.35 a barrel, the highest they have been since Hurricane Katrina. Thankfully, as other nations around the world try to defuse the situation, oil prices have slipped down to under $74. But the price could skyrocket at any moment. In fact, the price could reach more than $100, and experts are saying this could cause gas prices to go to way over $3 a gallon — maybe even over $4. Many fear that these exorbitant prices could remain constant for a long time.
The price of oil also is affected by the diplomatic standoff dragging on between the West and Iran over its nuclear program. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has even stated that if Syria is invaded by Israel, there will be consequences. The West essentially knows what these consequences are, and where they will hit: their wallets. There is a very simple plan Iran has: to cut off its oil exports. As far as the United States is concerned, our nation's dependence on oil is slowly but surely weakening us as the days go by.
Somehow our nation must find a way to break this addiction to oil, whether it is by conservation or by finding and switching to an alternative form of energy. To continue being the America that every nation knows to be a superpower, something must be done to take oil, and/or our dependence on it, out of the equation.
However, there is one controversial yet potentially effective method of conserving oil, in addition to carpooling, biking to work or telecommuting: increasing the driving age. Although at first this measure may seem harsh to teens, it is something that could work and be enforced. Yes, I know many of my peers will be outraged at this suggestion. However, a little pondering with a global vision while focusing on the good this measure will bring will appease most rational teenagers. They will be doing something that will in turn better the world. The less oil we use, the less dependent and vulnerable the United States is. Also, this harsh measure may force our young minds to look for alternatives to oil.
Broken Social Scene: Musical Rhapsody Created En Masse
As the sun began to set on the Band Shell in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park last Thursday, Broken Social Scene began its avant-garde performance in front of hundreds of fans listening, cheering, and moving to the familiar yet one-of-a-kind sounds of Broken Social Scene. From their countless onstage antics to their unusual amount of band members, it was apparent that this was no ordinary band. Their exclusive way of producing their music is what made it so extraordinary that it drew fans, young and old, and Broken Social Scene had them in rapture all through. From songs such as Fire Eye’d Boy to softer songs such as Major Label Debut, the band continued to improve upon its live performance which, to the audience, already seemed perfect.
When referring to Broken Social Scene, one must use the word “band” in the loosest way possible. During live performances, such as the one in Brooklyn, this “band” from Toronto can have as many as 17 musicians on stage; a rather large number for a band. BBS can have this many musicians for a certain song because it all depends on how many of their ‘friends’ show up, or what the musical needs are for that particular song.
This is what draws in the crowds of fans for Broken Social Scene; their warm, collaborative way of creating music the results of which are obviously quite unique. What is even more noteworthy is that most of the members of BSS have their own separate bands, and yet BSS flourishes. Other than Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning, the core members of the band, BBS also gets help from many of their friends in the Toronto indie scene. These friends include Andrew Whiteman, Leslie Feist, Evan Cranley, Amy Millan from the Stars, and Metric’s Emily Haines.
Broken Social Scene is simply a union of friends from different Toronto indie bands. Co-founder of BSS, Kevin Drew, while commenting on the success of the band told a New York Times reporter that “The whole band is based on people who are closely connected, metaphysically” and that he’s “never made music without friends — they are my security blanket. Playing with friends is who we are". This bonding, the feeding off of each other they do to improvise the whole, does come through in their music, including their new self titled CD, and makes it one of a kind.
