"Would You Pay???"

Entertainment is a prominent and successful business. Today, access to entertainment comes easy and free — mostly. The immensely large audience that have access to any form of entertainment are targeted by companies. These companies pay the providers, and the providers provide the viewer with whatever is attempting to be sold.

These advertisements have gained a sort of notoriety. No matter how brief, audience would much rather skip through the entire commercial in order to view what they wish. Audiences would much rather not have an advertisement at all. Although these pledges were fortunately heard, providers have come to the inclusion of indeed ridding the ads, but for a certain cost.

Paying for ad-free entertainment has sparked some dispute over different audiences. Those who have the money and are willing to pay have come to terms with the agreement. Those who disagree with it, well, disagree to it. Though there is no right or wrong in this particular case, it is always okay to have an opinion.

So is ad-free entertainment worth a price of any sort? No. Definitely not. It does not cost you anything to view something with at most a duration of 30 seconds before viewing something you also more than likely have gotten for free. A subscription of, say, $9.99 per month in a year. 12 months by $10 is $120. By the end of the year, $120 of what you have earned is gone.

Then again, it is all just a matter of perspective.

"Safe Schools?"

When you think of school, “safe” probably isn’t the first word that comes to mind. While schools commonly practice preparatory drills for any sort of danger (fire, lockdown, etcetera), this does not necessarily guarantee the safety of students and staff alike.

Notable examples of dangerous attacks in a school include:

●      On April 20th, 1999, Columbine High School senior students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold planned a highly planned and complex attack that involved shootings, a fire bomb diversion, and 99 explosive devices placed throughout the school. The attack resulted in 13 casualties (12 students and one teacher) and a total of 24 injuries.

●      The Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting was called the deadliest mass shooting at grade school or high school. On December 14th, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and six adult staff members before taking his own life in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

●      In February of this year, a 14-year-old female student of Dunbarton High School injured six students as well as three staff members wielding two knives. The student was faced with 17 charges: one count of assault, two counts of assault with a weapon, six counts of assault causing bodily harm, seven counts of assault with a weapon and one count of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

These unfortunate incidences (as well as many, many others) have impacted communities in ways that affect every parent’s, every student’s, and every teacher’s own concern for safety. Although not every reason behind these attacks are the same, it is important to note the plausible causes as well as improve security protocols in any way possible.

Celebrities Behaving Badly

Notable icons in today’s day and age are usually famous for their presented talent, a loud voice about world problems, or even just plain controversy. These icons, however, never stray far from the behaviour that the average, everyday person would make. This obviously includes behaviour that is distinctly and incredibly intolerable.

Rather notoriously, American actress Lindsay Lohan has had numerous encounters with legal troubles. In 2007, she was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). She was given three years probation that was eventually extended two years later. Similarly, Canadian singer Justin Bieber, was arrested on suspicion of DUI in 2014. Additionally, Bieber has been accused of reckless driving in his neighbourhood, vandalism, and is known to treat his fans horribly.

Other celebrities known to have given fans horrible treatment include Dark Knight actor Christian Bale, singer Ariana Grande, NBA “legend” Michael Jordan, and rapper Kanye West. The reasons behind awful treatment from famous celebrities toward people who admire, respect, and idolize them is not quite deciphered, although the position of power can very much influence one’s mindset.

Still, whatever act of indecency is never generally accepted, and especially by people who are keenly apparent in the public eye. Fame is a pleasure, but it comes with the price of exploitation. It exploits whatever wrongdoing a person in that level in society has committed. With millions of eyes on you (and some looking up to you), it is probably best and preferable to maintain an image where you are not perceived as bratty, rude, and/or troublesome.

"TV is DYING ... or is it?"

Television has become a very successful form of home entertainment since after the Second World War. But in light of the recent years’ internet popularity, worry for TV distribution and broadcasting alike has grown significantly.


Firstly, the accessibility of television controls has definitely gotten exceptionally larger since the late 1940s. In fact, I can recall throwing a tantrum if I missed an episode of Max & Ruby thirteen years ago. However, cable providers have introduced the ability to record any program you might have missed. They have also introduced rewinding, fast-forwarding, pauses, playing… Well, you get my point.


Despite all these incredible additions to televisions, the internet has graced the world with entertainment-viewing sources such as YouTube and Netflix. These applications are much less limited than televisions are known to be. You can view almost anything at your own accord. In recent years, more households have opted out of cable providers’ deals and have resorted to purchasing better internet plans to allow streaming.


No matter how big the shift has been, television distributors have assuredly not accepted their not-so imminent fate. Today, what is known as “smart television” has introduced a combination between traditional TV and streaming media sources such as YouTube and Netflix. It remains the most dominant television form of the current decade.


Now, here is a question: if you compared your television usage from thirteen years ago to your television usage now, how great
would the difference be? I know my own is definitely vastly different.

"Get Off Your Phone!!"

Today’s technology has advanced to the point of broad accessibility whether it be in a classroom, workplace, or at home. However, this does not go without saying the definite cons to having a cell phone or any other device when in certain situations.


Educationally, teachers recognize that cellphones and other devices are good for in-class presentations, research purposes, communication between students and/or fellow teachers, and documentation. Despite these pros listed, it is very easy for students to get sidetracked in the midst of their work. With devices’ inclusion of social media, games, and entertainment applications, students are just a couple swipes/clicks away from being distracted.



Work environments have similar matters. Certain jobs often require internet access, where it is also easy for employees to stray from their responsibilities. In both cases (educational environments and workplaces), possible distraction from students and employees do not go unnoticed. School boards and companies sometimes restrict access to social media sites and entertainment applications ultimately steering student/employee focus back to where it needs to be.


At home, however, is a different story. While educational research, communication, and/or entertainment can still come to play, users can easily become attached to the point of sleep deprivation and lack of social interaction. In fact, according to a poll taken last year by the National Sleep Foundation, adolescents have been getting “less sleep than ever” in the past 10 years due to the increase of technologic devices.


Social interaction, although a big positive factor in these technologic devices, can also be a big negative factor for people. Social interaction has drifted so far from what it had been 20 years ago, where it was more common to communicate with others in person. Nowadays, people are given the ability to mask their real-life persona with a feigned online one.


These flaws come with the thought that these devices are going to keep evolving with the same advantages and disadvantages. Are cellphones and other devices a good aspect in our everyday lives? Definitely. Do these devices come with huge disadvantages? Of course.