Local Online Shopping - Yay or Nay?

By: Adele Coimbra & Briana Gonsalves

Research shows that online shopping has its advantages and disadvantages.

While some say it is good to shop online for local stores (Wal-Mart, Advanced Auto Parts, etc.), we however, disagree. Online shopping demolishes a social life, decrease in exercise, makes financial safety problems. There are some advantages to online shopping like there not being any crowded stores, handicapped people can have less of a hard time shopping and lifting heavy bags of purchased items, and it may be easier for people to find a job opportunity because the businesses will be looking for people to make those deliveries for other online-shoppers, and you can apply for the job right there on the store's website. However, able-bodied people should try to get out of the house.

People say it saves gas money to not drive to a store and get things delivered, but stores like the cosmetics retailer, Sephora, charges a $15 delivery fee. Also, when you go into a store, you do not have to give all your contact information, or have to read paragraphs like "Terms and Conditions" giving you permission to shop like you do on online stores. If you purchase things online, you are less aware if the product you are buying is exactly what you are looking for. You may think a color foundation from a cosmetics store is your shade, but when you get it delivered, you realize it is not even close to your skin color, therefore making you shop all over again for the right shade and hoping it is accurate.

Also, there is more of a risk online shopping then shopping out at a store, because you give more of your personal information out on a website when you are shopping then when you are out shopping. In conclusion, we think people should make time to get out of the house, get some fresh air and exercise, see friends at stores and be safer shopping in local stores instead of ordering things online.

Public Schools Pilfering Parents’ Pennies

"Knock, knock."

" Who's there?"

"Your public school. We're taking your money. "

Is That Price too High or too Low?

By Courtney Brown and Anthony Marshall

 

Did you know that most entrepreneurs' first attempt at starting a business fails? Some reasons for this are that entrepreneurs sometimes neglect to consider every aspect of business; and in turn price products or services too high or too low. If this happens and the prices are too low for the expenses of the business such as the cost of employees, insurances, licenses, and price to produce product or service, etc. then a new business can quickly crumble. On the other hand, if the prices are too high for a respected product or service and customers can find the same services cheaper or for a relative price range, this could avert customers away from a new business; especially because customers may question the new company's reliability. There are things a business owner should factor in when establishing prices. Some of these include good customer service, licenses, taxes, workman's compensation, expenses, and both the economic and financial positions of not only the business but also of potential customers.

 

To view some different entrepreneurs that at first failed but then found success click [Here]

New Age of Learning - Kara & Cora

A New Age of Learning

We read an article on Kahn Academy. This article was mainly about how some kids learn faster than others and how they have different ways of learning. Also, teachers have a routine that some kids can’t keep up with. This kind of routine creates gaps in their learning.

One day, a man named Salman Kahn had cousins visiting. He noticed that his 12 year old cousin was very smart but heard she wasn’t a very good test taker. She had dropped down to the class of kids who learned slower just because of her test scores. Kahn knew that she didn’t belong in that class. He then realized that he would help her achieve to be where she should.

Kahn created YouTube videos of math to help his cousin. Soon enough, everyone was looking at these videos. Teachers were using these videos in their daily routine in the classrooms. Kahn was shocked and he kept creating more videos to help people fill their education gaps and help people who could move on to bigger problems. He has more than 2,200 and he’s making more daily.

Novato Nonsense

I recently read in the wall street journal that Novato high school in California is trying to prevent ice cream trucks on school grounds. Because at lunch time and during breaks student leave to go outside to the tucks rather than the cafeteria. The Principal and advisors don't approve of the trucks because they say "These trucks are contradicting everything we are trying to teach the kids" about nutrition, says the Principal. But students like the trucks because it's a quicker way to get lunch, since the cafeteria is packed. A student at the school states that Teenagers know that the cafeteria food is better for them, but that does not mean they want to eat it. The food trucks' bounty is not really the most healthy choice, but it tastes better," said Trent Eisenberg, 15, a sophomore.
The school had recently taken out all the junk food and replaced it with healthy choices that the kids don't like. So in a way the school kind of pushed the students away to find some other place to get their sugary fix. About 1,000 residents have signed a letter circulated by parent-teacher associations asking Novato City Council members to "create an ordinance to prevent access of mobile food-vendor trucks within 1,500 feet" of all district schools. San Francisco already has a similar ordinance. As 15-year-old Nathan Estrada says, such an ordinance won't do much as he and other students "will just walk over there." Well at least the kids would be getting some exercise. Information from here.

A Time For T.V. Targeting

Earlier today, me and my friend Bre came across this pretty interesting article on how advertisement companies are starting to target viewers. You can find the article here.

Basically, companies like Microsoft and Rentrak are taking data from set-top boxes on T.V.s, and using it to help advertisers buy ads and target the T.V.s that are best suited for the ads.

At first, we were pretty skeptical about this. People knowing what you’re watching? It sounds as if they are looking in through your windows with little notebooks writing down every little thing you do. Then, we read further into the article, where it said “…Seth Haberman, says his company doesn’t know the names or personally identifying information about the people sitting in front of a given set-top box.”

For those of you still not sure what this means, these companies are only really paying attention to what is being watched and where it is coming from.

Also, this isn’t really anything new. Companies like Comcast and DirecTV have been trying to target ads for years, though, it’s been more successful with internet advertising companies.

Knowing this, we’re pretty fine with this.

Companies Help Out Schools

by: Andrew Pimentel and Taylor Guillemette

Recently we read an article about a lot of companies helping out schools with their funding. We think this is a great way for outside businesses to help get more supplies for schools. Exxon Mobil launched $163 million in funding commitments. It will help train the math and science teachers; also it will give more high school students a chance to enroll in college level courses.

We think more and more students will be able to have the chance to enroll in these courses for a lesser cost. Dyson, the vacuum company, is actually going to make 20 clubs in middle schools in Chicago for after schools engineering programs. All these companies will make a major impact in all these schools that are being provided with the funding. For more information click here

War Against Potatoes? By: Tony and Trevor

U.S Department of Agriculture thinks that schools should eliminate potato and potato products from school breakfast and cut down at lunch time. Their main goal is to get schools to eat healthier. They are facing opposition from "the potato industry, school cafeteria directors, and legislators from potato-growing regions". Schools tried to switch to sweet potatoes but the students didn't really enjoy them too much and they cost more than regular potatoes. In our opinion it's the schools job to provide food but it's the student's decision to eat the unhealthy potato based foods. We don't think they should cut down their food because it's the student's responsibility and decision to eat the food. We say let the french fries be served!

Grand Slam Tsunami

 

    Did you know how popular the sport of baseball is in the Japanese culture? Did you know that they also received a deadly tsunami last year? Well we recently read a story about a popular high school team in Japan that was hit very hard by the tragic event. The town was that of Rikuzentakata, Japan. The team was on the field practicing when the unexpected wave hit North Eastern Japan.

 

    Many of the players lost their homes and all of their possessions. Many did not know if they would be able to keep playing or have to stay at home and support their family through all of the hard times. There was one student in particular which had lost both of his parents. It was reported that his father's location is still unknown to this day. After months of tough practice and getting used to playing the game again after the tragedy, the team got together to play in a local championship for their school, Takata High. However, they were not victorious in their battle against the opposing team, the Morioka Technical High School.

 

For more information please click here

It All Starts When...?

College admission time is one of the most stressful times a student can go through. We’re approaching that time now. We read the article “It All Starts Now”, and it gives tips to try and keep that time as stress-free as possible. Basically, the article says to look at all your options early, and that it’s never too early to keep your eyes open for your right college.

Also, the article talks about how in college, you have a lot of free time, and some kids don’t know how to handle that well. Any month now, we’re going to be going down the road that ends with our college. If you’re interested in finding the ideal college for you, there’s a website that helps match kids to their ideal college, you can find it here.

By Timothy McLaughlin & Sam Kewer