My Personality

Abi Santel I think there are many words to describe my personality. I range from being the nicest kid in the world to be the biggest brat in the world. The word I would most describe myself as, though, is shy. You will soon see why I think I am shy. We were at soccer camp, the summer before I would be in sixth grade. "We" means my friend Kara and me. It was the very first time I had been to a soccer camp, and a sports camp-or any camp- at that. I was very nervous. Kara was nervous too, but she isn't as shy as I am. The first few days that I was at camp, I wanted to participate in small things. What I consider small things are things like being the example to show the other campers how to do drills and different things liked that. I, of course, couldn't find it possible to volunteer for that. They would probably laugh at me. Besides, half of the other campers were ten times better than me. All through camp I went on stepping back when there was a chance to participate in things I wanted to do. Then the real time I wanted to volunteer came. It was the last day of the week at camp, and the campers were going to play the instructors in a game of soccer. I really, really, really wanted to play. Of course I didn't. I just sat back and watched while Kara and the rest of the girls had fun playing against the instructors. When Kara came to get a drink from her water bottle, she said to me, "Abi, why don't you come play?" "I don't want to," I said. Boy, was that lying. I hope you realized that there is no advantage to being shy. It is much more fun to go on ahead and do the things you want to in life. You should be glad if shyness is not included in your personality.
If I Could Change One Thing About Myself

Perhaps, one of the most unpleasant feelings one can experience in life is being discontent with oneself. Whereas we are prone to notice negative features in other people, we rarely turn our eyes on ourselves to critically evaluate our behavior or personal qualities. But, if we do, we can notice many traits within ourselves that we would not like to be there. I try to stay tolerant towards the majority of my personality features. Though, simultaneously with my positive qualities, I can be a lazy, irresponsible, apathetic downer. I learned to live with these and other drawbacks; but, the quality that I would enjoy getting rid of is my tendency to doubt my decisions. It is human nature to doubt ourselves from time to time. Imagine the situation when the five best universities in the United States are willing to have you as their student. This is one chance in a million, and you know this decision could define your entire life. Most likely, you will not randomly point your finger at one of them and say: I will study here (well, not immediately, at least).

Instead you will conduct serious research, figuring out the advantages and drawbacks of being a student of each particular university; you will sketch out your future career perspectives as a graduate of each of these universities, and check a number of other parameters. And after intense doubts and worries, you would finally choose your favored institution. This is the most reasonable approach. But in my case, I am sometimes prone to doubt even after I made a decision. Most likely, I would choose a university carefully, make a final decision, and then doubt about the decision for a while, even though I would be already studying there. In real life, such a peculiarity manifests in more everyday situations. To stay at home or to hang out with friends? Whatever I choose, I will spend some time thinking about the opposite variant. To buy chocolate milk or beer? To go to the cinema or to the theater? To spend vacations in the mountains or at the sea? Not always, but more often that I would like, I start to reflect about trivial decisions. Would I like to completely quit doubting about anything? I think not. Doubts are a natural mechanism which helps us make the best possible decision in every particular case; without this ability we would most likely make random, uninformed decisions regardless of their possible consequences. But, at the same time, when the decision is made, you must start working to actualize it without hesitation, and this is the moment when doubts become troublesome. The more you think over a certain action of yours, the more likely you will delay the actual realization of what is on your mind. Wise people teach us to be tolerant towards themselves, and accept both their negative and positive traits. I agree with this thesis, but with one small specification: this acceptance must not be an excuse for not working towards personal development and growth. This is my approach towards my proneness to doubtfulness: I can live with it, I know it is mine, but I am persistently working on getting rid of this quality.
My Secret Place
What is your attitude towards loneliness? Do you think it is a curse, when you are isolated from the rest of the world, left face-to-face with yourself? Or do you, on the contrary, seek it, appreciating each moment of silence you can snatch from the surrounding world? These small breaks can help you replenish your energy and reorganize your thoughts, so that you can start each day as a new one not as an extension of a previous one. As for me, I am more of the second kind of person; solitude for me is a gift, which is valued less by people than it should be accorded. In my child and teen years, I had a perfect place to go to when I felt like being on my own. In a small town in the center of America, where I lived back then, we had a steep hill on the outskirts. On its top, an old warehouse stood. No one, even older people, seemed to know who had built that warehouse in such an inconvenient place, and what for. Some said that smugglers used it during World War II for their purposes; others told stories about local slaveholders, who lived in our town a long time ago those people were thought to have kept slaves in the old warehouse. For us children, that old wooden shack was a haunted place with a grim, bloody story of love and treason.

None of the townsmen had ever visited the old warehouse. Children were scared and adults just did not feel like climbing up the steep slope for no reason. For most of a year, I was its only visitor. Sitting with my legs dangling from the attics crossbar, usually with an apple in my hand, I watched the sunsets and sunrises, and tiny ants running here and there, and the birds in a nest above my head (for some reason they were not afraid of me), and the life beneath my outlook point. During such moments, what was meaningful to me was only what I could see, hear, touch, or smell. My school worries, arguments with friends, unrequited first love, and even Mrs. Finchs cat that I accidentally ran over by my bicycle all this, as well as many other things did not exist. And now, when I reminisce about my childhood, I remember the warm golden light, soft shades in the attic, a smell of fresh hay, and the tile rooftops of my town. Sometimes, as I visited the warehouse, I met other people there. Usually they were vagabonds, staying for a couple of days before moving ahead, or seasonal workers traveling across the entire country further to the West. When this happened, I behaved like a cautious animal, and fortunately I never had problems with them. If they stayed long enough, I would bring them some canned food, and in exchange they told me their stories, or joked with me. I heard stories of loneliness and long railway trails; unpaid labor and failed marriages; crashed hopes and vehement dreams. In their voices I could hear the wisdom and the ignorance of the world. They shared their fears, their grief, or their joy with a 13-year-old kid from an American no-name remoteness, knowing that he will not spill the beans. Or even if I would (though I never did) still they saw me for the first and last time in their lives. I believe that old warehouse determined my life. The destinies of other people perplexed, complicated, but at the same time keen and full of real life helped me understand myself and the world around me, providing me with answers to issues that worry teenagers. Who am I? Why is everything as it is? Who are people around me? What should I do? How should I treat others? Those vagabonds, those people, whom people in our town contemptuously called low-lives they taught me things much more valuable than what I could study in vaunted universities. I still enjoy solitude, when I have a free minute. And, just like in my adolescence, I enjoy the company of unfamiliar random people, who appear in my life just for several moments: in an airplane, in train, in a hitch, in a cafe. They tell me their stories and leave and I carefully write them down I am a writer, you know.

The Latest Mammalian Species Discovered Ancient scientists must have had much more work than their modern colleagues, as there were much more undiscovered phenomena, laws of nature, animal species, and so on. Along with scientific and technological progress, people continued to believe in manticoras, chimeras, werewolves, and other mythical creatures. The ancient Chinese manuscript Zuo Zhuan contains descriptions of the Qilin a creature with a body of a deer, the head of a lion, green scales, and a long horn. Today, new animals are rarely being discovered; however, it looks like even in the 21st century, with all of its GPS and satellites, nature still can surprise us. In August of 2013, a new carnivorous mammalian species was discovered. Its name is olinguito (or Bassaricyon neblina in Latin), and it has been classified in the family ofprocyonidae; the most well-known representative of this family is a raccoon. The discovery of olinguitos, made by a Smithsonian scientist Kristofer Helgen, curator of mammals at the Smithsonians National Museum of Natural History, is in fact a rare occasion, because almost 35 years have passed since the last time another carnivorous species had been discovered in both North and South Americas

(CNN). Olinguito share about 90 percent of their DNA with olingos their sister species but still remain a unique and brand new carnivore specimen (Time). Olinguito can be considered the smallest representative of the raccoon family. It is jokingly described by the scientists as a cross between a house cat and a teddy bear (Newsdesk), and weighs about two pounds, while being no bigger than 2.5 feet long. Since olinguitos are nocturnal creatures they have big eyes that help them navigate in the dark. olinguitos reside in the misty forests of the South American Andes located in 5,000 to 9,000 feet above sea level, and live in the treetops they can move through the forests by jumping from one tree to another; perhaps, this is one of the reasons why they have remained unclassified by science for such a long time. Olinguitos primarily eat fruits, but can also feed on insects, which gives reasons to classify these animals as carnivores. According to Helgen, there seems to exist four subspecies of olinguitos that differ mostly by color (their fur can be of different shades of reds, orange and browns) and by the area of the Andes which they inhabit. Helgen said that it is rather unusual: I honestly think that this could be the last time in history that we will turn up this kind of situationboth a new carnivore, and one thats widespread enough to have multiple kinds (Smithsonian.com). According to the descriptions provided by scientists, olinguitos seem to be cute carnivorous creatures belonging to the raccoon family. They are rather small about 2.5 feet long and weighing only 2 pounds and feed primarily on fruit, though bugs also make a part of their diet. They inhabit the misty forests of South America and are nocturnal creatures, which results in the large size of their eyes. There seem to exist four subspecies of olinguito, differing only in fur color and regions of the Andes which they inhabit.

Have You Ever Seen an Oarfish? Oarfish: Amazing Sea Giants Humankind has resided on Earth for thousands of years. Though before the 18th century, scientific progress had a rather slow pace, starting from the 20th century, however, humanity quickly and dramatically increased the amounts and quality of knowledge about the planet we live on. Discoveries made about Earth show that it is still full of wonders, despite constant and persistent research conducted by scientists. One of the biggest mysteries today are oceans. According to some data, 95% of oceanic depths are still unexplored (LiveScience). This means that are an unimaginable number of wonders awaiting to be discovered. A perfect illustration of this thesis is represented by weird creatures that are regularly being found or filmed in the oceans across the entire planet. For an example, one needs to look no further than giant squids, fish-devils, enormous mantas, and other unique species that most likely had served ancient sailors as sources of inspiration for their legends about deep sea monsters. One of such creatures is the oarfish, which could be a prototype for

famous sea serpents; one of the largest of its representatives was found in October, 2013 on the Southern California coast, USA (CNN). An oarfish is a gigantic and extremely elongated sea creature; its length can reach about 17 meters long. Presumably, they have earned their name due to their length and a slightly compressed body shape. However, its Latin (and scientific) name, which sounds like Regalicidae, is translated as royal which makes this species a king of other fish. Anyways, it does not mean that all the exemplars of the oarfish are that long; in most cases, their length varies between 2-4 meters (New World Encyclopedia). Oarfish usually inhabit the tropics, though they also can be seen in other regions of the world ocean. Except its length, oarfish have other curious characteristics. For example, despite of its size, oarfish possesses a surprisingly small mouth with no visible teeth in it. The oarfish does not have any scales as well. Its color is mostly bluish, which is caused by small crystals of guanine deposited in the upper layers of its skin. Their flanks and undersides may be different in color, but in the majority of cases they are also blue and black (New World Encyclopedia). Though in the older times oarfish could most likely inspire sailors to have stories about gigantic sea serpents, dangerous and carnivorous, oarfish are known to feed entirely on plankton. It eats small fish, crustaceans, krill, and other smaller prey, which they strain from the water with their grill rakers. However, there were documented cases when oarfish ate cnedarian medusa and little squids. It is interesting to know that when oarfish feed, they usually turn their bodies into a vertical position. An oarfish is a unique and fascinating creature. Despite its size and feeding requirements it does not possess a danger to humans; besides it inhabits deep waters of tropic areas, though sometimes it can be seen elsewhere. Its longest exemplar was known to reach 17 meters long; in October, 2013 one that spanned six meters was found in Southern California. Oarfish are a perfect example of the thesis that we still know little about our planet, and especially about oceans.

The Silk Route Centuries prior to the Internet, much earlier than the steam engine, and well before the arrival of the airplane, there still existed a way to connect the world. The Silk Route, the trading path between East and West was the artery which contributed to cultural and monetary exchange between civilizations. Deriving its name from the then rare and highly in-demand commodity, silk, the Silk Route was established roughly 2200 years ago, and comprised of both land and marine routes, spanning more than 4000 miles, across the known world at the time (Vadime, 2001). From ancient China towards the West, the Silk Route snaked through the high valleys of the Tibetan plateau and over the roof of the world the Himalayan mountain ranges. Passing through the expansive plains of the Indian subcontinent, it ran across the deserts of Arabia to reach the Mediterranean Sea, and onwards to Europe via the sea. Simultaneously, along the coastline of Asia, the Silk Route knitted together the entire region in a triangular

web of numerous marine routes extending from Java in the far East to the coast of Africa in the Southwest (Wilson, 2007). In essence, the Silk Route efficiently and effectively connected the entire known world. Primarily a carrier of silk from China to the world, and of rare goods from the world to China, the Silk Route, with time, emerged to become the most significant and only conduit of all goods the world could have exchanged and even the evils. It ushered in an unprecedented era of progress and prosperity for human civilization. It brought relative food security to regions short of rations. It enabled the exchange of human values: religion, art, and culture. It introduced the world to Marco Polo and his stories. And above all, it helped the spread of knowledge to humankind as it brought the pen, the paper and even the printer to the world. Likewise, the Silk Route also facilitated the distribution of the wickedness of its era. When Genghis Khan, a tribal wanderer, arose from the anonymity of Mongolia, he took the Silk Route southwards to deliver his wrath to the world. The Black Death or bubonic plague raged around the world to the deepest regions of Russia through the Silk Route. Yet, the human quest for the righteousness of the world based on the cherished principle of mutual coexistence far outweighed and outpaced the evils of those times. The Silk Route, connected civilization to civilizations, human to humans, trader to traders, artist to artists, soldier to soldiers, and kings to the kings. Thus, it became the colloquial melting pot, and a launch-pad for todays internationalism and glottalization. It aided civilizations in learning from other civilizations. It promoted human values, culture, art, economy, diplomacy, technology and peace, to help shape the modern, prosperous, free and open world. Not surprisingly, while the original and functional utility of Silk Route has diminished over time, thanks to the modern and efficient means of worldwide exchange like the airplane and the Internet, the timeless esteem the world holds for this historic route remains ceaseless.

A Note Against Transhumanism By the first quarter of the 21st century, humankinds evolution has reached its peak; at least this is true for the human brain, as some neuroscientists claim (io9). This means that the shape of our bodies, as well as the functions of our organs, and our mental capabilities, will most likely not change in the future. However, a large group of people believe that the human race can be enhanced by the means of modern technology; along with reasonable ideas there exist radical theories about digital immortality (uploading ones consciousness to external storages), or replacing human biological bodies with cloned or mechanical ones. This ideology is called transhumanism, and despite its seeming attractiveness, it is a dangerous idea and a direct way to social instability and losing humaneness. Let us focus on the transhumanist idea about shifting our natural bodies to the artificial ones. No matter how sophisticated is the technology, it cannot overcome one of the most amazing mechanisms that have ever existed human emotions. Simply put, an emotion is a reaction of an individuals body to their thoughts or actions. One does not feel an emotion in their min d it is a physical reflection of their mental condition. However, if the human body is replaced by a mechanical analogue, how would this person be able to have feelings? Emotions serve as regulators of our behavior. Shame, guilt, compassion, fear, joy these

and many other emotions we feel every day; they help us distinguish rights from wrongs, they empower our ethics, our moral norms (FAKE 1). Even if a cloned biological body would be used instead of the mechanical one where are the guarantees that nothing would go wrong? Emotionality is perhaps one of the strongest anchors of humaneness that we possess, and denying it would most likely lead to unforeseen consequences. Another problem related to transhumanism is a global shift in social processes. Since transhumanism implies a person voluntarily undergoing bodily changes, it is obvious that respective procedures will be available only to those who can afford paying money for it (as it will not be cheap). At the same time, artificial enhancements will most likely make these new human beings more effective in terms of mental and physical capabilities; hence, they might be able to form a sort of a higher caste that would treat regular non-augmented humans as inferior beings (Anselmo). Crimes, discrimination, human rights infringement, and other negative consequences of this artificial and uncontrolled evolution are directly connected to the previous thesis about the loss of emotions, and seems to be inevitable. One of the scourges of human civilization of the 21st century are mental diseases. Many of us know people with Alzheimers disease at 60 or 70 years old. Paranoia, schizophrenia, all kinds of obsessive-compulsive disorders, Alzheimer, dementia, and many other mental dysfunctions are rather common within an average lifespan of 70-80 years. However, transhumanists believe that the ability to transfer minds to the external storages would literally make people immortal. But our minds are biologically programmed to function within a certain time lapse (ScientificBase). It can be compared to an expiration date, and the more time passes after it, the worse the mind condition is. Considering this, would an immortal entity be able to remain fully sane for hundreds of years? A mental disease is not a virus or glitch, so one cannot start an anti-viral program to delete it. Hence, some kind of a cyber-psychotherapy would become medical discipline number one in the transhumanist future. It is ironical: transhumanists like Ray Kurzweil or Hans Moravec dream of godlike abilities, but instead of creating digital universes, humans in fact would have to fight idiocy and mental disorders. Transhumanism as an ideology of the artificial evolution of humankind by the means of technology can be rather attractive. Some transhumanist ideas could be even applied for the sake of humanity. On the other hand, radical transhumanist ideas transferring the human mind to artificial external carriers, in particular are dystopic. Artificial or cloned bodies would cause augmented human beings a number of severe problems; for example, people would lose their ability to feel emotions, which is one of the key criteria of humaneness. Social life would change drastically, as augmented people would most likely treat simple people as inferior beings. But most likely the minds of such augmented and literally immortal people would simply collapse, because a human mind has a biologically programmed expiration date. Therefore, transhumanism and its ideals are hardly applicable to humanity.

Why the Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered Alcohol belongs in the category of psychoactive substances that one can legally buy in almost any country in the world, according to certain criteria. Most often this criteria is age; in the majority of cases it is set to 21 years. However, in a number of countries such as Australia, China, or Russia, it is set to 18 (ICAP). In the United states, calls for lowering the drinking age have sounded for a rather long time; considering that alcohol can lead to unpredictable behavior and other negative social consequences, the drinking age should not be lowered. Perhaps, one of the first associations that come to mind when talking about alcohol is driving. For citizens of the United States, having a car is a must starting from the age when a teenager is allowed to receive a driving license. According to data provided by the organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving, in 2010 a high percentage of car accidents connected to drunk driving (15,1% out of 10.228 individuals) was observed among young people aged between 18-20 years (PolicyMic). Respectively, if youth were officially allowed to consume alcohol from 18 years old, this index of car accidents would necessarily be much higher.

Moreover, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration claims that since establishing the drinking age of 21 in 1975, the number of car fatalities among 18-20 year old drivers in the United States decreased by 13% (SFGate). Medical irresponsibility of allowing teenagers to drink alcohol on a legal basis is also obvious to those that have at least a basic knowledge in biology. Consuming alcohol on a regular basis can negatively affect the development of an individuals brains frontal lobes, which are responsible for emotional regulation, as well as for planning and organization (ProCon.org). Underage individuals who consume alcohol put themselves at more risks of addiction, decreased ability of decision-making, tend to behave less responsibly, and may become violent, depressed, and even prone to suicide. The so-called trickle-down effect, well-known to sociologists, is another reason against lowering drinking age that should be taken to consideration. This effect implies that individuals who already have a right to legally purchase and consume alcohol tend to buy it for their younger peers (ProCon.org); for example, 21-year old students buy beer or spirits for themselves and for their friends who can be of the age 18-20. In the case of the drinking age being lowered to 18 years, the age of individuals who in fact have access to alcohol will decrease even more, reaching ages of 15-17 or even less. Considering the specifics of adolescence, granting teenagers with a wider access to alcohol can have negative consequences for their health and wellbeing. Though in a number of countries worldwide the drinking age is 18 years in the United States this index is 21, and it should not be lowered. Lowering the drinking age to 18 years old would lead to an increase of car accidents connected to drunk driving; it would also negatively affect the youths cognitive development, clouding their ability to make decisions and plans, and would make them more vulnerable to addiction and other negative effects; due to the so-called trickle-down effect lowering the drinking age would also mean grantin g access to alcohol to individuals who are younger than 18 years old.

Why Students Should Take a Gap Year The choice of a future career is, perhaps, among the most important decision an individual makes throughout their life. Even though a profession may change with the flow of time, making the first step on this path is an essential and responsible act. And despite the fact that a particular college or university, where former school students enter after graduating from high school, will not necessarily design and determine their future, for many it is true. Assuming that a student is left to decide what they want to become on their own terms, and that nobody should interfere in his or her decision-making process, a necessity to select a college which equals making a fateful decision requires deep analysis and contemplation. Therefore, taking a so-called gap year after graduating from high school is a reasonable alternative for those students who are not yet sure about their goals, dreams, and expectations for the future. Perhaps, the first factor speaking in favor of taking a gap year is that by doing so a student learns responsibility and how to organize their life to a greater extent. Taking a gap year is expensive in terms of travelling (which is one of the main occupations of students during their gap years) or spending free time in some other way. When students

realize this simple fact, they usually take temporary part-time jobs to cover the expenditures of future vacations (WhateverResources). They can also collect money for further education to decrease the amount of student loans which they need to take out. All this makes students more self-sufficient and responsible for their decisions, the way they spend money, and organize their time. The other significant reason for taking a gap year is better academic performance. Whereas many students and their parents are concerned about possible problems with academic performance after taking a year off, recent research proves the opposite. In particular, studies show that students who decide to take a gap year before entering a college had a GPA that was on average 0.1-0.4 higher than those students who enrolled into higher education immediately after high school (FoxBusiness). Researchers believe it is connected to the possibility to choose ones sphere of interests, and make a more balanced and reasonable decision before choosing what to major in. In addition, another reason why the second category of students often may perform worse is fatigue from studying at high school; those who take a gap year do not experience this problem. Taking a year off is also a perfect opportunity to see the world and feel completely free of daily routines, troubles, assignments they are able make new friends around the world, find inspiration, and dedicate time to introspect about their own behavior. To some degree this chance is the only one a person may have throughout their entire life, because in the future there awaits all kinds of credits, academic assignments, career choices, family, and other manifestations of life in higher education (Mihaylova). Many students choose to visit countries that they know they will never go to in the future; this often provides them with inspiration, different perspectives, broadens their outlooks, and helps them to understand the diversity of the world they live in on a deeper level. As it turns out, there is no need to rush to enroll in a college immediately after high school; taking a gap year to take a breath and look around seems to be a more reasonable alternative. During the gap year students learn more about responsibility and organizing their lives, because they have to earn their own money to pay for the leisurely part of the gap year. Students who take a year off usually demonstrate better academic performance than those who enter colleges immediately after high school. Finally, a gap year is most likely the only chance for a person to see the world without being bothered by such problems as loans, assignments, career, and so on.

Changes in Communication I often try to comprehend cultural, social, political, moral and other changes that humanity has undergone throughout centuries of its existence and development. To a large extent these changes were caused by technological progress: new inventions often transformed the way of peoples lives and respectively, the norms by which societies lived. Airplanes, cars, computers, mobile communication devices, as well as other technological wonders have reformed the way we think and live. But, what is even more curious, technologies have also metamorphisized the way we communicate. Englishmen have a tradition to talk about the weather when they met an unfamiliar (or even a familiar) person. Japanese people have multiple complex ways to start a conversation politely. Many other nations also had their own rules of etiquette; these rules allowed people to enter the communication process smoothly. However, nowadays we can see that etiquette is rather often neglected in favor of the efficiency of communication. The pace of everyday life has increased dramatically compared even to the middle of the 20th century, and today people have to sacrifice courtesy in favor of productiveness and efficiency (IFResearch). Perhaps, from the

viewpoint of a person from the 1950s, we would most likely look like rude and straightforward people, as we have become less concerned about our culture of communication, considering it to be archaic. The time we live in is interesting in terms of the existence of at least two levels of language usage; basically, they are the real world and virtual reality (IDFS). The Internet has made it possible to transfer not only meaning, but also the emotional palette and even images. All kinds of emoticons in social networks and messengers serve the purpose of mitigating plain insentient text; moreover, it happens often enough to send a photograph or an image file to explain yourself rather than describe your condition or situation in words (Instagram is a perfect example of how it works). Internet communication has also contributed to the development of a peculiar language layer, so called netspeak. It is not completely slangit is rather a new digital language, that has evolved from regular English, Spanish, Russian, and other languages. Such neologisms as brb, LOL, u2, btw, cul8r, a/s/l, and so on, along with an altered use of grammar rules and other peculiarities form a completely new culture of digital communication. This is not to mention so called texting (by the way, another specific word) via cell phones and other mobile gadgets. Not only has the language of the Internet changed, but also the language that we use on a daily basis. The modern English language is regularly updated by the expressions that were unknown less than a decade ago. For example, such neologisms as to computer-face means to throw quick disturbed glances at the monitor to create an impression of serious work pressure. The term like-shock is used to describe a condition of a person who has posted something in social networks and then gathered an unexpectedly huge amounts of likes under it. Other peculiar terms such as ghost-post or Facebook-minute have also appeared in the modern English language due to the influence of computer technologies (Know-What). And though they precisely describe situations and conditions which many modern people are familiar with, their existence seems impossible out of the Internetcommunications context. Communication today has undergone serious changes, compared even to the middle of the 20th century. The pace of life has increased, and thus lingual etiquette has also evolved. Computer technologies are known to have influenced modern languages most of all. Lots of neologisms such as cul8r or brb appear almost on a daily basis. Besides, not only the language of Internet communication, but also regular language is changing. Many of its terms (such as to computer-face or like-shock) are familiar to people who often use computers; however, imagining them exist out of the Internet and computer technologies context seems impossible.

The Chemistry of Love Love has been referred to as a sublime feeling as long as written literature has existed. Poets, philosophers, artists, and other representatives of creative professions sought for its origins, reasons, and recipes. However, in the 21st century, people have become pragmatic enough to assume that love might have more grounded, biological origins. Technological progress has allowed scientists to research this issue and provide valid arguments in favor of the theory, claiming that love is much (not totally though) about simple chemistry. According to Dr. Helen Fisher, an anthropologist of Rutgers University, love as a holistic system can be divided in three basic subsystems, each with its own functional tasks and roles: sex drive, romantic love, and attachment. Sex drive is necessary to make a person start looking for partners; romantic love appears to help a person hold focus on one specific partner; finally, attachment is crucial for building a long-lasting and reliable relationship with a selected partner (Chemistry.com).

Each of these subsystems needs a driving force to operate and impact an individuals behavior. Even though a love relationship is a lot about psychology, it is still fueled by hormones; this is why using the expression love chemistry is fully justified. For the sex drive subsystem, testosterone and oestrogen are crucial; romantic love stage, or attraction, is driven mostly by dopamine and serotonin; finally, attachment is sustained by such hormones as oxytocin and vasopressin (BBC Science). Testosterone and oestrogen are respectively male and female sex hormones that are responsible for sex-related physiological reactions, lust, and the motivation to look for a partner. Testosterone and oestrogen cause sex drive to be present; however, specialists admit that sex can give a start to romance, as it increases the influx of dopamine to the brain (Chemistry.com). Dopamine and serotonin are hormones that cause euphoria, good mood; the same hormones are also secreted after taking certain drugs, so this is why one can be high from the feeling of love, act impulsively, and get stuck on the person which they fell in love with. In its turn, attachment as the most long-lasting phase of a love relationship is driven by the same hormones that are responsible, in particular, for mother-and-child bonds (oxytocin); this hormone is also believed to be secreted when the two partners get intimate. So, a serious relationship is more about care and tenderness, than romance and turbulent feelings. The popular expression love chemistry should be understood literally. Along with natural psychological processes, love is also to a significant extent dependent on the hormones secreted by our bodies during various stages of a relationships development. Sex drive, which makes us look for new partners (if we do not have one already), is regulated by the hormones of testosterone and oestrogen. During moments of intimacy, the brain is affected by dopamine and serotonin the hormones that are responsible for all the symptoms of romantic love, such as euphoria, concentration on the object of love, impulsiveness, and so on. As a relationship develops, it becomes reinforced by the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin; oxytocin, in particular, is the same hormone that is responsible for the forming of mother-and-child bonds. Thus, despite the claims that love is purely a solemn and sublime feeling, it also has a lot to do about biology and chemistry.

Office Dangers The majority of urban populations spend at least eight hours per day in an office. In many of them, working conditions do not assume regular physical exercising, or at least moving much; employees have to sit in one place throughout their entire working day. Such conditions can hardly be called healthy or natural, and so they almost necessarily result into manifold health issues, which have become typical among office workers. And whereas some of them such as back pain or bad posture are obvious, other problems may be difficult to identify. Working in an office means sharing an environment with a number of other people. This fact means possible issues with germs and bacteria, as all people have different hygienic habits. This especially refers to male office workers; according to a study conducted by microbiologists of the San Diego State University and the University of Arizona, mens office spaces contain on average 10 percent to 20 percent more bacteria than in womens working environments (MSN). Experts who did not participate in this research still confirmed the results obtained by their colleagues. Michael Schmidt, a microbiologist at the Medical University of South Carolina, says that men are usually exposed to a greater risk of getting, for example, a norovirus, as they usually do not pay a strict attention to

hand hygiene after using a bathroom as women usually do. Coworkers sneezing, coughing, or snuffling can also become a source of germs. Appliances used in offices can also be dangerous. For example, energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs are claimed to be able to cause skin damage by emitting excessive ultraviolet radiation if located 5 feet or closer to a person, according to the researchers from Stony Brook University in New York (Scientific American). In particular, photodermatoses and skin cancer are among the most often reported diseases. Free candies and coffee, conditioned office air (as well as too cool or overheated air), open office spaces that increases stress because of the lack of privacy, as well as other factors can also be harmful for ones health (MSN). Though today it is common knowledge that there are direct psychological and psychosomatic health-related impacts of excessive stress at the workplace, it can be even more dangerous in terms of the safety of surrounding people. In 2007, on average 16% of workers reported that anger at the workplace had led them to a companys property damage; 9% of workers reported that violence caused by stress had occurred at their workplace; 10 more percent expressed fear that their environs might not be safe (RJC Associates). Working in the office implies exposure to hidden dangers posed by the specifics of the environment. Along with such obvious health issues as poor posture or short sight, there also exist problems which can be noticed only when they manifest themselves. Among such harmful effects one should name germs, ultraviolet radiation from energy-saving light bulbs, conditioned air, and workplace rage caused by excessive stress.

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Submitted to : Mrs. Esteban Submitted by : Joebert Bruzon : : Year&sec : III-Food tech