Should the users or hackers be blamed for the leaking of pictures on Snapchat?

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-29569226

Snapchat is an app on which a user can send pictures to other users for a limited amount of time before they disappear forever... or so they think. The article on BBC titled "Nude 'Snapchat images' put online by hackers" by Dave Lee explores the recent situation of pictures, many of which are nude, from the app snapchat being leaked by third party apps. The article takes the right stand in explaining that the users who's images were leaked were victimized by the hackers, and that it was a violation of their privacy. Another stand that the article could have taken was to say that it was was the user's fault for sending the nude pictures in the first place. However, according to the guidelines of snapchat and the privacy the app promises, users should be able to send what they want with a reasonable amount of confidence that they will not be leaked. The victims of violated privacy should not be blamed for acting the way that they did in the first place, because it was their choice.

New Found Study Habits Can Improve Comprehension

For a student in high school new learning tactics are always important. Studying can be one of the hardest types of work to do. In Benedict Carey’s new book “How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens,” he explores this topic. The common mistake to cram information for tests never works. This is true for any student, and the subject matter “learned” never stays in the brain. Studying twice, once right when the assignment is given, and once the night before is a much smarter and more efficient way to approach tests and quizzes. Changing the location of study also helps the brain from getting distracted from the material at hand. Going from inside to out, for example, makes the brain less distracted from staying in one place and more focused on the subject matter. This type of study is beneficial to all students, and should be taught and implemented in more school across the nation.

An Amazing Senior Portrait: Pet Edition

Before responding to a yearbook photo with a pet, Draeven Rodriguez needs to be recognized as one of the coolest seniors anyone could ever meet. Just by seeing his yearbook photo, you are able to sense his cool vibes. His cat’s name is even Mr. Bugglesworth. There is no sarcasm in this writing whatsoever. Draeven’s picture was not only rejected by his school, but he was later joined by his school Principal with her chihuahua. As a reader, reading that Draeven’s school rejected his yearbook portrait was a bit of downer. In senior yearbook photos, you should be able to express yourself (without going too over the top), no matter how weird it may seem to the school authorities (once again as long as you are not going so over the top). He was eventually joined by his school’s principal with her pet chihuahua making an impressive senior portrait. Draeven’s perseverance and the principal’s friendliness make a great team for getting Draeven’s photo into the yearbook this year.

Snapchat Remains Safe

3rd party apps are responsible for the leak that reportedly released elicit photographs, supposedly taken from the messaging service “Snapchat.” According to the BBC’s Dave Lee, “Snapchat” representatives stated: “‘Snapchatters were victimized by their use of third-party apps to send and receive Snaps, a practice that we expressly prohibit in our Terms of Use precisely because they compromise our security.’” Yet, Price’s article seems to insist that the users who had their photos leaked, who were in violation of Snapchat’s Terms of Use, are not responsible for this leak. Price included another quote, this time from Mark James, a security consultant at ESET: “‘For [Snapchat] to just turn around and say ‘It’s the users’ fault,’ does seem harsh.’” Price hints that it is the fault of Snapchat that a third-party app is insecure. However, if the users had been using the main, free Snapchat app, they could have avoided the release of their sensitive images.

How NOT To Talk To Girls at a Party

wikiHow has an answer for everything.  Their article, "How To Talk To Girls at a Party," contains three descriptive steps on how to talk to girls at parties, from making a smooth entrance to a graceful exit while still leaving a lasting impression.  Despite the easy to follow writing style and the compelling graphics, the article is absurd.  Step 1 is to "Strike Up a Conversation" by "getting noticed...introducing yourself...opening with a light topic... [and] making the girl laugh."    Going over, introducing oneself and then letting the conversation go where it may is just fine.  Step 2 is to "Keep the Girl Interested," which includes "asking a few questions...not dominating the conversation...being charismatic...[and] using the party to stir the conversation."  One doesn't have to "be" charismatic or anything other than themselves when they meet new people.  Step 3, how to "Finish Like a Champ," includes "leaving her wanting more...asking her out if things are going well...[and] making a graceful exit if things aren't."  The key is to just talk and let it feel natural, so asking a girl out if things are going well and leaving if they aren't especially is self explanatory.  "How To Talk To Girls at a Party" totally neglects the fact that interacting with other members of the human race, regardless of gender, never follows a simple 1-2-3 pattern as the article does.  Ones' social skills aren't gained from reading an article about how to be social, but rather from actually going out and being social.  Humans are interesting and unpredictable people at times.  Going out and getting real world experience in interacting with girls at parties will prove that no two female party encounter are alike and therefore put this article to total shame.

"Better Ways to Learn"

Lara Parker-Pope's “Better Ways to Learn” presents a strong argument that studying in several separated sessions can improve performance on tests as well as make the information learned more permanent. Nowadays many students cram study: they memorize material the night before the test, and it quickly is forgotten. This is because the brain marks the information as unnecessary. “Another technique is called distributed learning, or ‘spacing,’ and it’s a particularly relevant aspect of brain science for ambitious students. (Parker-Pope)” Parker-Pope goes further to compare it to watering a lawn; watering in intervals produces better results than watering all at once. Although it sounds as if it could take more time, scientific research proves that this method of studying is more reliable and results in better long term memory of the subjects. By using this approach to studying one can become a better learner and student. Another valuable lesson from her article is the benefit of sleep. On a more detailed level, “the first half of the sleep cycle helps with retaining facts; the second half is important for math skills. (Parker-Pope).” 

Readers Misunderstanding Themes and Morals

"What You Pawn I Will Redeem" is a short story in the point of view of an alcoholic and homeless Native American man named Jackson. Throughout the story he tries to find money to buy back his grandmother’s regalia that he saw in a pawn shop window. The story is filled with mistakes and foolish behavior due to his alcohol addiction. In the story, themes and morals could be easily confused. Alexie's short story doesn't have a solid moral, if it did, the story would be significantly different because it would have made its lesson blatant. One could come up with a moral to “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” by using one of its overarching themes. “I sat up and looked around. I was lying on the railroad tracks… I should have been a railroad track pizza, a double Indian pepperoni with extra cheese. Sick and scared, I leaned over and puked whiskey” (Alexie 41). An example of this would be saying that the moral is "don't drink alcohol" referring back to the theme of the effect of alcoholism. The story never explicitly tells the reader not to drink but he or she can learn something from the theme making it seem as though they are the same. 

Themes and Morals: The Frequent Mistake

In the short story, "What You Pawn I Will Redeem," by Sherman Alexie, there is a theme of alcoholism in Native Americans. Throughout the story the protagonist Jackson Jackson uses his money to buy alcohol rather than saving up to buy back his grandmother’s regalia. Jackson initially sees the regalia in the window of a local pawn shop and thinks that it once belonged to his grandmother. The pawn shop owner offers him a deal of $999, and gives him 24 hours to come up with the money. “'How much for whiskey shots?' I asked the bartender, a fat white guy. 'You want the bad stuff or the badder stuff?'​ 'As bad as you got.'​ 'One dollar a shot.' I laid my eighty dollars on the bar top” (Alexie 37). Jackson clearly has a greater desire to drink rather than to save his eighty dollars and buy back his grandmothers regalia. While reading the short there is no clear moral that can be taken from the text. Other themes, besides alcoholism, appear such as friendship. This difficulty in finding a moral, yet ease in finding themes show an obvious difference between the definition of the two words. 

Moral vs themes

The short story What You Pawn I Will Redeem tells the story of a homeless Indian man who tries to raise 1000$ to purchase a family heirloom. One aspect of the story that differentiates themes and morals is the theme of alcoholism. What made alcoholism the theme of the story was the fact that it was prevalent in the main character and plot line. It explained why the main character acted in certain ways and made certain decisions, such as picking a fight with a sober bartender. The moral of the story is found through an anecdote that tells of a drunk family member killing Jackson's grandfather. The destructiveness and danger that alcohol can bring upon ones life is the moral of the story. Although the moral relates to the main theme of alcoholism, the theme itself does not inadvertently provide a clear lesson. That clear lesson is found within that particular anecdote within the story.

Theme Vs Moral

The short story, "Guests of the Nation" by Frank O'Connor shows a clear theme; however, does not show a clear moral, again proving that themes and morals are not synonymous. Throughout the short story, the theme develops as a dilemma between a higher command, and moral. The exposition explains how two British soldiers are captured by the Irish Republican Army. Quickly, the two British soldiers become friends with the three members of the IRA. In the rising action, the members of the IRA find out that British soldiers had executed a few Irish hostages. This meant that the IRA members had to execute the two British soldiers. At this time, they had to make a decision; whether to follow their moral codes, or follow their duty. “Why did any of us want to plug him? What had he done to us? Weren't we all chums? Didn't we understand him and didn't he understand us? Did we imagine for an instant that he'd shoot us for all the so-and-so officers in the so-and-so British Army?" (O'Connor 23) The Irishmen clearly are confused and unsure of the situation. They have been commanded to kill two of their really good friends, which is a tough decision for anyone. The author decides to choose duty over moral, by having the IRA members shoot the both British soldiers. In this short story, there is no clear lesson that can be taken away, which means there is no also no clear moral. This short story again proves that morals and themes are not synonymous