Introduction: Round Two

Hello, again!!
For me, this is round two on using blogger for academics. I had an absolute blast posting blogs about science, food, and blogging experiences. I hope to continue that trend as I move forward. So if you enjoy learning something new and a little dash of humor thrown in then you will most likely enjoy my blog. Click the link below, or on the right, to view my about me page. It provides a good intro and introduces my blog a little more eloquently.

About Me!

I work as a Medical Technologist and I am very passionate about the sciences. So, my posts will usually follow a science trend. Thanks for taking a look and I hope you enjoy my blog.

Entry #11 What I learned in boating school is......

I'm not going to lie. When it comes to writing, sometimes I feel like Spongebob Squarepants. 12 hours go by and the most significant thing I have written down is my name in the top left corner of the page.

However, getting the opportunity to blog my English class assignments has been really fun. I was able to talk about topics that interested me and I had the freedom to develop my own voice and writing style.

Blogging has taught me to enjoy writing and to be proud of the posts I make. To be able to write what I want and see it unfold on social media is probably the most fun I've ever had writing. I hope I can continue with this blog going forward. The possibilities are endless.

I think more English professors should implement writing projects that involve blogging or other creative outlooks like maintaining a website. Students benefit from the freedom of expression that comes with writing on social media. It is more relevant because all students will leave college. This means that most of them will never write academically again. If they have the exposure to blogging or writing on social media, then they have a real life application for their writing. Companies prefer individuals who can effectively market and promote on social media. Most professional organizations even use social media to discuss their achievements and research goals and progress. These projects will allow students to see better applications for English composition and it will make them competitive in their chosen career fields.

School should not have you feeling like good ole Spongebob to my right. Professors should help students feel like what they learn is meaningful and applicable. The best way to do this is by offering diversity in assignments.

With that in mind it is time for this chapter of my blog to close. If you enjoyed what you saw on my blog then please stay tuned there will be more in store. Whether or not its a continuation of my academics or just for fun, blogging will remain a part of my life.

Entry #10 The Power of Electrolytes!!!

ELECTROLYTES!!! What every sports drink commercial wants you to know about replenishing energy and staying hydrated to keep fit! Sounds like a win-win right? Well, maybe not.

So what exactly are electrolytes? Electrolytes are substances that conduct electricity and dissociate into ions when dissolved in water. They are essential for organic life. The human body uses the following electrolytes:

All of these ions are essential for normal body function. If you listen to the sports drink commercial you will likely be told that the drink is the best way to replenish "lost electrolytes." 

The truth of the matter is that yes sports drinks do contain electrolytes, However, it is better to reach for the water if you are thirsty following strenuous exercise. The push to stay hydrated has had some negative consequences. Over-hydrating and drinking too many sugar loaded sports drinks can lead to hyponatremia (fancy for low levels of blood sodium) which can, in serious cases lead to death. More information about this can be found at the link below.

Harvard Medical Journal: Trade sports drinks for water

Hydration is best achieved by simply listening to your body. If you are thirsty, drink water. If you have a big race or another sports activity planned, still listen to your body, drink when thirsty and take rests as needed.

Sports drinks are not all bad though. Because sports drinks contain large amounts of carbohydrates (sugar) and electrolytes they can be beneficial if you plan on working out and doing strenuous exercise for longer than a 60 minute period of time.

Just like with food consumption, water hydration depends largely on listening to your body and by balancing your liquid choices.

Entry #9 Play on Foods?

Take a look at the video below. It is titled "Fresh Guacamole" and it was made by director/producer PES (Adam Pesapane). It was nominated for an Academy Award in best animated short.

The video uses stop motion to show the process of making food using non food objects like baseballs and dice. While the video doesn't necessarily contain social commentary on the food industry, I still found it to be an entertaining short film that uses play on words and pun style humor. If I were to psycho analyze the short film i could say that its a commentary on how food is not always as real or as fresh as we think it is. Overall though I think its a nice break from the depressing doom and gloom from my previous food related posts. If you have the chance take a second to view some of the other shorts by PES(I have included them at the bottom of this post). Like Fresh Guacamole the videos are a nice break from the daily routine.

Entry #EC Time for a Movie Review

Recently I watched the documentary by Robert Kenner called "Food, inc." The documentary features well known agricultural journalist Michael Pollan and investigative journalist Eric Schlosser.
After watching the film, it was evident that we in America have some serious agricultural problems related to the foods we eat. I took away some of the following points from the film

• Farmer's are slaves to the corporations. They get no say.
• The overproduction of products like corn have led to a push in creating chemicals and fillers out of the extra products produced.
• Corporations have significant influence over the laws and subsidies that were initially meant to protect farmers.
• The system has created a culture where good healthy foods are un-affordable and unhealthy foods are incredibly cheap. 
•  Food safety is less important than preserving commodity production.
• Monsanto has created a monopoly on the genetics of plants. They have become the big brother of the farming industry.
• Companies are lobbying to make it illegal to criticize and speak publicly against food products.

These revelations about the food industry are deeply concerning. At one point in the film they discussed a bill that was introduced to congress known as Kevin's Law. It was created in response to the death of a two year old child from E. coli O157:H7. It was never signed in to law. In my previous post I talked about the impact of E. coli and how even in 2016 there were still outbreaks of the bacteria in our food system. It is a great example of how the massive corporations have lobbied against food safety initiatives in order to protect their profits and interests.

There are many other problems associated with our food industry. Food, inc helps to pinpoint and express the struggles of farmers and consumers against the big corporations. There are no easy answers in determining the right course of action, however, one thing remains clear; something has to change because our agricultural system cannot continue in the way that it has without significant harm to businesses, consumers, and the environment.

Entry #8 Parasites and the Quest to Eradicate them.

Pictured to the left is the dreaded Onchocerca volvolus. This parasite is the pathogen (pathogen is fancy talk for an organism that causes disease) responsible for the disease known as River Blindness.

This disease, like its name suggests, causes blindness and skin lesions. 120 million people in 37 countries are currently at risk of contracting this disease. In addition 37 million people are actively suffering from infection. (CDC).

The infection can be easily treated and PREVENTED by taking a yearly single dose drug.
The efforts to eradicate this disease and others are spear headed by the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. Since 2011 Onchocerciasis (river blindness) was stopped in 11 of the 13 major hazard areas. The disease is almost eradicated in the Americas as well. (CDC progress).

If everyone took some time to educate themselves and do some research on tropical diseases then efforts to lobby or raise funds for countries who cannot afford to stop these diseases, then the world would be a little bit better. The lives of people affected by tropical diseases could be greatly benefited and enhanced through something so simple as a yearly dose of medication.

Currently the CDC lists about 17 different types of neglected tropical diseases(NTD's). The image and the link below contain more information about these diseases and what countries are most affected by them.

                                                               CDC NTD List

Some of the diseases on this list are easily preventable/manageable provided there is access to medication, education, and adequate sanitary care.