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I want to write about weight training for sprint swimmer because I am also a sprint swimmer.  As a sprinter you need to train the same way in the weight room that you would in the pool. A big misconception that sprinters have is that they have to lift heavy weights all the time to get strong. That would be like doing all resistance training in the pool, which nobody does. Most sprint swimming programs go through different phases of training during a season. Typically they do a variety of endurance, power, and speed work. The same thing needs to be done in the weight room as well. To get the most out of training, you need to change what you do every so often because your body gets used to the same thing over and over again. It wouldn't make sense to do the same workout in the pool every day so why would you do the same thing in the gym every single day. If a season starts in April and goes into September like a typical summer season you need to balance the type of lifting you do. April should consist of endurance lifting, May power lifting, June speed lifting, July power lifting, and August speed lifting. By the end of the summer you will be stronger and faster with more endurance, which is the goal of a sprinter. For example, if you need to be able to go 48 seconds as fast as you can in the 100 free, that requires all of the components discussed above. The fastest sprinters in the world do not really pace the 100. The first 50 split is within a second of their best 50 time. When you take away the time it takes to turn you are looking at only a couple tenths of a second slower. That means the first 50 is approximately 98% effort so you definitely need endurance to finish off the race.

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It is storming right now so I thought I would just write a bunch of facts I know about thunderstorms and lightning from a class I just took.  A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. Thunderstorms result from the rapid upward movement of warm, moist air. They can occur inside warm, moist air masses and at fronts. As the warm, moist air moves upward, it cools, condenses, and forms cumulonimbus clouds that can reach heights of over 20 km. As the rising air reaches its dew point, water droplets and ice form and begin falling the long distance through the clouds towards the Earth's surface. As the droplets fall, they collide with other droplets and become larger. The falling droplets create a downdraft of air that spreads out at the Earth's surface and causes strong winds associated with thunderstorms. Cloud-to-ground lightning frequently occur within the phenomena of thunderstorms and have numerous hazards towards landscapes and populations. One of the more significant hazards lightning can pose is the wildfires they are capable of igniting. Under a regime of low precipitation thunderstorms, where little precipitation is present, rainfall cannot prevent fires from starting when vegetation is dry as lightning produces a concentrated amount of extreme heat. Wildfires can devastate vegetation and the biodiversity of an ecosystem. Wildfires that occur close to urban environments can inflict damages upon infrastructures, buildings, crops, and provide risks to explosions, should the flames be exposed to gas pipes. Direct damage is caused by lightning strikes occurs on occasion. In areas with a high frequency for cloud-to-ground lightning, like Florida, lightning causes several fatalities per year, most commonly to people working outside. 

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Ethanol, aka "alcohol", is perhaps the most widely consumed drug on Earth. With the exception of its effects on heart disease, few people would claim it is good for you. But, because of its legality, omnipresence, and just the fact that it is so much fun, most think very little of having a few beers or even a few six packs. However, it is far from being a harmless vice, even in non-alcoholics. It affects numerous neurotransmitters, metabolic processes, and hormones -- and many of these effects go beyond the time period of intoxication. These have ramifications, not only for general health, but as you will see, body composition as well.  Alcohol seems to be the drink of choice for most college students.  College students love to party on the weekends and consume alcohol to relieve stress that come from school during the week.  Many college students that drink are underage but not a lot of people care that college students are drinking illegally.  It’s the kind of behavior to be expected for college students to be doing.  Most people don’t always start drinking in college, many people start drinking underage when they’re in high school. A single study found, if a society believes that intoxication leads to Sexual behavior, rowdy behavior, or aggression, then people tend to act that way when intoxicated. But if a society believes that intoxication leads to relaxation and tranquil behavior, then it usually leads to those outcomes. Alcohol expectations vary within a society, so these outcomes are not certain. 

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Like any substance, marijuana can be abused. The most common problem attributed to marijuana is frequent overuse, which can induce lethargic behavior, but does not cause serious health problems. Marijuana can cause short-term memory loss, but only while under the influence. Marijuana does not impair long-term memory. Marijuana does not lead to harder drugs. 
Marijuana does not cause brain damage, genetic damage, or damage the immune system. Unlike alcohol, marijuana does not kill brain cells or induce violent behavior. Continuous long-term smoking of marijuana can cause bronchitis, but the chance of contracting bronchitis from casual marijuana smoking is minuscule. Respiratory health hazards can be totally eliminated by consuming marijuana via non-smoking methods, such as ingesting marijuana via baked foods, tincture, or vaporizer. Marijuana does not cause serious health problems like those caused by tobacco or alcohol (strong addiction, cancer, heart problems, birth defects, emphysema, liver damage, etc.). Death from a marijuana overdose is impossible. In all of world history, there has never been a single human death attributed to a health problem caused by marijuana. Legalize marijuana and life would be better for most people.

ANNUAL AMERICAN DEATHS CAUSED BY DRUGS


TOBACCO …………………… 400,000


ALCOHOL …………………… 100,000


ALL LEGAL DRUGS ………….20,000


ALL ILLEGAL DRUGS ……….15,000


CAFFEINE …………………….2,000


ASPIRIN ………………………500


MARIJUANA …………………. 0

I don’t use marijuana but just saying… why not legalize such a harmless substance?

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Yesterday was Memorial Day and I thought I would just write about my day and a little about Memorial Day itself.  Every year I have to get up early to go to a Memorial Day parade in Lowell.  This year I went to bed really early and got about 13 hours of sleep so I was well rested the next morning.  For some reason, every year on memorial is the hottest day of the year so far.  The parade is really small with only a few people marching, the very small fort Frye high school marching band, and the 4-H club on a trailer pulled by my grand fathers tractor.  The reason we go every year is because my grand father is a past commander on the American Legion in Lowell so he is charge of leading the march of veterans and shouting commands.  So every year I go watch them do the same Memorial Day ceremony at the cemetery.  This year was so hot that I felt bad for my aging grand father marching five miles in 90-degree weather.  It’s pretty impressive that he can still do that.  After it was all over, I went up to his house to replace the chain and sprockets on my four-wheeler and then ride it around a little bit.  He was drunk from having shots at the bar with his veteran buddies.  The advice he gave me was that the first amendment is that you have the right to protect yourself and that you’re not an American unless you have a gun.

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I have two best friends and I really can’t choose between them.  My two best friends are also my room mates.  Adam and matt have been my best friends for a long time.  We met in middle school when we all joined the cross country team in 7^th grade.  We became friend through being team mates.  We all ran cross country and joined the track team for 6 years.  I have been close and hung out with them a lot ever since we met.  Our freshman year, they moved to Devola, which is where I have lived all my life.  We started hanging out a lot more once they moved closer because I could just walk or ride my bike over to their house.  Once we could drive, we would take turns driving to school and to practice.  The three of us and another friend had a combined graduation party because we’ve been friends for so long that we had a lot of people in common to invite.  Last year we didn’t live together but I spent a lot of time going over to their dorm to hangout and we all went out together just about every weekend.  I had a single last year and it’s so small it wasn’t a very good place to hangout.  This year was the first time we lived together and although we get on each others nerves at times, we have similar interests and opinions on things so we can usually work through our problems.

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My favorite place in the whole wide world would probably be where we go camping in the mountains every summer.  I am a member of the Mountain Top Hunting Club in the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia.  We don’t actually do any hunting when we go but we go on long ATV adventures and camp out for a week.  Every summer my grandparents take me and my cousins camping in the mountains.  The place that we set up camp is about 30 miles from town.  I usually sleep in a car hauler trailer that we use to bring the bikes up with.  We can’t sleep in tents because the bears can rip through them looking for food (it happened once). 

A general day for me up there starts by waking up early and starting the campfire.  Then, the whole camp (we have a group of about 20-30 people usually) packs lunches and gets ready for the daily ride on the trails.  Everyday the whole group usually rides about 25-40 miles.  After the ride, I usually go down to the lake to swim and wash off (no showers).  After dinner, the whole camp meets up at the campfire where we tell stories, make smores, drink beer and such. 

I always have so much fun up there but the reason that this is my favorite place is definitely because of the amazing natural scenery.  I love being able to just jump on my four-wheeler and go for a ride just to enjoy the nature and views the mountains have to offer.

            

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As of now, my major is currently pharmacy.  Pharmacy has been my interest since my senior year of high school.  I shadowed a friend of my mom and dad who is a pharmacist my senior year.  I found the pharmacy environment to be a nice place to work. Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs. The scope of pharmacy practice includes more traditional roles such as compounding and dispensing medications, and it also includes more modern services related to health care, including clinical services, reviewing medications for safety and efficacy, and providing drug information. Pharmacists, therefore, are the experts on drug therapy and are the primary health professionals who optimize medication use to provide patients with positive health outcomes.  Drugs and the way they react with our bodies has always interest me and that’s probably the main reason I chose this major.  The salary is fairly alluring also, being six figures.  Addicting drugs is what originally captured by interest.  The fact that the effect a substance can have on a human brain that can be rewarding enough to make a person become addicted really fascinated me.  Most functions in the body can be controlled by a drug and it’s amazing how the right combination of compounds can have such a significant effect on the human body and the brain.  I think developing new drugs or being a pharmacist would be really cool.

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I feel like if I had the opportunity to meet any famous person I want, I would have a tough time choosing.  Kanye West is definitely my favorite music artist of all time.  He would be up there on the list of potential famous people.  I have been listening to Kanye for a very long time.  I love all of his albums and just about all of his music.  808’s and heartbreak was definitely my least favorite album but it had a few good songs on it.  Graduation would be my favorite album and if I could have him do a private concert for my friends and I, I would want him to perform that whole album.  If I had the opportunity to hangout with him for one day, I would want to just do everything he does on a normal day and have him perform at my party.  Another person I would like to meet is Lebron James.  I think Lebron is one of the greatest athletes of all time.  It would be great to shoot around with him all day.  I’m really cheering for him to win at least one ring someday because and athlete like him really deserves it, despite all of the drama he has had over the last year.  Kid Cudi would be fun to hangout with too.  I once had a dream that Kid Cudi and Lebron James came over to my house to hangout and then me and Lebron chilled back stage while Cudi performed.

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I guess the weirdest dream I had been a long time ago, but I still remember it like yesterday. MY sisters and I were shrunk like the kids in honey I shrunk the kids. We were in our dad's glass of chocolate milk (mmm..chocolate milk..mmm) and he had one of those straws that look like the red and white barber stripes. He was going to drink us up. And we were trying to swim away. Then we escaped somehow and we were in the jungle (just the backyard) and we were looking up at my mom hanging the clothes on the clothesline. I think we were trying to get her attention. But we were so small and so far away. Anyways, oh, yeah once, I was running from this monster-swamp-thing-bad-man, and I ran into this person's driveway, I was so scared. There was this huge paper plate with stains and everything (I think  someone ate lasagna or enchiladas off of it) and it became my get away vehicle. I rode it down the street and he was right behind me. It was really funny afterward. But at the time I'm sure I was scared shitless. I don't like people following me or chasing me.  Oh and one time I dreamt that I could fly by using the breast stroke and swimming through the air.  This came in handy because I had to run from vicious raptors so I just flew up to the roof of a warehouse.

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Something in nature that really fascinates me is also considered to be one of the seven natural wonders of the world.  The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world.  I have always been fascinated by the ocean since I was little.  Coral reefs are one of the most interesting sites to see in the ocean and host thousands of species of wildlife.  The Great Barrier Reef actually consists of over 2,900 separate coral reefs, stretches over 1,600 miles, and can be seen from outer space. The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest individual formation created by living organisms. As the largest coral reef in the world, the Great Barrier Reef includes over 900 islands and supports one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Thirty species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises have been recorded in the Great Barrier Reef, including the dwarf minke whale, Hindo-Pacific humpback dolphin, and the Humpback Whale. Large populations of dugongs live there.   One day I would love to travel to Australia and visit the Great Barrier Reef.  It is one of my goals in life to scuba dive/snorkel in the GBR and really get a close look at what it has to offer.  My dad goes scuba diving from time to time and I would really like to get certified so I can enjoy the natural wonder.  I have been snorkeling in a coral reef off the coast of ft. Lauderdale and it was such a great experience.  So there is no doubt I would love the GBR.

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I would say that one of my biggest pet peeves is poor customer service.  If customer service is your job, you need to take it seriously just like any other job.  No matter how rude or uncivil the person you’re serving may be, it is your job to stay friendly and do your job.  The thing that really gets me is poor customer service when the customers are even being friendly and easy to manage.  I understand customer service can be rough so I generally don’t give anyone serving me a hard time.  But I get really frustrated and worked up when they can’t do their job correctly or are acting like it’s so inconvenient for them to just do their job.  Waiters and waitresses tend to be the biggest violators of my pet peeve.  Restaurants hire too many people that just are not fit to serve people.  If you make a mistake, you need to own up to it and maybe even do a little ass kissing to make up for it.  I hate when a waiter makes a mistake but then tries to say it is not their fault.  My best friends’ father used to own a restaurant and they both worked there.  They both have a good understanding of good service so we all get really annoyed when we go somewhere to eat and have a bad waiter or waitress.  If we get poor service, we usually don’t tip very well, if at all.

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The best present I think that I have ever gotten was a 2004 polaris scrambler 500.  I got it for Christmas a few years ago from my grandpa and my parents.  I remember how excited I was when I walked into my grandpa’s building and saw my new ATV sitting there.  Since I got my new bike, I have had so much fun riding it.  My grandpa has trails on his property where I can ride.  I have pretty much memorized all of the trails like the back of my hand from riding them so much.  Every year my grandparents take us grandchildren on a camping trip in the mountains.  We take all of our fourwheelers up with us to ride around on the hundreds of miles of trails.  We usually go camping up there for about two weeks and I sleep in a car hauler that we transport the bikes in.  We tried tents once but the bears just shred them up looking for food.  All day we ride fourwheelers on the trails.  Most days we’ll travel anywhere from 20 to 40 miles in one day so we pack snacks and lunch for the trails.  I have so much fun riding my bike up there every year and that is why it is by far the best present I have every received.  I suppose it’s also the most expensive present I’ve ever received too.

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My first job was lifeguarding a local public pool near my hometown of Marietta.  To become a lifeguard, I had to get certified in lifeguarding, CPR, first aid, and oxygen administration.  The minimum age to become certified in lifeguarding is 16 so I guarded the summer after my sophomore year of high school.  I was pretty nervous my first year at the pool.  Lifeguarding comes with a lot of responsibility and I wondered whether I would be ready to handle a situation like saving somebody’s life.  Lifeguarding is a pretty relaxed job and the people I worked with were a lot of fun.  I remember my first ‘save’.  I was guarding on a fairly busy day because it was nice out and a little girl jumped into the deep end and went over her head.  I jumped out of my chair and pulled her out of the pool quickly.  It feels good when you help someone but it also makes your heart race whenever you get out of the chair for a save.  Since my first year I have guarded for five years with my local YMCA and I’ve guarded at 6 different public and private pools.  I have always gotten along with and made friends with the people I have worked with.  We always find ways to make work fun.  Lifeguarding can be pretty boring and sometimes stressful so you have to find ways to have fun and enjoy it.

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Exercise is an issue many people have.  America gets a lot of criticism because of obesity and overweight problems in our country.  Most people have motivation problems when it comes to going to the gym or getting a workout in for the day to try and stay healthy and in shape.  A majority of exercise related articles are about self-motivation and tips to help get people more active.  There are tons of products to buy that claim they can get you in shape in a minimal amount of time.  Something I find interesting is on the other end of the spectrum that is an overlooked issue.  Exercise addiction and overtraining is a problem many people have.  Some people take their workouts to a point past being healthy.  Exercise and working out is considered good for you and healthy but many people take it too far.  Many people seek exercise as a method of relieving stress and workout for the good feeling they get from it.  Some people get addicted to this feeling and the endorphin rush they get from pushing themselves.  Overtraining is a common and very serious condition that occurs from over exertion when working out.  The body has limits and exercise is something, like most things, that needs to be done in moderation.  Another aspect of exercise that some people take to a point that becomes unhealthy is supplementation.  In search of a better physique, many people, mostly guys, take loads of supplements ranging from simple protein to growth hormones and steroids.  There is nothing wrong with exercise and taking supplements to stay healthy and shape but like most things, moderation is key.

            I know this isn’t really about a different culture.  But I took exercise enthusiasts as their own culture and society with customs that can lead to overtraining.  That’s where I was going with this blog.

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I figured that since I have to blog about a family member that I would blog about someone who has been an influential person and had an important impact on my life.  My grandfather is a great man who I have been very close to growing up.  When I was young, my grandpa’s house was somewhere I went a lot and really enjoyed.  I always had fun at his house.  His house is located in the woods so there were a lot of fun things to do.  I used to go on adventures through the woods on his property and he took all of us grandchildren on four wheeler rides a lot.  I loved spending time with him because of the stories he would tell.  He had so many sweet stories from back in the day when he was younger.  He used to do so many crazy things when he was a kid.  One of my favorites was when he had his Cadillac and ran from the cops.  Something you can’t really get away with anymore.  His war stories were very interesting too.  He was a tank driver in World War II and was oversees in Germany for three years.  My grandpa has been the biggest role model in my life.  I credit who I am today from his life lessons.  He has always been there whenever I need him.  When I got arrested last summer, he was the one who came at 3 in the morning to get me out of jail.  My grandpa is a very interesting man and I aspire to be like him.

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The number one aspect of grammar that I always seem to have issues with is the proper use of the comma and semi-colon.  I don’t really know much about the rules of using commas.  I usually feel as though I am using them the right way when I’m writing but I’m never really sure.  When I write, I say what I’m writing in my head as if I am talking out loud.  I place commas where it sounds right to pause if I were speaking out loud.  There are also some other common grammar mistakes I fall victim to occasionally.  I think over the years I have figured out the proper use of some of these tricky words in grammar.  The thing I get annoyed by easily is the improper use of your and you’re.  All it takes to avoid this error is to take a second and think about what you’re trying to say.  “Your” is a possessive pronoun, as in “your car” or “your blog.” “You’re” is a contraction for “you are,” as in “you’re screwing up your writing by using your when you really mean you are.  “There” and “their” are used improperly just the same.  “Its” and “it’s” is one that used to stump me as well.  “It’s” is a contraction of “it is” or “it has.” “Its” is a possessive pronoun, as in “this blog has lost its mojo.” Here’s an easy rule of thumb, just repeat your sentence out loud using “it is” instead. If that sounds weird, “its” is likely the correct choice.

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I have decided that the title for this project should be something clever about identical twins.  I was thinking something like “do you know who you are?” or “How to identify yourself” or ‘identical twins and the end of the world’.  I’m leaning towards the last title at this point.  I’ll have to talk to my roommates and see what title they like best and if they have any ideas.  Also, I thought it might be important to mention that although my roommates will be referred to a lot in my article, I will not be using their names or at least I will change them.  Alright, I also need to write a brief introduction.  I have been struggling to come up with ways to hook my reader about identical twins so I think a slightly sarcastic tone might help.

            Have you ever met two identical twins at a party and was immediately fascinated that they look so much alike you can’t imagine telling them apart?  You might ask them something obviously dumb such as, “how do you know that you are you and not your brother.”  You think this is hilarious at the time but they have heard it hundreds of times, and its not funny, trust me.  Be warned by your “hilarious” twin jokes though, because identical twins might just take over the world one day.  When this happens, you don’t want to be the one remembered as making lame twin jokes at the party.  

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My personal anecdote is about some experiences i have had with my two best friends and roommates.  My roommates are identical twins and share the same DNA.  Most people get them confused and few people can find a way to tell them apart.  People seem to have a lot of interest in identical twins.  My friends draw a lot of attention when we all go somewhere together and meet new people.  Of course this is where the bad twin jokes come into play that we have all heard a thousand times.  "How do you know you're not your brother."  Most of these jokes just annoy them because they take away from their own identity.  Too many people just group them together as if they are one person.  One popular myth or theory is that identical twins share a mental connection deep enough to share thoughts and ideas.  This has been somewhat proven by the fact that twins are often caught saying the same thing.  There have been several times that i have been alone in the room with one of them having a conversation about something and then later having almost the same conversation with his brother.  They will structure the conversation almost the same and even come up with the same ideas.  I believe that there is some connection there and that it is likely due to the development of their brain structures because they share the same DNA.

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Identical twins aren’t exactly a topic that seems that significant.  In fact, I’m sure for most people the topic would never pop into their heads unless they are reading an article about them.  So I think that the purpose of this paper, or it at least what I want anyone who reads it to get from it, is just awareness about identical twins and how it could be a topic of discussion in future studies when human cloning becomes a reality.  I think the idea of uniqueness and personality or self-identity can be better explained by identical twins.  If two people with identical DNA can form completely independent personalities, then it shows how environmental factors play a huge role in personal development.  I would also like to explore more into the theories of EMT communication or the possibility that, due to almost identical brain structure at an early age, that there is a deeper mental connection between identical twins than there is between two random people or average siblings.  From personal experience as well as various other accounts and stories, I have heard twins say the exact thing at different times or come up with the exact same idea while separated from each other.  I think I could include some awareness about what not to say to twins also.  My roommates constantly hear bad twin jokes and odd questions such as “how do you know you’re not your brother.”  I think identical twins everywhere would be glad if people stopped.

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I think that I can make my topic about identical twins quite compelling to read by using interesting research involving identical twins.  Identical twins is a fairly common phenomenon so not a lot of people appreciate the science that can be centered around twins and the usefulness of this research in up-and-coming technology involving human cloning.  It’s interesting how identical twins can share identical DNA and inner structure while developing their own complete uniqueness. While most twins grow up in the same home environment, there are many circumstances that create differences in the children’s appearances, personalities, and interests. As the twins approach the teen years, they may even seek to establish dissimilar qualities in order to establish individual identities.                                                  A study conducted by a team of researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Center in Madrid concluded that, while identical twins are born with the same epigenome, their epigentic profiles begin to diverge as they age. The differences increase as twins live longer and spend more time apart. The scientists offered two theories to explain this phenomenon. First, that epigentic marks are removed randomly as people age. Secondly, environmental influences change the pattern of epigentic marks.  This makes the topic interesting and compelling because it shows a lot about the power of the human brain and it’s ability to adapt.  Research about twins is very important in ethical considerations in human cloning by presenting evidence that the clone will develop it’s own unique personality.

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I’m not exactly sure how I can make the topic of Identical twins timely.  I believe this topic isn’t so much current but has made progress in understanding more about identical twins.  I guess the best way to make this topic timely would be to consider the possibilities of human cloning.  Cloning allows us to make a genetically identical copy of a person.  This would be an unnaturally way to make identical twins although an age difference exists.  Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human, human cell, or human tissue. Therapeutic cloning involves cloning cells from an adult for use in medicine and is an active area of research, while reproductive cloning would involve making cloned humans. Such reproductive cloning has not been performed and is illegal in many countries. A third type of cloning called replacement cloning is a theoretical possibility, and would be a combination of therapeutic and reproductive cloning. Replacement cloning would entail the replacement of an extensively damaged, failed, or failing body through cloning followed by whole or partial brain transplant.  I believe that this is the purpose that human cloning will ultimately achieve, a way to immortalize yourself.  Basically you can just upgrade to a healthier body by stealing your identical twin’s, made in the lab, body.  The ethical question that helps make it a current topic is whether this twin made in the lab has it’s own human rights.  It wouldn’t be right to take advantage of this unnaturally born person who would have his or her own uniqueness.

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I may be writing about identical twins for my commonplace project.  I figure I could just write about awareness and the fact that despite their identical DNA, they retain their own unique personality and identity.  Progress in scientific advancements such as human cloning could allow for a change in identical twins.  Human cloning allows for a genetically identical person to be grown from the donor DNA.  This could allow for identical twins that have a difference in age rather than the same birthday. The correct term for identical twinning is monozygotic. Monozygotic twins form from a single (mono) fertilized egg (zygote). The zygote splits into two parts after conception, resulting in the development of two individual embryos. Because the two embryos are the result of a single egg/sperm combination, they have the same genetic origins. They have the same DNA.  Many people believe that identical twins share a special connection, including the ability to read each other's minds. There is plenty of anecdotal data to support the idea. Nearly every set of twins can relate a story. Sometimes, one twin experiences a physical sensation of something that is happening to their twin (such as labor pains or a heart attack.) Other times they will find that they perform similar actions when they're apart, such as buying the same item, ordering the same meal in a restaurant, or picking up the phone to make a call at the exact same moment. They may appear to know the other's thoughts, by speaking simultaneously or finishing each other's sentences.  I can personally verify these instances because my roommates are identical twins and I have seen them say the same thing at separate times as well as other strange things quite often.

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 I read the article titled Diversity or Discrimination by Beth Carter.  She argues that Stressing diversity might actually make a college campus less diverse and that the majority groups such as caucasions shouldn’t be left out of diversity programs and such.  Racial intolerance is a prevalent problem on many college campuses. Colleges and universities try to alleviate problems of racism and discrimination by setting up special living communities which allow people of a certain nationality or culture to live together. Creating these living areas may seem like a great idea, yet it is causing more division between races. Having like groups of people isolate themselves by living in a house or dorm eliminates their diversity. Neither the people who live in these secluded communities nor the rest of the campus’s residential population get the full experience of cultural diversity at Ohio State. The university is a unique school because of its many groups, clubs, religions, races and hobbies, but when people start cutting themselves off from others, the diversity disappears. Obviously a living community of just one race is not diverse. While it is reassuring to have security in living with people who share the same background, everyone needs to branch out and face diversity head on.  As a recipient of a minority scholarship for being Appalachian I understand how campuses set up programs to lure more minority groups to the school in hopes of diversity.  

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I Read an article about socialization and stereotypes by drink selection.  The article was titled, “you are what you drink” by Ellas Nader.  The articles make an argument that your social class can be defined by what alcoholic beverage you drink as a tool of stereotyping.  It says that whether you’ve ever realized it or not that what you alcohol you choose to drink puts you in a social group with certain qualities and characteristics.  The first two examples the author uses are the martini and the cosmo.  The author says that the cosmo has gained fame and been made personalized by Carrie Bradshaw from sex and the city.  Also, the martini gained its characteristics from James Bond and his famous line, “shaken, not stirred.”  The martini takes on Bond’s personality as being a manly and sophisticated drink.  Just the same the cosmo is a strong, independent and feminine drink.  Natural light represents a party beer and people who drink tend to be parties and binge drinkers looking to have fun.  Natural light markets to college students as being a cool beer and a party beer.  The article also makes an argument that even if you are not a drinker of alcohol that you can still be put in a class by what you don’t drink. They are stereotyped as being extremely focused on academics or their jobs and are notorious for having few friends and a nonexistent social life. The lack of social drinking can place someone into a class of his or her own, allowing others to make snap judgments associated with the stereotype of a non-drinker similar to those that non-drinkers make about those who do drink.

Blog 27

The year is 2025 and the structure of modern civilization has fallen into a now post-apocalyptic world.  If you’ve survived, you can no longer safely walk the streets without the fear of having your body stolen and imprinted with the mind of some one else.  This is an extreme scenario of a world where curiosity and power got the best of mankind and our science spun out of control.  In the popular TV series, Dollhouse, this unfortunate future became a reality. 

The great Rossum Corporation whose power runs deep with influence, created a business out of next-generation prostitution.  Imagine being a wealthy or powerful person and with the help of the dollhouse you can rent a human being to be whoever you want them to be and fulfill your any fantasy.  After wiping clean the minds of hand selected volunteers, the active is imprinted with the persona of whomever the client wishes the doll to become.  These innocent dolls are purchased for anything from a romantic encounter to a dangerous engagement.  Throughout the series, one could question the morals of the dollhouse and the ethics involving the technology they use for mind erasing and imprinting. 

Ethical and moral issues surround modern day science.  Scientific research, especially involving human beings, need to be closely watched and regulated as well as enforcing some sort of ethical code.  Without proper regulation, controversial research such as human cloning could progress out of control and have great consequences.

blog 26

In my last blog, I discussed and defined human cloning and the possibilities that the science in that area is heading towards.  Scientific advancement of cloning has future potential of relating in many ways to the dollhouse technology.  A combination of the two types of cloning that has already been made possible, would allow for the cloning of person into an identical genetic copy.  Then, the original tissue donor or client would just need their memories, personality, etc., programmed into the brain of the clone.  The technology does not yet exist but who’s to say that it won’t be possible a few years down the road.  The dollhouse technology allowed for the imprinting of memories and personality into a ‘blank’ body.  I don’t think that this technology that far fetched for development in the future.  The Rossum Corporation consisted of powerful men that lacked good ethics and were very susceptible to corruption.  They had other motives of using the technology to take over governments and also to take over other people’s bodies.  They immortalized themselves by imprinting themselves into different younger or healthier bodies.  The technology became easily accessible and eventually people began stealing other people’s bodies which all led to the downfall of civilization into a post-apocalyptical world.  The episode “Epitaph One” shows an extreme version of the possible consequences of such unregulated technology and what could happen if it is misused or falls into the wrong hands.  With human cloning potential so similar to the dollhouse technology, not being prepared for the implications could be disastrous. 

blog 25

“Epitaph One” reveals that the Rossum Corporation eventually comes to abuse the dollhouse technology by selling immortality.  They can discard their aging or damaged bodies for a new and healthy or younger body that they have taken from another soul.  This was the point where they crossed the line of ethics and it eventually led to a global disaster. Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human, human cell, or human tissue. Therapeutic cloning involves cloning cells from an adult for use in medicine and is an active area of research, while reproductive cloning would involve making cloned humans. Such reproductive cloning has not been performed and is illegal in many countries. A third type of cloning called replacement cloning is a theoretical possibility, and would be a combination of therapeutic and reproductive cloning. Replacement cloning would entail the replacement of an extensively damaged, failed, or failing body through cloning followed by whole or partial brain transplant.  This type of replacement cloning would be almost the same thing that the Rossum Corporation did with the stolen bodies they imprinted themselves into.  The difference with cloning, however, is that the body would actually be a genetically identical match and then all that would be needed is the transplanting (or imprinting?) of the brain into the new body.  With such technology and procedures possible in the near future, the ethical and moral issues cannot wait and should be discussed, debated and guidelines and laws be developed now.

blog 24

There are a lot of arguments that can be made about the show Dollhouse and the advanced technology they use.  The Dollhouse technology takes a person’s personality and life, downloads it onto a hard drive, and then they use that person’s body in anyway they want.  I think the main argument that can be drawn from this is the ethical implications of such technology.  It is illegal to sell your body but this technology just takes the idea of prostitution to a completely new level.  I found that there are greater implications surrounding the dollhouse technology than simply the ethics of prostitution.  This technology has great power and great possibilities.  When Topher is first brought on board with the LA dollhouse and the Rossum Corporation, he immediately brags about how he can improve the imprinting technology and make it better using waves instead of wires.  The head of security warns that this kind of technology could hold great consequences in the wrong hands.  This warning goes unrecognized and sure enough it leads to the catastrophic downfall of society.  The lesson here is that science makes great advances every day in technology.  The problem is that there needs to be regulations on ethically questionable technology.  The military makes some of the greatest advances in technology but most of this technology could be very dangerous in the wrong hands.  Science has created many advances that have many benefits to mankind but without proper regulation there could be great consequences.  The Rossum Corporation’s greed and lack of regulation or ethical code allowed for the technology to be abused, which led to consequences that nearly ended society.

blog 23

The year is 2019. A group of "actuals" (non-imprinted humans) are attempting to get underground to avoid technology and "butchers." The Rossum Corporation has let imprinting technology slip from their hands; China has created a way to spread the imprint through phone lines and also blanket areas with a wave, and as a result, many people have been imprinted to kill those who have not been. The group discovers the Dollhouse and the chair. Through a series of memories left on a tablet, they discover how the world came to be as it is.

The first set of memories shows Topher's introduction to the Dollhouse with DeWitt and Dominic, and his creation of a new imprinting system that used a different approach to the technology, leading to the development of the chair found in this episode. The old technology used analog cables, which took two hours to upload into an active. Topher brags that he can do it faster using waves instead, and laughs off Dominic's warnings that such an upgrade could easily go out of control. 

In the scene I am analyzing, the Dollhouse has isolated itself. The actives have all been given their original personalities back. Topher, now mentally unstable, explains to DeWitt that a phone call could be made, and anyone who picked up the phone would be imprinted (similar to the way Echo was wiped in "Gray Hour"). This would create an instant army of people programmed to kill everyone who isn't imprinted. Topher realizes that this is happening because of the technology he made possible: imprinting people with waves rather than the slower, analog method. The guilty realization of the part he has played in causing Armageddon has driven him mad.

blog 22

The final episode of the first season of Dollhouse wasn’t originally aired but it ties a lot of the plot together and makes some important arguments towards the ethics of the dollhouse technology.  The final episode, called “Epitaph one”, brings the viewer into the future, about a decade or so later.  The technology from the dollhouse ‘got out’ and now hardly anyone on Earth is in his or her own body anymore.  The story follows a small group of survivors that are still in their original bodies.  The group stays alive by following a code of avoiding and destroying all “Tech” because that is how people end up getting their body stolen.  The group eventually ends up in the original LA Dollhouse and they find the chair used for imprinting.  They begin uploading memories into a man who has lost his personality.  These memories allow the viewer to see what happened with the technology to make everything get out of control.  One scene takes us to a group of actives and dollhouse employees who have barricaded themselves from the outside world by living in the dollhouse.  We find out that Topher has gone mad because of the moral dilemma he came to face.  DeWitt goes to comfort him and he just rambles about how they could make an army in an instant with a single phone call.  He ends his rant by saying, “that’s brilliant, why didn’t I think of that?  Wait?  Did I think of that?”  This his Topher realizing what the consequences of what he did.  He wonders if what he has done was because of curiosity or of arrogance. 

blog 21

Today I did some research on yahoo.com for popular sites in the science community that might have articles or news on ethics.  I came across a site with some essays about ethics in science and some news about recent ethics violations.  The essay broke down scientific misconduct into two categories:  scientific negligence and deliberate dishonesty.  Negligence being that the scientist did not properly follow the scientific method or made an error that went unnoticed.  Either way, they did not set out from the beginning with the intentions of misconduct.  Deliberate dishonesty includes premeditated acts of fraud that may include forged or fabricated data, falsified or invented results, plagiarism, piracy, hoaxes, and other such malicious acts.  The author mentions that both forms of scientific misconduct should be viewed equally in punishment because of what is at stake by misconduct in the community.  The argument that the author makes is whether or not scientists need a professional code of ethics. “In conclusion, scientists need well-defined and clearly written professional codes of conduct. Additionally, well-defined procedures for handling accusations of misconduct should be developed, agreed upon, and implemented. Those accused of misconduct should be afforded, at minimum, the same rights that are given to those who participate in the conventional legal system. (Hamner).”  The author stresses this conclusion and it’s importance because science just cannot afford to lose its autonomy and self-regulation.  There is just too much at stake because of scientific research’s importance to society in developing new drugs and methods of health care.  

blog 20

Human cloning has become one of the most controversial debates about reproduction in Western civilization. Human cloning represents asexual reproduction, but the critics of human cloning argue that the result of cloning is not a new individual who is genetically unique. There is also awareness in the scientific community, including the medical community, that human cloning and the creation of clones are inevitable. “Psychology and other social sciences, together with the natural sciences, will need to find ways to help the healthcare system, to be prepared to face the new challenges introduced by the techniques of human cloning.(Morales)”  One of those challenges is to help the healthcare system to find specific standards of behavior that could be used to help potential parents to interact properly with cloned babies or children created through genetic manipulation. In this paper, the concepts of personality, identity and uniqueness are discussed in relationship to the contribution of twin studies in these areas. The author argues that an individual created by human cloning techniques or any other type of genetic manipulation will not show the donor's characteristics to the extent of compromising uniqueness. Therefore, claims to such an effect are needlessly alarmist.  The author doesn’t really discuss the ethics of cloning but makes a good point concerning the inevitability of scientific progress.

Blog 19

The Milgram experiments were thought be very controversial because of the way he went about the experiment.  The test put a lot of unnecessary stress on the participants because they were faced with the dilemma of following their own moral beliefs and stopping the experiment or choosing to obey an authority figure by continuing with the test despite the screams of agony from the victim they thought they were shocking.  Dan McArthur writes in his article about the ethics of the experiments.  He believes that good ethics can sometimes mean better science.  “All agree that if the Milgram experiments were proposed today they would never receive approval from a research ethics board. However, the results of the Milgram experiments are widely cited across a broad range of academic literature from psychology to moral philosophy.(1)”  This brings a sigh of relief to many knowing that ethical standards have improved since the 1960s.  The Milgram experiment actually led to changes in many ethics committees in reviewing new studies and test involving human beings.  It is important that this ideology be maintained in future scientific studies.  If we continue to respect the importance of ethics in scientific research, then we can prevent science from spinning out of control where progress fails to appreciate the moral code of civil human beings.  Without these ethics boards, experiments could have gradually have gotten worse in degree of morality.  We have the Milgram experiments to thank for helping set up guidelines in ethical review for new research.

Blog 18

Human cloning, aside from unregulated clinical trials, is probably the most controversial and ethically questionable scientific study today.  Ethics and morality are a driving force in regulating scientific advancement.  Without these very important qualities, the research and experiments done would spin out of control.  Unquestioned and unregulated testing could progress into complete disasters.  The consequences of testing done by research done disregarding completely the ethics involved are hard to even imagine.  We have reached a point in time where are technology and scientific understanding poses a real threat to the future of humanity if we do not approach all progress with extreme caution.  The entertainment industry imagines the extremes of the consequences our own progress could bring in movies and shows.  But these exaggerated situations, could be more real than we think.  Following the trend of human scientific progression, there really is no limit to what we can eventually accomplish.  Our own curiosity or arrogance could become a truly dangerous thing; especially we fail to regulate ourselves on the basis of an ethical code. “If human cloning happens, it will occur in a less restrictive area of the world--probably by some wealthy eccentric individual,"(Choi 158).  This is the biggest problem we face in regulation of unethical or dangerous scientific discovery.  That quote describes how easily something like human cloning could “blow-up” if in the technology falls into the wrong hands.  There isn’t much we can do except hope that all scientists keep a strong sense of morality and protect the ethical code when doing new scientific research.  Otherwise, we might all suffer the consequences.

blog 15:

I read another article about human cloning. The article is titled, Psychological aspects of human cloning and genetic manipulation: the identity and uniqueness of human beings by Nestor Micheli Morales.  Through all my research, I have found that human cloning is probably the most controversial topic and can be related the best to the technology in Dollhouse.  Dollhouse technology’s main ethical problem is that it is performed on human beings, which is also the case when it comes to human cloning.  In early theories about human cloning as well as media the way the media depicts it, the clone would be genetically identical as well as share personality qualities.  I find this to be an interesting link because the mind imprinting technology gives the active an imprinted personality of a different person, whom could in theory, still be alive and then you would have a mind clone.  Wrap your mind around that for a minute.  The article I read, however, doesn’t focus on the ethics of cloning but the psychological aspects.  It says that human cloning is inevitable in the future so the healthcare system needs to be prepared to preparing parents how to handle cloned babies.  The author argues that cloning cannot hinder uniqueness of the individual.  Despite complete genetic sameness, a cloned person will develop their own personality and uniqueness based on environmental stimuli.  Most of the author’s data and conclusions are based on studies done on the identical twins in this area.  I personally believe that eventually with a better understanding of the human brain that programming a clone to have the same brain structure could allow for an almost identical personality and decision-making process.  I agree with the author that based on environmental interaction, the clone would develop and retain his or her own uniqueness.

Blog 14

After reading the article on the Nazi experiments, I decided to read a closely linked experiment conducted after the war that was quite as harsh.  The Milgram experiments were a series of social psychology experiments done by Yale University Psychologist Stanley Milgram.  Milgram’s experiment was inspired by the Holocaust.  His study was done based on the question of whether the millions of accomplices were just merely following orders, despite their deepest moral beliefs, or if they all shared the same immoral beliefs.  The experiment was meant to measure the participant’s willingness to obey an authority figure who was instructing them to do acts that conflicted with their conscience.  The experiments were done from 1960 to 1963 and were very controversial because some scientists viewed the study as unethical and psychologically abusive.  The Milgram experiment motivated many ethics boards to be more thorough when reviewing studies with human subjects.    

            The subjects were told to ask another subject (an actor) questions and they were to deliver a shock if they answered incorrectly.  The shock would increase in voltage each time they answered incorrect up to a max voltage of 450.  The subject thought they were shocking another participant in the study and would be asked to continue as they heard screams from the actor that they thought they were delivering shocks to.  65% of the participants administered the final max voltage to the victim, although, many felt uncomfortable doing so.  The results from this experiment showed that most people would follow orders to hurt someone even if they personally believe it’s wrong.  The article I read argues that the Milgram experiments today would never be approved in front of any ethics board.

Blog 13: NAZIS

Since the main focus of my research project is about the ethics and morals of science and scientific research, I decided to read some articles about some of the most immoral scientific studies conducted in history.  I read about the experiments done on human beings by Nazi scientists and doctors.  The Nazi regime and almost everything done in Germany under Hitler’s reign has been considered unethical and wrong.  That would probably be the main reason we invaded Europe to stop the Nazis and Hitler.  The Nazis believe in something called racial hygiene, which allowed them to justify the terrible experiments they did on people.  Their beliefs in racial inferiority made it acceptable to them.  Most of the experiments done on humans were conducted on the prisoners of concentration camps.  Most subjects would die or be killed during the experiments.  A lot of medical experiments were done to help doctors treat soldiers in the military.  Some inmates were injected with the ooze from festering wounds from other patients.  Glass and debris were purposely put in the wounds to mimic injuries obtained during battle.  Inmates were also put out in the cold and had their vitals recorded to find out more about hypothermia.  Many of them were left in the cold to die.  High altitude experiments were done on human subject to find out more for airplane pilots that have been shot down.  Of the 200 subjects, 70 or more died or were killed to study their bodies after the high altitude chambers.  Compared to what happened during this time, not much comes close to the Nazi experiments as far as ethics go.  

Blog 12: it would be like sending a baby up into space in a rocket that has a 50-50 chance of blowing up

I just read another research article on human cloning.  The title of this article is “Cloning of a Human” by Charles Q. Choi.  This article was very similar to the last cloning article I read but it brought up a few differing ideas and aspects of cloning. “Despite success with other mammals, the process has proved much more difficult in humans--which may strike some people as comforting and others as disappointing.”  I believe this sentence is a good description on the ethical controversy surrounding human cloning.  Some people are comforted by the fact that the process of cloning is more complex in human being than animals because they most likely view human cloning as immoral.  The disappointed people are those that are interested in and support scientific breakthroughs and advancement despite the risk and ethical grey areas.  A decade ago there was a breakthrough in the right mix of chemicals and proper method in programming of the human cell and the first human embryo was cloned.  Robert Lanza was the scientist who made this discovery but even he acknowledges the risks involved.  25 percent of cloned animals have abnormalities from slips and errors in programming.  Attempting to clone a human would be so risky, Lanza says, it "would be like sending a baby up into space in a rocket that has a 50-50 chance of blowing up."  This statement clearly shows that the risks involved in human cloning are way too high to be considered safe and ethical.  In Dollhouse, a slight programming error in the imprinting process presents a high risk to the safety of the active and anyone that might get in their way.

Blog 11: CLONES

For my first article of research, I decided to read Analysis of an epigenetic argument against human reproductive cloning by Anders Nordgren.  The article is about human reproductive cloning.  This scientific advancement would allow DNA collected from a possibly infertile couple to be cloned into human being.  The benefits would be that this would allow the couple to avoid the social awkwardness and complications of using a third-party donation of gametes or embryos.  The main problem that the article argues is the risk involved.  Animal reproductive cloning presents the risk of abnormalities and birth defects due to errors in epigenetic reprogramming.  The argument being that if there is a high risk of abnormalities due to errors in epigenetic reprogramming in reproductive cloning with animals, then there is a high risk of abnormalities in human reproductive cloning because of these errors in reprogramming.  The benefits of this scientific option does not out-weigh the risk because the possible risk is unacceptable and unethical.  The article further argues that there is also a risk of abnormality with normal sexual intercourse.  If in the future improvements in cloning allow for the risks to be no higher than the risks involved in procreating through sexual intercourse, then cloning could become an acceptable option.  For human reproductive cloning, it’s ethical acceptance is all about finding the balance between benefit and risk.

            This topic can be easily linked to the technology used in Dollhouse.  This technology presents a high risk to the subjects of an error in programming that cannot be morally accepted.  

Blog 10: research

For my analytical research project, I am focusing on the ethics and moral implications involved in the technology of memory imprinting used in the show Dollhouse.  This technology if existed would cause quite a controversial stir about how it is wrong to erase someone’s memories and personality to turn them into an empty shell.  In one episode, a reporter asks people on the street what they think about the Dollhouse myth.  Many of the people respond with their opinions on how what the Dollhouse might be doing is wrong and immoral.  I think scientific research and development today has brought of a lot of controversy and questions concerning the ethics behind some studies and experiments.  I would like to link the moral implications of human cloning to the technology and practices done in Dollhouse.  Cloning has been a very controversial topic over the past few years.  The idea and possibility of human cloning brings up many ethical questions.  There are many people that would be willing to volunteer for studies like this in the interest of scientific advancement and money.  I believe that just because these people are willing does not make it right and breaks a certain moral code.  With all of the moral controversy surrounding scientific research, the futuristic Dollhouse technology can easy be linked and compared to much of it. 

Sources:

1.     1. Choi, Charles Q., cloning of a human, Scientific American; Jun2010, Vol. 302 Issue 6, p36-38, 3p, 1 Color Photograph

2.    2.  Morales, Nestor Micheli, Psychological and Ideological Aspects of Human Cloning: A Transition to a Transhumanist Psychology, Journal of Evolution & Technology; Jul2009, Vol. 20 Issue 2, p19-42, 24p

3.      3. Josh Whedon, “Epitaph One”, season one, episode 2, Dollhouse, 2009

4.      4. Josh Whedon, “Omega”, season one, episode 2, Dollhouse, 2009

5.     5. Nordgren, Anders, Analysis of an epigenetic argument against human reproductive cloning., Reproductive BioMedicine Online; Aug2006, Vol. 13 Issue 2, p278-283, 6p

blog 9

I would like to focus my topic for my analytical research paper on the ethical and theological implications of the Dollhouse's technology.  Every episode, the morality and ethics are questioned surrounding the motives and actions of the corporation that is running the underground establishment across the globe by the viewer.  The argument can be made that the actives being sent on missions and engagements by the dollhouse are all volunteers in search of ultimate wealth or an escape from everyday normal life.  The volunteers are erased of their memories and personalities and forced to live like soul-less dolls in a dollhouse where everything is controlled and decided for them by the organization.  These volunteers are given the promise that, after five years of service, their memories and personalities will be restored, as well as a large deposit into their bank accounts.  The moral implications come into play because these people are put in high-risk situations against their will that they cannot personally control the outcome.  Also, many of the engagements that the actives are purchased for involve sexual and romantic fantasies of the clients.  This is prostitution at a whole new level because the actives are entirely unknowing of what is happening.  I wanted to focus mostly on the season finale, "Epitaph One", because it depicts a future of what could go wrong with this technology.  The main character are also brought to realize the moral complicity and ultimately that what the organization is doing is immoral and wrong.