SodaHead - Fuzzball's Blog

Do not feel obligated to read this (there is nothing worth reading anyway.)

2009-11-19T20:49:21Z

+1 raves

Today, just minutes ago in-fact I received a letter from a clinic I have been seeing for almost 3 years now, a mental health clinic. For those who do not know me I am 16 years old and have been suffering from anxiety for as long as I could remember and 2 years ago after watching my family nearly deteriorate I was diagnosed with depression. The two combined are a bad mixture but since than I have made a fairly good recovery until recently. I went to this clinic 3 years ago as I said before and I was taken there from the hospital. (Now do you understand the length of my depression?} My experience there was quite good for the first 2 years and I had an appointment with my therapist every 2 weeks while with a psychiatrist every month and I was pull on a generic dose of Prozac (Since I was to young for the other stuff.) and I did well. Now recently a year ago a new director entered the clinic. Her rules and laws in this clinic were damn near tyrannical and if I did not enjoy going to speak to my therapist than I would have left. (Of-course I went through the change of a therapist who apparently could not handle this new director and now I understand why.} This year is my Junior year in high school and I am faced with more now then ever. This year in the upcoming spring I have a test called the PSSA and if I do not receive a PROFICIENT score than I will not be able to graduate, with that I have a graduation project which is a needed 40 hours of community service with a scrapbook etc and then I have to retain my grades, attend debate and do the tremendous amount of homework I am assigned and now since my father was in an accident it is difficult to get from place to place. Now for a girl who already has so much going on you would think that a mental clinic would try to reduce that? Of-course not. This director made a rule stating that I had to see my therapist every week which I have no real need of and I could not keep up with. For the past 4 weeks it has been incident after incident after which I had to cancel and reschedule my appointments for the following week. And now I receive a letter from this director saying I had been discharged and apparently you are supposed to receive a letter that says I am to be warned! The best part about it is that the people there fully understand when I can get there and told me in advance that if I cannot make one of her weekly appointments to reschedule! To say the least I am pissed off but blogging this has helped.

Can you help me?

2009-10-13T09:47:28Z

Fuzzball

+1 raves

I have been having breathing problems for quite some time, I suppose it can be described as wheezing as said family and even nurses but I have gone to the doctors several times for this issue but he tells me that it is not wheezing, he says that his idea of wheezing is different from the raspy whistling sound that I make when I breathe and my lungs are completely clear (which makes little sense.) now this wheezing comes and goes and is triggered by certain things like dog hair, cold air and some other things I havn't yet determined. It is difficult to breath and I can never get in enough air and when I do breathe I get bad back pains on my upper to mid back and I release a whistling like sound from my chest. It is almost impossible to sleep and since my doctor clearly cannot help me I have begun to get a little creative. I have tried green tea but that does not work for very long, if you have the same problem and a way to relieve it a bit please let me know!

Community

2009-04-16T20:13:04Z

Fuzzball

0 raves

Lindsey Wolf Ms Acevedo EnglishHonors 14 April 2009 Community A community is a group in which a group of people with a common characteristic or interest interact or at-least the definition that the site Merrian Webster gives. The word community itself is so very ambiguous it is hard to use one real definition since it means different things to different people. Some may believe it is the town in which they live in {Since I live in Croydon my options were fairly limited.}and to others it is their close knit circle of friends but few really think of the community happening in their own home. Your family is your community for it is a group of people all living in one home with a common goal of not to kill each other, though sometimes it may be difficult they are your family and they are indeed a community that you belong to perhaps among others. Most people have an illusion that a community is only where you live which just simply isn’t true, you must dig farther into the true stationery meaning of community and this is in your own home, under your roof. In this speech I will explain and give my reasoning behind why I think the family truly is the perfect family. In my first point I will use the Cullen family of Twilight. {Yes I know this seems to be a common theme in my papers.} The Cullen may be atypical of the stereotypical American family but regardless they are indeed a family. The Family is composed of the Carlisle Cullen, the oldest of them all about 300 years old and his wife Esme who along with Carlisle is the rock of the family. Edward Cullen who was transformed by Carlisle in the early 1900’s is the fastest and musician of the family whom in many ways wants to be just left alone, he keeps their family grounded and humble and beside from Carlisle and Esme is the most dedicated to the Vegetative life style. Rosalie Cullen ‘nee Hale is the beauty queen of the family, the overtly serious one who does not let her families mind wonder to far and remind them that they are indeed a vampire family. Emmett Cullen is the strength of the family and gives humorous relief to the sometimes to serious family and his mate Rosalie, he tries to keep the family light and likes to see those around him happy. Alice Cullen can see the future and she is the typical girly girl of the family, I feel in many ways she brings humor to her family also since the Irony of a young spiked hair girl shopping is so realistic that many would not think of her for what she truly is, a vampire transformed in a mental institution. Jasper Cullen or Jasper Hale can regulate emotions and he is by far the most insecure and afraid of what he can do to humans, he is an ongoing project for the family and last but not least Bella, Bella Swan an honorary member of the Cullen family is basically the puppy dog in which they must look out for but adore dearly. Because of these different features they become a strong family unity dedicated to protecting human life. They live under one roof and make living with each other as easily as possible and in many ways they are the ideal family. Whatever one family member is lacking they can find in their mate, brother, sister, father or mother. Without one another they would not necessarily be very strong but being brought together makes the indestructible, the way in which many of our families are if we rely upon each other. One of my other favorite families is the Carey family of-course. In the early 1970’s and late 60’s you have to keep in mind how rare bi-racial marriages and children were. It was only in the early 60’s that Martin Luther King Jr. had protested against the mistreatment of blacks and even than the cultures had begun to intermingle. When the family consisted of Alfred Roy Carey, a black Venezuelan man married to Patricia Hickey, a white Irish woman from the Midwest that her parents had disowned for her to marry this man, They had three children Shawn {11}, Allison{10}, and Mariah (3). The forbidden marriage was on the rocks for the constant moving and racial tension which caused their house to be shot up, their dogs to be poisoned and their cares to be blown up. As imagined the family leaned upon each other to fight through these times and even when Patricia decided it was time to move her children from there she looked to her children for the inspiration and strength she needed to divorce Alfred which she did. Over the next 15 times the Carey family would move over 23 times, live in friends homes with not one to call their own and lived just barely above the poverty line. As Mariah was a child even though due to their economical situation her mother who was an opera singer gave her singing lessons and always told her to dream big for anything was possible, he told her not to say if I become a singer but when and because of this push from her mother and the money her older brother Shawn put in to make her a demo she succeeded and who would of thought only 2 years after that demo was beginning to be made she would be signed and nearly 20 years later Mariah would be the best selling female artist in history with over 180 million records sold. This without a doubt is the example of family and community, the push each other to do things un-imaginable and light a fire underneath of them, they lean upon each other in times of need and go on to succeed in life. Last but not least is my favorite family of them all, my own. My family is known for it’s hospitable family business and Croydon in which my grandfather starter some 50 years ago and established himself as the Santa Clause of Croydon, giving oil to families who needed it whether they had money or not that way they would not live the way he grew up in cold orphanages. My family is so reliant on each other I believe because that is something my grandfather started in us, he had no one to rely on growing up so he taught my father and later my sister, brother and I that we always had somewhere to fall back on no matter what mistakes we have made or no matter what we may be, we will be accepted. Since my grandfather married by grandmother Shirley and started the business he relied upon her to stay at home and take over the phones, taking down calls and orders and basically having a phone attached to her ear. People relied upon my grandfather and family for oil to heat their houses and keep their children warm and my grandfather would get up 2 or 3 in the morning to fix heaters or go out and deliver oil on all holidays and weekends, even on Christmas Eve, there was no break for him. He did this so my father who was born 10 years later would have the funds to live a nice childhood unlike himself and than taught my father subconsciously hard work and what it meant to help others. Even though my grandfather is gone he still continues to inspire us to be hardworking and reliant upon each other for many do not have what we have, the ability to have clothes on our back and food to eat and warmth in our bones. With William Winfield Wolf IV my nephew now almost two it is now my brother, sister and myself responsibility to carry on the good nature and thoughtfulness, though a big burden to fill the Santa Claus of Croydon’s shoes. We as a community and family are self reliant upon each other and now we will be accepted and loved unconditionally no matter what we may do or what may happen. In conclusion, the family is the ideal community. They push each other up and inspire one another to be something more than they could ever dream, they care and protect for one another and catch them as they fall and most importantly they love one another and without that love who knows where we would be today.

Community

2009-04-16T20:12:49Z

Fuzzball

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My science paper

2009-02-25T18:18:33Z

Fuzzball

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Our subject is Selective Breeding and Hybridization. What is selective breeding and hybridization? Because of the study of Mendel and Darwin, Selective Breeding has broken its way into Science textbooks as a logical study. The general basis of Selective breeding is fairly easy; Selective breeding all means the ability to alter the phenotype of offspring. A phenotype is obviously a genetic trait visible physically. Selective breeding is such a phenomenon because it may be possible for people to alter genes for their own use such as high crop yields and even to the most complicated issues such as diseases in humans such as altimirs and heart disease. Selective breeding is done by joining two dominate alleles for particular genes such as a quick metabolism in one species of animal or plant. Since dominant alleles have been joined it is most likely that some of the offspring will be the breed that was hoped for; these are known as hybrids though sometimes they are heterozygous meaning they possess both dominant and recessive alleles for one trait. Selective breeding is some times the referred to as artificial selection or selective breeding and poses no threat to the human race nor nature since manipulating the course of nature results in many positive things to happen. Selective breeding may be methodical or unconscious. Methodical selection is oriented toward a predetermined standard, whereas unconscious selection is the result of biases in the preservation of valuable individuals. Methodical selection requires great care in discriminating among organisms and is capable of rapid change in specific traits, such as milk production or silk color. Unconscious selection, more common in ancient times, resulted in grains and seeds such as wheat, barley, oats, peas, and beans, and in animal traits such as speed and intelligence. Who invented it? While it is hard to trace back the original origin of selective breeding we think we have a fairly good of when this came to. Selective breeding began about 10,000 years ago, after the end of the last Ice Age. Hunter-gatherers began to keep flocks and herds and to cultivate cereals and other plants. This process of domestication was probably stimulated by a combination of human population pressure and environmental stress caused by a rapid change in climate. Global warming at the end of the Ice Age created drought in areas where rainfall had previously provided sufficient water, forcing people to congregate around reliable water sources. The increased population density favored the cultivation of plant and animal species for use during times when they were not naturally plentiful. Selective breeding and hybridization was used by the nineteenth century British naturalist Charles Darwin as a springboard to introduce the theory of natural selection in which favorable heritable traits are passed down through generations and centuries of animals and plants. What organisms/species if this used with? Like natural selection, selective breeding requires genetic variation on which to act. If the variation in a trait is strictly environmentally induced, then the selected variants will not be inherited by the next generation. Selective breeding also requires controlled mating. Thus, animals that are social and easily manipulated, such as bovids , sheep, and dogs, were easier targets for selective breeding than territorial species, such as cats and other carnivores. What are the benefits to hybridiation? The benefits of hybridization are un-parralleled since they provide farmers and others the ability to produce produce that are more resistant to rotting quickly or insects. Resulting in much more food productivity in the world and even decrease money spent by farmers that averages about 12 billion dollars nationally that will simply be washed away or evaporate. Selective breeding also gives the possibility of taking likable traits for one species of animals and plant them in another resulting in a longer life and perhaps even some day we will be able to alter disease causing genetics in humans. What are the risks? Of-course there is no magic bullet and everything must be tested on a large scale which may result in a number of mutations and such. The biggest issue is that of people believing by altering genes we are playing ‘god.’ But we must question if this risk is worth its results.

Essay

2009-02-10T01:30:35Z

Fuzzball

+1 raves

Homework; a word that strikes annoyance into the hearts of all students. I think we have all been in the situation at one point or another when you have worked studiously through the night on homework. You work by the light of the moon, bleeding grimly through your curtains and the dim light of your desk lamp, your eyes droop shut but you reach for another caffeinated beverage to keep yourself up. Your hand cramps and you wonder if you will be able to move it in the morning, if you get that far. The chirp of the crickets outside and the sound of your father snoring in the next room reminds you, that it is 3 o'clock in the morning and you are still doing homework! Ever since the torture of homework has been practiced students have struggled with many aspects of homework; whether is be lack of time doing it between jobs and extracurricular activities of inability to do work at home since concentration is close to impossible, these reasons are unlimited and mostly not just cop out excuses, these are real problems that many students experience and in this essay I will explain several of the reasons why homework should be limited to just an hour or two a night. Firstly and possibly the most traumatic aspect that gives student difficulty is the overwhelming amount of homework thrown from different teachers. This homework can sometimes take you long into the night as you attempt to get it all done. A teenager is expected to get nine to nine and a half hours of sleep a night which if you do the math means that teens should be called asleep at roughly at 8'clock at night to meet the usual harsh morning wake up call of 5:30. Let's face it, not many can meet this goal especially with the amount of homework given. Students who are dedicated to their work and strive to do well will stay up all night if neccessary to work. Sleep deprivation causes inability to control stress and emotions, lack of self confidence and moodswings and even depression. Also when students are staying up to work at night they are falling asleep in class! Not all of us can be caffeinated insomniacs like some teachers! (Ms.Acevedo). My second aspect is the number of students working that don't have the time to do the homework. Of-course an amount of an hour or two a night would be fine but this is rare. With the recession putting pressure on all of us many teens are pressed to get jobs from their parents and when they do so hours are long and rough. This also goes hand and hand with sleep deprivation for those that work will stay up at night to complete work. Another issue is when students are engaging in extra-curricular activities which parents also push students into for hope of scholarships. For example, a few years ago I played for two softball teams; Croydon Little League and F.D.R. After school I would practice with F.D.R until five thirty and than practice with the little league until about eight. Needless to say if I could bring myself to shower and eat at the end of the day that was an accomplishment, luckily I had the option to quit but I know many people who do not have this option, who are forced to play sports and than also to keep up their grades. And my last point is; How many of us want to dedicate more time than needed to school work? As stated before the one or two hours of homework is understandable but when it takes you hours on end what really is the point? We are not reinforcing what we had already learned but just doing it to get it done, to be able to sleep and have some free time away from school. Many will agree that social interaction is an important part of teenagers lives, to build social skills needed later in the work place. We cannot do this all at once! Homework takes time away from friends and family. In conclusion; homework is assigned to reinforce previous learning but it is often more harmful than good. I have explained my reasoning and I feel it is time to give a reasonable amount of homework that way students are able to complete it while fulfilling their other obligations. To much homework can be traumatic to students and put them under an incredible amount of stress, stress unneeded at our age when we have so much more to stress about. A time when many tell us we should make the most of but than we are bogged down with homework. Homework should be limited to an hour or two at night that way students can reinforce what they learn but also enjoy life outside of the classroom.

Pro february

2009-02-06T19:52:24Z

Fuzzball

0 raves

PRO The resolution states that on balance, the rise of Brazil, Russia, India and China has had a positive impact on the United States. These four countries share a number of characteristics in common, including large land areas and populations, rapidly growing economies, access to diverse human and natural resources and an interest in increasing their influences on the international stage. The stakes could not be higher for how the U.S. manages this rise. According to many analysts and global balance of power, expressed in balance-of-arms and balance-of-payments, is being literally rewritten as economic, social, and military might shifts from the West towards the BRIC and other emerging economies. For our paper we state a simple point, whatever helps China, Brazil, Russia and India helps the U.S. greatly.

Noteworthy conversation.

2009-01-14T23:35:36Z

Fuzzball

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In the kitchen eating our Micky D's. : ] Me: Did you know in China they eat like duck fetuses? Mom: Really? Me: Yeah, we eat the un-fertilized egg they eat the fertilized egg that has been growing for a bit. Mom: Maybe that's why they have such shiny hair. Me: Such shiny hair? Mom: Yeah. Me: But...Wow. [Looks to my dad in the other room] Me: Dad! Does eating duck fetuses make your hair shiny? Dad: I don't know, it's been a while since I ate a duck penis. Me: I didn't say Duck Penis! I said Duck fetus! and my little four year old sister yelled back. "Yeah no Duck Penises!"

Advice?

2009-01-02T17:19:21Z

Fuzzball

+1 raves

I'm desperate at this point. A few weeks ago my ear begun to hurt badly, we thought it was swimming. Now for the past four days I've had a terrible head-ache. I get alot of head-aches so I didn't suspect anything of it. I've also noticed that either my jaw or my ear has been hurting, I can't tell which one since it's in such a bad spot. These head-aches have progressed and are getting worse every-day, when I stand up or move My head pounds, possibly the worse pain I have ever felt in my life and get dizzy and almost fall down. This has been happening for four days now and it will NOT go away, my mom says it's nothing to worry about since I don't have a fever I'm just wondering what I can do to make this go away, it's hell.

Misconceptions and Irony in Tudor England

2008-12-28T20:27:41Z

Fuzzball

+4 raves

Henry VIII did not gorge himself his size was due to normal eating but lack of physical activity due to an ulcer on his leg due to a jousting incident. Anne Boleyn did not have a sixth finger, this rumor was said to be made up in the Victorian Era. Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VII was forced to marry Louis XII of France and than was given freedom of her second marriage and married Henry's good friend, Charles Brandon the duke of Suffolk. Henry VIII only had one legitimate child...well according to himself he only recognized his son Edward from his late wife Jane Seymour is legitimate child, even though he did have three {or more} children; Mary daughter of Katherine or Aragon, Elizabeth I daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry Fitzroy, son of Bessie Blount. Henry VIII did not rejoice at the death of Katherine or Aragon, him and his new Bride Anne Boleyn dressed in the color of yellow on that day, the Spanish color of royal mourning. Henry VIII was not the first heir to the throne, His brother Arthur was but he died of the sweating sickness so Henry became first in line of succession, he was originally meant for a life in the church! More to come.