To Weed or not to Weed...

By Cameron Ross

The great national debate whether Marijuana should be legal or not hasn’t escalated recently even with the evolution of society. Medicinal purposes seem to merit the rights from the government to cultivate Marijuana but this is only a conditional legality.
Anytime this topic becomes part of a major debate controversy erupts because animosity surrounds the idea of legalizing a currently illegal drug. Some claim is would be a very lucrative crop.
If the government legalized Marijuana and taxed it on sales and allowed it to be internationally exchanged they could make the country a lot of money. New laws would obviously have to be implemented such as a smoking age and regulations on what type of behavior is allowed while under the influence of Marijuana.
Keeping Marijuana illegal is keeping the crime rate high because many crimes involve this drug as it is very common to society in brutal honesty.
Experiments on how Marijuana affects health range from both ends of the spectrum. It is used by people with health problems for relief and this is can lead to mind stimulation and an overall better feeling physically. Other people use it for recreation and it apparently kills brain cells and burns the lungs.
One reading up on Marijuana will ask himself or herself whether Marijuana has more health benefits or drawbacks because both ideas are advertised.
The plant may have magnificent medical potential if it were experimented with more openly. It can also be smoked by way of an orb, which basically results in the inhaling of the evaporating THC from the Marijuana but no burning of the lungs.
Reading an issue of High Times will teach you a great deal about Marijuana in the senses of both recreation and health. Anyone who watches television or has seen movies probably knows Marijuana can be baked into food by way of butter.
In reality it appears that Marijuana has more health drawbacks than health benefits but that is looking at it through a governmental lens. That is the same government who keeps Marijuana illegal and educates children from a very young age that it is forbidden and dangerous.
Responsibility plays a huge part in the use of Marijuana according to countless studies and common sense. Marijuana is definitely the most common illegal drug and can be found practically anywhere.
Anyone with culturally diverse acquaintances knows where they can locate Marijuana. Some health conscious people who swear off drugs think Marijuana will slow their lifestyle down and make them feel overly relaxed and tranquil.
To counter that fact there are professional athletes constantly accused of using Marijuana when they fail mandatory drug tests. Professional athletes are obviously health and the ones who use Marijuana prove that it is possible to stay healthy while using the drug.
This debate may never end and it is possible that in the future Marijuana will be legalized and then illegalized again. It is a popular drug that is illegal and highly sought after.
Society will adjust one way or another to whatever the government decides to do but we don’t truly know al the benefits and drawbacks of Marijuana because it is not available to experiment with enough. Scientists working for the government who experiment with Marijuana may find many good traits about the drug but since it is illegal they only negatively promote the drug to keep people from engaging in illegal drug activity.

Eat Like a Pirate

One dietary debate is whether meat is vital to maintain decent health. Vegetarians and Vegans may not think so but when looking at the science behind the argument things clarify. Meat is another conditional component of the diet that relies on proper amounts and types in order to be adequate.

Dietitians state that white meats are healthier than red meats. This is generally true, however, it is becoming more commonly known that red meat contains a certain amino acid that cannot be obtained through any other food. When looking at the big picture it appears fish is the healthiest meat.

Certain countries or cultures have specific diets based on what their environment offers. Countries that eat lost of seafood such as Japan and the Scandinavian region boast the best health. Fish, which smells awful, is high in protein and low in fat. Fish oil is available in the form of supplemental pills and contains fats with Omega 3, which studies show contribute significantly to fat loss. The fat loss was most obvious in the abdominal region based on studies done by Australian Pharmaceutical Companies. Australia is another country with a generalized diet based on fish as a source of protein.

In order for fish oil to take maximum effect it should be taken 3 times daily, as directed on the bottles. Diet Meals Recipes, an online magazine, published an article on the healthiest countries in September this year and Portugal rated as the healthiest country. They eat one serving of fish per day because it is a convenient source of food since Portugal is a coastal country. The least healthy country in terms of nutrition is Ukraine where fish is not as commonly eaten as other meats such as poultry and beef.

The Department of Health promotes incorporating fish into the diet but warns against careless fish selection. Mercury is especially dangerous to pregnant women and children. Traces of mercury are in all fish but certain types that contain abnormally high levels are Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel and Tilefish. These fish are okay to eat for a full grown healthy person that is not pregnant but only when eaten on occasion. Shrimp, Tuna, Salmon, Pollock and Catfish are low in mercury levels and can be the protein base of a diet.

It figures that the healthiest meat tastes the worst, like salty ocean water. It would be smart to make fish a part of your diet and find a method to prepare it or cook it that makes it appetizing. Certain natural ways to make fish taste less fishy are cooking it with citrus juice and using crushed nuts as a crusty coating.

There are even different levels of nutritious rich fish. Salmon is more of a fatty fish while Sole and Tilapia are leaner fish that are very light in calories compared to others.

In order to be eaten safely fish must be stored and or prepared correctly to avoid sickness. The challenge of eating healthy is enjoying it so learning to cook creatively is a must. Don't be scared to eat anything from the sea because it smells bad just do some basic research and earn how to eat healthy while enjoying yourself. Anything can be made to taste good.

300

Physique is something that concerns anyone who is health conscious. Many people would love to be built like ancient statues of Gods and Goddesses and for most it is possible to achieve. Unfortunately not everyone can be built statuesque.

Bone structure and musce fibers play a part in how much potential musce growth a person can have and they are virtually unchangeable. Breaking musce fibers down so they can repair is how they swell and eventually grow, with the right diet and rest of course. Naturally there are two kinds of muscle fibers, long and short.

A bicyclist like Lance Armstrong has long muscle fibers while a bodybuilder like Arnold Schwarzenegger has short muscle fibers. According to health expert and author of The Book of Muscle, Ian King, muscle fibers can practically be altered from long to short with a few weeks of intense lifting in short ranges of motion with heavy weight.

Genetics decide what kind of potential the body has and while some can drasticaly develop their bodies others can only moderately do so without growth hormones. Working out too vigorously can damage the heart and kidneys because of extenuous tissue breakdown. An abundance of lactic acid (acid produced from exercise) can cause your blood pH to be off balance and will hurt your cells.

Magazines and movies display Adonis-like figures on models and actors. Not everyone can have abs like Brad Pitt in Fight Club or arms like the Spartans in the movie 300. Even the people built like superheroes have to work hard and often to develop their bodies.

Small or thin bones do not permit extreme musce growth naturally because the muscle will be misproportional and in some rare cases muscles to large for bones have broken them. Spinal conditions like a narrow spinal cana make it hard for a person to develop their upper body because it causes pain when the back supports too much weight, even if it is musce not fat.

A wide pelvis and a small rib cage may frustrate someone with a pear shaped body and while they can change it to a point that is exceptional they will probably never have a V-shaped torsto and hips. A long neck makes it difficult to deveop thick and masculine shoulders while a short neck has the opposite affect.

There a variety of supplements and steroids available to enhance the body but most of them are dangerous to your health. Some women want to enlarge their breasts and some men want to enlarge their genitalia but they can only do so much to change these things. The gorgeous T'n'A requires certain DNA and not everyone is so lucky.

People need to accept the boundaries of their body in order to achieve their maximum health and learn that their physiques will develop in a way that is most convenient for their body. Changing the appearance of the body can happen and even extreme results are possible but there are limits for most.

Health does not show entirely in one's physical appearance and though this will never be realized by everyone it is being discovered more frequently.

A New Show with Pompous Appeal

By Cameron Ross

The first episode of Pushing Daisies captures attention with the death of a precious dog seconds after running in a field with a boy, Ned. Luckily for us animal lovers, the dog is brought back to life by Ned’s touch.
Certain aspects of the show are bizarre and hold no real significance, which causes the viewer to think. Where are there rolling hills of yellow daisies along the side of a highway? The serene setting resembles that of a Tim Burton movie and the music seems to mesh well with the unusual storyline. It sounds like curiosity if the feeling had a sound, almost zany.
Charlotte Charles, Chuck, is the love of Ned’s life since he first kissed her during their parents’ funerals on the same day. For some reason Ned did not cry when his mother died. Assumedly, this is meant to convey the bizarre situation by adding to strange behavior from the characters.
Narration switches back and forth with Ned and the Pie Maker as the main character’s name and calls the woman who he loves Chuck. The main characters all have quirky personalities that make them likeable. Skepticism surrounds every person in the show because while you become familiar with them you overlook the fact that they are bringing dead people back to life for a minute so that they can extract enough information to solve the mysteries of their deaths and kill them again before someone else in the proximity dies.
Emerson Cod is the owner of The Pie Hole where Ned works and is also his business partner. Only Cod and Chuck know Ned’s secret. Cod’s “unibrow” is occasionally distracting as he follows Ned around like a publicist advising him what actions to take.
This show seems to follow the trends of other popular television series but constantly leaving the story on the edge of a revelation. Just like Lost and Prison Break, Pushing Daisies ends each scene with the beginning of a new one even more intriguing.
There is some comic relief in the show consisting of the munchkin neighbor who likes Ned and also works at The Pie Hole with him. The formulaic babbling of Ned also is entertaining, much in the way that the character Tony Shalhoub plays on Monk. He is scared of touching for more obvious reasons but acts very proper and almost feminine.
Ned is likeable because of the way he means well like when he sets a truck on fire to distract the gravediggers from burying the now undead Chuck. The writing for the show is clever as is the filming. The camera angles and drifting of view move with the pace of the music and keep a constant draw on the screen.
What is frustrating about the show is the chemistry between the main characters and how they cannot physically act on any urges. It is highly unlikely that in the impossible situation where things would happen like in the show that the people involved would be able to adapt so quickly.
Chuck is really cool with the way she instantaneously bonds with Ned and his lifestyle. It is smart to make a living by profiting from Ned’s gift and unfortunate that his revival of a dead person results in the death of a living person.
Lee Pace, who plays Ned, deserves praise for his acting because his character is the foundation of the show and he really created a unique personality and is consistent in his acting. The rest of the acting is adequate, although if Anna Friel weren’t so cute and innocent then Chuck would be a typical bimbo character simply on the show the purpose of eye candy and sex appeal. Overall the show seems uniquely interesting but require a specific type of interest in order to be appealing to viewers.

Double, Triple, Quadruple...Exponential Vision

By Cameron Ross

Finding the audacity to criticize a modern day student is requires severe naiveté and pompous malice. The college experience is an epic complex of tasks and responsibilities unsurpassed by any previous generation of students.

In order to afford school supplies students must work unless they are fortunate to come from a family with adequate income. Even middle class families don’t usually make enough money to pay for college without taking out loans with morbid interest rates. It can take decades to finish paying a loan and if the student is the person paying once they’ve began a career they usually devote a good portion of their salary toward the debt.

Most schools have large class sizes and don’t benefit students because of the lack of attention from the instructors who know few of the students’ names. Classrooms consist of obsolete chalkboards and whiteboards along with defunct projectors that deans don’t bother to maintain.

The issue of textbook prices gives students malaise equivalent to mourning. The board members are practically persecuting the students, charging them such outstanding amounts for books so the school bookstore can profit over 20 per cent. When the students sell books back they get a fraction of the price they paid and if they are lucky they will have actually used the books instead of letting them sit in the trunks of their humble cars.

In the video A Vision of Students Today one student holds a sign that says he works 2 hours a day. There are tons of jobs for students but which one requires only 2 hours a day? Realistically a student works closer to 6 hours a day, quite possibly 8 like a fulltime job.

There is also a mention of facebook in the video but not myspace. Both are popular sites and waste hours upon hours of students’ time while they sit in desks made of metal and wood. Uncomfortable and confined is no way to sit for hours while listening to a lecture. Young adults near the peak of their youth spend most of their time in a classroom or serving the public at a job where they are treated horribly by people of older generations who do not understand the cultural change in students’ lifestyles.

Work, school and studying add up to several hours. Students also must eat and travel, which leads very little time for sleep. I was appalled to see a sign reading “I sleep 7 hours a night” because that would be delightful compared to the 5 or 6 hours I normally sleep.

The video touches on lots of significant issues facing those of us trying to get an education and most of the examples are very accurate. The music in the video and rapid shifts of zoom-in shots carries the mood of skepticism throughout the film. The quotes and graffiti are vintage philosophy of a young growing mind.

College is not a 4-year cakewalk with an immediate career like in fee good stories or the past. Finishing in 4 years is very commendable because it is difficult to get all the cases you want in an order that allows one to finish prerequisites in succinct fashion.

The most critical issue is finding a job after college because most people work jobs that do not pertain to the degree they earn. Earning a degree in a specific art is losing the classical ecstasy of working in the field you studied because like the video mentioned, your job likely doesn’t exist yet.

We, the students, did not create these problems but we suffer from them. They call us Generation Y because we haven’t founded our identity yet (Generation-Why?). If we had a road to the American Dream like previous generations we would have a chiseled image. Instead we have a rhetorical one that changes constantly and watching us is the same as staring into a kaleidoscope.

A Taste of Hungary

By Cameron Ross

Café Marika is located on J Street and offers a taste of Hungarian cuisine in a sublime setting. The midtown parking was decent as we found a space that was right near the entrance. The blue awning is nothing special and the old glass windows with curtains across the bottom half speak vintage diner.

As we walked in, we approached the stools at the bar and a man behind the counter said: “Why don’t you take a table.” His words were rude and stern but we sat at a cramped table in the corner. There were three chairs at each table but only two dining settings, which gave the impression that they weren’t very concerned about specific details of appearance.

The restaurant is clean and has a creative interior. Blue carpets contrast well with the white and cream colored striped wallpaper. Pictures of random Hungarian culture are scattered on the walls. On a shelf above the bar sits a few six-pack bottles of what is assumedly Hungarian beer. The lighting is dim in the afternoon because they only use faint bulbs in their chandeliers and the window only gives enough natural light in the morning when the sun is low.

The entrance from the bar to the kitchen has a miniature roof overhanging the edge of the room with an ornate shingle roof. After sitting for about five minutes the server brought us a menu for the third member in our party and took our drink order. The water and iced tea taste crisp and fresh. The cups are unique, decorated with colorful designs.

Classical symphony music plays at a subtle level so conversation is easy but the tables are so close together you can hear other conversations. The server has ample knowledge of the small menu and can answer any question. The food is prepared in about ten minutes and before it is delivered you are served bread and butter.

My entrée consisted of turkey with mushrooms and spetzels (small dumpling-like pasta), covered in paprika sauce. They served a side of purple cabbage with each dish, which is sweet and crunchy. The food was hearty and flavorful but very heavy. They do not serve food hot enough, which appears to be a result of the server and cook not communicating. The staff only consists of two workers; of course our time there was from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., 3 p.m. being closing time.

You can count on adequate sized portions of food at Café Marika. The server will not offer to refill your drinks and does not seem to show any urgency in making your time there enjoyable. Overall, the service is not friendly and the older customers are treated with a smile while the younger customers are practically discriminated against.

Temperature is a problem and it is not encouraging when an air conditioner is in plain sight behind the bar. The air conditioner is clean and looks brand new. For a restaurant to be uncomfortably warm in late October, someone has to be neglecting duties. It really seemed that the restaurant provides barely what is necessary to make the experience satisfactory.

When you are finished you must take your tab and cash, which is the only form of payment accepted, to the bar counter and wait for a server to take your money. Even if you tip 20 per cent or more, like I did, they will still give you a nonchalant parting response.

Once you leave the restaurant you will feel full and nourished, perhaps like you have over eaten. The food sits heavy in your stomach because of all the heavy and thick ingredients. Overall, the experience is moderately satisfactory because of the decent flavor of the food and large portions. The service and environment are not very enjoyable because even though the cultural decorations are intriguing it is hot and somewhat dim.

Ding Ding

By Cameron Ross

The glare of you opponent’s glove shimmers under the spotlights as it comes toward you like a leather torpedo. As it connects with your face your skull is pushed against your brain and the impact reverberates through your head and you feel the waves exit your ears.

Visions like this occur thousands of time over the course of a single boxing match. Professionals do not wear protective headgear, which makes the punches more intense than amateurs who practice in gyms. Barley 100 years ago boxing was done with bare knuckles.

In December of 2006 there were officially 1,344 deaths recorded that came as results of organized boxing. Many of the deaths were from sanctioned fights in the U.S. and occurred in a professional setting where medical attention was available.

While some professional sports exhibit extreme health risks, none result in more critical injuries than boxing. The contests are competitive battles between two warriors using the most primitive combat techniques. Gloves are worn are to take power off punches and prevent extensive damage to the boxers’ hands.

Boxers are among the most well conditioned athletes in the world, boasting immense cardiovascular endurance as well as uncanny physical strength. While there is no standard for measuring the power of a punch, many boxers will say a punch from a fellow trained boxer is similar to running face first into a telephone pole.

Doctors in Great Britain have been lobbying to ban boxing for decades. American doctors are the main opposition against their arguments. Professionally sanctioned bouts (fights) involve medical tests before each and every fight and require that a doctor is present ringside, checking fighters between rounds.

Boxing deaths occur from severe trauma to the head nearly all the time. Most cases involve a SDH (subdural hematoma), which is where space builds up between the dura and the arachnoid. Separation of these two layers can cause ICP (intracranial pressure), therefore compressing and damaging delicate brain tissue.

Separating the brain from tissue inside the skull can cause almost immediate death in many instances. In other cases, boxers have had their brains knocked loose from their spinal cord.

No matter how one looks at it, a boxer’s fitness level, no matter how supreme, can not save them from the most feared danger of the sport, death. It is not cardiovascular strength or lack of endurance that kills these warriors, but rather surreal displays of strength used in the spirit of competition.

Aerobic styles of boxing have become popular methods of fitness but when the sport is taken to the elite level, it becomes deadly. Punching a bag or thick pad held by a friend will help a person gain strength and help them be more adept to self-defense. Exchanging punches in a ring trying to subdue one another seems unnecessary but some people just love the sport of boxing and it is their right to compete at any level they want.

Boxers are athletes and they bask in their glory when they defeat an opponent but after enough fights, when they are no longer in the ring, they frequently suffer. A shaking hand from nerve damage makes it difficult to write. Damaged canals make it difficult to hear. Constant chronic headaches make concentrating difficult. Damaged and misshapen eyes result in double vision. For some people these lifelong symptoms and side effects are worth the time in the spotlight.

While a former boxer watches television to help himself space out after taking his Vicodin he better absorb the gory reflecting off his platinum title belts hanging on the wall.

What matters in the end is health, and many boxers have their health destroyed at the cost of pushing it to the limits. Stepping into a ring with steel in your spine and adrenaline pumping to your heart is an indescribable feeling, like going to war. The difference is that boxers want to be in the ring, whether they know it is healthy or not.