The Living Letter

 For my last blog, I wanted to talk about how thankful I am since Thanksgiving just passed. Thankfulness is a gift that keeps on giving. Although there isn't enough time to count all of my blessings here, here are some things I am thankful for this holiday season.  For one thing, I am thankful for Christmas coming up, my family and I are doing a secret santa this year and I got my older brother Devon. We don't get to see each other as often as I would like us too. He works two jobs and provides for his beautiful family. So I feel so grateful that I drew him, because I can connect with my older brother this way and show him extra special love through the secret santa. The problem is keeping it a secret. With the way my family is about secrets it can be hard. But I am excited for Christmas, it is the most wonderful time of the year! I am thankful for Christmas time, the festivities, the hot cocoa and Christmas movies, everything about Christmas is my favorite. Especially the rea...

 Slanted Reporting has become very common in today's technological world. Especially with the help of AI-generated stories and videos, the reports of unofficial and official sources have become disoriented. The only way to distinguish between a lie and the truth is pure discernment. Viewing the world always wanting to get facts and that back up the truth. When it comes to slanted reporting, it's essential to identify the clear differences between the opposing sides. Then the research done on the part of the audience is essential and will help build enough information to trust the source. The key is not to lean when you begin to feel the slanting of the report, but stand firm on truth and knowledge. Take this video, for instance.  Jordan Peterson vs. Cathy Newman - YouTube .  The interviewer is obviously slanted in her reports to try to pull a "gotcha" moment on Dr. Peterson. She continues to bring up snippets of comments Peterson made to stir up the emotions of not on...

 I have begun to notice different changes in the media over time. The differences in the way it's used, and the ways it's not used. Social media has become a place of much influence and power in our world today. Social media has become the number one place for networking in our society, reaching past just our community, but all over the world. When I was first introduced to social media, it was a way to interact with friends at school and get new ideas from others, at least in the country. Now that's all changed. That's why my essay delves into the benefits of Pinterest, because it takes me back to that place when social media wasn't such a tremendous part of my life. Media acted more as a useful resource then, than it does now. Social media has spread to so many in our world today. According to DataReportal, a social media statistics website, "over 5.5 billion people in our world today use social media."( DataReportal ) I have analyzed that this rate of u...

 I enjoyed this article by ProQuest Rummel because it brings the data and facts about the lack of college-educated Arizonans and can pose a real problem to our society. I could relate to this article on a personal level because I, too, had the same mindset of just working after high school and not needing higher education. Even though I was in honors and AP courses my whole life, the lack of encouragement from the culture was a constant struggle for me. It is interesting that not only do college-educated people create more wealth, but they also contribute to the overall economy. Becoming college-educated should be a priority for students after high school for the better of our culture and future generations.    This is more data on the decline of high school graduates furthering their education. College offers ways to gain maturity and further growth that I couldn't find anywhere else. The fact that the rate of not going into debt to get an associate's degree is 93% rathe...

 Hashtags have evolved over time. When I discovered the hashtag, it was used as a way to say a particular word or phrase in a hashtag format that somehow attracted others to the phrase or highlighted what you were saying. For example, when I was younger, there was #Mcm, which was a highlighted code abbreviation for Man crush Monday, then you would go on social media and put a photo of your celebrity crush with the hashtag. Other than the abbreviation, one would add a hashtag of a clever saying or something cheeky that they could hashtag. Someone could possibly write another hashtag like, "#hot" or "#I'msoinlove." Now hashtags are still used underneath posts on social media, but they are more of a way to manipulate the "algorithm" of social media. Hashtags are also a way to have multiple people using the same hashtag attract those with similar posts and interests. Another example would be if I hashtag "#Pumpkinspice," one could quickly access ...

Recently, I have been researching more and more about this deadly poison we hear so much about in the news. Fentanyl. I am around many who claim the hospitals' fault for releasing and using such a drug, as well as what the media says about fentanyl, which is mostly its horrific effects of abuse. So, I'm going to make this my personal log of what I have learned about this controversial drug.  First, what is fentanyl? Fentanyl is a man-made opioid drug. It is 100 times stronger than morphine and is one of the most highly addictive drugs ever. Fentanyl is a chemically made synthetic drug of opioid. It is 50 times more potent than heroin. The increase in fentanyl abuse began in 2005 and has multiplied significantly over the years. The Consumer Shield states, " In 2005, opioid-involved deaths—including fentanyl—accounted for just  5.8%  of all drug overdose fatalities. By 2023, that share had soared to over  69% ." Fentanyl slows breathing and doesn't allow oxygen to g...

 I love food so much, so of course I had to blog about my favorite foods. When I was younger, my brothers and I watched a lot of YouTube videos, possibly too many. We used to watch those videos about criminals on death row and what their last meal would be. As if this gave us any insight into such a mind, or what we could've possibly had in common with one of these people. I don't know what the intrigue would be. Once again, probably too much YouTube. I got to thinking about this question, and here I will jot down not only my favorite foods of all time, but what my answer would be to this strange but interesting question.  So, for an appetizer, I am definitely going with my favorite spinach artichoke dip. It's my go-to appetizer, and I could honestly eat it any day of the week. I would start out a meal like this with some of my favorite salads and soup appetizers, but definitely chips and my favorite dip, spinach artichoke, can't go wrong at all. Just to name a few othe...