Katy Salmon- Outside Reading #3

4/18/13

“Light Drinking” During Pregnancy is Not Harmful for Baby, Study Says

In an article by Mackenzie Yang, she reports that there is hope for women that don’t want to stop drinking during their pregnancy. She states that it is okay to have up to 2 units of alcohol a week without the fear of their baby having adverse behavioral or cognitive abilities. Since drinking while pregnant is more common in the U.K. there were studies that followed the children of both light drinkers and nondrinkers during their pregnancy to see if there was a difference in their children. There were no differences except many of the children whose parents chose to drink while they were in the womb had less behavior issues and higher reading and spatial skills. I personally think this is a terrible study to place in an article for women to see. When a woman is pregnant, it is important for her to treat her body the best she possibly can. With that being said, drinking has been proven to affect children and babies in very malevolent ways. I believe that if its bad for your own body, then its even worse for your child’s.

Katy Salmon- Outside Reading #2

4/18/13

Poisoned Bread “gift” puts 25 Germans in Hospital

In this article, it states that 25 employees of Muller Technology in Steinfeld, Germany were all hospitalized after eating rolls that had been laced with rat poisoning. The rolls had been left at the door of the company with a note stating it was a gift from someone anonymous. After biting into the rolls one of the employees noticed there were red grains within the bread that gave them the idea that they could be in danger. None of the victims had been poisoned and investigators said they didn’t believe the amount that was put into the bread could have done any damage other than making the employees ill. The other rolls were sent to a laboratory to test and see what the substance was. The perpetrator is still unknown. This story frustrates me, because I don’t understand why these people would trust a box of rolls sitting at the door. I have learned growing up not to take anything from strangers along with never to eat anything that has a broken seal. This story reminds me of a story I had heard of people sticking box cutters inside of apples on Halloween and children eating them and cutting their mouths. We as adults should be more cautious and know better than to eat snacks that are left at our door without a signature at least. 

Katy Salmon- Outside Reading #1

4/18/13

No Kid Should be in Solitary Confinement

In an article by John D. Sutter, the effect solitary confinement had on a boy 17 years old is described and put into more detail with other cases. This young man killed himself only a few hours after being placed in his cell. After interviewing others about their experience in confinement they all had similar responses. Some had injuries due to pacing back and forth in their cells and mostly all of them had mental trauma. They lost their ability to interact with other human beings. The mother of the boy who killed himself has started an online petition to sign so they can put stricter laws on solitary confinement. I think this method is effective if it is used even for a day. If I were to lock myself in a room alone with nothing to do, but think I would lose my mind. I believe it is a cruel way to punish someone. Personally I get very lonely even if my roommates are out of the apartment for a couple hours and I am there alone. I feel like people in confinement would easily gain depression. I hope that in the future the laws on solitary confinement change.

Lauren Rule- Shamanism (Outside Reading #1)

Last night in class we watched The Jacket.  Prior to the movie we discussed shamanism.  I found an interesting website talking about shamanism and animal spirits.  A shaman is supposed to be a healer, he goes on a journey of sorts to find solutions to people's problems.  The article I found describes shamanism as "the ability to travel to the axis mundi (pathway between heaven and earth; or world core) for the purpose of spiritual contacts".  The article goes on to describe shamanism to experience ecstasy and the possible consequences of this.  Some practices of shamanism channel animal spirits.  During most of the journeys a shaman ingests a type of hallucinogenic substance to jump start his visions.  The article lists the soul being felt apart from the physical body, visions of jaguars and snakes, visions of demons and deities, visions of distant persons and place, and the sensation of seeing details of unsolved crimes as common side effects of shaman journeys.  It is common to find the tradition of shamanism in Native American/Indian cultures.  A shaman is supposed to go into his or her visions to help others, but sometimes it could lead to evil possessions.  The spiritual journey of a shaman seems fascinating, but very dangerous.  The main character in The Jacket, had similar properties to a shaman.  Jack went through severe trauma and came out of it helping some of the people around him.  He sustained head trauma during a war and was pumped full of drugs and left for hours on end in a drawer.  Through the trauma, he finds ways to fix the problems of others.  Jack falls in love with the older Jackie and bridges the broken connection between young Jackie and her mother to create a better life for Jackie.  The female doctor was treating a young boy who could not learn or speak because of his seizures.  Jack discovered in the future a way to help the boy, who possibly shot him and caused his head trauma in the war.  The journey Jack embarked on was life changing.  Jack was given a second chance at life and used it help others with the knowledge he gained. 
 

Article

Samantha Bray- Random Post 4

The Family Stone

The Family Stone is a favorite movie of mine. It's about a crazy, fairly dysfunctional family that even through all the chaos still loves and defends each other over anything. One of the sons, Thad, is gay and deaf. When the girlfriend of Everett comes to meet the family for the first time at Christmas, she is overwhelmed by the unruly lifestyle the Stones live. Meredith just does not understand that people like them actually existing in the world. Sybil, the mother,  yells at Meredith at the dinner table because of the way she is questioning Thad about his "life choices" and criticizes him for wanting to raise a kid in that type of environment. This shows how so many people judge others simply for the way they live their life and not for who they truly are. Meredith eventually realizes that the way other people live shouldn't affect her happiness.  While Sybil is not religious, I see her as a Christ-like character. She helps and mediates everyone even when her own life is falling apart. She sacrifices her wants and needs to make sure that the ones she loves are happy. She stands up for what she believes in and doesn't back down. I don't want to ruin the movie if you haven't already seen it, but things turn out for the best. Even though they fight, laugh, and cry, at the end of the day they are all people, they are family, and they love each other no matter what.

Samantha Bray- Random Post 3

 Life of Pi

I recently watched the movie Life of Pi. The movie started out pretty slow, but the cinematography kept me interested and wanting to see what was going to happen next. The story is about a boy from India named Pi. His family ran a zoo in India, but decided to move to Canada along with all of the animals. While on the ship, there is a storm and the boat begins to flood and sink. Pi is the only survivor with a few of the animals. As the next few days pass, he realizes that he is stuck on the little lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. The two of them eventually figure out how to coexist on the tiny boat. They end up on the coast of Mexico. Along the way, they had many trials come up, such as another storm, the tiger falling out of the boat, a giant whale, sharks, and they even find a tiny island filled with meerkats. Through all of this, Pi continuously prays to his various gods that he worships. He was raised as Hindu, but then exposed himself to Christianity and Islam, so he affiliates himself with all three. I thought this was really interesting just because everyone is usually just one religion, but he went against the norm and chose 3. I think he believed that God was the same god for each religion, is just depended on how you looked at it. He believed that God kept him safe during his journey across the Pacific Ocean and provided the means he needed to survive. When Pi finally got rescued on the Mexican shore, no one believed his story. Because of this, he changed it to that he was with 3 other people, who all died, instead of the zebra, orangutan, hyena, and Bengal tiger. In his story, he was the tiger. The reason Pi is even telling this story in the movie is because a guy was sent to him because his parents told him that Pi could make him believe in God. This movie relates to the idea that you have to see it to believe it. While Pi believed in God before his journey, the things he experienced just confirmed his belief, but because no one else was there, no one believes that it actually happened. I think the moral of this story is that as long as you have a little faith, anything is possible.

Samantha Bray- Random Post 2

 The Blind Side

The Blind Side is a great movie that shows how much helping others can change your life. I'm sure most of you have seen it, but I'll just sum it up for you. It's about a rich white family who takes in an impoverished African-American teenage boy. They get him doing well in school and he starts on the football team. In the end, he goes off to a wonderful university, and eventually joins the NFL. Now most people see this film just for how much the Tuohy's help and change Michael's life, but I think what could be even more important is how much Michael changed the Tuohys' lives. In the beginning they were just a stuck up rich family who didn't care about anyone but themselves. They were stuck in their ways, and it took someone less fortunate than them coming in to finally make them realize they were doing it wrong. Over the course of the movie they become closer as a family. What's even better about this movie is that it's based on a true story. This is a real life story that shows having money doesn't make you wealthy, but more of what's on the inside.  The themes of love, selflessness, and change are all those that relate to religion. If you haven't seen The Blind Side, I definitely recommend seeing it.