Real Solutions. Start here. | katherinealexa.com

Content That Sells

2008-07-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

A blog or website does not need to sell a product as long as it provides useful information that people are looking for.

Enhance Your Website With Video!

2008-07-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

Adding Video To Your Website/Blog

Lets face it: We live in a visual world. The same people who view your website are most likely avid t.v. watchers and YouTube.com regulars. Unless you have been without an internet connection for the past decade, it is likely that you have watched or downloaded a YouTube video.

To enhance your website, you can create informative videos on your topic. Host them on YouTube.com and then add them to your website. People who view your website or blog will be impressed by your use of video within your webpage or blog content.

Also, people searching YouTube for your topic will come across your videos. If you have added a link back to your website on your videos, you will most likely generate more page views. That's more cash in your pocket!

If you don't feel comfortable creating your own videos, or if you just want more video content, here is some great news:

Google Adsense recently started a program with YouTube. Adsense members can now add targeted YouTube videos to their websites and blogs. This is a great opportunity for webmasters and bloggers because unlike traditional ads, which experienced internet users are immune to, video adds are well-liked and frequently watched. People who view your website or blog will most likely click on your video links. I highly recommend using video to enhance your website.

Here's a crafty idea for webmasters: If you have a splash page or index page for your website, add a Google Adsense YouTube video player underneath the index links and content. It will not only likely get you click and money, but it will make your website look great too!

Note: Although people respond well to video, remember to use it in moderation! Don't make videos the only thing on your website or blog. That will most likely deter potential readers.

How to get paid every time your YouTube video is played
Newsfeeds generate income, fast!
8 tips to make your YouTube video go viral

Effectively Manage Income From Your Website

2008-07-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

Create a free PayPal account if you don't already have one. There are so many benefits! The money you earn from various referral websites, including Google Adsense, will all collect in your one PayPal account instead of in multiple accounts. And unlike other payout options, a processing fee will not be deducted from your earnings if you use PayPal. Click below to create a PayPal account today!

Make Money From Your Website Without Getting Scammed

2008-07-08T22:05:00.001-07:00

There are so many scams out there. I am tired of it! Here is the only method that you should consider if you want to generate income from your website. Site Build It works for me and it will work for you. I am making a small fortune off of my websites. I'd like to thank the creators of Site Build It for teaching me how to make money from my websites. Without Site Build It my websites would have never become so successful. I highly recommend it! Watch this video for more information:

Your Guide For Creating Internet Income

2008-07-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

A good website, blog, network profile is like a good thesis paper... It has relevant content, eye appeal, and proper formatting, and is written for a target audience. Following this dogma, I built my own internet empire and I want to share my knowledge with you. I know there is a lack of reliable information out there. My content breaks that mold! I offer free advice and real solutions to aspiring internet entrepreneurs. Beginners learn to create internet income by following a proven, structured format.

What are you waiting for? Get started!

Sweet Way To Get Yuwie Friends to become Your CWC Friends!

2008-02-21T17:06:00.000-08:00

Here is how I get referrals from Yuwie.com. Try it and let me know if it works for you, too!

On Yuwie.com I 'Browse' members; I sort by 'Newest' and click 'Yes' to 'Only show online users'. Then I start adding the members who come up! (I usually only add the first page of results, about 36 members, but you can add more or less depending on what you want to do.)

Next I wait 5 to 10 minutes before I go to my 'Friends' menu, and click on 'View All Friends'. I 'Sort by' Newest. Within this time frame quite a few of the members you just added will have accepted your friend request. This is because they are new, so they don't have many friends, posts, bulletins, etc. yet, if any. And it is also because they are currently on Yuwie.com.

Then I open the links of all my recently added friends and leave them a comment - an invite link for the CleanWaterChallenge.com with this little message:

"Hey!

Thanks for adding me as a friend! You know - you made a great decision to create a Yuwie account. I invite you to double your earnings over at the Clean Water Challenge. They're offering the same program as Yuwie, and a $36 bonus that can't be beat:

--> INVITE LINK HERE <--

Just thought I'd share! Leave me a comment! :-D

Katherine Alexa"

Feel free to use or improvise my message for yourself! And ta-da! You're done.

This usually works because these new members just signed up for Yuwie.com, so they are interested in trying out the Clean Water Challenge because it is offering a similar system. Also, these new members don't have many comments, if any, and are likely to read your comment, unlike seasoned Yuwie.com members who get hundreds of new comments every day and may not even check them.

Warning: DO NOT take the shortcut and just send a comment to a whole bunch of new Yuwie.com members. It is against the Yuwie.com TOS - basically it is considered spamming. Your Yuwie profile will probably get locked if you do so, and you won't be a very happy camper! :-( Once members are your friends you'll be fine. Just follow my advice above. You can send the same CleanWaterChallenge.com invite comment to as many of your friends as you want. :-)

Hope this helps! :-D

Katherine Alexa

You Have Options

2008-01-07T07:55:00.000-08:00

Newsfeeds Bumming You Out?
Here is another easy way to make a few extra bucks! :-D

I bet you are interested in earning a few bucks on Yuwie, and you'd like to earn even more. That's why many Yuwie users have added those pesky newsfeeds. They're great for making some money, but they are pesky because they freeze up some viewer's browsers. In the same spirit I want to share with you an advertising website called Widgetbucks! I recommend Widgetbucks to users of my website and my blog. It is free to join and use. There is a $25 sign-up bonus! What Widgetbucks does is it provides you with adds you can put on your website or blog and pays you when people click on them. Widgetbucks also pays you for your referrals. What is awesome is that you can put the referral ad on your Yuwie profile! So just like the newsfeed, you simply sign-up, put the code on your Yuwie profile and spread the word! Its a cool way to make a few extra bucks! And like I said, I refer my website and blog users to Widgetbucks because it works great on my websites. If you have a website or blog you should consider incorporating widgetbucks ads into your website or blog as well. :-)
Start here!

Yuwie - Isn't it ironic?!

2007-12-04T20:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I added a post about Yuwie.com and its potential to generate income for its users. If you haven't heard about Yuwie yet, its a new friend networking website like MySpace or Friendster that pays you and your referrals a percentage of its monthly income from Google AdSense.

Basically I pointed out that the more Yuwie's users click on Yuwie's Google ads, the more income Yuwie makes as a whole and therefore the more income its users will generate. I noted that Yuwie can't tell its users to click on the ads because of Google AdSense regulations.

Some of my Yuwie friends made some fabulous points as well. Such as no one should click on ads in a suspicious way. Google really does watch like a hawk. And using the Google search bar on the top of the Control Panel page is a cool idea. I have one at the top of mine. Using the search bar and clicking on the links does bring the AdSense user revenue. Plus you are going to Google search anyway, why not do it while using the Yuwie network?!

Here's my spiel: Yes, Google really does watch like a hawk. Programs do analyze the ratio between ads posted and ads clicked. Many AdSense users are banned for illegal clicking - clicking on their own ads too often to rake in the earnings. But Yuwie is such a large website! And while, no, you wouldn't want to sit on your computer for an hour simply refreshing Yuwie pages and clicking on ads, it can't hurt to click on a few while you are using the website because that is how Yuwie generates its income. Of course, click on ads because you are interested. In doing so it is unlikely that there is a risk of click fraud. Everyone on Yuwie is using the website from a different IP internet address or location. A few clicks a day from so many different IP addresses should not warrant Google AdSense to ban Yuwie. Seriously, have fun on Yuwie just like you would on MySpace! The website is for fun.

What's so ironic is that Yuwie users get a cut of Yuwie.com's monthly earnings while the users are the people who are clicking on the ads! I use Yuwie so I shouldn't complain but come on - doesn't anyone else see the problem with this? Technically Yuwie is paying its users to click on ads. No, Yuwie isn't telling its users to click on ads. Yes, CPM ads generate some of Yuwie's earnings. However, unlike MySpace, who does not encourage clicks, does not pay its users and has users anyway, Yuwie gives part of its AdSense earnings to its users... the very users that generate the income in the first place, essentially.

Maybe I am not giving credit where credit is deserved. But is it fair to the little guy who gets banned from Google AdSense that a large website like Yuwie does not? I guess so long as you don't solicit the clicking of your ads you can give your earnings to whomever you want. It's just different than websites that pay you to share or refer their content. I can't get my head around it!

Yuwie is not doing anything wrong. The website does nothing different than MySpace or Friendster other than giving its users a percentage of its earnings. The idea is the same as any other website that displays Google ads. You use the content or applications. You click on Google ads when interested. But once you are aware of the way in which Yuwie generates the money you get a cut of, how can you click on an ad without thinking in the back of your head that you will be getting a cut of that click? So far, Google AdSense tolerates it. Is Yuwie a great new system, or just sliding past the radar because there is no rule against it.. yet, or both? Perhaps I will come to terms with it at some point. Haha, it's not the worst thing in the world. Don't lose any sleep over it, okay?

Yuwie is like a giant swimming pool...

2007-12-04T20:26:00.000-08:00

Yuwie is like a giant swimming pool. Every month, you take a small cup of water out of it when you generate income. How big of an income pool you dip into depends on how much money Yuwie generates per month.

In general, Yuwie only makes money off of its advertisements. For those of you who have never used Google Adsense: The ads from Google are of two different kinds - CPM and CPC. For CPM ads, every time a particular CPM add shows up on the website, Yuwie makes money. For the CPC ads, every time someone clicks on a CPC ad, Yuwie makes money.

Now, CPC ads are more common than CPM ads in general. So Yuwie users need to click on CPM ads if Yuwie is to make any money from them. The more times you and your friends click on an ad, the more money Yuwie will generate. The more money Yuwie generates - the bigger the pool, the more money you will dip into come next month when you get your cut.

So, what's the deal? Yuwie can't force you to click on ads, or even tell you to. Google AdSense values the integrity of its advertisers and would not allow Yuwie to use its service if Yuwie promoted the clicking of ads, and the same goes for any other website, such as my own. Technically users of websites should click on advertisements because they are interested, not because they are solely trying to make money for the website itself. But since you get a cut of Yuwie's earnings per month, it is important that you understand how the process works and why things are the way they are. If you didn't know this, I hope you found this post informative. If you did, I hope it was a friendly reminder. So...

Yuwie users - just a thought: Click on the ads! I do, every time I log in. Instead of solely focusing on getting more personal and referral clicks, work on increasing the swimming pool of money you dip into every month! One of the main reasons many of you joined Yuwie is the potential to make some cash. Why not click on a few more adds? They're right there... to the top, to the bottom. Its easy. And tell your friends... the more people inspired to click on ads on a regular basis, the better the results may be.

Yuwieness | Start here.

Anti-applications

2007-11-24T11:41:00.000-08:00

This post is about the applications that are being released by facebook vendors. Let me tell you something, every time you add or accept an application to your facebook account, you are opening up the doors to organizations finding out your personal data that is posted. Also, as you can see, facebook does not use any sort of secure tunnelling (note, there is no https://).

I would highly advice against including any additional facebook application, if you are a privacy advocate like myself.

Finally, a note to all the facebookers. When facebook started, I was really happy that I found a nice, easy, cut and dry way of staying in touch with everyone I meet. It does that now, but it is moving away from that. It seems that the corporation is becoming greedy, as they are trying to invade newer markets, and opening their doors to vendors, providing them with data about the facebookers, etc. I just want this to be the place were we can illustrate to the people that designed facebook that we like their old approach, and that their newer approach is causing privacy advocates like myself to reconsider using their platform.

Is facebook turning into MySpace? It looks that way now.

What is a Splash Page and Who Should Use One

2007-11-21T22:18:00.001-08:00

What is a Splash Page?

Splash pages are an introductory page to your Web site. They typically offer one or two of the following features:

graphic or logo
animation or flash movie
choice of how to enter the site (flash/no-flash, etc.)
technical requirements (browser, version, etc.)

Splash pages can be very popular, especially for designers, as they are a way to show your skills in Flash and other technologies on a single page. But before you run out and build your own splash page, you should consider all the pros and the cons.

Pros to Splash Pages

Splash pages are fast loading, they get all the information up quickly on the first page without scrolling.
Splash pages ensure that your readers see your animation or flash, at least once.
They are a great way to show off your best work, like a portfolio.
Splash pages allow your readers to choose the site technology that fits them.
You can then use your server logs to see what the breakdown is of your actual customers.

Cons to Splash Pages

The usability of a splash page is completely flawed. Your readers come to your site to enter it and a splash page prevents that.
Many readers don't like splash pages - and in some studies 25% of visitors left a site right after seeing a splash page.
Splash pages break search engines. Since many splash pages only include a flash animation there isn't a lot for a search engine to optimize on. And if you add content to the page in comments you can be penalized for spamdexing.
The animation can be repetitive. Readers who have seen the flash don't often want to sit through it again, but if you forget to include a "skip" option they will have to.
While the flash movie or fancy animation may look really nice, the impression they make may be one of pretentiousness rather than detailing your skills.
If you submit your splash page to a search engine, the JavaScript codes that move customers to the next page may prevent the search engine from adding any page on the site.

Who Should Use One?

In my honest opinion, it all depends what you are selling. You have to know your market.

If you have a known business or a business with a catchy name and simple idea that you would like to market, I highly recommend a splash page. Why? People will remember the name of your website and will also be impressed with your presentation. You will get more return visitors.

If your website is artsy - selling art, your music, yourself - then I suggest going for it. When I am looking a a website for a band or a model, for example, I love to check out their splash page. This is because I am interested in them. They are the object of my inquiry. If you have this kind of website, make a splash page! It will impress your audience.

If your website is informational or a tutorial, I do not recommend a splash page. This goes for content that you know your audience is googling for and looking through many websites for detailed and accurate information. We all do it. When I google such content, I skip over the websites with splash pages because I am looking for content. For that kind of website people do not care who you are or what you are about until you give them what they want. In that case, ixnay on the splash pageay.

Hope this helps! Wanna create a splash page?

Make Yuwie Your Homepage!

2007-11-07T18:55:00.000-08:00

Want to make a little extra money from your Yuwie profile? This will work exceptionally well if your page is popular and gets a lot of traffic.

Wouldn't it be nice if instead of a long url you had a nice, short url that took you to your profile page? It would definitely be easier for people to remember!

You can do this easily by registering a domain name (yoursite.com) at 1 & 1 Web Hosting and simply set the domain to forward to your Yuwie profile automatically.

(After you purchase it, you will have to login to your account to setup the forwarding. It's very easy and takes 2 seconds.)

Yes, there are cheaper domain registrars like GoDaddy but 1 & 1 Web Hosting, gives you free domain forwarding and masking so you really come out cheaper.

GoDaddy charges a yearly fee for domain forwarding and masking - in addition to the domain name. With 1 & 1 Web Hosting the only thing you pay for is the domain name.

What Is Domain Forwarding and Masking?

Domain forwarding is simply the process of forwarding one address to another. So if you want people to type in myflywebsite.com to get to your profile, you would register myflywebsite.com at 1 & 1 Web Hosting and set it to forward to your profile.

Domain masking is another free option you can setup. This keeps the domain you registered displayed in your visitor's browser. So let's say your url is:

http://www.yuwie.com/katherinealexa

And you register the domain name myflywebsite.com.

When someone types in myflywebsite.com, it keeps this address in the person's browser so they never see your Yuwie domain. It will look like the address to your site is really myflywebsite.com.

IMPORTANT NOTE: For copyright reasons, I would suggest you avoid choosing a name with the word "myspace" or "yuwie" in it.

Don't worry. This won't change how you update your Yuwie profile and you will still be able to access it with the old address. So if your friends have it bookmarked then they will still be able to access your site.

This does not in any way affect the workings of your Yuwie account. You're only setting up a redirect.

So How Do You Make Money From This?

Well as soon as all your friends see your Yuwie address has a nice and clean domain name that redirects to your page, they'll be jealous and want one too.

So what you can do is become a domain name reseller with The TbHost Domain Reseller Program and advertise your reseller site on your Yuwie page so your friends can get their own domains.

All you do is advertise the link to your reseller site on your Yuwie profile, and you'll earn commissions for all domain orders (or any other products) through your site.

What's even better is when your friends renew their domain names every year, you will still earn a recurring commission. So the more people you get to buy domains under you, the more money you'll make.

TbHost handles all the customer support, orders, credit card transactions, etc. You're just the middleman and promote your special reseller link from your Yuwie profile. You can login anytime to see how much money you've earned for the day, week or month.

What a cool, easy way to earn some extra money from your Yuwie page. Remember, you don't take the orders. TbHost handles all the hard work. You are just referring your visitors to your reseller site and watch the commissions roll in.

Special Tip: Before you start telling your friends about shortening their Yuwie address, register your own domain and forward it to your own MySpace page first so they can see how it works. You'll convince more people if they see you've done it and understand the benefits.

(Remember you won't be able to setup the forward until after you complete the domain registration process.)

Imagine advertising your Yuwie page by saying, "Go to mysite.com." Your Yuwie friends will be interested! :-)

For more visit 2createawebsite.com

How To Add Your Website to Search Engines

2007-11-06T15:06:00.000-08:00

Step 1: Add your site to Google (http://www.google.com/addurl/) for free.

Step 2: Add your site to the dmoz open directory
The DMOZ Open Directory (http://www.dmoz.org) is by far the largest and most important Internet directory. Several search engines including Google obtain indexing information from this directory. It's free.

Step 3: Submit your site to other search engines
Your site submission can be as in-depth as you want. From submitting your site for free to the top 10 engines to using Traffic Blazer, an effective search engine submission tool. Or, manually add your website to the top 10 engines. For more information visit the blog.

Note: Link to your website from your other sites. Search engines give preference to sites that have other sites linking to them. If you have other websites, blogs, even a myspace page, link to increase your website's placement in search engines. Encourage your friends to link to your site as well.

Note: Do not link content that is inappropriate to the wrong websites. I.e. If your website is about Christianity, don't link to a sexually themed MySpace account!

Interesting Blogs

2007-11-06T10:02:00.000-08:00

Search the categories below for more information from my other blogs. All of my websites generate cash; some more than others. It is important to note that a blog or website does not need to sell a product as long as it provides useful information that people are looking for. For example, my Latinology! blog makes money with Google Adsense because people are looking for my material. They then click on my Google Adsense links to find more information on the topic. Use the link on the left to learn more about Google Adsense.

On the other hand, my Environmentology! and Fitnessology! blogs are surprisingly successful, and it is because I used SiteBuildIt! to create them. This was the first time I tried SiteBuildIt! and I was so suprised how quickly my websites started generating cash. I wish I had known about it sooner and used it on my first websites. For more on SiteBuildIt!, read below.

The bottom line: people don't want to learn about you unless you give them information for them first. Even then, it shouldn't be about you, it should be about them. Write for your audience, not about yourself. Build it and they will come.

Why My Websties Failed

2007-11-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

I didn't have the right content; either there wasn't enough or there were too many topics covered on one page.

The truth is 99.9% of people think they know so much about a topic but they don't. It's just like tackling a 40 page senior thesis paper. You have an idea, you go with it. Maybe you switch topics all together. But one thing is for sure - you realize quickly that you don't know half as much about the topic as you thought. It is hard to stay on topic. It takes diligence. And then you have to WRITE and FORMAT the paper. The same goes for building a successful website. You are not going to succeed or generate a substantial amount of income from your website if you don't put the effort into it.

I wasn't writing about stuff people were interested in.

Your topic needs to be something you can actually write about and your topic HAS to be geared towards a target audience! I.e. I am obsessed with a new guy. Although I could write for days about it, he is not a good topic for a website because no one is going to be interested in it and I want website traffic. I.e. I don't know anything about sports nor do I follow them. Although a website on sports is a good topic, it is not one that I should tango with.

I didn't know how concise or broad my website topic should be.

I get asked all the time, "Is it true that the topic should be as concise as possible?" You hear that often, right? I don't exactly agree with that because it depends how big of a project you are willing to work on. If sports is your topic, and you are going to be putting a serious amount of time into it, creating sub-sections on baseball, basketball, etc., then a broad topic works just fine. My websites failed when my topic was non-existent and the sub-sections ranged from bowling to hairspray. Do this exercise: Type in "sports" below and then read ahead.

Open 5 links on that first search page that you think satisfy your search for "sports" and open them. Look at the websites you opened. Delete any that you wouldn't waste your time on. Keep the useful ones open. Now think. What were you looking for when the website links appeared? Did you open sites only to be disappointed and close them? Why did you? For the ones you deleted, I suggest that you take note of what you liked and didn't like. Its very simple what people searching the internet are looking for. You do it every day. But you have to step back and look at it from this behind the scenes standpoint if you want to create a successful website. (For the record, so much more goes into this that I am not covering in this one post, i.e. enabling relevant keywords, ranking, etc. Search my blogs for more information.)

Once you have a topic in mind, use Google search again to establish just how concise your topic should be. For example, if you don't know if your topic should be "sports" or "professional men's soccer", search both. Contrast and compare. Which is better? You decide.

I thought I could follow the website success "plan" of some j*rk who was really just trying to make a quick buck off my dreams and inspirations!

Truly, every topic is different. The reason why most websites that claim that they can tell you how to create a successful websites are b*llsh*t is because there is no set way to do it. Example: Paris Hilton and Ozzy Osbourne - two totally different successful people. What do they have in common? "Well one is a singer and the other is an actor, but wait her family was famous in the first place..." Haha, okay. Stop right there. That's too f*cking complicated! What they have in common is that they are rich and famous. Period. Now look at this example: Amazon.com and Yuwie.com. What do they have in common? Much like Paris and Ozzy, Amazon and Yuwie have some coincidental similarities, but they don't mean anything. All that they have in common is that they are both concise, targeted, and successful. Simply stated, you can't just look at one site and expect it to give you the magic formula to website success. What you can do is make a list of things that work, and incorporate them into your website as your topic allows.

I didn't use Adsense.

Get the link on the right -->

I generate a whole lot of my money this way. The only issue with Adsense is that some websites use too much of it and that deters potential viewers. Common sense, right?

I didn't monopolize a network of friends and search engines to get traffic.

Before I used my friend network accounts to generate potential readers, my page views weren't a smidgen of what they are now. Warning: Don't spam! No one likes spam, and you will probably get your account deleted. What you can do is create a group about your website and ask friends to join, send out messages, and advertise your website on your profile page. If you don't have a Yuwie account, create one. I truly believe it is the NEW MySpace! And you should create a MySpace as well. There are so many MySpace users that you can easily find a target audience for your website using browse and search options. (For more on search engines, search my blog.)

Hope this helps!
Katherine Alexa

Why I Am Happy With Yuwie

2007-10-25T18:28:00.001-07:00

I am happy with Yuwie. Why? Since I started using it a few weeks ago I noticed it has many advantages over Myspace, Friendster, etc., other than generating cash for using the site!

First of all, I think Yuwie users demonstrate more intelligence than the average user of the other friend networks.

Secondly, the messages I receive from users are kind, thoughtful, and friendly.

Third, I receive tons of messages from my Yuwie friends! The prospect of cash generation causes Yuwie users to have an interest in other people's profiles and writings, not just in their own.

Fourth, the Yuwie site is new. Therefore it has a lot of potential for current users who got in early! The other sites are grandfathered in so this type of potential is no longer available.

Fifth, since cash generation is available with Yuwie, new users are deterred from creating multiple profiles. Unlike the other friend sites, most users are who they say they are!

Why are you happy with Yuwie? Let me know! :-)

21 Suggestions for Success:

2007-10-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

1-Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery
2-Work at something you enjoy and that's worthy of your time and talent.
3-Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
4-Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
5-Be forgiving of yourself and others.
6-Be generous
7-Have a grateful heart.
8-Persistence, persistence, persistence.
9-Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary
10-Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
11-Commit yourself to constant improvement.
12-Commit yourself to quality.
13-Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power, or prestige, but on relationships w/ ppl you love and respect.
14-Be loyal.
15-Be honest.
16-Be a self-starter.
17-Be decisive even if it means you'll sometimes be wrong.
18-Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
19-Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.
20-Take good care of those you love.
21-Don't do anything that wouldn't make your mom proud.
For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

How I Generate Friends And Income.... At the same time!

2007-10-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

Yuwie IS the new MySpace! I love this thing! I truly believe that it is the next up and coming friend site. Ever wish you could harness the power of your MySpace profile to generate income? With Yuwie, you can. It's exactly like MySpace, but better because you earn $$$ everytime someone looks at your profile! It's FREE to sign up so give it a try. Good Luck!

Why My Websites Work

2007-10-18T22:07:00.000-07:00

My websites generate cash, and they also deal with subjects I am passionate about. Why? Because Google Adsense works. It allows my pages to generate income and fuels my blogs with relevant new articles, links and content. I publish my ideas in my blog and Google does the rest. My internet success is truly generated by the power of Google. There are no start up costs. You can do it; I did! Sign up for a free Adsense account today using the link below so you too can benefit from the power of Google. If you have any questions I am here to help. Visit www.katherinealexa.com for more information.

Successful Website Topic Selection

2007-10-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

Topic selection is a daunting task for some, an easy task for others. But the problems with topic selection for your website are the same as those for a thesis paper. For one, you pick a topic you think you know so much about, and it turns out that you really don't know so much after all. Just like a thesis paper, a website is an extensive project. It is imperative that you can write extensively and eloquently on a subject. You need to do your homework. Research the topic. My suggestion is to start a free blog. This way, as a beginner you can blog about potential topics, points of personal interest, etc. See where this takes you. Some people can write good content an a fast pace (40+ posts per day). Others may not be able to go so fast. That's OK. What is important is that after a week or two, you will come into your own in your writing and a topic will most likely manifest itself out of your blogging. Visit www.katherinealexa.com for more information.

I Use my Cell Phone to See in the Dark

2007-10-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Admit it. You can't live without your cell phone. Whether it's to schedule appointments, see in the dark, use as an excuse to leave a conversation to "take an important call", figure out the waiter's tip, keep as a clock, take pictures, or simply to use as a device to converse with others - as it was originally designed to do. Are these other devices on the endangered species list? Are wristwatches, flashlights, camera doomed to become obsolete?

Due to the recent rise in cell phone use in the past decade, the important question that arises is: Do cell phones increase the risk of cancer? Researchers believe that an increased risk of brain cancer may be in the works, especially in children who started using cell phones at an early age. Are we making our lives better, or worse? Only time will tell. For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

"Amid rising concerns that cell phone radiation could lead to the development of brain and eye tumors, other forms of cancer, and multiple health hazards, the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) hired Dr. George Carlo to prove that cell phones were indeed safe. Carlo, as he himself puts it, followed the science, the politics and the money, and, after six years of research, stated publicly that cell phone use was not safe – that it may indeed cause cancer and pose human health risks. The year was 1999. Eighty million Americans owned cell phones.

In the following interview Dr. Carlo recounts his journey from independent chairman of a $28-million research and surveillance program to industry whistle blower. Some of the key findings that frame the debate are:

· The developing skulls and brain tissue of children and teenagers are more vulnerable to penetration by cell phone radiation

· The blood brain barrier, which prevents dangerous chemicals circulating in our blood from reaching sensitive brain tissue, is compromised by radio frequency radiation emitted by cell phone antennas

· Radio frequency radiation creates micronuclei in human blood cells, a type of genetic damage known to be a diagnostic marker for cancer ¹

· Radiation emission guidelines set by the FCC are 1.6 watts per kilogram. Genetic damage in blood cells has been found at radiation levels one half those guidelines (0.7 and 0.8 watts per kilogram). This means that all cell phones from 1984 up to the present have operated in a dangerous range

· Baseline studies show an increase in the risk of mortality from cancer among cell phone users as compared to non-cell phone users

· The risk of rare neuro epithelial tumours on the outside of the brain was more than doubled, a statistically significant risk increase, in cell phone users as compared to people who did not use cell phones ²

· There appeared to be some correlation between brain tumours occurring on the right side of the head and the use of the phone on the right side of the head ³

· The risk of acoustic neuroma, a benign tumour of the auditory nerve that is well in range of the radiation coming from a phone's antenna, was 50 percent higher in people who reported using cell phones for six years or more, moreover, that relationship between the amount of cell phone use and this tumour appeared to follow a dose-response curve ⁴

· cell phones can interfere with heart pacemakers

· Notwithstanding viable recommendations and solutions, the wireless phone industry has not taken steps to protect consumer health"

BY: MARK GOLDFARB

For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

The News Cycle

2007-10-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

We love the Hollywood world. But does the media do real news an injustice by reporting on the messed up lives of the rich and famous? Personally I don't think Americans can survive the school shootings, wars, and politics without hearing if Britney Spears is wearing underwear today. Its a sick world out there. Don't we deserve to laugh at the rich and famous if it makes us feel better? For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

Cigarro & Cerveja by Tony Esteves!

2007-10-14T12:32:00.000-07:00

Cigarro & Cerveja is a comic strip by Tony Esteves featuring Cigarro, a chain-smoking snowshoe hare, and Cerveja, a beer-drinking Canada goose. It is a webcomic, but with hilarious punchlines, an intellectual flair, and a light comic feel, it lacks the dark humor of your average webcomic. I think it is one of the best webcomics out there, so check it out!

For more stuff visit www.katherinealexa.com

Identity Theft Hurts For Sure

2007-10-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

Survivors may experience some or all of the following reactions:

Emotional shock
Helplessness
Fear
Guilt
Anxiety
Shame
Concerns about sexual intimacy

The growing concern is with identity theft via the internet.

Recommendations:

Change passwords regularly and make them strong and hard to guess.

Google your real name and screename regularly, both in and not in parenthesis. If you find something fishy, take action to have it removed.

Be careful what you throw away. We lock our websites, our computers, and our houses; not our garbage. Make sure you dispose of documents with personal information safely.

Stay on top of your accounts. Know what transactions are transpiring.

Check your email regularly.

Don't visit sketchy websites, especially the promiscuous kind. Don't download files you are unsure of. Never give your personal information away if you are unsure who you are giving it to.

Run checks for spyware and viruses regularly. By regularly, I mean on a weekly basis, at least. A good program to use is called HitmanPro. You can download it for free.

Note: If you or someone you love has been hurt by identity theft, you are not alone. Do not hesitate to seek professional help or legal advice.

Character Counts

2007-10-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

Many people overlook genuine character traits such as personal integrity. Most are too concerned with their own lives to even consider the good and bad in others. A good example of integrity can be found in a character named Allie Caulfield in “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger. Another solid example can be found in a young girl named Deidre. In Allie’s innocent childhood Holden recognized the same integrity demonstrated as I witnessed in my friend Deidre.

For one, Holden saw integrity in his diseased brother Allie that was a combination of Allie’s youth and personality. Several years before the setting of “The Catcher in the Rye” on July 18, 1946, Allie died of leukemia. Out of the entire family Allie was Holden’s favorite and most respected member. His death was one of the most traumatic losses in Holden‘s existence and quite likely a reason for Holden’s views on hypocrisy and his psychological breakdown. Holden envied Allie for dying because in death Allie’s honest nature was immortalized and he escaped the trials of adolescence into adulthood.

Likewise, Deidre demonstrated the same sense of responsibility as shown in Allie. Deidre was a resident of Wayne, New Jersey and a student at Schuyler Colfax Middle School . After a bitter year-long struggle with leukemia Deidre died on the day of her Eighth Grade Graduation Ceremony. In school she was a respected, honest, and trustworthy girl and her death drove many students to ponder their own mortality. In death Deidre escaped the hardships entailed with the maturation process and will forever remain an innocent young girl in the hearts and minds of those she left behind.

In reality, Allie and Deidre both possessed powerful integrity and sadly lost their lives at an early age to a fatal disease. Holden’s account of Allie completely reminded me of Deidre not only because of the way they died but because of the way they lived. I knew Deidre since elementary school and she had always demonstrated a sense of responsibility and optimistic outlook on life. Just like Allie she was never really mad with anybody and always was the peacemaker. When Allie died Holden was envious because he felt that Allie had escaped the burden of the maturation process but unlike Holden when Deidre died I felt that she had lost the battle because she would never have the chance to grow up and experience life as I do. Her death changed me because I then realized how lucky I am to have my health and the life I live and that I should never take it for granted.

All things considered, Allie and Deidre both proved to have been the quintessence of integrity to the people whose lives they touched. In both cases responsibility, honesty, and trustworthiness were discovered which are not relevant in others. Generally speaking it is sad to know the world has lost people who may have made a big difference in other peoples lives while others live on causing harm. Hopefully more people will take the time to investigate genuine characteristics and some more good will be prominent in the world. For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

The Gift Of NINJA!

2007-10-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

Ninjas are l33t assassins - trained to kill in multiple ways. But there are times in which battle is not necessary and other modes of combat become necessary: Snuggle Attack!

This ninja is deadly, quiet, and cuter than anything! He is the perfect gift for an enthusiastic girlfriend or boyfriend. Make one using a felt template and stuff him full of fluff. Buttons make great eyes. You can sew him on a machine or by hand. Or you can order yours today by sending an inquiry to katherinealexa@aim.com.

Snuggle your significant other into submission today with the Gift of Ninja! For more stuff visit www.katherinealexa.com

Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?

2007-10-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

With environmental concerns in the public eye and vegetarianism on the rise, health concerns come into consideration. The highest increase in vegetarians is in the teenage population, an age group for which nutrition and health are especially important.

The question: Is it healthy to be a vegetarian?

The answer: It depends. Yes - IF you know what you are doing. There are many successful vegetarians out there who have more energy than the rest of the population. Kudos to them. But NO, if you are constantly tired, sleeping, or agitated. Most likely you are not getting the nutrients your body needs. NO if you are pregnant because it puts the baby at risk. Note that if you are pregnant or experiencing fatigue, you should get the advice of a certified physician.

The question: Is vegetarianism better for the environment?

The answer: No, not really. One reason many people think that being a vegetarian is good for the environment is because it cuts down on the resources needed to raise, herd, and slaughter cattle. However, the statistics show that the land used to farm soy plants uses MORE environmental resources than cattle production does! But hey, at least being a vegetarian is beneficial for the sake of the cattle. For more information visit www.katherinealexa.com

So, do vegetarians eat animal crackers? I don't know; you tell me. I didn't work my way to the top of the food chain to eat vegetables!

WAS A CRIME COMMITTED?

2007-10-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

Louisiana: A man walked into a Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled out a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount from the drawer? Fifteen dollars. If someone points a gun at you and gives you money was a crime committed? For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

Why I Am So Tired

2007-10-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

For a couple years I've been blaming it on iron poor blood, lack of vitamins, dieting and a dozen other maladies. Now I found out the real reason. I'm tired because I'm overworked.

The population of this country is 237 million. 104 million are retired. That leaves 133 million to do the work.

There are 85 million in school, which leave 48 million to do the work.

Of this, there are 29 million employed by the federal government.

This leaves 19 million to do the work.

Four million are in the Armed Forces, which leaves 15 million to do the work.

Take from the total the 14,800,000 people who work for State and City Government and that leaves 200,000 to do the work.

There are 188,000 in hospitals, so that leaves 12,000 to do the work.

Now, there are 11,998 people in Prisons. That leaves just two people to do the work.

You and me . . . and you're sitting there reading jokes.

For more stuff visit www.katherinealexa.com

Classic College AIM Away Messages

2007-10-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

Ever read one of those away messages that make you laugh so hard you want to cry? One that makes you wish you'd thought of it yourself? This isn't one of those away messages.

Today we salute you, stressed out college student, during exam week. As you sit in your lonely cubical in the library, doped up on starbucks & aderol, you think to yourself, am I ever going to need to know this stuff in life? The distractions are tempting and you have suddenly diagnosed yourself with ADD along with advanced delusionary schizophrenia with involuntary narcissistic rage, I'm sure by now you know exactly what everyone is doing because you have checked your buddy list 800 times. Summer break is just days away, and your prozac prescription will be in tomorrow. So crack open an ice cold bud light after that last exam, because for most of us summer will be spent in rehab.

Sleeping so don't be one of those people who call and wake sleeping people up. (What college student wouldn't appreciate this one)

For more stuff visit www.katherinealexa.com

You KNOW You're From Wayne NJ

2007-10-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

You know you're from Wayne, NJ when you are oblivious to the fact that half the town is rich, and the other half merely pretends with thirty year mortgages and leased cars. Willowbrook is a small mall. There's nothing at all to do when you have no money. Almost every girl is orange from too much tanning. Skater's World was where all the cool kids were, until you were old enough to realize you were the coolest one there. Valley Road has no speed limit. You once felt cool being at Preakness shopping center. You have been to SDA. You have driven over the bridge at Pines Lake. You miss the Old Barn Milk Bar. Right now you are within 100 feet of an SUV. And you know multiple parents that do not have a problem with underage drinking.

For more stuff visit www.katherinealexa.com

SUCCESS QUOTES - Because what you want is exactly what you deserve!

2007-10-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

Success is like death. The more successful you become, the higher the houses in the hills get and the higer the fences get.
- Kevin Spacey

"Failure? I never encountered it. All I ever met were temporary setbacks."
- Dottie Walters

"Little minds are subdued by misfortunes; but great minds rise above them."
- Washington Irving

"... if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."
- Dolly Parton

Albert Einstein:
Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.

Pablo Picasso:
My mother said to me, "If you become a soldier, you'll be a general; if you become a monk, you'll end up as the Pope." Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.

Pearl S. Buck:
The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. His heart withers if it does not answer another heart. His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echoes of his own thoughts and finds no other inspiration.

Yesterday I dared to struggle. Today I dare to win. -Bernadette Devlin

For more stuff visit www.katherinealexa.com

Texas Instruments Graphing Calculator

2007-10-13T19:28:00.000-07:00

I have been using my TI-83 for over 6 years. It is the most reliable item I have ever purchased in my entire life. It construction is of very high quality: encased in durable, thick plastic with a highly readable screen and equally-sturdy plastic buttons, it does so many things, and does them well: graphing functions, programming support(similar to Assembly--fun!), probability and statistics options, and tons more.

Why would I want a TI 83 you may ask? What about the 89? It's a higher model, and has more buttons! Yes, that's exactly it, it has more buttons, and way to many features you won't use and it is not even allowed by most teachers. The 83 will get you all through calculus and college.

For more stuff visit www.katherinealexa.com

MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI - Renaissance Man

2007-10-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

Half a millennium after the success of his first cultural achievement, the enigma of Michelangelo is still intriguing. A genius of the Renaissance, he is known as the greatest figure in the history of visual arts because he left behind masterpieces that influenced painting and sculpture in the years to follow. He was born in Caprese, Italy on March 6, 1475, and died in Rome, Italy on February 18, 1564. Living almost ninety years, Michelangelo considered himself to be a sculptor but he was also an accomplished painter, architect, poet, and a “military engineer”. (Copplestone 97) He was in charge of fortification of the city of Florence, Italy during a war between Germany and France. Additionally, Michelangelo was a “historian of early Italian literature”. (Copplestone 109) “He was descended from the counts of Canossa, a noble and illustrious family connected with imperial blood”. (Condivi 5) “His father was called Lodovico di Leonardo Buonarroti Simoni, a good and religious man”. (Condivi 6) When Michelangelo stopped studying grammar for art his father quite often beat him. At seventy-two years of age he was Chief Architect for a new St. Peter’s Cathedral Church in Rome. He worked on it for seventeen years until he died. The dome is his most famous design but it was completed after his death. The poetry of Michelangelo shows a passion for physical beauty and perfection. It provides insight into the tensions and conflicts of his personality. “Michelangelo’s artistic and cultural achievement encompassed a Platonist philosophy allied to a strong Christian faith”. (Copplestone 13) Michelangelo outlived his contemporaries Leonardo da Vinci, the famous artist whose works included the Last Supper and the Mona Lisa, and his personal rival, the painter Raphael. Then Michelangelo was unchallenged for forty-five-years. His works represent the best of Italian Renaissance art and culture.

The social, political, and religious structure of the Renaissance and the people of that time shaped the character of Michelangelo. When he was seventy-eight-years old, Asconio Condivi, his devoted pupil, published a biography/autobiography called the Life of Michelangelo from the “living oracle of his speech”. (Condivi 8) At age thirteen, Michelangelo was apprenticed at the workshop of Domenico del Ghirlandaio, a famous painter. Then at age fifteen, he went to live in the house of Lorenzo the Magnificent, ruler of Florence and father of Pope Leo X. They were patrons of the arts. While living at the Medici Palace, he met many leading intellectuals. Their pagan and Christian ideas possibly influenced Michelangelo’s thought, art, and poetry. He studied the style of the Florentine artists, especially the painter Luca Signorelli and the sculptor Donatello. Human anatomy was studied in depth; he dissected corpses and had discussions with “Messer Realdo Colombo, a very superior anatomist and surgeon”. (Condivi 99) Michelangelo liked the sermons of the Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola and claimed Savonarola‘s “voice still lives in his memory”. (Condivi 105) During Michelangelo’s youth in the city of Florence, Plato’s philosophy was translated and students studied Greek. People visited Roman-style bathhouses, and Savonarola preached that the men of Florence should burn vanities such as fancy clothing, perfume, musical instruments, paintings, and copies of books of Dante and Petrarch. Michelangelo was compensated generously for his craft during his life by seven Popes: Julius II, Leo X, Clement VII, Paul III, Julius III, Paul IV, and Pius IV.

A relief sculpture, Battle of Centaurs, whereby the human nude body is presented, becomes his style. The human figure rather than landscapes inspired Michelangelo. The genius of Michelangelo is presented in the Pieta, the David and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. The Pieta is a impressive marble statue completed when he was twenty-three-years old. “Through it, he acquired great fame and reputation, so much that, in the opinion of the world, he not only far surpassed any other man of his time, and of the time before him, but he even rivaled the ancients”. (Condivi 27) The statue set new standards for the judgment of art. It is an image of Jesus in his youthful Mother’s arms after he had been taken down from the cross. One today looks with awe and contemplates Michelangelo’s determination and perseverance as the creator. “The Madonna is seated on the rock in which the cross was fixed, wither her dead son across her lap, of such great and rare beauty that no one sees it who is not moved to pity”. (Condivi 24) Then Michelangelo made the thirteen foot David statue, slayer of Goliath, from an Old Testament story. Although there were numerous boy-like David statues by other artists, his David is “known to all as the Gigante”. (Condivi 27) The statue is a nude full-grown man looking at a possible opponent. This statue confirmed Michelangelo’s reputation at the age of twenty-nine as a master of the male nude. The David is the modern Renaissance man. (Copplestone 181) Above the wooden pews in the Sistine Chapel in Rome are Michelangelo’s most important paintings. The colorful set of frescos on the ceiling are breathtaking. “The opinion and the expectation which everyone had of Michelangelo brought all of Rome to see it, and the Pope also went there before the dust raised by the dismantling of the scaffold had settled”. (Condivi 57) Raphael, the famous painter, wanted to copy this “new and wonderful manner of painting”. (Condivi 57) The curved and vaulted ceiling measures approximately one-hundred and thirty-three-feet long by forty-three-feet wide. It includes more than three-hundred life-size figures from Old Testament stories in hair-raising scenes beginning with the Creation, Adam and Eve, and ending with the Drunkenness of Noah. As Michelangelo dealt with marble quarries, family issues, and rivalries from the other painters, many other significant Renaissance personalities were busy challenging the power of the Roman Catholic church such as Martin Luther and Desiderius Erasmus. Michelangelo’s passion and creativity leaves a legacy of Renaissance achievements influencing art and architecture today. For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

WORKS CITED
Copplestone, Trewin. Michelangelo. New York: Regency House Publishing Ltd., 2002.
Condivi, Ascanio. The Life of Michelangelo. Trans. Alice Sedgwick Wohl. Ed. Hellmut Wohl.
University Park: The Pennsylvania State University, 1999.

Living a Complete Life | Homosexuality

2007-10-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

To live two halves of different lives versus living one full life is a trial of homosexuals within society. A heterosexual man can pursue a career and take a partner and be automatically accepted in society. A homosexual man can pursue the same career, but can not take a partner and be automatically accepted. The homosexual man can either compromise his sexuality for the sake of his career, or compromise his career for the sake of his sexuality. Why does society create this compromising situation? I say this generally because not all homosexuals are subject to juggling their professional and personal lives, and others may actually benefit from it. Also, many other minorities, women especially, are subject to compromising between their professional and personal lives.

Those who live one complete life are happier than those living two halves of different lives. I believe this is true for everyone that it applies to. Each half is incomplete and desires to be whole. Neither half wants to compromise for the other, but compromise it must. In compromising each half loses some of its dignity. The person feels they are right; society tells them they are wrong. Those who must make these compromises are forced to lie on the path to acceptance or to face the consequences that the truth brings.

I’ve had steady relationships where there are public displays of affection and in which my partner and I operated like a married couple. In contrast, I’ve had relationships that were not out in the open, and not one of them ever felt complete. I wish people could just be who they want to be, whoever they are and whatever they are. However this is not the case. It goes against society, and society is vital.

As a lesbian and a feminist, Judy Grahn’s identity is crucial to her work. She is a woman who has compromised. Grahn took the consequences that the truth brings and in turn her life’s purpose was found. Her writing is extremely political as she asserts the presence and strength of all women, especially lesbians in society. Grahn critiques numerous biases in society that shape the individual’s point of view in society. Women, specifically lesbians, do have a role in society, and an important one at that. Although Grahn argues that the female body is the origin for all knowledge, writing is not exclusively for women. I believe it applies to society as a whole as Grahn sees it. For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

Sexual Liberation | Homosexuality

2007-10-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

It would seem that only in the worldwide unification of consciousness and its absorption of a growing diversity of behavioral potentials can the genius of our species accumulate, synthesize, and enrich its awareness of itself and the cosmos that harbors it. –Jason Klein

The liberation of sexuality into a force of spirituality is revolutionary and apparently old, for it has a long and intricate history. I never realized that the word ‘native’ could carry such a pejorative connotation! I have a hard time comprehending how homosexuals are gifted with a gay spirit which is portrayed superior to the driving force of heterosexuals. I do not see the distinction between the gay spirit and a free spirit, other than one has a sexual orientation to it. I just don’t see what sexuality has to do with it, why it is different. A highly developed ability to relate to and teach children, a generous nature, and exceptional intellectual and artistic skills may be characteristic, but are not exclusive, to gays. Especially in light of the Native American view, homosexuality, the male-woman and female-man alike, are a natural component of a population. The male-woman is ingenious, but it has its downsides, too, like any other role. Heterosexuals can be “spirited”; homosexuals can be dull. Ignorance and then confusion bring me to question - can you have a “gay” spirit and be straight, and what is gay about the gay spirit?

Leather culture, incepted in the 1960’s to describe the American sadomasochistic subculture, is a fetishistic attraction to people wearing leather or to leather itself and is affiliated with BDSM. Leather fetishism is characteristic of gay, lesbian, and straight communities. Leather began with gay men but has since expanded to encompass enthusiasts of all genders and orientations. A compilation of commonalities makes leather culture, sexuality being an aspect of the leather fetish. Sadism, masochism, and fetishism are classified as mental illnesses by the American Psychological Association, as was homosexuality until 1973. The SM and leather population have been considered healthy the last ten years by many American psychiatrists. It’s a real test of understanding for America to distinguish what is unhealthy, what is physically and/or mentally dangerous, what is wrong. If one is not part of an organization it is hard to distinguish the prospects and motives of the sub-culture.

There are always misunderstandings and differing points of view. It seems that there will always be degrees of violence, oppression and discrimination regarding minorities, specifically fetishes. For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

BIRDS IN NORTHERN NJ

2007-10-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

Birds provide a terrific doorway into nature and scientific study. They engage in interesting behaviors and are an indicator of overall environmental health. Here are some common birds you can spot in Northern NJ:

New Jersey Red-Headed Woodpecker

I identified a Red-Headed Woodpecker inhabiting a dead tree in a wooded area with sparse undergrowth. It made a home for itself in the dead tree by drilling a hole in the hollow wood with it’s chisel-shaped bill; this is a very noisy process that has woken me up many a morning. Before these birds begin to drill holes they check for hollow spots in dead wood by tapping the dead wood with their bill. Many times they try to make a home in the siding on my house which obviously doesn’t make my parents very happy.

Blue Jay

I identified a Blue Jay in a Blue Spruce Tree. I had heard its “jay jay” bird call and was able to see it before it flew away. Spotting a Blue Jay in November is a rarity more often than not because Blue Jays tend to migrate south in the winter. However, New Jersey has been having some warm weather recently with temperatures in the 70’s(F). Blue Jays are territorial and protective of their mates and will chatter and growl when angered. My cat killed a Blue Jay’s mate once - the Blue Jay followed the cat around for weeks, growling and relentlessly pecking at the cat’s head! Since this scenario eventually ceased, I can only assume my cat finally turned around and killed that Blue Jay as well.

Wild Turkeys

I identified approximately 40 Wild Turkeys running down my neighbors driveway. I see them everyday. They cut across my neighbors property to go from the Green Acres Nature Reserve to North Jersey Country Club’s property. They make “gobble gobble” noises and are around three feet tall. The Wild Turkey’s like to eat grass seed off of my property. Because of their large size and number, they are kind of scary. If you provoke them, they will attack you. For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

Alternate Base Paring for G:T | Biochemistry

2007-10-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

This is one alternate base pairing scheme for G:T

Here G and T are hydrogen bonded together in a wobble base pair hydrogen bonding scheme:

Alternative hydrogen bonding schemes involve the tautomeric forms of G or T. For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

Linear Increase of DNA Tm with log Na+ | Biochemistry

2007-10-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

Here is one explanation of why the Tm of DNA increases linearly with the log of the Na+ concentration:

A cation is a positively charged ion that is formed by the removal of an electron from a neutral species. The removal of an electron to a neutral sodium (Na) atom forms a single-charged sodium cation (Na+). One of the factors that influence Tm is ionic strength. Tm increases 16.6°C for each one-fold increase in monovalent cations, having a valence of 1.

According to scientific study on the effects of salt on the denaturation of DNA, Tm increases linearly with the logarithm of Na+. This supports why the Tm of DNA increases with the log of the Na+ concentration. For more information visit www.katherinealexa.com

Works Cited
Gruenwedel, DW. “Salt effects on the denaturation of DNA. IV. A calorimetric study of the helix-coil conversion of the alternating copolymer poly[d(A-T)].” PubMed: July 1975.

Forces Behind the Stability of Secondary Structure | Biochemistry

2007-10-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

Here are the forces that contribute to the stability of all DNA and RNA secondary structures:

Low free energy change
Neighboring bases
Primary structure/sequence
Salt concentration
Temperature
Phylogenic
Complexity of the intracellular environment
MFE
Hydrogen bonding
High molecular weight
Neucleotide chains
Phosphate groups
Pentose sugar
Purine or pyramidine
Nitrogenous heterocyclic bases
Linking N-bases
Base pairing

For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

DNA vs RNA | Biochemistry

2007-10-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

Here are 5 characteristics that distinguish RNA from DNA:

1. The sugar in DNA is deoxyribose. The sugar in RNA is ribose, not deoxyribose.

2. The common bases in DNA are adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine. RNA uses uracil instead of thymine. The common bases in RNA are adenine, uracil, guanine, and cytosine.

3. RNA is much smaller than DNA. The molecules of RNA range in molar mass between 20,000 and 40,000 g/mol instead of as much as 109 g/mol.

4. DNA is double-stranded. RNA is usually single-stranded, not double-stranded.

5. DNA has a single role as the storehouse of genetic information; RNA has many roles in the operation of a cell. There are several different types of RNA and each has it own function. The principal job of RNA is to provide the information needed to synthesize proteins. Visit www.katherinealexa.com for more information.

Works Cited
Hill, J. General Chemistry: Fourth Ed. Prentice Hall: 2005.

Nucleic Acid Structure | Biochemistry

2007-10-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

Definitions of primary, secondary, and tertiary structure as they relate to nucleic acids:

The primary structure of DNA or RNA is its sequence of bases. Each base forms hydrogen bonds to a partner, forming a complementary base pair, and DNA is organized into a secondary structure of these pairs that forms a double helix. RNA has a less regular secondary structure. The tertiary structure of nucleic acids consists of additional folding in three dimensional space.

To elaborate:

Nucleic Acids: Primary Structure:

A nucleic acid polymer has nucleotide chains in which the phosphate group of one nucleotide links to the sugar ring of a second nucleotide. This creates a backbone consisting of an alternating sequence of sugars and phosphates that has directionality. Each phosphate forms a bridge from the 5’ end of one ribose to the 3’ end of another ribose. Each position along the nucleic acid sequence is identical with the exception of the base. The sequence of bases is called the primary structure of the polynucleotide chain. The terminal phosphate group is labeled the 5’ end and continues to the opposite end of the chain where the sugar has an unreacted hydroxyl group in the linkage position, labeled the 3’ end. The nucleotides - adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine, or uracil - are listed as one-letter abbreviations - A, C, G, T, or U - respectively.
The Double Helix: Secondary Structure of DNA:

The determination of nucleotide structures in the 1920’s set the framework for the discovery of the secondary structure of the DNA molecule, the three-dimensional structure of the molecule. The structure of DNA was discovered by Crick, Watson, Wilkins, and Franklin in the 1950’s using x-ray diffraction patterns of crystalline DNA. Watson and Crick concluded that DNA consists of the double helix - two helices wound around one another - in which the hydrophilic sugars and the phosphate groups lie on the outside of the molecule and the hydrophobic bases are tucked inside the structure. The two helices are connected by hydrogen bonds between bases that pair within the molecule. The bases of one strand of DNA form hydrogen bonds to the bases of the second strand. The complimentary base pairs (A and T; G and C) fit together like matching gears which keep the distance between the two strands constant through the entire length of the DNA molecule. The nucleotide bases are flat molecules and each base pair is parallel to the one below it, with a rotation of 36 degrees between pairs; this gives ten base pairs per complete turn of the helix. The two sugar-phosphate backbone strands wind around these stacked pairs and the two strands of DNA run in opposite directions, with the terminal phosphate end of one polynucleotide matched with the free hydroxyl end of the other. RNA has a less regular secondary structure.

Nucleic Acids: Tertiary Structure:

Tertiary structure of nucleic acids consists of additional folding in three dimensional space. Stabilization of tRNA tertiary structure is achieved by base-base interactions. In addition to Watson-Crick base pairs accounting for most of the interactions, there are a number of nonstandard base pairs and base triplets. A major difficulty in the evaluation of secondary and tertiary structures of nucleic acids is the lack of convenient methods for their construction and representation. For more information visit www.katherinealexa.com

Works Cited
Hill, J. General Chemistry: Fourth Ed. Prentice Hall: 2005.

Art Fest at Penn State

2007-10-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

When my best friend first invited me to so-called “Beer Fest” at Penn State University this past July, I had no idea that the event was actually called “Art Fest”, or “The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts at State College, Pennsylvania”, an elaborate exhibit of art from watercolor to crafts, from amateur to professional. Once I was there, I realized the potential this event had for this short paper, and went in search of two watercolor paintings which appealed to me.

As I walked around various sidewalk displays, a watercolor by Greg Strachov called “The Spanish Flame” caught my attention. It was a watercolor on what was most likely on rag paper with dimensions of about 25 by 30 inches. The design is simple - a single, red flower on a shaded, rocky background using grey tones and a matching grey sky. A wet on wet wash technique was used to create the sky. There was a use of a block-out technique to create the consistency of the rocky background. The brush work was distinct in that the whole of the painting appears to flow very smoothly. While the background used grey tones, the primary colored red flower is bold and large, creating a large amount of contrast and displaying the flower as the main focal point of the painting. The shadows and shading in the design of the painting gave “The Spanish Flame” a three dimensional effect. This painting was carefully executed and although it looked simple, a great degree of detail was put into its creation. “The Spanish Flame” was simple and bold. The background conveyed a sense of peace and the flower conveyed a sense of strength. I really enjoyed seeing this watercolor on display. As its name suggests, “The Spanish Flame” stood out and I believe that is what artist Greg Strachov was trying to convey.

The second painting I honed in on was a watercolor by Yumiko Ichikawa called “Afternoon Mist I”. It was most likely painted on rag paper, but I was looking at a recreation, and it had dimensions of about 20 by 20 inches. “Afternoon Mist I” was a watercolor painting of a vase of flowers on a table. Similar to “The Spanish Flame”, this painting employed a grey tone background and a grey tone tablecloth. A wet on wet wash technique was used to created the background. There was a use of a block-out technique, probably masking fluid, to create detail in the flowers themselves. A fair amount of blending was used in creating this painting. While “The Spanish Flame” consisted of one primary red flower, this painting used shades of purple and red to convey multiple flowers. A transparent, grey tone vase held the flowers in place. There was a degree of spontaneity in this painting that was not apparent in “The Spanish Flame”. Yumiko Ichikawa was most likely trying to convey a sense of happiness in his painting. Unlike Greg Strachov’s watercolor, “Afternoon Mist I” was not trying to make a bold statement, rather it was just displaying a nice vase of flowers. I enjoyed looking at “Afternoon Mist I” because it reminded me of the flowers at my mother’s home.

While “The Spanish Flame” displayed one bold and carefully executed red flower, “Afternoon Mist I” displayed a vase of multiple whimsical flowers of various shades of purple and red. Although the sense of peace and strength in “The Spanish Flame” caught my attention, I enjoyed “Afternoon Mist I” the most because it reminded me of home. I believe that the ability of a work of art to relate to its audience is one of the most important determining factors in its likeability. I was glad to see the enormous display of artwork and creativity at Penn State this summer thanks to my best friend.

Cafe Eclectic in Montclair, NJ

2007-10-13T18:06:00.001-07:00

Looking for a good night out in Northern NJ? Look no further than Montclair, NJ! With its quaint shops, eccentric movie theater, and fun cafes it is the perfect area for a date or a night out with friends.

I recently went to Cafe Eclectic in Montclair, NJ with my friends. Good food, good music, good times. I have to admit, I was impressed. It is actually called Cafe Eclectic because the furniture is a random array of tables, chairs, and antiques from around the world. I got a picture of the knight in shining armor! The BEST part about Cafe Eclectic are the drinks; I recommend the Strawberry Milkshake. The food wasn't bad either. Cafe Eclectic has up and coming local bands/musicians play there regularly. The atmosphere is perfect for a good night out with a date.

While I was there I saw up and coming songwriter/musician Jon Gambino play live. Unlike some of the Northern NJ hot spots, the music is actually good at Cafe Eclectic. To find out more about Jon Gambino, check him out here. For more on the Northern NJ scene, check out www.katherinealexa.com

White Box Experiment | Chemistry

2007-10-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

You are asked to use your chemistry knowledge to figure out what is in a white box. Here is an example of one way to go about it:

Upon first obtaining the box, it was thought that the unknown object was a rubber stopper. Small enough to move freely inside the box, wherever the object moved it demonstrated a slight weight. It also moved from side to side unevenly, which is how a rubber stopper (the circumference of the top larger than that of the bottom) would move. But doubt took over, and the rubber stopper soon seemed more like a small graduated cylinder.
It was definite the object did not roll straight across the box, but it did seem to vibrate once gravity landed it on one side of the box or another. More time passed, and it was obvious that the object was not vibrating; it was bouncing. Also, the object was solid rather than hollow. The small graduated cylinder inference terminated. The original rubber stopper guess seemed more accurate.

Discussion followed by deep thought brought about a great discovery: there was an alteration to the box! Feeling the faces of the box revealed triangular box structures in all four corners. The object was not a rubber stopper. Such an internal design accounted for the uneven bouncing. Solid, spherical, and bouncy like rubber were the characteristics of the object. As far as can be concluded, the object was a rubber bouncy ball, and the inside of the box probably looked something like this:

www.katherinealexa.com

Environment Law - Hot Career - What You Need To Know

2007-10-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

Environmental law – is substantially statutory. It is administrative law. It comes out of the congress.

Statues set general norms and standards while delegating the details of the policymaking to administrative agencies

EPA – power to carry out these acts

Administrative law is the body of law that governs agency decision-making

The APA – administrative procedure act of 1945

Written by congress to bring regularity and predictability to the decision-making processes of government agencies

Ensure that agencies would carry out the actions of congress in the way that they were intended

Agencies are entrusted to be the experts in the particular field, and in a better position to determine how best to accomplish congresses goals

Rules are the ways in which agencies implement, interpret, and prescribe law and policy

All agency authority and derivative of the three branches of government, but the rules they create carry the same weight as congressional legislation, presidential executive orders, and judicial decisions

Cod of federal regulations – hundreds of thousands of pages long; agencies have really taken over – interpreting and making law in federal government

Rules are not products of congress, but by-products that are not under the control of the legislative or executive branch

The leadership, organization, division of labor, culture, professional orientation, and work routines of individual bureaucracies affect the way they make decisions

The three things that agencies can do: implement, interpret, and prescribe

Implement – law and policy has been fully developed in a statute enacted by congress, an executive order, or a judicial decision

Interpret – law and policy are well established but confront unanticipated or changing circumstances
Prescribe – congress established the goals of law or policy in statutes but provides few details regarding how to achieve them

Applicability of rules
Rules affect persons or activities in a wide range of circumstances

Rules can affect large segments of the population and economy, as well as produce change in a single individual group, firm or government unit

Some rulemaking looks like legislation, while others look like adjudication – but it is still rulemaking in both cases

How are rules made?

Informal or notice and comment rulemaking
Most common method in rulemaking

1. Agency publishes a general notice of the proposed rule in the federal register
2. Interested parties allowed time to comment on the proposed rule
3. Comment review and final rule published

Percentage of significant rules finalized by the EPA (1995-2000)

51% were finalized within 2 years after the commentary
26% were finalized within 2-5 years “
3% were finalized within 10 years “

Who holds the check?

Congressional

Controls the way agencies are structures, their statutory mandates and how they are governed

Executive

Appointment and removal of agency officials

OMB reviews significant regulatory actions
Beyond cost analysis federal law requires
Environmental impact analysis
Constitutional “takings” analysis
Takings – constitutional right that government can’t take something away from you without due compensation; takings they don’t pay you

Federalism impact analysis
Un-federal mandate

Judicial

Judicial review allows the courts to review whether the rules created by an agency are a proper use of their delegated power

Available to anyone who has been wronged, adversely affected, or aggrieved by an agency rule

One exception is when the action in question was “committed to agency discretion by law”

Clean Water Act History

Democrat - Senator Edmund Muskie – talked about passing the clean water act

Republican - Senator Howard Baker – need the act to pass as well

1899 Refuse Act – we need these things to let ships come in without being damaged so stop throwing garbage into the water
More acts followed –
1948 and 1956 federal water pollution control act
1965 water quality act
1966 clean water restoration act

The water is not good and we should do something about it, but these didn’t do anything

1972 federal water pollution control act – amendment to the clean water at – protected interstate and intrastate waters, including lakes, rivers, streams, estuaries, and wetlands

Sweeping 1972 changes: clear national goal, dilution not a solution to pollution, NPDES – permanent required for each point source; minimum end-of-pipe standards; basin planning

Point source – something identifiable

Stronger framework for state standards for in-stream water quality
Public involvement; citizen suits

Amendments to the clean water act that added:
Non-point source control provisions
Improved storm water management practices
Tightened controls on point sources
Prohibited dumping at waterside industrial facilities
Added Section 518, which authorized EPA to treat federally recognized Indian Tribes as States for certain provisions of the Act
Phase-out of most direct federal grants

Objective of the Clean Water Act:

To restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters

National goals: eliminate discharge of pollutants to surface water (by 1985)
All waters will be fishable and swim-able wherever attainable by 1983

Drinking water protection
No fishing and swimming postings
Endangered species, etc

Components: water quality criteria, designated uses, antidegradation policy

Water quality standards – designated uses:
Must be assigned to every water body/ segments
Include aquatic life, wildlife and recreation
Must protect downstream waters
Must protect all existing uses
Uses actually attained on or after 11-28-75; have to be able to maintain over time, can’t lose any of that
Also, uses that water quality supports but are not occurring

Typical designated uses:

Aquatic life – cold water, warm water, spawning, rearing, migration
Recreation – swimming, boating, sport fishing
Public water supply
Agriculture
Industry
Navigation
Less typical: aesthetic, cultural, ceremonial, aquaculture

Designated uses are those uses specified in water quality standards for each water body or segment whether or not they are being attained

Can a designated use be weakened or removed?
Not if: it is an existing use or it is attainable … at a minimum can be attained by implementing (technology-based) permits or cost effective and reasonable practices for non-point source control

Water quality standards: water quality criteria

What chemical, physical and biological characteristics should be monitored to ensure each designated use is protected?

States must adopt those water quality criteria that protect the designated use

Numbers and words that describe contitions protective of a designated use
Protection of different characheristics – physical, biological, physical

Narrative – desirable conditions
Numerical conditions

Water quality criteria should address: how much, long, often?

Concentration, time period, frequency

Connect uses and criteria

What can trigger antidegradation? Any action with the potential to degrade the water quality, houses being built, etc.

Total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) – a calculation of the max safe amount of a pollutant for a water body, and a plan for cleanup of a polluted river, lake or coastal water

Steps required:
Prioritize waters needing attention
Determine how much pollution water body can handle
Identify sources of pollution
Allocate allowable pollution from each source
Include a margin of safety to account for uncertainty

Steps recommended:
Develop implementation plan
Monitor and revise

Discharge permits (NPDES)
National pollutant discharge elimination system
Technology based effluent limits
Water quality based effluent limits
Reasonable potential analysis – any potential excursion
Impaired waters – can’t cause or contribute
TMDL goals – NPDES permits must be adjusted to meet waste load allocations

Nonpoint source control (319)
States must-
Prepare assessments of nonpoint source pollution problems
Develop management programs to address problems
Implement grant program to reduce nonpoint source pollution
For more information visit www.katherinealexa.com

The Awful Truth | Homosexuality

2007-10-13T17:21:00.000-07:00

The quote: “Women think with their hearts, men think with their dicks”. The question is - What does the white heterosexual dominated legal system think with? Gay and lesbian couples may drown in good intentions but if they want justice, any good lawyer will tell them to look anywhere but the to the court system. To date, heterosexual intercourse, whether it be within a loving marriage, an accident in the dark or a test tube experiment, is what creates children and drives society forward. To date, homosexuals must rely on heterosexual intercourse as the means of achieving children. Personally it is not hard to see why within a society within a flourishing economy, heterosexual marriages dominate and are legal, binding contracts. Heterosexuals produce children; marriages provide structure for children and produce better people in society as a whole. I personally believe marriage is an institution made by men, for the better of men, not for the better of women. Sometimes a man and a woman do not get married for love, but for a plethora or varying reasons. Its not hard to see why many homosexuals want to get married; its because they can not legally get married and believe that their love is as strong as any heterosexual marriage. Their love may very well be stronger, let alone existent, than that of a heterosexual marriage. Homosexuals are a minority, and by all means should fight for equality in legal, binding marriages as should any minority fight for equality in a society that prides itself on freedom. Homosexuals hate heterosexuals in the similar way other baseball teams hate the Yankees; homosexuals don’t really hate heterosexuals, but they hate that heterosexuals are successful within the legal system, and deep down want their relationships to be legally bound in marriage, too. Homosexuals are using welfare reform to push for the normalization of homosexual relationships as ‘families’ under federal law. While many states have passed laws protecting marriage as a union between a man and a woman, homosexuals are going around these laws to promote domestic partnerships as the legal equivalent to marriage. Many claim that the argument truly comes down to the benefits granted to married couples that single people do not qualify for. However, the true differences between the benefits obtained by a married couple versus two single men, or women, living together are minimal. For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

Mother Teresa - A Poem | Health and Well-Being

2007-10-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, at it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, if the final analysis it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.
-Mother Teresa-

For more stuff visit www.katherinealexa.com

You Really Do Have Worth - A Poem | Health and Well-Being

2007-10-13T17:08:00.000-07:00

After a while you learn the subtle
difference between holding a hand and
chaining a soul, And you learn that
love doesn't mean leaning and company
doesn't mean security, And you begin to
learn that kisses aren't contracts and
presents aren't promises, And you
begin to accept your defeats with you
head up and your eyes open, with the
grace of an adult, not the grief of a
child And you learn to build all your
roads on today because tomorrows ground
is too uncertain for plans. After a while
you learn that even sunshine burns
if you get too much.
So plant your garden and decorate your
own soul, instead of waiting for someone
to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really are strong,
And you really do have worth.

-unknown

For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

YOU CAN MAKE THE CHEERLEADING SQUAD!!!

2007-10-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

Advice from Brittany from MTV's Daria:

You know, a lot of people think cheerleaders are stupid, which really burns me up, cause if we're so stupid how come we all know how to move the same way at the same time mister quarterback know-it-all? Cheerleading requires lots of concentration, so right before your tryout, take a minute and empty everything you know out of your head. Make sure you smile a lot when you meet the squad captains, and remember to blink when they talk so they know you're really awake and stuff. Don't use a complicated cheer for your tryout, but something simple like "Rah," or if you're up for a challenge, "Rah, rah." Because even though you might want to do one of those "Give me a T, give me an E" cheers, and you've been practicing and practicing until you feel, like, super confident that you can spell "team" backward and forward, you don't want to get up there in the tryout and be all nervous and end up spelling it backward instead of forward, because "maet" isn't even a word, so it's not like you can say you really love hamburgers and you were cheering for meat. I mean you could, but why take the chance of looking dumb and compromising your dignity? Thank you very much, and go team go!

For more stuff go to www.katherinealexa.com

HIV STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION | Biology

2007-10-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

What is HIV?
Although helper T cells seem to be the main target for HIV, other cells can become infected as well. These include monocytes and macrophages, which can hold large numbers of viruses within themselves without being killed. Some T cells harbor similar reservoirs of the virus.

HIV STRUCTURE
HIV is an enveloped RNA virus: As HIV buds out of the host cell during replication, it acquires a phospholipid envelope. Protruding from the envelope are peg-like structures that the viral RNA encodes. Each peg consists of three or four gp41 glycoproteins (the stem), capped with three or four gp120 glycoproteins. Inside the envelope the bullet-shaped nucleocapsid of the virus is composed of protein, and surrounds two single strands of RNA. Three enzymes important to the virus's life cycle - reverse transcriptase, integrase, and protease - are also within the nucleocapsid

HIV REPLICATION
Entry of HIV into the host cell requires the binding of one or more gp120 molecules on the virus to CD4 molecules on the host cell's surface.
Once HIV binds to a host cell, the viral envelope fuses with the cell membrane, and the virus's RNA and enzymes enter the cytoplasm. HIV, like other retroviruses, contains reverse transcriptase. This allows the single-stranded RNA of the virus to be copied and double-stranded DNA to be generated. The enzyme integrase then facilitates the integration of this viral DNA into the cellular chromosome. Provirus HIV DNA is replicated along with the chromosome when the cell divides. The integration of provirus into the host DNA provides the latency that enables the virus to evade host responses so effectively.
Production of viral proteins and RNA takes place when the provirus is transcribed. Viral proteins are then assembled using the host cell's protein-making machinery. The virus's protease enzyme allows for the processing of newly translated polypeptides into the proteins, which are then ultimately assembled into viral particles. The virus eventually buds out of the cell.

LPS DEFINED
A schematic diagram of a lipopolysaccharide molecule.
For most purposes the terms endotoxin and lipopolysaccharide or LPS are synonymous.
A lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a large molecule that contains both lipid and a carbohydrate. They are a major structure of gram-negative bacteria which contributes greatly to the structural integrity of the bacteria, and protects them from host immune defenses.

LPS STRUCTURE
LPS layer is attached to the outer membrane of gram negative bacteria.
1. Repeating units are used to identify different gram negative bacteria.
2. Lipid A portion is responsible for toxic properties of LPS
The lipid portion is embedded in the membrane, and become exposed when cells die. This causes tumor necrosis factor to create a proinflammatory response that can lead to toxic shock.

SIGNALING PATHWAYS
Exposure of macrophages to bacterial products such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) results in activation of the NF-B transcription factor, which orchestrates a gene expression program that weakens the macrophage-dependent immune response. These changes include the induction or repression of a wide range of genes that regulate inflammation, cell proliferation, migration and cell survival.

1
From a 2006 Article from Department of Pathology, Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center, MISSOURI
HIV-1 produces central nervous system dysfunction – NeuroAIDS, mediated by elevated levels of immunoactive substances for example cytokines, prostaglandins and nitric oxide . HIV-1 is associated with neuroinflammation by stimulating release of immunoactive substances from brain cells. Therefore, HIV-1 entering the brain across the blood–brain barrier is thought to play an important role in the incidence of the neuroAIDS syndrome. The study investigated the ability of lipopolysaccharide to induce the release of immunoactive substances and so enhance HIV-1 transport across the BBB.
These results indicated that LPS increased HIV-1 transport across the BBB independently of nitric oxide and prostaglandins. The release of cytokines by LPS from the cells composing the BBB could be one mechanism by which the permeability of the BBB to HIV-1 is enhanced.

2
2006 Article by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Repeated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure inhibits HIV replication in primary human macrophages.
Repetitive exposure of macrophages to microbial antigen is known to tolerize them to further stimulation and to inhibit proinflammatory cytokine release.
In HIV infected macrophages, repeated LPS exposure inhibits HIV replication as assessed by decreased genetic expression and protein production of HIV-1.

Interferons (IFN) and bacterial LPS prevent HIV infection in macrophages by blocking provirus formation
From a 1989 Study at Univ. Calif. San Diego and the V. A. Medical Center, San Diego, CA
Monocyte-derived macrophages were treated with various substances and then infected with a macrophage-tropic strain of HIV-1.
Pretreatment with LPS prevented viral replication in macrophages.

GENE EXPRESSION
CD14, the primary LPS receptor, exists in both cell surface membrane-bound and -soluble forms
As of 2002 Article from American Society for Microbiology,
The molecular mechanism through which monocyte CD14 expression is upregulated in HIV infection remains unclear.
LPS and HIV-Nef antigen may induce CD14 expression on monocytes by distinct mechanisms.

For more information visit www.katherinealexa.com

Watching the Sky Move

2007-10-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

While outside at night, I observed the sky’s apparent counterclockwise motion around the North Star. Although in most of the sky tracking stars may seem intimidating to a novice, the northern sky contains familiar stars patterns that even a backyard astronomer like myself can follow with the naked eye.

To duplicate my observations, first, find Polaris. Then locate the Big Dipper, which before 9 pm will be slightly higher than Polaris. Capella will be skimming the horizon (in fact you will need a clear view of the horizon to see it before 9 pm).

Go out a couple of hours later, around 10 or 11 pm, and you will see that Polaris is in the same spot. The Big Dipper will have dipped lower toward the same elevation as Polaris and shifted to the right. Capella will have drifted higher and to the right as well.

By midnight, the Big Dipper is directly underneath Polaris and hard to find along the horizon. Capella is high in the sky, at roughly the same elevation as Polaris and off to the right.

If you commute and wake up at 6 am daily as I do for a fun crawl down the Garden State Parkway to SHU, observe the stars one more time before they become invisible to the naked eye with the light of day. The Big Dipper will have moved up and to the right, into the position Capella held during the evening hours. Capella will now be above Polaris.

In fact, Capella is almost directly overhead at dawn. Consider the illustration below. A quarter turn of the illustration will show how much the positions of the stars will change during a six hour period (24 hours would most likely make a full rotation). Take notice that when you are gazing directly upward, the stars have not shifted to the left or the right as clouds move on a windy day. Rather the constellations are in motion from horizons to the zenith of the sky (like a giant upside down pendulum).

For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

\o/ Cheerleading Tryouts Cheer! \o/

2007-10-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

Need a cheer? Here is a really good one to use for tryouts:

Where are we, where are we
We're not just in new jersey
We're in [Ramsey], we're in [Ramsey]
We know how we got here
And we know how we'll leave
We will leave, we will leave
We will leave in victory!!!

::woot::

For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

Get the Facts! General Biology

2007-10-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

Quantitative (#’s)
Qualitative (type, kind)

Vocabulary

Macro = large quantity necessary
Micro = trace

Respiration = Fe; Break down energy, etc.

Electrolytes = elements in blood stream

Endergonic = uses energy
Exergonic = frees energy

Levels of Organization
Organism
Organ system (ex: digestive)
organ (ex: stomach)
Tissues (ex: nerve tissues
------------------------ line of visibility -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0.1 = 100 um
Cells
---------------------------------- line of living vs. dead --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Organelles
Membrane
Large Molecules (ex: proteins)
Small Molecules (ex: a. a.)
Functional Groups
Atoms
Structure and Function
Size (mental pictures; know metric)

Molecules
Biologically Important Organic Molecules (will define by functional groups)
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins and Amino Acids
Nucleic Acids

And a Few Important Inorganic Molecules

CO2
H2O
O2
NaCl (salt)

Lipids
Fatty Acids
Fats (Triglycerides)
Phospholipids
Steroids (ex: carbohydrates; make estrogen, testosterone, etc.)

Chemical Elements (total = approx. 110)
Naturally Occurring Elements (approx 90)
a. Essential Elements (affecting life; approx 20-25)
i. Most commonly found – C, H, N, O, P, S
ii. Others – Fe, I, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn, Co, Cl
b. Non-Essential Elements (not affecting life)
i. Important (toxic and heavy metals) – Hg, As, Pb
ii. NOT Important – Ba
Man-Made (approx. 20)

Chemical Bonds
ex: C, H, O – to make glucose, C6H12O6

6 C atoms
12 H atoms
6 O atoms

Ions
Cation (+)
Anion (-)

Ionic Bonds

Nucleus
Protons (+)
Neutrons (neutral)
Electrons (-)

A+ à B-
Comes apart into pieces
ex: NaCl à Na+ + Cl-

Covalent Bonds

Share bonds and share electrons
A+ : B-

Carbohydrates

“alkane” family à modifications
“alcohol” family à modifications
Carbohydrates

Alkanes – all contain C and H

Methane has tetrahedral symmetry and free bond rotation

Tetrahedron – looks like a pyramid; center is equidistant from the four points; there are four equilateral triangles

Ex: octane – a component of gasoline

Alkanes – Physical Properties

Methane, ethane, propane, butane = gases
C5-C16 = liquids
C17 and up = solids
Molecules get bigger as # gets higher

VanderWaals / London forces – weak molecular forces that form gases

Bigger alkanes – “waxes” C17

1. methane, 1 pair of electrons, single covalent bonds
2.Ethane
3. propane
4. butane

All flammable
Straight chained vs. Branched alkanes
All hydrophobic

98.6F = 37C = body temperature

Water solubility

ALL alkanes are water insoluble!

Hydrophobic: NOT = water hating
Hydrophilic: water loving

Water is the biological solvent

Cholesterol is hydrophobic/water insoluble

CRP – C reactive protein; inflammation

All molecules will dissolve in water a little bit!

There are degrees of solubility in water.

Cholesterol – extremely hydrophobic! That’s why it is dangerous! It sticks to our arteries and blood vessels instead of dissolving in the water-base blood streams.

C reactive protein – high levels à heart disease

Hydroxyl group à alcohol functional group is OH

Miscible – will mix with water in ANY proportion

Alkanes to à Alcohols: just add an hydroxyl group

methyl group + methyl alcohol = methanol
ethyl alcohol = ethanol (drinking alcohol)
, 4. etc

Water Solubility Properties:
C1-C11 (liquids/alcohol)
If contain –OH are alcohols

-OH makes hydrophilic; make molecules more water soluble than would be

Isopropyl alcohol = rubbing alcohol

Alcohols are ALL Poisonous!

C1 – C3 are infinitely miscible.
C4
C5
Gets less and less soluble in water the higher the #

C1 through C11 are liquids
C12 and up are solids

Carbohydrates – OH group!

All alcohols are poisonous to a certain degree (even ethanol).

Electronegativity:

-O-H ; the oxygen has a partial negative charge. H has a partial positive charge.

-N-H; partially positive attraction. Hydrogen is weakly attached.

Oxygen and nitrogen are the most electronegative biologically appearing elements (Flourine is the most electronegative element).

Water

Hydrogen bonds = weak bonds, but a lot of them make an impact!/ are powerful

The H (solid) and O (solid) of different H2O molecules are attracted to each other à liquid physical state

1 OH can “take up” 3 to 4 methyl groups

Room temperature = 25C or 77F

Hydrogen bonding opportunities are necessary to dissolve with water; need a sexy surface, _OH, _NH, etc.

One –OH with one methyl will dissolve; so will with 2 or 3 methyl.
BUT four methyl groups “break the camel’s back”

Free Bond Rotation – multiple shapes single bonds (once there is a double bond or more, NO free bond rotation possible)

Water Solubility: What to look for:
H-bonding opportunities
full charges (hydrogen bonding relies on partial charges, S- or S+)

Carbohydrates

carbonyl group
3+ cations
2+ OH groups

Aldehyde

Ketone

1st - hydro- hydrophillic
2nd – methyl - hydrophobic
3rd – carbonyl – water soluble

Carbonyl Group:

Simple Carbohydrates:
Mono-saccharide
di-
tri-
tetra-
penta-
hexa-
hepta-
octa-

Complex Carbohydrates:
OLIGO (3-20)
Ex: oligosaccharide

POLY = many (20+)

Simple carbs break down faster than complex carbs

Monomer
Dimer
Oligomer
Polymer

Isomers – molecules with same formula but different structure

One methyl can take 3 monosaccahrides on

Maltose
Sucrose
Lactose

Enymes: make chemical reactions happen

Hydrolysis = will spilt molecule by adding water

Starch = polysaccharide
Cellulose = polysaccharide

Exoskeleton = made of chitin; polysaccharide; not edible!

Poly and mono saccharides are abundant in nature
Oligo saccharides are NOT abundant in nature

Reversibly Dissociable Groups

Phosphate… phospholipids

pH = -log[H+]

when pH in molarity (M)

ex: [H+] = 10^-3; pH = 3

Physiological pH = 7.4 (w/in the living body) COO-

pKa = pH where not / dissociated partially; how much in which form depends on the pH in the solution

CH3COOH ; pKa = 4.75 (acetic acid)

Buffers = solution that resists change in pH

Carbonic acid and phosphoric acid (as found in diet soda)
pKa for first dissociation = 2.2
pKa for 2nd dissociation = 7.2
pKa for 3rd dissociation = 10.3 (not in humans as 1st and 2nd are)

Carbonic acid (H2CO3)

H2O pH = 7

H20 + CO2 à H2CO3
H2CO3 à H+ + HCO3^1- } pH = 6.3

Calcuim phosphate à hydrophobic

Calcium citrate – citrate binds to the calcium so no precipitation with the phosphate group occurs

Phospholipids (fatty acids):

Choline has + charge grouping

Phospholipids act as emulsifiers; want to do but, but are hydrophobic

Without lecithin, we wouldn’t be able to digest a fatty meal, or emulsity.

Soaps and detergents are emulsifiers

Membrane Structures

Steroids are water soluble!

Amino Acids (acidic) = basic where it shows up

FG – amino functional group = water soluble because they have partial charges

-COOH = carboxyl group

20 amino acids in nature commonly used. All living forms use the same 20 to make proteins.

Methyl pulls the solubility down!

In amino acid, the pH = 9:
-NH2 + H+ ßà N+H3

Net charge is ZERO.

Ex: Glucose at pH = 7 (no charges in glucose)

Ex: Alanine at pH=7 (charges)

Electrophoresis: can do DNA finger printing

Proteins are HUGE molecules!

Peptide Bond: aa1 – aa2 – aa3 … --aan: this is just the link of the primary structure!

Dipeptide (made of 2 aa’s linked) tri, etc.

Polypeptide (many linked)

1 = primary structure
2 = secondary structure (silk)
3 = tertiary
4 = quaternary

= alpha (helix) (more common)
=beta (pleated sheet) (read about)

Denaturation – unravels tertiary structure (maybe even unravels secondary structure)

Hemoglobin – quaternary structure; made of two alpha chains and two beta chains

This way to carry oxygen:

What holds them together?
hydrogen bonds
ionic interactions (+ or – attraction or repellance)
disulfide
MOST IMPORTANT! Hydrophobic – interaction of side chains with surrounding water (tucked in the inside)

Functional groups:

Stereoisomer

Enantiomer – mirror image isomer

Hydrophobic? Test question on proteins.

D, L forms

Enantiomers – don’t up line

Test Q: What’s the difference? Penicillin, only D, not L, locks correctly.

Trans fats à trans fatty acids

Trans vs. cis (double bonds)

Trans has NO kinks – stay away from partially hydrogenated compounds (ex: olive oil)

Cis has kinks

Lipoprotein:
LDL = “bad”
HDL = “good”

Trans makes your LDL go up and your HDL go down, which is NOT what you want

Eukaryotic Organisims (multicellular) – animals, plants, size = 5-100um

Prokaryotic Organisms (unicellular) – bacteria and cyanobacteria only, size = 1-5um

Functions of Proteins

enzymes – many proteins are enzymes. They make reactions go faster. Essential for metabolism.
membrane structure –
structural integrity of membranes
proteins of membrane are “carrier proteins”
structural proteins (ex: collagens; keratin in nails/hair; elastin in lungs)
transport proteins (ex: hemoglobin)
antibodies – part of immune system

Permeability Mechanisms

passive movement
osmosis
dialysis
facilitated diffusion (scent example)
active transport

Diffusion – spontaneous movement from high concentration to lower concentration.
Painfully slow, but not over a small distance aka. Membranes! Diffusion is Physics.

Passive movement – diffusion through a selectively permeable membrane; best to get through as a low charge, small, and hydrophobic molecule (steroids)

Dialysis – separation of one solute from another solute (kidneys) on the difference in the membrane

Porin = type of molecule through which water passes

Osmosis – movement of solute and water, etc.

Solution = a mix of solvent and solute
Solute = lesser amount of the two
Solvent = greater amount of the two (in this course it is water)

(digesting of proteins = hydrolosis)

Osmotic pressure of a solution of water to want to go into solution.
O.P. of water = zero.

Colligative properties

Comparing two solutions:

Solute Concentrations:
Hypotonic (hypoosmotic) solvent – less than
Hypertonic (hyperosmotic) solute – more than
Isotonic (isoosmotic) – equal

Water always goes from hypo to hyper.

LOOK UP! Receptor mediated transport; endocytosis

Facillitated diffusion = carrier mediated movement

Can we move every molecule? NO.
Why? The concentration gradient changes, so only up to the point of equilibrium can we move the molecules.

Adenosine triphosphate = ATP = energy

Active transport: molecule uses ATP to more against the concentration gradient

1. Endocytosis
a. phagocytosis
b. pinocytosis
2. Exocytosis

Enzymes: tertiary structure (sometimes quaternary)

From natural state to other then it won’t function

Temperature change or pH change cause denaturation which is normally irreversible

E = enzyme

Medicines: target normally an enzyme; either inhibit or increase the reaction rate of an enzyme (GI tract)

Aspirin – inhibits cycloxygenase which if overproduced causes pain

Vitamins: must come in through the diet! Organic (not a family)

Ex: vitamin C = carbohydrate family
Ex: vitamin D = steroid

Minerals: metals; INOrganic

Ex: Hemoglobin needs the iron ion (a mineral)

Why do you have to have vitamins? When you have an enzyme, you are missing it’s “cofactor”. The vitamin completes the enzyme, creating a:

Coenzyme = organic (made from vitamins)
Ex: Niacin à NADH
Ex: Riboflabin à FAD

Cofactors
a. inorganic – minerals
b. organic – vitamins

Poisons: act by inhibiting enzyme activity (normally in cellular respiration)

Ex: CO (carbon monoxide), and CN (cyanide).
Both kill a cell and are colorless and odorless.
How? Inactivate oxidative phosphorylation. Not enough ATP is made. Backs up cellular respiration. No glucose is broken down. The cells dies. Animal dies.

Heavy Metal Poisons:

Pb (lead)
As (arsenic)
Hg (mercury)

Cellular Respiration: How things tie into it:

Ex: Starch (other carbohydrates) is connected into glucose. The rest is the same.

Ex: Fats and amino acids are different! Some goes to pyruvic acid. Fats are made into fatty acids and then into proteins. Proteins are made into amino acids which are made into two acetic acids. Then the rest is the same.

Amino acids have amino groups that produce NH3!

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Prader-Willi Syndrome And Uniparental Disomy

2007-10-13T16:06:00.000-07:00

Human beings normally contain 46 chromosomes. They obtain half of these chromosomes from their mother and the other half from their father. The chromosomes contain all of the genetic material and determines our entire genetic makeup. Sometimes however, there are mutations and the individual contains an abnormal chromosome number. In these cases, the individual does not have the normal genetic makeup and will most likely have a genetic disease or defect.

One of the many chromosomal mutations that occurs is called uniparental disomy. This means that the individual receives two copies of a chromosome pair from one parent and no copy from the other parent. There are two types of uniparental disomy, maternal UPD and paternal UPD. In maternal UPD, the child has two copies of his or her mother’s chromosome and no copy from the other parent. And in paternal UPD, the opposite occurs; the child receives two copies of a specific chromosome from his or her father and no copies of that chromosome from the mother. Uniparental disomy has three possible mechanisms. The first is called “trisomic rescue”, which means that one chromosome is lost from a trisomic zygote. The second is called “monosomic rescue” and it involves the duplication of a chromosome from a monosomic zygote. And the third is called gamete complementation, which is when a gamete with two copies of a chromosome fertilizes a gamete with no copies of the same chromosome. In order for all three of these mechanisms to be completed, there needs to be two consecutive mistakes in the genetic code.

The most common mechanism that results in UPD is trisomic rescue. The end result depends on whether the nondisjunction occurs in meiosis I or meiosis II. If the non disjunction occurs in meiosis I, it creates a gamete with two homologous, non identical chromosomes. The zygote contains two maternal and one paternal copy of the chromosome. There are three different scenarios for trisomic rescue. The first two are considered to be examples of biparental disomy which means that one maternal chromosome is eliminated leaving one maternal and one paternal chromosome. The third scenario is called heterodisomy which means there are two copies of a chromosome but each are composed of different genetic material. In this situation, the paternal chromosome is eliminated, leaving both of the maternal chromosomes. If the nondisjunction occurs in meiosis II, the outcome is similar and there are once again three possibilities. The first two are biparental situations with one maternal and one paternal chromosome. The loss of the paternal chromosome here would result in uniparental inheritance and the two remaining chromosomes would be an example of isodisomy because they are very similar.

There are two major reasons why UPD may cause health concerns in people. The first is parental imprinting in the case of heterodisomy and isodisomy and the second is the unmasking of recessive conditions in some cases of isodisomy. Imprinting is when the expression of a gene is dependent on the parent it originated from. Some genes are only expressed when they are inherited from the father while other genes are only expressed when inherited from the mother. Imprinting occurs in every generation. Chromosomes, sections of chromosomes or genes are stamped with the parent of origin and this stamping occurs during the formation of the egg and sperm. It is also possible for chromosomes, sections of chromosomes or genes to be turned on or off depending on which parent it was inherited from. The paternally inherited genes are switched off when passed from father to child, while maternally inherited genes are switched off when passed from mother to child. The concern in UPD is that an individual only receives either maternal or paternal copies of a chromosome. In paternal UPD, the individual’s chromosomes may contain genes or regions that are paternally switched off, which means that the individual will not have any working copies of these genes. . In maternal UPD, the individual’s chromosomes may contain genes or regions that are maternally switched off and this individual will not have any working copies of these genes. One example that involves this concept of imprinting is Prader Willi Syndrome, which will be discussed in more detail later.

UPD also plays a role in recessive conditions and does have some clinical consequences. In autosomal recessive conditions, an individual needs to inherit two non working copies of a gene in order to be affected by the condition. Individuals who inherit one non working copy of the gene are not affected by the condition and are considered carriers for that gene. In the case of isodisomy, it is possible that two copies of a recessive mutation can be inherited from a carrier parent. There are several clinical consequences associated with UPD. Two factors which seem to be linked to the occurrence of UPD are the origin of the trisomy, whether mitotic or meiotic, and the type of confined placenta mosaicism, Type 1, 2, or 3. Another association can be made with the UPD and intra uterine growth restriction (IUGR) and/or an abnormal outcome for some chromosomes. It is thought that the cause of this is negative imprinting effects in genes that play a role in the function of placental tissues. Often this leads to complications during pregnancy. With heterodisomy, the only situation which would be a concern would be when there are imprinted genes within the region that is involved.

One syndrome linked to uniparental disomy is Prader Willi Syndrome. This syndrome occurs when there is a mutation on chromosome 15. In a normal individual, there is a maternal chromosome 15 and a paternal chromosome 15. In the case of Prader Willi Syndrome there are three genetic situations associated with this chromosome, deletion, maternal disomy (UPD) and imprinting defect. A deletion that includes the q12 band of chromosome 15 and is contributed by the father, occurs in 70% of those with the disease. The chromosome region 15q11-13 contains maternal DNA that is normally paternally expressed. It is these genes which are missing in the deleted region which in turn leads to Prader Willi Syndrome. The second scenario occurs in 25% of those affected. Both chromosome 15s are inherited by the mother and none are found from the father. It is once again the missing paternally expressed genes which are required for normal development that causes the syndrome. And the third scenario occurs in 5% of the individuals affected. There is an imprinting defect inherited from the father and involved the q11-q13 region. The defect does not allow the normal expression of genes that are necessary for normal development and because of this Prader Willi Syndrome can then develop.

Now that we have seen how Prader Willi Syndrome occurs, what are the effects on the individual with this syndrome? This syndrome was discovered when endocrinologists Andrea Prader, Heinrich Willi, and Alexis Labhart reported an unusual set of abnormalities. The set included diminished fetal activity, profound poor muscle tone, feeding problems in infancy, underdeveloped sex organs, short stature and retarded bone age, small hands and feet, delayed developmental milestones, characteristic faces, cognitive impairment, onset of gross obesity early in childhood due to insatiable hunger and a tendency to develop diabetes in adolescence and adulthood when weight was uncontrolled. In the late 1960s, orthopedic, dental and developmental characteristics were identified that could help in diagnosing PWS. Also two phases of the disorder were studied. Phase I is the prenatal, neonatal and early infancy period and Phase II begins between the ages of 2 and 3. Phase I is characterized by diminished fetal activity, poor muscle tone and failure to thrive after birth. And Phase II is characterized by the beginning of insatiable hunger. In the 1970s and 1980s, behavioral, personality and medical problems were identified. Now that we know the progress of discovery for this syndrome, we will first look at what tests are done to determine if an individual has PWS and then some more information about the prognosis for the individual.

Often, testing for PWS requires more than one genetic test because the genetics of the syndrome are so complicated. Three signs that a family should consider the genetic testing are if the baby has a low muscle tone, poor sucking ability and if a boy, undescended testicles, if the child or adult has a number of characteristics of PWS, or if a child was tested for PWS with older tests than those used today. There are four tests that can be performed to diagnose Prader Willi. The first is High Resolution Chromosomal Analysis. This test is done to detect large deletions and other abnormalities like translocations and extra chromosomes. It cannot however, detect small deletions, UPD or imprinting defects. The second test is often run at the same time as chromosomal analysis and is called fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). It is able to detect all common deletions but cannot detect UPD, imprinting defects or which parent each chromosome 15 came from. The third test is a DNA methylation test. This is done to detect the imprinting pattern in region 15q11-q13 which in PWS would only show a maternal pattern regardless of whether there is a deletion, UPD, or imprinting defect. The fourth test is a DNA polymorphism study. This is done to determine which parent each chromosome 15 came from and can also detect some deletions. It cannot detect imprinting defects and some deletions. Prenatal testing is also available and is generally considered if a family is expecting a second child and have already had a baby with PWS. Another case would be if the CVS, or amniocentesis showed abnormalities that point toward PWS.

There are several major and minor clinical findings which make up the set of common characteristics for PWS. The major clinical findings are “ neonatal and infantile central hypotonia, improving with age, feeding problems and poor weight gain in infancy, excessive or rapid weight gain between 1 and 6 years of age, distinctive facial features (dolichocephaly in infants, narrow face/bifrontal diameter, almond shaped eyes, small appearing mouth with thin upper lip and down turned corners of the mouth), hypogonadism, genital hypoplasia including undescended testes and small penis in males, delayed or incomplete gonadal maturation and delayed pubertal signs after age 16, including scant or no menses in women, global developmental delay before age 6, mild to moderate mental retardation or learning problems in older children, and hyperphagia, food foraging and obsession with food.” (“Prader Willi Syndrome Basic Facts”) The minor clinical findings are “ decreased fetal movement, infantile lethargy, weak cry, characteristic behavior problems (temper tantrums, violent outburst, obsessive/compulsive behavior, tendency to be argumentative, oppositional, rigid, manipulative, possessive, and stubborn, perseverating, stealing and lying), sleep disturbance or sleep apnea, short stature for genetic background by age 15, hypopigmentation (fair skin and hair compared with family), small hands and/or feet for height age, narrow hands with straight ulnar border, eye abnormalities, thick, viscous saliva with crusting at corners of the mouth, speech articulation defects and skin picking.” (“Prader-Willi Syndrome Basic Facts”)

The insatiable appetite in individuals with PWS is thought to be caused by hypothalamic dysfunction. Another factor that complicates the weight problem is that the amount of calories utilized is decreased in PWS patients. Children with PWS have behavioral problems, especially with difficulties adjusting to transitions and unanticipated changes. A structured daily routine and firm rules work well to help with these problems. Psychotropic medications like fluoxetine and sertroline are used to treat obsessive compulsive symptoms, perseveration and mood swings. Depression is common in adults and rarely, psychotic episodes have occurred.

There are several developmental concerns associated with PWS. The first involves motor skills. The typical milestones are delayed one to two years. Treatment with growth hormones will increase muscle tone and physical therapy may improve motor skills. The second concern involves oral motor and speech. Hypotonia can cause feeding problems, poor oral motor skills and delayed speech. Verbal ability however is often a strength in children with PWS and in rare instances was speech severely affected. The third concern involves cognition. The average IQ is 70 and those with normal IQs generally have learning disabilities. Problems have been found in attention, short term auditory memory and abstract thinking. The strengths have been identified as long term memory, reading ability, and receptive language. The fourth concern involves growth. The failure to thrive may require tube feeding in infants. Individuals are typically deficient in growth hormones which leads to short stature, lack of growth spurt in puberty and a high body fat ratio. And the final area of concern involves sexual development. Testosterone and estrogen levels are low. Puberty usually occurs late and is incomplete. Several pregnancies have been reported although it is assumed that individuals with PWS are infertile.

There is no real cure for Prader Willi Syndrome, however, there are ways to manage the disease. Generally individuals with PWS are healthily and id they control their weight, they can have a normal life expectancy. Adolescents and adults work well in group and supported living programs, if diet and a structured environment is provided. And they are often successfully employed in structured and supervised environments.

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Works Cited
“Chromosomal Mosaicism” April 18, 2001.
“Genetics- Chromosome 15”. May 4, 2004.
“History of Prader Willi Syndrome”. August 15, 2005.
“Prader Willi Syndrome Basic Facts” August 15, 2005

Genetics | Psychology

2007-10-13T16:02:00.000-07:00

Genetics and Heredity

Principles of Heredity Transmission – researchers concerned with the hereditary contributions to behavior and mental abilities differentiate between genotype, a person’s genetic endowment, and phenotype, the observable and measurable behaviors, characteristics and features that an individual displays.

Nature and Nurture interact; there is a relationship between genes and the environment.

Psychological Explanations at the Level of the Gene

Principles of Genetics
Genes are carried on special structures called chromosomes. In humans there are 23 different chromosomes, each of them carrying thousands of genes lined up in a row.
Genes control chemical reactions that direct development

Chromosomes and genes come in pairs
In virtually every cell in the body the 23 chromosomes have a partner – they come in pairs, making 46 in all. The only cells without the full set of 46 chromosomes are sperm and egg cells which only have 23.

Psychology and the Gene
Dominant genes exert their effects even if someone is heterozygous (had two different genes) for that trait.
A recessive gene shows its effects only in the homozygous (has the same gene for that trait) condition.
Man traits are polygenic, that is, influenced by multiple genes. (ex: eye color)
Modern technology has allowed us to identify and localize the genes responsible for various conditions; such as cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, sickle-cell anemia, Huntington’s disease, muscular dystrophy, and Down syndrome to name a few.
Measuring Heritability in Humans
o Heritability is an estimate of the degree to which any trait or behavior is due to genetic influence.

Sex-linked genes
Sex chromosomes determine whether an individual will develop as a male or a female
Females have two x chromosomes, while males have one x chromosome and one y chromosome.

Twin and Adoption Studies
Researchers rely on evidence comparing monozygotic (identical) and dizygotic (fraternal) twins, and the degree to which these types of twins show similar abilities.
Studies comparing adopted children and their adoptive and biological parents also used to assess heritability.

The Route from Genes to Behavior
Twin studies have found important hereditary contributions to intelligence and certain personality characteristics, as well as to certain mental disorders such as schizophrenia and depression.
Although genetic influences can play a major role in behavior, environmental intervention can alter outcomes.

Evolution
Genes are a product of evolution; inherited genes strongly influence an individual’s characteristics
Genetic variations will lead to differences
Mutations are random changes in the structure of genes
Artificial selection, or selective breeding, can be used to create new strains of plant or animal
Natural selection has accomplished the same thing.

The Evolution of Behavior
Ethnology is “the branch of biology that studies animal behavior under natural or nearly natural conditions”
Emphasizes species-typical behaviors, or “behaviors that are widespread in one animal species, but not others”

Evolutionary Psychology or Sociobiology
Sociobiology is a field that tries to relate social behaviors to biology
Human Sociobiology
o Suggests that altruistic behavior – doing something to help others with no direct benefit to oneself—occurs because selection has favored genes that promote altruistic behavior towards one’s relatives

Some studies suggest that mate selection, jealousy, and sexual behavior, particularly promiscuity, are also a result of our evolutionary history. These findings are still controversial.
A peacock provides a peahen with nothing but a set of genes for their potential offspring. He must convince her that his genes are the very best available.

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The Brain | Psychology

2007-10-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

Regions of the Brain

Hindbrain - includes the cerebellum, pons and medulla, which help control life-preserving functions like breathing and heart rate

Midbrain - some sensory processing and the reticular formation that helps regulate brain arousal

Forebrain - Thalamus, Hypothalamus, and Limbic System – Regulation of eating, drinking, emotions

Organization and Functioning of the Brain

The cerebral cortex, or outer surface of the forebrain, is responsible for complex mental activities, thought, language, problem solving, and consciousness.

Parts of the cortex have specialized function and interact with other areas

The Cerebrum: Two Hemispheres, Four Lobes

The Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex
Occipital lobe, at the rear of the head, is specialized for vision
Parietal lobe, just in front of the occipital lobe, is specialized for body senses
o Primary somatosensory cortex, a strip in the parietal lobe, has neurons that are touch-sensitive for various areas of the body
Frontal lobe contains the primary motor cortex, an important areas for controlling fine movements
o Prefrontal cortex contributes to the planning and organization of movements, and to certain aspects of memory; also contains areas important for language function
Temporal lobe is the main processing center for hearing, as well as some complex aspects of vision

Cerebral Hemispheres – two specialized halves connected by the corpus collosum
Left hemisphere – verbal processing: language, speech, reading, writing
Right hemisphere – nonverbal processing, spatial, musical visual recognition

Left hemisphere controls the right side of the body and visa versa

Studying the Brain: Research Methods

Electroencephalography (EEG)
Damage studies/lesioning – changing part of the rats brain
Electrical stimulation (ESB)
Brain imaging-
o Computerized tomography
o Positron emission tomography
o Magnetic resonance imaging
o Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) – measures the amount of hemoglobin with and without oxygen in different parts of the brain while doing some activity, like reading or listening to music

Split Brain Research

Effects of experience on brain structure
Brain anatomy can be affected by unusual or prolonged experiences

Corpus callosum and split-brain phenomenon
Corpus-callosum is a set of axons connecting the two hemispheres; damage affects communications between the hemispheres, and might provide evidence of localization of functions
Severing the corpus-callosum is a treatment used for sever epilepsy (brain seizures); the treatment was fairly successful, but created side effects

Behavioral effects of severing the corpus-callosum
For most right-handed and 60% left-handed people, the brain areas controlling speech are located in the left hemisphere
When the corpus-callosum is severed, this creates behavioral oddities, an object placed in the left hand cannot be identified, but placed in the right hand it can be recognized
The endocrine system is a set of glands that produce hormones and releases them into the blood, where they alter activity

Hormones- chemical messengers in the bloodstream

Endocrine glands
· Pituitary – “master gland”, growth hormone
· Thyroid – metabolic rate
· Adrenal – salt and carbohydrate metabolism
· Pancreas – sugar metabolism
· Gonads – sex hormones

Common misunderstandings
Claims about the left hemisphere being logical and the right creative, and about developing one hemisphere by stimulating it with certain tasks are gross oversimplifications
All tasks tend to use both hemispheres
“We only use 10% of our brain” has no basis in fact
We use all of our brain for everything we do

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Neuron Behavior | Psychology

2007-10-13T15:56:00.000-07:00

Explanations of Behavior at the Level of the Neuron
§ The cells of the nervous system
§ Neurons (nerve cells) are the basic cells that make up the nervous system
· Neurons receive information and transmit it to other cells by conducting electrochemical impulses

Neurons consist of three basic parts
1. Soma (cell body): houses the nucleus of the cell
2. Dendrites: widely branching structures that receive transmissions from other dendrites
3. Axon: a single, long, straight fiber with branches near its tip

The Action Potential
Axons convey information through a combination of electrical and chemical processes known as an action potential
Action potentials are all or none; either they occur or the do not.

Synapses
A synapse is the specialized junction between one neuron and another
At the synapse, the presynaptic neuron releases a chemical that either excites or inhibits the next neuron (postsynaptic neuron)

Axons have a number of branches, each ending in a terminal button
o Neurotransmitters are chemicals stored in the neurons that can activate receptors
o An action potential stimulates the release of neurotransmitters at the synapse

Specific neurotransmitters work at specific synapses
Lock and key mechanism
Agonist – mimics neurotransmitter action
Antagonist – opposes action of a neurotransmitter
15-20 neurotransmitters known at present

Neurotransmitters and behavior
Acetylcholine- skeletal muscle control, involved in attention and memory, activated by nicotine
Dopamine- voluntary movement, reinforcing properties, cocaine and amphetamines activate dopamine neurons
Norepinephrine- mood and arousal
Serotonin- sleeping and wake cycles, eating, aggression
Endorphins- opiate like chemicals that help to reduce pain
GABA- inhibitory action, valium and anti-anxiety drugs act on GABA neurons

Parkinson’s Disease
o Some disorders can be traced to the loss of a particular type of receptor or some other neurotransmitter dysfunction, such as dopamine’s role in Schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease.
o Parkinson’s can be traced to a lack of dopamine neurons’ the common treatment is to increase dopamine levels.
A Survey of the Nervous System
· The central nervous system is comprised of the brain and spinal cord
· The peripheral nervous system is composed of bundles of axons between the spinal cord and the rest of the body
· The somatic nervous system consists of the peripheral nerves that communicate with muscles and skin
· The autonomic nervous system controls internal organs, heart, stomach, and other organs and consists of two parts
· Sympathetic division readies the body for “fight or flight”
· Parasympathetic division promotes bodily activities that take place during rest

Regions of the Brain

Hindbrain - includes the cerebellum, pons and medulla, which help control life-preserving functions like breathing and heart rate

Midbrain - some sensory processing and the reticular formation that helps regulate brain arousal

Forebrain - Thalamus, Hypothalamus, and Limbic System – Regulation of eating, drinking, emotions

Organization and Functioning of the Brain

The cerebral cortex, or outer surface of the forebrain, is responsible for complex mental activities, thought, language, problem solving, and consciousness.

Parts of the cortex have specialized function and interact with other areas

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Observations | Psychology

2007-10-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

Experimenter/observer bias and “blind” studies

Experimenter bias – experimenter unknowingly influences the procedures or results of an experiment, based on his or her prior knowledge or expectations

To overcome experimenter bias, researchers use a blind observer, an observer/experimenter who can record data without knowing too many details of the hypothesis of the study

Ideally, information that might bias the subjects is concealed from them as well, making it a double-blind study. This avoids the possibility of Placebo effects.

Observational Research Designs
Naturalistic observation is a careful examination of the behavior of humans of non-human animals in their natural environment.

Famous Observers

Dr. Jane Goodall
“My favorite day is spent following a mother and her family until evening. The most wonderful thing about fieldwork, whether with chimps, baboons or any other wildlife, is waking up and asking yourself, ‘what am I going to see today?’” – Jane Goodall

Dr. Goodall’s amazing research findings changed how we think about chimpanzees and other animals

Jane uncovered many aspects of chimpanzee behavior during her first years at Gombe National Park. In October 1960, she observed a chimpanzee using and making tools with which to fish for termites. This discovery challenged the popular definition at that time: “Man the Toolmaker.” Because of her research, we now know that chimpanzees hunt for meat, use tools, and have diverse personalities. The longer Jane’s research continues, the more it becomes obvious how like us chimpanzees really are.

Case study – an indepth investigation of one or a few people, usually over a prolonged period of time. Case studies rely mainly on naturalistic observation of the individual, but can include questionnaires, interviews, and other testing methods.

Surveys – get a measure of the prevalence of certain beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors. Survey methods rely on individuals’ responses to specific questions, either in an interview format, or a written questionnaire.

When conducting survey research, psychologists must be concerned with the validity of the survey.

The truthfulness of the survey results depends upon several factors,
The composition of the sample
The competence of those being interviewed
The wording of questions
Biases on the part of the interviewer and the participants themselves

For example, social desirability bias is common when people are answering questions about their personal beliefs and behaviors.

Correlation Research Studies

Correlation is a measure of he relationship between two variables, both of which are outside the investigator’s control
o A variable is any measurable characteristic (height, weight, heart rate, IQ score, SAT score, Depression score)

Correlation coefficient is the mathematical estimate of the relationship between variables; the coefficient ranges from +1 to -1

Positive versus Negative Correlations

Positive – high scores on x are associated with high scores on y, and low scores on x are associated with low scores on y.

Negative -- high scores on x are associated with low scores on y, and low scores on x are associated with high scores on y.

The Strength of a Correlation – correlation coefficients tell the direction and how strong a relationship is; symbol for correlation coefficient is r.

*Correlation is NOT Causation*
Correlations tell us about the strength of a relationship, but they do not justify cause-and-effect conclusions
To determine causation, variables need to be manipulated directly in an experiment
Z factor is that there is some other variable that is causing both x and y to happen
Correlations do not tell us why x or y have a relationship, only that they exist

Experimental Methods
An experiment is a study in which the investigator manipulates at least one variable while measuring at least one other variable

Independent and Dependent Variables

Independent variable is the variable that the experimenter manipulates in some way

Dependent variable is the variable that the experimenter measures in the subjects to see how it was affected by changes in the independent variable

Experimental Group, Control Group, and Random Assignment

The experimental group receives the treatment that the experiment is designed to test

The control group is treated the same way as the experimental group except that they do no get the treatment the experiment is trying to test

A good experiment uses random assignment to groups – every subject has the same probability as any other of being assigned to the experimental or control group

The Power of the Experimental Method is that is allows us to draw cause and effect conclusions from the results of the experiment

Psychological Experiment
Hypothesis – children who watch violent television programs will show more acts of aggression than children who watch non-violent programs
The independent variable = the type of programs the children watch
The dependent variable = acts of aggressive behavior recorded by a blind observer
Method – boys in a juvenile detention center were randomly assigned to two houses. In one house they were given violent movies to watch for five nights. In the other they had non-violent movies to watch in five nights.
Results – when their behavior was compared the boys who watched the violent programs showed more aggressive behavior than the boys watching non-violent shows.
Conclusion – violent television programs will cause increased aggressive behavior in boys
The limitation of this study was the sample they used – boys in a juvenile detention center; so this study was bias.

Ethical Considerations of Human Experimentation
What are some of the problems of doing research with human subjects?

Guidelines were established by APA after several experiments were questioned with regard to their ethical nature.

Physical or psychological harm – Watson, Milgram, Zimbardo

The Milgram Experiment

Based on trials of Nazi lieutenants; Milgram did an experiment on the punishment paralleled with learning. There is a student, teacher and experimenter. Every time the student got something wrong, they get a shock.

Colleagues thought no one would participate, but 65% of subjects went all the way to 450V.

Zimbardo Prison Experiment

Fake prisoners become depressed; fake guards become abusive. Zimbardo calls it off half-way through the experiment.

APA guidelines for Research with Human subjects
Experiments should only include experiences that people would typically agree to
Get informed consent prior to a study
Debriefing
Must be approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Animal Experimentation
Can inform basic psychological processes and is easier to control
Oppositions exists because animals can not give informed consent

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Empirical and Scientific Evaluation | Psychology

2007-10-13T15:49:00.000-07:00

Empirical = seeing is believing

Gathering and evaluating evidence
Gain knowledge by testing hypotheses, which are testable predictions of what will happen under certain conditions

Research steps in a scientific method:

Step 1 – formulate hypothesis
Step 2 – design study using various research methods
Step 3 – collect data – empirical observations of behavior
Step 4 – analyze data and interpret the results
Step 5 – report the results for evaluation and critique by scientific community

Criteria for Evaluating Scientific Theories

Research goal is to establish theories, which:
Explain empirical data
Predict many phenomena with few assumptions
Predicts new observations, or generate new hypotheses
Are falsifiable that is the theory makes a sufficiently precise prediction such that counter evidence might exist to contradict the theory, or prove it false.

Forgetting

Why do we forget things?
1. Cognitive theory– the brain stores things in a way that it is hard to search for it (simpler and more accepted theory b/c its easier)
2. Psychoanalytic theory- Freud says you unconsciously wanted to forget

Evidence

Replication
Replicable results: results of a study that anyone can obtain byfollowing the original procedure
If researchers cannot replicate a set of results, then the results can not be accepted

Meta-analysis combines the results of many studies and analyzes them as if they were all one very large study

Parsimony and Degrees of Open-Mindedness

Parsimony refers to the fact that scientists prefer the theory that accounts for the results using the simplest explanations

Example: Clever Hans, the Amazing Horse who could supposedly count

Example: extra-sensory perception
o The supposed ability to acquire information without using any sense organ and without receiving any form of energy

Psychologists remain skeptical because of past shoddy methods, lack of replicable results, and a lack of parsimony

General Principles

Definitions of Psychological Terms
Psychologists rely on operational definitions, which are a way of specifying theoretical concepts in terms of observable and measurable behavior, in this way we can give the concept a numerical value.
Example: Anxiety can be measured using Heart Rate. Sweating (Galvanic Skin Response), a questionnaire (Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale)

Population samples
Researchers study a small subset of the population, or a sample, which much be representative of the population being studied.
Each member of the sample is a participant in the study.

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Psychology Then and Now

2007-10-13T15:45:00.000-07:00

Psychology Then and Now

The Early Era (1879 to 1920)
Modern day psychology got its start in the 19th century
William Wundt (1832-1920)
Established the first psychological laboratory in 1879
A combination of physiology and philosophy
Asked, “what are the components of experience, or mind”
Tested the structure of conscious experience by collecting data

Edward Titchener (1867-1927) and Structuralism
Defined structuralism as “an attempt to describe the structures that compose the mind”
The nature of mental experience
Used Method of Introspection to systematically make observations of one’s own conscious experience

Reactions to Structuralism

William James and Functionalism
Functionalism is focusing on the actions that the mind performs
Attempt to find the function or purpose of consciousness

Sensation
The relationship between physical stimuli and psychological sensations
Also studied psychological functions, which comprise “the mathematical description of the relationship between the physical properties of a stimulus and its psychological properties”
Led to investigation of mental testing, developmental patterns, and sex differences
May have attracted the first women into the field of psychology

Gestalt Psychology

§ Max Wertheimer (1880=1943), Kurt Koffka, and Wolfgang Kohler
§ “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts”.
§ Many aspects of our perception are constructed from past experiences, expectations, and biases.

Darwin and the Study of Animal Intelligence (not a psychologist)

Implied that humans and other species had certain basic features in common
Paved the way for comparative psychologists, who compare behavior across different animal species; attempted to measure animal intelligence using a number of different tasks

Measurement of Human Intelligence

Francis Galton was interested in measurement of human characteristics and the role of heredity in achievement
Believed that a tendency towards eminence is due to intelligence and is hereditary

The Role of Women

Opportunities for women were very limited
Margaret Washburn was the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in psychology
Mary Calkins served as the president of the APA; developed a technique for studying human memory
Christine Ladd-Franklin performed research on vision

Who Won the Battle of the “Schools”?

Most historians give the edge to James and the functionalists
Today, psychologists are not really categorized as structrualists or functionalists
Applied psychology and Behaviorism – descendants of functionalism
Rise of Behaviorism (1905-1930)
Studies of Learning
Researchers studied animal behavior, attempting to discover basic laws of behavior by focusing on a few convenient species and examples of learning

Ivan Pavlov
Studied the learning process by Classical Conditioning; dogs learned to salivate to
a neutral stimulus following pairings of the neutral stimulus with food

John B. Watson
The founder of behaviorism focuses on the study of observable, measurable behavior. Experiment with Little Albert demonstrated that humans (even children) were subject to conditioning principles.
Little Albert was borrowed at 10 months for study. He showed him a rat. Then he showed him a rat and hit a metal table with a metal pipe and Little Albert cries. So, after a few times Little Albert cried just at seeing the rat.

Behaviorist school of thought emphasized the environment (nurture)
Nurture, not nature
“give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own special world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select – doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief, and yes, even beggar-man and thief..”

B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)
Expanded the studies of learning and behaviorism to include the process of Reinforcement and Punishment
Free will is an illusion; all behavior is determined by external causes, environmental stimuli.

Cognitive Psychology (1950s and 60s)
Cognition = mental processes involved in acquiring knowledge
1950s and 60s – Piaget, Chomsky, and Simon
Application of scientific methods to studying internal mental events
Cognitive psychology: the new dominant perspective?
To explore the mental processes involved in judgment, decision making, and other areas of complex thought.

Psychoanalytic psychology 1880s
Sigmund freud 1856-1939

Specified the importance of the unconscious mind to control and determine our behavior. Therapeutic technique to help individual’s discover the source of their problems.

Current era of psychology
Broadened in scope to include more of human diversity
An increase in cross-cultural studies that compare people from different cultures
Greater interest in the field of neuroscience or study of the brain

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What Psychologists Do

2007-10-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

Teaching and Research

Biological psychology: biological psychologists “try to explain behavior in terms of biological factors…”
Learning and motivation: investigates “how behavior depends on the outcome of past behaviors;” how an action’s consequences modify subsequent behavior
Cognitive psychology” studies the processes of “thinking and acquiring knowledge;” cognitive psychologists examine what people know, how they came to know it, and how they express and apply their knowledge
Developmental psychology: studies the “behavioral capacities typical of different ages and how behavior changes over age;” nature vs. nurture
Social psychology: studies “how an individual influences other people and is influenced by other people”

Clinical Psychologists

Psychotherapists specialize in “…understanding and helping people with psychological problems;”
Contrasted with psychiatrists, medical doctors who study and treat mental disorders
Psychoanalysts are “psychotherapists who rely heavily on the theories and methods of Sigmund Freud”

Non-clinical fields of applied psychology

Industrial/organizational psychology studies people at work
Ergonomics, or human factors, “attempts to facilitate the operation of machinery… (for)… the average user”
School psychologists “…deal with the psychological condition of students;” identify need of students and tries to meet those needs

Prospects for psychology majors

Professional schools
Personnel work
Social work

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Major Philosophical Issues In Psychology

2007-10-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

Definition of Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes
The result of a merging between physiology and philosophy
Has expanded to include the study of animals as well as humans
Broadened in scope to the application of scientific research findings (applied psychology)
Extremely diverse in subject matter, from the biological (brain, hormones, genetics) to the social (personality, thinking, emotions, development, abnormal behavior)

Major Philosophical issues in Psychology

Free Will vs. Determinism

Determinism suggest that everything that happens has a cause in the external world
Free will suggests that behavior is the result of a person’s independent decisions, not by external determinants.
What do you think?
Psychologists attempt to study this question scientifically by examining all of the possible causes of behavior, a daunting task!!

The Mind – Brain Problem

How are experience and behavior related to the brain?
Research has demonstrated a close relationship between brain activity and psychological events.
But does the brain control the mind, or does the mind control the brain?
Psychologists are attempting to study questions of this sort through use of scientific and technological methods.
Most scientists regard the relationship as a close one.
Psychologically the brain can change due to external events, let alone drugs

The Nature-Nurture Issue

Refers to the basic question: “What are the roles of heredity and environment in the development of various behaviors?”
This fundamental theme now cuts across all areas of psychology

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The Circulatory System | Biology

2007-10-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

Cells must exchange material with the external environment. During cellular respiration, all aerobic organisms consume oxygen and produce carbon dioxide and must exchange these gases with the environment. Cells often produce nitrogenous wastes that must be removed, and cells must obtain nutrients. In simple organisms such as single-celled protozoas, cnidarians with only two cell layers, and sponges, the small body size and close proximity of all cells to the external aquatic environment allows all cells to directly exchange material with the external environment. The same is true for roundworms and for flatworms.

However, large multicultural organisms, particularly those in a terrestrial environment, cannot rely on passive diffusion of materials between cells and the environment, and have adapted circulatory systems to move fluids within the body, carrying nutrients to the tissues and wastes away. The circulatory system includes the blood, the heart, and the vessels that carry blood through the body, Circulatory systems can be either closed, in which the blood is always contained within the blood vessels, or open, in which the blood in at least part of the body mixes directly with the tissues in open sinuses.

In annelids, which are one type of invertebrate, most of the cells are not in direct contact with the external environment. An internal closed circulatory system indirectly brings materials from the external environment to cells. Blood travels toward the head (anterior) through dorsal blood vessels. Five aortic arches or ‘hearts’ force blood down to the ventral vessel, which carries oxygen and carbon dioxide between cells and the skin of the earthworm where gas exchange occurs. The blood also circulates nutrients from the digestive tract to the rest of the body.

Arthropods and mollusks utilize an open circulatory system, in which blood flows through a dorsal vessel and then out into spaces called sinuses. In these sinuses, blood is not enclosed in blood vessels but directly bathes cells, and exchange of food takes place. Air exchange, meanwhile, is accomplished through a tracheal system of air tubes. Blood then reenters blood vessels. The heart consists of a simple beating tube. In general, closed systems are more efficient at moving material within the body.

The vertebrate circulatory system is closed, with a chambered heart that pumps blood through arteries that lead away from the heart to capillaries. Capillaries are extremely small vessels in tissues where exchange of material between the circulation and the tissues actually occurs. For the capillaries, blood is carried back to the heart through veins. Valves in the heart and the veins help to prevent blood from flowing backward through the system. Atria in the heart receive blood from the body and ventricles are muscular chambers that pump blood back out through arteries to the body.

Pumping blood through a capillary bed with a large number of small vessels creates resistance. The heart creates pressure in the circulatory system when it contracts to force blood through the system. The highest pressure in the blood vessels is found in the arteries leading away from the heart to the capillaries. On the other side of the capillaries, very low pressure remains to push blood back through the veins to the heart.

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WORKS CITED
The Heart: An Online Exploration.

AIDS | The Acquired Immune Deficiency System Disease

2007-10-12T15:17:00.000-07:00

The first cases of AIDS surfaced in 1981. The disease has killed more than 400,000 people in the United States and almost 13.9 million men, women, and children worldwide. The epidemic has devastated communities and has changed the lives of friends, families, and lovers. AIDS is a fatal, incurable, sexually-transmitted disease. It is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). AIDS is the final and most serious stage of the HIV disease. The physical side of the disease is the largest problem. Much emotional stress is involved with the mental side. Scientists are now working on cures to improve the quality of life for AIDS patients. Many aspects are involved with the AIDS disease including the physical side mental side, and treatments.

First, the physical aspect of the HIV/AIDS virus is the most serious. HIV in itself is not deadly, but the problem begins when the virus weakens and eventually depletes the immune system, allowing other infections to attack the body. It attaches itself to and destroys white blood cells, an essential component of the immune system. Without a properly working immune system, the body is defenseless to an array of infections and diseases. The common cold can become deadly. Some of the many symptoms of AIDS include fatigue, swollen glands, fever, excessive sweating, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath, and tumors. There are many more symptoms that may develop. HIV can lie dormant for years. The progression from HIV to AIDS is usually a slow process. However, it can develop at an extremely high rate. It can take less than five years, or as long as fifteen years, to develop AIDS. It is a hard disease to get because you can only get it through needles, intercourse, breast milk, or to a fetus from it’s mother. AIDS is not spread by casual contact. Although there may be other forms of transmission, they are extremely rare and none have yet been proven.

Also, we must come to realize the effects of the mental aspect of the HIV/AIDS virus. Today AIDS is a major heath concern. It has killed 400,000 people in the United States and nearly 13.9 million men, women, and children worldwide. The epidemic has changed the lives of the victims friends, families, and lovers. AIDS has devastated communities and has spurred AIDS activists to fight for compassion, support services, and effective treatments. The emotional stress from such a devastating illness can be helped by joining support groups in which the members can share their problems and experiences. All victims handle their emotions in different ways. Some patients are strong, while others break down. AIDS so far is an incurable disease and to carry the burden of knowing you are going to die is a perplexing feeling that cannot be defined.

However, there is hope for the future. There is no cure for AIDS at this time. Nevertheless, for those suffering from the infection there are treatments available that can improve the quality of life. An unprecedented number of researchers are working on both treatments and vaccines for the AIDS virus. Many new drugs now give enormous hope to many people living with HIV and AIDS by prolonging and improving their lives. The Center for Disease Control has done studies and has some treatments to fight the HIV infection. Home access AIDS testing kits are for sale on the market for $40 to $50. Antiviral therapy suppresses the replication of the HIV infection. Retrovir is the antiviral agent most commonly used for AIDS. Saquinavir is used in antiviral therapy and is ten times stronger than other existing antiviral treatments.

AIDS has proved itself to be a universally fatal illness. Currently, there is no cure for AIDS. Not many patients survive longer than five years after being diagnosed. Most die eighteen to twenty-four months after diagnosis. The stress of living with HIV/AIDS is extremely emotional. The disease does not only destroy the life of the patient but the lives of their friends, families, and lovers. The good news is there are now vaccines that can prolong and improve the lives of AIDS patients. Hopefully in the near future their will be a cure. As a matter of fact, one scientist in Egypt recently may have found a cure. For more information visit www.katherinealexa.com

MY EXCITING FIRST WEEK AT ANTHONY WAYNE!

2007-10-12T14:58:00.000-07:00

My first week at Anthony Wayne was fun and exciting. I experienced both high and low points at Anthony Wayne. My high points where that I got into Windows Art the 3rd year in a row. Another high point was that we got lockers. I enjoy having a private area for my things. I was happy to experience my high points.

Unfortunately I had some low points as well as high points. One low point I experienced was that I had to take the bus. Another low point was that we had to use locks that the school provided after I already bought a lock out of the money I made babysitting. They should have included it in the letter they gave us over the summer. Those where my high and low points.

I think that Anthony Wayne is a great middle school. Visit www.wayneschools.com to learn more about it. I know you will enjoy it as much as I did. It may seem scary, especially since you may not know everyone at first. But my experience at Anthony Wayne was wonderful and I know you will enjoy it as well!

Love,
An AWMS Alumni

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William J. Clinton

2007-10-12T14:55:00.000-07:00

William J. “Bill” Clinton was the President of the United States of America for two terms from 1993 to 2001. He was born August 19, 1946. Before his presidency he was a law professor. As a delegate to the American Legion Boys Nation he went to the White House and shook hands with President Kennedy. His hobbies are jogging, playing golf, reading and playing tenor saxophone. During his Administration he passed an anti-crime law, had a joint space effort with Russia and appointed the first female U.S. Attorney General, Janet Reno. He is married to Hillary Rodham who is a U.S. Senator and may some day be the first woman president of the United States. That would make him the First Man. For more information visit www.katherinealexa.com

The Bagel Or The Donut?

2007-10-12T14:45:00.000-07:00

Both bagels and donuts are round and have a hole in the middle. From the outside it is hard to say which food is better. There are many similarities and differences between bagels and donuts. Bagels are a healthy food. They can be eaten as a meal or a snack. Donuts are a delicious sugary treat. So, which is better, the bagel or the donut?
What makes both great is that they can be eaten as snacks, meals, or desserts throughout the day. Both bagels and donuts are round and have a hole in the middle. This hole is usually made by the cook in the process of creating many bagels or donuts at one time. Both will get hard if you leave them out. And most importantly, both bagels and donuts are American favorites.
Bagels are good for you. They are soft on the inside but hard on the outside and they taste like wheat and bread. Donuts are sometimes covered in chocolate chips, sugar, icing, and sprinkles so they are not the healthiest thing you can eat. But bagels are healthy substitution for bread that can be served with meat, tuna, greens, and veggies. Bagels also make a great afternoon snack. Eating a bagel with cream cheese or butter in the morning is a great way to start off the day. Peanut butter or tuna on a bagel is a healthy way to eat great during the day.
Bagels may be healthier, but donuts are the perfect sugary snack. Donuts are soft on the outside and soft on the inside, sweet, and sugary. Bagels only come in a few different flavors such as plain, cinnamon raisin and poppy seed. However the donut is a sugary snack that comes in many flavors and colors. The rough crust of the bagel is hard to break open without using a knife. Donuts are soft and can be broken apart using your hands. Donuts are more of a treat because they are sugary.
In conclusion, there are many similarities and differences between bagels and donuts. Both are popular foods enjoyed by many people. Bagels are the healthier to eat than donuts. Donuts are delicious treats because they are sugary. One is not really better than the other. Both are equally loved foods, it just depends which one you are in the mood for. So, do you prefer the bagel or the donut? You decide. For more stuff visit www.katherinealexa.com

Portions of Food | Health and Wellness

2007-10-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how much of each food group you should eat on a daily basis? With so many different food pyramids out there, and the word "portion" undefined, it can be hard to eat the right amount. A portion of food is roughly the size of your fist. If you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If you burn more calories than you eat, you will lose weight. And if you eat as many calories as you burn your weight will stay the same. Below are the recommended daily amounts of each food group for the average adult:

Sparingly
Red meat, butter
White rice, bread, pasta,
Potatoes, soda, sweets

1-2 times/day
Dairy/calcium

0-2 times/day
Fish, poultry, eggs

1-3 times/day
Nuts

Abundantly
Vegetables

2-3 times/day
Fruits

At most meals
Whole grain foods
Oils

Daily
Multivitamins
Water

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SOPHIE'S CHOICE

2007-10-12T14:36:00.000-07:00

The twenty-two year old Stingo played by Peter MacNicol is a clueless young writer who can barely touch the iceberg of understanding of his thirty-year old friend and goddess, Sophie in “Sophie’s Choice”. This is an Alan J. Pakula film based upon a novel by William Styron. Meryl Streep received an Academy Award for her stupendous, and unusual, role of Sophie Zawistowska. The time period is 1947, two years after World War II. The majority of the scenes take place at the Zimmerman’s Victorian style boarding house in Brooklyn, New York. The house has pink colored walls and lace curtains but this beauty fades as the story unfolds with flashbacks of Sophie’s struggle to stay alive.

Sophie is dating Nathan, played by Kevin Kline, a Jewish man who tells her he is a biologist employed by Pfizer Corporation. He finds an emaciated Sophie and rejuvenates her with Calves liver and leeks that replenish her iron count. He gives her purpose to live. Although he fills her life with poetry, music and picnics he has a dark side. Nathan has a sanctuary room filled with memorabilia of the six million Jews that were killed at the hands of the Nazi’s. His position vacillates with Sophie. Why does she live when so many people died?

Sophie is a Polish-Catholic multi-lingual Nazi concentration camp survivor. She ponders her role as the daughter of a truly great man as well as her feeling regarding the aloneness when you outlive the people you love. Her father was a professor at the University of Krakow, Poland from 1919 to 1939. He felt that human perfection was a possibility and that it should be illegal for Jewish lawyers to sit on the same bench as Poles. Sophie was his typist and she took a side trip to the Ghetto to observe the people, including children, that her father condemned. She was late in preparing his 1938 speech and it had numerous mistakes. Her father made the speech without proofreading it first. He told her afterwards that her “intelligence was pulp”. the content of the speech was extermination as the solution to the Polish-Jewish problem. What a depressing turn of events to Sophie when she and her father, husband and two children were sent to concentration camps. While there she begged for Lebensborn for her son, a program where blond, German speaking children would be raised as German. Only Sophie survived.

In Brooklyn, Stingo, Sophie and Nathan became best friends. Here, Stingo is informed by Nathan’s brother that he is a paranoid schizophrenic on heavy doses of cocaine. Sophie can go to Virginia and live a long time on a farm with Stingo. Instead, she joins Nathan in a depressing and shocking cyanide death. They are both in a better place. There is nothing more to say. For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

ROAD TRIP | From NJ to Florida

2007-10-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

Why take a plane? Consider taking a road trip from NJ to Florida! I love driving from NJ to Florida and do it almost every year. This scenic route cannot be passed up. On your way, here are the places you have to stop:

Washington, DC
Smithsonian Castle
Capitol Building
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
Washington Monument
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Arlington National Cemetery

Virginia
Williamsburg
Busch Gardens
Jamestown
Colonial Williamsburg
Virginia Beach
Albemarle County
Monticello, Albemarle County, VA

South Carolina
Myrtle Beach, SC

Georgia
Savannah, GA

Florida
Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL
Dinosaur World, Plant City, FL
Universal Studios, Orlando, FL
Sea World, Orlando, FL
Palm Beach Zoo, West Palm Beach, FL
South Florida Science Museum, West Palm Beach, FL
Kennedy Space Center, Orsino, FL
Daytona Beach, FL
Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum

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Hilarious Ozzy Osbourne Quotes

2007-10-12T14:28:00.000-07:00

"The down side of being outrageous is that you have to go around explaining your fucking self to people. If you're too cocky, somebody might just pull out a fucking gun and cock it and blow your fucking face off. You gotta be really careful what you bite off. Don't bite off more than you can chew. It's a dangerous world."

"Bubbles! Oh come on Sharon! I'm fucking Ozzy Osbourne, I'm the Prince of fucking Darkness. Evil! Evil! What's fucking evil about a shitload of bubbles!?"

"You hear your mother crying because she has no dough to feed you. Or my father and her always fighting over something. And I used to sit on the front steps all the time and think 'one of these days I'm going to buy a Rolls Royce and drive them out of this shithole'. And I did it."

"To be honest, I am a little bit crazy. I accept that. I've always been outrageous. I've never been the every day you. I've always gone over the top with everything."

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Funny Mark Twain Quotes

2007-10-12T14:26:00.000-07:00

“To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.”

“What a wee little part of a person's life are his acts and his words! His real life is led in his head, and is known to none but himself”

“Buy land, they're not making it anymore”

“There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.”

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear”

“When people do not respect us we are sharply offended; yet in his private heart no man much respects himself”

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BATTLE OF THE BEVERAGES

2007-10-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

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Watch on the Rhine: A Review of the Play by Lillian Hellman

2007-10-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

“There is no dignity to a mountain if there is no dignity in a man,” explains Fanny, while mentioning the extinction of the Renaissance man. Her statement suggests that if Kurt and his fellow anti-fascists don’t continue fighting for their cause, the cause will lose its meaning. But in the third act, Fanny insists that she contribute her savings to Kurt‘s work, regardless of the fact that he has murdered Teck. Fanny and her family are morally unjust for supporting Kurt in spite of the murder, and Kurt loses his dignity by murdering Teck.

History is a great teacher. International relations among nations set the stage for conflicts because of land, resources, and commerce. The acquired wealth and power bases need to be fortified and massive armies raised to protect civilizations. The political and social ramifications of why we are at war are being “watched” by a “guard”. As the bells clangs because of attack in the watchman’s tower, who is listening? Whimsical and carefree people refuse to hear the warnings of the guard. Yet, those people who are educated, alert and informed have been watching the storm brew; an attack is no surprise. Lillian Hellman’s play Watch on the Rhine is an art product of its time but its core conflict is timeless. For example, Euripides condemned war in his play The Trojan Women that focused on the aftermath suffering of the captive women and children. Piles of stones used for ammunition were ready but a huge wooden horse entered the fortressed walls for a siege.

First of all, in favor of their affections toward Martha, and Sara and her family, Fanny and David are morally unjust by helping Kurt and the anti-fascist movement, despite the fact that Kurt has murdered Teck. Fanny and David both claim to not be made of paste; they decide to support the efforts of Sara’s husband, a German outlaw, regardless of the morality of his actions, because they love Sara. A guest in their house for an extended period of time, Teck is not wanted or well liked, not even by his own wife. Had Teck murdered Kurt, Fanny and David would have most likely taken action. On the other hand, had Teck been well liked, his murder would have been quickly avenged. The play states that being a Romanian aristocrat is not a nationality but a profession, one that Teck is quite good at. However, Teck claims that Europeans are born to know trouble and to understand it, implying that Kurt is not the lesser evil of the two men.

To continue, Kurt is morally unjust for killing Teck in order to help his friends in the anti-fascist movement. There’s no factual evidence that Teck deserves to die, and there’s no factual evidence that Kurt deserves to murder him. Morally, murder is unjust. By committing the murder for the anti-fascist cause, Kurt goes against the very peace he is fighting for. Although he whole-heartedly believes in the movement, he also knows the murder is wrong. “Papa did something bad... No matter who does it is bad, it is always bad,” explains Kurt. He also says, “the violent are the sick of the world.” Perhaps Kurt is sick. He readily leaves his family to fight for his cause, but understands that this is unjust as well. Kurt explains to Fanny that all people have their excuses. He apologizes to her because he knows that he, a man more committed to his cause than his family, is not the man she wanted for her daughter

Furthermore, the political drama, both cultural and factual, in Watch on the Rhine can be paralleled to political disagreements of our time and does evoke a greater understanding of the current Middle Eastern War. Personal aftermaths of war situations occur in late spring of 1940, in Fanny’s living room because of events that occurred in the 1930’s, such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Likewise, many disputes occur in our time because of events like 9/11. Concerns of people today include how and why the 9/11 attacks of the NY World Trade Towers and the Pentagon were executed and when there will be a strike again. Intelligence exists but disclosure of clues and opportunities missed led to confusion on 9/11. Bin Laden is in command of a global terror conglomerate focused on attacking the United States and the effects can be internecine. Our democracy and its freedoms are becoming endangered. President George Bush is pursuing a war not in the name of security or anti-terrorism or human rights but for a position of a global empire. Today’s conflicts between those people watching a storm gather versus those people not listening to the sounds of the guard are directly paralleled to the war’s aftermath emotions in the living room conversations in Watch on the Rhine. Regardless of the point in history or the exact event, the way people react in times of trial and controversy stays the same because human nature is a constant. For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONS OF THE FAMILY

2007-10-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

“I saw a greatness in my family, too - it’s not a greatness that others can see, but it’s there. And if it’s not, then we’re at least average”, says Marge Simpson from There’s No Disgrace Like Home the T.V. episode of The Simpsons. (Keslowitz 41) Mothers always know how to be a professional family engineer. They understand the structure of their family and have much of the responsibility of holding a family together.

My mom is like the glue that holds our average American family and extended family together. Living with a ten year old sister, my mom and dad, maternal grandmother and grandfather and great-aunt requires participation and interaction. Our home has been the rehabilitation center for my grandmother’s brain surgery, my grandfather’s leg amputation, and my great-aunt’s uterine and present lung cancer. The family is a primary group with an internal structure with stable relations and mutual expectations such as affection, intimacy, openness, mutual commitment and personal satisfaction (Broom 142). During a time when the elderly became sick in our family, care taking responsibilities changed the statuses and roles of the family members. For example, I added motherly care taking responsibilities for my little sister when my mom was working with nurses in our home. George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) describes the family as “a set of significant personal others who are role models for a child. When one is able to take on another point of view, one acquires a ‘generalized other’” (Broom 97). I understand my mom’s status and role better as well as the attitude of the community the longer that I live.

The family is a crucial agent of socialization in large part because it gets first crack at the job (McIntyre 150). The family is so important in sociology simply because that is where society is reproduced in its most basic form, the individual (Osbourne 162). The family is conceptualized and it is connected to a larger society. The family is a social structure whereby the individual has a status and a position in a group. In the family an example of a status can be mother, father, child, or grandparent. The way we are expected to act or behave in the social status that we have is our role.

McIntyre says “that values on which a particular institution must fit with the values of the larger society” (McIntyre 140). The society needs to be self-sufficient and to survive. Some societal needs are continuing the supply of new members and socializing new members. The family as an institution is the solution to these societal needs. The bonds between family members is the most important value to the larger society because society needs a bond or glue to hold it together as well. “Values are general or abstract ideas about what is good and desirable as opposed to what is bad and undesirable in a society” (McIntyre 101). Communication in language with the use of symbols and behavior or norms result in an expression of values. Some examples of family and society values are freedom, achievement and success, material comfort, hard work and democracy (McIntyre 100). As families work together they grow together and a society’s needs will be met when members work together to develop change and effective solutions to those needs with social values and norms.

The group to be studied is my family. In my attached family tree, the members besides myself are my mom and dad, two sets of grandparents and my sister. “In explaining others, we draw on enormous range of ideas and perceptions of people’s characteristics from class, race, gender and age to how tall and short, fat or thin, beautiful or ugly people may appear to be as interpreted by a particular culture” (Johnson 20). The group is diverse in age by observation . First in obtaining literature pertinent to this topic I utilized a short book on a T.V. comic series of a family called The Simpsons. Secondly, a survey is taken in the form of a face to face personal oral interview. I am a participant observer whereby I admit to the family members that they are being studied for a sociology class. A chart of demographic information is posted for each family member for gender, religious affiliation, age and education (see Attachment 1). These topics are the variables or the concepts of interest to build a family tree with variables and attributes. “Social attribution is a process though which people try to explain how other people behave and appear, especially in terms of their motivation” (Johnson 20). Each of the family members are a research participant and I obtained informed consent from the participants. There is no risk my research would harm any family member.

Hairstyle which is an attribute of gender is the major focus. For centuries, people have taken pride in hairstyle even the use of wigs. “Wigs were worn by both sexes in the 18th century. They were a sign of affluence and high status.” (Bruce-Mitford 85). A good hairstyle is important to each family member. The results of the survey are as follows:

Katherine - professionally highlighted extremely long brown hair
Tara - professionally highlighted already blonde hair
Mom - dyes entire head of hair
Dad - bald is beautiful
Nanny - perms full head of salt and pepper colored hair
Poppy - at 88 regularly goes to the barber
Grandma - perms and bleaches her hair

From the literature review, Marge from The Simpsons has extra long blue hair piled up on her head. Her hair is as mockery of women’s obsession with their hair (Keslowitz 43). In the Simpson family as well my family hairstyle is important. In conclusion, as a family with diverse age groups and sexes and as a diverse society, people take pride in their hairstyle. The values of the family fit into the values of society. For more stuff visit www.katherinealexa.com

Bibliography

Broom, Leonard, and Philip Selznick. Principles of Sociology. New York: Harper and
Row, Publishers, Inc. 1970.
Bruce-Mitford, Amanda. The Illustrated Book of Signs and Symbols. New York: Barnes
and Noble Books, 2004.
Keslowitz, Steven. The Simpsons and Society An Analysis of Our Favorite Family and Its
Influence in Contemporary Society. Tucson: Hats Off Books, 2004.
McIntyre, Lisa J. The Practical Skeptic Core Concepts in Sociology. New York: McGraw
Hill Co. Inc., 2002.
Osbourne, Richard, and Borin VanLoon. Introducing Sociology. Royston: Totem Books,
2005.

Funny Pirates of the Caribbean Quotes

2007-10-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

Jack Sparrow: [to Pintel and Ragetti] Guard the boat, mind the tide... don't touch my dirt.

Pintel: You know you can't read.
Ragetti: It's the Bible, you get credit for trying!

Jack Sparrow: [sing-song] I've got a jar of dirt! I've got a jar of dirt! And guess what's inside it?

Elizabeth Swann: There will come a time when you have a chance to do the right thing.
Jack Sparrow: I love those moments. I like to wave at them as they pass by.

Jack Sparrow: [to Elizabeth] You know, these clothes do not flatter you at all. It should be a dress or nothing. I happen to have no dress in my cabin.

Will Turner: This is either madness... or brilliance.
Jack Sparrow: It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide.

Jack Sparrow: [Wakes up and sees Elizabeth burning the rum] No! Not good! Stop! Not good! What are you doing? You burned all the food, the shade... the rum!
Elizabeth: Yes, the rum is gone.
Jack Sparrow: Why is the rum gone?
Elizabeth: One: because it is a *vile* dring that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels. Two: that signal is over a thousand feet high. The entire royal navy is out looking for me, do you think there is even the slightest chance they wont see it?
Jack Sparrow: But why is the rum gone?

Elizabeth: So that's it, then? That's the secret, grand adventure of the infamous Jack Sparrow. You spent three days lying on a beach drinking rum.
Jack Sparrow: Welcome to the Caribbean, love.

For more stuff visit www.katherinealexa.com

RHINE RIVER CONTAMINATION

2007-10-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

The Roman Emperor Julius Caesar once crossed the pristine waters of the Rhine River, Europe’s most famous and beautiful waterway. For centuries, people have lived along its banks and their industrial, agricultural and human wastes have washed into its once clean waters; it is now polluted.

The Rhine River is 820 miles long and it is the largest river in central Europe. It begins in the Alps and runs through six countries - Austria, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, France, Germany, and the Netherlands - and then empties into the North Sea. Numerous tributaries and canals connect it with other rivers in the area. Fifty million people live along its banks; this is half of the number of people that live in its bordering countries. The area along the Rhine is responsible for over ten percent of the world’s chemical industry. It is also used as a major transport route for ships and barges.

Over the twentieth century, the Rhine River was severely polluted. In the early 1990’s, the Rhine River was not safe for humans, fish, birds and other wildlife because it was polluted with high levels of PCB’s, pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals and agricultural runoff; it is not as bad today. Pesticides result in thin eggshells of aquatic birds. Herbicides kill off native plant species. Toxic heavy metals such as mercury, lead and cadmium throw off the normal biochemistry of the river. Toxic agricultural runoff from fertilizers inhibits proper biological functions in humans, fish, birds and other wildlife. The result is bioaccumulation of contamination in microorganisms. The higher up on the food chain an organism is, the higher the concentration of contamination. Eventually the contamination works its way up the food chain and into the diet of more complex animals, such as seals and humans. Filtered Rhine River water returns to people’s homes as drinking water that may be unsafe to drink. In 1958, the once-plentiful salmon population was obliterated. Figure 1 shows the decline in the Rhine River salmon population due to Rhine River contamination.

Figure 1

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB’s) are the worst form of Rhine River contamination. Although banned in 1983, they were dumped into the Rhine River by plastics and electrical companies for twenty years. PCB’s are used to heat the transfer fluid in transformers and capacitors. The problem is that they bioaccumulate in the fatty tissues of fish and mammals once ingested. Human health effects include: increased liver cancer, and diabetes as well as thyroid, immune and reproductive system malfunction. Rhine River PCB’s originated from industries on its riverbank.

To fix the damage done to the Rhine River, the Netherlands called a meeting in 1950 which resulted in the formation of the ICPR, the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine. The goals of this coalition were to create sustainable development, set levels for the amount of toxins allowed to be dumped into the river, limit mining in central Germany and improve overall water quality. Measures were taken to limit the dumping of raw sewage and toxins into the river, to eliminate human structures that had disturbed the river’s flow pattern and to replant native plant species on the riverbank. The Rhine River was healing; it seemed that nothing could stop the progress that was being made by cleanup efforts.

In 1986, the Rhine River was handed a death sentence when a devastating chemical spill upset much of the progress made. The disaster was the result of a fire at the riverfront Sandoz Chemical Plant in Switzerland. Ninety types of chemicals, including pesticides and mercury, were washed into the Rhine River. So much red factory dye was washed into the river that the Rhine River literally “ran red”. The chemicals washed over 189 kilometers downstream and through a hydroelectric dam. However, Switzerland did not immediately warn the neighboring countries. The result was thousands of dead fish, eels, birds, plants, and livestock within the following week. Any plant or animal that drank or absorbed water from the Rhine River following the chemical spill died. Swiss protesters were so enraged that they threw dead eels at Sandoz Chemical Plant officials; 220 tons of eels had died.

The IPCR coalition redoubled its efforts and instituted the Rhine Action Plan Against Chemical Pollution (RAP) in 1987. RAP regulated industry and transportation on the Rhine River. New standards including the keeping of inventory lists of transported substances, the use of double-hull tankers instead of single-hull tankers and the establishment of riverfront stations to monitor the water quality every six minutes became strictly enforced and toxic levels plummeted. Since industrial pollution has been strictly regulated, agricultural runoff is currently the most prominent pollutant.

Since the 1990’s, the health of the Rhine River has significantly improved. Toxic levels have been cut in half, aquatic animals - including the salmon population - have recovered and the community is active in cleanup efforts. The water is even safe to drink again. Today, the Rhine River is a model for other nations seeking to revitalize their dying rivers. For more on this subject visit www.katherinealexa.com

GERTRUDE AND CLAUDIUS | My Favorite Book

2007-10-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

Gertrude and Claudius by John Updike is my favorite book. It is a must read and I highly recommend it. You will fall in love with Hamlet all over again.

“Putting aside the murder being covered up, Claudius seems a capable king, Gertrude a noble queen, Ophelia a treasure of sweetness, Polonius a tedious but not evil counselor, Laertes a generic young man. Hamlet pulls them all into death.”

Let’s just gently put aside the fact that old Hamlet has been murdered, and his murderer is sitting on his throne. Let’s just forget the fact that up until the murder, Claudius was not interested in the crown, merely his love for Gertrude, who is, by coincidence, the queen and his brother’s wife. Let’s just disregard the fact the Gertrude was committing adultery, by coincidence, with her husband’s brother. That can be excused because its love. She created a twisted love triangle, the poor soul, a woman of Denmark, but has prosperous plans for her son and the treasure of sweetness, Ophelia. Well, it seems that Ophelia may not have treasured her sweetness after all. Polonius, himself after knowingly betraying the king; but hey, its not like he was the king’s advisor or anything. As for his son, Laertes, he hasn’t really been involved yet, or shown his upcoming treachery, so fine, he’s as far as we know a generic young man, but not for long. Hamlet puts them all to death? Rightfully so! These people’s actions all impact Hamlet and at his expense, especially Gertrude, his mother, the queen, and old Hamlet's wife.

“However bright the wedding torches, you marry a man’s shadow side, too.” Old Hamlet played only to win. He was a man’s man, not a lady’s man, and therefore Gertrude was never satisfied with him. She didn’t like his shadowy, or dark, side. He was her first husband, and she saw in him his interests not in her, but in what he would gain from being with her. But shame on her for not seeing it coming in her second marriage to Claudius.

“’I confess I did not know,’ she said, ‘he would measure up so willingly. I thought he was a wanderer, a well-born vagabond.’”

“Some men, your majesty, wander in order to return with sufficient strength to achieve their long-nursed goals.”

Polonius had a good answer for Gertrude, and likewise, he stayed around the palace long enough in hope of his personal long-nursed goals. True attachment grows on increments, and it seems Claudius’ infatuation with Gertrude held within it other motives. Gertrude knew what she had done wasn’t exactly the right thing, and although the murder was unknown to her, she realized that Claudius wanted to eradicate the past.
How like a man, Gertrude thought. They want you to do everything to them, but then are too fastidious to name it. Claudius just wants things all to go smoothly, now that he is king, the past sealed off, history. But history isn’t dead like that; it lives in us, it got us here.

“Without love, we die, or at best live stunned.” Getrude was constantly interested in only what was good for her. Even in her hope of marrying Ophelia and Hamlet, because she saw a younger version of herself in the girl. She wanted true love with Claudius, not what was best for her husband, son, and kingdom. “it was understood that lives and loves simply end.” Not so simply, Hamlet would ensure his and their tragic deaths. For more information visit www.katherinealexa.com

MOVEMENTS IN MACBETH

2007-10-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

Macbeth’s goes through a series of changing movements in his personality throughout the play Macbeth. Due to his trepidation in the beginning, it is painstaking to carry out the evil deeds he and Lady Macbeth agree to do. He is brought to his death in the second half of the play because of his lack of fear; through the ambiguous words of the second prophecy he believes he cannot be brought down and allows his character to remain confident and dauntless. Macbeth’s tragic flaw is fear.

To begin, from the witches first set of prophecies to Macbeth’s vision of Banquo’s ghost, fear consumes our main character. Macbeth has hallucinations, yet overlooks them as mere figments of his imagination, while preparing to murder Duncan, the first step of his bloody demise.

Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand?
Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?
I see thee yet, in form as palpable
As this which now I draw.

Once he murders the two fathers, Duncan and Banquo, Macbeth begins to live in dismay because he fears that he will not rest in peace in the future as do and grows mad. “Still it cried 'Sleep no more!' to all the house: 'Glamis hath murder'd sleep, and therefore Cawdor Shall sleep no more; Macbeth shall sleep no more.'“ Lady Macbeth stands fearless through Macbeth‘s trepidation and perturbed with the insecurities held by her husband.

O proper stuff! This is the very painting of your fear:
This is the air-drawn dagger which, you said,
Led you to Duncan. O, these flaws and starts,
Impostors to true fear, would well become
A woman's story at a winter's fire,
Authorized by her grandam.
Shame itself! Why do you make such faces?
When all's done, You look but on a stool.

Fear consumes Macbeth more readily with every battle he fights to keep his evil deeds concealed. Banquo’s ghost gives only a supernatural punishment, and Macbeth is not defeated.

In the interval that from the second set of prophecies to Macbeth’s death by Macduff, our main character is fearless. The slaughters of Lady Macduff and all intertwined with Macduff‘s blood is a cold and brutal doing ordained my Macbeth without reason. Lady Macbeth is now the one having hallucinations and grows mad. “Here's the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, oh, oh!”

I have almost forgot the taste of fears;
The time has been, my senses would have cool'd
To hear a night-shriek; and my fell of hair
Would at a dismal treatise rouse and stir
As life were in't: I have supp'd full with horrors;
Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts
Cannot once start me.

Macbeth stands fearless because he sees that his evil deeds have caught up with him. He remains so and allows Macduff to give him a natural punishment; Macbeth is defeated as Macduff with sword in hand ends Macbeth’s treacherous reign.

Conclusively, Macbeth’s fatal flaw is his fear and lack of fear in the play. At first fear holds Macbeth back from obtaining his goals and living in peace with his evil deeds; in the end Macbeth’s confidence and fearlessness leads him to his demise. Perhaps if he had been fearless in the beginning and cautious in the end, his foul reign may have remained concealed as a very fair rule. For more information visit www.katherinealexa.com

Ilario Pantano - War Hero Or War Criminal?

2007-10-12T13:22:00.000-07:00

Ilario Pantano follows his dreams to be a warrior. However, he becomes the only U.S. Marine who served in Iraq to be charged with a capital crime in his fight against terrorism.

Pantano is a personable, accomplished and patriotic individual. As a child he pretended to be Lancelot, Knight of the Round Table. He wanted the power and ability to protect others and “to order the chaos” (Fishman 29). According to George Herbert Mead, play is an essential part of children’s development. Play is children’s first experience of taking on the roles of others and seeing themselves as others might see them (McIntyre 149). Pantano grew up in “the projects”, a Hell’s Kitchen in New York but attended Horace Mann, an elite prep school on half-scholarship. “Public education in the United States is supposed to prepare children to compete with on another in the real world; the famous educator Horace Mann (1796-1859) called the U.S. public school system the great equalizer” (McIntyre 206). Pantano was becoming a product of numerous environments. Horace Mann was an estate-like retreat for him during the daytime and Pantano says “in the afternoon I would get into neighborhood fights with kids with knives and hammers” (Fishman 29). A classmate said, “No one ever enlisted in the Marines from Horace Mann” (Fishman 29). Following high school graduation, Pantano enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corp and participated in the Gulf War. He attended the Marine Corp’s toughest sniper schools. His greatest experience was having bullets fly past him while fighting in a war. Later, while back in New York he obtained a degree in Economics from NYU and had a successful trading career with Goldman Sachs, was a Vice President of the Shooting Gallery and had his own private entrepreneurship. At age thirty in 2001 he has a gorgeous pregnant wife; she is a model and a successful businesswoman. On September 11, 2001 the tragedy of the terror attack at the World Trade Center changed everything. He watched the buildings tumble and saw dead body parts on the street. Their apartment was next to the fire station where eleven firefighters died in the attack and four of them were former Marines. His dream to be a warrior - a real one - brought him to Iraq as a Second Lieutenant and his environment changed again.

In Iraq he was more popular, more intense, more intelligent, more articulate, more diverse and more magnetic than the other men. One marine says, “It was almost like we were dealing with a celebrity” (Fishman 31). Pantano said that the officer’s school training course led to a Ph.D. in killology. Lieutenant General James Mattis, Pantano’s commanding officer gave controversial speeches to his men about killing. The military is a social institution and the social structure of the Marines has norms of obeying orders. Its institutionalized values are a duty and honor to one’s country (McIntyre 141). At an officers meeting Pantano discusses what motivates Marines. He says, “Love” and “The thing that gets you through the fight is love of your brothers” (Fishman 31). As he saw dead Americans falling out of bombed ambulances and hung on a bridge, Pantano says, “If you don’t pay attention, somebody comes over that wall and he’s going to kill you and me.” (Fishman 31). People’s values are general or abstract ideas about what is good and desirable as opposed to what is bad and undesirable in society (McIntyre 101). Iraqis abhor U.S. democracy, achievement, success and its symbols. Iraqis society breeds suicide bombers and has no regard for the value of the preservation of human life.

The institutionalized role of the Marines is to give and obey orders and to kill the enemy. Although American Marines are trying to bring some democracy to Iraq our men are in 138 degree heat in a kill or be killed war environment. Pantano says, “You can’t negotiate with someone who is going to kill you. You have to kill them first” (Fishman 31). While in combat, he divided up his forty men platoon and he killed two Iraqi prisoners in self-defense. He left his supervisor’s, General James Mattis, message on a cardboard near the dead bodies - ‘No better friend; No worse enemy,” to make a statement of opportunities for change. It meant that willing Iraqis would find “no better friend” than the U.S. Marines and in contrast insurgent Iraqis would find “no worse enemy” in the Marines.

The military has charged him with two counts of premeditated murder. For this, he is facing the death penalty (Fishman 28). In our society, we value freedom but we also value safety and security. “The U.S. legal system has struggled to balance laws that protect freedom with laws that protect people’s safety” (McIntyre 102). If foreign militants arrive at the front door of your home and demand your land, your food, your dwelling, your children, you would fight them instantly! To accomplish depersonalization in the Marine Corp. a recruit has to unlearn his former role and identity to transform to many military rules (McIntyre 157). Pantano says, “Iraq makes the movie Apocalypse Now look like day camp” (Fishman 32). As Pantano returns to civilian life, society will judge him as a war hero or war criminal. One man had to fight his fight against terrorism. Because of the atrocities of 9-11 and the torture and murder of unarmed Americans Pantano wanted to send a message to all terrorists. On the sociological scale, the United States, led by President Bush are in this war so that the United States remains the global power leader irrelevant of a few lives lost. The complex contemporary issue of international terrorism must be conquered by many more heroes and vigilant watchmen to give others their freedom with safety and security. Pantano says, “War is an ugly business” (Fishman 28). For more information visit www.katherinealexa.com

Works Cited

Fishman, Steve. “Hell’s Kitchen.” New York. 25 April 2005: 26-33. 109-110.
McIntyre, Lisa J. The Practical Skeptic Core Concepts in Sociology. New York: McGraw Hill, 2002.

Watch on the Rhine: Great Play; Excellent Parallel

2007-10-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

“There is no dignity to a mountain if there is no dignity in a man,” explains Fanny, while mentioning the extinction of the Renaissance man. Her statement suggests that if Kurt and his fellow anti-fascist don’t continue fighting for their cause, the cause will lose its meaning. But in the third act, Fanny insists that she contribute her savings to Kurt‘s work, regardless of the fact that he has murdered Teck. Fanny and her family are morally unjust for supporting Kurt in spite of the murder, and Kurt loses his dignity by murdering Teck. All in all, there is much to be learned from the parallel between the cultural conflicts in the play and those of the current time.
First of all, in favor of their affections toward Martha, and Sara and her family, Fanny and David are morally unjust by helping Kurt and the anti-fascist movement, despite the fact that Kurt has murdered Teck. Fanny and David both claim to not be made of paste; they decide to support the efforts of Sara’s husband, a German outlaw, regardless of the morality of his actions, because they love Sara. A guest in their house for an extended period of time, Teck is not wanted or well liked, not even by his own wife. Had Teck murdered Kurt, Fanny and David would have most likely taken action. On the other hand, had Teck been well liked, his murder would have been quickly avenged. The play states that being a Romanian aristocrat is not a nationality but a profession, one that Teck is quite good at. However, Teck claims that Europeans are born to know trouble and to understand it, implying that Kurt is not the lesser evil of the two men.

To continue, Kurt is morally unjust for killing Teck in order to help his friends in the anti-fascist movement. There’s no factual evidence that Teck deserves to die, and there’s no factual evidence that Kurt deserves to murder him. Morally, murder is unjust. By committing the murder for the anti-fascist cause, Kurt goes against the very peace he is fighting for. Although he whole-heartedly believes in the movement, he also knows the murder is wrong. “Papa did something bad... No matter who does it is bad, it is always bad,” explains Kurt. He also says, “the violent are the sick of the world.” Perhaps Kurt is sick. He readily leaves his family to fight for his cause, but understands that this is unjust as well. Kurt explains to Fanny that all people have their excuses. He apologizes to her because he knows that he, a man more committed to his cause than his family, is not the man she wanted for her daughter

Furthermore, the political drama, both cultural and factual, in Watch on the Rhine can be paralleled to political disagreements of our time and does evoke a greater understanding of the current Middle Eastern war. So many personal situations occur in late spring, 1940, in Fanny’s living room because of events that occurred in the 1930’s, such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Likewise, many disputes occur in our time because of events like 9/11. Regardless of the point in history or the exact event, the way people react in times of trial and controversy stays the same because human nature is a constant. There is always something to be learned from historical circumstances. Much can be learned from Watch on the Rhine when it is paralleled with the conflicts of our time.

In conclusion, Fanny and her family’s support of Kurt’s actions is morally unjust, and Kurt is not justified in murdering Teck. The play is evokes thought because of great acting and because it can be paralleled to current cultural disagreements that the audience can relate to. For more visit www.katherinealexa.com

THE SPEECHES OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AND NELSON MANDELA

2007-10-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

A century after the Emancipation Proclamation had freed enslaved workers in the South, African Americans were still fighting for the right to vote, and all faced racism and segregation. In the August of 1963, thousands of Americans marched on Washington, D.C. to urge Congress to pass a bill to right the wrongs done to them. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech to the majority of these marchers. Martin Luther King, Jr’s speech demanded liberty and justice for all African Americans. As he stated, “I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” On the other hand, Nelson Mandela’s speech was joyous. It was a celebration of his African American nationality and his pride in the accomplishments of his fellow brothers. However, Martin Luther King, Jr’s speech was more effective. He was demanding and talked about experiences that everyone was familiar with. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a natural speaker and used his voice to draw his audiences attention. He also possessed a very good vocabulary and used it well to convey his thoughts. Both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela discussed important topics and greatly influenced history. If it weren’t for good people such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela, we would not have the equality that we have today in the United States. Hopefully in the future, we will be able to truly fulfill their aspirations for equality and ultimately bring liberty and justice to all. For more information visit www.katherinealexa.com

Chemistry | Description of a Candle

2007-10-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

Abstract-
To examine a candle carefully, before and after lighting it, and then to write a description of what was seen was the goal of this experiment. Materials needed were a candle and a Bunsen burner. An extensive description, rather than numeric results, was obtained.

Procedure-
First a candle and a Bunsen burner were obtained. The candle was lit according to the TA’s instructions with the Bunsen burner. Then the candle was observed and descriptions were written into a lab notebook. Next, the candle was blown out and returned to that TA.

Equations-
There were no equations obtained or applicable to this experiment.

Results/Data-
The candle was composed of wax and a wick, both white in color. The wax had a sleek and shiny color. When lit, the wick that was exposed to the flame turned black and orange at its tip. The candle gave off a smell as it burned, smoke. A cylinder in shape, at its top was the flame. The flame itself was blue at the center, then orange, then yellow on the outside, going through the visible electromagnetic spectrum. Most of the heat seemed to be concentrated at the flame’s center. The flame swayed due to air patterns, or breezes, in the laboratory. As time passed, more of the wick turned black as it burned and more wax melted, trickling down the side of the candle. Using oxygen the flame exerted energy to produce heat. When the candle was blown out, it no longer had the conditions to stay lit, and it began to cool off.

Calculations-
There were no calculations for this lab.

Conclusion-
The experiment went according to plan. However, had the breezes been more controlled the results may have varied. Also, more data may have been collected if the candle was allowed to burn longer. The candle was not extensively observed before or after it was lit. Had it been, perhaps the experiment would have been improved because more data could have been collected. The best way to improve this experiment would be to repeat it with more trials using various conditions and different types of candles.

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DOCTOR ZHIVAGO

2007-10-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie “Doctor Zhivago”, a David Lean film from Boris Pasternak’s book, is titanic in displaying post-revolutionary Russia as the backdrop of the drama of a moving and personal love story. It is not a story of the Revolution but a story of what happens to a small group of people when this time of chaos crashes down on them. A large number of characters are interwoven such as farmers, merchants, lawyers, professors, uniformed soldiers, students, railway employees and their families, some affluent, the majority destitute and large crowds of people. The internationally famous Omar Sharif plays the main character, Yuri Zhivago, who is a physician and poet and Julie Christie plays his great love, Lara.

The music score captures the scope, the terror, the intimacy and the passion of “Doctor Zhivago” and it evokes the viewer’s emotions with both power and beauty, making “Doctor Zhivago” a motion picture epic. From a funeral dirge, to a gay waltz to Lara’s Theme, a love song, the music moves the viewer through a world of guns and ice with the noise of battle and the spectacle of armies changing history to a romantic age and a revolutionary chaos and to the world of lovers together and silent. The unique music collection includes songs, ballads and marches with the Russian Balalaika.

The story begins at a modern dam in Russia under Stalin. General Yevgrav Zhivago and a young, frightened girl who is working on a construction project are conversing. He believes she may be the illegitimate child of his brother, Yuri Zhivago, and his lover, Lara. The General begins telling the story of Zhivago’s life. Zhivago is an orphan and grew up with Alexander and Anna Gromeko and he studied medicine and poetry in upper middle-class Moscow. Lara is a working girl whose mother owns a small dress shop. She is engaged to Pasha, a revolutionary, but is also the mistress of Komarovsky. The young Doctor Zhivago sees her on a train and again at her mother’s attempt of suicide. But when she becomes enraged she shoots Komarovsky at a social ball. Zhivago and his gorgeous fiancée Tonya, played by Geraldine Chaplin, the daughter of Charles Chaplin, are witnesses. Pasha takes Lara away. When the Revolution begins, Zhivago is a doctor and Lara is a nurse during this time. Scenes of overcrowded, makeshift hospital rooms with understaffing and medicine shortages are gruesome. When the hospital closes, Zhivago and Lara go their separate ways. General Yevgrav recommends to his brother Yuri to take his wife and the Gromeko’s to their country house at Varykino, in the Ural Mountains. Their clothing such as light colored woolen coats with fur trim and expensive boots and luggage express their wealth. The train leaves the magnificent golden domed Russian architecture of Moscow behind. Soon grey smoke from the engines fill the air as vulgar people are seen pushing and shoving at the train stations. So beings the epic month long train ride giving the viewer and insiders view of the devastation and destruction of a land and a people very hopelessly frustrated. Ice and snow is everywhere; thunder, howling wind and blinding weather create scenes of frigid impact. Documents are fervently checked and difficult to hold onto. The train is crowded with deportees, unshaven men in black leather jackets and women holding children under their shirts. Zhivago and his family see from the train the eeriness of army comps with their nauseating smell of gunpowder and corpses rotting, cities freezing and their people hungry, peasants digging in the dirt, villages burned and Siberian forests, a death trap filled with howling wolves scarier than epidemics or vermin infection or blown up bridges.

The movie is a massive storm, a storm of a nation at war and a storm of impassioned human emotions. The train is stopped and Zhivago is taken prisoner and meets General Pasha who eventually frees him. The Varykino Estate resembles a magnificent church in Moscow. Blankets of snow and horse drawn sleigh rides finally come to a close at the Varykino Estate as the weather warms up and green grass and flowers are in the fields of the hilly estate. Zhivago finds Lara in a nearby town and they are in love. But Zhivago becomes a prisoner again and his family flees to Paris. Zhivago escapes and travels by foot in snow too deep to walk through. His beard and his soul frozen by the blinding snowstorm do not stop him from reaching Lara and they retreat to Varykino. A corrupt Komarovsky comes knocking on their door one day and takes the beautiful red-haired Lara away but she is pregnant with Yuri’s child. Lara is the symbol of life’s sweetness at a time when men’s inhumanity to man is at its height. She inspired him to write his greatest poetry as they kept warm under reindeer fur coats. As an old man his heart jumps for joy to see her once again. Yevgrav has finished his story to the young girl whom he believes is his niece.

While watching the “Doctor Zhivago” movie, I was overwhelmed by the exotic names of characters and the names of cities that are unfamiliar to my everyday life. I felt saddened and shivering and in great need of a hot tea. I ask this question of Russia: is this a nation or a collection of individuals waiting for a roast duck and vodka dinner?

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DEEP THROAT REVEALED

2007-10-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

Mark Felt is the man that is called Deep Throat. He is a former FBI official. Mark Felt is the person who helped force President Nixon out of the White House. Thirty years ago during the Watergate scandal Mark Felt told important information about the scandal to a newspaper called the Post. In the Watergate scandal, President Nixon was listening in on people’s telephone conversations. After a mysterious man who was called Deep Throat told the Post about this people knew what president Nixon was doing. The people knew that Deep Throat was an inside source which meant he was probably in the FBI or close to the president. Because of the things Deep Throat said to the Post eventually President Nixon left the presidency. Mark Felt did not want anyone to know that he was Deep Throat until he died. But now he is an old man and decided to tell his daughter and the rest of the country. No one is sure yet why Mark Felt did not want people to know he was Deep Throat. Some people think he is a criminal because he should have told his boss at the FBI what he knew instead of telling a newspaper. But other people think that Mark Felt is a hero because maybe the rest of the people at the FBI knew that President Nixon was listening to other people’s telephone conversations and would not have helped Mark Felt anyway. Also because of the things he said President Nixon had to leave his presidency. That is a good thing to some people because it is not good to have a president secretly listening to other people’s telephone conversations. Deep Throat has been revealed as Mark Felt but the argument about whether he is a criminal or a hero continues.

THE TEN AMENDMENTS

2007-10-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

The Original Ten Amendments of the United States of America

The Bill of Rights was passed by Congress on September 25, 1789 and was ratified on December 15, 1791.

AMENDMENT I
Freedom of Speech, Press, Religion and Petition

The people have freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly and petition.
There is a separation of church and state.

AMENDMENT II
Right to Keep and Bear Arms

The state militia and the citizens have the right to keep and bear arms.

AMENDMENT III
Conditions for Quarters of Soldiers

No soldier can stay, be quartered, in times of peace or war in any house without the owner saying it is okay, unless it is in a way that is made by the law.

AMENDMENT IV
Right of Search and Seizure

People have the right to have their belongings and themselves kept safely without being searched or having their things seized. There can be no warrants for things or people to be searched or seized without probable cause.

AMENDMENT V
Provisions About Prosecution

No person shall be asked to answer for a capital crime without a Grand Jury, except in the army or navy, and no person can have their life, liberty, or property taken away without a due process of the law.

AMENDMENT VI
Right To A Speedy Trial

There is the right to know what the charges are, have a trial,
have a speedy trial, and the right to have a lawyer.

AMENDMENT VII
Right To A Trial By Jury

There is a right to a trail by jury for law suits over $20.00.

AMENDMENT VIII
Bail and Cruel Punishments

Excessive bail and fines will not be given and
there will be no cruel and unusual punishments..

AMENDMENT IX
Rights Not in the Constitution

Rights that are not in the Constitution belong to the people.

AMENDMENT X
Rights of the States

Powers not given to the national government and
not denied by the states belong to the states.

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Are we a community of shame or ignorance?

2007-10-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

“We will never bring disgrace on this our Polis by an act of dishonesty or cowardice.
We will fight for the ideals and Sacred Things of the Polis, both alone and with many.
We will revere and obey the laws of the Polis, and will do our best to incite a like reverence and respect in those above us who are prone to annul them or set them at naught.
We will strive increasingly to quicken the public's sense of civic duty.
Thus in all these ways we will transmit this Polis, not only not less, but greater and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us.”
~The oath of citizenship taken by the young men of Athens when they reached the age of seventeen.

“Our connection at the moment is shame. We are a community of shame. Shame defines our view of a sexual past that segued into AIDS, confirming to us our worst fears about ourselves and lending the condemnation of bigots a truthful echo. Shame motivates our forward movement as we fearfully suppress images of gay people as sexual beings, encouraging instead non-threatening roles (parent, homeowner, or campy friend) that prove ‘we’re just like you.’ In our community of shame, we believe that by actively forgetting the past we can erase it, and many important parts of our legacy are now being lost or will be fully abandoned.”

~Patrick Moore, Beyond Shame.

Are we a community of shame or a community of ignorance? The oath of citizenship is the main quote on the freshman honors colloquium syllabus. In the first colloquium the class was taught that shame was a part of ancient society but not a part of current society. Patrick Moore has the opposite opinion. Moore’s quote is paradigmatic for me. I realize that today’s society is a community of ignorance, believing itself to be a community of pride. Knowledge is Power, but a community can not promote total equality and total liberalism (communism obviously does not work), which is unfortunate for minorities such as gays and lesbians.
I argue that children are a main focal point of marriage under law. Straight older couples who do not have kids are looked down upon in society and their marriages are questioned. Old maids are looked upon badly. Minorities are “out of the ordinary”. Likewise, in conservative society to be “out of the ordinary”, to be a gay or a lesbian, is considered a choice. One worry of conservative America is: Can gay and lesbian couples bring up kids who are in the majority, are in the “ordinary”, giving these children the choice to be gay or straight and the ability to preserve and better the community?
From my limited experience, anyone brought up in a minority and/or dysfunctional family either acquires their qualities or obtains different views of their role in society. The ancients had wives to whom many husbands were impartial. Many of these men also had boy lovers. In today’s society gays and lesbians fight for their right to be married by law. But I believe that if their relationships are about love and family, what does marriage have to do with it? As a young woman in America today, I can have a loving relationship and a family without getting married. Marriage is a social construct made for the convenience of men by men. Why would gays and lesbians who are against the dominance of men over women want a piece of such a social construct?
In the reading Separatism and Power, Marilyn Frye argues that men live off the energy of women and says, “this the males apparently cannot do for themselves, even partially”. She explains that this is so because men fear being abandoned by women. I unequivocally disagree. Such conduct is not that of every man and every woman; there is not a great woman behind every great man. Many people, men and women alike, have an energetic spirit for living without relying on a partner. For example, many people find the love they have searched for their entire lives in their children. However, some men do rely on women, and some men do become invigorated by bullying and dominating females.
Frye goes on to argue that the human fetus is considered a parasite by females, making it easier for a woman to accept an abortion than for a man to accept one. I think this notion is ridiculous. Women have maternal instinct; men do not. Some men cannot live without their children (a source of love and happiness), the “fruit of their loins”. In truth, men do not have control over the growing fetus. I believe a man is uncomfortable because the woman will have total control over the unborn baby for the first nine months.
On the other hand, as a biology major I have been taught that it is natural for a smaller percent of the population of any species to be gay (and another small portion to not have sexual drive), particularly for population control; those who are gay or lesbian, and those who abstain from sex, will not produce progeny to date. Furthermore, conservative society is concerned for the futures of children adopted by gays and lesbians, but many other children are adopted/born into dysfunctional families who would have had much better childhoods if their parents had been a healthy gay or lesbian couple. Ignorance in the community produces bias, and the controversy continues on. For more visit www.katherinealexa.com