“Americans spent an estimated $41 billion on sleep aids and remedies in 2015, and that’s expected to grow to $52 billion by 2020,” declared BBC researcher Natana Raj (1). The success of this massive sleep industry speaks volumes about the amount of rest that people are getting. According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over … [Read more...] about An Optical Approach to Sleep
Articles
The Romantic Heroine Gets a Clue
Amy Heckerling’s 1995 blockbuster film, Clueless, introduced the 20th-century satirical hero Cher Horowitz, a beloved protagonist who captured the sensibilities of a generation. Cher is materialistic, vapid, and blissfully ignorant of the goings-on outside her life, yet audiences love her and cheer her on because she possesses the film’s titular trait. Indeed, it is … [Read more...] about The Romantic Heroine Gets a Clue
Change in the American Ideal
First coined by James Adams in The Epic of America, the American Dream has always invited hope into all those that think of it. For those that journeyed into the US during the early 1900s, they strove for success and freedom that they were unable to attain elsewhere. During the 1950s, the American Dream became the ultimate idea of success: hard work and dedication will pay … [Read more...] about Change in the American Ideal
Islamophobia in Media
A recent study evaluating twenty-five years of news coverage in America found that only eight percent of news regarding Islam can be characterized as positive (Ghattas). The media portrays Islam in a more negative manner than cancer, alcohol, and cocaine (Ghattas). Muslims are a religious minority in America who are subject to constant discrimination as a result of unjust … [Read more...] about Islamophobia in Media
TPP vs. RCEP: The US and the Future of Free Trade in Asia
Background Regional free trade arrangements, including so-called mega-FTAs, have been proliferating in recent years to accommodate the growing need for reducing barriers to economic growth and development by attracting foreign direct investment and promoting competitiveness,[1] especially in reaction to the collapse of the Doha Round negotiations under the WTO.[2] … [Read more...] about TPP vs. RCEP: The US and the Future of Free Trade in Asia