An essay explaining your experiences in a field or subject and how your experience and skill can teach others how to do a better job in the future by setting a good example or by explaining why not to do things in a certain way. This type will help me by allowing me to armchair quarterback my own experiences and events in life, analyze what I did right or wrong, and explain to others why you would do it this way and how I know that and/or why you wouldn't do it that way, why I know that, and what is a better way to do it.
Self reflection and education through experience.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
Vocabulary: Fall #2
Obesity - more than average fatness
Many believe that obesity creates a major impact on our health.
Accumulate - collect or gather; get or gather together
He liked to accumulate rocks, bottles, and other odd things he'd find.
He liked to accumulate rocks, bottles, and other odd things he'd find.
Mass - gathered or tending to gather into a mass or whole, a large number or amount or extent
The mass of the block was more than the foam, even though they were equal size.
The mass of the block was more than the foam, even though they were equal size.
Disease - an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning
Not every contagious infection is a disease.
Not every contagious infection is a disease.
Diet - the act of restricting your food intake (or your intake of particular foods); the usual food and drink consumed by an organism
For some, a diet is hard, so they try and eat less than normal.
For some, a diet is hard, so they try and eat less than normal.
Prevalence - the quality of prevailing generally; being widespread
The idea had prevalence in normal society.
The idea had prevalence in normal society.
Stigma - a symbol of disgrace or infamy
The feeling was his stigma, and he was ashamed of it.
The feeling was his stigma, and he was ashamed of it.
Prevent(able) - prevent from doing something or being in a certain state; keep from happening or arising; make impossible
The police were able to prevent the man from jumping off the bridge.
The police were able to prevent the man from jumping off the bridge.
Adolescent - in the state of development between puberty and maturity
Most would consider people under 18, an adolescent.
Most would consider people under 18, an adolescent.
Cardiovascular - of or pertaining to or involving the heart and blood vessels
Everyone has a cardiovascular system.
Everyone has a cardiovascular system.
Excessive - beyond normal limits; unrestrained, especially with regard to feelings
Her spending was excessive, she had a hard time fitting all her shoes in her closet.
Mechanism - the technical aspects of doing something
His reasons, the mechanism of his position, and his pride let him fall.
Sedentary - requiring sitting or little activity
He lived a sedentary lifestyle, which led to his weight gain.
Predispose - make susceptible
The predispose of her illness as a child would later effect her again in the future.
Syndrome - a complex of concurrent things; a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease
Down Syndrome, a condition you can be born with, affects the brain causing intellectual impairment.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Pros & Cons: Obesity
Pros:
Obesity, like other diseases, impairs the normal functioning of a body. People who are obese have excess adipose (or fat) tissue that causes the overproduction of certain molecules and mediators in the body, which lead to abnormal regulation of food intake and energy expenditure.
Obesity decreases a person's life expectancy or can cause death, like other diseases. Obesity in adults can lead to three years loss of life. Extreme obesity can shorten a person's life span by 10 years--comparable to the decrease in years of life from smoking.
Some studies have shown that the hereditability of obesity is about the same as that of height. Therefore obesity is not the result of people lacking willpower to exercise or eat less, but is genetically predetermined.
Government entities including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have affirmed that obesity is a disease.
Diseases have characteristic signs, according to general and medical dictionaries. Obesity has a characteristic sign--excess fat--which is measured by BMI or increased waist circumference measures.
Obesity is a risk factor for diabetes, hypertension, some cancers, and other diseases. Other risk factors are also defined as diseases, such as hypertension which is defined as a disease because it is a risk factor for heart failure and stroke.
Obesity is not just a recent phenomenon resulting from the modern environment. Physicians from as early as the 17th century have referenced obesity as a disease.
Cons:
Obesity does not necessarily impair the normal functioning of a body as other diseases do. Many people with a BMI in the obesity range are not physically impaired and live normal lives.
Unlike other diseases that lead to shortened life expectancy or death, some obese people live long lives and do not develop diseases commonly associated with obesity, such as diabetes.
Obesity is a matter of personal responsibility. People become obese because they make bad dietary decisions and do not exercise enough or at all.
Obesity is the result of sedentary lifestyles and not illness. For example, compared to 40 years ago, people today spend more time commuting, sitting in front of a computer, watching television, playing video games, and generally exercising less.
Obesity does not have characteristic signs or symptoms like diseases typically have. The only characteristic sign of obesity is excess fat, which is the definition of obesity itself. There are also no symptoms for obesity.
Obesity is a preventable risk factor for other diseases, like smoking is a preventable risk factor for lung cancer or like drinking is a preventable risk factor for alcoholism.
Obesity can, in some cases, have positive health benefits such as increasing bone mass and reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
My Analysis:
Obesity is not good. To be broad, we should allow anything to shorten our lives, make them more difficult and allow ourselves to become sick because of any preventable reason. Looking at how we act toward obesity today, we don't know a lot about it, but we're scared. We're also often trapped in a cycle of eating what we want because we always have. It's hard to give that up just because the food might be bad. We need to ask ourselves if that's how we want to live. What are we willing to risk?
Preventable diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and now; obesity, can and will be stopped. How? A pill? A new kind of food? A vaccine? What can we do right now while we wait? They've been telling us for years: eat right. Not eat less, not eat better, not eat this or that. Every individual has to determine what that means to them. It could be less, more, fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, bread, more calories, less fats, more vitamin C, etc. The important part is figuring it out, and we all need to take steps to improve our eating habits and keep ourselves healthy, in every aspect, regardless of what it takes.
Ultimately, it's our responsibility. Take charge.
Sources:
USA Today: Obesity Surgery
ProCon: Obesity
TheHeart: Physicians on Obesity
Adelaide University: Obesity Reports
Obesity, like other diseases, impairs the normal functioning of a body. People who are obese have excess adipose (or fat) tissue that causes the overproduction of certain molecules and mediators in the body, which lead to abnormal regulation of food intake and energy expenditure.
Obesity decreases a person's life expectancy or can cause death, like other diseases. Obesity in adults can lead to three years loss of life. Extreme obesity can shorten a person's life span by 10 years--comparable to the decrease in years of life from smoking.
Some studies have shown that the hereditability of obesity is about the same as that of height. Therefore obesity is not the result of people lacking willpower to exercise or eat less, but is genetically predetermined.
Government entities including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have affirmed that obesity is a disease.
Diseases have characteristic signs, according to general and medical dictionaries. Obesity has a characteristic sign--excess fat--which is measured by BMI or increased waist circumference measures.
Obesity is a risk factor for diabetes, hypertension, some cancers, and other diseases. Other risk factors are also defined as diseases, such as hypertension which is defined as a disease because it is a risk factor for heart failure and stroke.
Obesity is not just a recent phenomenon resulting from the modern environment. Physicians from as early as the 17th century have referenced obesity as a disease.
Cons:
Obesity does not necessarily impair the normal functioning of a body as other diseases do. Many people with a BMI in the obesity range are not physically impaired and live normal lives.
Unlike other diseases that lead to shortened life expectancy or death, some obese people live long lives and do not develop diseases commonly associated with obesity, such as diabetes.
Obesity is a matter of personal responsibility. People become obese because they make bad dietary decisions and do not exercise enough or at all.
Obesity is the result of sedentary lifestyles and not illness. For example, compared to 40 years ago, people today spend more time commuting, sitting in front of a computer, watching television, playing video games, and generally exercising less.
Obesity does not have characteristic signs or symptoms like diseases typically have. The only characteristic sign of obesity is excess fat, which is the definition of obesity itself. There are also no symptoms for obesity.
Obesity is a preventable risk factor for other diseases, like smoking is a preventable risk factor for lung cancer or like drinking is a preventable risk factor for alcoholism.
Obesity can, in some cases, have positive health benefits such as increasing bone mass and reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
My Analysis:
Obesity is not good. To be broad, we should allow anything to shorten our lives, make them more difficult and allow ourselves to become sick because of any preventable reason. Looking at how we act toward obesity today, we don't know a lot about it, but we're scared. We're also often trapped in a cycle of eating what we want because we always have. It's hard to give that up just because the food might be bad. We need to ask ourselves if that's how we want to live. What are we willing to risk?
Preventable diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and now; obesity, can and will be stopped. How? A pill? A new kind of food? A vaccine? What can we do right now while we wait? They've been telling us for years: eat right. Not eat less, not eat better, not eat this or that. Every individual has to determine what that means to them. It could be less, more, fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, bread, more calories, less fats, more vitamin C, etc. The important part is figuring it out, and we all need to take steps to improve our eating habits and keep ourselves healthy, in every aspect, regardless of what it takes.
Ultimately, it's our responsibility. Take charge.
Sources:
USA Today: Obesity Surgery
ProCon: Obesity
TheHeart: Physicians on Obesity
Adelaide University: Obesity Reports
Text Analysis #1
The Blame Game And Obesity In America
-CBS News
Fast food is nothing new, it's been around in it's current form for about 40 years. We're familiar with the bug guys: McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, and, for the most part, we know their food isn't very good for us. Statistics show that two thirds of all Americans are now overweight or obese. We've changed the way we eat, what we eat, and why. Who we buy food from, what we get, and how much we eat effect our diets and nutrition. It's not as easy as eating what you want anymore, you need to understand what you're eating and how much you can have. Some people still haven't learned that yet, but they may in the future. We're trying to better understand all the things that go into our food, so we can be better prepared for the future.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
This is phat!
Want to learn more about it?
Super Size Me
Super Size Me is the adventure of one man, Morgan Spurlock, and one business, McDonalds. It shows how fast food products effect us short term and long term, and what we can do to help protect ourselves and others from harming our health through food.
Super Size Me is the adventure of one man, Morgan Spurlock, and one business, McDonalds. It shows how fast food products effect us short term and long term, and what we can do to help protect ourselves and others from harming our health through food.
Vocabulary: Fall #1
Expository - explanatory type of writing
I wrote an expository paper about cars.
Composition - the act of putting together
He composed a list of all of his favorite songs.
Assuage - to make less severe or intense
To assuage Timmy's grief she handed him back his rubber duck.
Decadence - a process, condition, or period of deterioration or decline, as in morals or art; decay
After the decadence of Detroit, many streets remain barren and homes empty.
Hackneyed - used so often as to be trite, dull, and stereotyped
His excuses were hackneyed to me and I ignored them.
Coalition - an alliance, especially a temporary one, of people, factions, parties, or nations
The US coalition moved through the village, Australian soldiers followed closely behind.
Transcend - to pass beyond the limits of
He was to transcend the ranks and become one of the greats.
Meritorious - Deserving reward or praise; having merit
Her meritorious actions earned her the Distinguished Service Award.
Lurid - causing shock or horror; gruesome
The scene was lurid, it was unlike anything he'd ever seen.
Petulant - unreasonably irritable or ill-tempered; peevish
The child was still petulant, regardless of his returned duck.
I wrote an expository paper about cars.
Composition - the act of putting together
He composed a list of all of his favorite songs.
Assuage - to make less severe or intense
To assuage Timmy's grief she handed him back his rubber duck.
Decadence - a process, condition, or period of deterioration or decline, as in morals or art; decay
After the decadence of Detroit, many streets remain barren and homes empty.
Hackneyed - used so often as to be trite, dull, and stereotyped
His excuses were hackneyed to me and I ignored them.
Coalition - an alliance, especially a temporary one, of people, factions, parties, or nations
The US coalition moved through the village, Australian soldiers followed closely behind.
Transcend - to pass beyond the limits of
He was to transcend the ranks and become one of the greats.
Meritorious - Deserving reward or praise; having merit
Her meritorious actions earned her the Distinguished Service Award.
Lurid - causing shock or horror; gruesome
The scene was lurid, it was unlike anything he'd ever seen.
Petulant - unreasonably irritable or ill-tempered; peevish
The child was still petulant, regardless of his returned duck.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
My Opinion isn't (a) Right
It's simple, yet complicated. What are your rights? Who gave them to you? Who can take them away? Why? Who let them do that? How do I effect other's rights? What are my rights?
As a living human being on planet Earth, you have rights. Whether provided at the local level or at the global level, you have rights. Depending on where you are, who you are, and what you do, you may have less or more rights than others. What do they mean to you? They protect you from others and others from you.
When reading about your rights, you realize some are extremely basic, such as a right to live free of fear and danger. Others, such as the right to bare arms, are more complicated and are still interpreted differently today. To understand your role in society, understanding your rights is crucial.
Be aware of other's rights and your own, their relationship to each other and even people you may not know. Laws and regulations help dictate how to approach other's and your own right, but ultimately it's up to you. Exercising your rights is important for you and everyone around you, so make sure you know what they are and how to use them.
As a living human being on planet Earth, you have rights. Whether provided at the local level or at the global level, you have rights. Depending on where you are, who you are, and what you do, you may have less or more rights than others. What do they mean to you? They protect you from others and others from you.
When reading about your rights, you realize some are extremely basic, such as a right to live free of fear and danger. Others, such as the right to bare arms, are more complicated and are still interpreted differently today. To understand your role in society, understanding your rights is crucial.
Be aware of other's rights and your own, their relationship to each other and even people you may not know. Laws and regulations help dictate how to approach other's and your own right, but ultimately it's up to you. Exercising your rights is important for you and everyone around you, so make sure you know what they are and how to use them.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Reflections on Week 1
From the start, it's seemed confusing. So many topics, so many different topics, and the student participation has been half-assed at best. I'm going to do what I must to stay with the agenda. Sometimes it's cluttered but at least I can go back to the blog at home and analyze what I need to do to get it done. I do have access to a PC as well as my Android. I have a vehicle, yes. I've got four classes and I'm actively trying to switch my unwanted, requested, convoluted Anatomy class into something else.
I work with people a lot. I've had to learn how to turn off and on command mode when necessary. I learned this in the activities I do throughout my spare time. People respond to different stimuli, you need to address their needs effectively to get the job done. Or effect what they want to get them on their way. I'd rather not go too much into what it's all about, but I understand how to operate more efficiently in high stress situations and to assess situations and effect change if necessarily.
I'm looking forward to using more current events and strategies to my advantage in this class. I'm concerned about the participation of my fellow students, however, and hope they get their act together. I look forward to learning more objective writing, honing a better writing style and gathering better vocabulary. I think these will affect me in a positiveness way for my career and in life's challenges.
I work with people a lot. I've had to learn how to turn off and on command mode when necessary. I learned this in the activities I do throughout my spare time. People respond to different stimuli, you need to address their needs effectively to get the job done. Or effect what they want to get them on their way. I'd rather not go too much into what it's all about, but I understand how to operate more efficiently in high stress situations and to assess situations and effect change if necessarily.
I'm looking forward to using more current events and strategies to my advantage in this class. I'm concerned about the participation of my fellow students, however, and hope they get their act together. I look forward to learning more objective writing, honing a better writing style and gathering better vocabulary. I think these will affect me in a positiveness way for my career and in life's challenges.
Five Go-To Sources for Good Non-Fiction
1. The news - [For the most part] new's companies are pretty good at reporting current events, from your town to the world. You can read the paper, watch TV, listen to radio or read it online. (There are exceptions, so choose wisely)
2. Manuals - When you buy a product, there's usually something there to tell you how to use it. From a Swatch watch to a Boeing 777, somebody took the time to tell you how to break it and unbreak it.
3. Studies - Education institutions and agencies in charge of information often conduct studies to find things out. They'll ask people questions or use mechanical devices to divulge information about specific event or topics. These are often used to influence how our world works.
4. Experts - Need someone to do one thing and one thing only? Call an expert. These people know everything there is to know about one (usually, maybe more) topic and can help you make decisions or do work for you if you're not able to.
5. Reports - A person or persons gathered information from a variety of sources, determined fact from fiction, and presented a topic in a way that anyone can understand. Why is hot for six months and cold for the other six? Someone did research, gathered information, cited sources, checked facts and provided pictures as to why Summer is our hotter months.
2. Manuals - When you buy a product, there's usually something there to tell you how to use it. From a Swatch watch to a Boeing 777, somebody took the time to tell you how to break it and unbreak it.
3. Studies - Education institutions and agencies in charge of information often conduct studies to find things out. They'll ask people questions or use mechanical devices to divulge information about specific event or topics. These are often used to influence how our world works.
4. Experts - Need someone to do one thing and one thing only? Call an expert. These people know everything there is to know about one (usually, maybe more) topic and can help you make decisions or do work for you if you're not able to.
5. Reports - A person or persons gathered information from a variety of sources, determined fact from fiction, and presented a topic in a way that anyone can understand. Why is hot for six months and cold for the other six? Someone did research, gathered information, cited sources, checked facts and provided pictures as to why Summer is our hotter months.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
A Truly Interesting Piece of Non-Fiction
I'm currently reading only one book at the moment. I say that not because I'm usually reading more but because I'm usually having to read for school as well.
This book is E-Man, the story of Al Sheppard and his life in the NYPD's elite Emergency Service Unit. A quote I'm quite familiar with and, as he makes sure you are too in the book, can't help but smile at is: When people need help, they call the police. When the police need help, they call Emergency Services.
I'm not yet done with the book, about half way through now. So far, a very intense and adventurous read into the life of a 25 year veteran of New York's finest.
I'll post more about it soon.
This book is E-Man, the story of Al Sheppard and his life in the NYPD's elite Emergency Service Unit. A quote I'm quite familiar with and, as he makes sure you are too in the book, can't help but smile at is: When people need help, they call the police. When the police need help, they call Emergency Services.
I'm not yet done with the book, about half way through now. So far, a very intense and adventurous read into the life of a 25 year veteran of New York's finest.
I'll post more about it soon.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
It's All Latin to Me
"dimidium facti qui coepit habet: sapere aude, incipe". A quote from the Roman poet Horace in his first book of Epistles. "He who has begun is half done: dare to know, dare to begin!" The phrase forms the moral to a story where a fool waits for the stream to stop before crossing it. His word choice suggests the value of human endeavor, of a persistence in reaching a goal and the required effort to overcome obstacles.
Anyone can start something, you need to have the will and ability to want to finish it to succeed. We cant simply want to succeed, you must actively strive to get what you want. Actions speak louder than words.
Anyone can start something, you need to have the will and ability to want to finish it to succeed. We cant simply want to succeed, you must actively strive to get what you want. Actions speak louder than words.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)