Benton and Rural America

The Controversy of Giotto and Francis

The Annunciation

At The Window

The Triumphant Jesus Forgiving Penitent Sinners

Voorhines on Picasso

I was able to find an article by James Voorhines, in which he shares with his readers the evolution of such a credited artist; Pablo Picasso. The author refers to Pablo Picasso as an artistic genius at the opening of the article. He goes on to discuss Picasso’s impact on the world of art, and attributes development in the area to him. Throughout the article, the author praises Picasso on his works. Though he proclaims that he may prefer a certain style to the other, he does not speak poorly of any of Picasso’s eras of work. He seems to be fascinated with the different collaborations Picasso has had with other artists.

Picasso moved on to work on art that would be considered more pleasant by observers. Context clues tell us that the author too found this era more attractive. He excitedly gives in detail description of the vibrancy of the circus performers inspired work;this lead to styles of Cubism in which Pablo Picasso is widely remembered for.

Although world renowned, and famous, Cubism didn’t sick around long. Picasso went back to painting more traditionally after WWI. The sparked the Neoclassical Period. From this section of the reading, I gathered that the author seems impressed with the way Picasso’s versatility in that he is able to transition from one style of art to another. The author goes on to talk about many later forms of art contributed by Picasso, and in closure he pays tribute to the artist’s attributions to the arts.

"Unsettled"

Pablo Picasso: Blue Period

Pablo Picasso's Phallic Symbol: the Ace of Clubs

In his long and varied career, Pablo Picasso experimented with numerous symbols and motifs, some of which spanned his entire art career, others which appeared for only a short few years. One motif, which is limited to the second decade of the twentieth century, is the ace of clubs. It first appeared in Picasso's work in 1911, and last appeared in 1920. The greatest number of works containing the ace of clubs was produced in the years 1913 and 1914. Although other artists such as Georges Braque and Juan Gris also painted the ace of clubs in their still life paintings, Picasso's stands out much more because it rarely appears with other playing cards, and Picasso only once included cards without the ace of clubs being present as well. Given Picasso's liking for creating paintings with deep meaning, we should not be surprised to find that even something so harmless as a particular playing card may have special importance. In the article, “The Phallic Club: The Iconography and Symbology of Pablo Picasso's Ace”, the author examines the symbolic elements of the works that include the ace of clubs and Picasso's personal relationships at the time shows that this card, for Picasso, was phallic, an image of the male reproductive organ, symbolizing the male generative power in nature, and how it differs from other artists’ use of the ace of clubs.

Several scholars have recognized that Picasso's still-lifes are metaphors for sexuality. One scholar, for example, wrote that the paintings from the 1920s "bear out Picasso's characterization of his work as a diary, an ongoing record of his life, fantasies, and loves." As the article explains, Picasso’s ace of clubs idea of the 1910s reflects his own love life. Francoise Gilot. one of Picasso's later lovers, connected the still-lifes with objects of desire, she said, "..things that are the means by which we obtain temporary relief, intoxication, or ecstasy; food, alcohol, tobacco, or musical instruments." The presence of cards, she explained, was probably a reference to the Cardplayers (1890) by the great precursor of Cubism, a style of painting and sculpture developed in the early 20thcentury, characterized chiefly by an emphasis on formal structure,the reduction of natural forms to their geometrical equivalents,and the organization of the planes of a represented object independently of representational requirements, Paul Cézanne. However, this does not explain why the ace of clubs appears in all but one of Picasso's works that contain playing cards or why none of Cezanne's versions includes the ace. Out of the fifty-seven paintings, collages, and constructions in which the ace of clubs appears, only eleven include other cards, and in only five of those they face up. The only exception is Picasso's Still life "QUI" (1912) which includes only a four of clubs.

Although the ace of clubs was Picasso's card of choice, its coinciding presence in the work of other artists suggests that the symbolic representation he assigned to it was coincidental. Also, in Picasso's first three works in which it appears, all of which are paintings, it is present with other cards: the ace of hearts, a six and four of diamonds, and an ace of spades. According to the article, many of the objects Picasso added to his paintings, like musical instruments, cards, dice, wine, cigarettes, pipes, wine glasses, and fragmented words, call for scenes of play and light hearted enjoyment. The incorporation of these other cards suggests that at first Picasso wanted to refer to the notion of play. While other artists continued using playing cards in their works, Picasso's focus on the ace of clubs indicates that he moved beyond the simple association of play.

The evidence suggests that Picasso, consciously or otherwise, used the ace of clubs as a symbol of his own sexual dominance. The actual club, as depicted in the Spanish deck, is a weapon. Spears, knives, guns, clubs, and other weapons have been historically and artistically associated with men and male sexuality. For example, the attribute of Hercules is a large club. Italian noblemen of the Renaissance ensured that their sword hilts were prominently displayed in their portraits to express their political and sexual potency. Throughout mythology and literature, weapons have symbolized the virile strength of men and the might of rulers and gods. They represent a man's ability to protect his family and his ability to produce one. This is especially relevant during this period of war; Picasso took a symbol of militaristic dominance and infused it with sexual associations. As a playing card, the weapon-club is different; described as phallus, it is sexualized. In Picasso's late work there is a prevalence of swords, muskets, pipes, and paint brushes, which are all consciously phallic. Thus, painting, love making, and creation become one. As a phallic symbol, Picasso's ace of clubs vaguely resembles a penis and testicles and it frequently points either up as if erect, or toward traditional female or maternal symbols. Of the fifty-seven works that include the ace of dubs, only seven exclude traditionally female or maternal symbols, like vessels (glasses, bottles, and vases).

Picasso sometimes paired the ace of clubs with the guitar, his "favored metaphor for a woman... with its sound hole or 'trou' as her conspicuously available genitals," in Ma Jolie (1914), the ace of clubs is quite close to and pointing at the opening of the guitar, under the banner, "Ma Jolie." The words "Ma Jolie" included in the work were Picasso's reference to Eva, his new lover. Others say that it also refer to Fernande Olivier, who was still with Picasso when the work was executed. Therefore, the work was a first song to Eva and a final one to Fernande, since he was seeing both at the time.

The use of Picasso’s ace of clubs is different than the use of it by any other artist. His use of the motif shows a correlation to the sexual dominance in how own life. Picasso's introduction of the ace of clubs into his art is significant in its correlation with his own biography, with his relationships with Fernande Oliver, Eva Gouel, Olga Keklova, and Marie-Thérèse Walter, along with other events of the period. This correlation fits perfectly the statement that Gilot made about him: "Picasso thought about his canvases as being the different pages of an autobiography. The artist himself is always present within his creation." The ace, creates allusions to Picasso himself.

Did Healthier Dieting Provide a Happier Lifestyle?

Healthy Diets for a Happy Lifestyle

O'Keeffe: More Than a Woman

As a whole, women artists have always fallen short to their male counterparts. Despite being regarded as a prominent American female artist, Georgia O’Keeffe’s works have been criticized throughout her lifetime and even after her death. Sexist art critics realize O’Keeffe’s significance in the art world, but nonetheless critique her paintings’ elements and form.  As a female, the idea of women’s inferiority to men is unmistakable. In the article, “Sexist Art Criticism: Georgia O'Keeffe-a Case Study,” the author uses various sources to demonstrate the claim that sexual criticism has persistently demeaned the work of O’Keeffe. Those who pay special attention to and value artwork may find this particularly offensive.

According to one such art critic, much of O’Keeffe’s early work has shown a womanly preoccupation with sex. For example, her flower enlargement paintings were referred to as “an uneasy selection of phallic symbols.” Her flower paintings, as stated by Samuel Kootz, represent O’Keeffe primarily as a woman and not as an artist, because they exhibit the female sexual anatomy. In her best efforts, O’Keeffe painted the flowers to illuminate their realistic detailing and characteristics, not to portray sexual imagery. How can a simple painting be transformed to such a sexist debate? It all begins with the ideas of other artists and art critics. Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings are world renowned, and not only show a woman’s strength, but also shows the strength of one individual to convey such expression and perfection.

The article further describes O’Keeffe as the “spokesman” for emotional women.  Confining O’Keeffe to her life as a woman, critics state that her paintings reflect a woman’s nature and her utter belief in womanhood. That is, her works suggest no traces of intellect or profound feelings. This claim demonstrates the stereotypical idea that men are held to a higher standard than women. Society suggests this notion in many aspects, but the professional world should be one of equality. O’Keeffe’s paintings show great intellect and are extremely meticulous. How many male artists pay attention to small details and paint with such pristineness, so that their viewers can get a real sense of the objects?

Clearly, female artists are continuously fighting an uphill battle against sexism. As explored through Georgia O’Keeffe’s works, critics have found fault in her style and attribute it to her gender. However, in most instances it seems certain that O’Keeffe’s work is merely a reflection of her own taste and does not correlate with any form of sexism. In actuality, Georgia O’Keeffe’s works merely symbolize her love for art and nature’s beauty through her paintings of flowers, landscapes, and cultural objects.

Understanding O'Keeffe

Takashi Murakami

Pablo Picasso Voice Thread

Blurring the Line Between Commercial and Traditional Art

Commercial art, often overlooked as actual art, can be seen everywhere. Whether it is product placement in movies/shows, billboards, or album covers, commercial art proves to be the key to improving sales of a product. The article “Takashi Murakami – Murakami Versailles”, by Jina Valentine, discusses Murakami’s work and how it has blurred the line between commercial and traditional art. Such confusion of the separation worries artists and those trying to keep the two completely separate. Much of his work identifies as having inappropriate patterns that come in conflict with traditional art, specifically with the era of Louis XIV, by manipulating minor details.

Murakami agreed with the Art Asian Pacific that his art sometimes gave the notion of a party crasher, but he also argued that his work gave meaning to many old paintings that marble statues could and cannot give. An example of this can be seen in the Oval Buddha Silver, where a five-foot tall silver figure by Murakami stands dead center in one of Salon de l'Abondance’s paintings. The statue seems out of place with the majestic trims and frescoed ceiling type parts within the painting. But to Murakami, the statue is an entrance into a new style and meaning of art; one that uses both traditional and modern aspects integrated together. Tongari, an eight-meter statue positioned at the center of a lotus flower stands in front of Apothese d’Hercule (Apotheosis of Hercules). The meaning and interpretation of this positioning is up to the viewer. Some think Tongari either represents as being banned from heaven or sent there as a representative. These are just two examples given by Valentine that introduce a new figure into a traditional painting, changing the meaning of the piece.

Takashi Murakami’s most famous character is Mr. DoB, which can be altered by changing its colors and facial expressions into millions of variations. Mr. DOB can be seen in many of Murakami’s works; in several pieces his signature character is used as the statue in more traditional pieces, causing commotion of whether he has degraded the traditional piece or enriched it. Mr. DOB is usually a two-dimensional animal like character with big ears. Looking at traditional pieces with Mr. DOB centered in the middle confuses many viewers, but Murakami believes placing such an out of the ordinary figure enhances each piece, giving it a completely new meaning and interpretation. Mr. DoB gives a sense of modernism and antiqueness to art.

Because of Murakami’s adverse work, exhibitions of his work in France have been banned. Some traditionalist groups believe such patterns within traditional pieces are an insult to the art of Louis’s era. But Valentine states that Takashi Murakami’s work generates a lot of intrigue through the use of the 17th and 18th century eccentric line effects, making art merge into “unnatural environments”. Traditional art fills much of the art world and it is time to create new pieces that no one has done before. Many of his pieces, however, are said to have balance between object and setting as well as coldness and warmth at the same time. Balance and setting is crucial when placing figures in unnatural environments. The coldness comes from the modern mass-production of his characters, while the warmth comes from the “obscene cuteness” and “semblance to ubiquitous, mass-produced toys” which remind us of childhood memories. Takashi Murakami’s work has created up stir, but it is time that other artists become more creative and begin creating pieces that cause people to ask questions and be captivated at first sight.

Waking up & Working Out: The Info Strikes Back

Ending the Vicious Procrastination Cycle: Part II

Did Strength Exercises Decrease Joint Pain?

Procrastination Followup Podcast

Procrastination Podcast

Waking Up and Working Out

How to Decrease Joint Pain

Ending the Vicious Procrastination Cycle

Indulging in Fatty Foods Won't Lead to Happiness for Long

Adolescence is a time of rapid physical, psychological, and social development. While developing, they need to be informed of healthy eating habits that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, this period frequently comes with the onset of psychiatric illness; three-quarters of lifetime psychiatric disorders will first emerge in adolescence or early adulthood. Recent data suggests diet and nutrition is a reoccurring factor in pathophysiological depressive illness. There have been experiences demonstrated to show the inverse associations between habitual diet quality and the likelihood of clinically determined depressive and anxiety disorders.

A study completed by The Healthy Neighborhoods included a 14-item dietary questionnaire which included questions about what people ate for breakfast, the different types of beverages they drank, and takeaway food consumed. The questionnaire was designed to assess dietary patterns associated with positive energy balance and food behaviors and measures the intake of key foods that are indicative of less/more healthy food choices. Based on Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia, a healthy diet score was constructed from answers to four dietary items. Participants were given a point for each of the following: breakfast every day before school; low fat dairy food at least once per day; at least two serves of fruit per day; and at least four serves of vegetables per day. An unhealthy diet score was derived from the sum of answers to the following four questions: consumption of hamburgers, hot dogs or sausages, potato chips or fatty snacks, doughnuts, cake, pie, chocolate and other sweets, and sweet drinks such as sodas, plus a question regarding the frequency of takeaway foods. The range for the final score was zero to four, which was subsequently recoded as categories 1, which was an unhealthy diet to 5, a healthy diet.

Depression was measured utilizing the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ), which was created to use in studies of depression for children and adolescents. The SMFQ comprises 13 items relating to mood states, has high internal consistency, and correlates with other well-validated measures based on a depression scale. Effect modification by age or gender was also assessed. Results show correlations between both healthy and unhealthy dietary scores and covariates. A higher healthy diet score was associated with: younger age; more physical activity, less smoking, higher paternal and maternal education, higher paternal employment status, lower risk of family conflict and poor family management; and a higher dieting score. In contrast, an unhealthy diet was associated with: a lower dieting score, less physical activity, greater family conflict and poor family management, smoking, lower parental employment and education status, a lower BMI. This shows how the negative stands with the negative, and positive stands with the positive.  The inverse relationship of healthy diet score to symptomatic depression was apparent both before and after adjustments for age, gender, physical activity, work status, adolescent diet scale, and family conflict and largely followed a dose response curve. The results overall show that along with other circumstances and unhealthy diet leads to a more depressed lifestyle, and vice versa.

In this study, it was reported that both a lower devotion to the consumption of foods promoted by the Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia, and greater consumption of unhealthy and processed foods, are associated with increased odds for self-reported symptomatic depression in adolescents. These relationships remained strong after adjustment for a wide range of potential factors.  These findings support previous research reporting associations between diet quality and mental health outcomes in adolescents, and between diet quality and depression in adults. They suggest that both low intakes of nutrient-dense foods, and/or high intakes of high-energy, nutrient-poor foods are related to an increase in the likelihood of adolescents being depressed.

            This study proves that when children scored low in the diet scales, the consequently scored low on the depression scales. The reverse happened to people who had healthy diets, living happier adolescent lives. If children begin to develop depression, it needs to be fixed so that it does not continue for the rest of their lives, in order to fix the issue at hand they need to be watched in what they eat and how often they eat, this way they do not consume such an unhealthy diet and develop habits of unhealthy eating. This will better prepare them for a healthier, happier lifestyle.

Jacka, Felice N., Peter J. Kremer, Eva R. Leslie, Michael Berk, George C. Patton, John W. Toumbourou, and Joanna W. Williams. "Associations Between Diet Quality and Depressed Mood in Adolescents: Results from the Australian Healthy Neighbourhoods Study." SAGE Journals (2010). Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. SAGE Journals, 01 May 2010. Web. 03 Mar. 2012. <http://anp.sagepub.com/content/44/5/435.full.pdf html>.

Body Image

Although many people are raised hearing their parents say that they are perfect just the way they are, many people develop body image distortion, which can cause eating disorders. Psychologists have been trying to establish overarching theories supporting why people develop eating disorders, and while time has passed, different theories have become accepted and then rejected. Finding why individuals develop eating disorders is important, because if scientists can understand what causes them, the development can be stopped. Once Scientists understand why people develop this sickness, society can stop their pain and suffering. This article, by Donald Williamson, explores cognitive-behavioral theories concerning eating disorders.

One theory model says that the major factors of eating disorders are the body self-schema, cognitive biases, binge eating, compensatory behavior, negative reinforcement of compensatory behavior by reduction of negative emotion, and these are psychological risk factors that people who have eating disorders are believed to have. Although many people are not familiar with these terms, they are pretty easy to understand, and they are all related. A body self-schema is the belief that a person has about the way that they look. The body self-schema is a very important part of the model of this theory. Theorists believe that a risk factor for eating disorders is an over concern with an individual’s body size and shape that can be agitated by external and internal cues. Many of these cues have to do with food. A cognitive bias is a pattern of deviation in judgment that can lead to irrationality. Binge eating is when an individual suffers from episodes of uncontrollable eating. Compensatory behaviors are behaviors that are believed to ‘undo eating’. Negative reinforcement is taking something away so that a behavior will be increased. All of these things are related for eating disorders because if an individual believes that they look a certain way, and then they have an irrational belief system that leads them to unrealistic expectations to lose weight, and then they develop an eating disorder, and they binge, and then to compensate for that behavior, they can do things like purge themselves or take pills, and then they avoid eating because it makes them feel guilty. When the ideas are broken down, it’s quite simple. Some other psychological risk factors of this model for eating disorders are a fear of being fat, an over concern with body size and shape, an internalization of a thin ideal and shape, and a perfectionist and obsession with their image.

There are several cognitive biases that psychologists believe are used by those with eating disorders, and these biases maintain and reinforce their belief systems. Some psychologists have hypothesized that those individuals with eating disorders will listen to stimuli concerning food differently than those without eating disorders. One method that is used to test this hypothesis uses words related to eating, weight, and shape to test for cognitive interference. The results of the test show that by comparison, people with anorexia or bulimia respond slower to food related words. Another way of testing this hypothesis is called a dichotic listening task. This test finds that in individuals with eating disorders, selective information processing is used. The results of these tests suggest that people with eating disorders are more likely to listen to information about weight. This hypothesis is known as an attention bias. Another hypothesis is called the memory bias, which essentially means that individuals with eating disorders more readily encode into their memory information that regards weight. To test this, researchers presented a list of words that were neutral, words that referred to a fat body, and words to refer to a body that was not fat, and they found that those with eating disorders were able to remember more words about a fat body than the control group. One bias hypothesis is known as the selective interpretation bias. The selective interpretation bias is where a person interprets the information that they receive in a way that justifies their body self schema. The idea behind this is that even though someone with an eating disorder is receiving neutral information, they turn the information in such a way that it matches their beliefs.

A ‘good’ physical appearance is the goal of many people because in today’s society, every day we are shown images of what we are supposed to look like. Some psychologists believe that a common denominator of those with eating disorders is that there is a great gap between what people believe they look like, and what they actually look like. Many psychologists also theorize that an extreme drive for thinness and over valuing the importance of physical appearances is used to achieve and then maintain eating disorders. Many of the people surrounding an individual with an eating disorder are unknowingly supporting the thin ideal, and therefore giving justification to the eating disorder.
Although there are many theories and hypotheses on why individuals have eating disorders, it is a very difficult topic to study because many cases are so different. Maybe one day, scientists will be able to figure out why people are affected by eating disorders, but for now, much more research still needs to be done.

Fear the Facebook?

As a whole, we have all become too familiar with those time consuming, procrastination achieving, social networking sites. To make this idea more apparent, findings from a recent study state that 87% of adolescents (ages 12 to 17) report using the Internet. I, myself, spend an immense amount of time dedicated to browsing the Internet. Such Internet use provides adolescents and young adults with the opportunity to communicate with friends and family members; however, the Internet, especially social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, may potentially serve as harmful distractions from daily life. “To Tweet, or Not to Tweet,” expresses several protective factors within Internet use by examining social networking gender differences and potential positive and negative Internet use effects.

To emphasize the prevalence of social networking use among adolescents, the article’s authors focused on gender differences among Internet use. As a result, researchers from the Pew Internet and American Life Project identified Internet use differences among different races, ethnicities, and income. They further concluded that the majority of teenagers regularly use the Internet, emphasizing that African Americans (77%) are less likely (77%) than Caucasian adolescents (87%) to browse the Internet. These statistics signify the strong relationship between race and leisure activity participation, particularly Internet use. Furthermore, the significance of adolescents’ household incomes in relation to Internet use demonstrates that low-income adolescents are less likely than others to report web browsing. Although not always accurate, it can be inferred that Internet use is most prevalent among Caucasian and middle to higher income adolescents. Based on these findings, protective factors can be implemented for those people who tend to engage in Internet use more often than others. This way, adolescents with higher Internet use rates will be able to understand its possible negative effects.

Popular Internet methods, such as social networking sites, blogging, and email, are positive web browsing techniques that allow adolescents to engage in communication and further their technological skills. Social networking sites (i.e. Facebook and Twitter) allow users to create a personal profile that may contain pictures and their correlating information. SNS are beneficial in that they make friends and family members easily accessible by the click of a mouse. Their popularity is demonstrated by the numerous 91% of the adolescent community engaged in social networking sites. Blogging, too, is an Internet method in which users connect and stay in touch with friends they see frequently or rarely see personally. Emailing is yet another accepted web browsing method that is seen more in college aged students rather than younger teenagers. Emailing is a quick and easy way to relay information back and forth to professors or classmates. Emailing, however, is not as frequently utilized as social networking sites which are common distractions for adolescents. This leads to the article’s idea of interest: Although there are positive aspects of Internet use, can it be harmful to its users, specifically adolescents?

The article’s main concerns are online social activity threats which include cyberbullying and sexual predators. Cyberbulling is defined as the harassment or bullying of an individual electronically, and it usually occurs through social networking sites. A United States survey of 10 to 17 year old Internet users that had used the Internet at least once per month in the past 6 months reported that 9% were cyberbullying victims. This behavior’s negative effects can be detrimental to adolescents, damaging their well-being. Sexual predators are also common dangers to those who frequently use the Internet. As teenagers browse the Internet, there is the possibility of a sexual predator on the other side of the computer screen. The article states that the arrest number against sexual predators does not even begin to account for all of the acts committed. As demonstrated throughout the article, frequent Internet use correlates with higher risks of the threats mentioned above. Parental monitoring of adolescents’ activities represents the most direct way to address adolescent behavior and may potentially minimize negative risks and consequences. It is imperative that young Internet users, as well as parents, understand the severity of these dangerous acts and take primary cautions when their kids are browsing the Internet.

Online social media, such as social networking sites, have become integral parts of adolescents’ and young adults’ lives. Parents should strive to better understand these sites and the potential benefits and hazards of adolescent online activities.

Say, "NO!" to Procrastination

School work has normally been easy for me; I never had to study for tests and exams. I procrastinated on assignments until the night before they were due; and this strategy worked: typical “A” student. My honors and even Advanced Placement classes were an “easy A.” Procrastinating worked for me, until I got to college of course. This should be a stage where I know what study habits work for me, but I find it difficult to achieve A’s. Although college has many resources that make academic achievement possible, we study independently, and the responsibility is yours to excel academically. Most students believe, “Oh it’s only your first year, you have time to figure out the ropes and improve your GPA.” Do you really? The demands of success are at an all time high, and to be successful today you need at least a Bachelor’s degree, or have some type of “talent.” Those who are realist like me, we know we will never be Carrie Underwood or Beyonce’ so we went to college. Outside of class time and in class assignments, students are usually required to do at home projects or homework assignments: the thing most dreaded by students. I found an article from the online journal Behavior Modification titled “Increasing the On-Task Homework Behavior of Youth with Behavior Disorders Using Functional Behavioral Assessment.” The research discussed in this journal refers to the positive correlation of homework and learning. If done, homework and other assignments give students, in college or middle school, extra practice to learn material taught in the classroom. That’s no secret; the work wouldn’t be assigned if not. Yet there are too many students with the same “A student” mindset that I had who feel they can wait until the last minute or they can ace an exam based off of memory and crossed fingers. The online journal discusses how students escape the demands of schoolwork while trying to maintain their expected grades.

In the Behavior Modification article, there was a study done on children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) because they have an inability to stay “on-task” and are easily side tracked. These disorders include ADHD, anxiety, OCD, and depression. These students have difficulty staying engaged in assignments, remembering tasks, and time management. Teachers are concerned that their students do not complete out of class assignments because according to researchers, homework improves attitudes towards school, builds study habits, and allows the child’s parents to get involved with their child’s education. Though staying focused may be a challenge for the students with disorders, but it is possible. Students struggling from such can discover ways to improve their behavior by taking a functional behavior assessment (FBA).


As a word of advice from myself to others struggling from procrastination or what-have-you, think about the bigger picture. Think about how doing well in school will only benefit and broaden your future. I personally saved my screensaver to my dream car as a small way of motivation. I know if I want to be successful, I need to do well in school to have a great career.

http://bmo.sagepub.com/content/32/6/840

How to - Improve Your Tennis Skills

Recent research shows that reinforcement involving feedback and praise within sports such as swimming, football, and tennis differs according to the type of attention given. These differences depend on the type of attention given, whether it is given to correct behavior or wrong behavior. Sports are quickly becoming more competitive, and it is becoming harder to reach the professional leagues; therefore, it is important to educate young athletes about ways to improve their athletic abilities. A research study, “Differential Reinforcement in Coaching Tennis Skills,” focuses on major tennis skills (forehand, backhand, and serve) while implementing different reinforcement types. The study participants gave both positive and negative feedback to the tennis players. Positive reinforcement is a behavioral technique used to increase desired behavior, whereas negative reinforcement is a technique involving a desired performance increase by avoiding poor performance. Both studies show that positive reinforcement along with negative reinforcement, rather than negative feedback, greatly influences and increases tennis abilities when considering forehand, backhand, and serve.

To obtain information for the “Differential Reinforcement in Coaching Tennis Skills” experiment, previous studies concerning the correlation between physical performance and reinforcement were researched. Discovered studies have shown that positive feedback/praise improves a young football team’s performance (the feedbacks provided included both verbal and visual). Other studies included providing monetary reinforcement, positive practices, and time-out procedures, hoping to improve athletic ability. These reinforcements have proven that when altering motor behaviors, greater improvement can be observed with positive reinforcement.

For the tennis behavior modification experiment, the experimenter picked three female students, beginners, to join a tennis class. The class implemented the three main strokes: forehand, backhand, and serve. The tennis class lasted thirty minutes, daily, instructed by a female tennis coach. Two people observed the class because “correct” strokes could be of varying perspectives; the observers did not interact with the players. Each stroke had specific criteria, which the observers used to judge the improvement over time. After each shot the players received either praise or negative comments for their efforts. Positive feedback included: “good shot” or “you are starting to bend your knees”. Negative feedback included: “that was a bad shot” or “you are not listening to me”. The observers noted the final increased ability after ten repetitive shots.

Final results showed that positive praise for correct performance increased the three tennis students’ correct performance by approximately 30%. The two observers converted every ten shot observations into statistical data: ability to hit the shot, and percent improvement. For student 1, correct performance without praise ranged from 6% to 17% while with praise the percentage increased to 42-52%. Student 2 had a smaller performance range: 8-15%, before the experiment. After positive feedback, her performance increased, 24-31% performance ability. The third student experienced a similar increase; 7-18% before, 40-66% after. The coach reduced negative feedback through out the class, but increased positive feedback. The experiment showed that positive reinforcement, while coaching, drastically improves performance. As a result, to improve their student’s ability in athletics, coaches should give positive comments and ignore the negative performances.



Buzas, Hilary P., and Teodoro Ayllon. Differential Reinforcement in Coaching Tennis Skills. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. 5:372. Web. March 15, 2012.  

Saying 'No' to Embryonic Stem-Cell Research

California just passed proposition 71, which allows them ten years to raise 3 billion dollars to allow human embryonic stem-cell research, according to Jonathan Knight’s article, “California Says ‘Yes’ to Stem-Cell Research.” We should not spend this money right now, and even Knight doesn’t do a superb job explaining why it should be done, and why the non-believers, such as myself, are wrong. The stem cell controversy is the ethical debate primarily concerning the creation, treatment, and destroying human embryos incident to research involving embryonic stem cells. The debate can be linked to abortion and pro-life versus pro-choice. This article not only ignorantly broadens the problematic partisanship in today’s society, but doesn’t even make a noteworthy logical reason to support his claim.

Embryonic stem-cells are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, an early-stage embryo. In cell biology, pluripotency refers to a stem cell that has the potential to differentiate into any of the three germ layers: endoderm (interior stomach lining, gastrointestinal tract, the lungs), mesoderm (muscle, bone, blood, urogenital), or ectoderm (epidermal tissues and nervous system). Pluripotent stem cells can give rise to any fetal or adult cell type. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization.

Embryonic stem cells are thought by researchers to hold potential cures for spinal chord injuries, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, heart diseases and hundreds of rare immune system and genetic disorders. In the past decades, researchers have tried to come up with ways of implementing the embryonic stem cell research into traditional medicine.Like any medical issue, embryonic stem cell research has both pros and cons, from the religious and medical communities.

As anyone who even casually follows the news know, embryonic stem cell research is an extremely heated topic in politics. The stem cell controversy is the ethical debate primarily concerning the creation, treatment, and destruction of human embryos incident to research involving embryonic stem cells. Not all stem cell research involves the creation, use, or destruction of human embryos. For example, adult stem cells, amniotic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells do not involve human embryos at all. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and mine is that billions of dollars should not be spent on something I do not believe in.

The first thing the author of this article does, is immediately point out the things George W. Bush, all the people who liked him, and all republicans believe in, for no legitimate reason. What they believe in has no relevance to the story, and it just makes it seem like the author is almost attacking all of those people for their beliefs. They are all lumped into the same category that the author makes sound like a bad thing, when in fact, like in all political controversies, is not true. This ignorance and unnecessary action increases the separation between the already polarized parties. Attacking one group for what they believe in is arrogant and not what this country needs during a time of partial gridlock. He continues to demean all non believers of stem-cell research through the entire article which is quite insulting. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and to make one’s opinion seem wrong is unacceptable in any form.

According to the article, California will raise 300 billion dollars every year for ten years through bond sales to fund this embryonic stem-cell research. This is not something money should be spent on given this country’s current economic status, which is in a crisis. Money should be spent on jump starting our economy and attempting to bring us back to normalcy. And I certainly do not want to be paying for something that I do not believe in, and I’m sure that is the mind set of all people who do not agree with embryonic stem-cell research as well.

There is no clear cut definition on when life is actually given to a newly fertilized egg, or when to actually call it a human, but like the abortion controversy, it is a main aspect of the embryonic stem-cell research controversy. The only difference is that the egg is fertilized not in the womb of a woman, but via in-vitro fertilization, which means outside the body. Regardless, producing a fertilized egg with the intent of destroying it is crazy and absurd. People disagree by saying its only a week old, well it doesn’t matter if it is 1 day after it is fertilized, or 5 months after it is fertilized, it is still killing the potential human being which I believe is completely immoral and unethical.

There are other forms of multipotent research that can be done that does not involve the destroying of a potential life. The difference between pluripotent and multipotent cells is that pluripotent cells are f the "cells that are self-replicating, are derived from human embryos or human fetal tissue, and are known to develop into cells and tissues of the three primary germ layers while multipotent stem cells possess the ability to differentiate into various BUT are limited in the number of cell types they can differentiate into, especially into cells of a closely related family of cells. Even though multipotent cells are restricted and pluripotent cells are not, they are still a better option as they do not destroy a potential life of a human being. It is a better option that accomplishes the same tasks, it just may take more time.

Embryonic stem-cell research is not proven 100% effective. If we start pouring all this money and time into a project that could potentially be a complete waste, then it is not worth all this controversy. People will be outraged and furious if they find out their hard earned money that is extremely tight, like i mentioned before was wasted, it will just cause even more tension. Unless we find out that this process will be completely effective in curing the diseases listed previously, I think embryonic-stem cell research is too risky dealing with ethical, moral, monetary, religious, and time issues.

The author briefly speaks about why one might want to approve of embryonic stem-cell research. They spend 2 sentences trying to have the audience side with his personal views. If I was reading this article and was on the fence about embryonic stem-cell research It would not sway my decision to be for it, if anything it would make me vote against it. Yes, the main point of this article may be to talk about how California had already passed the law allowing funding for embryonic stem-cell research, but for those who may not be fully educated on the topic, and are clearly involved in the matter, to make the article work, the author needs to provide sufficient evidence on why it should be funded and that it is not a mistake. The fact that the author makes no effort to show this to the reader makes the me question his credibility in the subject, something vital to a good article.

To go along with that, at the end he shows the opinions of those who oppose embryonic-stem cell research, having the same ideas that are previously spoken about. He states why they disagree with the concept, but doesn’t attempt to prove them wrong, which would make the article stronger. They just leave it open ended, not tying any loose ends together that make leave the audiences’ mind unclear. They even spend more time explaining why people oppose embryonic stem-cell research rather than why they approve of it. As the reader, this makes me feel uneasy since a law has been passed to allow for the funding of this, something that after reading this article leaves the audience feeling negatively and almost scared about the idea.

WORKS CITED:

Knight, Jonathan. "California Says 'yes' to Stem-cell Research." Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group, 03 Nov. 2004. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.nature.com/news/2004/041103/full/news041101-11.html>.\

"General Facts About Embryonic Stem Cell Research." Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Embryonicstemcellresearch.org, 30 Jan. 2012. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://www.embryonicstemcellresearch.org/ http://www.embryonicstemcellresearch.org/>.

Keep the Elephants out of Hawaii

Bowman suggests bringing into Australia “predators to control the feral animals, and bring in herbivore species to graze the flammable grasses”. He also suggests bringing to Australia: elephants and rhinoceros, which he believes could help tame the wild grasses that are fuel for wildfires. Although this solution would be without any chemicals, there is a distinct possibility it could be the most dangerous for the animals and the people who reside within Australia. If the introduction of new animals did in fact fail, Australia would have another difficult situation on their hands, but the difference would be that this time it would have been of their own doing. In the past, there have been many cases of animals being introduced to new lands, and the responses have been disastrous. Once animals are introduced to a new ecosystem, it is nearly impossible to eradicate them, so there is almost no chance of going back to what the land was like before their arrival. Even the most minute ripple in an ecosystem can have a domino effect, and can have extremely serious ramifications. By using examples from history and a little bit of logic, it does not seem that Bowman’s idea of introducing wildlife would be a very good idea for Australia.

In 1936, Robert K. Merton defined the law of unintended consequences as reactions that “may be positive, negative or merely neutral, but they veer off from the intent of the initial action”. Merton believes that there are two main reasons why the law of unintended consequences works. The first reason, he says, is because the people who wanted to make some change could not fathom all of the outcomes it could have. The second reason is that those who were in charge decided the change did not have its desired reaction, and they then made errors in attempting to fix their mistakes. All of this essentially means that no matter what is done, there will be consequences that were not expected. Bowman does say in his article that “it would be essential to proceed cautiously”, and that studies would be necessary before they brought in foreign animals to Australia. If they were to do studies, it would be nearly impossible to imagine the long term effects of the animal’s appearance into the wildlife, especially considering the many different ecosystems that encompass Australia.

Bowman’s idea to bring in foreign species to help the environment is not a new concept to Australia. During the 1930’s, a species known as the Bufo Marinus, or more commonly, the cane toad, was introduced to Australia. The cane toad was brought to Australia as an alternative to using a chemical solution to control bugs that were destroying the sugar cane crop. The results were devastating. The eggs, tadpoles, full grown toads, and even their carcasses are extremely dangerous to not only the Australian wildlife, but also the Australian people. The adults, eggs, and tadpoles are toxic to vertebrate predators. The carcasses of the cane toads that rot can contaminate the drinking water of humans. Because of the great numbers of the cane toad, at this point, eradication of the species from Australia is not an option. Eighty years after the cane toad had been introduced to Australia, they are still wreaking havoc, and the Australian government still does not know how to get the cane toads under control. Although it is easy to see what a mistake this was after the fact, it did seem like a good idea at the time, and a positive alternative to using harsh chemicals. If bringing in the cane toad to Australia had such a damaging aftermath, why would Bowman believe that they could control several different species of predators and herbivores all at the same time, and why does he believe that there could not be serious adverse outcomes?

According to scientist Heather Eijzenga “The accidental or intentional introduction of alien species is one of the most serious threats faced by island ecosystems”. In Hawaii, even herbivores that are not native to the land can be very dangerous to the rest of the wildlife. Rabbits and rats are destroying the ecosystems of the seabirds that come to the island of Lehua. The rabbits and birds are both contending for the same nesting grounds; so if the rabbits take the nesting grounds of the birds, they will not be able to lay their eggs on this island, which could possibly destroy the ecosystem of Lehua. Also, the rabbits can destroy the vegetation and make the birds more susceptible to predators. The rats that have been introduced to this island are notorious for eating the eggs and the newly hatched chicks. Animals that are not poisonous like the cane toad can severely damage an ecosystem, which can have long term repercussions. Although these animals were not introduced with a purpose, so they were not monitored, they still have had a damaging impact on the island. This island is also without people, so if two herbivores have destroyed the ecosystem of an island that is without people, predators and large herbivores that are introduced could have dismantling effects.

Although David Bowman is an Australian and a professor of environmental change biology at the School for Plant Science in Australia, his article has zero supporting scientific evidence. He makes a bold claim that the Australian government should introduce new predators to the environment, and then attempts to qualify his argument with saying how he knows it is in fact, a bold claim. If he does have any scientific evidence supporting this idea, he does not present it in his article. To bring in predators to Australia with the belief that the government would be able to control wild animals is an ignorant position to take. Bringing in a species that is not native to the lands of Australia could have a disastrous aftermath on the environment, ecology, and overall safety of the Australian people.







Works Cited

"Cane Toad Invasion." Invasion of the Cane Toad. Web. 27 Feb. 2012. <http://www.canetoadsinoz.com/invasion.html>.

"Cane Toads." Cane Toads. Web. 27 Feb. 2012. <http://www.canetoads.com.au/canetfact.htm>.

Eijzenga, Heather. "Studying the Effects of Removing Non-native Herbivores on Lehua Island’s Vegetation." Department of Botany at the University of Hawaii, Mano. Web. 27 Feb. 2012.

Ellis-Christensen, Tricia, and O. Wallace. "What Is the Law of Unintended Consequences?" WiseGeek. Conjecture. Web. 27 Feb. 2012. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-law-of-unintended-consequences.htm>.

Diet and Sugar Consumption

My favorite meal to pick up is from a fast food restaurant is Chicken McNuggets, with fries and sweet tea. A meal with nearly 475 calories, 30 grams of fat, 30 grams of carbs, and well over 500 mg of sodium. I can admit that this is most definitely not nearly a healthy diet or source of nutrients, but I can also admit that it is quick, cheap, and convenient. Americans started the “Western diet” trend of processed foods that are unhealthy and high in sugars. Countries such as Denmark and the United Nations have picked up these habits and are struggling with the same issues. In this article, the authors argue that adding artificial ingredients to our diets can lead to health issues, and should be controlled by the government.

If I had to guess the most prevalent reasons for mortality, my answer would probably be that most deaths are caused by criminal acts such as murder. According to “Public Health: The Toxic Truth About Sugar” I would be wrong. The authors of this article makes it clear, and states more than once that most deaths come from noncommunicable diseases.    A diet that is not nutritious and helpful in aiding the body carryout normal functions, can lead to obesity and or malnutrition. More importantly though, these diets can deter the body’s rate of metabolism, leading to seriousness such as; obesity and cardiovascular disease. Heart disease, diabetes, and cancer lead to nearly 35 million deaths and this number is steadily growing as the consumption of poor diets continue to become more and more common.

What can be done to stop this ongoing issue? Well, the UN feels as if tobacco, alcohol, and diets are the central factors in noncommunicable disease. Since they regulate tobacco and alcohol they feel as if diet should be regulated as well. However that is tricky because unlike tobacco and alcohol, food is a necessity. In Denmark, there is a tax on foods that are high in saturated fats; interesting, since fat is not considered to be the issue. The country is now contemplating on if sugar should be taxed as well because it can be defended and proven to lead to these noncommunicable health factors.

The authors give their readers an idea of how the government could and should intervene. The first raise the point of controlling taxation, distribution and age limits of products with added sugars. They propose the idea that adding taxes to soda, for example, would decrease the amount and how often people will go out and by the product, and it would also allow the government to benefit economically. Yet to do so and be affective, the price of a 2 Liter would have to go from two dollars a bottle to four. What better way to reduce consumption that limit distribution? The government should control the hours retailers are open, make a obtaining vending machine license more difficult, and limit the number of fast food restaurants in low-income communities. If that doesn’t work, why not limit sales during school hours and put an age limit on the purchase of soda? “Sugar is cheap, sugar tastes good and sugar sells, so companies have little incentive to change.”  

Although I feel the authors raise logical as well as ethical points in trying to convince people to change their diets, I do not necessarily agree with the ideas on intervention. Its not fair to consumers or business owners to tax or limit food consumption because it is a choice. It is up to the consumer to decide what they would like to purchase for dinner, not the government. However what they can do is raise awareness of what a healthy diet consists of, or teach children that healthy diets can taste good as well. Either way, regulating sugar consumption will not be easy, and it may take years to come to a conclusion as to what should be done to put an end to poor diet choices.