Popping bottles, fist pumping and “smooshing”—another great year for mediocrity and ignorance thanks to the ever-depreciating value of talent and information through the media.

Through the outlets of tabloids, Internet and reality television, viewers are constantly feeding into a barrage of useless and dramatized information.

Celebrities are no longer valued for talent; their personal lives have become the news, overshadowing whatever obscure reason why they are considered “famous” in the first place. This mixture of lackluster talent mixed with media exposure creates what I feel is a catastrophic event in society, “Reality Media.”

Stardom isn’t what it used to be. Instead of praising stars for their athletic, musical or acting abilities, spectators instead value celebrities’ ignorant and destructive behaviors. Our society’s entertainment thrives on the information gathered by dramatized reality shows and celebrity gossip.

The draw for spectators is being allowed to watch these “celebrities” ruin their lives and every shaky relationship they have via publications and broadcasts.

Reality shows are no doubt the greatest media outlet portrayal of these behaviors that rein from a variety of genres game shows, renovation, self-improvement and “documentary.”

However, reality shows are also a portrayal of utter stupidity, both for the reality stars and…» Read More

In a nationwide survey posted by the National Campaign, roughly 66 percent of the 415 people interviewed, mostly between the ages of 20 and 26, admitted to have partaken in the act of “sexting,” the act of sending sexually explicit photographs and text messages primarily via mobile phones.

Sexting is an issue that will not go away despite its consequences; there is no easy solution, but like most sexual activities, it is something that requires education. There is no way to stop people from sexting, but there are ways to prevent or reduce the chances for humiliating consequences.

According to ABC News and NPR, sexting has become the newest trend among young people. With drastic improvements in mobile technology, phones have become faster, with higher quality cameras, faster speeds and the ability to send and receive videos and photos in a matter of seconds.

Jessica Logan, an Ohio teen, was in the center of news headlines three years ago when she took her own life after salacious pictures of her were texted to hundreds of teens in the Cincinnati school district.

Logan’s story is one of many, although most of cases do not have the same severe consequences. Today there…» Read More

It’s your second semester at City College, and you are up against a Spanish class that you withdrew from twice already. Education is on third base, waiting for a base hit for the go-ahead score for victory. One more swing against Spanish is all you’re allotted. And now it’s crunch time.

Starting this summer, a new policy goes into effect in the Los Rios district: Any student who receives a D, F or NP (no pass) or has withdrawn from a course three times will not be able to take the class again.

For example, if a City College student fails Statistics 300 three times, he or she will not be able to take the class again at American River College or any other sister community college within the Los Rios District. The student would need to take the class in another community college district. This not only applies to the Los Rios district but to all other community college districts in California as well.

This may seem like a harsh measure and a very abrupt change, but there is general support for the change. This change was recommended during the 2010-11 school year by the Board of Governors. The…» Read More

Journalists working in countries with free presses generally adhere to a strict code of ethics. Democracy depends on the media, the so-called Fourth Estate, to keep citizens properly informed with fair reporting of the country’s current events.

In a time when people love to fantasize that media are controlled by some higher political and greedy power and a time when readers are flooded with information via the web, it is critical that reputable media outlets protect their integrity by strictly following a code of ethics that every professional journalist has committed to memory.

The Sacramento Bee recently fired a longtime photographer and former City College student for digitally manipulating a photo that ran on the front page of a Sunday issue of The Bee. Photographer Bryan Patrick won numerous photography awards while working for two local newspapers, and his inappropriate manipulation of a stunning photo of an egret resulted in ruining his career, according to City College Photography Professor Randy Allen.

“It’s a lot like being a bank teller and embezzling. It’s not like he’ll ever get another job as a press photographer—he just won’t. [Employers] don’t hire people who have been caught doing this kind of thing,” said Allen….» Read More

On Feb. 27, 2012, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment eliminating same-sex marriage, was unconstitutional, which could, supporters hope, open the door for same-sex couples to once again marry in California.

There are always two sides to every argument, but in the case of Proposition 8, one of those sides was decidedly wrong.

The overturning of Proposition 8 isn’t just a win for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, but a win for all Americans who believe in the fundamental idea that all people are created equal.

“The more recognition the LGBT community can get from mainstream culture is a win for them as well as a win for everyone,” said City College psychology Professor Dr. Gayle Pitman.

According to Pitman, typically when civil rights legislation is in the forefront of media attention, public opinion tends to follow.

Proposition 8, which California voters approved as a ballot initiative in 2008, attempted to deny a minority of citizens, the LGBT community, the right to happiness and to place them on a tier beneath traditional married couples, which is an affront to all those who cherish the constitution.

The government should be encouraging…» Read More

One of the most difficult monetary challenges that college students face each semester is having to buy expensive required textbooks—an average of $1,137 during 2010-2011, according to the College Board. Recent estimations by the Government Accountability Office reported that textbooks cost a quarter of the average tuition for state universities and three-fourths the average tuition at community colleges.

Paying more than $100 for each textbook is a tall order, especially if professors require two or more books for a class. Last year, according to The Huffington Post, seven out of 10 undergraduates at 13 college campuses did not purchase textbooks for their classes due to high prices.

There really is no way to avoid required textbooks. However, there are many alternatives to buying expensive required textbooks that students can consider if they wish to keep some money in their wallet without jeopardizing the quality of their education.

Through services like Chegg, Amazon and Barnes and Noble, students can rent or buy e-books, which are books in digital form that are accessed through any electronic devices. Apple Inc. said e-books will be made available to schools for $15 or less. According to web, mobile and tablet ePublishing specialist YUDU media and…» Read More

History textbooks have long been respected as closest to the truth and based on fact. Scholars and historians spend much time and effort in the research and fact checking of these publications. Yet approximately every two years history books get rewritten or updated.

“Battles over what to put in science and history books have taken place for years in the 20 states where state boards must adopt textbooks, most notably in California and Texas. But rarely in recent history has a group of conservative board members left such a mark on a social studies curriculum,” wrote James C. McKinley in The New York Times.

For example, the state of Texas buys a large enough percentage of textbooks so that what the Texas Board of Education decides to use sets the stage for how history is taught in elementary and high schools across the country.

How much of the original history has been lost in translation? How much of history is being rewritten?

City College History Professor Carl Sjovold says the rewriting of history textbooks is common practice, and it is the choice of the textbook that makes the difference. As the History Department chair, Sjovold says the challenge is no…» Read More

Following the passage of California’s smoking law in 1994, which restricted the smoking of tobacco products in all enclosed places of employment, I remember avid smokers complaining that they could no longer smoke while eating in a restaurant or working in the office.

Although the smoking law was passed to restrict smoking indoors, a number of cities have passed restrictions on smoking in public areas outdoors. Elk Grove is the latest city to increase smoking limits outdoor. According to The Sacramento Bee, the Elk Grove City Council recently approved an ordinance prohibiting smoking within 300 feet of playgrounds, schools, day care centers, or other places where children gather.

Smoking inside any public building was no longer optional and new restrictions can only have a positive effect both on health wise and environmentally.

According to the 1994 law, AB-13, smokers are restricted from smoking within 25 feet of parks and playground. 25 feet is not far enough away from playgrounds and other public areas. Places like public parks and playgrounds are obviously outdoors, which means that when the wind blows in the direction of play areas, so does secondhand smoke.

Secondhand smoking, for one, is the leading cause to our…» Read More

With the changing climate and increasing global population, it has come to the point where we as Americans should start and need to reduce the negative effects we have on the environment.

In 2010, cleanair.org reported that the average American office worker used about 500 disposable cups per year. If a small group of just 10 office workers chose to use reusable glasses at work that would cut the use of disposable cups by 5,000. California is the highest populous state in the country with a state population of just over 37 million, according to 2010.census.gov. If every office within our own state had reusable glasses in their break rooms, the positive effects would be tremendous. If society as a whole made a strong effort to use reusable canteens and bags, rather than plastic bottles and bags, the benefits would be astonishing.

But the repercussions of disposable cups, bottles, bags, and containers go much further than the landfills that they are poured into. The energy and money spent disposing of the plastics is an unnecessary expense.

Last year, California alone, spent $25 million dollars sending plastic bags to landfills, with an additional $8.5 million dollars to remove the trash…» Read More

Fifteen units, weekly quizzes as well as biweekly deadlines—that made up the load of work I carried just for school. Between that, a new job and helping my family, I also had to find time to squeeze in 15 hours of volunteer work for a service-learning project I dreaded.

When I was assigned my service-learning project for a psychology class, I added it to my list of things I did not look forward to doing. However, when I arrived to start in October as a first-time volunteer at Meals on Wheels’ Skyline site and found the coordinator prepping to feed 80 seniors alone, I was more than eager to step in and help.

Meals on Wheels is a nonprofit organization dedicated to delivering nutritional meals to seniors across the nation. According to the Meals on Wheels Association of America website, the service provides millions of meals to seniors experiencing hunger and challenged by limited mobility.

Today, many nonprofit organizations are overwhelmed and understaffed. According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are over 1 million nonprofit organizations in the United States. That number is drastically disproportionate to the 62,000 active volunteers who were accounted for in the 2010 census,…» Read More