The Unsafe World of Media

Fabio Vinicius Dumaszak

Prof: Hannah Griggs

Writing and Reading

The Unsafe World of Media.

Information is strongly related to people’s life. They provide understanding of the world and it has a big influence on people’s behavior. However, the control of information is a powerful tool. Countries government, big companies, and broadcast media have great manipulation power toward people. They know that controlling the broadcast they enhance their influence and make people think what they want. Handling the informations the broadcast media might make someone be loved or hated, make people believe in things that may not be true, or even change their behavior in society and family. People usually accept everything that is shown on tv or anywhere else without questioning if it is true. Specially, when it provides videos or pictures. Information is hidden, modified, or falsified stories created every day throughout the world. We are going to discuss forth some examples that happened and still happen.

One of the most catastrophic uses of manipulation of information is regarded to war. Hitler spread out through German a lot of lies about Jews which made people hate them. A recent big event that made the whole world question the truthfulness of information was the Iraq war. The wave of terrorist attacks, the tragedy involving the twin towers(World Trade Center), and the possibility of mass destruction weapons started this war second the US government. However, a lot of people all over the world questioned and still question if it was the real reason of this war.

“The decision for military action had nothing to do with 9/11, the war on terrorism, the UN weapons inspections, weapons of mass destruction, Iraq human rights, or any of the factors that the US government would like you to believe are the true motives for war. The only people who will benefit from the war on Iraq are the elite wealthy oil men who finance Bush's election campaigns, and people like Bush who have huge personal investments in the oil industry. Oil company profits have already increased by fifty percent this year because of the war, and the invasion hasn't even started yet (Habsburg)!”

Other great broadcast act to manipulate people looking for financial benefits which happened in South America were the Avian Flu and Suine Flu. Many people believe that it was a clever trick done by the pharmaceutical industry to earn lots of money. As a matter of fact, it worked very well. It is difficult to anyone to question about something showed on television when it threatens their health. People followed the instructions that was given to them. They paid for vaccination and for expensive medicines as the Tamiflu, which was sold as the treatment to Suine Flu. The alcohol gel started to be sold like water as a prevention to contamination. I even knew that alcohol gel exist and that it is used to cleaning of hands. We do not have concrete proof that this disease really exist or if it does not. However, it is difficult to believe that a mysterious flu appear from nothing, became pandemic, and suddenly disappeared in the next year it was discovered. Nobody ever heard about it again or knew somebody who knew someone who had one of these flus. In my opinion, creating fake stories to scare people regarding to their health, looking for earn money is very unfair. Everybody would take the precautions that are given to them to keep them safe. On the other hand, it was not bad at all.  In Brazil people got the habit to clear their hands often and do the basic hygienic habits to prevent the common flu, which is the same of the other fake ones. As I mentioned, I even knew about the existence of alcohol gel and now it is in almost every public place in the country. “Handwashing is often cited as the primary weapon in the infection control arsenal” ( LeTexier) . Washing hands often decreases drastically the possibility of get a infectious disease.

In conclusion, information is an essential item for human and society development, but it is not a safe ocean to sail without concerning. What is supposed to be an open book to the society, impartiality, and an unchanged truth is a tool of manipulation for big companies, always looking to enhance their profits. People started to notice this acts of bad using of broadcasts, but fix it is one of the greatest battles that the society have ahead. One thing we can be sure of is that many of what we know by television or any other media is untrue and there are a lot of facts and events that are hidden to us.  

Habsburd, John. “Is Oil or Big Business an Undisclosed Motive for War on Iraq?”.The Debate.Web 28 April, 2014. <http://www.thedebate.org/thedebate/iraq.asp>.

Ruth A. LeTexier, RN, BSN, PHN, is a nurse educator and Program Director of Surgical Technology at Northwest Technical College (East Grand Forks, Minn).

God is not Dead

Bruno Kamino Yamamoto                                                                                                YAMAMOTO

Hannah Griggs

Writing Practice

22.04.2014

God is not Dead

             Some people believe that a God does not exist and there is a scientific explanation about the emergence of the universe. They say that everything must obey the laws of science. However, other people believe that God created the universe and everything that exists in it. According to the Genesis book God created the world in seven days: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth ... and on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.” (Gen. 1:1, 2:2 , KJV). During millions of years, humans have been searching for a scientific proof of his existence. Many scientists argued that God should be not an object of study. I believe the existence of God is like the wind. You can feel it but you cannot see. God is alive in each living creature as said in the book of Genesis, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7, KJV).The existence of each living creature and our existence can be the real proof that God is alive in us because he created everything on earth and the universe.

             One of the most famous and widely accepted models for the universe's development is the Big Bang Theory. The Big Bang Theory is an attempt to explain how the universe developed from a very tiny, dense state into what is it today. It does not attempt to explain what initiated the creation of the universe, or what came before the big bang or even what lies outside the universe. However, there are many doubts if the Big Bang Theory is correct. Some of the most common criticism of the Big Bang Theory is that “it violates the first law of thermodynamics, which says you cannot create or destroy matter of energy. Critics claim that the big bang theory suggests the universe began out of nothing.” (Strickland).The scientific theories about the origin of the universe also have some problems to be considered accepted as the true version. Any scientist or person who wants to believe in these theories believes in the same way the Christians believe in God and Jesus.

             "God is dead" is a widely quoted statement by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. This statement could be interpreted as an atheist argument. Despite the meaning of the expression “God is dead” in  the context it was used on the book “The Gay Science” in sections 108, 125 and 343. In the section 125 it he says, “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers?” (Section 125, The Madman). Nietzsche’s works express a fear that the decline of religion, the rise of the atheism, and the absence of a higher moral authority would plunge the world into chaos. Some people interpret this widely quoted statement as a model for atheism. But Nietzsche was probably criticizing the breakdown of religious issues from the people and not trying to kill God. The death of God that Nietzsche was presenting on his book was a metaphorical death.

             The scientific theories about the origin of the universe are still accepted by many people. However, many Christians do not believe in these theories because they are sure that it is God who created the universe. Believe on the existence of God or believing in scientific theories are the choices that people have to accept in order to have an explanation about the origin of the universe. In conclusion, people could feel more comfortable to accept that God created the universe as truth and be happy to understand why God is not dead because he is living in us.

            The existence of the universe can be assigned to God. Some people say that God created the universe. On the other hand, various scientists believe that the universe was created from the Big Bang. Stephen Hawking, a famous scientist said once that “the universe can and will create itself from nothing” (Hawking 144). Many people do not believe that God created the universe because either they do not believe in a religious creation story or because they do not accept that the universe was created by a God.

Works Cited:

"God is Dead." http://www.philosophy-index.com. 29 Apr 2014

<http://www.philosophy-index.com/nietzsche/god-is-dead/>.

"How the Big Bang Theory Works."  http://science.howstuffworks.com Apr 2014

<http://science.howstuffworks.com/dictionary/astronomy-terms/big-bang-theory7.htm>.

Hawking, Stephen, and Leonard Mlodinow. The grand design. New York: Bantam Books, 2010.Print.

James, King Version. Holy Bible. New York: Minerva Books, 2012.Print

The Gravitation

The Gravitation

Many physics laws rule the universe, like gravitation, law of action and reaction, law of Hooke, Coulomb’s law and other laws. Scientist until today try explain a lot of laws but no one knows. They just know the effects of physical laws. Physics laws mean that it always happen; it is a constant. People usually do not knows the difference between theory and laws. Theory is the idea attempt to prove something, and it proves this through facts, events, and phenomena. However, theories cannot become  a law until it has been proven continuously . If someone proves an exception in any theory, it cannot become a law. If it occurred once, it can happen more times. Today we have several theories that try to explain physics laws but most of the physics laws do not have explanation.

The first law of Newton says,  “Every body persists in its state of being at rest or of moving uniformly straight forward, except insofar as it is compelled to change its state by force impressed”. If something is moving, then it should continue moving until another force interacts with it. The first Newton law is similar to the law of gravitation. Gravitation is a constant that keep everything in the center of the mass. It can explain why you cannot fly if you jump or why your cell phone drops to the floor. Also it can explain why things did not move from one place to another, unless through interaction with another force. Why does it happen? Today no one can explain it. Several theories to try explain it. I believe that the theory of gravitons has the best logic about gravitation; this theory explain that there are many gravitons pushing everything to the center of the mass. If everything has a center of mass, then everything is pushing everything.

  Many explanations has been proposed. According to Dmitrii Blokhintsev and F. M. Gal'perin in 1934 the gravitons is an elementary particle that push everything to center of the mass. However, this  theory contradicts the theory of Le Sage's that says infinite particles will always drop to the floor aiming for the center of any object . Many scientists do not believe in this theory, and it was dismissed. Since it has not been proven incorrect, this theory is still valid. Also exist scientists that still believing and working on this theory.

  The history most famous about gravitation is about Newton, and the apple tree. While sitting under an apple tree, an apple dropped on his head and he asked, "why"? Then he studied and created the law of universal gravitation. He proved that this law explains the perfect equilibrium in the universe. It can explain the reasons why the planets do not collide, and why the satellites do not get out of orbit. It is commonly thought that Newton was the first to study gravitating, but that is not true. According to J J O'Connor and E F Robertson, the old Greeks tried to explain it in 310 A.C., Aristotle was one of the many people who tried to explain it using different theories that made full sense.  Newton used the knowledge of Aristotle to create the article called “Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica” which explains, the rules of the universe. Newton had the great idea to join the other theories and created the law of universal gravitation.

  Today we have the knowledge to go to moon and to know about other planets and stars. We can forecast about meteors that aimed for Earth.  Today people can create incredible technology to do almost everything that we want. However,  we cannot explain why my cell phone dropped to the floor and shattered the screen. Something simple that has baffled minds since the beginning of time still cannot be explained. We wasted more than two hundred years trying explain something elementary and until today we cannot explain. For these reasons and other, I believe in God. The world is very perfect to be created by nothing. Everything is very perfect to us live.

Gustavo Goncalves

Works Cited

Sadi, Carnot. “Graviton”.  Encyclopedia of Human Thermodynamics, American. 9 Sep 2013. Web 28 April 2014 <http://www.eoht.info/page/Graviton>

J J O'Connor, and E F Robertson. “Theories of gravitation” The MacTutor History of Mathematics April 2003. Web 28 April 2014 <http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/HistTopics/Gravitation.html>

Stern, David. “Newton's theory of Universal Gravitation” National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 24 March 2006. Web 28 April 2014 <http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/stargaze/Sgravity.html >

Should Companies Collect Information About You?

Today many of websites make money collecting information about what people look for on the internet. Is this correct? Will everybody agree with the fact of everything that we look for on the internet will be collected? However these companies have terms of conditions and unfortunately a person had to agree to use the benefits of the service. For example, if a person use Google, they can collect all the person’s data used from their services “We collect information to provide better services to all of our users – from figuring out basic stuff like which language you speak, to more complex things like which ads you’ll find most useful or the people who matter most to you online. We collect information in two ways: Information you give us” and “Information we get from your use of our services” (Google Privacy Policy).Although some argue that this data is collected for our benefit, we do not have the choice, we just have to agree and use internet carefully.

Some say that these companies save collected data for further use and filter what we want to see. However, this argument does not take into account that maybe another person is using a friend’s computer or even a person who looked for a new car and after bought, the advertises are still showing cars. Anyone who uses Google services already notices that. Google collects information from our emails and searches on their search engine, to select what kind of advertising they should display for us. Although we should be able to permit the data collect. It is not everybody who likes to give his informations to the companies.

Others argue that companies collect data like credit card informations to make the payment process faster. However all the user’s data are stored on the company’s servers, and if some person stole this information they will have thousands of people’s credit card information. For example, during a breach in the Target systems hackers stole thousands of customer’s credit card information. Target said "40 million credit and debit card accounts may have been impacted between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15, 2013" (Bicchierai). Some companies also offer services with automatic payment, as they have the person’s credit information, when they see, the payment was already done. For example Amazon Prime. Amazon keep all credit information from their customer, and they offer prime service with the first’s months for free. However when the service ends they automatically renew, charging the customer with his credit card.

They also argue that mapping each person’s characteristics , the company will know what people with the same ones are looking for, and with these data they will meet our needs better. However we must decide when we want to share our informations to help the company grow because these are our personal data, and they should not be used without permission.  For example, Walmart collect data about what the person are looking for and what they bought, so if someone else are looking for the same thing they will suggest the product that other people bought. Recently Google started a new system that save people’s location if they are using a smartphone with Android (Google’s operational system to smartphones). This system is activated for default, and it saves all the person’s location. “When you use a location-enabled Google service, we may collect and process information about your actual location, like GPS signals sent by a mobile device. We may also use various technologies to determine location, such as sensor data from your device that may, for example, provide information on nearby Wi-Fi access points and cell towers” (Google Privacy Policy). However, a lot of users around the world do not even know about this system, so they do not have a choice to keep it active or not. If someone has access to all this data, they will know a lot of information about the person, like their routine and preferences. We really need all of our information stored?

In conclusion we have to take care about what we use on internet and what and where we buy. There are some good companies who will take care of your data. However, there are a lot of other companies that are not so serious and also there are not protected against hackers. How we do not have choice to share or not our information we must choice carefully what we will share. We have to take care and choose carefully who we want to trust.

References

Google Privacy Policy. Web 27 April 2014 <http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/>

Bicchierai, Lorenzo “Hackers Steal Credit Card Data From Up to 40 Million Target Customers” 19 December 2013. Web 27 April 2014 < http://mashable.com/2013/12/19/target-data-breach/>

Electronic Sports: The Emergence of a New Job

            In 1972, at Stanford University, students were invited to the “Intergalactic Spacewar Olympics” on a computer called PDP-1. This platform was the pioneer of minicomputers, and the first computer to support a game, and this only game was able reproduce Spacewar. It is also the first video game competition dated, and marked the creation of the term Electronic Sport. This term is related when players gather to compete in videos games or computers. With the creation and development of platforms, the Electronic Sports earned success. An important point that revolutionized the world of games was the insertion of the Internet on games. Allowing that players in different places to compete with others players. Then, competitions gained large scales of success, causing video games to become a professional sport. Today, almost of those competitions paid money to the best positions players, and give enough money to competitors pay all they need to survive, became video games player a new job.

            In 2011, the “League of Legends” Canadian player Danny “Shiphtur” Le became the first gamer to get a United States P-1A Visa. This kind of visa is only given to professional athletes. He was considered at the same position as regular sports competitors, like a football or soccer player. This was an important step to the recognition of the job. However, gaining family’s recognition for the electronic sport as a job is the real challenge. Almost all the families complain when they see their child spending all day playing an electronic game. They cannot understanding the difference between spend time playing games and the necessity to train that all player need. Their routine is like a routine of a football player; they also need to train to improve their skills. It is also an intense routine. However, this is not recognized by their families. They are usually required by family to attend at a university and get another job. Nevertheless, the job of a video game player can provide as much or more money and benefits as other job.

            When players are in a competition they are running for the biggest prize. Large competitions give more than one million dollars to the first place winner. Prizes that large are given to the few better places, or even only to the winner. Causing the competitors to be infrequently paid. That can mean being paid once a year. Limited payment is an important point that makes some player give up of their dream to become a professional player. Their beginning can be difficult, or even impossible. Competitions are being conducted globally, and they require that players spend money for travel, accommodation and new equipment. Handling these expenses can be difficult to some players. They are required to buy actual computers, video games, and game systems. Fortunately, with the growth of the profession of electronic sports players, companies started to look at those competitors and sponsor them. This sponsorship is like when a person is hired by a company as a regular employee, like that their family expected. Those companies can pay all the costs that the players need, and also can pay a wage. This is a regular job too.

The video game player career has all the features to support the person’s life,. They can be paid, hired and conduct a regular life. It does not matter how they are getting money. For them, play is not a fun task; it is their job. The thing that they dreamed, trained, studied, and worked hard to reach. Therefore, the video game player career can be considered as a job.

Igor Lins

Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear Fusion

            The necessity of energy made the man look forward in the search for new forms to produce it. Nowadays people uses energy without thinking of the future. We just waste it charging our phones, cooking our food or driving our cars to go to places. One day this kind of actions will stop because we use an energy that will end. Almost everything needs energy and the actual forms of energy are not endless, actually the human race is desperate for one source of infinite energy, so we need a solution, an option, we need the Nuclear Fusion.

            First of all, what is nuclear fusion? It occurs when two atoms nucleus collide to create another atom nucleus, heavier than others atoms used in its creation. In this process of “creation” a great quantity of energy is released in various types like heat or light. The simplest example of nuclear fusion is the Sun. The heat that we feel every day coming from the sun is because of the nuclear fusion that it produced, and this energy is released in form of heat and gives us the gift of life.

            Why is nuclear fusion good? For any type of energy you need to provide the “fuel” to make it happen. For our current most used form of energy we use fossil fuel that is not infinity. For the simplest nuclear fusion the fuels are two isotopes of hydrogen and the hydrogen is most abundant element in the word. The fossil energy pollutes the air, the nuclear fusion energy does not pollute anything. The nuclear fusion energy does not release radiation to the environment, different of the nuclear fission energy that does a great damage. The nuclear fusion reactors are big but not huge, so in comparison to the main energy in Brazil that is hydroelectric, the nuclear fusion is much better because you do not need a huge space to build and place a reactor. These facts show the why nuclear fusion energy is a perfect energy.

            Another question, why is not nuclear fusion used as an energy source? We have a few reasons to answer this question: It is not really safe because we do not know how to control it; the people are afraid of fission energy, so they feel the same thing about fusion energy; it is hard to keep the conditions to the nuclear fusion occurs like high temperature and pressure; the reactor are not perfect to sustain so many heat and pressure; to start a reactor need a huge amount of money and the big companies of oil not allow scientists to do that.

            How does the nuclear fusion reactor produces energy? The produce of energy is based in production of water vapor. When the water is boiling the water vapor are produced, so we heat the water. The general process is simple, heat the water and make the water vapor pass by some propellers, the water vapor make the propellers move and its movement produce energy. After that it is almost the same process in others types of energy produce like wind energy, the difference is that nuclear fusion energy will be producing energy all the time.

            When will we be able to use nuclear fusion energy? The expected date is just speculation. Some scientists  that we will never be able to produce a significant amount of nuclear energy, but the most of science community believes that in just a few years we can have cars made by nuclear fusion reactors. The best expectation of good results is for 2020, they do not know the reason why this year but the expectation is big.

            In conclusion the superiority of nuclear fusion energy is obvious. You can compare with any other type of energy and the result will be the same: Nuclear Fusion energy is the right choice. If compared with fossil energy, wind energy and hydroelectric energy, nuclear fusion energy is better to environment, to human healthy and to secure our future. There is no mistake.

            To end this discussion I just need to say that the current used energy is bad to the Earth and our environmental system. They will kill the planet with us inside. We need to look forward and trust in the power of science. Science has been helping us since the beginning of the life. Nuclear fusion is the future of the Earth, the future of the humanity, the future of life.

Animals used for experimentations

Renata Fraga Cardoso

Professor: Hannah Griggs

Writing Practice

April 30^th, 2014

 

            Animals are generally used for experimentation in laboratories. There are many kinds of experiments that are done using several species of animals. They are used to test medications, lotions, make up and studies of disease. These products are tested on animals supposedly to prove their safety, efficacy, and liability. Although this practice does not work the way that it is expected, it still continues. According to People for the Ethical Treatments of animals (PETA), the largest animal rights organization in the world, "More than 100 million animals every year suffer and die in cruel chemical, drug, food, and cosmetics tests as well as in biology lessons, medical training exercises, and curiosity-driven medical experiments at universities". Even though this practice is defended by many people, the efficacy of it was never proven. In addition, many experiments on animals do not work the same way in human beings. People should not use animals in experiments because they suffer during the test, this practice does not provide reliable results and people are disrespecting the rights of the animals.            

         One of the most popular test using animals, is toxicology in cosmetics. In general, Cosmetic Companies test products such as, lipstick, mascara, shampoo and colognes. Each  test needs certain amount of animals for a specific purpose. There are many tests such as, skin and eye sensitization, irritation and corrosion,  acute oral, inhalation  and dermal  toxicity, carcinogenicity or combined carcinogenicity and chronic toxicity. They usually use mice, guinea pigs, rats, and rabbits for their tests. However, the tests required can differ according to regulatory agency and product type. In addition, these animals suffer during these tests. Many of them become blind, suffer from skin redness, bleeding, ulcers. According to The Humane Society of the United States, "Pain relief is rarely provided and the animals used are always killed at the end of each test". This quote shows that people who make experiments with the animals, expose them to maltreatment.

            In addition, many animals such as cats, dogs and chimps are used in researches at universities. In general, they are used to test medicines and medical experiments. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) affirm that monkeys are addicted to drugs; cats are deafened and have holes drilled into their skulls; sheep and pigs have their skin burned off; and rats have their spinal cords crushed. Tiny mice are made to grow tumors nearly as large as their entire bodies, kittens are purposely blinded, and rats are made to suffer seizures. In addition, dogs are intentionally poisoned with experimental drugs; chimpanzees are infected with debilitating diseases; and, rabbits have grotesque devices implanted into their bodies. It shows the cruelty with these animals.

            Even though some of these tests are required by the law in organizations such as, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the efficacy of these experiments were never proven . Furthermore, there are many tests on animals that are not required by these organizations and still continue. In addition, the reaction in animals in response to these chemicals is not the same compared to human beings. Many of these tests provide miscellaneous results that are not significant.

            Furthermore, there are many reasons to not use animals in these experimental tests. For example, animals and human beings have differences in terms of physiology, anatomy and metabolism. According to American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS), "Acetaminophen, for example, is poisonous to cats but is therapeutic in humans; penicillin is toxic in guinea pigs but it has been an invaluable tool in human medicine; morphine causes hyper-excitement in cats but it has a calming effect in human patients; and oral contraceptives prolong blood-clotting times in dogs but increase a human’s risk of developing blood clots". It is obvious that this practice must be replaced to another technique more reliable.

            In addition, many researches do not give reasons to use animals in their experiments. Some of them do this practice without communicating with the organizations responsible for it and do not respect the rights of the animals. They expose the animals to bad conditions, torture the animals during the experiments and kill them after the procedures. One famous case of cruelty in animals occured  at University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW).  According to PETA, for decades this University has used countless cats in their experiments. The cats were imprisoned, cut into, and killed in cruel and useless “sound localization” experiments. Records from PETA show that experimenters justified the use of 30 cats per year not by saying that the experiments would lead to improvements in human health but rather by stating that they needed to “keep up a productive publication record that ensures our constant funding". Unfortunately, it is just one example of cruelty with the animals.

          Another important reason to stop using animals in these experiments is that people are disrespecting the rights of the animals. They are being mutilated alive, tortured, stressed out, exposed to bad conditions and killed after the experiments. Some people justify that the animals do not suffer like humans, but it is not true. They feel pain, hunger, thirst, loneliness, sadness like human beings. In addition, some animals are not included by Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The law includes primates, dogs, cats, rabbits, gerbils, and other animals. However, there are some species that are not covered by AWA such as, rats, mice, and birds. The problem is that these animals represent 90% of all animals used in laboratory. According to (AAVS), "Their exclusion leaves significant loop-holes in the law's effectiveness and is detrimental to the excluded animals welfare". This example shows that the law has to change to protect the rights of all animals.

            In addition, there are other ways to test products without using animals. Many companies have changed their tests to these new experiments without using animals. These new experiments are more reliable than tests using animals because they use human cells. According to PETA, "Instead of measuring how long it takes a chemical to burn away the cornea of a rabbit’s eye, manufacturers can now drop that chemical onto cornea-like 3-D tissue structures produced from human cells. Likewise, human skin cultures can be grown and purchased for skin irritation testing. These and dozens more tests now in use today are faster and more accurate at predicting human reactions to a product than the old animal tests ever were.". There is another procedure called  In vitro (in glass) testing, such as studying cell cultures in a petri dish. According to Procon, a nonprofit public charity, it can produce more relevant results than animal testing because human cells can be used.

            Another way that companies can do to avoid animal testing is change ingredients in their products that require this kind of experiment. Some ingredients require animal testing by the law because they are toxic. Many companies have changed the formula of their products to avoid animal testing. It is a good alternative that companies can do to avoid this practice. In general, the companies that do not do experiments in animals inform it in the packaging of their products. Through this information, people can choose to buy products of the companies that do not use animal testing.  If people stop to buy the products from industries that do animal testing, these industries will be forced to look alternative experiments or change the ingredients in their products that are not necessary animal testing.

            Even though some people affirm that through these experiments using animals had helped many people in cure of diseases and the efficacy of the products, it is not a completely true. When a new medication is developed, it is necessary to test this medication in an amount of human beings to make it able to sell. In addition, in case of consumer complaint, these tests have not proved effective in a company's defense. Furthermore, these tests are expensive, slow and not reliable.

            In conclusion, there are many reasons to stop this practice. People have to work for the end of animal testing. This practice is cruel and does not work the way that is expected. It provides miscellaneous results that is not reliable. In general, these tests on animals are not effective and do not work in the same way in humans. It means that this practice can be used in vain and millions of animals are dying for no reason. In addition, there are alternative ways to avoid this practice that is more reliable, faster and cheaper. Through this action, people can save millions of animals and respect their rights.

Works Cited

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. "Animal testing 001". PETA. Web. April 27^th. 2014.  <http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/animal-testing-101>

Humane Society of the United States."Cosmetics Tests That Use Animals". HSUS. March 5^th, 2014. Web. April 27^th. <http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/cosmetic_testing/tips/common_cosmetics_tests_animals.html>.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. "Animals in Medical Experiments". PETA. Web. April 28^th. 2014. <http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/animals-medical-experiments/>.

Animal Testing ProCon. "Should Animals Be Used for Scientific or Commercial Testing?". Animal Testing ProCon. Web. April 28^th. 2014. <http://animal-testing.procon.org/#background>.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. "Cats Tormented and Killed in University Lab ". PETA. Web. April 28^th. 2014.  <http://www.peta.org/features/uw-madison-cruelty/>.

Nelson, Tina. "First World". AV Magazine. Spring 2002. Web. April 28^th. 2014.   <http://www.aavs.org/atf/cf/%7B8989C292-EF46-4EEC-94D8-43EAA9D98B7B%7D/spring2002.pdf>

Read a Book or Watch a Movie?

Marília Silva

Hannah Griggs

Writing Practice

30.04.2014

Read a Book or Watch a Movie?

            Books and movies are an important kind of entertainment. Both are ways of leisure that nowadays are very widespread in our society, but which is better? Some people prefer to watch a movie instead of read a book. On the other hand, others like to read a novel rather than watch a movie that tells the same story. However, reading a book instead of watching a movie is a better choice because it has many advantages. By reading, we can associate leisure with learning and health.

            Some people say that it is easier to watch a movie because it is not necessary to pay attention or make much mental effort to understand it. Indeed, watching a movie is an easier process than reading. However, books are better for the mental health because they stimulate the imagination and nerve cells of the reader. Alan Bennett once said that "A book is a device to ignite the imagination." By reading, we can use the imagination to make our own movie in our minds. The article "Why To Read: 10 Reasons Why Reading Books Will Save Your Life" argues that "by reading a written description of an event or a place, your mind is responsible for creating that image in your head, instead of having the image placed in front of you when you watch television."

            Movies have shorter stories than books. Thus, it is a leisure activity that takes up less time. We can watch a movie in about an hour and  half while some people spend more than one month reading a book. Nevertheless some people like to spend time reading. They can take it wherever they go and read it whenever they want. Despite reading being a longer process, books have more details than movies. By watching a movie, we lose a lot of important details from the story. If we compare an adaptation from a book to film, we can see the differences between the stories. Oftentimes, the producer of the movie changes important parts of the story. They might add or remove characters, or even drastically change the end of the story.

            In addition, many times, a movie cannot transmit the characters' feelings and emotions to the spectator. Sometimes, this can happen because when the movie is produced there is not enough time to focus on these kinds of things. On the other hand, when we read, we do not take this risk. By reading, we get really involved with the characters because we can feel how they are feeling and we are able to know more about their personalities.

            A good example of this is the adaption of a book called "The Kite Runner". This book tells a sad story of a friendship between two Afghani boys. If we read this book and watch the movie after, we will clearly see that the book is better. We will realize that the book is richer in detail, and that the characters can transmit more emotions and feelings to the reader than the actors in the movie do. A lot of facts of this story are just better understood if we read the book.

            Some people argue that movies are better because they stimulate our senses. They have visual and sound effects that help the spectator to get involved easily with the story. In fact, this is true. However, some people can also be easily involved with the story just by reading the book. Furthermore, by reading, we can learn about a lot of things, even unwittingly. When we read a book, our knowledge about specific subjects increases. For instance, if we read a novel that takes place in New York, we can learn about the geography and culture of this place just by reading it. Besides this specific knowledge, in reading we can also learn about writing skills, literature, and language.

            The article called "The Benefits of Reading" provides five reasons why we should read more books. It can expand vocabulary, boost creativity, improve writing skills, enhance memory, and develop analytical thinking. According to this article, "reading is an indulgence that enhances our knowledge by making us use our brain and causing us to think more and therefore enhancing our intelligence" (Torres). Moreover, Laura Shocker adds that reading can help relax us, help us sleep better, and even stave off Alzheimer's disease.

          Movies and books are excellent leisure tools. Both activities are healthy and very enjoyable. However, if we have to choose one of them, books offer more benefits. Reading is a great activity that allows the reader enjoy a story while he or she can learn about many subjects. In conclusion, reading a book instead of watching a movie has many advantages such as stimulation of imagination and creativity, improvement of language skills, and stimulation of critical thinking.

                                                                                       Works Cited

Shocker, Laura. 7 Unconventional Reasons Why You Absolutely Should Be Reading Books. Huffington Post. 10 December 2013. Web. 22 April, 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/12/health-benefits reading_n_4081258.html>.

Why To Read: 10 Reasons Why Reading Books Will Save Your Life. Why to Read. <http://whytoread.com/why-to-read-10-reasons-why-reading-books-will-save-your-life/>. Web. 23 April, 2014.<http://csupomona.uloop.com/news/view.php/65205/the-benefits-of-reading-5-reasons-why-you-should-read-more-books>.

Torres, Izbel. The Benefits of Reading: 5 Reasons Why You Should Read More Books. Uloop. 11 February 2013. Web. 22 April, 2014. <http://csupomona.uloop.com/news/view.php/65205/the-benefits-of-reading-5-reasons-why-you-should-read-more-books>.

Without Borders

Studying in another country is a great challenge. Many students around the world have this great opportunity, but they give up.  There are many issues surrounding this "travel" before students accept or not. When they arrive in the host country, they will face problems. However, the students need to know that these problems are phases and they will be fine. Why do not accept? There is a world out there that they need to meet. This essay will try to encourage students to get out of their houses.

The unknown arouses curiosity but also generates fears. Megumi Kakogawa says in “Fears of International Students”: “Even though international students are interested in other countries, fear is an inevitable aspect of international lives when they begin studying in foreign countries.” James Madison University in Resources for International Students divides the adjustment process in four that he called “Phases of Adjustment”.

Summarizing, the first phase is called Honeymoon Phase. In this phase, students can feel glad because they are meeting new things and new people. The second Phase is called Culture Shock Phase. In this phase, the honeymoon has ended and students start to face academic and social problems. Many foreign students look for other foreign students to share their experiences and feelings. They can feel sad, confused, overwhelmed, isolated by cultural differences, angry or powerless to fix their social problems. The third Phase is the Recovery/ Negotiation Phase. In this phase, foreign students begin to interact more with local people. They are understanding and communicating more with the host country people.  The last and Fourth Phase is Autonomy/ Acceptance Phase. In this phase, the host country is not strange. Students are more comfortable with the new culture and new environment.

Therefore, in the adjustment process, foreign students will miss their family, and friends. According to the University Counseling & Testing Center at University of Oregon, it is common that international students feel homesick. They feel this way because of different food, different smells and people that they never have seen before. For some students this is the first time away from home. When living with their parents they can have many helpful ways to deal with difficult situations but this cannot be available to them now. As a result, the international students can feel that they are all alone with their problems and that there is no one to talk to. The Counseling Service of Brunel University said, “Leaving home, particularly if changing country, means taking on the challenge of separating from family, and starting a process of finding an independent identity in a less protected, less familiar sometimes larger world.”  

In addition, if the student is in a relationship, it is more difficult to accept an exchange program. Many people do not trust being away from their partner because they feeling afraid of betrayal, and missing them too. The students need to think that great opportunities are rare because study abroad is a great experience for personal development. Their parents will be proud of their courage and determination for a better professional future. Their significant other will also be proud of them, proud of their enrichment. Sometimes, this short time will be good for the strengthening of their relationship, sometimes they will break-up. The student will see that the distance is good so that he or she sees who is the important people in their life, and vice versa. Bad things will happen, and to stay far of their family, friends, and maybe girlfriend or boyfriend, is one of the bigger them. However, they will can to abuse of technology: Skype, Facebook; and they will get used to distance and the less they notice, they will already be coming home.

Another problem is the fear of new culture. However, Mark Tittley, who wrote a summary of “The Art of Crossing Cultures” in August 2000, says, “Cultural adjustment actually happens much more than we realize it. There is one culture at work and another at home – so we already have some skills that are needed to enter a new culture in another country”. After having lived a significant period within the host country, foreign students will find that they have become accustomed to the culture of their host country and will find themselves essentially able to behave in the manner of a local. 

Some advantages of being exchange students is that they will become familiar with the ways of life of people all around the world through meeting other exchange students. Besides, they will meet friends from all around the world. They will also meet tons of native friends in their exchange country that they will have a close relationship with for the rest of your life. The most valuable asset will be the knowledge acquired. Study abroad opens the mind's borders because the student see different ways to study, different cultures besides to know a new place.

In conclusion, travelling to another country has temporary problems but these problems will pass and a big experience will stay in their baggage. The advice that Robert Kohls says in his book is “Survival Kit for Overseas Living” also serves to exchange students: “throw yourself wholeheartedly into exploring the new culture and the new language. Consider the rewards you can get from these new opportunities … In negotiating the unfamiliar and uncharted territory of another culture, change and growth occur at deep levels, leaving you more competent, more self-assured, and more knowledgeable about yourself and about how the world works. Bon voyage!” (115).

Taynara Matos

Works Cited

Kakogawa, Megumi. “Fears of International Students”. Osaka College of Foreign Languages, Japan. 23 April 2008. Web 25 April 2014 <http://neovox.cortland.edu/archives/2008/04/fears_of_intern_1.html>

Resources & Self-Help. “Resources For International Students” James Madison University Counseling Center. Web 25 April 2014 < https://www.jmu.edu/counselingctr/resources/for-intl-students.shtml>

Davenport, Edel. “International Students” University of Oregon Counseling and Testing Center 2010 web 25 April 2014.
<https://counseling.uoregon.edu/dnn/Programs/SpecialPopulations/InternationalStudents/tabid/380/Default.aspx>

A summary of “The Art of Crossing Culture”, by Craig Storti, Intercultural Press, Maine, 1990. Complied by Mark Tittley in August 2000 web 25 April 2014 <http://www.programkontoret.se/Global/program/euroguidance/artrofcrossing.pdf>

Kohls, L. Robert. Survival Kit for Overseas Living: for Americans Planning to Live and Work Abroad. 4th edition. Intercultural Press, 2001. Web 25 April 2014 <http://en.bookfi.org/book/1141647>