Marking Period 3 Week 3

http://www.lauraonlife.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=225:thoughts-on-turning-50&catid=1:columns&Itemid=2
In Snyder's column this week, she shares her unique more optimistic views about turning 50, one of the ages many make to be a big deal. She illustrates her optimistic point of view through numerous examples that many would generally pass by while they focus on the more negative aspects of it. She first explains how she is not too upset about turning 50 and is "not in denial" because she knows that years from now, she'll be wishing she could be back at 50 again. Also, she explains how society as a whole (although we still make a big deal of turning 50) has moved some of the hype and excitement away from that age because senior discounts now must wait until she is 55 or 60 - one of the more unfortunate parts reaching that age right now, and she still must pay mortgage for 20 or so years. Snyder explains how her first 50 years have almost gone by in a blur of events, and therefore not having time to stop and really think about her age has allowed her to not be frustrated over turning 50, just as having children to still chase around and having to tell them to pick up after themselves or do their homework gives her more of a sense of youthfulness. Although some may look at turning 50 as a time to start doing all those adventures you promised yourself you would do before time runs out, Snyder feels there is no need to change the way she has been happily living her life, and sees the only difference in her next 50 years to be the adventure of not knowing exactly how they will be spent. She therefore looks into the future more with excitement than most people would when turning 50.

Marking Period 3 Week 2

http://www.lauraonlife.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=224:watering-your-peacocks&catid=1:columns&Itemid=2
This week, Snyder discusses her choice to move her plants inside as winter moves in, to protect them from the cold and hopefully help her hold on to such greenery and life until the cold leaves in spring. She points out that no matter her intentions to keep watering them and keep them alive, it usually leads to the plants dying due to her forgetfulness. The question then becomes why not just leave the plants outside to die if they will end up dying inside anyways. This brings up her point that "there is a huge difference between negligence and murder, and she goes on to explain that she can "forgive [her] forgetfulness", showing how even though we might fail at something, it really is the effort that counts. By not even trying something, there is no excuse if it ends up not working. Snyder discovers the irony of her solution to put peacock feathers into the pots to replace the flowers, because at first, living things were giving her trouble because she struggled to keep them alive, but then when she thought a non-living product was the answer, it failed because it was not living and therefore could not "reproduce". Therefore, she discusses how what we think may be a great solution can end up leading to more problems to solve.

Marking Period 3 Week 1

http://www.lauraonlife.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=223:tae-kwon-do-ing-why&catid=1:columns&Itemid=2
Laura Snyder is a humor columnist and speaker who writes from her experience as a mother and wife on the knowledge the bizarre experiences of normal activities in her family's everyday life that she hopes others can benefit from. This week, she explains what unexpected yet valuable lessons trying her son's tae kwon do class has taught her. For example, having a goal to strive for, such as earning her black belt eventually, teaches her to appreciate each smaller step it takes to get there just as much as her ultimate goal. Her position is that we must not lose sight of the little things one can learn when reaching for a large goal, even if we do not get all the way there. She shows this by directly addressing the dissenting opinion of others, saying "If they ever said what they actually thought, I would say they were right: I'm not training for a black belt, I'm simply training for the next belt". She uses humor to also make a point that letting loose and being able to do something out of the ordinary, like "yelling like Tarzan", gives you a freedom you otherwise wouldn't discover. Snyder stresses that while you might not become a champion at something, it is valuable to seize unexpected opportunities.

Marking Period 2 Week 5

Over the past few weeks, I have been reading various opinions on genetic testing - something that has greatly increased recently and has strong pro and con arguments surrounding it. Although I do feel that excessive genetic testing could lead to too much genetic manipulation and eventually to an 'unnatural' world, I more strongly feel that genetic testing a necessity in order to improve and fix current health issues as well as to stop future health issues from occurring in our world. If we have the capabilities and resources to keep people in our society healthy and prevent the health issues that hinder us, then I feel they should be put into use and research should be done to further the knowledge we already have. We would not be as far as we are in our world today if it were not for scientific improvements, so genetic testing is what our generation must experiment with and master, just as a past generations created the first vaccines. There certainly are dangers involved in genetic testing, but generally there are more positives coming out of it than there are cons.

Marking Period 2 Week 4

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/opinion/17judson.html
In this column, Olivia Judson presents her opinion that although a great deal of research has gone into and data has been collected about genetic testing, it has not been able to solve many problems. Differently than other columnists on the subject of genetic testing, Judson does actually see validity in both sides of the argument, seeing both hope from new improvements and the great amount still unknown to us, but still has her own opinion. She feels that everyone thought increased genetic testing would mean more answers, but instead it has generally made things more complicated. For example, there has been a great amount of genetic research and collection of data, but she explains genes cannot do something simple like give us a connection to any physical appearance as hoped for. Judson explains more complication is added because one gene does not control a trait, a trait is a product of many genes, so even though a great amount of data has been collected, it is not helpful unless all the pieces are found. She feels there are two possibilities for genetic testing: either enough data will never be collected or a new approach must be taken, and while this may be interesting in science, realistically it is useless to solve any genetic issues so far.

Marking Period 2 Week 3

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=genetic+testing&view=detail&id=467A9F72A239A415AF08276C43BD7DE9515032BF&first=151&FORM=IDFRIR

This image presents a unique point of view on genetic testing by not looking directly at what current opportunities or issues it causes but instead predicting what this new emphasis on genetic testing will mean for the future. The person who created this image understands the discoveries being made and the abilities scientists now possess in many cases to manipulate genes to create a desired outcome, such as reversing a disease. Their worry, however, is depicted in this image of a baby with various logos covering his or her skin, which shows the worry that sooner or later babies will become a product of gene manipulation and genetic testing by making the baby with whatever characteristics are wanted. This is often connected to the idea of "designer babies", meaning their characteristics are no longer naturally selected but instead pre-chosen to make the baby.

Marking Period 2 Week 2

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/genetic-testing-21st-century-version-of-palm-reading

In "Genetic Testing: 21st Century Version of Palm Reading?", a blogger expresses her views on genetic testing in general and how people should actually take the results. A current issue in genetic testing is the longevity gene, which "predisposes" people to live to be 100 years old, but realistically, anything could cause anyone to die tomorrow - just as anyone without the gene could also live to be 100. Genetic testing is making predictions about how things might turn out, not guaranteeing that outcome, trying to prepare us for what might happen in the future. There are no absolutes or guarantees involved. Personally, she'd rather take life one day at a time and not pay attention to what genetic testing says "might be" her future.

Marking Period 2 Week 1

A book summary on "Your Genes, Your Choices" explains this book's connection to AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) and tries to show how science can actually influence your everyday decisions and help you to understand the basic ideas in science so you are aware. Although it is often thought that science research has nothing to do with our everyday lives or what decisions we make, this is far from how it really is. Science directly relates to our health and everyday life because being aware about science effects how we make decisions and understand the possible consequences of these decisions. It often seems that science can be too hard to understand, but this is only because information on science is often written in scientific language on topics many of us don't understand.

http://ehrweb.aaas.org/ehr/books/index.html

Monday Matters #3

Picture:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/09/24/gallery.joplin.tornado.rebuilding/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

This picture presents a great amount of visual rhetoric involved with its argument. It presents a scene in Joplin, Missouri just one month after a tornado came through that town, so its brightness and cheerfulness seem out of place and almost ironic in a devastating situation where so many people lost their lives. This adds to the overall argument, however, which is that behind each terrible situation there comes new opportunity and hope (almost the “as one door closes, a window opens” idea). The sign which states “The tornado killed this house. But not me!” adds to this sense of hope, however, the lack of people in this town is equally noticeable, which keeps the devastation in mind. The faint line of wires between the telephone poles in the background, along with the sidewalk line cutting along the bottom right corner, help to frame in the picture and together show that although great destruction came from this tornado, it was contained and did not affect everything. Also, the limited amount of plant life shows that the tornado left some survivors among the dust and rubble surrounding it.

Monday Matters #2

Among all the other holidays, where is the one for the U.S. Constitution? Shouldn't we celebrate it as much as we do with the 4th of July each year? We are the only country right now that has had a constitution that was written so many years ago that is still in practice today and is so fundamentally important to our nation every day. It is not as if we have had many different constitutions in our nation's history, like the French have had, and because of this, our nation and government should be celebrated together as one, because there has never been that element of separation. But we do not celebrate it like this, and although we appreciate the Constitution, we don't tend to look at it as "something special" everyday. Some colleges or universities have celebration days for it, but most people pass up the opportunity to recognize Constitution Day.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/story/2011-09-15/constitution-day-anniversary/50417184/1

A Day of Remembrance (News You Can Use #1)

Today people gathered together for the memorial service at Ground Zero, remembering September 11, 2001. While some were there to remember the love ones they lost ten years ago on this day, and others were there to remember just how far we have come since then, everyone there joined together to hear speakers, sing songs, and be part of moments of silence. Both Barack Obama and George W. Bush were there to speak, and witness the patriotic chants and songs that began in the crowd. A more formal part of the memorial service included the reading of names of almost 3,000 men and women that passed ten years ago, one of the many events showing remembrance for both the families and friends involved as well as the rest of the world watching. No matter how far away from the actual memorial site the visitors were, all took part in the six moments of silence to remember and recognize the six distinct tragedies that took place that day (hitting Tower 1, Tower 2, the Pentagon, the plane crash in Pennsylvania, and the fall of both towers). As flowers were left by names on the memorial and so many different people came together, the patriotism of New York and America was shown through this respectful memorial service at Ground Zero as we all remember and "Never Forget". The strength and resiliency of ordinary people was evident throughout the day.

http://news.yahoo.com/families-take-back-ground-zero-amid-sunshine-shadows.html