Rachel Carson's Silent Spring: the positive and negative

the positive:

Carson's novel helped open up questions as to the negative impacts that industry has on the environment, with specific regards to DDT, which is the most potent pesticide in the world. Through extensive research, she exposed the dangers of DDT on nature, and the threats it posed. The reason it is so dangerous is that, unlike other pesticides, it has the capability of killing hundreds of different kinds of bugs at the same time, instead of just one or two, like other pesticides. Not only this, but it enters the food chain, entering the fatty tissues of both humans and animals, causing cancer and genetic damages. After a single application to crops, it remained toxic for months, even after it had been diluted by rainwater. Consequently, it harmed countless birds and animals, contaminating the whole food chain's food supply. Ultimately, the novel depicts a world in which all of nature is silenced by the harmful affects of DDT.



the negative:
The reason quite a few people take issue with this novel is that, as an unintended outcome, it caused the deaths of millions of people around the world. As her novel took effect on the widespread use of DDT around the world, and the harmful effects on the environment started to slow down, the number of people dying of malaria started to go up. While there were very harmful effects to nature due to DDT, it did regulate the spread of disease, which is often carried by mosquitoes. Without this pesticide, millions of people died.

for more information, go to:
http://www.nrdc.org/health/pesticides/hcarson.asp
AND
http://www.ohiopma.org/pdfs/insight/DDT/artId=21219.pdf

Bulimia Nervosa

bulimia nervosa- an eating disorder characterized by restraining of food intake for a period of time followed by an over intake or binging period, which results in feelings of guilt and low self-esteem. This is followed by periods of purging, which is often accomplished by vomiting or ingestion of laxatives.

So is it really that big of a deal? Decide for yourself. Here are a few facts:

1-3% of adolescents are affected by bulimia in the United States. Now, there's about 307,006,550 in America. That means that about 3,070,065 - 9,210,196 people have bulimia.

Bulimia is more common in women than men. While only 5-15% of people with bulimia are male, studies show that this rate is starting to increase.

Men and women who suffer from bulimia share the same characteristics: need for acceptance, inability to cope with family/relationship/emotion issues, and low self-esteem.

Men with bulimia usually belong to a specific subgroup, such as wrestlers and homosexuals, both of whom have an increased rate of bulimia.

In regards to ethnicity, bulimia most commonly affects Caucasian girls, specifically of the middle and upper socioeconomic classes. Still, this does not exclude men and women of all cultures and ethnicities.

While bulimia is most common in prepubertal girls, concerns of body image are starting to have an impact on girls as young as nine. In fact, a recent study shows that 70% of sixth-grade girls said they were first concerned about their weight around this age. Bulimia is also not uncommon among the elderly.

I didn't actually know much about bulimia until I came to college. I've only ever known one person who has/had bulimia, and for her it's a recurring problem. She suffered with it a long time ago, but it still affects her, both in eating habits and the temptation to purge her body after every meal. It's a terrible problem to have, and I think it's important to take active measures in preventing and curing it. I think that, with the current mindset of "the perfect body" prevailing modern culture, rates of bulimia-and other eating disorders-will only increase.

For more information, go to:

http://bulimia.emedtv.com/bulimia/bulimia-statistics.html

Sorry, Deep Thought...the answer is NOT 42

What is Life?

Ever since man was created, he has asked the questions: What is the meaning of life? Why am I here? How did I even get here? What happens when I die? They aren't easy questions to answer. For one thing, the answers are incredibly subjective. Your life is what you want it to be. You're here to be happy and do something "with your one wild and precious life"...but it doesn't last long. So live it up. Make what you want of it. Whoever put us here, and for whatever reason, wants us to be happy. To prosper. If this isn't the case, why does it matter? Even if, by some one-in-a-million-chance, we're here by complete accident and without help from a higher power, what's to stop us from enjoying ourselves? I've never understood the point of contemplating and wallowing over my existence. What is there to gain from it? I'm here now, aren't I? Somehow, through evolution, intelligent life arose and prospered. How did this happen? How did we go from tiny little cells floating in a vast ocean to movie stars and sky scrapers? Beats me. I don't know how or why it happened, but I'm okay with it. My only advice is to make the most of what you have, and appreciate your existence, because the fact that you are here is such an unfathomable miracle as can hardly be explained or understood.

Eating According to your Blood Type

In class and in personal research, I have discovered that your blood type can actually determine what kind of food is best for you. For instance, according to the website that I found on the subject, people with Type O blood types should stay away from grains, beans and legumes. The reason for this is that a chemical reaction takes place between your blood and your food, due to proteins called lectins. These lectins, found in your food, affect your blood in different ways, depending on the type of food you're eating and your specific blood type. Therefore, if a certain lectin isn't compatible with your blood type, they begin to target organs-or other parts of your body-and agglutinate the blood cells there. Consequently, if you do not already know what your blood type is, it would be a good idea to find out. Here is a short list of things you can eat, based on your blood type.

Type O: meat, vegetables, fruit, fish

Type A: vegetables, beans, legumes, seafood, tofu, grains, fruit

Type B: meat (NO CHICKEN), dairy, beans, fruit, legumes, grains, vegetables

Type AB: dairy, meat, tofu, seafood, beans, grains, vegetables, legumes, fruit

For more information, visit:
http://www.drlam.com/blood_type_diet/

Mitochondrial Eve

Who is Mitochondrial Eve?

Mitochondrial Eve is thought to be the woman from which common man descended on their maternal side. Every human being's mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is the same, as it is passed from mother to child without being broken down or bound to other genetic material. In fact, the only time that mtDNA has ever and will ever change is through mutation. Given this information, scientists can attempt to trace back to the beginning of human life. She is thought to be from somewhere in North East Africa, from which human beings began to migrate to different parts of the world.

So how do we get different kinds of people?
As thousands of years passed, quite a long time after Mitochondrial Eve, people began to evolve in response to their respective environments. For this reason, people of different origins look different from us, though we are all of the same species. This is why people of asian descent have slightly darker skin than we do, with darker hair and slanted eyes. This also goes for people of all kinds of descent, such as Ethiopian, Nigerian, German, and Hawaiian; all these groups differ from one another in appearances,  based on their environments.

For more information, be sure to visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bie96K8YujE

The Life of My Sunflower

Day One:
Planting and naming of seed: Mary.
Roughly five or six hours later, Mary committed suicide by plummeting into the grass outside of my apartment.

---

Day One: Friday, February 18th
Planting and naming of seed: Freddie.
Freddie made his first trip to Columbus, Georgia in a drink holder. He then had a quiet evening on the kitchen window sill, and enjoyed some refreshing tap water and sunlight.

Day Two: Saturday, February 19th
Freddie stayed on the window sill and watched the sun rise and set in peaceful contentment.

Day Three: Sunday, February 20th
Freddie said goodbye to Columbus, Georgia and journeyed back to Macon.

Day Four: Monday, February 21st
Freddie found a new home on the window sill in the living room of my apartment.

Day Five: Tuesday, February 22nd
My boyfriend Dustin watered Freddie as he cleaned the window sill.

Day Six: Wednesday, February 23rd
Freddie joins me in my Scientifc Inquiry class, but doesn't make it all the way back to my apartment without losing a good bit of soil.

Day Seven: Thursday, February 24th
There is still no sign of life from Freddie, and there is even a good chance that he is dead because he doesn't have enough dirt.

Day Eight: Friday, February 25th
A tiny green sprout has made its way through the soil, and Freddie is in fact alive.

Day Nine: Saturday, February 26th
I begin to worry that Freddie will not live much longer without more soil. The plant sits oblivious on the window sill.

Day Ten: Sunday, February 27th
The sprout has grown just a little bit taller. I plan on asking Dr. Rood for more soil, so that the plant isn't malnourished.

Day Eleven: Monday, February 28th
Dr. Rood announces in class that he will be bringing more seeds and soil to class from now on, so on Wednesday I will bring Freddie so that I can add more soil to the cup.

Day Twelve: Tuesday, March 1st
Freddie has started leaning towards the window, in an eager attempt to get as much sunlight as possible. His soil is starting to look a little light, and I'm hoping he can stick it out until class tomorrow.

Day Thirteen: Wednesday, March 2nd
After class, I acquired a second cup of soil with which to refill Freddie's cup. In returning back to my apartment, I poured the dirt into the cup and packed it in.

Day Fourteen: Thursday, March 3rd
Freddie looks much rejuvenated now that he has more dirt, and even looks a little greener.

Day Fifteen: Friday, March 4th
Today I watered Freddie before leaving for Savannah for the weekend.

Day Sixteen: Saturday, March 5th
Freddie sat on the window sill in my apartment next to my boyfriend Dustin's plant, waiting for our return.

Day Seventeen: Sunday, March 6th
Today, upon my return, I watered Freddie again, and he waited patiently as I packed for the return home to Columbus. He rode home quietly in a cup holder, and returned once again to the kitchen window sill.

Day Eighteen: Monday, March 7th
Freddie's stalk has gotten longer and his leaves are starting to get bigger.

Day Nineteen: Tuesday, March 8th
Today I rotated Freddie's cup on the window sill, because I'm afraid that his stalk will break from bending towards the sunlight.

Day Twenty: Wednesday, March 9th
Today I measured Freddie's stalk and found that he is 2.8 inches tall.

Day Twenty-One: Thursday, March 10th
Freddie has acquired a second set of leaves below the ones higher on the stem.

Day Twenty-Two: Friday, March 11th
Today I noticed that Freddie's stalk is even taller than it was the last time I measured it, and I have to make a point to measure him when I get back.

Day Twenty-Three: Saturday, March 12th
Today, Freddie and I prepared for the journey back to Macon.

Day Twenty-Four: Sunday, March 13th
Today, Freddie and I headed back to campus.

Day Twenty-Five: Monday, March 14th
Today, in watering Freddie, I noticed that he is starting to form tiny leaves below the top two leaves.

Day Twenty-Six: Tuesday, March 15th
I measured Freddie today, and found that he is a little over seven inches tall.

Day Twenty-Seven: Wednesday, March 16th
Freddie's stalk is starting to bend, so I've propped him up against the window pane.

Day Twenty-Eight: Thursday, March 17th
Today when I watered Freddie, I noticed that he has several tiny hairs below his upper set of leaves.

Extremophiles

An extremophile is defined as any organism that requires extreme environmental conditions that are detrimental to most (if not all) other life forms on Earth. There are many different subtypes of extremophile organisms, which are categorized by the type of extreme environment in which they inhabit.

One such category is the Thermophile, which can live in extreme temperatures of 60-80 Celsius, which is roughly 140-176 Fahrenheit.