Friday, March 6, 2020

How To Find Reasonably Priced Yoga Classes Near Me

How To Find Reasonably Priced Yoga Classes Near Me Finding an Affordable Yoga Class Near Me ChaptersHow Do Yoga Teachers Set Their Prices?The Price of Yoga Lessons Varies According to Geographical LocationHourly Rates Vary Depending on the Yoga Teacher’s Experience and TrainingOnline Yoga Classes or Home Yoga Lessons?Are you constantly stressed out?People try different ways of reducing their anxiety. Some try medication or vitamin supplements, others give yoga a chance.The benefits of yoga are multiple. With yoga, you can:Learn to control your breathingMaster mindfulnessBecome more flexibleTone your musclesImprove your concentrationFeel more fulfilledImprove your self-confidence.Yoga comes from India, where yoga centres developed over centuries in several different towns. It helps avoid a lot of stress-related illnesses. Whether Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Pranayama exercises, Ashtanga Yoga or Prenatal Yoga - the benefits of yoga are mainly in promoting relaxation and a feeling of well-being.But both group yoga classes and private lessons at home can vary greatly in pricing .So how do you know if that yoga class near you is well-priced? CarleyYoga Teacher 5.00 (5) £100/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GenYoga Teacher £45/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JulieYoga Teacher £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LynnYoga Teacher 4.89 (9) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AliceYoga Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LauraYoga Teacher 5.00 (6) £70/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors UndramYoga Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LottieYoga Teacher £10/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsHow Do Yoga Teachers Set Their Prices?Yoga instructors are often passionate about what they do and practice yoga regularly. In seeking to share their passion with others, many of them propose their services on platforms such as Superprof where they can connect with prospective students.Here on Superprof, the teachers set their own rates.On our site, a growing number of yoga teachers are r eady to take you under their wing and teach you yoga poses both efficient and bizarre.But how do they decide on the price posted on the platform?The most important thing to remember is that yoga teachers are free to chose their own rates. Superprof doesn’t impose a price bracket or pricing model they have to follow.However, they will be using their own criteria to decide what price is fair for them.They might factor in:Student level (beginner yoga, intermediate level or advanced asanas)The length of the lessonThe yoga instructor’s own experienceThe more advanced the student, the higher the rates as this will demand extensive knowledge on the teacher’s part and good teaching methods. A beginner yoga student will pay less than an advanced yogi.The length of a lesson will also influence the price. As in any paid work, yoga instructors are paid by the hour. Therefore, it follows that the longer the yoga class, the more expensive it will be.Every teacher profile on Superprof is vet ted. Superprof verifies the teacher’s identity, experience, diploma and address. This guarantee is a great plus for prospective students.In addition, all students are invited to leave comments on their yoga instructor’s profiles so future students can profit from them. They can tell about the teacher’s strengths and weaknesses and how they perceived their yoga lessons.It is also important to note that Superprof doesn’t take a commission off the tutor’s price. Prospective students are asked to pay a one-time fee before contacting a tutor.In addition, yoga tutors are encouraged to offer their first lesson for free so that students can try out the activity and see how well they get along with the professor.Indeed, practising yoga with someone you don’t harmonise with is counter-productive.The Price of Yoga Lessons Varies According to Geographical LocationThe price of yoga courses on Superprof can also vary depending on where the lessons take place. Depending on the area, yo ga classes can either be more expensive in the cities such as London or out in smaller towns where there isn’t as much competition.In the UK, yoga classes through Superprof average about £ 35 an hour.Bigger cities will have more variation on the price - for example, prices for yoga London and the greater London area range from £15 to £60 an hour. Smaller cities can be cheaper, though without as much competition some profs ask for more, especially if they are very well qualified in different types of yoga.Prices vary more in the bigger cities - such as here in London with its outside yoga course. Photo credit: Spitalfields_E1 via Visual huntHourly Rates Vary Depending on the Yoga Teacher’s Experience and TrainingFree yoga classes or online yoga tutorials can be very attractive to those who can’t spend too much on their pastimes. However, they generally don’t offer good quality.What’s more, a yoga video will never replace the presence of a yoga instructor, whether by webc am or in the flesh. Only a live yoga teacher can correct your poses and prevent you from making wrong movements.On-site yoga teachers are useful for correcting poses, but cost more than online lessons via webcam. Photo credit: Oregon State University via Visualhunt.comHowever, here are some pointers on finding a less expensive yoga class. As we just said, a more experienced yoga professor will automatically be more expensive than a beginner yoga teacher.Of course, an intermediate level professor will still be competent - he or she will simply not have more advanced knowledge. But this makes absolutely no difference to a beginner yoga student.If you want to learn yoga basics, you can go for a less experienced teacher - and so a cheaper one.Many students offer yoga courses to help them get through the month or to gather professional experience. They are often very passionate and fully able to convey the basic elements of yoga practise.Everything depends on the level you want to attain .For your information, there is a gap of about £10 between a beginner yoga teacher and an experienced one.Online Yoga Classes or Home Yoga Lessons?That is the question!It is perfectly possible to take yoga courses via webcam. Many Superprof yogis offer this option in order to enlarge their student base. This means they can teach students far away.It’s also a plus for students living off the beaten path who can’t find a yoga class near them. This can be the case if they live in the country, for example.Yoga is a true phenomenon. More and more yoga teachers are offering classes throughout Britain.A webcam allows you to take yoga classes no matter where you are. Even is your yogi is not present in the flesh, they can give suggestions and show you how to do the poses. They can even correct their students’ mistakes.But this option also helps students save. By being able to choose a teacher from anywhere in Britain, even the world, students have more choice in pricing. No need to s ettle for the price of a yoga class near you. Technology now gives you the chance to travel virtually.Even cats benefit from online yoga lessons. But a live yoga teacher is always better than a recording. Photo credit: Jason Riedy via Visual HuntProspective yoga students now have this choice: cheaper rates or the presence of a teacher.This latter option can also be very useful. In the flesh, a yoga teacher brings a certain ambiance with them. Many are willing to bring yoga mats for beginner yoga students and some supplement their lessons with aids helpful to meditation such as candles or incense.And you can be sure that your internet connection won’t fail in the middle of your yoga lesson.What is the competition asking for an hour of yoga?Are private lessons really better than those offered by yoga studios and institutes?These are common questions.First of all, if you are taking yoga courses at an institute or studio, you should know that the hourly price is not always the actual price. Additional fees can accrue - inscription or administration fees, for example.At Superprof, the average cost of a one-hour yoga lesson is £35. There is a one-time fee of £19 for contacting a tutor, payable only once you have agreed to take lessons from them.There is no go-between that separates the students from the teachers - a good way to ensure a fair price on both ends.A yoga studio or yoga centre will often ask for additional fees apart from the yoga class rates.Here are some fees to give you an idea of what the rest of the yoga market is like:  www.gaia.com offers yoga lessons as streaming videos. They ask for $9.95 a month or $95.40 a year.The Iyengar Yoga Institute offers beginner classes for £11, with a three-month membership fee of £25 or an annual fee of £55. A 6-lesson Introduction to Iyengar Yoga course includes a three-month membership and cost you £72.After that, it’s up to you, the student, to figure out if you would prefer online yoga classes, home yog a lessons or group courses at a yoga studio. Chacun à son goût!Learn what to expect from your yoga lessons with our guide to yoga classes.

Why Your Lead Guitar Riffs May Be Boring Your Audience

Why Your Lead Guitar Riffs May Be Boring Your Audience Sign up successful Why Your Lead Guitar Technique May Be Boring Your Audience July 1, 2013/0 Comments/in Guitar, TakeLessons Teachers /by Suzy S. Do you love watching a guitarist rip into a great solo and wish you could dazzle audiences with your killer guitar skills? Learning how to play lead guitar that really sets an audience on fire is about so much more than playing really fast or using complicated techniques. Scottsdale guitar teacher David D. shares his secret to crafting a guitar solo the smart way! Playing lead guitar, or soloing, consists of a lot more than just playing riffs and exhibiting one’s proficiency on the instrument. We’ve all heard the lead guitarist who is so fast, so good, and so famous playing and oh, it’s really impressive, but after a few minutes of it your mind has wandered off and you’re yawning because it’s also…  boring! The guitarist is fast, extremely proficient, very famous and…. boring. Why? What is the difference between this guitarist and the one you could (and perhaps do) listen to over and over? The difference is structure. A smart lead guitarist plays to the audience instead of his or her ego! In order to get the audience’s attention, structure catches the listeners ear, much as the songs melody or beat make the song palatable in the first place. By using a recognizable pattern, or structure, the guitarist says to the audience, “Here, latch on to this…     have you got it? Are you following what I’m doing?” And that is just the beginning. From there the pattern will deviate; what I call a Complimentary Pattern: still holding the same structure but now doing a variation. And the audience is thinking, “I know what he’s doing and I love it,” because they are able to recognize and follow the STRUCTURE! Next comes one of two things: a Finish Pattern, which brings resolution to that segment of the solo, an ending if you will; or the guitarist at that point begins the same pattern and takes it somewhere else altogether! Surprise! You were following the structure, the variations… you were right with him and then WHOA â€" DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING! And then perhaps back in to the original pattern just to say “You’re fine â€" you’re still with me â€" isn’t this cool?” div.InlineCTA { display: flex; justify-content: space-between; padding: 20px 0; } #top form.InlineCTA-Form { margin-bottom: 0; } form.InlineCTA-Form div.InlineCTA-Inputs { align-items: flex-start; display: flex; } #top form.InlineCTA-Form input { background: white; border: 1px solid #111; border-radius: 20px; display: inline-block; font-size: 12px; margin: 10px 5px 10px 0; padding: 6px 15px; width: 200px; } form.InlineCTA-Form input::placeholder { font-size: 12px; } form.InlineCTA-Form button { background: #4f6f96; border-radius: 20px; color: white; display: inline-block; margin-top: 9px; padding: 6px 15px; text-transform: uppercase; font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: 2px; } form.InlineCTA-Form .BlogCTA-Result { display: none; } form.InlineCTA-Form .BlogCTA-Result.Success { display: block; font-size: 13px; } form.InlineCTA-Form .BlogCTA-Result.Error { color: red; display: block; font-size: 11px; } form.InlineCTA-Form .BlogCTA-Result.Error .BlogCTA-SuccessMessage { display: none; } @media only screen and (max-width: 500px) { .InlineCTA-Image { display: none; } } Curious how lessons work? Sign up for more information about our private lessons. Submit Sign up successful We’ve not even touched on timing, balance, relevance to the music itself, tempo, key vs harmony orientation, or any of the “tools” you might use to create your solo, but as you can see there is a lot to consider. The key is STRUCTURE. I’ll end with an analogy, that of learning to walk. At first thought it’s just put one foot forward, shift weight to it, other foot forward… repeat. But if you think about it, the way a person walks defines who they are, how theyre feeling, their intent, their attitude, their aptitude and even how they are thinking at the time. And so it is with soloing on the guitar; you are showing the audience how you think and feel, your intent and attitude, and even defining who you are within that song! Powerful? Yes. And it’s all up to you to give your playing much, much more than just “riffs and proficiency”!  David D. teaches guitar, bass guitar and songwriting lessons in Scottsdale, AZ. He has been teaching guitar for over 40 years and he specializes in rock, folk, gospel and country styles. David joined the TakeLessons Team in May 2013. Learn more about David or search for a teacher near you! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher You might also like 5 Steps To Embracing Your Passion For Playing Guitar How to Set the Right Goals for Learning Guitar 5 Reasons My Guitar Might Be My Best Friend Photo by Timitrius

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Link Between Screen Time and Academic Performance

Link Between Screen Time and Academic Performance As our use of electronic devices increases, researchers continue to study the potential effects of screen time on all areas of our lives, including our physical health, emotional well-being, and productivity. In children and teens, researchers are also looking at the impact on academic performance. On average, children and teens watch television between 1.8 and 2.8 hours a day, play video games for 40 minutes, and use a computer for 34 minutes. Almost 30% of children and teens spend more than four hours per day of their free time using screens. When you consider that kids and teens have about eight hours of time each day thats not spent sleeping or at school, then they are spending up to half of their free time each day looking at a screen! A recent meta-analysis study published in JAMA Pediatrics1 analyzed the findings from 58 previous studies that looked at the connection between screen time and academic performance. Many of these prior studies showed negative associations between screen time and academic performance. For example, one found that adolescents who spent more than seven hours per day on screens were 40% less likely to achieve high academic performance. In the current study, the researchers examined the overall connection between increases in screen time and academic performance. The findings show that as time spent watching television or playing video games increases, academic performance decreases. They also show that spending time on these activities may have a greater effect on academic performance for adolescents than children. Overall, the findings provide even more evidence of the need for limits around screen time in kids and teens. Of course, not all screen time is bad. Using a computer for homework or a tablet to FaceTime with friends is much different from spending hours watching YouTube videos or playing video games. But too much time watching TV (or YouTube) and playing video games does seem to take a toll. Its probably not the content of the video or video game that is the problem. The negative impact is likely driven in part by what kids and teens are not doing when they are their screens: they are not being physically active, reading a book, playing music, or creating art all factors that have been positively associated with stronger academic performance. So far, researchers have not looked specifically at the connection between screen time and academic performance in kids with ADHD. But, since children and teens with ADHD have more academic challenges in general and need more physical activity to manage their symptoms, its possible that the connection between increased screen time and decreased academic performance is even more striking when ADHD is part of the picture. While researchers continue to study and explore the reasons why screens seem to be taking a toll on our kids and teens, its important for parents to be aware of how much time everyone in the family is spending on their devices each day. Setting screen time limits in your home will not cause any harm, but there is a very good chance that it may help kids and teens be more successful at school and in other areas of their lives. 1Adelantado-Renau et al, (2019) Association Between Screen Media Use and Academic Performance Among Children and Adolescents. JAMA Pediatrics, epub. ABOUT DR. MARY ROONEY Mary Rooney, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco. Dr Rooney is a researcher and clinician specializing in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD and co-occurring behavioral, anxiety, and mood disorders. A strong advocate for those with attention and behavior problems, Dr. Rooney is committed to developing and providing comprehensive, cutting edge treatments tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and adolescent. Dr. Rooney's clinical interventions and research avenues emphasize working closely with parents and teachers to create supportive, structured home and school environments that enable children and adolescents to reach their full potential. In addition, Dr. Rooney serves as a consultant and ADHD expert to Huntington Learning Centers. ABOUT HUNTINGTON Huntington Learning Center is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students of all levels succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntington's mission is to give every student the best education possible. Call us today at 1.800.CAN LEARN to discuss how Huntington can help your child. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. This website does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only.

Fuel Your Mind Through Exercise, Nutrition and Sleep

Fuel Your Mind Through Exercise, Nutrition and Sleep Improving Academic Performance It turns out that there’s lots of documented scientific evidence that the more you exercise, the better you eat, and the more you sleep (within reason), the better your brain works (i.e., you can reason more clearly, recall information faster, solve problems faster, etc.). It naturally follows that exercise, nutrition, and sleep are critically important, though perhaps indirect,elements ofimproving children's academic performance. On the one hand, this may seem a little obvious. But one of the more interesting pieces of advice about critical thinking and problem solving ever given to me was that the best insights are those that seem really, really obvious once they are realized. If you really didn’t know it before for sure, but now you do with certainty, you’ve realized something important. Still, I find that sometimes an idea seems so intuitively obvious that it isn’t interesting enough to grab most people’s attention, or perhaps because it’s obvious, it just doesn’t seem like it can be that important. I am convinced that this rule falls squarely into this “seems obvious, probably don’t need to pay that much attention to it” category. But, it’s an important rule with surprising supporting evidence that far too many people simply ignore. We won’t go into extended detail on the science behind this rule here, but the science is covered in enjoyable detail in Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School by John Medina. But, a quick summary of the science would be that we evolved over thousands of years in an environment that involved constant movement. We were literally walking 10-20 miles per day for thousands of years. So, part of the story is that the brain has evolved to function more efficiently when we are in motion. When we are in motion, more blood and oxygen gets to the brain, and it operates better. In his book, Medina summarizes the issue by saying that current research suggests that “exercisers outperform couch potatoes in tests that measure long-term memory, reasoning, attention, and problem solving skill. The same is true of fluid intelligence tasks, which test the ability to reason quickly, think abstractly, and improve off previously learned material in order to solve a new problem.” The story with nutrition is similar. Eating right and getting the right type and number of nutrients into your body is literally what gives your brain, heart, and muscles the fuel to perform. Sleep is a more nuanced story, and perhaps more important. Whereas exercise, for example, can be thought of as a bit of an indirect link to cognitive performance (i.e., if you are a regular exerciser, your gain a cognitive benefit, and that benefit doesn’t go away if you skip 2-3 days of activity), sleep can be much more direct. If you get 2 hours of sleep, you will have trouble thinking clearly the next day. Clearly, if you have trouble sleeping you shouldseek tips and strategies for sleeping better. When you do not get enough sleep, it can and will directly impact your ability to learn difficult (or not so difficult), recall information, and problem solve. Outside of school, it can impact your athletic, musical, or interpersonal skills. The United States center for Disease Control and Prevention considers sleep health a public health epidemic. The CDC web-site features some astounding statistics on sleep that have obvious impacts on your ability to learn and perform well in school and at work. ~40% of adults of 20 years of age have noticed themselves being unable to concentrate or remember information because they are tired, according to information on sleep compiled by the CDC. A 2006national sleep foundation studyfound that 75% of adolescents between 6thand 12thgrade were getting insufficient (8 hours) or borderline (8-9 hours) of sleep each night. Let’s look at one final chart on sleep. In the book by John Medina, he references a study that has been performed many times in which a very tricky set of mathematics problem is given to a group of students, and they are prepped in methods they can use to solve them. They aren’t told that there’s a potentially very easy “shortcut” way to do the problems, which is discoverable once you dive in and try to solve them. They are told to take 12 hours to decompress and figure it out. They were necessarily working on the problem for 12 hours, just re-setting, and thinking through options for how to solve it before they really dove back in. One group was given those 12 hours during the day (i.e., 7AM to 7PM) while the other was given those 12 hours over night (i.e., 7PM to 7AM. The below chart shows show the percentage of each group that was able to find the “shortcut” solution to the problems. In sum, to perform at a high level in school, at work, you should be sure to exercise, eat right, and get enough sleep. How to learn more â€" Again, I highly recommend John Medina’s book Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School to learn more about the ideas in this chapter. The CDC web-site and National Sleep Foundation offer ideas and strategies for getting better sleep, and there is a growing body of research on the link between academic performance and exercise.

4 Powerful Psychological Effects that Change Student`s Behavior

4 Powerful Psychological Effects that Change Student`s Behavior How to get behind the scenes of the brain? How to decrease the level of stress while studying? How our instincts influence our decisions? Next four facts will tell you secrets of the functioning of the human brain. Use them for your studying and you will become a super student! 1) You like others more when they make mistakes. Those who never makes any mistakes seems to be less sympathetic than those who are always right. Perfection creates distance and irritating aura of invincibility. This effect was found by psychologist Elliot Aronson. Its called Pratfall effect.  It  is the tendency for attractiveness to increase or decrease after an individual makes a mistake, depending on the individuals perceived competence, or ability to perform well in a general sense. So dont be afraid of mistakes, especially while studying. 2) Great expectations create a new reality. If you believe in something one day it will happen. This is called the The Pygmalion effect, or Rosenthal effect. Psychologist Robert Rosenthal studied it.  He showed the teachers a list of students who have had a very high IQ test results. But this list does not correspond to reality, Rosenthal chose the names of students randomly. At the end of the year, these students showed significantly better results than the rest. Expectations of teachers for these children were higher, and these expectations created a new reality. 3) The more choices, the less likely we are to  be satisfied with them. Do you know what is buyers remorse  or buyers regret? You buy something and then begin to regret: it was possible to buy cheaper, or a different model, or to use offers, coupons, discounts. Even when  our final decision is quite right we can feel  unhappy, if we had too much choice. This is the paradox of choice. The more people see that you need help the lower the probability that any of them will help.  If you need help do not look for it  in the crowd. When you need to choose your school, university, classes, tasks anything, dont be afraid of choices and remember about paradox of choice. 4) Your mistakes are not as noticeable as you think. Many our  feelings are  just a game of imagination.  Anxiety and self-doubt that you  feel every time you make a mistake, in fact, does not reflect reality. People notice our mistakes much less than we think. To check this spotlight effect team of psychologists asked a group of people to wear strange t-shirts for a day. And then estimate how many people noticed it. Estimates of the subjects were two times higher than the actual number. People  are focusing on you much less than you think. Knowing this, you can feel much calmer and be yourself in public space. So, dont worry if you make mistakes or if you have some problems with studying. Maybe, its just your brain playing with you. If you need a tutor to become more confident use Tutorz.com.  We have more than  3500 Psychology tutors in the USA. 4 Powerful Psychological Effects that Change Student`s Behavior How to get behind the scenes of the brain? How to decrease the level of stress while studying? How our instincts influence our decisions? Next four facts will tell you secrets of the functioning of the human brain. Use them for your studying and you will become a super student! 1) You like others more when they make mistakes. Those who never makes any mistakes seems to be less sympathetic than those who are always right. Perfection creates distance and irritating aura of invincibility. This effect was found by psychologist Elliot Aronson. Its called Pratfall effect.  It  is the tendency for attractiveness to increase or decrease after an individual makes a mistake, depending on the individuals perceived competence, or ability to perform well in a general sense. So dont be afraid of mistakes, especially while studying. 2) Great expectations create a new reality. If you believe in something one day it will happen. This is called the The Pygmalion effect, or Rosenthal effect. Psychologist Robert Rosenthal studied it.  He showed the teachers a list of students who have had a very high IQ test results. But this list does not correspond to reality, Rosenthal chose the names of students randomly. At the end of the year, these students showed significantly better results than the rest. Expectations of teachers for these children were higher, and these expectations created a new reality. 3) The more choices, the less likely we are to  be satisfied with them. Do you know what is buyers remorse  or buyers regret? You buy something and then begin to regret: it was possible to buy cheaper, or a different model, or to use offers, coupons, discounts. Even when  our final decision is quite right we can feel  unhappy, if we had too much choice. This is the paradox of choice. The more people see that you need help the lower the probability that any of them will help.  If you need help do not look for it  in the crowd. When you need to choose your school, university, classes, tasks anything, dont be afraid of choices and remember about paradox of choice. 4) Your mistakes are not as noticeable as you think. Many our  feelings are  just a game of imagination.  Anxiety and self-doubt that you  feel every time you make a mistake, in fact, does not reflect reality. People notice our mistakes much less than we think. To check this spotlight effect team of psychologists asked a group of people to wear strange t-shirts for a day. And then estimate how many people noticed it. Estimates of the subjects were two times higher than the actual number. People  are focusing on you much less than you think. Knowing this, you can feel much calmer and be yourself in public space. So, dont worry if you make mistakes or if you have some problems with studying. Maybe, its just your brain playing with you. If you need a tutor to become more confident use Tutorz.com.  We have more than  3500 Psychology tutors in the USA.

Honour Killing In Pakistan Sparks A Larger Movement

Honour Killing In Pakistan Sparks A Larger Movement www.dawn.com We live in a time where being yourself is becoming a danger, even though a majority of the population knows this shouldn’t be the case. The Pakistani social media star began speaking out against the conservative nation, appearing on TV to promote female empowerment and breaking the norm by dressing in “revealing” clothes. Her career started when she auditioned for Pakistan Idol, but it was her social media presence and video posts that sent her fame skyrocketing in the country. Her last post before her death, posted on July 4  to Facebook, said, “I am trying to change the typical orthodox mindset of people who don’t wanna come out of their shells of false beliefs and old practices.” Her Facebook page has nearly 800,000 fans, so the message was heard loud and clear. Still, she was killed in cold blood in what has been deemed another “honour killing.” Waseem Azeem, Baloch’s brother, claims to have killed his sister “for honour” and has “no regrets,” as he stated during a press conference with his face covered. Baloch’s father, Mohammed Azeem, filed a case against Waseem, and has also testified against his other son who reportedly encouraged his brother to carry out said killing. Though both sons went missing when news of the killing hit the media, Waseem was arrested by officials after they found him while on the run. Baloch, whose real name was Fauzia Azeem, was 26 years old at the time of her death. According to Nabila Ghazzanfar, the Punjab Police spokeswoman, she most likely died of asphyxiation, as her mouth and nose were pinned shut before she died, completely blocking her airways. This, of course, hasn’t been the first honour killing, and it likely won’t be the last. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, an Oscar winner for a film on this topic, calls such killings an “epidemic.” In response to the killing, she stated, “I’m very shaken up today. Activists in Pakistan have been screaming hoarse about honour killings; it is an epidemic, it takes place not only in towns, but in major cities as well What are we going to do as a nation?” She suggests an anti-honour killing bill needs to be passed. In her words, “It’s upon the lawmakers to punish these people. We need to start making examples of people. It appears it is very easy to kill a woman in this country and you can walk off scot-free.” She went so far as to bring up examples from her own experience, citing the screenings of her more recent documentary, Girl in the River. In the film, a father attempts to kill his daughter. During screenings of this film, during this scene, some crowd members were heard cheering for the father. She’s absolutely right when she says, “It is a mindset we have to change.” Baloch starred in a music video recently, which prompted her ex-husband, Aashiq Hussain, to reveal the more intimate details of their relationship with the nation. She was then strongly scrutinized in the media, despite her public cries of abuse and torture she suffered at the hands of Hussain. Radio show host Fasi Zaka described Baloch as “the most self-exposed person, and what was different about her is that she was from a poor background. She did all this on her own. She is much more than Kim Kardashian, she went against the norms of society and went on to do what she wanted, on her own terms.” And even conservatives condemn this murder, as that’s truly what it is. According to Mufti, Naeem, a conservative cleric, “Her personal life was her business, and killing someone is haram [not permissible in Islam] … The brother must be punished we cannot have any more murders in the name of honour.” Senator and women/minority advocate Sherry Rahman called to the national assembly, asking for an anti-honour killing bill. She stated: “Assuming that Qandeel Baloch’s brother will probably be arrested and punished for murder because of the high-profile [nature] of the case, the fact remains that an essentially right-wing government is sitting on vital amendments in the Pakistan Criminal Procedure Code that would disallow justice to be privatized for crimes against women.” According to Natasha Ansari, who helped organize one of the vigils for Baloch, “In a country where lives are easily at risk, media has responsibility to protect them instead of making tabloid issues out of them.” Erum Haider, a PhD student at Georgetown University and a Pakistani native, claimed that, “she was killed because she said and did things that made people feel uncomfortable and angry…We feel that there is no value to a woman’s life if she doesn’t live in a particular way…in the bounds of what a conservative, patriarchal society expects of you. We’re here to protest that.” According to Nida Kirmani, a sociology professor at Lahore University, Baloch was “a woman who was living life on her own terms, she wasn’t afraid … she was fun, loud, bold, brash and beautiful we would like to drown out those voices who think she deserved it because of the way she was behaving.” All around the world, oppression in all forms needs to be stopped, and hopefully Baloch’s death won’t be in vain. Hopefully, her message will continue to spread, even after she’s gone. Hopefully, no one else will have to die due to oppressive, normative views. Hopefully, Baloch’s unjustified death will be the last. It’s time to take a stand.

First Political Debate Facebook Feedback

First Political Debate Facebook Feedback Source: Spacestation11.blogspot.com Facebook is a well-built arena for the exercise of the First Amendment.   Political debates, music awards, or any other hot pop culture topic is immediately, if not simultaneously, vocalized via Twitter or Facebook.   Using social media as a personal political podium can be beneficial or bothersome depending on the users and/or abusers.   Many people refer to social media outlets to escape the monotony of studying or chores and to get a decent dose of creepin’, but these days it is much more than that.   People are finding their voices and bravely making use of them. With the number of Facebook friends averaging from 300-3,000, wide ranges of philosophies are shared.   After seeking some of my personal Facebook friend’s opinions, here is some of the feedback I got regarding the First Presidential Debate: Sam Houston State University Business Administration Graduate, Cody Wall: “Romney is clear and concise. He answers eloquently and refutes accusations with class and poise.” Texas AM University Graduate and Human Rights Campaign Intern, David Joshua: “No president is EVER perfect. Obama has some of his record to defend, but its not nearly as much as Romney will have to defend if he beats Obama this November.   Regardless of ANY opinions, the facts speak to this. Obama is better for middle class families, womens rights, LGBT rights, minority rights, the sick, and those who are hungry, and those who care about all of the above.” UTSA MBA Student and Warranty Global Group Employee, Sam Affanhe: “Debate? Its a comedy, no structure, and is more about who speaks last. The moderator reminds me of that stapler guy from Office Space. . . No one is listening to him.” Texas AM University Ag. Communication and Journalism Senior, Kelsey Harris: “Obama made the exact same pitch four years ago about teachers and science and bridges. Except this time he did it less eloquently with more um and ugh in between.   Romney has (and clearly laid out tonight) an observable, tangible plan based on what the president himself says he believes in: free people, free markets and the path to growth and jobs.” Texas AM University College of Education Senior, Katie Foster: “I think both sides have some quality answers for the many questions that face our country. Being moderate I do not align myself with one side specifically but I feel like this whole debate is just a huge pissing contest.” I find the relationship between social media and politics to be beautiful because of its ability to present a broad spectrum of thoughts.  The Facebook user opinions stated above reach left, right, and center.  Whether you use other peoples political statements as food for thought or fuel for your fire, it is beneficial to remember we are all different people with different stories    Thankfully, the United States Constitution allows citizens to own a vote and maybe more importantly, a voice.