Ironic?

Photo from www.secretsofthefed.com 

This is clearly a cartoon referencing the liberty with which pesticides are sprayed on food, even when they are known to be highly toxic to humans. Your eye is drawn first to the words in the "bubble", and then to the rest of the image. The skull and crossbones indicate that the spray is highly toxic, as well as the mask and gloves that the person is wearing. The squirrel in the image states that the situation is very ironic, because the person is spraying toxic chemicals on food that we eat every day. The meaning behind this is that we eat these foods without realize the poison that they come in contact with. The purpose of this cartoon is to raise awareness about the excessive amounts of pesticides that are sprayed on foods. Many people do not realize that these pesticides will end up in our body. It is directed towards a general audience of all ages and gender.

I personally think that this cartoon is a perfect representation of pesticide use. It is bringing attention to the issue and causing people to think about the short term and long term effects that this constant use of chemicals is having on us.

Harmful Impact of Pesticides

Biziuk, M. "Occurrence and Determination of Pesticides in Natural and Treated Waters."Science Direct. Sciverse, 22 Nov. 1996. Web. 11 Apr. 2013.

This is a source that will help me in my research of the negative effect of pesticides on the environment. 

I was able to determine this to be a credible source because it was accessed via the "Science Direct" database. I know that it is scholarly because it was published from the Technical University of Gdansk in Poland, by the chemistry department. Also, it includes a works cited page, which is common among scholarly works. 

This article begins by identifying water as a very valuable and increasingly diminishing resource. The authors explain that pesticides are a large contaminant in surface water and ground water, and that water is one our most valuable resources. The article then explains the most common pesticides found in water, and why this is such a problem. Lastly, the article describes techniques for pesticide removal from surface water. 

Overall, this is a good article, but some of the information is not relevant to my research. It is particularly confusing as the author talks about the more scientific techniques for removing pesticides from water. However, the beginning of the article is easy to understand and relays important information. 

Our Lives with Animals

Most of us come into contact with animals throughout our day. Have you ever imagined what our lives would be like without our beloved pets? They are always there when you need someone to listen, and they never have a negative thing to say. What could be better?

I have a dog, 2 cats, and a horse that I cannot imagine living without. Animals are so central to my life that I would honestly feel empty without them. My dog "Rosie" came into my life four years ago, totally by chance. I was a sophomore in high school, and had just started driving. While driving on a rural highway, I pulled into a driveway to switch places with my mom. When I looked out the window, I noticed a tiny, emaciated dog behind a tree. I had never seen an animal in such terrible condition in person; only in photographs. I could count every bone in her body. Although it took some patience, we finally caught her and put her into the car with us to drive straight to the veterinarian's office. Exhausted, she fell asleep in my lap on the car ride and we knew that we had to keep her. After the vet declared that she "only needed a little TLC", we took her home.

Rosie has been the best dog we have ever owned, and I think she is truly grateful for the chance we gave her. Can you share any memorable animal stories of your own?

Holidays

Holidays mean different things to different people. For some, it is a chance to enjoy time with friends and family. Others simply welcome the time off from work or school. For me, holidays are some of the few days of the year when my entire extended family is together. It is a time for us to eat, talk, and laugh. I have noticed that, in my family, the men and women usually separate. Some of my fondest memories are when my mother, grandmother, aunt, and I sit around and share gossip and laughter. We seem to form a little club which no one else understands. We forget about deadlines and many little problems we are facing. This Easter will undoubtedly be the same for my family.

Language Literacy

I feel that being able to speak another language can benefit one in so many aspects of life. Whether it is being able to communicate with someone, or simply being able to relate to someone, it is so important. I was fortunate to have grown up being spoken to in English and Spanish. In my house, English was always spoken, but in my grandparents' home, we only speak Spanish. My grandparents are from Spain, and so I have been able to experience their culture firsthand. I have always been able to understand Spanish, but gradually I began to be able to speak it as well, once I realized how important it was for me to master it. One of my mother's biggest regrets is that she did not speak to her children in Spanish when we were little. Luckily, my grandmother always did!

Even now, when I call my grandmother, she insists that I speak in Spanish to her. In fact, she pretends not to understand if I speak English! Being bilingual has helped me many times in my life. I strongly believe that one of the main reasons I got hired at my current job is because of my ability to speak Spanish. I feel extremely blessed to have been given the opportunity to learn another language. Although I know many people may not have other languages spoken in their households, I think that it is so important to try to learn another language  if possible. It never ceases to amaze me how many opportunities that it presents!

Culture of Marriage

The idea of marriage and relationships is all around us-in music, movies, commercials, and radio. We are constantly bombarded with the notion that we should find a partner to marry and start a family with. Although there is nothing wrong with wanting this, I do have to wonder if we experience subtle pressure to find this in a certain time frame.

Although I can only speak from the point of view of a woman, I think it depends on your environment. I personally have experienced a little pressure to find a serious boyfriend before I graduate. However, I do not think it has any influence on being focused on a career as well. In one of my groups of friends, the majority are in a serious relationship and are definitely headed toward marriage in the future. I do not wish to make any judgments, but sometimes I sense that they are more reluctant to participate in activities (on or off campus) without their significant others. However, they are also highly focused on their school work. In my other group of friends, most are not in relationships. These are the people who are always up for hanging out or participating in things around campus. They are perfectly content not being in a serious relationship and they are also very focused on careers.

There is nothing wrong with either of these circumstances, but I definitely feel that they are different. I have to admit that I sometimes feel that certain people are not happy unless they are in a relationship, and these are the people that are in a rush to get married after graduation. I wonder if they are missing out on important friendships in college?

How do you feel about this topic? Do you think men face the same pressures? Do you agree that these pressures even exist?

Big City vs. Small Town

I was born in Dallas, Texas and have lived there my entire life. I love living there, but it is certainly not for everyone. People are in a hurry, the traffic is a nightmare, and you rarely bump into anyone you know. It is definitely a business focused, fast paced atmosphere. This view does not necessarily sound appealing, but what about a big city draws people to it? Is it the multitude of restaurants, shopping, or the business opportunities?

I love the convenience of having any store one could possibly imagine being located within a 20 minute drive from my house. Also, in my opinion, the Downtown Dallas skyline is one of the prettiest parts of the city. There is something about driving past or through downtown at night that brings me great memories and happy feelings.

http://ko.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-123045028

http://www.pegasusnews.com

 

What if you grew up in a small town? Although I cannot give a first-hand account of that, I do know that the culture is very different from that of a big city. When visiting small towns, I get the sense that there exists a much more laid back atmosphere, with camaraderie between neighbors. However, as far as shopping and restaurants go, there seems to be much less to choose from! Of course, my opinion could be incorrect, as I have grown up in Dallas all my life.  

 

Obviously, a big city and small town are two extremes that exist in the United States. Although these are all that I discussed here, there are many in-between cities!

 

Are you a big city person, or are you more suited to living in a small town? What about these cultures draws you to them, or makes you want to avoid them? 

Why do we Exercise?

Why do we exercise? Is it to stay healthy, or lose weight? It seems that oftentimes, in the American society, we face pressures to reach an ideal weight. These pressures can come from commercials, movies, magazines, and many other sources. However, it is so important to remember the most important reason for exercising is not achieving a certain "look", but rather gaining better health.

I love Skwigg's article about a "Happy Weight" because she says, "Your 'ideal' weight will be one that you can keep without any extreme behaviors. If you're exhausted, overtraining, and undereating to maintain a particular weight, that is not your happy weight and it's definitely not ideal."

What a great message. What matters is health, not how your body looks. Of course it is fine to want to improve things about your body by exercising; who doesn't want to do that? Skwigg's motivational tone is comforting to those who are trying to lose weight as she reminds readers not to force their bodies into weights that are not natural for them.

Another blogger, Starling Fitness, posts encouraging photos that motivate readers to get healthy. This blogger taps into readers' visual senses. This can be more interesting to read than a blog with only text.

Both bloggers are appealing to readers because they use an easy to understand, highly encouraging tone. A person could ask for nothing better when they are trying to get healthy!

 

Fashion Culture on College Campuses

It seems that college campuses represent the most current fashions. Take a walk around any campus, and you will likely see the latest trend in fashion. This makes sense, considering the amount of young people concentrated in the same area. However, what is "normal" differs greatly between every college. At some campuses, it is a rarity to see people dressed up for class, while at others, this is a regular occurrence.

After graduating from high school, my close group of friends and I each went to very different colleges, all over the United States. It is always interesting to hear stories about their experiences, and the unique aspects of each of their schools. I remember when the topic of fashion came up in one of our conversations. One of my friends attends a private school in Dallas, and she remarked that almost everyone comes to class dressed up. By dressed up, I mean wearing something other than a t-shirt. This makes sense, considering Dallas is a very fashion-forward city. Another friend attends a large state school, where the overwhelming norm is to wear t-shirts and athletic shorts to class. Yet another friend attends an Ivy League school in the north, where students tend to dress up more for class.

Fashion is an interesting culture to observe because it is so widespread, and I think that colleges are among the best places to do so!

What does fashion say about the people that attend these schools? Does it mean that they care any less or more about their appearance than students at another school?

What Exactly is Culture?

Is culture a way of life for an individual, or is it based on an entire society? Could it be both? I believe that the simplest way to define culture is that it is everything, as the writer Aimé Césaire states.

"Culture is everything. Culture is the way we dress, the way we carry our heads, the way we walk, the way we tie our ties-it is not only the fact of writing books or building houses."

Traditionally, the idea of culture sparks ideas of theater, books, and museums. While true, this idea tends to be a narrow view of culture, and is very limiting. From the very instant we wake up in the morning, we are living our own, individualized culture. The way we fix our hair, the foods we choose to eat, and so much more depend on the society we live in as well as the experiences we have had. We were all raised differently, and this affects our lives as adults. Also, there are so many different societies in today’s world, and each of these also has its own culture. For example, one large aspect of American society is athletics, especially football, whereas a European society might put more focus on food and taste. There are so many societies within a society, and each has a different culture.

What are your opinions? Do you agree that culture has a broader meaning?