Blog #16: Opposing viewpoints & your topic for Life: The Book

In relation to health care designer babies are a step in the right direction. One of the major costs and conflicts in health care is the problem of mental diseases or birth defects. With designer babies that would more or less eliminate that problem.

The main issue with health care is the ability to afford it. Universal health care is basically Communism. "A right to health care thus requires the government to infringe on people’s liberty rights by commandeering their talents, labor, and earnings." My real beliefs are that if you are treated without consent you are not obligated to pay for any treatment. If you consent to be treated and are fully aware of the costs and how they will affect you and your ability to live a normal life i.e.: bankruptcy you should have to be responsible for the expenses. When people say that it is their natural right to have health care my response is "if its your right to have clothing are you going to walk around naked if I don't provide the clothes for you?"

Blog #15: Life: The Book & American History

4. Describe the types of health care problems Americans face, and the government's role in seeking solutions.

Our health care costs twice as much, as all the other countries in the world. The insane amount of 1.4 trillion dollars on health care, that is 15 % of the american household income. Health care costs are always going up and thats prevents companies from having as many employees and then their workers have to be more capable. Companies know they more or less have to cover their workers, but they are now depending on their workers to pay for their own health care. This creates poverty. One of the fears of designer babies is that the people with money will

1. Using a specific example, describe what makes a compelling character in narrative nonfiction or literary journalism.

In the article "The Covenant" Francis Collins is given a strong personality that is based in his only recently discovered Christian beliefs. They show how invested he is in science and how he combines it with his Christianity. Many of the scientists are not pleased with him as the director of the NIH because they believe his Christianity would interfere with the projects he funds. They give him a conflict and a belief that many people can relate to.

2. Using a specific example, describe what makes an interesting plot in narrative nonfiction or literary journalism.

In "Darwin's Surprise" they provide conflict - people afraid of the diseases coming back and causing another widespread infection and they give something surprising and interesting - the fact that all of the diseases from the past left footprints on our DNA and can be recreated.

3. What specific steps do authors take to write non-jargon-based scientific writing?

In all the articles they had the original names and then provided examples. They gave proof of what was happening and why and how. They gave us the chance to form opinions of our own.

4. What specific steps do authors take to encourage their readers to connect with their stories?

They gave you their opinions on what they were writing about. This gives the reader a chance to form an opinion and decide weather they agree of disagree with the writer. They give characters (specific characters) that the reader can relate to.

Blog #14: Life: The Book & Humanities

1. I will be writing about adulthood/the fetal stage in relation to designer babies.

In vitro fertilisation (Also known a test tube babies) This is the process in which the egg is fertilized outside of the mother's body. It is often used as a treatment for infertility and is used in the creation of designer babies. In this process egg cells are removed from the woman and fertilized by sperm in a fluid medium. The fertilized egg is then transfered back into the womb of the parent. In the creation of a designer baby In vitro fertilisation is used to have a chance to change the childs genetic makeup so it is artifically selected outside of the mother to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or characteristics. This also reduces the chance the child will be born with a genetic disorder. The fear is that people will use this thechnology for more trivial things more cosmetic things this is currently illegal although this is currently possible in animals.

They have also created an artifical chromosome that can hold hundreds of genes and this entire chromosome coul be put into an embryo and this would change the way is grew.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN9ep4B9Hw0

2. The Federal government is the one that funds research like this to happen. They have stopped funding on projects like embryo-tic stem cell research and they could stop the funding on this too due to the fear that this would lead to the creation of another superior race.

3. One of the fears of the concept of designer babies is that the wealthier class would end up creating a superior race. Because they could afford the genetic engineering, basically they could afford a more intelligent child. I mean if a parent is willing to pay $60,000 for their child to attend Harvard and have a better chance at success what do you think a parent would be willing to pay to assure their child's academic success.

Blog #13: Life—The Book!

Article Possibility One: Designer Babies

1. The chance to decide what your baby will look like hair color, eye color ect...

The Science: One way to make a designer baby begins with an embryo created by in vitro fertilization (IVF). Genetic engineers modify the embryo’s DNA and then introduce it into a womb. These children would be genetically modified.

The Humanities: Discuss the ethics of it. Is it right to be able to control what a child would look like. why should a parent be able to make this decision when the child might not want to look the way they were made to.

Relevant Stage of Life: Fetal or Adulthood

2.

3. A baby's genetic makeup would be artificially selected by genetic engineering and then combined with in vitro fertilisation to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or characteristics.

4. This is a fairly recent possibility people are questioning the ethics of it though. It turns to the problem with embryo termination and the chance that we would breed a race of super humans which in turn relates to Hitler's

concepts and Dr. Josef Mengele's experiments.

Article Possibility Two: Diabetes

1.Type 1 diabetes results from autoimmune destruction of insulin-producingbeta cells of the pancreas.

The science: Type 1 diabetes is a polygenic disease meaning multiple genes cause it. Although they are not sure of the cause one of the possibilities is the when the immune system attacks infectious cells or viruses is also attacks the beta cells in the pancreas.

The Humanities: How long has diabetes been affecting humans? Has is come around since a particular food was introduced to our diet? How would this affect someones life.

Relevant Stage of life: All apply

2.

3. Type 1 diabetes is a polygenic disease meaning multiple genes cause it or contribute to the cause. Depending on locus or combination of loci, it can be dominant, recessive, or somewhere in between. Although they are not sure of the cause one of the possibilities is the when the immune system attacks infectious cells or viruses is also attacks the beta cells in the pancreas.

4. Type 2 diabetes is now affecting out nation harshly. Due to our horrible diet and lack of information. At lease 8% of our nation is affected by type 2 diabetes that is 23.6 million people.

Article Possibility Three: Parkinson's disease

1. Parkinson's is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs the sufferer's motor skills, speech, and other functions.

The science: Although most people with PD do not know the cause 15% are do to genetic mutations and have family member also affected by PD.

The Humanities: First documented in 1817 and was known as shaking palsy. This disease has affected many people through out history but a cure has never been found.

Relevant Stage of Life: Child - Elderly

2.

3. PD is caused by multiple specific genetic mutations. A few of the genes that are affected by these mutations are Alpha-synuclein (SNCA), ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), and parkin (PRKN).

4. Why or how had this disease never been cured? Who is history has been affected by Parkinson's? What is it like to live with PD?

Blog #12: Beginning the Internship Brainstorm

#1 I would like to work in a small environment with one or two other people. I would like to work with clothing or children. An outdoors internship would also be fantastic. Any thing that involves work with my hands like crafts, sewing, or gardening would be preferable.

#2 I definitely want to make the most of my creative skills but also my intelligence too. I want to learn about marketing and running a small business and being self employed. I also would like to hone my writing ability and I would like to see how it

could be used out in the work world.

#3 Baking would also be an ideal internship I would love to learn how to make the perfect souflee or how to make a checkered cake. I would also like to improve my sewing ability and learn how to turn it in to a career. I would like to know how to run a small business and how to get started when you have nothing.

Blog #11: Twitter!

Facebook Politicians Are Not Your Friends

This article was very interesting it was first interesting to here about how different political veiws had been changed through the use of the internet like senatorial candidate, George Allen of Virginia, was caught on camera delivering a racial slur and this more or less took him out of the running. Or how people use twitter more how politicians use twitter. They use it to access the public but some cheat and have other people tweet for them which I think is like lying. A twitter should be your own personal thing not something used for advertising. And I think its disrespectful to the public that Sarah Palin paid some one to write her "internet messages." The part of this article that appealed to me was the politically related bits in which I wrote about here. There is more in this article as well.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/how-obamas-internet-campaign-changed-politics/

This article gives an over view of how Obama used the internet to his advantage though out his campaign. It became a campaign tool and one in which Obama used well. Pay attention to where the author talks about how the internet was used in his campaign.

Blog #10 Lawyer Version

My thoughts as I go into this trial... Well there is a lot of uncertainty. I know we are at a strong disadvantage in this case. Thanks so the media the majority of America is already against us. So I'm nervous more than anything. I feel like I'm on edge a lot not sleeping as well. This case is almost always the thing thats on my mind. Always thinking of new things to add or questions I could ask or speculating about what the prosecution is planning.

Am I ready? I don't think so. Not yet. I won't be ready until Thursday lunch. We still have work to do and only my then do I think I will be mentally prepared for what is coming.

For last minute prep... Well I think we are still doing a little more than last minute prep. But we are editing our opening a closing statements finalizing scripts and analyzing the prosecution's evidence.