It wasn’t long ago that the main sources of news were the daily newspaper and the daily television news broadcast (show).  Things have changed, and both newspapers and television news continue to lose readers and viewers as more and more people get their news on the Internet.

I know this is true for me.  I’ve never liked reading the large format (shape and size) newspaper of most U.S. newspapers, which for me, is too big and unwieldy (difficult to manage), and I don’t like getting newsprint (ink from newspapers) on my hands.

I’ve always preferred news magazines.  I still read news magazines today, but more and more, I get my news from the Internet.  I get daily emails from major newspapers and news magazines with the headline (most important) stories of the day, and I usually visit the websites of several major news agencies each day.  I also visit several news-related blogs regularly.  I still read the newspaper in print (on paper) on Sundays, and I’ll occasionally watch the evening news on TV, but I get most of my news from online sources these days.

How about you?  How do you primarily (mainly; mostly) get your news?

~ Lucy

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Cell phones are everywhere, but should cell phones be used everywhere?

This year in California, a new law went into effect banning (making illegal) the use of cell phones while driving without a hands-free (not holding it with one’s hand) device.  Some critics say that this new law doesn’t do enough, that even using a hands-free phone doesn’t remove the  distraction of (taking attention away from) talking on the phone.

Other than laws related to cell phones and driving, there are no others that I know of that restrict (not allow) cell phone use.  However, many people believe that using a cell phone in some public places is rude (not polite) and annoying (irritating).

What do you think?  Where is it acceptable and not acceptable to use a cell phone?

~ Lucy

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The New York Times recently reported on a study of how much time American adults spend looking at different types of screens each day.  These screens include televisions, computers, cell phones, media players, and more.  The study found that adults spend about 8.5 hours each day looking at some kind of screen.

Television remains the most-watched media, with the average adult watching about five hours of live TV each day; this does not include watching recorded programs or movies.  Here are some other findings (results):

- People between the ages of 18-24 do the most texting, an average of 30 minutes a day.
- People between the ages of 25-34 spend the most time watching DVD and VCR videos.
- People between the ages of 35-44 spend the most time on the Internet, about 75 minutes a day.
- People between the ages of 45-54 spend the most time in front of screens, about 1 hour more than other adults.
- People tend to underestimate (believing that something is less than it really is) how much time they watch TV by about 25%, probably due to the social stigma (disapproval from other people) of watching a lot of television.

At first, I was surprised by the 8.5-hour finding, but then I quickly did a tally (adding up; totaling) of the time I spend in front of the computer and television each day.  Like many of you, my job requires a lot of time in front of a computer.  For me, it’s at least six hours a day, not to mention the time I spend answering personal emails, looking at news and other websites, and more.  I quickly realized that I spend at least 8.5 hours in front of a screen each day!

How about you?  How many hours each day do you spend in front of a screen?

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It’s summertime and the movie theaters are full of blockbusters (very successful; earning a lot of money) movies. The number 1 movie in the U.S. this week is The Dark Knight, a movie about Batman. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve read good reviews.

This got me thinking about when I was younger and how I wished I had superpowers, or powers and abilities that would allow me to do great things.

Here’s a poll question: If you could any superpower, which superpower would you want? If it’s not listed in the options, submit a comment and tell us what that power would be.

~ Lucy

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