The Perfect Crème Brûlée

When I was eight, my sister made it to the 3v3 soccer nationals that happened to be held in Disney World. My family accompanied her down there and we made a vacation out of it. We spent our days watching her play her games and after she was done, we got to go the different Disney parks and ride all of the rides and see all of the attractions. The very last day, we went to Epcot, where you can walk around a lake and see the different countries represented. In order to get the full experience, we stopped at each of the different countries and bought a dessert; a crème brûlée from France, chocolate from Germany, and flan from Mexico.

Each of these desserts had their own unique taste and every bite left me wanting more. It wasn’t just that these desserts tasted good, because they did, it was that they were an entirely new and exciting experience for me. Each country had its own dessert; a dessert that had made its way to fame in the many years that country had existed. It had entangled itself the country’s history and somewhere along the way it became a representation of inimitable culture and traditions.

Since then I have realized that it is not just countries with these distinctive and delectable desserts, it is also people. People have both good desserts and horrid ones, some are mediocre, and others are forgettable. Whether these desserts taste good or not is entirely up to each individual person.

I believe that it is important to work to be one of these phenomenal and unforgettable desserts because a bland bread pudding is easily forgettable, but an intricately seasoned and cared for crème brûlée can change a person. If someone cares about how others perceive them and change themselves for the better because of it, this world would be a much more delicious place. (325)

Fatherly Love

If anyone has taught me about love it was my father.

My father is not an extraordinary man on the outside; he could walk through a supermarket without extracting more than a glance. I assume he appears to be like any other father; a thinning hairline, emerging pot belly, smile lines beginning to show, and pictures of his kids in his wallet seated in the back pocket of his pants. The extraordinary bits are under his father façade, invisible to the human eye but clear as day to the abstract world.

Ever since I was little, my father has shown me how to love. He used to take me into our living room and set me on the coffee table. He would select the same CD from the rack every time, put it in the stereo, and skip to the one track that played the song “Butterfly Kisses” by Bob Carlisle. When the lyrics started playing, he would take my hands, put them around his neck, and we would sway back and forth to the music and he would sing to me. One time, I told him that I when I grew up, I would play this song at my wedding so we could dance for real and I could be like Belle in Beauty and the Beast. He said “Lexi, you go ahead and play any song that you like, but if you play this one, I will cry my eyes out.”

Believe it or not but this was the first time that I was even aware guys could cry. As I grow older, my father is there every step of the way teaching me more and more about boys and the many things that they are capable of. He comforts me when my relationships get tough and gives the best advice he can when applicable. I don’t know what I would do without my father because he is, and always will be, the first person to teach me how to love. (334)

Iraq Attack

A surprise literally struck the streets of Iraq Monday, leaving 36 dead and dozens wounded. Five car bombs, each individually placed in five different cars, detonated in the streets, injuring many civilians across the southern and central regions of Iraq. While this violence comes from unknown enemies from unknown lands, many hold suspicion to al Qaeda, the violent, destructive terrorist organisation wreaking havoc across the world. Each bomb went off at different times, and in different places. Two of the most deadly explosions traced back to two cars parked closely together in a parking lot located in the south of Iraq in the city of Amarah, killing eighteen and injuring forty two in two explosions. Another bombing detonated near a restaurant in the city of Diwaniyah killing nine people and wounding twenty three. Remains around the explosion were left in charred remnants, the bomb totalling three cars to pieces and leaving blood to cover the nearby restaurants’ walls. While chaos was growing in the two cities, authorities and citizens running back and forth in confusion and fear, a third explosion site was added to the list, with the city Karbala receiving a blast killing three more innocent victims and wounding another fourteen. The final blast was launched south of Baghdad, killing another six and injuring fourteen, raising the total to the previously stated thirty-six deaths and the dozens wounded. No matter the circumstance, I don’t understand who would want to kill so many innocent citizens, or for that matter, why they would have such terrible motives. While other’s may have different opinions that vary from my own, I believe it is never right for a punishment to be fulfilled by death, even if originating from anger. However, who ever has launched this attack, presumably al Qaeda according to officials, had no reason to strike against these innocent people, and had no reason to put an end to innocent lives. (320)

Sudden Shock Causes Bangladesh Crash

A sudden shock set in when the Rana Plaza factory fell down to crumbling ash last week. When the building collapsed, over 398 unfortunate souls were trapped in the falling rubble, their lives ending with the fall of the walls. It has, however, been reported that up to 2,773 people may have escaped the ruin, but many injuries have been reported and some have been rushed to the hospital in critical condition. It was held responsible to no terrorist activity, however. The factory collapsing to rubble was traced back to a compromised building structure. The integrity of the building and the hazard it had posed had Bangladesh's Cabinet inspecting all other garment factories for structural deficiency throughout Monday morning, as to prevent another tragic destruction. The building’s unstable architecture falls blame to the factory’s owner, Mohammed Sohel Rana. He was in haste to flee to India before authorities intercepted him near the border, and he is currently awaiting questioning. Following would be a trial pushing potential charges of negligence, illegal construction, lack of building permits, and broken city codes. Facing him could also be a maximum expectancy of seven years in prison. While that may or may not sound like a long time to be sentenced, I think that is not a long enough punishment. Because of this man, many of thousands are left without jobs, but many others left where the building lies, their remains lost, leaving their families to pay the price of a tragic loss. M.S. Akbar, chairman of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, said,”It is hardest for those family members who do not know if their loved ones are dead or alive or trapped.” I think that no one should have to suffer through abiding the plausible death of a family member, and certainly not because of a man maximizing profits to cause risk to his thousands of workers just trying to provide for their families. All along the streets, family members crowded to grasp the faint chance that a loved one would come stumbling out of the dusty wreck, waiting dusk to dawn, until fate finally prevailed against their hopes, sending them home with tears in their eyes and just mere memories of those whom they so dearly loved. (378)

The Many Faces of Science

On the onion.com, I found an article about a study done with tree branches. It wasn't done to study the molecular structure, or its effects on soil or some normal study like that. Before I explain the purpose, if there even is one, I think I’ll just tell what they did in the study. They hired four hundred people to participate. First, they walked through a disgusting spider web, and while trying to untangle from the mess, an assistant standing nearby smacks them with the tree branch. They then determine whether it hurts.

…Um ok? Is this study archaic to anyone else?

What in the world would persuade someone to think of doing a study like this? I feel like the leading scientist got smacked in the face by a tree branch and wanted everyone else to feel his pain and thought a scientific study would make his revenge feel more legitimate. This would also keep him from getting sued. Maybe.

Apparently, this study turned up “ground breaking evidence!” It was more like “nose-breaking evidence.” They concluded that if someone gets smacked in the face by a tree branch it will hurt, but only initially. After a few minutes, the pain will go away and the only thing left over will be the red mark smack dab in the middle of your face. Hard hitting evidence right? Well these scientists seem to think so! They say “the implications of the study could be far-reaching, having a major impact on future research in the field of getting smacked with a variety of stupid goddamn things in various anatomical areas and its relationship to whether one is more-or-less fine after a minute or two.” Now, I really cannot tell if this is a serious study or if it is just archaic because it was posted on the onion. I think that it was probably an actual study for a stupid purpose. What I really can’t figure out though is who would actually volunteer to be smacked in the face… (341)

 

Tommorow's Technology Today

In AP Biology, we watched a video that talked about how scientists have made discoveries pertaining to computers and linking them with thoughts. It started with a guy that was paralyzed that was able to communicate through a computer. There was a cap with neuron sensors that was placed on his head and a screen in front of him flashed a bunch of letters. When the guy saw the letter he wanted, he would think “that’s it” and it would record the letter. In this way, he could spell out words and make sentences that the computer would read. There were other discoveries that the video mentioned as well.  They followed the study of a neurosurgeon that implanted a neuron sensor into a monkey’s brain and recorded the neuron impulses in the brain. By determining what this meant, he was able to program a robotic arm to the monkey’s thoughts and the monkey was able to move the arm with only his mind. The study has progressed into human’s brains as well. They were testing the technology in a woman that was paralyzed and she was able to move the cursor on a computer screen and steer a wheelchair.

                I understand the benefits of this technology but to be honest it kind of scares me. I mean, if someone can operate a computer with their mind what can’t they do? What can’t computers do anymore? Hasn’t society learned anything from the science fiction movies? Robots take over, computers get so powerful that they control every aspect of human life, and then they take over. To be fair, the humans always win in the end, but they were made in Hollywood. With all of the new technologies emerging, what would keep people from turning into potatoes that live in a computer programmed world? The fact that these new things can help paralyzed and body-dead not brain-dead people renew their ability to move and communicate is a fantastic thing but what will stop people from abusing that technology and turning it into something you would see in a futuristic science fiction movie?

                Creating all of these new technologies that aid paralyzed individuals is a very good thing but there should be steps taken to ensure the proper usage and creation of these technologies strictly for medical purposes. (389)

America's Intelligence Lag - Part Two

The next item on the list is to “junk the junk food.” A study published in the Journal of Epidemiological Community Health showed that kids that ate the most processed foods, with a lot of convenience food, fat and sugar, had IQ scores that were 1.67 points lower than kids that ate better. Honestly, it’s a good idea to stay away from all of the junk food anyway because it is not good for you at all. Eat some fruits and vegetables. Your cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, weight, and mind will thank you for it.

According to a University of Toronto study, music lessons boost brain power among six to eleven year olds. They thought it might be due to the fact that the music lessons expose the children to experiences that help them in other areas. Some of the children were also enrolled in drama lessons, but they didn’t seem to have as great of an effect as the music lessons. It never hurts to try! Even if it doesn’t boost their IQ, they still learn a new skill.

The next way to increase intelligence was to eat omega-3-fatty acids. If you don’t know, these are found in fish and other types of seafood. Studies showed that pregnant women that had over 1,000 mg of the DHA omega-3-fatty acids, gave birth to more intelligent children.

The next method seems a bit obvious but I’ll share it anyway. Interactive reading, i.e. having kids read and asking questions, boosted their intelligence. So, instead of just reading Green Eggs and Ham, tell your kid to wonder about how likely green eggs are or how cool it would be to eat with a goat.

Again, another obvious one; enroll your child in preschool. Note that it is pre-SCHOOL, and school is usually for learning. So yes, enrolling your child in preschool will increase their intelligence.

Last but not least we have eating breakfast. As I learned from the Mini Wheat’s commercials; eating a healthy breakfast, especially with fiber, “keeps ‘em full and keeps ‘em focused!” A study done by Harvard Medical School gave breakfast to elementary schools in Maryland. The state assessment test scores rose, and tardiness and suspensions fell. So, before you let your kid leave, shove some cereal and juice into their belly and they’ll be good to go!

I don’t know if these will really work, but hey! You’re the one that chose to read this blog post anyway! (411)