Is Technology Making Us Lazy? America's Debate > Are We as a People too Lazy? Questions for Debate: 1.) Is there a direct link between technology and laziness? I don't think so. Before technology, Jefferson and Washington had slaves. 2.) I have read (but do not know if it is true) that watching TV burns less calories than staring at a wall, and if that's so, then perhaps the brain functions more when watching paint peel than when watching TV. Microwaves mean I can fix my food quickly and have more time for thought, as I detest cooking, and so don't put thought into it, and so doing it slowly is a waste of time. I think the internet is a great tool for expanding knowledge, but it is disconcerting to be away from it and discussing something and itch to just type in a phrase or keyword to double check that I really heard/read/saw what I think I remembered hearing/reading/seeing. For example, it was handy to confirm that we do burn less calories doing nothing than when watching TV, although that might or might indicate we are not thinking as much when watching TV. 3.)
Lazy/Overweight American. Op-Ed Columnist - We’re No. 1(1)! The second piece, which could have been called “Why We’re No. 11,” was by the Washington Post economics columnist Robert Samuelson. Why, he asked, have we spent so much money on school reform in America and have so little to show for it in terms of scalable solutions that produce better student test scores? Maybe, he answered, it is not just because of bad teachers, weak principals or selfish unions.
“The larger cause of failure is almost unmentionable: shrunken student motivation,” wrote Samuelson. “Students, after all, have to do the work. If they aren’t motivated, even capable teachers may fail. There is a lot to Samuelson’s point — and it is a microcosm of a larger problem we have not faced honestly as we have dug out of this recession: We had a values breakdown — a national epidemic of get-rich-quickism and something-for-nothingism. Ask yourself: What made our Greatest Generation great? Contrast that with the Baby Boomer Generation. Who will tell the people? The Laziness of America - Writer's Corner: General Non-Fiction. Sin: "Laziness" (The Bible Speaks:Article) Larry Ray Hafley The Bible has a lot to say about laziness, slothfulness, and idleness, and none of it is complimentary (Prov. 15:19; 19:24; 22:13; 26:13-16). God has said, "If any would not work, neither should he eat" (2 Thess. 3:10).
One who is too lazy to work or who otherwise refuses to provide for his family "hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel" (1 Tim. 5:8). Laziness has reached epidemic proportions in America. Too many are simply unwilling to work. Parents, this is one of your obligations! Study Promises Benefits of Exercise in a Pill | Wired Science. Working out is tough. So why not skip the exercise and pop a few endurance-boosting pills? That dream, cherished by millions of sedentary couch potatoes, just got a little bit closer. Today, researchers are reporting that an experimental drug can mimic the results of an exercise regimen — with no exercise required.
After four weeks of taking the pill, mice who hadn’t worked out displayed a 44 percent increase in their running endurance. "It’s tricking the muscle into ‘believing’ it’s been exercised daily," said the study’s lead researcher, Ronald Evans of the Salk Institute, in a release. Human muscle enhancement has already shown considerable success. But not all researchers are convinced that "exercise in a pill" is actually possible.
"Physical activity is so important for maintaining the health of the human body in almost every human organ system," said Darrell Neufer, a professor of sports medicine specializing in cellular energy systems at East Carolina University. Online Learning Is Growing on Campus. Are We Naturally Lazy? - NYTimes.com. Are You Part of 'Generation Plagiarism'? Extending Unemployment Benefits - NYTimes.com. The past 40 years have seen huge amounts of research showing that extending the potential duration of unemployment benefits creates an incentive for the unemployed to search less and remain unemployed longer. This is one argument used against re-extending potential duration to 75 weeks. Yet most of the research describes behavior in average economic times, not when the unemployment rate is 9.5%. What little research is available suggests smaller effects when there are fewer job vacancies.
But even if that were not true, would it matter? Does Anyone Care About Unemployment Anymore? Today's new Labor Department report showing that the economy lost jobs last month, the first loss this year, seems in stark contrast to where the president and the Congress are focusing their attentions. Congress is adjourning without extending unemployment benefits, in large measure due to repeated Republican filibusters. And on Thursday, President Obama gave a major address about … immigration reform. The economy is now presenting a strange dichotomy. The corporate sector has returned to rude health, with improved balance sheets and tons of cash. It has helped lead the recovery. But without the mighty American consumer, who generates 70 percent of economic activity, participating to the fullest degree, the recovery will seem anemic. And yet Washington's response seems to be a collective throwing up of hands. But so far? First, there's the matter of the uncertain trumpet at the Fed.
This sort of political maneuvering is entirely predictable. But they're also wrong. America's laziest state? Louisiana - Business - Bloomberg Businessweek. In Louisiana, where the humidity is as thick as the gumbo, people prefer to take it slow. Hunting, fishing, and outdoor sporting activity may have earned Louisiana the nickname "Sportsman's Paradise," but new data indicate that the more popular pastimes are sleeping, goofing off, and watching television.
In a new ranking by Businessweek.com based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Louisiana claims the top spot as the country's laziest state. To be clear, by "lazy" we do not mean lacking work ethic or engagement. Rather, it is a measure of leisure time spent doing sedentary activities compared with activities that require more physical effort, such as exercising and even working.
Mississippi and Arkansas came in second and third, and while states in the south and southeast are represented heavily in the list, such East Coast states as Delaware and New York placed in the top 20. One major contributor is television. Awareness programs are also growing. Are we really that lazy?