In my previous posts, I made points that I researched myself, but in this post I'm going to discuss what was pointed out in the comments for this blog. One point made was that there are many surprising sources of caffeine that most people aren't aware of, and we should know what they are. Another point was that caffeine has some positive side effects, not just negative ones. The last point I'll address is why college students have such a difficult time getting an adequate amount of sleep.
These are a few examples of sources of caffeine we should know about: Cocoa, (hot chocolate), most chocolates, excluding white chocolate, and a few pain reliever pills, the most common being aspirin. Caffeine is also in most weight loss/diet pills, in a large amount.
If caffeine is consumed in moderation, there are some benefits that can come from it. For example, obviously it makes the consumer more alert and awake, this is because it stimulates the central nervous and cardiovascular system, to wake up the body. It acts as a pain reliever, especially for headaches. Also caffeine is used for premature babies, because of it's ability to open up the airway.
Some reasons why college students aren't able to get enough sleep are: Stress. We have too much on our plates to not be stressed right now, and this leads to an inability to fall asleep at night. Also, work overload. We can't always get our work done in enough time to get a good night's sleep, sometimes it's necessary to stay up past a reasonable bed time. If this happens to you, just remember; caffeine is fine in the earlier hours of the day(before 2:00 p.m.), and at reasonable intervals (an hour or so), and in moderate amounts (4-6 cups).
Last week I discussed the issue with illegal immigrants and healthcare, and the week before that I discussed the competition between illegal immigrants and American citizens in the workforce. This week I am going to talk about the bush administration trying to give illegal immigrants access to social security through the Social Security Act.
Social security is a government program funded through payroll taxes by American citizens. When I hear social security, I think about the elderly and disability benefits. According to FAIR.com, under current law, an alien who worked illegally in the U.S. can only become eligible for Social Security benefits by becoming a legal U.S. resident. But officials at the State Department and Social Security Administration (SSA) are preparing a plan that would pay benefits to illegal aliens who have returned to Mexico. The bush administration wants to give benefits to illegal immigrants if they return to Mexico. This proposal is an agreement with Mexico and some Americans are furious. “Adding millions of lawbreakers to the Social Security system would be a slap in the face to our retirees”, says Dana Rohrabacher in a letter in FAIR.com. Dan Burton, Indiana’s 5th district, says, “By giving social services to illegal immigrants, we are implicitly condoning their illegal activity and undermining the efforts and commitment of immigrants who choose to respect and abide by our laws, and enter America the legal way .”
The question I want to know is: Why are we trying to give illegal immigrants so many benefits? I have discussed three topics: workforce, healthcare, and social security. All of the topics benefit illegal immigrant, but seem to be a disadvantage to American citizens in some form. Is the government on our side or theirs? Like I said in my previous blogs I do not oppose immigration because it is the reason the United States is so diverse today, but I think is time the government step up and make heavier consequences on illegal immigrants.
Cancer is all around us, and no matter where we go there is a threat of getting cancer. People can try to change their odds of escaping this deadly disease, but the sad truth is that most of the things we do in our everyday life are cancer causing. According to Mayo Clinic's seven tips to reduce your risks, the only way to lessen the chances is to exercise, eat healthy, go to the doctor regularly, and stay away from high risk areas (such as power plants). Doctors are not expecting people to follow the rules all the time, they are just warning people not to live their daily life that way. The anti-cancer diet consists of all natural fruits and vegetables. People are not going to follow this diet on a everyday basis. Therefore these diets and advice from doctors are more like guidelines to staying healthy. So can you really get cancer from eating potato chips? The answer is hard to determine, but if you stay healthy there is nothing for you to worry about.
Exactly, doctors are trying to scare people into taking percussions of almost everything. If we live the life that will "prevent" cancer, then would we be living a life at all? According to the article "How to Live Life to the Max with Beginners Mind," there are steps to living a full life. One of these steps is to "discard failure." This to me means not to have the fear of death or illness. Life of fear is not a life that anyone wants to live. There is a difference in being healthy and being scared of all the things that cause cancer. In a blog that gave tips on how to avoid cancer, the list of things to eat and not to eat limits your diet to just about nothing. You are right when you say "the things we are suppose to give up for prevention of cancer are not only boring, but ridiculous." Be healthy and you will live a long and healthy life and actually live it.
In my previous blog posts, I discussed our dependence on technology and the possible effects on our future generations. Because we have become so accustomed to technology, sometimes we fail to realize the extremes we have taken it to. According to Psychology Today, technology addiction is considered a new form of compulsive behavior. While typically when you think of addiction, you think in terms of alcohol or drugs. In a research paper published by Clinical Journal of Psychopharmachology by a psychiatrist at Tel Aviv University, stated that Internet addiction be on par with extreme conditions such as gambling and sex addiction. A technology addiction is clinically described as some one who prefer encounters with technology(Facebook, Surfing the Internet, Texting, etc..) over human contact. While technology has greatly benefited us, many people have substituted it for face to face human contact. This only leads me to fear the effect of this and our dependence on the generation to come.
Supporting my views on this issue, http://www.slate.com/id/2097048/, says that an article in Pediatrics pronounced that "a growing body of scientific literature demonstrates that children who grow up with 1 or 2 gay and/or lesbian parents fare as well in emotional, cognitive, social, and sexual functioning as do children whose parents are heterosexual." Yes there have been some readings that I have come across that do not directly say that nothing is wrong with children who grow up in homosexual families(http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2001-08-23-kids-gay-parents-usat.htm), but they also do not say that it would have a negative effect on the child/ren. This article (the one stated prior to this sentence) explains how children with either one or two homosexual parents are interested in jobs that are not typically associated with their gender. It also explains to its readers how it is difficult to tell what sex the child is based on a picture of their bedroom. Though there may be a few down sides for children with homosexual parents, I have yet to read an article about it being bad for the child. Never did I read anything that says that the child would be scarred for life if their mother or father is gay. In fact, the idea that children do worse when raised by gay parents appears to be based on the assumption that there's something inherently wrong with homosexuality, was posted on http://www.beachpsych.com/pages/cc121.html. I cannot do anything more than to completely agree with this statement. This is what I have been trying to get at the entire time! Sure homosexuality may not be accepted by you or your religion, but it does not mean that the person who chooses to be gay is horrid in any way. They are still human. They are still sane. They should still be treated like a human being. And they should STILL be able to create a family of their own.
After all the reasearch and opinions I have collected, I still feel as if women are better than men. Women are better than men at many things. We are becoming stronger and dominant in society. Yes we are better liars because we plan our lies out before we tell them, men do the total opposite. Also, women can express their feelings and be honest about it. Men, on the other hand, just tell women what they want to hear. Now, don't get me wrong, not all men are the same ! But majority are. Women and men are equal but then again their different. According to Men & Women: Differences, Women think logically and men grasp a situation as a whole and think globally. Women select the most valuable knowledge and pass it over to another generation. Men are builders and creators. Men get sick twice as often as women, but women care more about their health. Women endure pain and monotonous work better than men. As stated in the article, men are better than women just as much as women are better than men, just in different ways. But like I've said before, WOMEN ARE BETTER THAN MEN !
In my last blog, it seemed like there was a bit of confusion on what my article was concerning. So to put it simply, the goal I am purely striving to achieve is to help redefine feminism. In my humble opinion, I hope that feminism will stop being viewed as women vs. men, and instead initiate the idea of people vs. oppression. I also strongly sense that this cannot happen until the public willfully eliminates the man-hating stereotype and other gender- based labels from their perceptions.
I find it particularly important to exemplify;
the patriarchal position gives people with power the ability to define people in derogatory terms, and in return decide what is or isn’t offensive for the rest of us.
opposition to all forms of misogynist behavior, sexist attitudes and negative stereotypes
Like I stated in my first blog, feminism is for everyone. It is for the poor and the rich. It is for males and females. And it is for anyone who is ready and eager to make some changes.
In my last post I talked about cheaper ways to help with the environment. I mentioned composting and recycling. In this post I am going to address the harm that will come if you do not recycle and the benefits from recycling. According to http://environment-green.com/, "By recycling1 plastic bottle not only saves anywhere from 100 to 1000 years in the landfill but also saves the environment from the emissions in producing new bottles as well as the oil used to produce that bottle." This an astonishing fact and should encourage someone to recycle themselves and make a difference. Landfills are starting to consume more land every day. The United States will not be able to keep putting so much trash in a landfill. They will have to keep building more to have somewhere to put all of our trash. Think of your own lifestyle and look at the things you can change. Everyone can make a difference if they just try. So we should ask ourselves, "what is really more important?"
In my first blog, I mentioned the definition of 3D and why it is important. I also stated the meaning of three-dimensional and flat figures and the reasons why three-dimensional objects are more understanding. I discussed that 3D can be used in different ways, whether it's to entertain, outline, or to simply give you a greater view of an object. In the second blog, I discussed the difference in 2D and 3D, the different advantages and why tw0-dimensions are no longer in use verses the reasons why three-dimensionals are. There are varieties of ways in which 3D is used today; not only is it used for entertainment and business, but also for scientist and Mechanical Design. Mechanical Designers benefit from 3D numerously, with the help of 3D, it's used to create automotive design, engineering drawings, architectural plans or electrical circuit diagrams. Another advantage of 3D, is that it can help decrease the cost of projects and prevent errors in projects (as mention in previous blog). Why not bring an object to life and have a greater understanding/ view of it and correct what needs to be corrected. To make a long story short, 3D is the new era and it's making a humongous impact on the people of today.
As long as there will be girls with barely any clothes on, there will be the out pour of low self-esteem. Although the person that dresses in this certain manner will seem happy, it will always be a facade. On top of inner detachments of one's self, the peer pressure today is uncontrollable.Television shows, movies, friends, commercials, magazines, music videos, books, and advertisements collaboratively effect one's mentality, making it seem like one should emulate what they see because it is what everyone else is doing and it is what everyone else is a part of. Genelle Davis says it best when she exclaimed "No one wants to be left out of this tasteless loop." in an article called "Hoochie wear: Assessing the trend of revealing clothing for young girls". She solely blames the pressures of the world, once even including Brittney Spears, when emphasizing the pressures of the world.
There is no doubt that revealing clothes should not be worn because of the negative effects that they can bring. There is an image and a reputation that one must uphold and dressing this way is not the answer, not to mention the people that abuse women can be enticed by their skimpy dress.
While hollywood glamorizes teen pregnancy there are actually groups and sites that help teens stray from teen pregnancy. www.pregnancystories.net gives teens insight on teenage pregnancy as well as MTV's teen mom. Here's a story from www.pregnancystories.net:
When your world changes
I was 15. I had the most loving boyfriend or so I thought. I had no idea I was pregnant until I was about 4 months along, I didn’t know what it was to be pregnant. Hell I was just finding out what love was. Well, I and my boyfriend had already been together 1 year and 6 months. We had been dating 10 months before we messed around. He was my everything; I was in love, indeed. Well, he moved in with me and my mom and my family. We were making a family of our own. Well when I was about 7 months pregnant we started fighting all the time and at times things got abusive towards me. I was so in love with him but it was like there were two sides of him. I tried to stick it out for her. Oh yea it was a girl!!! Well, I was about 8 ½ months pregnant when I started getting false contractions all the time like a week strait it was nothing but pain and I mean a lot of it! The baby started getting really big and the doctor was nervous and thought I wouldn’t be able to deliver, I’m little. So he induced me 2 days before my due date on October 23, 2009. I had a beautiful baby girl I named Lauren Rayn Robinson. Well she had jaundice which means her liver wasn’t fully working and we stayed in the hospital 8 days after I had her. Well, a little thing called postpartum depression started kicking in and I was crying all the time. I figured she got jaundice from something wrong I did during my pregnancy, not saying I did a whole lot of things wrong, I’m only human. Well my abusive relationship with my boyfriend continued after we brought Lauren home. When she was about 1 ½ months old I kicked her dad out of the house and started raising her without him. But there’s more to the story, see before I had her everyone told me I would experience unconditional love but I never imagined how right they all were. But as to who all it applied to was a different story, It was Lauren and her daddy. I tried everything to try to get over her dad but the more I tried the more I loved him. I knew even if I was going to put myself in danger for these “unconditional” feelings for her dad. She would not be in any danger because Lauren didn’t go around him much and when she did my mother was present. But, I would go around him in my time off from being a full time mother and student in high school. Here I am 17 and next Saturday my daughter will be 1. She is getting so big so fast. I am still with her dad but things are changing slowly but surely.
To date, charges have not been filed against Mr. Eulls. The bullying accusations were not looked into. As the young teen prepares for her trial, Kaleb Eulls is fulfilling a football career at Mississippi State University. There is still no reports as to whether the young lady will be charged as an adult. I, along with Lucille Boddy, do not believe the young lady should be charged as an adult. Twenty-two counts of aggravated assault and twenty-two counts of kidnapping is completely unfair. If the parents of the majority of the "victims" are not letting their children give statements or testify in trial, she should not be charged with those counts. Looking at the video, I do not even see twenty-two people on the bus. As I stated in the in the first blog, the teen should be punished severly, but not as an adult. A minimum of thirty-odd years is a bit extreme when alot of people only serve three years for murder. If the bus driver does not believe the student should be charged as an adult, then she should not be. It remains a mystery as to whether Kaleb and his sisters will testify because of the bullying accusations against him. I wish her, as well as Mr. Eulls, the best. I still do not believe he is a hero, he was just at the right place at the right time.
Both of my blogs have covered the controversial topic of polygamy. The first blog enclosed information about the various kinds of plural marriage.The main purpose was to touch upon the way polygamists are found and brought up against the law. In most cases, child abuse and fraud are what brings the fact of polygamy to the courts, not just the polygamy. Also, there is so much polygamy in states such as Utah that they can’t afford to waste money on sending officers to investigate for just polygamy. I used this information to stand for polygamists to be prosecuted for breaking the law, instead of it being a surprise add on to the other significant charges.
In the second blog I asked if polygamy should be illegal or legal? I supported it to be legal because the law should not say who a person can or can’t love.With the way the economy is, it makes it sense for families to come together. I talked about how it is shunned by society because it usually involves one person with multiple spouses, but that is a choice. If a person wants to be that way then it should not be scrutinized. It also came up that polygamy goes hand in hand with some religions and that would be violating the 1st amendment. This adds another strong stand for why polygamy should be legal.
Polygamy is being covered by entertainment more frequently here lately, but it has always been standing in the back of the room with its trunk up in the air. The big elephant has become more apparent and should be faced with a stronger force of law or be abolished as a law completely.
In my last blog, I talked about animals slaughtered for furs. Owen asked if the killing of animals would be fine if the methods of doing so where improved. Personally, I think the massive slaughter of animals to suffice for the human population is terrible, but we won't go into that. Since there will always be people who want REAL fur, the ways of putting down an animal should be painless for them. It's only fair, right? And this comes to my mind: animal abuse. There are many reasons why people abuse animals. The consequences for animal abuse should greater, to help prevent it from even happening. One man in Denver faced up to two years in jail and a $5000 fine. Perhaps if people had worse outcomes from animal abuse, things would be different for the better.
The government must think that we are capable of making the same decisions as people that are above the drinking age. If we commit a crime we don't get special treatment because we are under twenty-one. NO! We are treated as adult. I could not find anywhere that an eighteen year old got special treatment because of his/her age. If an eighteen year old kills someone they will be treated just as a twenty-one year old. So how can there be a difference in the drinking age is beyond me? I think this article hits the nail on the head so to speak "Is an 18 or 21 Year Old an Adult?". At the age of eighteen congress thinks that we are smart enough to put a man in office and old enough to defend our home land so why can't we drink? 15 reasons why drinking age should be 18 . This article makes that clear in the 10th reason.
In the United States, oil companies have already gained permission to drill in many different places, so why harm ANWR? Where else could you find caribou frolicking or beautiful scenery as you would in the ANWR region? I know America spends a lot on foreign oil, however, why should our government’s problems have an effect the natural habitat of Alaska’s animals. While I still stand against destroying the environment for oil purposes, I understand that oil is necessary for our planet to survive. Though there are many alternative ways being created to fuel cars, the process is taking a long time, and many people aren’t taking advantage of the alternatives. While continuing my research relating to saving ANWR, I came across a blog written by Sheryl Canter, who shares the same viewpoints as I. What she also opened my eyes to was the fact that ANWR’s total amount of oil would be nothing compared to the 21 billion gallons of oil that Americans burn daily! Another problem with drilling is the fact that oil use is considered one of the leading causes of global warming. Supporters of drilling in ANWR obviously do not understand the harsh ecological consequences, or are too selfish to care. Overall, ANWR, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, should be saved considering the fact that it is a “Wildlife Refuge!”
Laws in America seem to be guidelines for what we as citizens can and cannot do. One law that is certainly abused is the national drinking age. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 requested that every state raise their minimum drinking and purchasing of alcohol to the age of twenty-one. But it does not specifically state that anyone underage cannot drink alcohol.
Many high school and college students do consume alcohol at an astounding rate. According to an article by the Centers for Disease Control, 11% of consumed alcohol is drunk by teens between the ages of twelve and twenty. Approximately 90% of this alcohol consumed is through binge drinking. MedicineNet.com defines binge drinking as “the dangerous practice of consuming large quantities of alcoholic beverages in a single session,” with a side note saying, “Binge drinking carries a serious risk of harm, including alcohol poisoning."
Out of all the teens that drink underage, 19% reported that they were binge drinking at one time or another. There are many risks to binge drinking. Some of the serious risks are a greater risk of committing homicide or suicide, injuries, memory loss later in life, abusing other drugs, life-long effects that could change brain development, or death by alcohol poisoning. Many underage drinkers think that they are invincible, and nothing bad can happen to them. Alcohol poisoning is a serious risk to these drinkers. One article published by the Campaign Safe and Sober, states that the Remove Intoxicated Drivers’ research estimates that about 4,000 deaths each year are contributed by alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning can cause the victim to choke on their own vomit, their breathing may become irregular or even stop, their heart beat may become irregular or stop, hypothermia that can lead to cardiac arrest, or hypoglycemia that leads to seizures. Even if the victim of alcohol poisoning lives, they could suffer from irreversible brain damage.
Many people are aware of alcohol poisoning, but many don't know the warning signs. CollegeDrinking Prevention.com says that you should call 911 for help if the victim cannot be awoken, is having difficulty breathing, having seizures, vomiting, or is a pale, blue color. Alcohol prevents the nerves from functioning properly. A large amount could stop body functions completely. A person's blood alcohol content (BAC) can still rise after passing out. Alcohol that is still in the stomach will continue to move through the blood, making their BAC higher. Due to this fact, the website warns readers to be aware that a sleeping or passes out person may die.
Underage drinking may seem like something small at the time of doing it, but it can turn into something much bigger. Binge drinking leads to all sorts of harmful outcomes. Alcohol poisoning is very serious and everyone should be aware that it could happen to them. Drinking is harmful and should only be done when one is of age and is done responsibly.
Many of the comments that I have received argued that no matter what the age people are going to drink, which I agree with. They wanted to know why the drinking age is what it is. People also wanted to know if lower drinking ages in other countries was affective. According to the article Lessons From the Drinking Age Experiment, the U.S. used to consider twenty-one the age of being an adult. You even had to be twenty-one to vote. In 1971, the voting age was changed to eighteen. Along with the lowering of the voting age, twenty-five states also lowered their drinking and purchasing alcohol age to eighteen. This change resulted in more car crashes, injuries, and death related caused by drivers under the influence between the ages of sixteen and twenty. This lead to the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 passed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The NHTSA predicts that 1,000 lives are saved annually by this policy. The percentage of alcohol consumed by high school seniors fell, as did the percentage of binge drinking. By 1988, all states had raised their drinking age to twenty-one.
In other countries, where the drinking age is lower than the United States, there are less intoxicated drivers and fatalities according to ChooseResponsibilty.com. The NHTSA did a study with countries similar to the U.S. and found that the U.S. has more alcohol related fatalities. The same study reports that the U.S has the highest legal blood alcohol content set at .10. (at the time of the study in 2000) Other countries in the study, such as Australia and New Zealand, have random breath tests and sobriety checkpoints. Both are mandatory.
Since the U.S. is the minority of the drinking being twenty-one, drinking by eighteen to twenty year olds in not as big of a deal in other countries as it is here in the U.S.. But binge drinking is still a concern in foreign countries. Research found by the World Health Organization found that fifteen to sixteen year olds in Europeans states have fewer dangerous, intoxication occasions than in America. In the U.S. almost half of all drinking situations resulted in intoxication, but in other European countries the ratio is lower.
The conclusion is that the U.S. has tried a lower drinking age and that didn't work. The statistics show that the deaths due to alcohol were higher when the drinking age was eighteen. A lower drinking age my work for other countries, but other countries are different than the U.S. They run countries different and the people have different customs than Americans. I'm not saying that people of age do drink responsibly, but the U.S. Supreme Court seems to think so. Statics just show that more underage drinkers tend to binge drink, but my blog is getting the risk of underage and binge drinking out in the open.
benefits that can come from it. For example, obviously it makes the consumer more alert and awake, this is because it stimulates the central nervous and cardiovascular system, to wake up the body. It acts as a pain reliever, especially for headaches. Also caffeine is used for premature babies, because of it's ability to open up the airway.
