Monday, October 27, 2008

Blog 7

1) Post your favorite lyrics, poem, or quote for this week.
~My favorite song this weeks is by ANBERLIN and called "Inevitable" Do you remember when we were just kidsAnd cardboard boxes took us miles from what we would missSchoolyard conversations taken to heartAnd laughter took the place of everything we knew we were notI wanna break every clockThe hands of time could never move againWe could stay in this moment (stay in this moment)For the rest of our livesIs it over now hey, hey, is it over nowI wanna be your last, first kissThat you'll ever haveI wanna be your last, first kissAmazing how life turns out the way that it doesWe end up hurting the worst, the only ones we really loveI wanna break every clockThe hands of time could never move againWe could stay in this moment (stay in this moment)For the rest of our livesIs it over now hey, hey, is it over nowI wanna be your last, first kissThat you'll ever haveI wanna be your last, first kissIs it over now hey, hey, is it over nowIs it over how hey, hey, it's not over nowI wanna be your last, first kissThat you'll ever have (that you'll ever have)I wanna be your last, first love (that you'll ever have)Till you're lying here beside me with arms and eyes open wideI wanna be your last, first kiss for all time
2) Develop two reflection questions that you would ask your students at this point in the course if you were a UN100 Professor.
~What are 5 ways to beat procrastination? What are some study habits to improve your grades and help you retain information?
3) What are you passionate about? Why?
~ I am passionate about becoming a radiographer, and about helping people. Because after seing how an MRI saved my moms life by discovering a previously unknown brain tumor i love what radiography can do and i love helping people.
4) How are you going to finance your three years of the Radiology program? If you will be in debt from student loans at the end, calculate roughly how much you will owe upon graduation.
~I am going to finance my three years of the Radiology program by using the money my parents set aside that is going to pay for all of my college and also by having a steady well paying job to help pay for neccesities.
5) Have you changed your mind or do you have any new concerns about your program of study after our guest speakers today (Dr. Foley & Joanne)? Are you thinking of a different major or are you dead set on Radiology? What behavior(s) will you maybe have to change in order to keep up with and make the cut?
~I still want to do radiography, i am dead set on doing that, and will stop and nothing to become that. I am going to work harder, study more, and focus more to be able to make the cut. Also i am going to use study groups more and tutoring more to make sure that i get the best grades i can possibly get. Why not i am paying for it afterall.
6) FAST FOOD NATION (You should be reading through Chapter 7 at this point)Reflect upon the opening lines of Chapter 7:"You can smell Greeley, Colorado, long before you can see it. The smell is hard to forget but not easy to describe, a combination of live animals, manure, and dead animals being rendered into dog food."
~These opening lines give a grafic picture that puts into reality just what the smell is like for the reader. It helps the reader to paint a visible picture in their mind, and really get the point that the author is trying to get across. It might be slightly graffic, but it helps make the reader realize the gravity of the situation.
-Have you ever read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair? If so, how does it relate to FFN?
~ I have never read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair therefore i would not know how it relates to FFN.Sorry?
-How high is the employee turnover rate in the meat industry and why don't the packing plants see this as a problem?
~The turnover rate is 80%. They say its not a problem because it prevents them from forming unions and rebelling against them and also becuase like always they employees are easily replaceable.
-We discussed captive supplies of cattle versus regular farming. Reflect upon this quote from page 150:"To supply the beef slaughterhouse, ConAgra operates a pair of enormous feedlots. Each of them can hold up to one hundred thousand head of cattle..During the three months before slaughter, they eat grain..The grain fattens the cattle quickly, aided by the anabolic steroids implanted in their ear."
~As the reader you know how bad slaugterhouses are, but you realize how truly horrible they truly are by this quote. The fact that they feed them them grain just to fatten them up, the grain is not fully healthy for them, it does not supply them all they nutrients they need. So while they do fatten them up, its not true good fat.
-Do you think that these animals' emotions (fears, stress, anger) affect the meat we eat derived from them? How?
~I do because when you are stressed or angery you tend to eat less and so your body burns more. Also you tend to feel worse when you feel these emotions, and eat less.
-How do you feel about eating steroids via consumption of "USDA Inspected" beef? I probably grossed you out - sorry guys, but knowledge is power! If you still don't see the connection between this course and Fast Food Nation -- let me know. Most of you are going into health professions and will be dealing with epidemics of cancer, diabetes, heart disease etc.. mostly based on the American sedentary and processed-food lifestyle. I am hoping you are thinking more critically about everything at this point.
~I feel like all the steroids are going to catch up to us in the future. At some point its going to affect our bodies in a way like a form of cancer, or some mutation. I feel that the steroids can't be good for us, and although i eat it, i try to eat not much of them becuase i know in the long run they will be bad for us.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Blog 5

What do you feel this course (UN100) should focus on?
~I think this course should focus on adapting from college to high school. Many freshman have difficulty adapting to college life because they don't expect college to be any different than high school. When in reality there is much more work involved in college. I feel that although the "Fast Food Nation" is interesting, that it is not necessary. I also think the class should focus on like it has how to get involved in college. Many freshman I feel like are unsure of afraid of how to get involved in college activities and clubs.
What do you need help in, specifically?Please write at least one paragraph focusing on your specific academic needs. That's it - have a great week!
~I need help in learning how to not procrastinate over the weekends. I have gotten better at not putting everything off till Sunday night, but I could still use help. I often find myself getting caught up in the activities over the weekend, and completely lose sight of doing my homework. Then Sunday comes and I am stressed and overwhelmed with the amount of homework i have to do. So essentially i need help learning how to better manage my time on the weekend. During the week i am great at managing my time. I just always seem to find that i take full advantage of the extra time i have on the week and often loose track of how fast the time is going. I also need to learn how to go to bed earlier on the weeknights. I often seem to find myself doing things at night that i don't need to do and then next thing i know its midnight and i am tired in class the next day. So i really need to learn to watch the clock more so that i don't stay up so late on the weekdays.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Blog 4

Ø What is your plan to get involved on campus? What are your interests? Will you or have you joined any student organizations? Which two events besides UNITED & Career Major Fair do you plan on attending?
~I plan to get involved in campus by playing intramurals with my house, also by joining superior edge, going to football and hockey games, and by just going to events on campus such as like homecoming.

Ø Fast Food Nation - Chapter 6:

Ø What are some of the problems facing cattle ranchers?
~Cattle ranchers biggest problem seems to be the bigger cattle corporations that can more more than the small farms can. Another problem is the growing cost of supplies needed to maintain there farms.

Ø What are “captive supplies” of cattle? (“The four major meatpacking companies now control about 20 percent of the live cattle in the U.S. through ‘captive supplies’” (138). (See also p. 142).
~Captive supplies are used to maintain the market, and is where companies can maintain cattle through company-owned feedlots or purchase the cattle in advance through forward contracts. They obtain cattle by confidential agreements with wealthy ranchers, never reavealing the true price being paid.

Ø What was the impact of the Chicken McNugget on the poultry industry?
~The impact is that it turned a meal that normally would be sat down and carved on a table amongst a family into something able to be eaten while driving a car. It has also encouraged production into nothing more than chicken farmers that are now little more than serfs.

Ø How does the nutritional value of a McNugget compare to a hamburger?
~A McNugget has double the amount of fat per ounce compared to a burger, due to how it is processed. However, normally chicken is much healthier than beef.

Ø How does the suicide rate for ranchers and farmers compare with the rate for U.S. citizens in general? Why?
~The Suicide rate for ranchers and farmers as compared with the rate for U.S citizens is about three times higher. As ranchers traditional way of life is destroyed so are their beliefs.

Ø Do you feel as if there is any healthy fast food available to consumers? If so, where and why? Give specific examples of products.. Please be honest and support your opinions. For example, I feel that Subway's Veggie Sub is extremely healthy due to its freshly-cut produce, cheese, and fresh-baked breads. I actually talked to a friend who works at Subway and he said in MQT, they slice their own produce. (My fear was that it arrived pre-sliced and filled with preservatives). It's not organic, but it's a start.
~I am not to sure that there is any fast food that is healthy. I feel like it is fast food which in and of it self makes it unhealthy. If it was supposed to be healthy it wouldn't be fast. However I do feel like there probably is some fast food that is healthy. For instance I agree that certain Subway subs are healthy as long as the meat and cheeses and vegtables are cut fresh and not shipped. Certain salads and McDonalds and Wendy's can be healthy if you get it without the dressing and most of the other stuff on the salad it self. In general it is just better to go without eating fast food. It is fast because they change it to make it fast so they can give it to you faster than you could get it at home. If you could get it faster at home you wouldn;t eat it and they would make no money. Fast food should be eaten only when needed and very sparingly.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Blog 3

Ø Describe your ideal Instructor/Professor.
~My ideal professor/Instructor is one that when they are lecturing they are not boring, they don't use the same tone the entire time instead they try and make there lectures. My ideal teacher is one that makes learning fun not soo boring. Also I like teachers that do no give homework just so you have busy work but actually so that you accomplish and learn the material.
Ø “I knew it when I studied it, but I forgot it on the test.” How can students study differently to prevent this from happening?
~When they study they should write down the information and quiz themselves on the information, and studying it for multiple nitees before the test, also by making sure to stay calm before and during the test. Getting worried before the test makes them stress more and makes them forget important information they need.
Ø How do you study for quizzes/tests?
~I study by sitting in a room where i won't get distracted and can focus on the material. I study for multiple nites before the test, to study information in smaller less overwhelming amounts, then review everything for a couple nites before the test.
Ø What do you have trouble with on quizzes/tests?
~I have trouble with true or falses cause i always 2nd guess myself and also with fill in the blanks because i spell words wrong or forget words unless theres a word bank, then it usually do better with fill in the blanks.
*Reaction to "Letter to McDonald's" from a former employee.
~This letter truly shows without holding back just had bad working at a place like McDonald's is. The author really doesn't hold back at all just tells it like it is. Which gives you a feel for just what he went through working there. I find it interesting that the managers ask crew people how to do stuff, yet they make more and the crew makes less, because the managers are supposed to know how to do everything. This just shows how little experience is needed to work at McDonalds and also just how desperate they are for workers that they will take anyone. I found it interesting that people can quit or get fired one day, and be rehired or allowed to come back to work the next. At most jobs this would not be allowed if you quit you quit and your gone end of story. McDonalds just must not care who works there they just need employees. This article was very eye opening and informative to what goes on behind the scene at fast food restaurants.

Monday, September 15, 2008

blog 2

Reiterate a term or concept you learned in Anatomy this week.
~This week in anatomy we learned about 2 types of process in the bones 1. ossification which is bone formation and intramembraneous which is the membrace foremd into bone.
Ø List a few pleasant events that happened during your first weeks at NMU.
~Some pleasant events from my first weeks were i met my roomate, who is awesome i couldn't have asked for a better roomate really also i met so many people and have made so many new friends that i became not nervous about being on my own and now i am excited and loving everything here at northern.
ØWhere do you want to be (academically) in six months?
~Academically i want to be with all a's and b's in my classes and with about a 3.5 ish gpa if not higher.
Ø List habits you already possess that make you successful in college.
~ I have very strong study skills, learned from my hard classes during highschool, also i am very organized and focused, which helps me force myself to do homework and focus on my studies rather that what is going on around me.
Ø List habits (timewasters?) you can change or modify, or need to lose.
~I need to learn to do homework more on the weekend instead of waiting till sunday nite and monday to do all my homework. I need to find a balance between having fun and going out on the weekend and doing homework. I know its possible I jsut have to figure out how to balance that.
Ø Explain how you approach studying your a) textbook and b) notes.
~I approach studying my textbook by sitting down and reading it ahead of time and taking some notes and highlighting. Then going over the key concepts i highlighted and wrote down. I approach studying my notes by having the basic background of information in my mind from the book then i add to the notes in my head from the book with the notes from class.
Ø Explain how you determine what to write down in notes during lectures.
I determine what to write down during lectures by clues in the teachers voice or stuff the teacher writes down. Except in anatomy becuase everything Froiland says is important otherwise he wouldn't say it soo his class i write everything down.
Ø FAST FOOD NATION:Ø Watch this short 1980’s McDonald’s commercial. McD’s reps have actually claimed they do not target children in their ads.. Pay attention to the tagline: “The Hamburglar is very clever and very sneaky!” Why is this ironic?
~Its ironic becuase the Hamburglar and Ronald McDonald are charachters that kids would identify with or look to or identify with better than adults would. Its ironic becuase the way they worded seems to be more towards children, becuase with adults you could use bigger words.
Ø Over the last several decades, fast food companies have aggressively targeted children in their marketing efforts. Should advertisers be permitted to target children who lack the sophistication to make informed decisions and are essentially being lured into eating high fat, high calorie food through toys and cute corporate mascots?
~Advertisers should not be able to target children becuase by targeting them they are setting up a lifestyle that will affect them for life. It starts the problem younger than it should. Advertisers should only target adults because they are able to make decisions themselves, where as children have adults that make their decisions for them and therefore don't get decide things on their own. So targeting them is unfair becuase they will be swayed because toys and mascots immediatly grab the intrest of children regardless of how bad it is for them. They don't know any better they just know they want that toy.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Response to questions

Ø List your own quote, favorite saying, song, or other expression of your feelings today.
My ultimate favorite song is wonderwall by oasis. I just feel like that song just has such a powerful message of true love behind it and it makes me happy whenever things are bad. I also like the quote live everyday to the fullest. I feel like not doing that is crazy because you never know when it will be your last day soo you should live everyday as though it could be your last that way you have no regrets

Ø Now that you made it to NMU – why are you here?
I am here because they have my major, Radiography. I was looking at Ferris State as well, and upon visiting both campus' i hated Ferris thought it was too small and loved Northerns. Also Northerns Radiography program is better than Ferris which was another huge perk. I really feel like i made the right choice i love it up here.

Ø How did you choose this school?
I chose this school by looking up schools that offered the Radiography program I wanted. I then narrowed it down to Northern and Ferris and was able to make my decision upon visiting both campuses, Northern's is way better than Ferris's soo i'm here. Also because i love winter, and how much more winter can you get than here

Ø List initial observations of your new environment.
It totally different from home. Its got beautiful views everywhere you look, and it's got soo many activites to do outside which i really enjoy. Also the dorms are a lot louder than my house ever is at home, also a lot hotter than my house is too. Overall though i like my new environment its pretty and i like the change.

Ø List initial observations of your classes.
I like most all of my classes, except math because the teacher can't teach. I was initially afraid of chemistry because the teacher is chinese and has a strong accent, but I have gotten used to her accent. I know that anatomy will be hard, and a lot of work, but I am excited for the challenge.

Ø What observations have you made about other students?
I have noticed that other students are very outdorsy, and love to skateboard and ride bikes. I have also noticed that there is all different types of people everyone is different but I like meeting people different than myself.

Ø About your instructors?
Most of my instructors are a lot different than my teachers in high school. You can tell they really know there stuff. I am not used to having instructors that have accents that make it hard to understand them, however I have quickly adjusted to that and it no longer bothers me. I can hardly notice it anymore.

Ø What do you think will be your biggest challenge(s) academically this semester?
Passing math because the teacher doesn't really teach that well. I have formed a study group which has helped soo since then its gotten easier, we help eachother understand the material. I am also worried about anatomy because its all memorization, but it will be a lot of studying and hard work, which will all pay off in the end.

Ø Finally, name one goal (personal, academic, etc..) you have for yourself next week.
To make sure not to put my homework off all week and to do it throughout the week, so I don't have soo much to do during the week.