Thursday, November 15, 2012

Preliminary List of Sources


            This article shares information about experiments done in the past which I could use to show how they have evolved throughout the years.
“A Brief History of Human Experiments.” A Brief History of Human Experiments.
     N.p., 2004. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. <http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/history/experiments.htm>.
           
This article refers to past experiments, such as Tuskegee, and it looks to the future. It also has a section about ethics which I could include in my paper and say how these human experimentations are unethical.
Gorski, David. “Science-Based Medicine.” » Ethics in Human Experimentation in Science-based Medicine.
     N.p., 7 March. 2011. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. <http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/
     ethics-in-human-experimentation-in-science-based-medicine/>.

This article is all about experiments done in the United States. I could use it to compare the human experiments done in the United States to other countries.
“The Shocking History of Human Experimentation in the United States.” Mercola.com
     N.p., 20 Dec. 2008. Web. 8 Nov. 2012. <http://www.articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/
     archive/2008/12/20/the-shocking-history-of-human-experimentation-in-the-united- 
     states.aspx>.

This article is all about the Nuremberg Trials which is a famous case relating to human experimenting and it will provide a lot of information for people not familiar about it.
Linder, Doug. “NurembergACCOUNT.” NurembergACCOUNT. N.p., 2000. Web. 11 Nov.
     2012. <http://law2.emkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/nuremberg/nurembergACCOUNT.html>.

This article is mainly about the issue of informed consent in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks which connects to experimenting on one’s body. I could use this source to relate human experimenting to the book.
Schulman, Ari N. “The New Atlantis » What Is the Body Worth?” The New Atlantis » What
     Is the Body Worth? N.p., 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. <http://www.thenewatlantis.com/
     publications/what-is-the-body-worth>. 

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Research Paper Proposal


The topic I choose to write about for now would be human experimentation. I chose this topic because it is one of the few topics relating to the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks that I am very interested about. My approach to human experimentation will be against it. I believe it should not be legal in the medical field worldwide. Possible subtopics for my paper could be some history of experimentation on humans, such as early practices that were done and where. I will also write about the Holocaust, the Nuremberg Trials, and other well known cases. I also may include information about people who were famous for participating in these practices, such as the “Angel of Death” Josef Mangele who was a Nazi officer and physician. Another subtopic could be how this practice has evolved during the years in the United States and other countries as well, and if it is still present in some countries and where. Another possible subtopic could be how human experimentation is shown in the book. If I were to create a tentative thesis for my paper I would say that experimentation on humans has been done for years and it has done a lot of damage, therefore it should be made illegal everywhere. 

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Confronting a Fetal Abnormality

I think the doctor was just trying to do his job and wanted to get it done as quickly as possible. I don't think he realized how his actions affected the mother's family. It was kind of inconsiderate how the doctor interrupted the husband's prayer, but I guess he was just in a hurry which I could understand. I'm sure he didn't do it to be mean or for his own selfish reasons. He was probably just trying to speed up the process so that the mother's pregnancy wouldn't become even more worse.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Welcome Freshmen. DNA Swabs, Please.

After reading the introductory paragraph of the article, I thought that taking DNA swabs from the students would be an okay thing since it says it would be done voluntarily. It could be very useful for the students to have this procedure if they want to know their tolerance for alcohol, lactose, and need for folic acid. I think these types of testing should be completely up to the student to decide since it is their own body. Also I don't think this test should be done if it is not 100% accurate because it may cause even more problems.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

HeLa Research Paper Source

http://www.onearth.org/article/living-tissues

In this article the author starts off by telling the story of Henrietta Lacks and how HeLa cells began. The majority of the article is about the ethical issue of informed consent. The author includes examples from the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks relating to this issue. It proposes that human cells should not be treated so carelessly. This article would be most helpful to someone who is doing research about the topic of informed consent back in the 1950s and could be used to compare it to today's time.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Informed Consent

Q: How would you feel if you discovered that investigators had taken cells or tissues from some member of your family without consent?

A: My reaction to the cells being taken would depend on the outcomes of it. If the cells did not do much then I would not care all that much. For example, if they did not cure cancer or made some other huge contribution to science, or if it was just taken as procedure for running rests on a family member who has a serious illness. If the cells taken had something to do with the death of a family member I would care and feel hatred towards whoever was involved with taking them and feel sad at the same time. I would also feel anger and sadness if the cells taken became famous and known worldwide and my family member did not get anything out of it or at least have any formal recognition.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Multimodal Rhetorical Analysis Outline

Topic: Head Injuries in Football

I. Introduction
     A. Background about issue
     B. Thesis Statement

II. Summary
     A. Main points of the article
     B. How the picture and related video help address issue

III. Ethos
     A. About the author
     B. How this information makes him suitable to discuss such topic

IV. Pathos
     A. Stories of people who went through issue
     B. Explain how stories effect audience and strengthens article

V. Logos
     A. Stories help prove issue to be true
     B. Statistics and research mentioned

VI. Solutions
     A. Author's opinion of how to reduce future injuries

VII. Conclusion
     A. Refer back to thesis statement
     B. How the article is effective


Sunday, September 9, 2012

Electronic Literacy Narrative


            Throughout the world most people will come across an electronic device sometime in their life, whether it is a phone, computer, etc. Living in Canada when I was little in a small house containing eight people, we did not have much space or money to buy any of the fancy technologic devices, besides the land line that connected to the wall and a television set with basic cable. Not even my parents would have, or I would see, a cellular phone until years later. From the time I was about eight years old up until today there has always been a computer with internet connection. Back when we did not have internet all the computer was ever used for was when my parents or older siblings had to type and print something, or whenever I used paint when I was bored inside the house. At a young age I thought just typing and printing on the computer was one of the most incredible things I had ever seen. Over the years the computer has become even more astonishing with its new features.
            I remember an experience I had using an electronic device for reading and writing. It was back in elementary school in the fourth grade. The teacher had assigned the students a project. The project was to write a written, or typed, report and create a poster board with images and captions about one of the fifty states in America and present it in front of the class. We had to include things like population, major cities, tourist sites, recreational activities, etc. I had the state of Hawaii which I did not know anything about at that time. I did not know any of the activities since I had never been there, besides swimming or surfing like what I had seen on television. Back then I did not really enjoy reading a lot. I thought going to the library and checking out multiple books with pages full of words that would take me hours to read was a bit time consuming. I did not like the idea of sitting at a table with many books laid out in front of me, reading for what seemed to be forever until I would fall asleep. I wanted to get my report done as quickly as I can so that afterwards I could do something I thought was more exciting, like watch my favorite shows on television or run around and play outside. In order to get the information I needed the fastest I decided to use the internet. Before then I did not have much experience with using a computer, other than using paint, or playing educational games at school like Reader Rabbit and Oregon Trail. I remember having to ask my older siblings how to use it, like connecting to the internet and what websites I could use for my research. I felt they were a little frustrated with me and my constant questions on how they did a certain thing, but I was just surprised by how fast and easy it was to find the information I was looking for. Once I got the hang of using the internet I started using it more. I actually thought doing research and learning new things about Hawaii was fun since I gained additional knowledge about the internet and how I was able to use it all on my own.
            Like any other electronic device, the internet has its upsides and its downsides. Informational websites may help develop your literacy skills. When I had to look up something on Google or any other search engine, it directed me to a number of websites and pages of information I had to read through thoroughly in order to find what I needed. If I did not know a certain word I read I could look up the definition. A computer can help improve your use of spelling, vocabulary, grammar, etc. If you have a question about something you could just type it onto a search engine and most of the time the answer will all of a sudden appear right in front of you. It provides you with information if all you have handy at the moment is internet access and not the appropriate books. In today’s time many electronic devices come in a variety of shapes and sizes and most can connect to the internet anywhere you go. You can gain a lot of information wherever you are in a matter of minutes. However, it might not always have the straightforward answer you are hoping to find, which will cause you to spend a number amount of time searching anywhere you can think of on the internet, or you might not find it online at all. As the years go by I find myself using the internet more and more. I use it whenever I have to do research or if I just want to know the answer to a certain question I have had in mind for awhile. From reading to video watching to photo viewing, the internet has widened my interests by how fast it is to acquire information. Otherwise I might lose interest in something quick if it takes a long time to learn about.
            The internet has made a number of improvements throughout the years. New websites have been created and old websites have been made better. People all over the world use the internet for many reasons. Search engines such as Google or Bing may be used for learning or a directory source. Blogger or WordPress are used to express yourself through text form, pictures, videos, etc. Youtube is used to view and share your own videos. Instagram is used to express yourself through pictures. Facebook and Twitter are used to stay connected with other people. A world where computers and internet access did not exist would be hard to imagine. Public libraries would probably benefit from it, but no one would want to carry a ton of informational books around with them. Staying connected with other people who live miles away would take longer because of waiting for a letter to be sent, or more expensive because of long-distance phone calls. If you need to buy something you cannot find in your area, Ebay or Craigslist are good sites to use. Without them the sellers or people owning online shops would not be making any money. The internet has a great number of uses and can be convenient to people of all ages.