Toutl924's Weblog

I am a young lady of 18 years old and i am into fashion and cosmetics and a thought came to mind, a thought about make-up and is it being abused. Cosmetics are substances used to enhance or protect the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toenail polishes, eye and facial makeup, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and gels, deodorants, baby products, bath oils, bubble baths, bath salts, butters and many other types of products. Their use is widespread, especially among women in Western countries. A subset of cosmetics is called “make-up,” which refers primarily to colored products intended to alter the user’s appearance.

During the 20th century, the popularity of cosmetics increased rapidly. Especially in the United States, cosmetics are used by girls at an increasingly young age. Many companies have catered to this expanding market by introducing more flavored lipsticks and glosses, cosmetics packaged in glittery, sparkly packaging and marketing and advertising using young models. The social consequences of younger and younger beautification has had much attention in the media over the last few years.

Criticism of cosmetics has come from a variety of sources, including feminists, animal rights activists, authors and public interest groups. There is a growing awareness and preference for cosmetics that are without any toxic ingredients, especially those derived from petroleum, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), and parabens.Numerous published reports have raised concern over the safety of a few surfactants. SLS causes a number of skin issues including dermatitis. Parabens can cause skin irritation and contact dermatitis in individuals with paraben allergies, a small percentage of the general population. Animal experiments have shown that parabens have a weak estrogenic activity, acting as xenoestrogens. Prolonged use of makeup has also been linked to thinning eyelashes. Synthetic fragrances are widely used in consumer products. Studies concluded from patch testing show synthetic fragrances are made of many ingredients which cause allergic reactions.
Now with all of that being mentioned, we still tend to abuse make up and use it as everyday wear instead of using to cover a few blemishes here and there, now do you think us women abuse make up?

My freshman year

toutl924 — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:49:36 +0000

Being that I am towards the ending of my freshman year having about 2 to 3 weeks left within the semester, i decided to recap on my freshman year experience at St.John’s University. WOW… all i can really say from the top of my head is WOW.! I had one heck of an experience, one that i will say that it isn’t one to be forgotton. I currently reside in Hollis Hall in a suite with 3 other girls. 3 other girls i could actually say we were a match made in heaven. I found it so ironic how we were placed in a room that not ever in our freshman year did ever quarral about anything,we got along so well to the point that others truely believed we knew each other for the longest of time though we just met in that room. I encountered a couple of rollercoaster rides within my year, mainly to deal with academics. Being that i am a Biology major who is as well an International student, i felt that everything was much harder on me, that i am thousands of miles away from my home country Botswana in Africa and having to deal with such a time consuming major that is my true passion. My “suties” (that’s what my sutiemates and I call each other) were there for me the whole way & i truely appreicaite that. They have been nothing but good to me and i returned the same favor. We had crazy moments from unforgettable nights to almost hving cat fights with other girls over petty things. If anything, that was one thing i could not deal with, the DRAMA when living in the residence village. I never had to deal with so much drama ever in my life and it was quite overwhleming. And the funny thing is that it was over uneccessary issues, girls would be fighting over boys, boys that didn’t even care about them or better yet boys who already had girlfriends. Nasty eyes would be thrown around just because you knew a certain someone or you hang out in a certain circle of friends. Freshman year must have been tough for anyone because alot of people turend out to be extremely fradulent to themselves and to others. Even though all of this happend, i had such an experience i believe i will forever treasure and learn from the mistakes made.

The Internet & is it really changing the youths lives?

toutl924 — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:38:08 +0000

We are now living in a generation whereby everything is now done on a computer based program. I often think to myself, is the next generation to come going to be like “I-Robot” whereby we will now have progammed machines that will be able to think, talk and act like human beings. We have crossed the point where now from when we used to do everything manually (paper work) to now being able to take College classes online. Purchasing garments online is a faster way but then credit card information as well as personal information is required and that is a way how hackers are able to steal one’s identity, leave another one in debt and misery. This just goes to show how much influence technology has in our lives. Everything now is done online to the point that people meet there future potential life long partner using the internet. Yes, things are done much faster online but they do have some cons’ towards it. Us as youth tend to get wrapped up into the latest frenzies, such as “Myspace, Facebook & AIM”. These are online programs whereby us the youth engage in everyday communication with friends nearby and far away from us and yes the whole idea is so fascinating but this is as well where we meet online predators who are out on the prowl to moleste and sexual harrass young boys & girls. I am a college student and i believe that the interent really has changd my life in the sense that if i don’t have my computer on me be it at school or home, i feel incomplete. I often feel that my day is boring or something is missing just because i didn’t go online to talk even if there is nothing to say or to check my mail and that’s how i believe it has effected my life style.
After you read this, do you believe that the internet has somewhat of an effect on your life?

Orr’s Review

toutl924 — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:19:47 +0000

Orr’s Review told parts of the movie. In the review by Scott, he only seems to explain just the general concept of the whole movie, but the essay itself doesn’t explain into somewhat good detail as of to what some of the movie scenes are. I for one don’t really like reviews because I believe that they somehow interfere with the suspense and excitement of watching the movie because I have some kind of an idea as of how it goes. I thought about what I might do for my review and I thought that I should write some specific parts about the movie. I didn’t really like Scott’s review, but Orr seemed more interesting right from the beginning. I think that one of the main things that I am going to write about in my review is how the movie ends. Because Sweeney Todd has an ending which is weird to my eyes, it is one of the most interesting but frustrating parts of the movie in my opinion. Since it is one of the movies that make you side with the bad guy, it makes the story a little more interesting. When the ending finally comes, you become upset to see all of the things that have happened to him. He has been sent away for fifteen years, his wife poisoned herself, and her daughter is in the custody of the man who destroyed his life I do not like the ending for it did not make any sense to me as of to why it had to end in that manner. It made me have a lot of thoughts and had me recapping on certain scenarios which I usually don’t like to do. Johnny Depp in this role was an excellent choice because he played it well. What I found extremely fascinating was the whole setting of the film from the entire line of clothes, food and the entire town, it was constructed just for the movie and it gave it a visual to the viewers as of to how those times where before some of us were born.

Competition, is it healthy for us?

toutl924 — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:33:10 +0000

Competition is basically the rivalry of two parties or more over something but the main question is, is it healthy for us especially teenagers? I mean, I understand that competition gives incentives for self improvement but at times us humans take it to a further extent. I say this in the sense that some of us take it too seriously and over react and do things way out of our bounds just to prove a point or to be better than another. At the end of it all, does it really benefit us to be so strongly passionate about competition?

Human competition can be expensive, as is the case with political elections, international sports competitions, and advertising wars. It can lead to the compromising of ethical standards in order to gain an advantage; for example, several athletes have been caught using banned steroids in professional sports in order to boost their own chances of success or victory. And it can be harmful for the participants, such as athletes who injure themselves exceeding the physical tolerances of their bodies, or companies which pursue unprofitable paths while engaging in competitive rivalries. Think about it this way, when we are young children running a race, and a kid happens to be in the lead, one kid may rush up to trip the kid so that he/she could fall and they would now be in the lead. Yes it is a competition but an unfair method was used in the competition for the others success. Competition in business as “the effort of two or more parties acting independently to secure the business of a third party by offering the most favorable terms. Seen as the pillar of capitalism in that it may stimulate innovation, encourage efficiency, or drive down prices, competition is touted as the foundation upon which capitalism is justified. According to microeconomic theory, no system of resource allocation is more efficient than pure competition. Competition, according to the theory, causes commercial firms to develop new products, services, and technologies. This gives consumers greater selection and better products. The greater selection typically causes lower prices for the products compared to what the price would be if there was no competition (monopoly) or little competition (oligopoly).However, competition may also lead to wasted (duplicated) effort and to increased costs (and prices) in some circumstances. For example, the intense competition for the small number of top jobs in music and movie acting leads many aspiring musicians and actors to make substantial investments in training which are not recouped, because only a fraction become successful.

The tendency toward extreme, unhealthy competition has been termed hypercompetitive. This concept originated in Karen Horney’s theories on neurosis, specifically the highly aggressive personality type which is characterized as “moving against people.” In her view, some people have a need to compete and win at any cost as a means of maintaining their self-worth. These individuals are likely to turn any activity into a competition, and they will feel threatened if they find themselves losing.
When it comes down to it all my question still remains, is competition healthy for us?