Recently by Elana Harris

With final exams a week away, I'm sure the pressure is on for most of the KU student body. I'm definitely feeling the stress of finals as I have a final exam and project in nearly every class. To best manage my time (and avoid having a panic attack), I started getting things in motion last week. In fact, stress has turned into distress as my weekends have become more about the library and less about going out with my friends.

After reading an article in the Times of India, I realized the anxiety I am experiencing pales in comparison to other students. In March, Shyamal Surve, a 20-year-old girl from Mumbai, India took her own life in fear that she would fail her upcoming final exams. According to her parents, she did well in school, but her busy schedule didn't allow her a lot of time to study.

This story broke my heart. While I put a lot of pressure on myself to get good grades, I know that I must put my mental health first. I would rather fail an exam than overwhelm myself to a point where I may harm myself. In the past, I've worked things out with my professors in advance in order to accommodate a hectic final schedule. If you have 3 or more finals scheduled on one day, I think it's worth trying to work something out. In this girl's case, maybe it could have saved her life.

As we've been discussing youth and music in class, I wanted to revisit the horrendous music that blares in stores such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Forever 21 and H&M. If profit is the goal of these retail stores, then why do they play music that makes me want to run out the door?

In fact, the raging vibrations of techno music not only make my head spin, but make me avoid even stepping foot in the premises. It's no wonder that my heart starts racing and beads of sweat start forming when I enter Forever 21 or any other store that bares a startling resemblance to a club. I mean, really, are we supposed to be shopping or raving? Sometimes, it's hard for me to tell the difference.

For the upcoming project, my chosen outlet is Intermix, a New York-based women's apparel chain. With more upscale merchandise, this boutique attracts a different customer base than does Abercrombie & Fitch, etc. Though I wont create a playlist that will put shoppers to sleep, it certainly wont cause them anxiety.

I heard on The View this morning that new research has shown that the happiest Americans are the oldest. I found this to be interesting as these studies invalidate the ancient stereotype of the lonely senior citizen.

Reportedly, older adults are more socially active than we think. The more social connections one has the happier they will be in life. The study suggests that the odds of being happy increase 5 percent with every 10 years.

This type of information can be helpful to the many Americans out there who fear growing old. If every year brings us more joy, than I say bring on the aging process.

However, this kind of happiness also relates to the idea of being content in life. Older adults tend to be more satisfied with what they have than do younger people, which doesn't surprise me. Perhaps to reach this kind of happiness, we must endure the inevitable ups and downs that ultimately will bring us joy. For instance, starting a family and building a career may cause a lot of stress, but in the end, we reap the benefits of our loved ones and success.

In any event, the idea that old-age will bring us doom may need to be reconstructed. Being a senior citizen doesn't need to mean nursing homes and adult diapers, but rather being a grandparent and retiring after a long, fulfilling career. Hopefully, all of us can be that fortunate.

I couldn't help but laugh/cry/squirm watching the documentary on the "online world" Wednesday in class. Not to say the feature was bad, as it did have all the right elements—a good laugh and cry—but it had its moments.

Take for instance the commentary made by the teachers/parents in the community. Did anyone notice how they sat in a black backdrop, adding a more serious tone to their already dark affect. The one teacher who deemed that her career in education was up made me smirk. "This isn't the profession I once entered," she declared, suggesting that children of the Internet age are somehow cursed, or from a different planet. The poor woman acted like she was a dinosaur. It was kind of hilarious.

Then there was that mother; oh, that mother. She was the epitome of an overbearing parent, seeking to make their children's life a living hell (and bore). Sure, parents should worry about and care for their children, but she basically gave her son a death sentence with that email she sent out to all of the parents. But, don't blame her, she's just the messenger.

Let's not forget about the online catfights that went on via MySpace, and the race to get the most friends on Facebook. That's when the squirming came. I couldn't help but think, "Gosh these kids are idiots. Was I like that?" I sure hope not.

But, in all seriousness now, some of the messages in the movie were powerful. The story about the 13-year-old boy who killed himself was horrifying. What a terrible thing to be bullied like that; he couldn't even escape all of the harassment outside of school because people continually taunted him on the Internet. Kids need to stop beating each other down; it's horrible! When you're that young and fragile, you can't handle being ostracized like that.

What did you think about the movie? What meaning or messages did you take from it? How does the Internet affect your life?