Thursday, April 30, 2009

Benefits of Nutrition

What part does nutrition play in an individual’s health? Nutrition is an aspect of care long explored by health professionals for its role in preventing, controlling and aiding in the treatment of disease. Trends in maintaining health through preventive care are rising as more people become aware of its benefits. Correspondingly, an added interest in nutrition’s function in that process has followed. Public education campaigns for the desirable health results derived from good food choices are widespread as a means to promote positive behavior changes. The public schools meal programs have been a particular focus for such improvement campaigns to induce change in children. These trends have not escaped my notice, and spark an added personal interest in pursuing further insight in the subject. More specifically, my research will examine through varied resources what might constitute the more beneficial source of nutrition for a given purpose; such as vitamin supplements, herbals or the food itself.
Disease treatment is discussed through the results of an experimental study on the human’s ability to recover from the effects of malnutrition:
http://proquest.umi.com.prox.miracosta.edu/pqdweb?did=1670283531&sid=1&Fmt=4&clientId=7968&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Nutrition’s role in controlling disease is examined by studying a particular diet:
http://proquest.umi.com.prox.miracosta.edu/pqdweb?did=1509274661&sid=7&Fmt=3&clientId=7968&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Nutrition’s role in disease prevention is explored by the results of a 6-day fruits and vegetables study:
http://proquest.umi.com.prox.miracosta.edu/pqdweb?did=686464481&sid=2&Fmt=2&clientId=7968&RQT=309&VName=PQD
The known benefits of adequate nutrition are not so uncommon; yet to study in-depth is appealing in both a general sense, as well as for its personal enrichment.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Healthcare in America

Shouldn't every U.S. citizen be able to walk into a doctor's office and obtain medical care when their sick regardless of their socioeconomic status? What sacrifices, if any, would we as nation have to make in order to put a universal health care system into place?

As a rich a nation as the United States is, millions of Americans are currently without health care.
http://www.healthcarereformnow.org/

Most everyone will concede that all Americans should be able to secure medical care when necessary, however, the question of how to meet this objective continues to be a debated issue.
http://www.amsa.org/uhc/uhcres.cfm

Consider being a self-employed single parent of a child diagnosed with asthma. Consider applying for health care insurance for your child and your child being denied coverage on the grounds of a "pre-existing condition" that categorizes him/her as "high risk". In other words, the insurance company denies based on the likelihood that your child with asthma might actually require asthma related medical attention that the insurance company would have to pay for.
http://healthcare.change.org/

blog 6..

I had to think of what it is I wanted to write about, so these three subjects I came up with. These weigh on my mind from time to time and hope they make sense.

Invest in Bank Stocks?
Turn on your television at six thirty am, and you will see lots of reports on the stock market. Notice the bank stocks are low and raising slightly daily. Should you invest in bank stock, Citigroup and Bank of America since they rank among the cheapest? Investing in bank stock is questionable, but you must know up front you will not make any money for several years. It is good to invest but you have to wait it out.

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=investing+in+banks+&page=1&qsrc=0&ab=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bloggingstocks.com%2F2009%2F03%2F28%2Fcomfort-zone-investing-time-to-buy-bank-stocks%2F

Why is food cost rising?

We read last summer that food was on the rise due to the high cost of gas prices. Shopping at the grocery store we saw smaller packages and higher prices. With gas prices lower, for now, why is food still high? Basic reasoning would tell us that food prices would go down, but the excuse range from food demand to foods imported for our use.

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=why+are+food+prices+rising&page=1&qsrc=2352&ab=0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marketwatch.com%2Fnews%2Fstory%2Fwhy-rising-food-prices-eating%2Fstory.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257BE2C47792-2693-48BF-8967-26B070F10EBF%257D

Stress and the media

With our economy barely on a upswing, but unemployment still at a record high so is the stress of the people of our nation. This article states we should not by into the hype. Where do we hear this “hype”, the local and nation news. Eight one percent of Americans are stressed about their money and eighty percent the economy.

http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/news/20081008/as-economy-worsens-so-does-stress
When thinking of topics for my paper, I chose something in the medical field since that is what I’m good at. I spent the last year and a half studying nursing and have seen many points of views on immunizations, so I chose to do my paper on the benefits of immunizations.


Introduction to Maternity and Pediatric Nursing ( Gloria Leifer)

I used this book during the last semester of MiraCosta’s LVN program and it was very helpful when it came to patient teaching. The book has a chart of the recommended immunizations and pictures of the diseases they help prevent. It also states why immunizations need to be administered and the possible side effects that may arise.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/

This is the website of the center for disease control and department of health. There are facts, Vaccine safety, adverse events, common questions and much more information regarding immunizations on this site. The CDC mandates immunizations and their website is very helpful since they are pro immunizations.

http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/t990803a.html

Dr. David Satcher Assistant Secretary for Department of health speaks of the risks v.s benefits of immunizations. Many facts and benefits are stated on why immunizations are important. I think this testimony is going to be very helpful.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Somewhat Significant Sources

Well, I've been looking here and there, and have come up with a few good books pertaining to my position topic: the need for immediate harnessing and utilization of alternative energies. Here a a couple of sources I've scraped up...

Dominant Wave Theory (Hughes, Hines, Karliner, Lencek, Short, & Thompson)
This is a great visual and informational resource, containing thought-provoking essays and startling photography on the subject of the environment, especially with regards to the ocean and the effects of polluting - and how this would effect the world in which we all live. I hope to glean a good amount of material and insight from these pages.

To the Young Environmentalist (Leuzzi)
Yes, I admit, this book sounds a bit juvenile. The fact is, it contains a great deal of relative information on my subject. To the Young Environmentalist includes stories and essays from both environmentalists and opposers, sharing their experiences, ideas, learnings, and more. Focusing mostly on preservation and renewal of natural habitats and resources, this book provides some interesting tidbits and viewpoints from which to learn.

Civic Environmentalism -
Alternatives to Regulation in States and Communities (John)
A down-to-earth guide to the rules and regulations involved with the environment - past, present and future. The author, DeWitt John, takes his education and background on the subject and presents his findings with honesty, respect, and a willingness to solve problems such as energy and energy conservation, habitat degradation and restoration, and the use of harmful chemicals on our environment.

Well, that's all I have for now. I hope to gain a bit of knowledge from this assignment, and am excited to move forward in the class and learn more!
Thank you.

Pedestrians

Hopefully, the following credible sources will successfully support my position:
Subject: Pedestrian Safety Law Enactment
Research Materials:

1. National Highway Safety Traffic Administrations, or NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590 at nhsta.gov. A national government entity commissioned to promote the public safety through outreach. The analysis of statistical reports of highway accident injuries and fatalities are examined.

2. California Codes Streets And Highways Code
Section 894.6-894.8. A law provision that requires a Pedestrian Safety Account be established through the State Transportation Fund for the purpose of designating grants. The details are stated within the code.
3. The results of a controlled independent study focused on the drivers ability to observe pedestrians at night as conducted by Joanne M Wood; Richard A Tyrrell; Trent P Carberry, university students. The study is entitled “Limitations in Drivers' Ability to Recognize Pedestrians at Night.” Human Factors; Fall 2005; 47, 3; ProQuest Health and Medical Complete.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

6th Blog- My sources!

I am hoping that through my position paper, I can strongly dispute people who oppose stricter laws and consequences for drunk drivers, while adding personality and emotion to the statistics.

 

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/DrinkingAndDriving.html

Great summaries of possible fixes to the DUI problem, along with why some methods in place are not as effective as some may assume.

 

http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/drving.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are a lot of solid, summarized facts on this page, along with numerous sources from which the facts were pulled.

 

http://www.madd.org/

Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. We have all heard of this organization. They do much more than present statistics. Their mission is to stop drunk driving and prevent underage drinking, but they do not publicly project their voice the way the Truth campaign has. They need to do something more than just preach to a high school crowd and show disturbing pictures. I actually had not knowingly heard anything about or from MADD since elementary school until researching for this paper.

 

http://damm-madd.com/

Drinkers against mad mothers. Although much of this site is absurd, I am using it to sift out some of the valid points held by the other side. They argue that the methods currently in place to fight drunk driving are effective enough, and in many instances are too strict. And many people have come to call it the DUI industry because of the money it brings in.

 

http://www.slate.com/id/2672/

One For My Baby, but 0.08 For The Road by, Atul Gawande

An article about why 0.08 is a perfectly legitimate BAC level to set as the legal limit, and contains interesting results from studies about BAC levels.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

On Arguing Successfully

Hi all,
Some of this we've gone over (yawn, but necessary), some perhaps not. In any case, I though this might be a useful once or tenth-over regarding the paper and how you can most successfully approach it.

1. Avoid moral arguments (and moralizing in general). You need to find factual, or at least viable evidence to support your claim. When you are trying to support a moral belief, the support you'll find is likely going to be made up of . . .others' moral beliefs. In this way, you wind up with a circular argument that can't get off the hamster wheel of judgment. Choose your topic with care.

You can find yourself going down this path with all kinds of claims, not just the ones prohibited on the prompt. I see someone is thinking of writing about home-schooling. Great and of-the-moment topic. But imagine someone chooses this topic and bases his/her claim around the fact belief that public schools ensure students will be exposed to all sorts of horrible, secular behaviors, viewpoints, and the like. This paper could easily turn into a rant that indicts anyone and everyone affiliated with public schools. However, the next writer centers his/her claim around numbers that show home-school graduates apply to and gain admittance to universities at a higher rate than students public (or privately) schooled. This kind of claim is likely going to be based on factual evidence (in addition to opinion, theorizing, logic, etc.) As such, this paper is likely going to be more logical, more rational . . . and thus more successful.

2. Your thesis statement is really a two-parter. Remember, it's not enough to make the claim and leave it at that. Consider the argument at work here: "Military recruiters should not be allowed to recruit on public high-school campuses." Is the writer's claim clear? Absolutely. However, this thesis lacks the imperative "so what" clause. This phrase is shorthand for questioning why the claim matters in the first place, for establishing significance (the "why should I, as the reader, care about this or buy this person's argument?")for the audience. Your claim has no validity or importance if it doesn't have context and significance. Recall the thesis we came up with in class, which had three reasons attached to the claim. Having read that thesis, any reader would know exactly why the writer is offering the claim and will be more likely to be invested in the topic and argument (whether the reasons offered make the reader feel connected and familiar or combative and ready to debate or dismiss the claim). You will not be able to do this in one sentence -- it's absolutely fine that your thesis is not one sentence (though it's possible it could be if you write very concisely) -- we're not writing a five-paragraph essay here.

3. Consider laying out objections, concessions, and rebuttals throughout the paper rather than in one big chunk. If you offer three reasons in your thesis, it's likely you'll address, or need to address, three objections. You might consider bringing in objections as you move from point to point; the paper will be much more fluid and take on the natural movement of a "real" argument. Remember that anticipating and dealing with objections is an absolute for the argument paper.

4. This is the time to choose sources very carefully. If you have not already read the chapter on evaluating sources in FG, you should. Ultimately, it's not enough to have "good quotes" -- a skilled writer is going to consider (as will a discerning audience) from whence the information comes and the credibility of the source. A source who comments on what it means to be black and middle-class (as does Shelby Steele in an essay in your text) lacks experiential evidence if he/she is not black or middle-class. Does this mean such a source has nothing of value to say about these identity categories? No. However, it's important to establish the context in which the writer is coming from, and sometimes you need to do this explicitly for the audience. If your source is neither black nor middle class but is a professor specializing in ethnic studies/sociology, he/she has authoritative information that a black, middle-class "average Joe" may not have despite having experiential evidence to offer. Always ask yourself WHY the person's claims and viewpoints are viable and persuasive . . . the above two examples showcase viable perspectives, but the context in which these opinions are viable is different. Using scholarly sources will really help you in this arena -- it's usually pretty easy to establish why the author has credibility. On the other hand, if you did a general web search and found a fantastic quote that illustrates exactly what you were looking for but you cannot find any reason why that quote should be taken seriously (other than that it "sounds good"), you don't have a compelling piece of evidence. You have an opinion. Does everyone's opinion matter? In some respects, yes. The weight of that opinion, however, is what you need to consider.

5. As always, you need to focus on grammar, syntax, punctuation. Taking care to write correctly and fluidly tells your readers that you care about your writing, that you have the ability and authority to write about your topic, and that you care about their reading experience. Similarly, sloppy work that's marked with errors and clarity issues can, especially in this genre, tell your readers that you don't have the ability or authority to take a position on the issue (after all, if you can't present it successfully, there's a big, open door for critics), that you don't care about the topic or the reading experience, etc. It's difficult to take someone seriously who doesn't edit their work, and thus the entire argument is undermined. These elements do play a bigger role in this paper, as they will continue to do. While I believe content is more important, big-picture, than mechanics, and was trained in this method, mechanics still count. And, of course, you need to show that you can meet the learning outcomes for the course in order to pass it.

I hope this overview helps you put the project in perspective. If you haven't gotten started yet, there's no time like now!