Influence of the Media essays

Influence of the Media essays Ever since the shooting at Columbine High School, there has been an increased interest in violence and how it affects our children. It has started other school shootings with similar acts of violence, thus, leading parents and even children searching for answers. Answers to why and even how these events could happen. Some look towards gun control, some look towards parenting methods, and some look at the media. For instance, Susan Douglas, author of A Look at Terror with My Daughter, and Stephen M. Wolf, author of Countering Violence, both view the media as a negative influence on children. However, that is, indeed, the true question. Does the media have an influence on violent behavior, or is it just a scapegoat? How would one find out whether or not the media does have an influence on violence? Who better to ask than teenagers themselves? In a Time/CNN poll, that asked 13-17 year olds, what was the believed to have caused the shooting in Littleton, 75% blamed the internet, 66% blamed the movies, music, and television, and 56% blamed video games (Statistics). Does this mean that the media, indeed, does influence violence in our children, maybe, maybe not? However, the startling statistic by the American Psychiatric Association, which states, By the age 18 an American child will have seen 16,000 simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence on television alone, (Statistics) may prove otherwise. One might ask how the media influences violence with its television shows, movies, and videogames. Well, Susan Douglas explains it in an accurate way when she states, Computer and video games, in particular, that require you to enact murders with your own hands yes, just a quick click, not unlike a trigger pull may restructure some peoples individual psychology in quite powerful ways so it becomes easier to do unspeakable th ...

Antarctic Icefish Characteristics and Facts

Antarctic Icefish Characteristics and Facts True to their name, the Antarctic Icefish lives in the icy cold waters of the Arctic - and has icy-looking blood to match. Their cold habitat has given them some interesting features.   Most animals, like people, have red blood. The red of our blood is caused by hemoglobin, which carries oxygen throughout our body. Icefishes dont have hemoglobin, thus they have a whitish, nearly transparent blood. Their gills are also white. Despite this lack of hemoglobin, icefish can still get enough oxygen, although scientists arent sure quite how - it could be because they live in already oxygen-rich waters and might be able to absorb oxygen through their skin, or because they have large hearts and plasma which may help transport oxygen more easily. The first icefish was discovered in 1927 by zoologist Ditlef Rustad, who pulled up a strange, pale fish during an expedition to Antarctic waters. The fish he pulled up was eventually named the blackfin icefish (Chaenocephalus aceratus).   Description There are many species (33, according to WoRMS) of icefish in the Family Channichthyidae. These fish all have heads that look a little like a crocodile - so they are sometimes called crocodile icefishes. They have grayish, black or brown bodies, wide pectoral fins, and two dorsal fins that are supported by long, flexible spines. They can grow to a maximum length of about 30 inches.   Another fairly unique trait for icefish is that they dont have scales. This can aid in their ability to absorb oxygen through the ocean water.   Classification Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataSubphylum: VertebrataSuperclass: GnathostomataSuperclass: PiscesClass: ActinopterygiiOrder: PerciformesFamily: Channichthyidae Habitat, Distribution, and Feeding Icefish inhabit Antarctic and subantarctic waters in the Southern Ocean off Antarctica and southern South America. Even though they can live in waters that are only 28 degrees, these fish have antifreeze proteins that circulate through their bodies to keep them from freezing.   Icefish dont have swim bladders, so they spend much of their lives on the ocean bottom, although they also have a lighter skeleton than some other fish, which allows them to swim up into the water column at night to capture prey. They may be found in schools. Icefish eat plankton, small fish, and krill.   Conservation and Human Uses The lighter skeleton of icefish has a low mineral density. Humans with a low mineral density in their bone have a condition called osteopenia, which may be a precursor to osteoporosis. Scientists study icefish to learn more about osteoporosis in humans. Icefish blood also provides insights into other conditions, such as anemia, and how bones develop. The ability of icefish to live in freezing water without freezing can also help scientists learn about the formation of ice crystals and storage of frozen foods and even organs used for transplant.   Mackerel icefish are harvested, and the harvest is considered sustainable. A threat to icefish, however, is climate change - warming ocean temperatures could reduce the habitat that is suitable for this extreme cold water fish.