Eating Dissorders

Although there were many position paper presentationa that caught my eye, Cassie and Bree's presentations on eating disorders really made me think. Before their persuasive argument and opinions, I had no idea how much of an issue eating dissorders were. I currently am not friends with anyone with an eating disorder, that I know of, but I did know a girl on my swim team that was involved in the eating dissorder becasuse of swimming. This girl, even though she was already extremly thin, binged and purged herself so that her "back fat" couldn't be seen from the back our our swim suits. She eventually got help and is living a happy and stable life, but I had no clue eating dissorders were as popular as statistics say. Cassie especially convinced me that we need to talk to Team USA coaches about pressuring their athletes to look thin, and in shape, when the truth is they already do, or don't need to get any thinner with the chance that it might lead to an eating dissorder. I would love to see the percentage of teens with eating disorders decrease as they seek help and we open up affordable new programs and counceling sessions. I would do anything to help and was very moved by Cassie's presentation. She did an excellent job convincing me and persuading the problem of teen eating disorders, and what can and should be done to help.

Hybrid Cars Eco Friendly or not worth your Penny?

I have always thought of myself as green and eco-friendly because I feel like as Americans it is out responsibility to help our environment as much as possible. I reduce, re-use, and recycle, as much as possible, and I plan on buying a hybrid car when I can drive. Before reading "Is a hybrid car worth the gas savings?" at MSNBC's Nightly News website, I thought there were no bad facts or outcomes about the car. It really surprised me how the article talks about how hybrids cost more to buy, more to insure, and depreciate faster. Hybrids are $3,000 to $12,000 added just for the technology and only about 2-10 miles per gallon in terms of your overall fuel savings. Even though this artical is against my view points and opinions, it was very interesting to know why there is contriversy in the hybrid topic area. I still plan on purchasing a hybrid just because it is better for our enviroment and because "hybrids make great sense if you want to make a statement." Overall, this artical has opened my mind on both sides of the argument.

Article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8975473

Free Reading Book- Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

How do words and actions influence who others have become? To what extent do actions change our intentions?

Recently I have been reading "Prep" by Curtis Sittenfeld and this really reminded me of the semester question about others words and sctions influencing others. The main character, Lee, left her home town in Indiana to attend Ault, a private bording school on the east coast. Lee got chosen to be enrolled on a scholarship, and isn't wealthy like the majority of the kids at Ault. To answer the semester question, Sittenfeld does a fantastic job of describing how her peers wealthiness and actions changes her aditude towards her family and friends. By only seeing her family twice a year, when they come to visit I as a reader can tell that she has changed and gotten rude and snotty towards her parents. This is because she has fit in with the crown of cliques at Ault and forgotten her true self and her intentions on why she wanted to go there on the first place. Right now in the book, Lee has just discovered who she wants to be and how she is going to fix her life and change her aditude. By reading this book, I have been inspired to be the person I want to be, even if that includes being different form the "in" crowd, and learned that the only person whose words and actions that directally affect you are your own.