Drug Enhancers

When looking at the Times website, I found one article very interesting. The article is entitled "Boosting Brain Stamina With Drugs." In this particular article, the drugs Adderall and Ritalin are being discussed because they are now known to be "cognitive enhancers". In this article a young man we will call Alex is taking the drug Adderall to assist him with his studies. Because Alex is a college student, works, and loves to hang out with his friends he thought that this particular drug would help him focus when it came time to write his many college papers. The drug Adderall didn't necessary help him write a better paper, it just allowed him to focus more on the task . If giving the opportunity to take this drug if I felt it was really needed I might do so. Depending of the various side effects of taking this drug I believe it could be very useful.http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/

Bed Bugs

The article "Keeping Those Bed Bugs From Biting", was very informing. I did not know the various reactions that can occur if bitten by a bed bug. If bitten some can experience asthma, hives, and a allergy reaction which can cause medical treatment. I know some people are oblivious to their being and this article provides useful information concerning what they are and how to get rid of them. For example, last summer my boyfriend had the "pleasure" of being bitten by several bed bugs that nested in his home without his knowledge. And after finding out what was causing the many bit marks he trashed his entire bedroom set. He couldn't understand how and where these bugs came from beings though he considers himself a neat freak. But this articles goes to show that no matter where you live bed bugs can nest in the most expensive homes and hotels. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/health/14brod.html?_r

Chemo 4/1

Cancer for anyone could be a devastating thing. Especially if statistically you have a 1 to 2 year survival rate. But what if a team of medical doctors came along and gave you hope? What if the tumors on your liver could shrink drastically if giving a new treatment? What if your life could be prolonged? That is what Bill Darker was told in the article, "Massive Chemo Dose Targets Cancerous Liver". After being cured of ocular melanoma (cancer that occurs in various parts of the eye), Bill in now suffering from liver cancer. He is undergoing experimental treatment for his liver cancer, in which the drug melphalan is being dripped directly onto the cancerous spots. He is on a dosage that is considered 10 times higher than the normal patient. As a result, his tumors have shrunk approximately by a third. Although, this treatment isn't widely available to all cancer patients, it is a stepping stone. If this treatment is really effective, it will give hope to other individuals who is suffering from liver cancer. It also shows the progress we are making in order to improve, cure, and treat cancer.

"Older Fathers Linked to Lower I.Q. Scores"

I use to assume, the older the father, the smarter the child. However, I was wrong. The article "Older Fathers Linked to Lower I.Q. Scores", was very interesting and informing. The article informs us that after a study was completed on 8 month old, 4 year old, and 7 year old it was shown that children who are father by older men has a lower I.Q. and an other cognitive measures, when compared to children who are father by younger men. In contrast, children that are conceived by older mothers perform higher on cognitive measures, when compared to children who are born to younger mothers.
I found both the male and female aspect of this study very interesting. One would think because a baby is born to an older man they would be smarter for various reasons. For instances, one reason is maturity. I know maturity doesn't play a major role, if any at all when concerning I.Q. levels or genes, but one would assume because an individual has more experience they would teach their child more or have them participate in many different academic extra activities to help build their children's I.Q. And as far as older women is concerned I think their child may score higher on an I.Q. test because they may value the importance of their children's educations more, when compared to someone who is younger. I'm not saying that younger mothers don't value or care about their child's education, I just believe it may not be as important to them. Every mother wants their child to be smart but it's a question of what are you going to do academically in order to help them get where they should be or where you want them to be academically. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/health/10dads.html??

Day of School

When first giving the assignment to listen in on another class I didn't like the idea, especially since I don't get off of work until two-forty and all the presentations after three wasn't anything of interest to me. However, when going to see the actually presentations some were very interesting. The three presentations I went to were entitled, "Screencasting as a Resource for Quantitatively Based Courses", "Preliminary Assessment of the Cyberbully and Cyberstalking Experiences of College Students", and The Degree U need to Achieve-Can an Hour Change Your Life".
I thought the Screencasting presentation was the most interesting. This presentation was about Cantasia Studio, which allows a browser to download or make records of material for their class to help benefit students as a whole. It can be good for power point presentations, business courses, and it can also give you a better understanding how to become more advance in excel functions. Many use screencasting as additional help within their classes, such as with homework, or missed lectures. If giving the opportunity I would use take advantage of screencasting because it seems as if it would be really useful.
The Cyberbully presentation was mostly about cyberbullying and stalking. They discussed the various ways someone is stalked, and the difference between the two. When someone is cyberbullied they may commit suicide, and are the ones who are affected through emails or text messages. Cyberstalking has an 2% homicide rate and are the ones who are being followed or watched in various ways.
(First two presentations by Ellen M. Kraft)
The last presentation was more useful knowledge. In there they discussed the various resources available to you to help obtain your degree. I also learned that throughout the entire semester they offer information sessions that help students who are unsure about what they want to do, the many different courses, or just general knowledge about Stockton College.

NYTIMES 3/5

The article I read in the NY Times was entitled "Customized Embryos, Struggling Hospitals and Questions on Health Reforms". The article was about a fertility doctor named Jeff Steinberg, who in coming months will allow soon to be parents to choose what eye, hair, and skin color they want their child to be. Dr. Steinberg has two fertility offices, one in New York City and the other in Los Angeles where he already allows parents to choose the sex of their baby. After reading this article I asked myself if giving the opportunity would I choose what physically features my child has and as of right now no. One main reason is that when going through this procedure several eggs are taking out and examined to see which would have the greatest odds of giving you what you want, and the ones that has the least odds are destroyed or not use, shall I say. Now what if that child don't come out to look the way they thought it would? Would the child still be loved? Or considered a disappointment! Every parent wants their child to look a certain way, whether they have their dads eyes, moms nose, or grandma's smile, but what about just letting mother nature run it's course? One positive thing about the entire situation is our every growing technology. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/health/03rounds.html??

John Pryor: Part 2

To also see the major impact he had on individual lives is a blessing within itself!