Morning Showers vs Night Showers

By Alexis Jorgensen/Pro-Con Debate Editor

The perfect time to shower has been a long-standing debate for years now. Everyone seems to have an opinion, but is there a right one?

To start off, both options have health benefits. Independent quotes Mona Gohara, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at the Yale School of Medicine in saying “A morning shower allows for time to meditate and regroup before starting a long or hectic day. This mindfulness can decrease inflammation in the skin by keeping levels of a hormone called cortisol capped.” Gohara also informed that it’s best to shave in the mornings “because that’s when you have a surge of platelets - or blood cloggers.” Overall, showering in the morning tends to be better for your skin than when it’s done at night and Glamour quotes Yen Reis, founder of Skin Laundry as saying morning showers are especially beneficial for those with combination, oily, or acne-prone skin.

​When it comes to sleep quality, however, showers before bed seem to have better results. Showering relaxes the body and prepares it for sleep. According to Men’s Health, researchers in Finland have shown that, “not only will be you be more rested, but you might even wake up better looking.” (Since high-quality sleep boosts blood flow, resulting in a healthy complexion and glow). Showering at night may also improve overall hygiene since it keeps your sheets cleaner for longer, reducing the amount of dirt and oil pressed against your skin. Showering at night also discourages showering multiple times a day since you aren’t going to feel the need to shower again after your morning shower due to working out or other activities. This is good because health professionals discourage showering twice a day since it can actually dry out your skin and worsen any pre-existing conditions.

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Of course, your choice of when to shower may be based off less serious and more preference-related reasons. For example, many prefer to shower in the morning to help them wake up and many prefer to shower at night so that they can sleep in longer. Hair is another factor. For some people, their hair is more cooperative if it is washed and done in the mornings while some feel their hair is more cooperative when slept on wet.
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I guess this is more of a pro-pro list than a pro-con list; but let’s face it, there aren’t many negatives to showering. The main thing is, regardless of when you shower, it is important to be showering regularly. Finding the time that works for you is more important than finding the time that is “best” by definition.

​Posted 01.12.18

The Pros and Cons of Netflix vs Hulu

By Alexis Jorgensen/Pro-Con Debate Editor

When you’re trying to binge watch your favorite TV shows, it’s important to find a good streaming service. Two of the main competitors are Netflix and Hulu, but which one is the best? We’re here to break it down.

To start off With Netflix, PCmag lays out their pricing that starts with the basic price of $7.99 a month. To get high definition streaming on two screens, the price rises to $10.99 for the standard subscription and goes up even more to $13.99/month for four screens at a time with the premium option. The price may really add up and drain your pockets, but one major perk of Netflix is that no matter which option you choose, they are all ad-free.

Hulu, on the other hand, is not ad-free if you just have the standard $7.99/month subscription. Hulu recently has grouped up with Spotify, however, so that you can get this standard subscription for free if you have a student Spotify account. This means that students can pay just $5 per month for both Spotify Premium and Hulu. In order to stream your Hulu shows ad-free, however, you’d have to upgrade to their $11.99/month subscription.

​How and what you want to watch may also play a major role in which streaming service you choose. Netflix has a collection with about 100,000 movies and TV shows and, according to Diffen, Hulu has a much smaller collection with just around 1,650 shows and 2,500 movies. 

Netflix also seems to be doing better than Hulu when it comes to their original content. Many Netflix original series have become widely popular. Some examples include: Stranger Things, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Marvel's Daredevil, etc. Hulu has some original content, but they haven’t done as well and the list is pretty limited. They have found success with their show “The Handmaid’s Tale” and have announced plans for a lot of new shows to come, however.

Now, if you’re trying to stay kept-up with your show’s most recent episodes, Netflix may be a tough way to go since they don’t release individual episodes, but instead full seasons once they’re done. That can be quite the wait. Hulu, on the other hand, releases new episodes about a day after their release.

​Digital Trends points out a few last things you may want to consider before choosing a streaming service. They inform that when it comes to subtitles and kid-safe content settings, Netflix is the way to go. They also point out, however, that Hulu offers an on-demand subscription which is much cheaper than a lot of cable plans which may be what you’re looking for.

All-in-all, it seems Netflix is more of a fan favorite, but Hulu has a lot of good options that can come in handy. At the end of the day, as long as you find what works for you, there should be no need for argument. Besides, some people have even decided to stray from both of these streaming services and have chosen to use Amazon or other streaming services instead.

​Posted 12.08.17

AP vs Concurrent Enrollment Classes

​By Alexis Jorgensen/Pro-Con Debate Editor

Between AP and concurrent enrollment classes, there are a lot of opportunities for high school students to earn college credit, but the question often comes down to which option is better. Here we have broken down a short list of pros and cons for both options.
AP classes are one good option for college credit. Not only do they show the academic rigor on high school transcripts that colleges want to see, they also knock out credits you’d otherwise have to take in college at a much lesser price. On the other hand, however, the credit transfer can be tricky. St. Louis Today pointed out that students are finding that a lot of their scores on AP tests aren’t being considered high enough. Some elite colleges don’t even accept the  highest mark.
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When it comes to concurrent enrollment, it seems there has been a push towards it in recent years. Concurrent enrollment is great at giving students a good idea of what to expect from college courses since the classes are through an actual college. As a cheap way to enroll and take college classes taught in high school, it seems like an amazing option. An often neglected downfall, however, is that, unlike AP classes, concurrent enrollment classes appear on college transcripts so if you receive a poor score in the class, it will stick with you on your permanent record. Similar to AP classes, however, credit transfer can prove unsuccessful and difficult. As College Xpress points out, “Some schools may not accept all—or any—of the credits you’ve earned through a dual enrollment program.” This can be incredibly frustrating. The cost may be a lot cheaper, but if it doesn’t amount to anything, it’s still a waste of time and money.

Photographed by Scott Webb

​Something to consider with both options is that they are going to be more difficult classes which means that they will take more time and effort. This also means that it is more likely that students may fail them. School Tutoring Academy advised that students should think it through before enrolling in AP or concurrent enrollment classes because “failing a dual enrollment course may mean the student doesn’t graduate on time from high school.” Graduating high school should be first priority for high school students so if signing up for these classes will interfere with that, it may be best to stick to regular high school courses.

​If the courses sound doable, however, it is absolutely a good idea to take either or both of them. With these classes, it isn’t incredibly uncommon for students to graduate high school with their associate degrees and even if you don’t reach a full degree, the credits will help insure that you’ll graduate college on time (if not early) and you will for sure save a buckload of cash.

Posted 11.17.17

Pros and Cons of Living in Utah

​By Alexis Jorgensen/Pro-Con Debate Editor

The place you live can determine a lot of your experiences because of what it has to offer and its drawbacks. Utah is no exception. There is no question that there are many perks and many drawbacks to living in Utah and we are here to lay out a few of them.

One of the first initially noticeable pros people will point out when coming to Utah is the landscape. Utah is well-known for its beautiful mountains that are perfect for skiing. The Top Tens website has Utah listed as the second best state for skiing by vote. On this site, many people have left comments praising Utah’s snow and one commenter pointed out that “5 Utah ski resorts are within an hour of the airport” which can be very handy for people traveling to the state for the slopes. Another pro is that, as National Geographic states, Utah has five national parks, all of which that are beautiful and well-liked by visitors.

​People who had been asked via Quora about the pros and cons of living in Utah claimed that Utah is also great for camping and a vast majority of outdoor activities. The red rocks of southern Utah make for both a visual beauty and a great spot for hiking and climbing. Basically, if you are an outdoor enthusiast, Utah is a great place for you. Utah is also listed as the state with the fourth best economy according to US News. On the same site, it is listed as the 9th best state when it comes to education and 15th when it comes to health care. When it comes to travel, Utah’s grid system of roads makes it easy to figure out directions which can come in handy.

As for the cons, the people of Quora stated that the more populated parts of Utah have really bad air and many complained that it can get very cold in Utah which is a major  

Photographed by Pedro Lastra

downfall for warm-weather lovers. US News also shows that ​Utah is in the 47th slot when it comes to equality which is a definite deterrence from the state. It doesn’t help that with about 14.3 suicides per 100,000 people, Utah is in the top 15 states with the highest suicide rates. Though it may appear to many as a safe state, it is actually listed as the #30 state when it comes to public safety and corrections, landing it in the bottom half of the states in regards to safety.

On another note, the state is heavily influenced by religion with more than 60% of the state’s population being made up by members of the LDS church. This can either be seen as a perk or a drawback depending on your own personal religious beliefs. Many non-LDS residents have complained that they feel excluded and judged by their Mormon neighbors. Many also complain that the religion seems to have too much of an impact on the government, making it feel like a Theocracy at times. If you do happen to be LDS, however, it could be a great place to live where you’ll be surrounded by others of your same beliefs.

​Of course, every place you could live is going to have its pros and cons so it may just be in your best interest to find a place that has pros that best suit you and cons that you can best overcome or, at least, overlook.

Posted 11.13.17

Alexis Jorgensen

pictures taken personally or by family/friends

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Facts About New Years

• The earliest known New Year celebrations were in Mesopotamia and date back to 2000 BC
• January is named after Janus, the god with two faces, one looking forward and one looking backward.
• The original New Year's Eve Ball weighed 700 pounds and was five feet in diameter.
• Forty-five percent of Americans make New Year's resolutions.
• About 1 million people gather in New York City's Times Square to watch the ball drop.
• According to statistics from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, vehicles are stolen on New Year's Day more than any other holiday.
• About 175 million people watch the ball drop on TV

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