Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Summer Supreme



Summer seems to make the whole year complete. Arguably, it is the complement to most of the seasons. Some people would spend their lives hibernating, and when summer comes, then, it would be time to come out. For the purpose of this article, the satisfying things about summer can be divided into three things: Season of Heat Stroke, Season of the Costly, and Season of Superficial.

Season of Heat Stroke. According to AlphaRubicon.com, “Heat stroke can cause death or permanent disability if emergency treatment is not given. Heat stroke occurs when the body becomes unable to control its temperature: the body's temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down. Lack of sweating in the heat is an important symptom of imminent heat stroke. Other symptoms of heat stroke are mental confusion, disorientation or coma, throbbing headache, flushed dry skin, nausea, and elevated body temperature.” This might be the most brilliant thing about heat stroke or extreme heat. According to Cdc.gov: “From 1979 –2002, excessive heat exposure caused 8,966 deaths in the United States. During this period, more people in this country died from extreme heat than from hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined. Because most heat-related deaths occur during the summer, and because weather projections for this year indicate a hotter-than-average summer, people should be aware of who is at greatest risk […]” Seemingly, it is viable to suggest that summer is a dangerous season as manifested by heat stroke which makes it a satisfying season.

Season of the Costly. It is the season where gas prices skyrocket. As of press time, the cheapest gas in Costco is $2.39. When gas prices skyrocket, it would be viable that car rentals would have high rates. In fact, ABCnews.com reports: “Finally a vacation - but watch out when you hit the ground. It's summertime and your car rental costs are rising. So what's a traveller to do?[….] Lisa Freeman, Consumer Reports: "The worst thing you can do is call Avis, call Hertz and then call it a day. By just going online for a few minutes you can save $100 or more for the week." Costly prices would not be limited to that aspect. Summer is the season for great movies (Batman Begins, Fantastic 4, The Island etc). What people inadvertently notice is Summer TV is full of reruns. One can surmise that most good movies are released during the summer to compensate for poor TV. Or, another way of saying: this would seem a conspiracy to compel people to shell out 9 bucks for 2-3 hours of entertainment. Thus, summer is the season of the costly, which make this season satisfying.

Season of the Superficial. It is the season to go to the beach. Mass Media would proliferate the idea wherein buff and sexy people can only go to the beach during summer. Even an article online would proliferate that summer seems to be the only season for a healthy lifestyle. Ediets.com states: “Summer is almost officially here. It’s time to put away those bulky clothes and flash a little flesh! If you need a little help shedding those extra pounds, to see what eDiets has to offer and choose from over 20 fantastic customizable plans.” This can be a manifestation of how shallow and superficial people can be. It would be reasonable to look attractive as the opposition would suggest. However, considering attractive and Abercrombie bodies as the climax of summer is a tired and tested practice of Superficiality. People would go to great lengths of shallowness just to show off their bodies during summer. Thus, it is viable to suggest that summer is a season of superficiality which makes it a satisfying period.



Work Cited:

ABCNEWS
Alpha Rubicon
CDC.GOV
Ediets.com
Summer Photo