thoughts on obesity cont.

Although the situation seems daunting, there are actually many practical solutions to slow down the growth of “diabesity.” One of the most beneficial things we can do is adopt a healthy lifestyle consisting of eating balanced meals and exercising regularly. Obviously, this won’t happen overnight. The International Diabetes Foundation wisely proposes that elementary and middle schools adopt more rigorous physical education programs (the earlier the better), so that children are encouraged to play sports and exercise rather than staying cooped up inside their homes. We should also be aware of false and provocative advertising of foods that are harmful to us, and also pay attention to portion sizes when we dine out. For example, we could eat half of our entrée rather than the entire dish and save the rest to take home and eat for lunch the next day.

It may seem rude to lecture a family member or friend that is chubby or gaining weight on the consequences of obesity and overeating, but in reality it’s actually doing them a favor and showing that you care. I would explain to them the likelihood that they would develop diabetes, and other complications such as higher health costs, heart disease, asthma, and hypertension, to name a few. If they have any trouble being convinced, I would inform them that according to research done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 30% of children born in 2000 will contract Type II Diabetes. That’s an alarmingly high percentage.

Learning and educating myself about diabetes and obesity has made me a lot more aware of my own health choices and daily lifestyle. There are many unhealthy food options on campus, but there are healthy ones as well. It all boils down to making wise decisions and choosing foods that are healthy, even if it means sacrificing a very tempting slice of chocolate cake. If I adopt healthy eating habits now, it is far more likely that I can uphold them for the rest of my life. Also, I realize that I don’t exercise often enough, mostly because I feel like I don’t have the time. This is particularly the case for many college students that struggle with time managemen – how do we have the time to work out when we have so many assignments, homework, and projects due for class? It may not be easy, but for our own sakes we should work out our schedules to include time to exercise. Studies show that exercising makes us feel better and more alert, so it would actually help us to do a better job on our homework!

Yes, diabetes and obesity are terribly common, but there are definite paths of action we can take to reduce the trend of “disabesity.” Eating healthy, exercising, and adopting a hearty lifestyle for LIFE are crucial. These changes won’t happen in the blink of an eye, but it is better to start now than never. The next time I feel the urge to take a nap, I should try taking a jog around campus. By doing so, I would be preventing myself from getting diabetes, feel happier and healthier, and not become just another statistic.

Diabetes

Here's some thoughts/an essay on diabetes I wrote.

Obesity and diabetes have increased significantly in proportion in today’s society. These two diseases are not only very relevant to the average person, but also to me personally, since my grandma has recently been diagnosed with Type II diabetes. Obesity is the closest link to this type of diabetes, and according to the International Diabetes Foundation, there are an astounding 194 million people today living with the disease. At some point, each of us will inevitably come to know someone that is obese or has diabetes. Why, exactly, has diabetes become such an epidemic? How might my grandma have gotten her disease? Most importantly, what can we do to solve this ever-growing dilemma?

The answer to the first question is simple: we are simply not taking enough responsibility for our health. In today’s day and age of fast food and popular restaurant chains, our portion sizes are huge and filled with foods high in fat and cholesterol, thereby promoting obesity. Rather than going outside and playing sports, many kids in today’s modern, technological age opt to play computer games, watch TV, or chat online for recreation. At our own Parkside Café at USC, there is always a huge selection of desserts, and the large buffet-style entrees definitely foster large portion sizes. Is it any wonder, then, that the “freshman fifteen” exists? Adults also often don’t eat healthily or exercise, because their jobs demand a lot of their time. Exercising simply isn’t convenient. Fast food is the easy solution to grabbing a quick bite to eat, and after a long day of work, many people will opt to relax or simply go to sleep rather than working out.

Considering these points, it’s easy to see why my grandma was diagnosed with diabetes. She has always been an unhealthy eater, with foods such as doughnuts and Portuguese sausage being among her favorite things to eat. By consistently eating foods high in fat and sugar, she became overweight and put herself at high risk for diabetes. My grandma was also fairly inactive and didn’t exercise often, which additionally played a role in her getting the disease.

OBAMA!

It was amazing and rewarding for my very first voting experience to have played a part in such a historic election. Watching the election results and seeing Obama win swing state after swing state, followed by a very eloquent victory speech and seeing the thousands of inspired faces in the crowd, was almost surreal. I won't forget the moment where I was surrounded by friends and faculty sitting around the TV screen, when the results came up that Obama had won and the room erupted into cheers, hugging, laughter, and an overall feeling of relief and joy. It's amazing how this fellow Punahou graduate, Hawaii-raised, half black and half white future president has broken so many norms and traditions - I am SO ready for change, and also so grateful that there's finally someone in the White House that fully understands Hawaii's problems and circumstances (since I'm from Hawaii myself). Although Obama has such a huge task ahead of him, and probably will not fulfill all of his promises, simply the fact that a guy like him fought so hard and made it to the White House (or should I say the Black and White House...) is admirable and inspiring in itself - this is a great moment for African Americans as well. I know that people kept saying "this election is not about race -" but those people are ignorant to turn a blind eye to all the hardships that African Americans have had to go through in order to reach equality. Finally, they have come full circle and can feel liberated and inspired. Thank you, America, for voting for such an inspiring person full of promise, and thank you Obama for stepping up to probably the most difficult job in the world right now. I'm not sure what is going to happen to our economy, or if the war in Iraq will end soon, whether I'll be able to find a job when I graduate or whether I will be able to support my kids someday- but I feel assured knowing that there is someone sitting in our country's most coveted position that I can relate to, feel inspired listening to, and perfectly embodies a true American : mixed, brought up in a number of different places, hopeful, and determined to make his country a better place.

Assignment 4: Helpful and Insightful Sources

Here are the articles I found for assignment 4; hope that they help you guys!

Benjamin Amick, Larry Kessler, James Thompson. Factors Influencing the Diagnosis of Mental Disorder Among Primary Care Patients. Medical Care. January 1985, 50-61

Patrick Corrigan, Abigail Wassel. Understanding and Influencing the Stigma of Mental Illness. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing. Vol. 46 2008 43-48

Richard Carpiano, Sara Kuppin. Public Conceptions of Mental Illness and Substance Abuse, Their Causes and treatments: Findings from the 1996 General Social Survey. American Journal of Public health. 2006 96: 1766-1771

Katrien Libbrecht. Mental Health or Mental Healing? Society. Nov/Dec 1997, 20-23

Peter Byrne, Patrick Corrigan, Kristin Davis, Amy Watson. Mental Illness Stigma: Problem of Public Health or Social Justice? Social Work. Oct 2005 

Thoughts on the Water Debate

I thought that the water debate between Steven P. Eerie, Professor of Political Science and Director of Urban Studies at UC San Diego, and Michael George, former VP of Water Development at the American States Water Co. and current water attorney, was much more of a "debate" than the oil debate we attended two weeks ago. The two well qualified men addressed the issue of declining fresh water supply in Southern California, and also talked about possible alternatives to solve the problem.

The main issue that the two men differed on was that Eerie supported giving subsidies to water companies in exchange for conservation and believed in the public sector, while George was opposed to these subsidies because he did not believe it represented a market approach and (he supported the private sector). Eerie added that we needed to figure out how to align political incentives with the right kind of policy, and on this point George agreed with him in that there needs to be a political capability of getting things done within policy framework.  He also posed five major alternatives: improve management of current system, de-salination, conservation, reuse of top water, and reallocation. 

I think that water is definitely an important topic because we rely on it and often take it for granted. It is more important than oil because we can technically survive without oil but we need water for physiological purposes. It was also kind of scary how our water supply is starting to decline already in 2009. One point that struck my curiosity was how Antarctica holds 70% of the world's freshwater; is there a way that we can access/effectively use this water?

I'm not sure whether I support subsidies personally but I did believe that George's 5 major alternatives plan was a strong idea and at least gives us a basis of which to start taking action. Overall, George was a much more effective and clear speaker (perhaps because he is a lawyer?) than Eerie, who kind of put me to sleep.

Oil Debates

I thought that both Ralph Morgan, British Petroleum's Director of Climate Change Issues, and Matt Petersen, president of Global Green USA, had important and interesting arguments to make regarding climate change. Energy is certainly a focal point not only politically but in regards to important issues today - already, controversies and concerns about energy are beginning to really circulate around the popular public sphere. 

Ralph Morgan made some very interesting and attention grabbing points - that the world demand for energy will increase by 2050; that 1/4 of the world's population has no access for modern energy; that our U.S. energy policy is a decades long failure by depending on others for oil. I liked how Morgan used specific facts and statistics to add significance to his argument, which was that we need to lower our carbon alternatives, look to conventional alternative forms of energy, we need to explore for oil and gas production in our own country, expand our low carbon energy sources and build more, etc. He also supported offshore drilling, which raised a lot of controversial issues - I do agree with him, however, that we need to stop depending so much on foreign countries and instead start taking responsibility for producing our own energy. 

Matt Petersen raised similar issues but in a different way - he used appealing and attractive images/powerpoints, and also threw in some familiar celebrity faces to grab our attention. He pinpointed  three main issues: climate change, weapons of mass destruction, and the lack of clean water; however the argument veered much more towards energy/climate issues rather than WMDs and lack of clean water. Petersen refuted Morgan's argument for offshore drilling, saying that it would take 10 years for it to take place efficiently. He advocated a carbon tax, conserving and sacrificing energy, the importance of starting now and adopting a conservation mentality, and the importance of bold thinking. He basically said that it would take humans to get us out of this; he placed his faith in the human race. 

I felt that both of these men raised important points and I agreed with most of what they said. However, what I was slightly troubled about was that they didn't suggest/propose CLEAR PLANS or COURSES OF ACTION to do the acts that they proposed. For example, what specific steps or courses of action need to be taken in order to develop/endorse alternative energy? In what ways, specifically, can the average person contribute? And in question to offshore drilling ten years, wouldn't it still  be wise to start now - it's better late than never? How do we go about initiating a carbon tax? 

Prompt: Planning Thoughts Before Making them Public (Writing vs. Speech)

I believe that no matter if you're writing an important essay or trying to give a persuasive speech, it is definitely essential to plan your thoughts out first. I would probably take a different approach to planning my thoughts in writing a paper vs. giving a speech, but both would require significant planning- may it be outlining your thoughts out on paper, researching your topic, or taking the time to develop a cohesive and convincing argument.

When writing an essay, such as the ones that we've been writing for our Writing 140 class, it would be best to do a lot of prewriting in order to organize thoughts better. Since essays tend to pull from a lot of background information and material, sometimes its hard to see the argument at first or come up with a thesis. In order to get my thoughts straight, it definitely helps to do a lot of random brainstorming and freewriting, then turning to a more structured approach to prewriting such as a TOPOI or Fact/Idea list. From there, then it's okay to construct an argument outline, followed by a rough plan for your paper as well as a thesis. After performing all of this organized prewriting as well as a more free-thought prewriting, tackling the actual writing part of the essay comes much more easily to the writer. I found this to be the case for my Assignment 2. I did about three times as much prewriting for Assignment 2 as Assignment 1, and I had twice as much of an easier time writing that essay as my first essay. I probably only spent a total of three hours writing five pages, which I consider to be a really effective use of time in my standards.

Planning thoughts for a speech would be a lot more different from an essay. While in an essay you have the time to sophisticatedly form your argument and develop the complexity of what you're trying to say, in a speech, the most important thing is that you get your point across immediately to your audience and also are able to support your point with clear, specific, accurate facts. Similarly to writing a paper, for a speech you would also need to do research, but it would be more important to find very to the point, eye-opening facts that grab the attention of the audience. After all, there is nothing worse than boring your audience with mundane information that is not out of the ordinary. Your speech, similarly to your paper, should also have extremely sound logic - the audience will be able to tell if you are flubbing or don't have adequate information, probably even more so than if you were writing an essay. In an essay, I feel that it's easier to make your logical fallacies transparent or mask them with fancy language. In a speech, however, it is MUCH easier to tell if you don't know what you are talking about. Prewriting and organizing your ideas into clearly structured arguments is a great way to plan out your thoughts.

In the end, writing an essay and writing a speech aren't all that different from each other. In both cases, I would approach planning  my thoughts very seriously and allot significant time for research, brainstorming, thinking, considering pros and cons of certain viewpoints - anything to strengthen and perfect my argument. However, what's very different about writing an essay and giving speech is obviously the way they are presented. The strength of a paper is being able to formulate your argument in a more complex and structured way, while in a speech, the specific words you choose and facts you choose to present should be strong, forceful, and persuasive : being to the point is very essential in grabbing and convincing your audience.  A speech's rebuttal would need to be particularly strong, especially in a debate - for in a debate you would need to prepare multiple strong rebuttals in order to make your opponent seem weaker and strengthen your own side of the argument. Rebuttals can also definitely help to strengthen an essay, but you probably would not need as many compared to a speech or debate. 

Vice Presidential Debates

Last night was the presidential debate between Alaskan governor Sarah Palin and Senator Joe Biden. I went to watch the debate with no expectations since I have never seen any political debates lately. I was pleasantly surprised with how entertaining the debate was, as well as how interesting and in depth the important issues addressed were. I also had never seen Palin or Biden speak publicly before, although I had read much about them in the media and newspaper.  

Right off the bat, I could tell that Senator Biden had an edge over Palin. He spoke with more confidence and experience on the issues at hand, particularly foreign policy. When Palin started speaking, she had a deer-in-the-headlights expression. However, I found myself impressed by her composure and rhetoric in a moment of extreme pressure and exposure to the public (particularly since she has been shed in a very negative light for the past few weeks in the press). Also, Palin has a very likable personality. She speaks in a conversational tone that can relate to the average American, and uses cute phrases such as "gosh darnit" that may appeal to certain people.

In the long run, however, Palin often didn't answer questions Biden posed at her, nor did she counter-argued very effectively. Instead, what she did was avoid the questions and talk about her "plan" with John McCain, and kept referring to her experience as a governor and legislator (which often times was redundant or irrelevant to the question asked). Basically, Palin eloquently spoke about her position and experiences, but in doing so, didn't really answer the questions or arguments thrown at her.

In contrast, Biden used facts, percentages, insight, and persuasive language to back up his points and also refute the jabs that Palin threw at him. There was also a moment of tenderness where he referred to his dead wife and child, but he didn't throw the sympathy card too hard. I was surprised that Biden didn't attack Palin harder on foreign policy and federal issues, particularly since it would uncover Palin's total lack of experience in that area. However, I think he was mainly trying to come across as considerate of her, which he did, and was a small price he had to pay.

In the end, both Palin and Biden spoke very well and higher than what I expected of them. The big picture, however, is scary: the fact that someone as inexperienced as Palin is only a heartbeat away from the White House is frightening. Yes, Palin was an effective governor in her state of Alaska. Yes, she is a likable and very nice person that connects with the middle class. However, there is no way that she is ready to lead our nation, especially one as complex and sophisticated as the United States of America. I would be much more comfortable having Biden as Vice President. The irony, however, is that the likelihood of Palin attaining the presidency isn't that small - John McCain is already in his 70s, while Barack Obama is over 20 years his junior.

I really don't know why McCain picked Palin- she's a good politician but simply doesn't measure up to the responsibilities and knowledge required of a potential commander-in-chief. The vice presidential debate only seemed to solidify this statement and what we already know.

I know who I'm voting for in November. 

College: Being Away in a Nutshell

I was browsing through other classmates' blogs for ideas on what to write about and I found that almost all of them wrote a blog on their experiences as a college student, so I figured I'd give it a go. :)

Coming to college, one of the things I was most afraid of was missing home. Since I was born and raised in Hawaii my whole life, I was scared that I would experience a total culture-shock and miss home to the point where it would be unbearable. Interestingly enough, my experience here at USC has been totally the opposite of what I had expected. I've been here for over a month, and I haven't experienced a single ounce of homesickness. In fact, I've enjoyed my time here so thoroughly that I almost enjoy living here more than Hawaii!

I think one major factor that contributes to my lack of homesickness is the fact that the people here are so friendly, diverse, and welcoming. So far, I haven't met anyone at USC that I haven't liked. Everyone here strikes me as intelligent, always has a friendly demeanor, and is so easy to just strike up a conversation with. I've made friends here really easily - in fact, it's far easier than high school. I believe a lot of it has to do with everyone is going through the same experience, and are generally more open to meeting new people and making new friends. In high school, or at least where I came from, it was totally the opposite- everyone already had set groups of friends, tight cliques, and didn't bother to mingle. The people here at USC have made all the difference for me.

Another reason I'm not homesick is that it's really easy to keep in touch with my friends and family through email, over the phone, or online using AIM or skype. It's not the same as being with people face to face, but in a way, your friends and family never leave you. They're always just a fingerstroke or phone call away.

The weather here at USC is also really manageable. I was afraid that the mainland would be really cold compared to Hawaii, but I've been able to adjust really well. I still put a jacket on when it gets into the 60s - the weather hardly ever does in Hawaii, that's why - but for the most part, I'm surviving and coping easily in jeans and a sweatshirt. Hopefully the weather doesn't get any colder than it does now, cause it's actually starting to get decently chilly!

The fact that there's just so much to do here at USC and in LA also makes my experience here so much fun so I don't even think about home and Hawaii all that much! It's so easy to take the metro/the bus to the Santa Monica pier, Hollywood, Westwood/UCLA, Little Tokyo, and downtown, which I've done so far. It's impossible to get bored here. Also, obviously we always have homework and assignments to do and that occupies a lot of time. Simply living with your friends and peers also keeps you busy - people are constantly walking in and out of your suite, stopping by to chat, and just hanging with you/going to eat meals with you. I love the college lifestyle.

In a nutshell, I don't miss home at all. Occasionally I think about how nice the weather probably is in Hawaii, or I wonder how my friends from home are doing. I also really miss the local food- Hawaii has REALLY DELICIOUS Asian food and all types of other foods as well. In the end, though, I don't feel like I really had to "transition" to USC- it was just so easy to start living here that I don't think I needed to adjust at all. I'm so glad that I chose USC and Southern California for school, and also grateful that I gave it a shot- USC was actually my third choice after UCLA and Berkeley, but turned into my first choice when I didn't get into the other two. It must have been a sign when I didn't get into those schools, because I love it here so much. :)

USC Football Mania

Last Saturday was our first home game against Ohio State. USC came in ranked 1st and Ohio State ranked 5th, so the pre-game hype had escalated to a pretty high point. The day of the game, there was a palpable sense of energy infused throughout the entire campus. My own suitemates woke up early, making tons of noise since they were so excited about the football game. When I went to eat brunch at Parkside, there was literally a sea of red; everyone was wearing a USC shirt or some type of USC clothing. 

My friends and I decided to head over to the colosseum at noon that way we could beat most of the crowd. It turned out that there were already well over 1,000 fans waiting in line. Feeling slightly overwhelmed by it all, we plopped ourselves at the end of the line and proceeded to play cards to pass the time until 2:00. Luckily, my friend brought his boombox so we were able to listen to music. The sense of energy around the colosseum was far greater than on campus. There were dozens of drunk people stumbling around, overly loud and exuberant fans, people whose bodies were painted half cardinal and half gold and even a brawl that broke out between a drunk USC fan and an unlucky Ohio State fan that had happened to walk by. The smell of hot dogs, hamburgers, beer, smoke, and even the faint scent of pot permeated the air. 

With so much activity to see and smell, the hours passed pretty quickly. Before we knew it, the line was moving. However, we were given a rude awakening when we reached the front of the line: we weren't allowed to bring our backpacks in. We had to trudge over to a tent on the side where we gave them our bags. It was extremely unorganized and took much longer than necessary. To make matters worse, people were getting written up for underage drinking and other offenses at the same tent, so there were a lot of pissed off people we had to encounter. 

When we finally got into the colosseum, the student section was already 80% full. The time we had spent waiting in the backpack line had let a hundred people behind us skip ahead, so we were left with seats that were five rows from the absolute top. Although I would have preferred being just a tad closer, the view of the football field was great, and we also had a great view of the entire student section. 

The football game itself was pretty exciting. The student fans were extremely loud, impassioned, and Trojans at heart. Nothing beats the first touchdown that you see in a huge stadium of 93,000 screaming football fans. USC played really well offensively and defensively and didn't give Ohio State an inch to do anything worthwhile. In the end, I was really glad that we had won by such a large margin, but I was simultaneously disappointed that Ohio State hadn't given us a harder run for our money.

Needless to say, we lost to Oregon State the next week...

American Culture & Medicine

Prompt: Based on your own observations, how does American culture view the practice of medicine? In what ways is this view political?

From my own observation, it's pretty clear that American culture views the practice of medicine as extremely respectable. Being a doctor is a very prestigious profession, and this message is certainly conveyed in the media where doctors are always shed in a positive and helpful light. It is also a "hip" profession, which I can see from the dozens of television shows that exist today that concern doctors, hospitals, and the practice of medicine. 

Being someone of Asian-American descent, I can especially see this is true among the Asian community. I have so many friends whose parents want them to become doctors, or at least emphasize what a great profession being a doctor is in today's society. To the Asian mindset, being a doctor is extremely respectable not only because you are helping others, curing illnesses, and saving lives, but it also brings in a very respectable salary where you can support your family and your parents. Especially in today's job market and economy, where many people are struggling to make ends meet, making $40k or $50k a year is hardly enough to support a middle-class family and make ends meet. Probably not only Asian parents but people from many different races also view being a doctor as a great profession. After all, it's a double whammy: you make a good salary but at the same time you are helping people in a great way.

Certainly, this view of the practice of medicine is political. Since doctors are revered and seen as  respectable and also very knowledgeable, this gives them a lot of power. I read a very insightful book this past year called "How Doctors Think." I remember it mentioning how patients often times don't question what their doctors say when they give advice, and instead take for granted that whatever their doctor says MUST be right. This is dangerous, because doctors are simply humans like us who can make mistakes. What patients often don't do is ask their doctors questions to better understand their own health, and instead hold their doctor in a very high regard where they apparently "hold the answers to everything."

Doctors also have the power of swaying opinion. For example, in one of the medical ads I was sorting through to choose for my Writing Assignment #1, it shows a doctor promoting a cholesterol-reducing medicine that he uses himself. Just the fact that he uses the medicine gives it credibility because he is a well-known doctor. This is an example of someone that practices medicine giving a product accountability/reliability.

Hello

Heylo, it's Jasmine :D I'm a freshman residing at Parkside Arts & Humanities. I'm from Honolulu, HI - there's lots of Hawaii people at USC cause we love it here and the weather is closest to home! :) I'm currently undecided but leaning towards business as a possible major. I play tennis, the violin, & waste way too much time sometimes watching Youtube videos.

I took this picture at Newport Beach.

Other classmates' blogs:

http://blogforhomework.blogspot.com

http://livinglimbo.blogspot.com 

http://emilyblogsforwrit140.blogspot.com

http://mattiewatson.blogspot.com

http://gnuhceitak.blogspot.com

http://nelliequerns.blogspot.com

http://writcmp.blogspot.com

http://ookieekieahkaoogie.blogspot.com

http://katherine-usc.blogspot.com

http://nichau.blogspot.com

http://trjoanblogging.blogspot.com