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?