In the News #5

Splenda is everywhere. Many people use splenda on a day to day basis. I however do not use splenda but three of my family members do. My brother who is a diabetic and cannot have real sugar in large portions subsitutes it for splenda. My mother also uses splenda, she puts it in her morning coffee and it is also in her diet sodas that she drinks throughout the day. My nana also uses splenda and she cooks with it when she makes her famous banana cupcakes. I think people use splenda more than they realize it because almost everything contains sugar, which may be the reason splenda is getting so much publicity.

I think it's good that splenda is getting a lot of publicity, because this may help people realize that fake sugar is not the answer. If people just use real sugar in smaller portions we wouldn't have this problem. Splenda doesn't affect me health wise, but it does affect me because so many of my family members use it and I know that it is not good for them. I do not think this will help the good bacteria, I don't think splenda helps us at all. I don't think moderation is the key. If something is bad for you, you shouldn't eat it plain and simple. If you try to watch your intake of something that's good but over time it'll catch up to you so I don't think moderation is the key to anything unhealthy.

Inheritance of tools

1. When sanders gives details about building a wall I can clearly visualize what he is doing in each step and yes, I think each concept is clearly defined. I think he needs to describe each step because it shows us the readers what his father instilled in him and the inheritance of his tools.

2. Sanders doesn’t go in chronological order, he starts this essay with the morning his dad died and flashes back to when he was younger. When his father and grandfather would tell him stories about the tools in their family. The hammer definitely connects different times in his life. He talks about having to replace the head of the hammer several times.

3.Dawn stones are unworked rocks that served as hammers. I think dawn stones represent his ancestors to him and that not much has changed when it comes to hammers. They are still used for some of the same things.

1. Syfers describes wives duties as doing the house work, such as cooking dinner and cleaning the house. Taking care of the children, making sure they got to school, caring for them when they are sick. She wanted a wife to keep track of her schedule as well as her children’s schedule. For the most part I think these duties are still done by women today. Although I do think men are starting to take on a bigger role within the family. I think that men have really stepped up around the house and with the children. They help with the cleaning such as doing the dishes. They also cook and help with the kids, giving them baths and putting them to bed.

2. I would describe Syfers writing style as repetitive. She is continuously repeats herself when she talks about house work and her children. I would try not to repeat myself so much and get readers to sympathize for me and the rest of the housewives.

3. Nowadays I see that it is expected for women to not only have a career but also to take care of the family and clean the house. Personally I think men benefit from injustice in the world today. Even though they work and are typically the bread winners they don’t do most of the chores women do around the house and they don’t play as big of a role with raising the children.

In the New #4 (response)

I think children should be tested for the gene of cancers. I don't think they should be tested at a young age but I think by the age of 15 or 16 girls should be checked for brest cancer and ovarian cancer. I believe this because it may motivate them to take better care of themselves, for example; they may not smoke, drink, or take birth control pills. Although birth control pills help to prevent ovarian cancer, it also increases your risk of brest cancer. There are other ways to prevent ovarian cancer such as obstain from sex or get the gardasil shot. To prevent brest cancer you can take care of yourself by not drinking or smoking. So I think letting your children know that they have this gene mutation is a good thing because they can learn ways to help prevent cancer.

The 6 myths of creativity

1. The first myth is creativity; you must be creative. It is important as an advertiser or marketer that you are creative to get people’s attention. The second myth, Money is a creativity motivator; you must be creative with your ideas. You want something no one else has thought of. That’s where you’ll make your money. Time pressure fuels creativity, the third myth people need time to come up with creative ideas. Given time and isolation may help you come up with a brilliant idea. The fourth myth, fear forces breakthroughs; talks about what emotions may create creativity. The fifth myth, competition beats collaboration; if you are competing with other companies that may not be good for your business instead you should collaborate with your competition. The last myth, streamlined organization is a creative organization, this talks about downsizing. If you are not carful creativity can be lost in this process but in order to avoid this you should be organized.
2. Teresa Amabile designed her research by working with PhD graduates and managers from a variety of companies. She read their journal entry ideas, which was around 12,000. These 238 people from seven different companies were working on creative projects.
3. Bill Breen’s article’s intended audience is for managers and entrepreneur’s because this article talks about creativity, money, time, fear, competition, and being organized. Personally I think this article can be for anyone, such as, first time home buyers, college students, anyone who is dealing with money.

Journal Entry #4

1. When Bartholomae said that students must “invent the university” I believe he means whatever you write an essay on you should research the area of the topic. This is so you can learn the terminology and be able to write like you are a professional in the area of interest. They should almost be an expert in the language that they will write about. Also, I think he means research, study, and write like you are the expert of the topic you chose to write about.

2. Bartholomae suggests a way for students to become “insiders” within academic discourse by speaking. Making us, “the students” believe that we are the reason for something new. Also, by becoming involved in activities and sharing your ideas and beliefs. For new students it might be helpful to broaden your horizon

3. Bartholomae’s first example, says that the student must learn and research their topic of interest. They must learn it so well that it appears they are a professional when they write about their topic. His second example of writing says students should become insiders and learn in the environment. They’ll learn by participating instead of researching.

In the News #4

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE, AP Medical Writer Sun Sep 21, 5:48 PM ET
CHICAGO - Women are going for breast cancer gene testing in record numbers, forcing more parents to face a tough question: Should we test the kids?

About 100,000 tests for breast cancer gene mutations were done last year, double the number in 2005. The trend may grow even more because of widening insurance coverage and a new law banning genetic discrimination.
Medical experts advise against such testing before age 25, saying that little can be done to prevent or screen for breast or ovarian cancer until then, so the knowledge would only cause needless worry.
However, new studies and interviews by The Associated Press show that many people who have BRCA gene mutations — and even more of their offspring — disagree. Cornell University freshman Jenna Stoller is one.
"I'm the kind of person that, like my mom, am more comfortable knowing something about myself than not knowing," said Stoller, who tested positive earlier this year, shortly after her 18th birthday. Her mother made her wait five years after revealing her own positive test result, even though Jenna wanted to be tested at age 13.
"I remember thinking on my 17th birthday that I had another year to wait till I could make the decision for myself," she said.
Research also shows there can be benefits to at least talking about testing and inherited cancer risks with teens. It led some to quit smoking, one study found. Others, like Stoller, were advised to limit alcohol and avoid birth control pills, which can raise the risk of breast cancer though they also lower the risk of ovarian cancer.
A decade after BRCA testing began, researchers are just starting to discover the many effects that someone's positive test can have on other family members. A big issue is whether it is ethical or good to test minors.
"I've seen a fair number of parents in clinic who have really struggled with this question," said Dr. Angela Bradbury, a breast cancer specialist at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia who has led several studies on the topic.
Myriad Genetics Inc., based in Salt Lake City, sells the only BRCA gene test, which costs up to $3,000.
Men can also carry a BRCA mutation, and if either parent does, a child has a 50-50 chance of inheriting it. The mutations are most common in people of eastern European Jewish descent.
Women with a faulty gene have a three to seven times greater risk of developing breast cancer and a higher risk of ovarian cancer. Men have more risk of prostate, pancreatic and other types of cancer.
To lower risk, women can consider anti-estrogen drugs or having their breasts or ovaries removed. But these drastic measures are not advised for very young women. Even mammograms are not advised till age 25, because cancer is rare before then.
So the American Society of Clinical Oncology and other groups say that when the risk of childhood cancer is low and nothing can be done to lower it, children should not be given gene tests.
"The rule is, do no harm — test only if you can offer something that will help," said Mary-Claire King, the University of Washington scientist who in 1990 discovered the first breast cancer predisposition gene, BRCA-1.
"The life of a young girl is complicated enough already. There is nothing about it that needs to change" if she carries one of these genes, King said.
But some parents are testing girls before they even have breasts, let alone cancer risk. One woman had her 4-year-old daughter tested, said Sue Friedman, executive director of FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered, a Tampa-based support group for people with BRCA genes.
Another woman tested two very young children several years ago at Baptist Health South Florida in Miami.
"We wanted to know — it's as simple as that," she said. "Kids are born with all kinds of defects that parents have to make decisions about. I just think this is one of those things," said the woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of privacy concerns for her children.
Rae Wruble, a nurse and genetics adviser at Baptist Health, said this woman was the only one in more than 900 she has counseled who chose to test very young children. Wruble said she always tells patients that cancer groups recommend against testing minors and why. But she admitted: "If I had young children, I would have tested them because that's just the kind of person I am — I would want to know."
Most parents do not peek inside their child's gene toolbox, Friedman said. "It does deny the actual patient informed consent."
"I feel very strongly that people should not test their children, but children should make their own decision," said Jill Stoller, a New Jersey pediatrician who is the mother of Jenna, the Cornell student.
Jenna had hours of counseling before doctors agreed that for her, testing was the right choice. However, Jennifer Scalia Wilbur, a counselor at Women and Infants Hospital in Providence, R.I., told of a 19-year-old who had testing without counseling and now wants to remove her breasts and not have children.
"It was extremely distressing" to talk with her now and try to correct her overly dire outlook, she said.
At a meeting of the oncology society in June, Bradbury reported on a survey she did of 163 adult BRCA gene carriers in the Chicago area. About half supported testing minors in some or all circumstances. A previous survey she led of 53 gene carriers and 22 of their offspring (ages 18 to 25) found about the same degree of support. Most sons and daughters favored testing minors.
Another of her studies, recently published in the American Journal of Medical Genetics, explored how sons and daughters ages 18 to 25 were affected by learning that a parent had tested positive.
Some effects were good — five of the seven smokers said they were motivated to quit.
Most said the knowledge had no big negative effect, but six of the 22 said they felt frightened or disturbed.
"I was shocked, scared. I wondered if I was going to get the gene and realized I could pass it to my (future) kids. I would feel like it was my fault if they got cancer," one daughter said in the survey.
Two sons said the knowledge might change their plans to have children. Five daughters and two sons had already gone for gene testing, and nearly all of the rest said they planned to be tested.
Wanting to test minors can be a knee-jerk response that changes after counseling. Tammy LeVasseur of North Attleboro, Mass., at first thought she wanted all three of her daughters to be tested after she learned of her own positive result in July.
She later decided to encourage testing for her two oldest daughters, ages 26 and 28, who had already finished having children, but not for Jessica, who just turned 17.
"I want to wait until I'm in my 20s," Jessica LeVasseur said. "They wouldn't do anything about it. There's no reason to worry now. I'd rather just be able to finish my teenage years without worrying about that."

Do you think parents should test their children for cancers such as brest cancer and ovarian cancer?

This I Believe - Introduction #2

What is love? I can’t tell you the definition or what it is because to everyone love is different, but to me love is an experience like no other. I can feel the way my boyfriend loves me when he grabs my hand, kisses my forehead, and wraps his arms around me. I can see the way he loves me when I hear him tell his friends about me while I’m on the phone with him. I see that he is not afraid to show others how much he cares for me. He treats me like a princess and tells me I’m perfect. But I can really see how much he loves me when he talks about the time we met and when we are done reminiscing about that night he just looks me in the eyes and smiles. He doesn’t have to say another word because I know exactly what he is thinking.

In the News #3

Cloning

Cloning is ok by me if you are cloning an idividual or an animal. But if you are going to clone something you must be willing to take care of it and not treat it the same as its clone. They are different, they won't have the same personality or intelligence as the one you cloned it from because they are two different people or two different animals. Just because you clone a human being or an animal doesn't make them any less alive than the rest of us. So my answer to your question, I do not think eymbryo cloning should be aloud for stem cell research.

To me cloning an eymbryo just to kill it to further stem cell research is much worse than abortion because you are saying, "well it's okay to clone your eymbryo and kill it because you will still have your baby and this other eymbryo will be identical in every way." When really this is not true and the eymbryo you cloned is no less alive once you clone it. You are taking an innocent life. I do not agree with cloning just for stem cell research. So if they want to do stem cell research they should use immature cells that they know will never fully develop so they are not taking an innocent life.

This I Believe- Rough Draft

What is love? How do you know when you are in love? Or when someone is in love with you? How are you supposed to know if someone is “the one” for you? I cannot give you the answers to these questions and I don’t think many people can, but I can tell you my opinion and what it feels like to be in love. For me love is almost impossible to explain. In my eyes love is having trust in the one you love, and knowing that you are in love when you cannot live without them. It is such a wonderful feeling that everyone should be able to experience.
I remember the day I met my first and only love. Come to think of it that day almost never happened and I just look back and thank God. It was a Wednesday, November 7, 2007 to be exact. That night was a special night for seniors only, “Senior Movie Night” a tradition at Saint Thomas Aquinas where I attended high school. But that morning we were in lock down because there was a murderer on the loose running around the school campus. It looked as if senior movie night was to be cancelled but just before school ended the police caught the killer and the senior class was thrilled. I thought nothing of it at the time, but now I just thank God. I thank God for that night, the night I met my boyfriend, Cory.
It was a cool night; all the seniors were coming in with pillows, blankets, sleeping bags, chairs, and even a couch. My best friend Courtney and I already had our stuff set up. She played a huge part in hooking Cory and I up together. But she is not the reason I met him. I knew Cory’s best friend Steven because we went to the basketball games junior year and that’s where I met him. So Steven came up to give me a hug, while Cory followed him with a huge plate of food. Little did I know that Cory knew my best friend, which was good for me because she was the middle man between the two of us. I would tell her things that I thought about him and she would tell him even though I asked her not to, but I can’t say that I’m mad at her for that. At the end of the night he leaned over and asked me for my number. I couldn’t resist his amazing body and heartwarming smile. So I of course said yes and immediately asked him for his number.
Over the next few days we talked a lot. We found out that we had a lot in common. For example, he played baseball and I played softball, we were both centerfielders, and we both were number two. We each had a younger brother and they were the same age. Family is extremely important to the two of us. From talking to him for a couple of days, I knew that I wanted to go out on a date with him but there was a problem. Cory traveled on weekends to play baseball up until Thanksgiving. So until then we ate breakfast together in the morning before school and talked at night over the phone. I thought the day would never come when he asked me out on a date. But he did and we had our first date on December 1, 2007. He had a really nice evening planned for the two of us, dinner and a movie. He told me he was going to take me out to dinner at Cheesecake Factory and then we would go see the movie awake. It was a nice night despite the bad food and not so great movie. The night ended early but it would only be a week before we went on another date. This date was special, December 8, 2007. He asked me to come over his house to meet his family and celebrate his grandfather’s birthday with him and his family. It wasn’t just immediate family; there was grandma and grandpa, mom and dad, aunts and uncles, siblings and cousins. So as I pulled up in front of his house he was there waiting for me with his baby cousin Emily in his arms. I walked up to him and gave him a hug and he said to me before we go inside I want to make it official, “will you be my girlfriend?” he asked me. I said yes, and we proceeded inside to meet his family.
It has been over nine months since that night and every day I find myself loving him more and more with each passing day. I believe our love was meant to be.

In the News #2

Bush's Border Fence Faces More Trouble

I would give the Bush administration the $400 million dollars they need to complete the rest of the fence. I think it is important especially after 9/11 to keep terrorist out of the United States. Unfortunately there are many other ways terrorist can enter our country. Also I think putting in surveillance technology is important as well. We really need to be careful on who is coming into our country these days.

As far as the families having to give up their homes to build the rest of this fence, I believe they should do it. The government is going to buy their land and homes from them so they will have money to go buy another house, it's not like they'll be living out on the streets. So if they really cared about our country I think they would be willing to give up their homes and land.

Also they have to get court orders to build on certain lands. Again I think if anyone cared about our country they would let the government build the fence and do what they can to protect us. Instead of always bashing the government maybe we should listen to them because they know more than we do as far as what other countries are plotting against us, or where terrorist may be coming from.

In my opinion I think the fence is a necessity for the safety of our country. I also realize that terrorist and other people who want to come to the United States will find other ways to enter the country. So we should also find other ways to protect ourselves, cause lets face it, a fence isn't going to keep out everyone.

"The Case Against Chores"

1. Smiley changed her beliefs about chores when she was a child because she never had to do any chores. She said this when she was talking about her mother and grandmother, she said that she was never expected to lift a figure because her mother and grandmother did it for her. I don’t think if she wrote that somewhere else in the essay it really would’ve affected me.

2. Kids won’t do a good job if you make them do something they don’t want to or are not interested in. It’s not going to help them become hard workers, if you want to instill hard working into them, get them something they are going to want to take care of. Yes, I do consider these reasons authoritative. I think her intended audience was parents, trying to explain to them that a kid isn’t going to do something they don’t want to with a whole lot of effort.

3. She asks her reader’s questions to keep them interested in the essay. She also wants them to become involved in her writing. I agree with her questions I don’t want to be loved by how much work I do around the house.

Journal Entry #2

I chose an essay about children and another essay about love. I chose these two topics because I am lucky enough to have already found love and one day I hope to lucky enough to have children. When I read the introduction on the essay about children, I could picture myself being the mother two those children. The second essay was about love. So if I could have any two things in life one would be having somebody to love and the other one would be being a mother to a child.
A mother tells a story about the hardships she has overcome. From 9/11 to a friend committing suicide, and her father being diagnosed with cancer. But when she was down and couldn’t lift her spirits her children were there for her. They told her she looked like a movie star and that simple comment could lift someone’s spirits just like it lifted hers. The second essay was about love, love for a four month old baby girl. She was diagnosed with cystic fibroses shortly after birth. This story is about hard times and the blindness of what the future holds. Not knowing how much longer you will have with your daughter. She cherishes everyday she can spend with her and looks forward to the terrible two’s because that means that her daughter lived to be two. She looks forward to her teen years because it means she can share more love with her daughter.
These essays are similar because they both show the effect children have on us and how much love one person can feel for another. You will have happy moments in life and there will be sad moments in life. These essays don’t really differ. They both deal with sufferings but love is what gets them through the hard times.
The essay on love followed the guidelines by “This I believe”. It was short to the point, positive, and it told a touching story. The essay on children was not very positive. It was depressing throughout the essay. But it really makes you think; well how lucky could I be to have two beautiful boys who love me and a trusting husband.
For project one I would like to write about love. Love is so many different things, it’s getting hurt, being happy, trusting others, and compromising. When you find love you can’t experience anything better. The way it makes you feel and the way you feel for someone else is indescribable.

http://www.thisibelieve.org/dsp_ShowEssay.php?uid=11575&themelist=love&yval=0&start=0

http://www.thisibelieve.org/dsp_ShowEssay.phpuid=2316&themelist=children&yval=0&start=0

Chapter 1; Powell and Goldberg

My American Journey

1. While writing this essay I think Powell's purpose was to encourage his readers to never give up at any point in their life. For example, Powell talked about the college he went too CCNY and the college his sister went too Buffalo State Teacher College vs. Harvard and Priceton. I believe his point was to tell his readers that even if you cannot afford to go to these colleges or perhaps you can't get in to an ivy league school it will never make you any less successful than the people who do attend colleges like Harvard and Princeton. Another example that he talks about in the reading is the time when the Army stationed him in Georgia. Powel went to a drive thru restaurant and the waitress came up to his car and said she could not serve him. Powel knew it was because of his color, so he strived even harder to succeed.

2. I don't think Powell was directing his essay to any specific group, just minorities in general. I would recommend this reading to anyone who is against the odds. It is very inspirational and may give people hope that better times are to come.

3. Powell is a talented and inspirational writer. He is a determined person and you can see this through his essay. I have never heard of him before so I can't say that this essay has changed my opinion of him but it has certainly influenced me.

Writing Is Not a McDonald's Hamburger

1. I think Goldberg's purpose was to get us to write down our feeling on paper, express ourselves and not to hold anything back. Through this process we will teach ourselves how to become better writers. I think Goldberg shows this when she tells you to write and let go of everything, it may come slowly and be awkward at times but eventually you will get the hang of it and it'll be like second nature.

2. I believe she was targeting an audience who has trouble expressing their feelings to others, so maybe getting them to write on paper first that will help express their true feelings to themselves first. Anyone who is going through a rough time may benefit from this reading. It may simply help them grieve. I don't think this essay would benefit people who like to share their feelings, it might help people to talk to others and express their feelings to someone else rather than to sit down and write it out on paper.

3. Her subject is writing and how important it is in life. No matter where you go in life you will always have to write, from school, to your job, or even just for fun. As she talks about it you can tell that it not only is a necessity but also a way of expressing yourself.

Journal Entry #1

Journal Entry #1

One day I was looking for scholarships for school and I came across a poetry scholarship. There are two kinds of writing I enjoy, writing poetry and writing movie scripts. So right away I read the prompt and decided I would complete a poem and send it in.

So I wrote the poem down on paper, it took me many rough drafts until it was final. Then I typed it on my computer and submitted it online where it’ll be judged.

Comedy was the genre I chose. I was writing about my dog Otis who at times can be a terror, obnoxious, and yes annoying. If you could meet him you would understand completely. He chases my younger brother around the house trying to pull his pants down. If someone walks through the door and you give them a hug Otis is up on his back legs hugging whoever you are hugging. If there is something up one the counter that has your attention and he who is curious will literally jump up on the counter to see what is more important than him. Let me tell you this, he is not a small dog by any means, he happens to be a seventy-five pound golden retriever. So why did I choose comedy to describe him? Because every day he makes me laugh and I hope by writing about him will makes the readers laugh when they read my poem.

My audience is the people grading my paper, but since I will not know how they reacted towards my poem until October I will inform you how my family reacted to it. My dad and mom laughed because they knew that how I described him was exactly how he was in real life. My brother’s reaction in his own words, “I can’t believe you wrote a poem about Otis.” I think that’s just because Otis runs after him all the time pulling his pants down and maybe he doesn’t realize how special he really is to our family.

My purpose in writing about my dog was for people to understand how much love and joy he has brought to our family. Everyone knows that dog is man’s best friend and I just wanted to put it in writing and show that Otis is truly my best friend. I also wanted to tell everyone how wild and crazy he gets at times and even though he may chew a towel or someone’s socks or even just grab someone’s belonging from their room to get their attention to play with him we still love and appreciate him. I felt writing a poem about him would be the perfect way to accomplish my purpose and I have to say I think I was right.

As far as the culture in my house, Otis was raised with no rules, which could very well be the cause of his behavior. It’s also a proven fact that dogs take the personality of their owners, I must say this, I never realized how crazy we were until he came into our lives.

Using “Rhetorical Situation” is different for me in this case because I was trying to entertain my readers, whereas, normally I want to keep them interested in what I am writing but not necessarily entertain them. Also I was trying to inform them on how my dog behaves on a daily basis.

In the News #1

I think the olympic pool being deeper than normal was unfair in a sense that people before the 2008 olympics worked so hard to set the records that they did. If it is true that the pool being deeper than normal makes it easier to swim, I think the records should be swept clean because they had an advantage to setting records, whereas the other olympic record holders worked harder to achieve the records they set before the 2008 olympics.

As far as the Chinese girls in gymnasics, they couldn't have been any older than twelve years old. I don't understand how they can get away with cheating like that. All our girls from the United States were older than sixteen and same with every other country. So why do they have girls underage competing in the olympics and how are they able to get away with it?