Weird way of posting comment--just trying something new.

I love trees and the environment too...but I still see it as a waste! Go Recycling, but not GO sunflowers being made from cell phone covers and wasting five years to develop! Develop something more useful just like biodegradable plastic by itself!

A girl's lap as a Pillow?

Aaron, I think this is one of the most ridiculous products ever. Besides being somewhat on the provocative side, it just seems wrong! If a guy needs a girl, he should go out and find one! And if there isn't one around that suits him, then use a regular pillow, not a fake girl's lap! Geesh!

A Boyfriend Pillow=A Girl's Lap?

Bone Growing Success Calls for New Consideration

Fascinating. Utterly Fascinating. As I was skimming for some interesting articles this morning (yes it is now 7 a.m.) I decovered an article that explained how doctors were able to repair the skull of a 7 year old girl who previously had to wear a helmet because of an accident two years prior--apparently sections of her brain could be seen pulsating at times because of the injury (disgusting), and the helmet was worn to protect the exposed areas. Now that stem cells have proven to be a successful way to regrow cells of different natures, I wonder if the United States will lift some of the bans currently placed on stem cell research. I am aware that it is allowed, but only on cells that were previously designated for research--scientists have not been legally allowed to obtain more cells to conduct experiments. Although I have misconvictions about the morality of the procedure (religion v. scientific possibilities, which I find fascinating), I think it would be amazing if doctors were able to use stem cells and cure diseases such as diabetes, or to repair heart tissue/grow human hearts.
The government may or may not be amiss in its decision to curtail experimentation, but it must carefully weigh the positive benefits of the procedures before it rules completely against stem cell research. In reality, two lives are at stake: the possible life that could have occurred from the cells, or the life that could be saved by developing the technology to help people with diabetes grow various new types of cells to help their existing pancreas react correctly to insulin. Other nations are making it happen, and although I don't want to say if one country is doing something we should do it too (we should not be involved in everything such as participating in genocide or something that) the research is one topic that the United States should not close the door on when so many benefits are just coming to light.

Sometimes I think I might want to be a morality or ethics lawyer in D.C., and make presentations to senators and other politicians about different standpoints that apply to medical procedures, research, and experiments. I blame it all on my Genetics teacher from high school, Mr. C. :) I'll just have to be content practicing some type of business law in the future though. :)

German Doctors Use Stem Cells to Repair Skull

Just For Fun

Just for fun, I thought I'd add this pic in. I've been working on my blog since 3:30. I can't believe I fell asleep last night at 9 and didn't wake up until 3. I also have been messing around with the template; please don't think it took me four hours to write 3 paragraphs...even though sometimes it does.

Bestest friends having the Bestest Time

UGHHHHHHH!!!! Who invented those?

Honestly, who invented Ugg boots? Besides being ridiculously impractical (how can soft-suede like material keep water and snow away from your toes in the winter?), they are the UGLIEST fashion trend of the year. When I first saw individuals wearing them at the BEGINNING OF SUMMER with SKIRTS, I figured that they were just a passing fad that would die out by the end of summer. Nope, I was wrong. Now it seems that the boots haunt me wherever I go, whether it is to class at 8 in the morning or to the mall to pick up a quick Christmas gift for a friend. Even though all fashion trends do not necessarily have to be practical (as I bought a red pair of tall boots yesterday), they still have to have an attractiveness quotient attached. Although some of my friends claim that the boots are the most comfortable thing they have ever put on their feet, I tend to disagree...I have a great pair of slippers that would probably make anyone feel like they were in heaven. Regardless of feel, the boots still look like you put some sheepskin stuff around your ankles that doesn't belong there. I won't even get started about the available colors. Instead of just arguing about a fashion trend, I did have a point to my post: to show that people have supported this craze enough that now the company is making UGG Purses that will have a very similar look to the boots. I just wonder if people will buy purses that match the color of their boots. Okay, so I lied. My real point: Why do individuals live by a fashion craze and purchase the SAME PAIR of boots that everyone else has, rather than being unique and trying to find something else that will show her personality? I think people value carbon copies too highly when it comes to looks (feel free to view previous post), and too often buy into the commercialization of society (such as the extreme spending on the Christmas holiday).

But I do not exist to tell other people that they are making horrible fashion decisions, nor to argue about a pair of shoes when there are so many other things wrong in the world. BUT, I do feel the lack of distinction of priorities and loss of personal identity are worth examining. Even I am subject to such a discussion, considering I spent this post arguing about ugly shoes versus trying to make a solid argument about another problem in the world that deserves atttention.

UGG boots Top Fashion of 2004
Picture of Ugg Boots
Ugg Purse Style
Previous Post about The Swan

Another Tale of School Corruption

Synopsis: Eleven individuals were charged on Thursday for being involved in a fraud net in a school system in New Orleans, Louisiana.
I find it interesting that the Superintendent blamed the school's multimillion dollar deficit on "years of theft" by its workers, but the article failed to mention that any previous charges had been brought against individuals. If he suspected that theft was occurring, I would have assumed that he would have already brought the information forward to police, rather than waiting until last year. If, as the Superintendent reported, thefts have been going on for years, the p0lice or FBI should put auditors and other "checks" in place to prevent the situation from occurring again.
As a student of higher education, it is disappointing to hear when corruption occurs within school systems because I know that students are being denied the opportunity to receive the best possible education. Granted, I did not go to an affluent high school or grand place offering tons of academic advantages, but I was fortunate enough to be accepted at UM. Many of my high school teachers were influential in my decision to come here, and I wonder who the children have in this school district to act as role models and help them make decisions concerning their futures. I sincerely hope that the FBI is able to permanently remove the individuals (if they are convicted or plead guilty) from the school system setting or other places of employment where human influence on the future generation of our nation occurs. We need individuals that lead by example to improve the lives of lives of children in all school systems throughout the country.

Just another job to fulfill in our quest to fix what is "amiss" in this world.

Eleven Indicted in School Corruption Probe

Reality TV Metamorphasis

Okay, so I'll admit it. Sometimes I am a reality TV junkie. I will not admit to watching every show, but in the past I have enjoyed Survivor (only the first season!), the Amazing Race, and the Bachelor/Bachelorette (Freshman year of college, I was easy to influence back then),. I would be lying if I didn't claim to watch The Real World (by the way, I was present at a waterski tournament in IL this fall where, little did I know it, hottie Landon from the Philidelphia stint was also present--my friend has a picture with him, I am so jealous!) and Fear Factor sometimes as well. But, you might ask, what is the point of my confessions? Well, besides using it as an excuse for whatever my marketing grade may be (I HAD TO WATCH THE FINAL APPRENTICE on Thursday night, the night before the exam--Way to go Kelly because I was not a Jen Fan), it opens me up to another topic about AMISS things present in today's society. Reality TV shows like THE SWAN, that serve up horrible images to impressionable young minds: to be beautiful it is necessary to be thin, to fit a stereotypical mold in society, and the only way a person is successful in life is if he or she has the looks to back up the brains. People are willing to go through hours of surgery to look "better" or like a new person, to "fit the mold" so to speak, instead of recognizing and embracing their uniqueness. Sometimes individuals do have scars that inhibit their confidence and do have legitimate reasons for wanting plastic surgery. It is wrong and unnecessary to exploit a person's insecurities and placing them on TV for entertainment. If someone wishes to play such a significant role in a lifechanging moment for an individual, he or she should donate the money to an institution that helps victims of fire or people with physical deformities, rather than placing people in the limelight to be "fixed." As previously stated, it sends a bad message to individuals who are already hounded by reports of obesity, the constant obsession of losing weight, and the adoration of the beautiful, skinny 5'10" model in everyday society.
Everyone should do their part to decrease this message and avoid supporting The Swan. I know that when I turn my TV on tomorrow, it definitely will not appear on my screen.

The Swan

There are Sickos out there.

I know that this is a rhetorical question, but how could someone even conceive the idea of cutting a pregnant woman open and then stealing her baby? Worse yet, how could someone put that idea into action? I recognize that there are mentally unstable people in the world, and I recognize that evil does exist. If evil was not a factor, who knows what the world would be like at this moment. (Even though it is interesting to ponder...would we be at war in Iraq, fighting the AIDs epidemic, or would we need to fix the current problem of jails overstuffed with convicted criminals?) But I still do not understand the conscious or unconscious reasoning of insane individuals. Perhaps that is why I used to enjoy reading true crime books (before I started the b-school and had enough time to relax), and why I desired to be a criminal prosecutor in the past. The human mind is an interesting tool and it would be fascinating to understand why individuals commit the acts that they do.
On Another Note:
Besides the lack of ethics and the anarchical tendency involved with completing the act, I think it would just be a disgusting experience. I admire doctors that have the ability to handle blood and deliver babies every day, but I would not be able to put my hands in such a mess or even look at it. I am shocked that a person could handle stealing a baby by cutting it out from a womb, but I guess that a sick and disgruntled mind would not react in the same way as a human being who finds such behavior groteque.
Well, I hope that the police find the individual who performed the crime, and puts him/her/them away in jail for a long time. I hope that more articles appear on the case so I will be able to provide more information.

Baby of Slain Mother Believed Found

Biodegradable Cell Phone Covers? What?

I don't know what everyone else thinks, but the idea of spending millions of dollars and five years to develop a cell phone cover that biodegrades into the soil and produces flowers sounds ridiculous to me. Who is going to take a cell phone, bury it in her backyard, and wait for flowers to bloom? Even though a biodegradable cell phone cover might cut down on the amount of plastic waste in landfills, why would engineers be concerned with the amount of cell phone cover waste? I would think that it would be more beneficial to spend money on developing plastics that will biodegrade for products that are used more frequently (and are not already recycled). I do agree with the possibility of using the plastic for other large electronics, for horticulture, ammunition and household cleaning. (I still don't understand how it will be used for ammunition--but that remains to be seen).
It seems that it is a waste to put flower seeds into a cell phone cover, because who is going to see the flowers "growing" inside of a landfill? It doesn't seem probable that a flower seed would grow when it is sitting in a pile of trash. The covers would need to be placed directly on the soil so the cover could biodegrade. I do not think landfill owners are going to set aside spots in their landfills specifically to put cell phone covers. My other concern is the cost of gathering the cell phone covers--would they be considered a recycleable item and placed into state or county run recycling bins?
The article also failed to establish the length of time it would require for a cell phone cover to biodegrade. Maybe the public will receive more information when Motorola makes the decision on whether to utilize the new plastic when manufacturing cell phone covers in the future.
SunflowersFromCovers