VOCABULARY #2

Obesity - n. The condition of being very fat or overweight.
The class talked about obesity and its health problems.
Accumulate - v. To gather into a heap, mass, cover, ect.
Snow accumulated in the driveway.
Mass - n. A coherent, typically large body of matter with no definite shape.
A mass of curly hair.
Disease - n. A disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poison, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.
He had not been complaining of ill health, but no doubt died of heart disease.
Diet - n. Such a selection or a limitation on the amount a person eats for reducing weight.
No pie for me, I'm on a diet.
Prevalence - adj. Widespread; of wide extent or occurrence.
The prevalence of AIDS in developing countries.
Stigma - n. A mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one's reputation.
To be a non reader carries a social stigma.
Prevent(able) - v. To keep from occurring; avert; hinder
He intervened to prevent bloodshed.
Adolescent - adj. Growing to manhood or womanhood; youthful
Hay and Meldrum analyzed survey answers from 426 adolescents with an average age of 15.
Cardiovascular - adj. Of, pertaining to, or affecting the heart and blood vessels
But researchers have yet to discover the pathway by which smog impacts the cardiovascular system.
Excessive - adj. Going beyond the usual, necessary, or proper limit or degree.
Some neighbors said they considered the police reinforcements excessive.
Mechanism - n. An assembly of moving parts performing a complete functional motion, often being part of a large machine; linkage.
The chemical mechanism that controls a plant's response to short or long nights is complex, but the logic is simple.
Sedentary - adj. Accustomed to sit or rest a great deal or to take little exercise.
Though they appear sedentary, sea stars move around on tiny, tubular feet.
Predispose - v. To dispose beforehand
Maybe getting cold and damp does not predispose people to catch a cold.
Syndrome - n. A group of symptoms that together are characteristic of a specific disorder, disease, or the like.
Irritable bowel syndrome may be a lifelong condition.

PROSE & CONS: OBESITY

Obesity has become a real problem in the Unites States. Over one-third of U.S. adults are obese, the percentage of overweight children and adolescents has tripled since the 1970's, and more than one in five children between the ages of 6 and 17 are now considered overweight. There has been an ongoing debate about whether or not the companies are to blame or if it is we. It is not a debate that can be settled so easily for the answer to the question it is a hard one.

One would say that we are to blame for obesity because we made the choice to eat those fatty foods. In the article "Obesity is no one's fault but your own" it says that two obese teenage girls from New York tried to sue McDonald's because it is their fault that they are obese. It later says that "you don't have to ace home economics to know that Big Macs, salty fries, and soda pop do not liken a well-balanced meal." So it was their own fault for eating McDonald's more than they should have.  There are other consumers who know it's their fault and are trying to fight back. In the article "Consumers Take Responsibility for Obesity " it states that 74% of consumers surveyed have changed their eating habits due to concerns about health and nutrition, with 86% concerned about the nutritional make-up of their food. They are trying to make a change with their health and not be one of third Americans that are overweight.

Others say that the companies are to blame for this nation’s weight problem. In the article "Fast Food  – Is it the Enemy?" it states that "Unfortunately, people do not know the consequences of fast food. They are unaware how the extra fat in their diet can lead to cardiovascular disease. They do not realize the supersized fries may be the reason why their pants are tight." That is be blamed on the advertising that the fast food companies do. In the article "TV Food Ads: To Blame for Childhood Obesity?" it states that "$3 billion dollars is spent every year by fast food companies to place ads targeted towards children on television". That's a lot of money and it's also a factor to childhood obesity. Do you know how many commercials there are for fruits and vegetables? Close to none. You can see who runs the TV advertisement to young kids.

I am on both sides of this argument because I mostly side with it is the person's fault. It is the people's fault for not caring what they put into their body and becoming lazier. Think of your body as a well-oiled machine. Which do you think will operate more efficiently, the one that stuffs itself with fast food or the one that eats a balanced diet? Of course it’s going to be the one that eats a balanced diet. Then there's people who argue that "oh but it's cheaper and it's on the go" well that may be true but just because it's cheaper doesn't necessarily mean that it's good for you. I'm not saying don't eat fast food just to cut back to only eating it once and a while. Also try and exercise. It's good for you and it will help lower your chances of obesity because you're physically active. Exercising alone might be boring that's why you grab some friends to take with you and have fun.

These are the two sides on the ongoing debate about obesity in this country. As you can see there is no simple answer to this debate or solution for that matter. Only time will tell what will happen to this country whether the obesity rates increase or decrease. This is a serious problem that will require everybody's help to solve.

TEXT ANALYSIS #1

In the article "The Blame Game And Obesity In America" from CBSNEWS it talks who really is to blame for obesity in America. It starts off by saying that it is not only the companies fault but the consumers as well. We are the ones that end up buying the food and eating it so we're partially to blame. That doesn't mean that the companies are off the hook. They are to blame as well with the marketing techniques they use. The article also talks about how science lagged with nutrition and obesity facts. According to the article food industries suffer from nutrition research overload with foods that contradict scientific findings and appealing to the general public. Even if the companies succeed they're success can be broken by scientific findings. Some companies have stated that they are putting some good ingredients to try to replace the bad ones. In the end we have the choice what we want to eat and what we put into our bodies.

THIS IS PHAT!

In the article "Fast Food  – Is it the Enemy?" it talks about what is causing obesity and if there is a link to fast food and obesity. It starts off by giving the reader a scenario on what to order at a local McDonald's then explains how much calories an average American consumes. Eating fast food can lead to excess weight gain for one meal can equal all the calories you need in a day. It also talks about if environment is involved with obesity. It says that most Americans would rather go and eat fast food because it is cheap and quick. It also says that there is no simple answer to what is causing obesity and that it can be a combination of fast food and the environment in which we live. It then goes on and gives the reader examples about what foods they can switch out to make the meal a bit healthier and to make a plan. Making a plan will help reduce the risk of being obese if they can stick to it that is. The link to the website is down below.

http://www.obesityaction.org/educational-resources/resource-articles-2/nutrition/fast-food-is-it-the-enemy

Will This Blog See Tomorrow?

I feel that this learning method is going to go beyond my expectations. I honestly thought that this would be a bit odd but I'm willing to try something new. I'm getting bored with that whole textbook routine. Technology is changing and we incorporate it in our daily lives. Why shouldn't learning methods change too? I am on board with this new method of learning.

Vocabulary: fall #1

Expository - adj. intended to explain or describe something
Matthew wrote an expository essay about guitar.
Composition - n. the way in which a whole or mixture is made up
Everything is composed of elements.
Assuage - v. make an unpleasant feeling less intense
The letter assuaged the fears of the high school student.
Decadence - n. moral or cultural decline as characterized by excessive indulgence in pleasure or luxury
The old man denounced Western decadence.
Hackneyed - adj. a phrase or idea lacking significance through having been overused
My friend say hackneyed old sayings.
Coalition - n. an alliance for combined action, esp. as a temporary alliance of political parties forming a government
They formed a coalition in order to become a country.
Transcend - v. be or go beyond the range of limits
Her mind transcended to that of a human being.
Meritorious - adj. deserving reward or praise
A medal for meritorious conduct.
Lurid - adj. very vivid in color, esp. so as to create an unpleasantly harsh or unnatural effect
He's wearing a lurid pair of shorts.
Petulant - adj.  childishly sulky or bad-tempered
He was moody and petulant.

IT'S ALL LATIN TO ME

dimidium facti qui coepit habet: sapere aude, incipe is a Latin saying by a Roman poet named Horace. It means "He who had begun is half done: dare to know, dare to begin!" but it can also be translated as "Dare to be wise".  I think it's relevant to this course because we are faced with a whole new different style of learning. Most of the people in the class have only learned through the traditional textbook method and now we are faced with open source learning? That's a big difference because now we are supposed to use the internet. This is where the saying becomes relevant. Do we, the class, dare to give open source learning a try? Do we dare to begin? The answer to these questions is yes. The class has dared to begin open source learning and we are only halfway done. We must dare to know how this course will go.

REFLECTIONS ON WEEK 1

1. They're no factors that will affect my participation in this class. My schedule to me is perfect. I have access to both a computer and smart phone so getting online won't be a problem.

2. A learning experience that changes me was my art class last year. I had this super cool teacher who made art fun for me. She knew I had potential even though I didn't consider myself a good artist. She helped me with my art skills. She let the class choose what picture we want to do the assignment on. It gave me a sense of freedom knowing that I get to choose on what picture to draw or paint. That's what art is. Freedom. This helped me learn the art skills that I now use whenever I draw. My friend sat next to me in that class and experienced the same thing. We both noticed that we were gradually improving ourselves in an everyday basis. I knew this was happening when I ended up getting a golden warrior award for having the best grid expansion in the class. Me and my friend were always giving each other feedback on our projects and our teacher made the class room setting feel natural. She taught us well.

3. The thing that I'm most excited about is this blog. I am optimistic about what's to come with the blog. This new style of learning has proven to be fun. I feel like I can answer questions more freely than if I did from a textbook. I think this can make a difference in my life with how my perceptive is with learning.

5 GO-TO SOURCES FOR GOOD NONFICTION

1. Online. There are having many websites that have lists and reviews about nonfiction. In fact those reviews will be very helpful in choosing a book that's to your liking. Also those websites will give a preview to want you're going to read and have links to where you can buy that particular book.

2. Your local public library is good source though it may be somewhat hard to find some good nonfiction but everybody has different tastes so it'll be difficult no matter what. Also the school library is another source for all you students out there. They fall in the same category because they're almost same.

3. Ask a friend. I'm sure your friends can recommend books to you or help you choose to your likely if you and your friend don't have the same taste.

4. Apps. They're many apps that allow you to purchase and read books on your smartphone. What's great about that is that you can do that on the go.

5. The Huffington Post to me is a really good source for nonfiction. It is an online news aggregator and blog. Unfortunately if you don't have internet then you cannot look at it but from my experience it is a very good source. I have found lots of interesting articles on there and if you look back to my previous post I talk about one of the articles I found most interesting.

A TRULY INTERESTING PIECE OF NON-FICTION

I've read a truly interesting piece of non-fiction.  It's an article from The Huffington Post called "Urine Stem Cells Used To Grow Teeth In Cell Regeneration Study" by Sarah Gates. The article talks exactly what is on the title. Chinese researchers say that they may have developed a way to grow human teeth. Which is good news but the way that they do it might turn people away. Urine stem cells are being used to create teeth inside mice. That's not the only research that's happening either. In the UK researchers are trying the same thing but they're using something else than urine stem cells. They're still doing research so this is all in the early stages. One on the problems they face is creating different types of teeth in varies shapes and sizes. It seems like they're going further and further with stem cell research. Maybe 10 years or so they might find a way to create limbs or important organs. I've posted the link to the article in case anybody is interested.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/30/urine-stem-cells-grow-teeth_n_3677753.html

MY BIG QUESTION

What sets us different from each other when we are all the same underneath? I know there's a lot of factors involved like personality, culture, and environment. There are many more than what I'll typed so far but my real question is how do we pick up these things? How do we get our personality? Can we change it? Is it even possible? I don't know. How can some people be more afraid than others? Why are some people smarter than others? Do we pick it up along the way or is some or all of it embedded into us? I mean we are just random if you think about it in scientific point of view. We get half of our genes from our mother and the other half from our father. To top it all off those genes are selected at random. We are all random humans. How does that make you feel knowing that your genes and body were selected at random? Can all my questions be answered? Who knows? Maybe in good time they will. Or not. We still have questions left unanswered to this day and age. It seems like when we answer a question a new one rises. It goes around in a circle. Will there be a time where no more new questions are asked? If we had the answer to every question how will that affect life? Our life? Society?