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"Safety Tips For The Nursery And Around The House." Child Health Alert 26 (Oct. 2008): 5-5. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.

When you have an infant in the house, it is good to childproof the house to keep harm from the child. Many people think about putting baby locks on the cabinets, and doors. One place that is looked over is the child's crib, there are the cute bumpers you want to put in so the baby doesn't get their arm or leg caught in between the rails and your baby's first stuffed animal. These are fine to have in the crib, as long as you take them out when you place the child in the crib. The bumpers and stuffed animals are hazards to a small infant whose breathing may be blocked by these items which could lead to suffocation.

Moon, Rachel Y., Trisha Calabrese, and Laura Aird. "Reducing the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in Child Care and Changing Provider Practices: Lessons Learned From a Demonstration Project." Pediatrics 122.4 (Oct. 2008): 788-798. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.

In this study/intervention, observers went to different child care providers and observed the care takers in how they put the infants to sleep. The care takers were given a questionnaire on safe infant sleeping. The observers checked back in three months after their initial visit to monitor the changes in behavior. Their were definite changes in the way the care takers put the infants to sleep. These interventions are very important and helpful to keep our children safe.

Highet, A. R. "An infectious aetiology of sudden infant death syndrome." Journal of Applied Microbiology 105.3 (Sep. 2008): 625-635. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.

There is evidence that shows that bacterial infections may be a cause of SIDS. Studies have shown that many infants who died of SIDS had Escherichia coli (E. Coli), Staphylococcus aureus (food poisoning, skin infections), and Listeria monocytogenes (meningitis in infants). More research needs to be completed before we can determine this to be a major cause of SIDS.

SIDS

Babies may be swaddled, and when they are put to sleep with a pacifier there has been a decreased risk of SIDS.


"This side up while sleeping." These onesies were made for a campaign to promote babies being put to sleep on their back to reduce the risk of SIDS.

This data was from a study that shows the number of SIDS cases, days after the infant had the DTaP vaccine.

Pictures for PPT

This is a crib that has 'bumpers' in it. Bumpers should not be in a crib with an infant, if the infant rolls over their face could be right against the bumpers, and they will rebreathe all of their carbon dioxide.

This small infant is sleeping with a stuffed animal. Infants shouldn't have any toys or stuffed animals in their crib while they are sleeping.

This is the proper way an infant should be placed in a crib with a blanket. The infant needs to be on their back, and the blanket should be under their arms, away from their face and the sides securly tucked under the mattress.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

TARA PARKER-POPE. "Fan in Room Seems to Cut Infants' Risk Of Crib Death." New York Times (07 Oct. 2008): 16. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.

When you place a fan in the room with an infant you will decrease the risk of SIDS by 72%. The fan will circulate the air and reduce the risks of re-breathing. Which is believed to be a major factor of SIDS.

Viskari-Lähdeoja, S., et al. "Heart rate and blood pressure control in infants exposed to maternal cigarette smoking." Acta Paediatrica 97.11 (Nov. 2008): 1535-1541. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.

Exposure to maternal smoke is a major risk factor for SIDS or sudden infant death syndrome. There was a study performed on prenatal, and postnatal infants that supported this theory. The infants who were not exposed to maternal smoke had a consistent heart rate and blood pressure.

Hauck, Fern R., et al. "Infant Sleeping Arrangements and Practices During the First Year of Life." Pediatrics 122 (02 Oct. 2008): S113-S120. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.

The sleeping position is very important for infants during their first year of life when they are more susceptible to SIDS. You can follow the ABC's, infants should be alone, on their back, in a crib. If you follow these three steps you can decrease the chance of SIDS.

Freedom of Speech

I agree with Derek Bok, the students were within their rights of the first amendment when they hung the flags and displayed the swastika. Although I do not believe they are right in the way they expressed themselves and offended others, hate speech should not be protected under the first amendment. There should be a way where one can express them self and not offend others of the school or surrounding community. Any type of hate speech shouldn't be tolerated on a college campus or anywhere! There are enough problems with today's society, and allowing people to 'openly hate' other people is wrong. This is a free country and you may say what you want, but you still have restrictions on what you can say.

#4 on page 135

In this picture there is an family of 'illegal immigrants' an 'American' and an 'Indian' standing by one another. The 'American' says "It's time to reclaim America from the illegal immigrants," then the 'Indian' says "I'll help you pack." This is a clear argument, one that you don't think of everyday, or probably haven't thought of since your last history class. The Indians were the first known people to settle in America, therefore making the Americans illegal immigrants as well. For the most part, Americans are arrogant and don't see themselves as settlers of the Indian's land, when in reality that's how it really is.

#3 on page 135

In this picture the children are sitting on the stairs covering their ears while their parents are at the bottom of the stairs arguing. The children are too young to leave the house, the only thing they can do is go into another room and try to drown out the noise. This picture makes a very good visual argument without the use of words. You can clearly tell what is going on in the picture by the children's expressions, and the body language from the adults and the children.

harmful or helpful...why don't we just look at the camera

Security cameras are becoming more helpful to society, but at the same time also becoming more and more harmful. Security cameras can enhance, and undermine society. Security cameras should be used to help protect people, their rights, and their property. In an ever changing society people want to do the same thing to video tapes that would convict them of a wrong doing. Someone could alter a home video to show only certain parts of the video that they want people to see. Usually they are very careless and do a bad job of cutting out clips, and piecing the rest of the video together.

Video cameras in police cars can enhance society by putting criminals in jail, which makes society safer. They also protect the innocent citizens against an overly aggressive cop. Likewise they protect a law abiding police officer, and convicting a citizen of battery or resisting arrest. Video cameras are solid evidence in most cases, even though there are a few instances where the video could have been altered.

Security cameras can also undermine society. ‘Dirty’ cops or people in general, can be exposed to society through a well viewed security camera. We have all seen the videos on the news about the police officers who use too much force when arresting an individual, and then try to say that individual was resisting arrest. Or the tapes from a hospital waiting room, where an elder or handicapped person has fallen out of their wheelchair, and visitors and hospital staff walk by without acknowledging or helping the fallen victim.

There are also the shocking, but ever so common places where people find ‘security’ cameras, for instance in dressing rooms or bathrooms. The creeps who place these cameras use them for viewing pleasure, and sometimes to blackmail a harmless victim. These careless people eventually get caught and charged with a numerous number of crimes and sent to jail.

Security cameras are in many ways helpful in catching a wrongful person of an action. They keep people safe, and leave evidence to use in the conviction of a wrong doer. Security cameras provide solid evidence that supports the happenings of an event. One may be unconscious, but the camera can still catch the footage of what is really going on.

claim worthy?

· Hurricanes are increasing in number and ferocity.

No. Hurricanes are part of the weather, which is random, therefore the numbers of hurricanes that occur are random and the ferocity can be predicted, but not determined until the hurricane has actually happened.

· Many people die annually of cancer.

Yes. You can explain what types of cancer are the most common to cause death among men, women, children, and certain age groups.

· Fewer people would die of heart disease each year if more of them paid attention to their diets.

Yes. If people would pay attention to their diet, they could make an effort to eat healthier foods, and live a healthier life, and fewer people would die from heart disease.

· Japan might have come to terms more readily in 1945 if the Allies hadn’t demanded unconditional surrender.

No. This is someone’s opinion, there isn’t any real evidence that proves that Japan would have come to terms easier under the above stated conditions.

· Boys would do better in school if there were more men teaching in elementary and secondary classrooms.

Yes. You can view the grades of boys in the classrooms of male teachers and the grades of boys in classrooms of female teachers to see what children have the better grades.

· The ever-increasing number of minorities in higher education is evidence that racial problems have just about ended in the United States.

Yes. The increasing number of minorities in higher education could be due to better motivated students, not to the decrease of racial problems.

· There aren’t enough high-paying jobs for college graduates these days.

Yes. There may not be high paying jobs for college students from one area of study, but there could be high paying jobs for college students of another field.

· Hydrogen may never be a viable alternative to fossil fuels because it takes too much energy to change hydrogen into a useable form.

Yes. If Hydrogen takes too much energy to be changed into a viable form, then it wouldn’t be a viable alternative to fossil fuels.

· Only one of the first forty-three presidents of the United States was a Catholic.

Yes. Most of these presidents are dead and we are unable to accurately confirm what religion each of the gentlemen believed.

· Political activists have grossly exaggerated the effects of the USA Patriot Act on free expression.

No. The opinion of the political activists, may be different from another person on the same subject.

Definitions

Graphic novels are serious literature: serious literature is a writing that has a meaning with importance.

Burning a nation’s flag is a hate crime: a hate crime is something done out of hatred or disgust towards someone, or something.

The Bushes have become America’s Royal family: the royal family is the family of the person in charge or the head of something important; the United States.

Matt Drudge and Larry Flynt are legitimate journalists: a journalist being one whose profession is journalism.

College sports programs have become big business: an area of business that is largely important to many who work in that area.

Plagiarism can be an act of civil disobedience: an act that goes against what a law or rule states.

Satanism is a religion properly protected by the First Amendment: something that one strongly believes in, and lives by as a way of life.

Campaign contributions are acts of free speech: something that may be said without being punished by the authority or law.

The District of Columbia should have all the privileges of an American state: a province or area that is independent, but still under the rule of a larger government.

Committed gay and lesbian couples should have the legal privileges of marriage: the joining of two people, who wish to proceed with their lives together.

My thoughts of the war

There were quite a few new blogs that I haven’t read, so that was very exciting for me. In the first blog, a military wife who is stressed out by everyday life, and wants to be able to talk to her husband more than 15 to 20 min every other day. I think she should get the kids a sitter or send them to their one of their friends, or a relative’s house for a couple of days so she can regain her sanity, and have some peace and quiet to herself. The second blog was pictures from the Babylonian ruins, a few of the soldiers received permission to go into the ruins. Usually American soldiers aren’t allowed to go onto the premises, but the overseer made an exception for them. The pictures were really cool, and the soldier had some captions that explained the ‘history’ of what was in them. Another blog that I read was a tribute to four soldiers that were killed in action, and one who was severely injured. The soldier was reminiscing on the good times that all of these guys had together, and how each one passed on something to the new soldiers that will live on forever. This tribute makes you rather sad, especially if you can relate to what this soldier is going through. Finally the last milblog was rather funny. The soldier was telling a story of how he always wanted to drive one of the ‘jingle trucks,’ and he finally had the chance. He wasn’t very good at driving the truck, since he didn’t have any experience, but it made all the other soldiers laugh. To top that off he saw an Afghan riding down the road on a motorcycle. He pointed at himself, and then put his arms up like he was riding a motorcycle; the Afghan stopped, and let the soldier ride the motorcycle for a while.

Before entering this class I was never really for or against the war. I didn’t like the fact that what seemed like to me was our soldiers were just getting killed all the time, and there weren’t any signs of progression towards the end. Being in the class has slightly altered my unbiased thought of the war. Reading the milblogs and responding to the soldiers, and reflecting on my thoughts have opened my eyes tremendously. I see that the soldiers are helping protect the innocent people, and trying to restore the order in a country that truly needs it. Even though I’m still not all for the war, I can see more of the positive aspects, and I have more of an open mind about the subject.

Patriotism

To me patriotism means being loyal to your country at all times, and supporting what it stands for and does. There are many people who are patriotic; it’s not just veterans’ of one’s country. Patriotism is shown in many ways; some are more drastic and noticeable than others. Some people put flags outside of their house, others have more attention-grabbing ways; like this guy who decorated his entire car with the bumper stickers that say “I’m heartbroken for NY.” There is no right or wrong way to be patriotic, or any law that says you have to be a patriotic person. I believe you should support your country because they do so much for you, even if you disagree or are ungrateful for what is being done.

Pink Think

In today’s modernistic society, there are still “Pink Think” ideas, behaviors, and ways of thinking. When a mother gives birth to her child, whether it is a little girl or boy, the hospital presents her with a little bundle of joy all wrapped up in the appropriately colored blanket and hat. While being parents, they dress their children up in the cutest little dresses or overalls, and the girls wearing pink, and the boys are in blue and the more masculine colors.

Some females, not including all of them, may act like they are afraid of mice or spiders, so they look more feminine. Most people may deny or say they have never known anybody like this, but there are females that do this. There are also employers that discriminate women in the work place, they will sexually harass the female workers, and sometimes won’t pay them the same amount of money as men.

Geek Think is a pretty typical stereotype, and I can elaborate on this topic a bit more. Most people think that the kids who get the good grades, study all the time and are ‘bookworms’. There are many stereotypes about the ‘geeky’ kid in the glasses, who always has good grades because he or she has ‘no life’. These kids may not have to study as hard as everybody thinks they do to earn their good grades. They may seem like they have no life, but really these kids are involved in other activities. The kids that classify other kids as geeks usually don’t even know these kids, and are falsely labeling these kids. Stereotyping happens all the time in today’s society; most of the time people don’t even realize that they are stereotyping people.

starting my paper

I am having difficulties with starting this paper. I’m used to writing papers where I have all the information on paper right in front of me to look at. It is very different having to look at the information on a web page, and try to brainstorm ideas for my writing. I hope this will broaden my horizons, and help me break out of my visual learning shell a little bit.

Brittney Spears

I read the essay that Nisey Williams wrote about Brittney Spears. I would give this essay a B. Nisey struggled with grammar issues throughout the essay. She used slang in some of her sentences; “Bellies, breasts, and booties.” This was also a sentence she used, which is an incomplete sentence. There were many other sentences that were incomplete, or sentences that were just un-developed, and others that were fragment sentences. Her simple sentence paragraphs make her writing look like something a child would turn in for a report. After her first paragraph there was just one sentence in a paragraph; “And for my fear of motherhood, I blame Brittney Spears.”

The format of her paragraphs varies from one paragraph to the next; the first paragraph isn’t even indented. All of her paragraphs vary in size, which makes it hard to read, and stayed focused. Nisey should write with a better, more consistent format. When she is going to write an essay she should have an outline that she will follow; with a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence. Nisey should use some complex sentences in her writing to tie her thoughts together that way her writing doesn’t seem like many short, simple thoughts.

NFL quarterbacks, and Navajo Rugs

I chose to write about NFL quarterbacks, there are many different ways to distinguish excellence from mediocrity in this category. One way to examine the excellence from the mediocrity would be to ask people who they believe is the best and worst quarterbacks in the NFL. This may not be the most accurate because people have many different opinions about who is better. Another way that would be more accurate is to compare the statistics for these quarterbacks for the past couple of years, and see who has the better statistics. A couple of different factors could offset the stats; such as if one of the quarterbacks was injured sometime during the season, which should be taken into account when comparing the stats.

The item from the list that I know the least about is Navajo Rugs. If you Google Navajo rugs, you will come up with thousands of results for them. There are results that vary from the history, how to make them, and websites where you can buy these rugs. There are many people who make Navajo Rugs; some of them are better crafters than others. If you looked at the rugs, and the quality of the rugs, you may see some flaws with the craftsmanship, or that some of the makers have better quality rugs than others.

Crop Circles

The website that I'm looking at is the circlemakers. On their front page they have a picture of a really cool crop circle '409 circles'. The pictures are larger in size than the font, I wish the font was a little bit larger, and a different font that you could read easier! The text is in the middle of the page, and often formed around pictures. Color was easily incorperated into the page, with a navy blue background, white text, and pictures, there is a wide array of color. At the top of the page, there is a navigation toolbar for their web page, and along the side they have pictures of various crop circles as a slide show. All in all I think this is a very interesting web page, that grabs the attention of it's viewers.

Boland Hall Fire

The fire at Boland Hall killed three freshmen and injured 58 others including four critically. One of the doors to the third floor still bears evidence of a student's struggle to escape the blaze.



















Alvaro Llanos, one of the most seriously injured students, lies in a coma on an operating room table as he awaits a skin grafting on his chin and neck. One of Alvaro's surgeons, Dr. Michael Marano, stands over him as he is prepped for the procedure, the first of many.



For relatives of the burned it is an agonizingly long wait. Alvaro's father, Alvaro Llanos Sr., endures it all in the hospital's waiting room. Two year earlier, Mr. Llanos was tricken with a disabling stroke. He still uses a cane for assistance.



While Alvaro continues to linger in a coma, his roommate, Shawn Simons, sees his burned hand for the first time while receiving his daily bath in "the tank." Although he was burned on his hands and face, Shawn's injuries were considered less life-threatening than his roommate's.




Shawn looks at himself as he tries on his custom-made mask, which reduces facial scarring. He find the mask to be tight, hot and scary and decides he will deal with some disfigurement and skin discoloration rather than wear it 12 hours a day.



Prior to an operation to put pins in his fingers to save his severly damaged joints, Christine Simons comforts her son Shawn before he is taken into the operting room.



While Alvaro is still in a coma in the hospital, Shawn is driven home after being discharged. The route home takes him past the dormitory where he was burned. He does not turn to look.



Weeks after returning home, Shawn is able to button his suit vest as he prepares to go to church. He would have to continue to wear the special gloves to minimize the scarring on his hands.







While Alvaro struggles, Shawn is making a rapid recovery. He gently kisses his girlfriend Tila's hand as the two visit Alvaro at a family barbeque during the summer. Their relationship survived despite the injuries Shawn suffered in the fire.




Daisy Llanos, Alvaro's mother, leans in and kisses her son through her face mask as he slowly regains consciousness.



Alvaro takes his first steps since the fire three months ago. He is shaky, and he needs support from burn tech Paul Mellini and physical therapist Roy Bond. This first day he walks five steps. The next day he takes 88 steps.






The recovery process is slow and painful. While sitting in his room, a tear falls from Alvaro's eye.






Alvaro, now an outpatient, waits with his mother for his doctor to examine him. As they wait, it all becomes too much for his mother, Daisy. She slumps in her seat, then suddenly flees the room, leaving Alvaro to face the medical staff alone.




Alvaro and Shawn ordeal has made them closer than ever. They are invited to attend a N.Y. Mets baseball game, and they sit in the dugout as Mets manager Bobby Valentine makes a call. Alvaro, a huge Mets fan, later says he sat in the dugout and imagined climbing the steps and making his way to the plate to take a pitch.




Five months after the fire, Alvaro is able to move under his own power, but he will still have to undergo many surgeries to minimize his scars. As he and Shawn's mom ride an elevator to a suite at Shea Stadium, Alvaro is oblivious to a young girl's stare.


Caring for a person who has been severly burned can be stressful. It all comes to a head one day when Alvaro's mother Daisy helps Alvaro with his bath. The confrontation causes Daisy to retret to her bedroom while Alvaro tries to finish hitching up his jeans on his own.


Burn technician Toni Schmidt gets a hug from Shawn inside the tank room.






Alvaro's relationship with his girlfriend does not fare as well as Shawn's. Alvaro and his girlfriend, Angie, talk outside her dorm during Alvaro's first visit to the Seton Hall campus since the fire. Angie stuck with Alvaro through eight months of his recovery, but it has finally become too much for her. "I thought we would get married," she says of her relationship with Alvaro, "but now he's not the one...he's not the Alvaro I fell in love with."



Alvaro stands with Shawn as the candles are lit for Shawn's 19th birthday party. Shawn's mom, Christine, stand by. "I love Alvaro," says Shawn of his friend and former roommate. "Al's going to be all right. I have no doubt. And I'll be right there with him."





As you can tell I picked a series of pictures. These pictures are from the 2001 Feature Photography catagory. The pictures tell a story of pain, agony, suffering, and the long road of recovery ahead for some of these students that were in Boland Hall when it was set on fire. This arson killed three fresman and injured 58 other students, all because two boys thought it would be funny to pull a prank. In the images you can see the emotion and pain that the victims, and their familes are feeling. All of this pain and suffering is caused by the irresponsible actions of two boys, who knew what they were doing, and that it was wrong. Due to their actions many people were hurt, and three were killed, the thoughts and images of that day will forever be in the mind of the students from Boland Hall.

milblog

The first milblog that I read dealt with a soldier who had a visit from another one of his friends who was just off of his tour in Afghanistan. His friend, Vandy, had a near death experiences with his last few days in Afghanistan, Vandy was driving back to his base, and while driving through a little village a suicide bomber attacked their Humvee. Luckily nobody in the convoy was injured, but he wanted to turn around an tend to the wounded bystanders. This was just the kind of person that Vandy was, he wanted to help out wherever he could. While Vandy visited his friend Ben, Vandy told stories of being back at home and how different everything was. Vandy didn't change his attitude, it was like he was still at war! This caused him a little bit of trouble with everyday living, Vandy was getting in bar fights all the time, some were more successful than others, but he was beat up pretty badly from all of it. All in all Vandy needs to talk to a counselor about the things that happened while he was across seas, and hopefully that will help him adjust to everyday living again.

The second milblog that I read was about a RN Clara. She has been grieving the loss of several loved ones since 9/11/01. She was saying how she has gone to memorials in the past to remember everyone that lost their lives, but this year was different. She was having trouble with the fact that it has been another year without the ones that she loves. Usually she would go to the cemeteries on September 10th just so she wouldn't have to face the other families. I know it's really hard to grieve the loss of loved ones, and that is something you never get over! If Clara would go to the cemetery and mourn the loss of her loved ones with someone who has the same thing in common, they could provide comfort for one another and help with the pain.

Political blogging

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=7078359540295363151

The political blog that I viewed was The caucus, you can read the blog if you visit the link above. The blog was about John McCain and Sarah Palin going to the Sylvania 300, NASCAR race, in New Hampshire. Some of the commentators had negative remarks about John McCain, and brought up a good point about his disability of not being able to use a computer because he was tortured as a POW. “McCain is often seen using the tiny keypads on cell phones!
A computer keyboard is much larger,” who is to say McCain can or cannot use a computer? Most of the people found this as an easy way to politically ‘bash’ McCain. Other supporters of McCain defended him and his abilities or disabilities.

This blog was not controlled by a certain blogger, but was just to inform people of what John McCain was doing. His motivation for the visit to the racetrack was in hopes of being able to win New Hampshire‘s votes, as it could be a major state to decide whether he will win or lose the presidency. As proved to be the case in the 2000 election when George W. Bush won by a slender margin, or in the 2004 elections when John Kerry lost by a small number of votes.
With this blog not having a blogger to mediate conversations nobody pointed out the fallacies or flashpoints in the conversation. Therefore the fallacies and flashpoints were not explained. I found a couple of fallacies in the conversation. Many people who brought up McCain’s injury from being a POW during the Vietnam War; are these people educated enough to say he can or cannot use a computer? Another person said “the NASCAR dads are lusting for their new found love, Sarah.”

McCain and Palin were also trying to win over the NASCAR vote, like the “soccer mom” vote. McCain was making his presence known to the public that he would go to these events, hoping to secure more votes. Some of the bloggers were concerned that he would get votes just because he was at the event, and not what he stood for. I can’t believe people would be that shallow to vote for someone just because they have something in common, like their favorite sport.

PB WIKI

My pbwiki URL is http://volleygirl95231.pbwiki.com

I think pbwiki is a really cool website, it’s your own web page all about you, by you! I haven’t been able to get very familiar with the wiki web page format yet, but I hope it turns out to be as fun as it is to make one! I know there is a spot so you can invite your friends to join pbwiki. I hope it has a section for you to use like email or to leave comments.

My pbwiki is still in need of some serious work, hopefully I can figure out how to make a background for my page so it’s not so plain! If you have any tips for me I would greatly appreciate it, preferably step by step. Thanks!

Milblogs

Every week when I look at the milblogs, I am impressed and touched even more than I was the week before. This week I got a better understand of one of the many tough decisions our soldiers make every day. This soldier had the opportunity or burden of deciding what to buy for his unit; he has a list of things that his unit needs to become more effective, and efficient at what they do. One of the items they need are digital cameras, the only problem with that is, digital cameras are on the do not buy list! The cameras would give more evidence to convict someone of a crime and get them off the streets so the people can move forward with their mission. It’s a tough decision, buy the cameras and be convicted of fraud, or not buy the cameras and let the bad guys off the hook. And this is only a minor decision that a soldier would have to make! WOW!

I also watched a video that was put together by a soldier, the first part of the video is a tribute to the Third Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, and the second part is to all of the fallen soldiers of the Brigade. There were many emotional pictures in the video, there were pictures of the soldiers at what looked like training or an actual firefight. They also had pictures of the guys and what they did in their ‘down time,’ sitting around smoking a cigarette, or just talking with the other soldiers. The second part of the video was extremely emotional for me, I know two guys that were killed across seas when they were on duty. There were pictures of all the fallen soldiers of the brigade; some of the men had pictures of them holding their children. This really made me think about the family of the soldier, a son or daughter will grow up, and never really get to meet their father, the fathers’, mothers’, and children that were left behind had to go through a lot! In the video I could also see the respect that the soldiers had for one another, the living or the dead. Their brigade was like a second family, when they had a fallen soldier they would stand their helmet, boots, and what looked like their gun, in a little memorial so the soldiers could pay their last respects to their comrade.

digital presentations or print format

The website I consult frequently is MySpace. I admire MySpace because it’s a quick and easy way for me to keep in contact with my friends, since we all have different school and work schedules. Having MySpace as a digital presentation is a nice setup, you are able to create your own website with different backgrounds that represent your personality. Since MySpace has e-mail and a way for you to comment your friends you can leave them funny messages or personally write them a message. If MySpace wasn’t a digital presentation, there would really be no point of having it around.

If MySpace was a print text it would be the same as mailing a letter to your friend that would take a couple of days for them to receive, it wouldn’t be instantaneous like online. You would also have to pay the price of a stamp to send your letter in the mail. With a print text you wouldn’t be able to have the wide array of backgrounds to choose from. Whatever you can draw on a piece of paper would be your background, and if you’re an artist like me then you would be limited to hearts and stars! MySpace is another way for you to share pictures with your friends who live a few states away from you.

You could use a print format for sending letters, and comments to your friends. You would still be able to have backgrounds for your profile, but it would be a limited selection. With a print format you wouldn’t be able to search for friends or relatives that you may have lost touch with. If you wanted to post a bulletin you would have to send out numerous letters in the mail to everyone that you wanted the message to get to. The convenience of having all this on one website is wonderful; changing it to a print format would be pointless to me.

In this case you would lose many cool features if you translated the website to a print format. You would have to wait for your friends to get your messages, then for the time it takes for you to receive their response. You would be limited on your selection for a background setting. People wouldn’t be able to freely view your profile; the only people that will see your profile are the people you show it to in person. You wouldn’t be able to share pictures with your friends; you will have to wait until you see them or print the picture and send it to them in the mail.

Killing Us Softly

If you realize it or not advertisement is everywhere! In 1979 people spent $20 million on advertising and in 1999 $180 million was spent. These ads were placed on TV, billboards, buildings, buses, clothing, and in many more places! We see about 3000 advertisements a day. In Jean Kilbourne’s presentation, she informed us that Americans spend three years of their lives watching TV commercials.

Interesting facts, her humorous comments, and ads for visuals are just a few ways that Jean Kilbourne captured the audience’s attention. The visuals for her presentation were used very appropriately; it was another way to capture her audience’s attention. Jean was dressed professionally but casual. She had a strong tone of voice and emphasized important words; she kept eye contact with her audience too. Jean moved slightly to keep better eye contact with her whole audience.

These ads dehumanize women’s bodies; an advertisement for Miller Genuine Draft Beer was focused on a female who was holding a beer at her side. Jean stated, “These ads see women as things, and only one part of this thing was being focused on.” Many advertisements are focused on women’s breasts, in our society; these sexual and provocative ads sell the products. The make-up ads show women as being flawless; this flawlessness is only reached from spending unrealistic amounts of money, time, and energy. The looks of one make-up model are described as “she has no wrinkles, scars, blemishes, and she doesn’t have pores either,” laughs Jean.

There are also ads that normalize abuse! That is one thing that SHOULD NOT be normalized for anybody! Abuse is the second greatest cause of injury to women. You don’t see ads with a dead woman advertising, “Great hair never dies!” Or commercials of women being murdered by their boyfriends or husbands. Normalization of abuse shouldn’t be advertised, we need to stop the violence in our nation, not promote it!

Teenagers’ are also highly influenced by advertisement; they see pregnant, and bulimic or anorexic teen celebrities, in magazines and on television. The movie Juno, and teen magazines like Jane glamorize teen sex. One of the cover stories for an issue of Jane was: 15 ways sex makes you prettier! And we have people in our society wondering why the teen pregnancy rate is so high! Eating disorders are another major issue with teens, and ads telling us “the more you subtract, the more you add” doesn’t send out a good message! Famous celebrities like, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, were idolized by so many young girls. If they had eating disorders, then why would that look bad to a teenager who wishes they were just like them?

Advertising’s image of women is doing exactly what the title says: killing us softly! The expectations for a female model or actress are a major part of the issue. Models are visualized as thin and pretty, the thinner you are the prettier you will be. This is what’s causing the eating disorders that kill so many men, women, and teens every year! Not only are sexual ads dehumanizing to women, they only see women as objects, and focus on only one part of that object. Why can’t the natural beauty of people be advertised? Everyone knows there is no such thing as perfect or flawless! Why can’t we except people in the world for who they are, not what they should be?!

Why We Are Here

Why We Are Here
MSGT Ken Mahoy spoke of his deployment in Afghanistan; he’s a big humanitarian, who loved to help out anybody in need. He had the opportunity of handing out the humanitarian goods at a Koocha Camp on the outskirts of Kabul. MSGT Mahoy made an enormous difference in the life of the refugees’ who were staying at the Koocha Camp. While the supplies were being unloaded from the truck, Mahoy would teach the concept of tag to the children to keep them entertained. The children picked up a little of the English language and the knowledge of a common game. The children were also taught how to thumb wrestle, play ring around the rosie; duck duck goose, and London bridge. From both of these blogs the soldiers touched many lives, and many people had touched their lives. Having the chance to read these blogs have given me a whole new perspective on the war, it’s more than just fighting and patrolling villages to make sure nothing is wrong.

Afghanistan, The Beautiful

Afghanistan, The Beautiful
I am very glad that our soldiers blog about their experiences across seas. It gives everyone who reads their blog a new and positive insight on what is really going on in Iraq and Afghanistan. The only things we hear about the war are negative: a roadside bomb killed another soldier, or there was a massive shoot off. This soldier talked about making rounds through the villages he patrolled, and how he and his troop brought needed supplies to the elderly. The people of these villages are extremely grateful for what these men and women are doing for them. Another experience is dealing with the kids of Afghanistan; the kids aren’t playing games or hanging out with their friends. Instead they are herding sheep, operating shops, and riding bikes weighed down with lumber. The children ask the soldiers for pens, and occasionally a child is able to have a conversation with the soldiers.
While this soldier and his troop were in Iraq they faced a problem: their humvees had a tendency to pull down the wires in the villages they drove through. The locals would ask for money to fix their wires, after that the wires were torn down again, the people of the village re-hung the wires at a higher height. The people of the village found a new way to adapt to the soldier’s presence. The people of Iraq and the troops that are in Iraq learn many new things from each other every day they are there.

The Serious Issues of Pitfalls

The Serious Issues Of Pitfalls
The issues of pitfalls are very serious. Most teenagers think they are invincible and that nothing bad will happen to them. They post details of their lives that should be kept private just so someone will notice them. What teenagers don’t realize is how many people can access their profile without them having any knowledge of it. Online predators take advantage of teens when they have a profile that shows they are vulnerable, and want someone to notice them. The online predator seems like a normal person who cares about the teen and maybe they will want too meet in person. Teens’ meeting face to face with strangers is extremely dangerous their online friend could turn out to be their kidnapper without them having any idea of it, until it’s too late.
Some schools are advising and/or trying to ban their students from using the websites like MySpace and facebook, they try to educate the students on what is too much information to be giving out. Career advisors warn the students about what their explicit profiles can do for their future careers. Employers can and will look at their profiles before they call you in for an interview; they look to see if your personality will fit into what their company is looking for and based upon. In many cases doing online background checks is good. You are able to tell a lot from someone’s online profile, which can send up red flags to employers. Teenagers and anyone who’s looking up to set up a profile should think about what information they give out, they could be turning down a good job, or attracting the attention of an online predator without even knowing it!

Passions, Pedagogies, and 21st Century Technologies

Passions, Pedagogies, and 21st Century Technologies
For as long as people have been alive we’ve had a difference in opinion about many subjects. James Sosnoski discussed the difference in opinions about the preference of hyper reading or reading printed texts in his article Passions, Pedagogies, and 21st Century Technologies. Sosnoski himself preferred hyper reading, he continued to state what he says the advantages were of hyper reading; the convience of being able to correct your mistakes, or leave notes on a draft you read for a colleague. Another point he made was how our world is becoming more and more technologically advanced and hyper reading is the way of the future.
In his article, Sosnoski strongly preferred the hyper reading, but doubted technology many times. It seemed to me that Sosnoski liked using technology, but in the text he debased its worth; “the World Wide Web may be the ultimate antitheater of communication, said Sosnoski.” I felt that Sosnoski’s article was hard to follow while he jumped back and forth between the pros and cons of hyper reading and reading printed texts, but he clarified his ideas in the conclusion of this article.