free contraception

I read an article from Yahoo News on health care providing free contraception. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101031/ap_on_he_me/us_birth_control It was said that, "There is clear and incontrovertible evidence that family planning saves lives and improves health," said obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. David Grimes, an international family planning expert who teaches medicine at the University of North Carolina. "Contraception rivals immunization in dollars saved for every dollar invested. Spacing out children allows for optimal pregnancies and optimal child rearing. Contraception is a prototype of preventive medicine." The cost of birth control is expensive and should not be put on the backs of tax payers when instead there should be a focus on teaching children about not having sex until marriage. Because if you're having sex, you should be responsible enough to consider the possibility of becomming a parent in nine months. The article also declared that, "The Contraceptive CHOICE Project is providing free birth control to as many as 10,000 women, tracking their decisions and the results. About 70 percent have chosen long-acting contraceptives such as IUDs (intrauterine devices) or implants, which are reversible and have a much lower failure rate than pills or condoms." After researching a bit on the intrauterine device, the cons outweighed the pros. Free contraception through health care is expensive, dangerous, and a way to control the population. Three negatives that don't make a positive.

class 10.27.10

In class, we all shared our political satire ideas and gave feedback to each other/asked questions. We then got in groups and narrowed the list of satires down to two. We discussed which idea would be easiest to perform/shoot. My group decided between Jen's on the mid-term election and mine on Obama wanting longer school years. As of right now, we are all emailing and deciding which idea would work best and improving it. Only question I have is why the satires have to be like other ones that have been created. Or was it that the satires need to be based off the news and what has already happened with what the satire is about? I feel like too many people are focused on Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton.

hormone creams: they harm pets and kids

While reading articles from the New York Times, I came across a very interesting one about how kids and pets can be affected by hormone creams. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/25/when-hormone-creams-expose-others-to-risks/?ref=health The article mentioned the creams are used by women during meno-pause. They apply it on their arms and legs, and when their pets rub against them or lick the cream off their skin, they undergo the symptoms of being in heat--even after they've been spayed. The owners had been bringing the dogs and cats to the vet, in hopes of figuring out the issue. When asked by the doctors if the dogs/cats had been exposed to any sort of estrogen product, the owners said no without realizing that their hormone cream could have been the culprit. After finally realizing that theor creams had been affecting their pets, the vets were able to fix the issue by telling the owner to get rid of the product or make sure it is used properly on the skin and hidden underneath clothing. An estrogen spray was said to increase the hormonal changes in young girls, causing them to hit puberty prematurely and have enlarged breasts. People were given a warning over the summmer about the hormone creams/gels/sprays and how they have affected people.

class 10.20.10

Last class, we spent about an hour in a female vs male debate. I thought it was interesting hearing everyone's perspectives on whether females should change their last names in marriage, whether women or men are typically seen as hard-headed, and hearing comments thrown out from both guys and girls when they did not agree on statements made about males and females. One thing I did not like about the debate was how one of the female teachers reacted to a lot that was said. She basically said that girls are ridiculous if they take their husband's last name or if they submit to their husband. She was all about women power, and I don't agree with it...maybe that's a reason why many marriages fail--because of women wanting to overpower their husbands.

Why do women see it as a bad thing to take their husband's last name?

Anyways, after listening to the debate, we got in groups and read our political satires outloud. I got better feedback than I thought I'd get, but now I need to add in a bit extra that will possibly make it better. Once back in class, I heard students say that they cared about politics and think it is important, yet they don't care to learn about it. Or others straight out said they're not interested in politics. I never used to be interested in politics up until about two years ago. My family never ever talked about politics while I grew up. When I took government as a senior in high school, I began to understand more on how the government works and I found it to be interesting. I was actually excited about it. But it wasn't until a few years later when I hung out with my husband's family for a couple years. They are very into politics and I have learned a lot from them. I want to keep learning about our country and political issues. I think it is surprising/scary to see that students don't care about politics. I'm glad that I've grown an interest in it, and I have a ton to learn.

the centenarians

I just found an amazing article/documentary from the New York Times website under the health category: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/10/19/health/20101018-centenarians-voices-photos.html?ref=health It brought me to photos of 8 elderly people between the ages 98-103. The major thing that captivated me was the photos. Clicking through the photos of each person really pulled me in and made me want to learn about each person. So I listened to each person's recording and I really enjoyed what I heard. Each of them had a different outlook on themselves and toward life. One woman, Travilla Deming, was one of my favorites because she had such a positive attitude toward life and being old. She said she never let the negative parts of life bring her down; she decided she would move past the bad times. She also said she had such a happy marriage and that she and her husband grew together with little money and wore designer clothing from thrift stores. She and her husband were real excited about finding clothing, for less money, that everyone else was wearing. I was so touched listening to her and the other seven people. They had advice on how to stay old--genetics play a big part; eating healthy; taking care of your body; being happy. One man said how he suddenly was beginning to talk to people more and he enjoys it since he grew up as an introvert. Another woman said that she feels she is in the world for no reason because she is so old and cannot do anything for anyone else. I disagree with her on that since God has us here for a reason. I thought, overall, it was just so amazing to take time and listen to people who have lived even through the depression and have seen the times change right before their eyes over such a vast period of time and hear their perspectives on life and what it is like to be old. Only one woman sounded like she was having a hard time speaking. She was 103, but looked much younger. Another woman said she is shocked to find people so surprised when they hear her speak; she said it seems as though they expect her to not have a voice just because she is so old. I thought that was interesting because most of them sounded no different than a 60 or 70 year-old. And they all looked so stylish and ready for the cameras. I'm impressed with people like that. It reminds me of my grandma (80) and step-grandfather (90). They're getting up there, too. This was such a great documentary to see/hear!

class 10.13.10

In class, we watched videos showing political satire and talked about what political satire is and how people can respond to it differently. I find it to be funny when I understand the topic, but most of the time, I don't quite see the satire because I am not into politics and I have a hard time even taking in all of the political vocabulary. Some people in class believe political satire is delightful entertainment; others believe it can have negative affects on those who do not know much about politics and cause them to base their political views on the sarcasm and making-fun-of-others they see in the media. For me, being one who is not into politics at all, if I see political satire and don't laugh or respond to it in any way, I become curious as to why I'm not "getting it", and then I want to research and learn about it. Because once I learn about the issue, I decide how I feel about it and then naturally feel a certain way about the satire.

How are politicians impacted by political satire?

We were told in class that the media leaves out important issues that are going on around us. I thought about how I go on the internet and I am constantly showed headlines for articles on celebrities, million-dollar homes, and gossip, so I totally find that to be true.

political satire

http://www.apoliticus.com/2010/04/congress-hires-illegal-immigrants-to-write-immigration-bill/

graphene

I read an interesting article from the New York Times on two England physicists who won a Nobel Prize in physics for discovering graphene. The author of the article said, "Graphene is a form of carbon in which the atoms are arranged in a flat hexagon lattice like microscopic chicken wire, a single atom thick. It is not only the thinnest material in the world, but also one of the strongest and hardest" (Overbye). The pysicists used scotch tape to pull off layers of pencil lead graphite until they got the flakes of graphene down to the size of an atom. It was said that graphene is incredibly strong; if a layer of graphene were the width of plastic wrap, and then placed over a cup, a truck's weight would be supported if it were on top of it. Also it was said that graphene will be able to conduct electricity and heat better than anything that has ever been used before. It will improve other products, too--computer chips and television screens being a couple. I think it is so incredible when new discoveries are made in the world. I thought it was funny that the English men used scotch tape--such a simple, everyday object--to help discover the quality within pencil lead. I'm intersted to see how graphene will make a difference in the future; hopefully it won't take too long before they start making use out of it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/science/06nobel.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=graphene&st=cse

gap's new logo

I can't believe Gap's new logo. http://www.gap.com/ I noticed an article from yahoo news and I went to Gap's website and I couldn't believe it! Ugh! Why they would get a new logo is a mystery to me...why they would create a logo that looks like clipart from microsoft word is more of a mystery...the blue gradient and placement of the square is odd. The gradient itself is questionable. Just why?? The font does not bother me so much...although their original one made them stand out as the clothing store. I don't shop at Gap; I never have. But their previous logo had nothing wrong with it. You saw it and knew it was a clothing store. It was so universal. Everyone knew what it was. Now it looks like someone hacked onto their website and threw some ugly logo on there. Actually, I'd rather that happen because then that'd mean it's not for real.

class 10.6.10

During last class, we got in groups and read each other our treatments. I believe it has helped me to realize where my writing/ideas are weak. It was helpful to see that the organization of my treatment would have made the storyline make more sense. My group members were too distracted by the disorganization. To me it made sense of course but that's only because I could see the movie playing in my head. They couldn't, so it was good to hear their comments on how I could improve the writing composition. The only thing hard about meeting in groups is having others read your paper. They tend not to read it clearly or they skip over words and I don't feel it helps me very much. But maybe that's just me...In the writing center, they have you read your own paper and it has helped me more doing it that way.

hmmm

During last class, we watched some past senior films. I definitely saw improvement. They became more interesting each year. I felt as though I had a better idea of how to revise my first draft, but it's still hard for me to create a narrative for the senior movie without using interviews like the other films had. I know there's a way, but the question I've had is how am I supposed to create a narrative that uses characters that represent all of the Carthage seniors?

I found an article this week from the New York times from Tara-Parker Pope on Health that spoke on rinsing vegetables. I was interested in reading it because I buy fruits and vegetables each week and I always like to make sure I wash them I recently wondered to myself if rinsing them off with water is good enough. Interestingly, the article claimed that using tap water (rather than soap/vegetable and fruit wash) along with a small use of mild vinegar cleans the produce as the friction helps clean it. It was also said that the water temperature is not important, but actually scrubbing them will help clean them.

Another article was on the topic of Insulin and how it was first introduced in 1922. The article was also in the New York Times and it reminded me of two family members with diabetes. Insulin is one of the greatest medicines that's been used and has almost forgotten as being such an amazing life saver.