Reality TV keeps audiences entertained Tanning not worth the risks

ticular episode.

Shows like “Laguna Beach” help me in a way. Because these teenagers are having the same problems as I am, I can learn from their experiences and adapt their findings to my own.

they want, but we are able to connect through their experiences.

It was a Monday night, and I really didn’t have anything planned or homework to do. I decided to see what was on television.

Flipping through the channels, I discovered “Laguna Beach.” Immediately,Iwas captivated.

Icouldn’t tell you if it was the realness of the situations or that these dramas were not being acted out, but in fact lived, that caught my attention.

The show presented an outlet of some sorts where I could live out my frustrations through the girls and guys of “Laguna Beach.” It seemed that whatever Iwas going through, they were going through the same that par-

However, there are other shows that are incorrectly labeled reality shows. “Survivor,” “Amazing Race,” “Fear Factor,” and shows like them, where you could win huge amounts of money, do not, in my mind, qualify as reality. They’re scripted, rehearsed, and played out.

These shows are great for entertainment but realistically who, in their daily lives, dangles from an office building window to test out their fears? These are people who have auditioned to be on shows like this. They weren’t randomly asked one day while crossing a street. They had to send in tapes and mail in postcards.

“Laguna Beach” presents something different. Like “The Real World,” it follows people around doing what they normally do. Granted, these kids are rich and can basically do whatever

“The Real World” is a show where they do, in fact, audition, yet when they’re picked, they’re put into a house where they will have to live with six other people for a period of time. Sounds familiar college residents?

“Big Brother” has the same concept, except these people are not allowed to leave the house. This seems like my life with my over-protective parents.

These three shows are examples of reality television. When the audience is able to relate with the people on the show, I believe it qualifies.

Some may argue that the people who are competing on shows like “Survivor” and “Fear Factor” are everyday people with real situations as to why they want the money so badly. I completely accept that. However, these challenges are scripted. The other shows are not written by other people. These are real stories lived out by real people, and we get to see it really happen.

Math Tutoring

MEGHANHURLEY STAFFWRITER MLH722@CABRINI EDU

The pain is almost unbearable. The strong smell of aloe fills the air. My skin is sensitive to the lightest touch. Every time Itry to move, I flinch in pain. Then I look in the mirror and smile because tomorrow this sunburn will fade into a fabulous tan.

Iwill be the first one to admit that I love getting tan during the summer and that I think that I look better with a tan. Being tan raises self-esteem and self-confidence levels, but there is a limit to how tan a person can be and for how long. Also, prolonged tanning involves too many risks, and those outweigh the need for an all-year tan.

During the summer,my sole purpose of going to the beach is to lie out in the sun and soak up as much as I possibly can. But that’sit. With the exception of special occasions, like proms or formals, faux, obsessive tanning is not necessary.Buying yearlong memberships to tanning salons isn’tworth it. If you want to be tan, fine, but balance it. Tan during the spring and summer and give your skin a rest during the fall and winter.

The dangers of too much sun exposure and the ultraviolet radiation found in tanning equipment are well-known. There’s sunburn, skin dryness, rash and eye irritation. Then there’s the almighty risk, cancer. You always think, “It will never happen to me.” I have the same mindset. However, if I had skin cancer or someone else I was close to was affected from excessive tanning, obviously this article would be extremely different.

In the winter, those everbrown people stick out in the crowds of the winter pale. It’s one thing to tan during the summer when the weather is right, but to make weekly visits to the tanning salon is overboard. It doesn’tlook natural unless you naturally have a darker complexion. Plus, the extended exposure puts you at greater risk. Also, there are those people who develop the “leather skin,” which is probably one of the most unattractive things I have ever seen.

The tanning alternatives that I don’t think are ever a good idea are sunless tanning lotion and spray-on tans. While these are the most health conscientious ways of getting a tan, they never look good or real. The orange tint, the missed spots and the unevenness just don’tmake it worthwhile. I guess it’satoss up between looking good and being healthy and even though it’sa little bit shallow,Igo for the looks. So, bring on the sun, in moderation, of course.

You could almost compare sunbathing or a trip to the tanning salon to smoking a cigarette. You know it’sbad, but it makes you feel so good. Tanning is my nicotine, but when summer ends, I go cold turkey until the next year.

Hot o or n not: 5 50 h hottest C Cabrinians o on F Facebook

LAUREN JOY SHARKEY LJS725@CABRINI EDU STAFF WRITER

According to their website, “The Facebook is an online directory that connects people though social networks at schools.” Facebook allows you to search for fellow classmates and to be connected with other students through groups. Two groups, The Official 50 Hottest Girls of Cabrini College and its brother group, The Official 50 Hottest Guys of Cabrini College, have taken the Cavs by storm.

The Official 50 Hottest Girls/Guys descriptions both read, “This group is the official 50 hottest girls/guys at Cabrini College. If you think you have what it takes, request to join. If invited, this is a rare honor few girls/guys can say they have earned. Competition will be stiff but see if you have what it takes to be officially one of the hottest girls/guys at this fine institution.” As with any other group, there are certain qualifications and rules that go along with being a part of a group such as this. The candidates in both groups are chosen based on their Facebook pictures alone. In addition, mem- bers of both groups are encouraged to post pictures that flatter their p hysical attributes, and warn a pplicants that “picture f orgeries will result in immediate and permanent e xpulsion”.

However, the Official 50 Hottest Girls of C abrini College is the only one of the two that warns its applicants there may be a chance of public ridicule if they are convicted of a picture fraud.

At the end of each month one girl has to pose in a picture with one of the administrators. The administrators of this group also express that even though there are 50 girls in the group, they are not the top 50, and that any girl has the chance to be knocked out of their spot.