tenebrism
Caravaggio, The Taking of Christ, 1602
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Monday, April 13, 2015
Rotunda blog
When presented with the opportunity to educate the population of our school on any social issue, I immediately knew that I wanted to discuss processed foods. From a young age, I've known that there was something bad about processed foods, because my mom's nutritionist had cautioned her to steer clear of "foods" that came in bars, bags, or boxes. Yes, that includes your "healthy" granola bar and my "strengthening" Quest Bar. For many people, this is a baffling notion, because consuming products that are packaged in this manner has become the norm in our society. However, we often fail to step back, look at the big picture, and reevaluate what exactly we are putting into our bodies.
The purpose of eating is to provide our bodies with various macronutrients that are broken down and used as energy sources. Still, most processed-food companies are not interested in efficient energy storage and release. Instead, they combine various chemicals and artificial substances in order to trick our brains into wanting more, which ultimately increases their profits. For example, many companies in the processed food industry play with the principle of "sensory-specific satiety."Big distinct flavors overwhelm the brain, which then depresses the desire to have more. Knowing this, companies will create complex formulas that pique your taste buds just enough, without overwhelming them, thereby overriding your brain's inclination to say "enough."
It seems that recently there are thousands of articles on the internet about various substances that are claimed to cause cancer. Personally, and I speak without much knowledge on this specific subject, I feel that the ambiguity of the conversation about cancer can be at least partially attributed to the consumption and usage of all these synthetic products. Human organisms are made up of organic substances that occur naturally on the Earth, so it makes sense that we are "designed" to run on fuel that is also organic in nature. When we choose to consume manufactured and processed foods, there is a good chance that our bodies will respond negatively in one way or another.
I usually try to eat a healthy and nutritious diet, but am included amongst the millions of people who eat processed foods. We are all human, and will all fall prey to the processed food industries tricks and trades. However, it is important to have a basic understanding of the science that is being utilized for manipulation of the masses. It would be very beneficial for everyone to follow a diet that is at least 90% whole foods and 10% processed.
The purpose of eating is to provide our bodies with various macronutrients that are broken down and used as energy sources. Still, most processed-food companies are not interested in efficient energy storage and release. Instead, they combine various chemicals and artificial substances in order to trick our brains into wanting more, which ultimately increases their profits. For example, many companies in the processed food industry play with the principle of "sensory-specific satiety."Big distinct flavors overwhelm the brain, which then depresses the desire to have more. Knowing this, companies will create complex formulas that pique your taste buds just enough, without overwhelming them, thereby overriding your brain's inclination to say "enough."
It seems that recently there are thousands of articles on the internet about various substances that are claimed to cause cancer. Personally, and I speak without much knowledge on this specific subject, I feel that the ambiguity of the conversation about cancer can be at least partially attributed to the consumption and usage of all these synthetic products. Human organisms are made up of organic substances that occur naturally on the Earth, so it makes sense that we are "designed" to run on fuel that is also organic in nature. When we choose to consume manufactured and processed foods, there is a good chance that our bodies will respond negatively in one way or another.
I usually try to eat a healthy and nutritious diet, but am included amongst the millions of people who eat processed foods. We are all human, and will all fall prey to the processed food industries tricks and trades. However, it is important to have a basic understanding of the science that is being utilized for manipulation of the masses. It would be very beneficial for everyone to follow a diet that is at least 90% whole foods and 10% processed.
Rotunda Response
According to a recent Gallup survey, the number 1 issue in America today is not marijuana legalization, it is not immigration, nor is it homosexual rights. No, the one thing Americans take the greatest umbrage in is the American government. Our government has been perhaps the least effective in it's young history than it has ever been. The country faced a catastrophic shutdown in the wake of our politicians' petty bickering. No major laws have been passed, however hundreds have been blocked. Why is it that we elect these representatives who don't seem to represent us at all?
Monday, March 30, 2015
Rotunda Response
One project that stood out to me the most was Anthony DeFeo's video on Health care. I would say that it shocked me how little teenagers seem to know about health care, however I feel like I learned more through his five minute video than i did in my four years of high school.
Through out my high school career i have learned tons of things from the quadratic formula to the purpose of a zeugma. But never have I learned about health care, health insurance (or any type of insurance for that matter), or even how to pay taxes. We would think that in a place where they claim to be preparing us for the real world they would be teaching us at least some of these things. It boggles my mind how little we actually know about the world around us and how to survive.
Something i would suggest doing to improve our knowledge on these things is to implement a higher level home economics class. I understand that we take home ec in both seventh and eighth grade, however i personally remember very little of what we actually did. It may be of some immense assistance to all of us if the school was to at least offer a higher level of education n this subject matter.
Through out my high school career i have learned tons of things from the quadratic formula to the purpose of a zeugma. But never have I learned about health care, health insurance (or any type of insurance for that matter), or even how to pay taxes. We would think that in a place where they claim to be preparing us for the real world they would be teaching us at least some of these things. It boggles my mind how little we actually know about the world around us and how to survive.
Something i would suggest doing to improve our knowledge on these things is to implement a higher level home economics class. I understand that we take home ec in both seventh and eighth grade, however i personally remember very little of what we actually did. It may be of some immense assistance to all of us if the school was to at least offer a higher level of education n this subject matter.
Rotunda Response
One rotunda project (among the many other wonderful ones) that really stood out to me was Laura Kesnig's "Get the Facts". This board showed what many honors students that you and I roam the halls with knew, or perhaps didn't know, about issues that relate to the country we live in. I was surprised by some of the results. It's a bit unsettling that a percent of the so called brain trust of ESM doesn't know who the vice president is.
This board made me think about how many people today make assumptions or form opinions when they are not even apprised of the situation at hand. I saw this video once (linked below) that really reminded me of her project. It featured an Australian news person going to America and asking Americans questions. Some of the questions are silly and just to make you laugh, but a lot of them are things that have to do with politics and foreign affairs. At one point he tells people that he is the prime minister of Australia and people go with it. Though the video humors the "Dumb American Stereotype" that other countries perceive, it does make you reconsider how much you think you know, or it at least sparks a sudden interest in who the prime minister of Australia is. (It's Tony Abbott.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5I4oY7zj-w
Response to Rotunda Project-GET THE FACTS
While I could respond to many of the wonderful projects put up in the rotunda, one really caught my eye. This was "GET THE FACTS-Common Misconceptions Among ESM High School Honor Students" which was made by Laura Kesnig.
In her project, she exposed how many honors students failed to correctly answer simple questions concerning popular issues. These questions ranged from "Why did the United States go to War with Iraq in 2003?" all the way to "Is Global Warming really happening?".
The main reason that this project caught my attention is that it made me laugh. I mean, its hard not to think that "Honors" students get these questions wrong is a bit funny. Malicious, maybe. Funny, yes. Regardless, I believe this brought up a major problem. Despite normal students not being educated about popular issues, the students ESM deems as "special" and in a way "smarter" still don't have the right answers to questions that are, or at least in my opinion, common knowledge.
It supports the idea that the labels given to certain students like "Honors" are completely meaningless. These labels also help create a divide in the student body of all grades. For example, the National Honor Society is talked up to be some prestigious organization when in reality, it's only purpose is to use its student members to further their own agenda. But that's a completely different conversation to have.
Regardless, I tip my hat to Laura for her work and research concerning our "Honors" students.
In her project, she exposed how many honors students failed to correctly answer simple questions concerning popular issues. These questions ranged from "Why did the United States go to War with Iraq in 2003?" all the way to "Is Global Warming really happening?".
The main reason that this project caught my attention is that it made me laugh. I mean, its hard not to think that "Honors" students get these questions wrong is a bit funny. Malicious, maybe. Funny, yes. Regardless, I believe this brought up a major problem. Despite normal students not being educated about popular issues, the students ESM deems as "special" and in a way "smarter" still don't have the right answers to questions that are, or at least in my opinion, common knowledge.
It supports the idea that the labels given to certain students like "Honors" are completely meaningless. These labels also help create a divide in the student body of all grades. For example, the National Honor Society is talked up to be some prestigious organization when in reality, it's only purpose is to use its student members to further their own agenda. But that's a completely different conversation to have.
Regardless, I tip my hat to Laura for her work and research concerning our "Honors" students.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Rotunda project response #11
I found the rotunda project videos to be the most appealing. They caught my intrest quick. The first one I saw was Anthony Defeo's piece on healthcare. It was interesting to see what some of our fellow students knew about the current healthcare system. I thought it was really smart to get such a wide view of subjects not just seniors or juniors. It was really professionally done and was very interesting . I was surprised to see how little I knew about such a broad topic. This is a very important subject and must be treated as such.
It's great to finally make younger people aware of struggles they must face. I agree that such important information should be taught in high school. We are mature enough to learn information that will one day soon greatly affect us all. Adults need to teach this in the ciriculum whether it's a social studies class or health class it shouldn't matter. There are many useful things that students will need to learn to survive in the real world that we are never taught. No teacher teaches us how to invest our money or balance our checkbooks,but that's important stuff. I think this video clearly demonstrated this and is eye opening. Teachers should make a stronger push for this type of information. Anthony did a great job in that aspect of his rotunda project.
This video just stood out to me, but the others were great. I thought the milk alternatives video was also very interesting. It really made people rethink such simple things as milk. All we hear about is that milk is really good for you, but this seems to disprove it. There were many interesting facts they presented I never knew.
The last video was also good. It seemed to coincide with what I thought about Anthony's video about what should be taught in schools. They got real students and teachers prospectives that I thought was nice. All the projects there were very informative and interesting. I was just so immersed in the videos.
It's great to finally make younger people aware of struggles they must face. I agree that such important information should be taught in high school. We are mature enough to learn information that will one day soon greatly affect us all. Adults need to teach this in the ciriculum whether it's a social studies class or health class it shouldn't matter. There are many useful things that students will need to learn to survive in the real world that we are never taught. No teacher teaches us how to invest our money or balance our checkbooks,but that's important stuff. I think this video clearly demonstrated this and is eye opening. Teachers should make a stronger push for this type of information. Anthony did a great job in that aspect of his rotunda project.
This video just stood out to me, but the others were great. I thought the milk alternatives video was also very interesting. It really made people rethink such simple things as milk. All we hear about is that milk is really good for you, but this seems to disprove it. There were many interesting facts they presented I never knew.
The last video was also good. It seemed to coincide with what I thought about Anthony's video about what should be taught in schools. They got real students and teachers prospectives that I thought was nice. All the projects there were very informative and interesting. I was just so immersed in the videos.
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