blog

Many people think that tanning is bad for you. In reality, there are actually benefits from tanning if used correctly. People automatically think that you will get skin cancer or something if they use tanning beds, but that is not the case. Like anything, there are risks involved when using tanning beds. But, the benefits really outweigh the risks. Yes, using tanning beds gives people the tan that they desire, but it can also do much more. Tanning beds can help the body produce vitamin D. This vitamin helps the body ward off certain types of cancers, even skin cancer. It also helps keep your bones strong. Tanning even helps when people get seasonal affective disorder. People can develop this in the fall and it can last until the spring. It is a type of depression that is from lack of sun light. The use of tanning beds can help those who suffer from SAD get the light that they need. It can help them feel better. After tanning, people usually feel better too. Tanning can also help with skin diseases and acne that people may have. It can help dry and clear up skin. There is really no reason to worry about tanning unless you abuse it. It is those people who go overboard that give tanning beds a bad name.

Blog

I was recently looking at some possible topics for my papers the other day, and I came across an article that sort of caught my eye. The article was about how much food grocery stores waste. The article said that almost 6 million tons of food is dumped annually. Today’s economy is rough. Everyone knows it. A lot of people are having hardships now. I do not know why grocery stores would throw away all of the food that they have that needs to be rotated or that is close to the expiration date. There are a lot of people out there that are struggling to put food on the table for their families, and I think that more grocery store chains should realize this and do something about it. Grocery stores have the resources to help these families who are in need food. I do not see why some of them decided not to help people in need. There are also many soup kitchens that would love to have the extra food to give to people who are in need. Grocery stores are not the only ones that waste countless amounts of food a year. Many restaurants also end up throwing away tons of food that could be donated to different forms of charity. This just upsets me, because these are the places that could help others out and many of them do not take the time to do it. People would be better off if grocery stores and restaurants would help out people in need by donating their unwanted food.

REFLECTION

I have really noticed lately that I have a hard time picking out topics for papers. I am not sure why I make this harder on myself. I usually feel like I will pick a topic that will be boring for other people to read about. Also, sometimes I feel one way about a certain topic, but there is not enough research or evidence to back it up, so I end up having problems writing about it. I wish that good topics would just come to me, but they just seem to evade me. When I am asked to come up with a topic on the spot, my mind suddenly becomes blank of any ideas. Another thing that I have a problem with is letting other people look over my papers. I know that their feedback might be very helpful to me, but I really do not like the idea of it. I do not even like having my boyfriend or sister read any of my papers. This is why it is so hard for me to be comfortable with other people in our class reading over my papers. I guess I may have a fear that my writing might not be good enough or something. Maybe one day I will get over it, because I know that it is something that really should not bother me.

Standardized Testing

When I was in high school, being “taught to the test” for standardized testing was just starting. Our teachers were given packets of information, things we needed to learn and were told to focus more on the packet and less on what they had planned to teach. The idea was that the students would get better scores by being taught what was supposed to be on the standardized tests. This in turn would make the school look better and they would not lose any of their funding. I guess this is happening a lot these days, and I can remember during my senior year my English teacher talking to us about it. He talked about how he did not become a teacher just to teach us what was on a piece of paper. Basically, his freedom of choosing what we were going to learn was taken away from him, and our class really became boring because we would have to take “pre-tests” every week. I do not really think that “teaching to the test” really helps students. For one, I thought that it was boring and pretty stupid when we would have to go over seven pages of information that we “needed to know”, and then do other work in class. Also, there is so much pressure on students these days to do better and to score higher, that when the time comes to take the test they may be too nervous about screwing it up. I know some people in my school did not even try on their tests, because they were fed up with being pressured to do well. I know that what they did was childish but pressuring students until they are nervous to take the test is not much better. What I guess I am trying to say is that I really do not think that “teaching to the test” for standardized testing is a good idea. In fact, I think that it has negative effects on the students and the teachers who are forced to teach to it.

CASE STUDY

I usually do not know how to start a paper… I even have trouble with starting out my blog. I really do not know why I have this problem, but I know it is something that I really need to work on. I know that endorsement groups would help me with this problem, but I sort of have this problem with having other people read my papers for some reason. I suppose I just need to get over it, since that is pretty much all we are doing in our class. I usually get nervous that my paper is not good enough or I am worried by what other people are going to say. Usually, I get good feedback and have no reason to be worrying about what others will say. Another thing I have an issue with is that I feel bad for telling people what is wrong with their paper. I know we have been told that it is what we are supposed to do, but I still feel bad about it. In the end though, I know it really helps the other person fix and develop their paper more. I now also know that having others look over my paper is a good thing, because I can get new ideas and can see what kind of feedback I get.

4 Day School Week?

After going on the Peoria Journal Stars website, and looking through some of their new news postings, I found one that sort of caught my eye. Davey Haney talked about how Illinois districts could possibly have the option to a four-day school week. Although, this would not affect me now that I am in college, it does make me think about what my younger brother might be facing. It also made me think about how my high school years could have been. In the article, it talks about how a new bill was approved by the Illinois House and that it is now being sent to the Senate to be approved. The bill that they are trying to get approved is said to help the schools save money in this tough economy. The use of technology to stay in touch with teachers on what would have been the fifth day was talked about, but some people are still not sold on this idea. I think that if this were to happen it might be good for the students. Not only would it help with the budget, but it would also help the students prepare for college. If schools were to only meet for four days, and then on the fifth day use computer access from home, or some sort of technology, it would help the high school students get a taste of what some of their college classes will be like. This would also help the students work on responsibility and time management. I think that the students and the schools budgets would benefit from this decision.

Is Winning the Lottery Really a Blessing?

Most people think winning the lottery would be the best thing that ever happened to them. On the other hand, some winners of the lottery know that this is not always the case. Jack Whittaker, the 2002 Powerball winner, won $314.9 million dollars. One would think that he would not have any problems after that right? Well, not only was he sued numerous times, his marriage ended, and his granddaughter, who he said was his whole world, died of a drug overdose. His granddaughter’s drug addiction was said to be fueled by the money that Jack would give her. Another unfortunate “winner” of the lottery was William Post. William won $16.2 million in the lottery, but ended up living on Social Security. Jeffrey Dampier, also a winner, won $20 million. Too bad he did not get to enjoy his win, because his own sister in law kidnapped and killed him. Her boyfriend and she did this because they wanted his money. Kenneth Parker won 25 million in 2003, and not long after his marriage of sixteen years was over. These are just SOME of the examples of people whose lives have been ruined from winning the lottery. Basically, many people think that winning the lottery would be a blessing. For most, it seems to be the opposite, a curse. It has been said that many winners have wished that they had never won, because it changed their lives forever, and not in a good way. These are just some things to consider if you think that winning the lottery would put an end to all of your problems.