Politics, Religion, and Other Controversial Subjects on the First Date
When it comes to first dates and what you should and shouldn’t do a lot of the experts will tell you that talking about religion, politics, or controversial subjects is something that you shouldn’t do.
For the most part, they are right if and this is a big if all you really are looking for is someone to have sex with.
However, if what you are looking for is, a rather casual or long term relationship then talk about any subject that is important to you.
In other words, if politics is really important to you and there are certain political lines that you would rather not converse with then talk about it.
With that said, even though you can talk about them if you want make sure that you bring it up only if it is really important to you, if you are indifferent about subject or really could care less either way don’t bring it up in an attempt to keep the conversation going.
The one thing to remember about a first date or meeting is that more than likely she doesn’t know all that much about you so you don’t want her to assume things that may not be in the case especially when you have control over those assumptions.
Now, you might be wondering when exactly would be a good time to bring up religion, politics, or other controversial subjects.
Again, this is really dependent on how important those subjects really are to you the less important they are to you the longer it probably will take for you to bring them up.
After all, if a controversial subject is unimportant to you and is unimportant to her there really is no need for you to bring the subject up in the first place which is why you must keep your conversations on what is important to you or at the very least entertaining.
Politics – The Role of Mass Media
The Internet is one of the greatest tools against censorship. Bloggers can get information out within seconds using either Twitter, Facebook, personal blogs or reporting in little videos that are afterward shared on YouTube.
Social media has changed politics in many ways. Bad words in any small land community can become national television news when someone decides to share an interview through YouTube. Prime Minister Gordon Brown discovered that during the recent elections when he forgot to remove a microphone that afterward showed inappropriate words about an inquisitive lady that asked questions he didn’t like.
It’s both good and bad. Bad for journalists who want to keep copyright to materials they have used, but certainly good for democracy since events can be shared all over the globe without any time delays for media to reach other parts of the world. It is a big challenge for established news media who were used to being the only source people listened to, and now they have to adapt to the fact that we are all journalists in one form or another.
Much more than this, it is also a challenge for each of us because we must become better at selecting between good and bad information. Once something is put in writing it gains acceptance in a new way. People forget their critical thinking once they see something that appears credible – and in that lies a great challenge for politicians also.
The Obama campaign was one of the first Presidential campaigns to include the internet, and many of us still regularly receive updates through Twitter. President Obama knows there is a second campaign to be won also. Therefore his tools are still well-established, and kept functional.
In much the same way, campaign funds will be better used when we realize that we don’t necessarily need to cut lots of trees to get functional campaigns running. Campaigning through the internet is much more friendly towards the environment, and gives a greater effect than what we have ever seen before.
What is truly encouraging about all of this is that as the internet spreads even into dictatorships it will be far more difficult for tyrants to brainwash their people. Unfortunately, however, we have seen that some requests for shutting down the internet have been followed by certain ISPs. One example is China that didn’t want access through Google Gmail to the internet for their people. All such activities will be impossible to dictate as the internet spreads, and the freedom that follows.
Photography – Forensic Photography
You’re probably not going to find a lot of information on forensic photography. The truth is, this is an area of photography that your typical photographer does not get into. You’re dealing with taking photos of people who have been brutally murdered and an assortment of other crimes. Forensic photography is not for the weak stomach. But just what is involved in becoming a forensic photographer? The course outline may not rival going to medical school, but it’s quite a handful.
As with all other types of photography, a forensic photographer first has to learn the basics of the equipment that is used such as cameras, lenses, filters, flash, tripods, types of film and a number of other items that are considered basic equipment for forensic photography. The list is as long as King Kong’s right arm.
The next thing that needs to be learned and understood is that forensic photography is technical photography. Photos must be correctly exposed, must have a maximum depth of field so that the photos are sharp and in focus and must be free from distortion. In other words, the photo must be as close to what the human eye sees as possible and still uncover things that can’t be easily seen by the human eye. Not an easy task.
The photographer must learn about flash and night photography. Many crimes happen at night and the photos have to be taken at the time of the finding. This includes learning everything about dedicated, automatic and electronic flash, including what problems you can expect to run into with each. Troubleshooting is critical in forensic photography.
Then there is a whole course on the purpose of forensic photography so the photographer knows why he is taking the photos he is taking. This includes recording the original crime scene, recording all evidence, providing a permanent visual record and understanding the admissibility of photographic evidence.
Then there is a course on what they call general crime scene photography. This course covers the basics of crimes regardless of the kind. These are procedures that need to be followed regardless of what has happened whether it be a robbery or a murder.
After this course there is a more in depth course, or series of courses, on specific crimes such as homicides, suicides, burglaries, assaults, traffic accidents and injuries. Each one of these incidents requires certain procedures that are specific only to that particular crime.
For example, with homicides color film must be used. Photographs must be taken of the exterior and interior of the building. The photographer must also take photos of the body itself from as many as five different angles, the room the body was found in, the adjoining rooms, close up of body wounds, any weapons found, any trace of evidence such as blood, any signs of a struggle, any signs of prior activity to the homicide, such as drink glasses on a table (maybe they knew each other) and all views that witnesses had if there were any.
And then if that isn’t enough, there is a whole course on how to photograph evidence from fingerprints to footprints and anything else that may be found at a crime scene. A forensic photographer must have eyes like a hawk to know what to look for.
If you’re thinking that this is something you’d like to do, now at least you know what’s in store for you.