Ok, so lets talk about this video "The Story of Stuff." Here's the thing, research is great, essential really, and conservation is important and you can;t deny the facts. Where I begin to struggle is the concept that is taught the first week of any Prob & Stat class, and that is: Every statistic is biased by the graph on which it is displayed. I just feel like a lot of alarmists and extremist skew research findings to represent the information they feel is most true and pertinent.
I did like how the major flaw is simply stated as "We have a linear system in a finite world with limited resources." I think that is a great way to give perspective on why we have such a problem. So I watched this video and appreciated what it had to say, then I turned to the sidebar to see if there were other videos that I might be interested in from this project, and I decided to watch one on products I use everyday: cosmetics.
The first statistic that caught my attention was that the FDA has only banned 8 of 12,000 chemicals used in cosmetic products. My mom manages a company that owns a chain of health food stores. From this job, she has started to realize the dangers of a lot of toxins that we put in our bodies and can often be heard saying, "The FDA is NOT your friend. Just remember that!" For instance, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, which is typically the 2nd ingredient in shampoo, which is what causes it to lather, is horrible for your hair. In my house, we use a lot of organic and more holistic cosmetic products, such as Tom's brand.
About Me
- Sydney-Alyse
- I am a South Carolinian who was raised classic, conservative, Christian, and proud. These are my exploits as I attempt to bring Greek Life and Southern Charm to Southeastern University. I love Autumn, Lilly Pulitzer, Sweet Tea, French cooking, Monograms, Gardenias, Pearls, Sailing, and Turquoise.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Week 9: Post-Post
Psalm 96
Sing to God—worship God!
2-3 Shout the news of his victory from sea to sea,
Take the news of his glory to the lost,
News of his wonders to one and all!
4-5 For God is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs.
His terrible beauty makes the gods look cheap;
Pagan gods are mere tatters and rags.
5-6 God made the heavens—
Royal splendor radiates from him,
A powerful beauty sets him apart.
7 Bravo, God, Bravo!
Everyone join in the great shout: Encore!
In awe before the beauty, in awe before the might.
8-9 Bring gifts and celebrate,
Bow before the beauty of God,
Then to your knees—everyone worship!
10 Get out the message—God Rules!
He put the world on a firm foundation;
He treats everyone fair and square.
11 Let's hear it from Sky,
With Earth joining in,
And a huge round of applause from Sea.
12 Let Wilderness turn cartwheels,
Animals, come dance,
Put every tree of the forest in the choir—
13 An extravaganza before God as he comes,
As he comes to set everything right on earth,
Set everything right, treat everyone fair.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Week 8: Post-Post
Psalm 104- Ok, this is a super long passage, but i think it is really a great one because it just captures who we are as members of creation. This is also the Message paraphrase, but I think for the Psalms sometimes it can be a great way to wade through some of the metaphors, poetry, similes, and other literary rapids.
O my soul, bless God! God, my God, how great you are!
beautifully, gloriously robed,
Dressed up in sunshine,
and all heaven stretched out for your tent.
You built your palace on the ocean deeps,
made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings.
You commandeered winds as messengers,
appointed fire and flame as ambassadors.
You set earth on a firm foundation
so that nothing can shake it, ever.
You blanketed earth with ocean,
covered the mountains with deep waters;
Then you roared and the water ran away—
your thunder crash put it to flight.
Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out
in the places you assigned them.
You set boundaries between earth and sea;
never again will earth be flooded.
You started the springs and rivers,
sent them flowing among the hills.
All the wild animals now drink their fill,
wild donkeys quench their thirst.
Along the riverbanks the birds build nests,
ravens make their voices heard.
You water the mountains from your heavenly cisterns;
earth is supplied with plenty of water.
You make grass grow for the livestock,
hay for the animals that plow the ground.
14-23 Oh yes, God brings grain from the land,
wine to make people happy,
Their faces glowing with health,
a people well-fed and hearty.
God's trees are well-watered—
the Lebanon cedars he planted.
Birds build their nests in those trees;
look—the stork at home in the treetop.
Mountain goats climb about the cliffs;
badgers burrow among the rocks.
The moon keeps track of the seasons,
the sun is in charge of each day.
When it's dark and night takes over,
all the forest creatures come out.
The young lions roar for their prey,
clamoring to God for their supper.
When the sun comes up, they vanish,
lazily stretched out in their dens.
Meanwhile, men and women go out to work,
busy at their jobs until evening.
24-30 What a wildly wonderful world, God!
You made it all, with Wisdom at your side,
made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.
Oh, look—the deep, wide sea,
brimming with fish past counting,
sardines and sharks and salmon.
Ships plow those waters,
and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them.
All the creatures look expectantly to you
to give them their meals on time.
You come, and they gather around;
you open your hand and they eat from it.
If you turned your back,
they'd die in a minute—
Take back your Spirit and they die,
revert to original mud;
Send out your Spirit and they spring to life—
the whole countryside in bloom and blossom.
31-32 The glory of God—let it last forever!
Let God enjoy his creation!
He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake,
points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt.
33-35 Oh, let me sing to God all my life long,
sing hymns to my God as long as I live!
Oh, let my song please him;
I'm so pleased to be singing to God.
But clear the ground of sinners—
no more godless men and women!
I really love the phrase found in verse 25: If you turned your back for a minute, they would die. We would die. Our very life is so dependent on Him. Every breath, every thought, every moment is wrapped up in the sole status of being His.
I also really love the power that is spoken through this whole passage, but an idea emerges in verses 31-32, which give the idea that all of these natural disasters that we fear so much and ask "God how could this happen," is at the sole whim of the creator enjoying his creation. He can exercise his power to simply point and a volcano and it will erupt, but more than that, he enjoys the power that his creation can exude. A characteristic of pride and building that can be found in the male spirit even now.
beautifully, gloriously robed,
Dressed up in sunshine,
and all heaven stretched out for your tent.
You built your palace on the ocean deeps,
made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings.
You commandeered winds as messengers,
appointed fire and flame as ambassadors.
You set earth on a firm foundation
so that nothing can shake it, ever.
You blanketed earth with ocean,
covered the mountains with deep waters;
Then you roared and the water ran away—
your thunder crash put it to flight.
Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out
in the places you assigned them.
You set boundaries between earth and sea;
never again will earth be flooded.
You started the springs and rivers,
sent them flowing among the hills.
All the wild animals now drink their fill,
wild donkeys quench their thirst.
Along the riverbanks the birds build nests,
ravens make their voices heard.
You water the mountains from your heavenly cisterns;
earth is supplied with plenty of water.
You make grass grow for the livestock,
hay for the animals that plow the ground.
14-23 Oh yes, God brings grain from the land,
wine to make people happy,
Their faces glowing with health,
a people well-fed and hearty.
God's trees are well-watered—
the Lebanon cedars he planted.
Birds build their nests in those trees;
look—the stork at home in the treetop.
Mountain goats climb about the cliffs;
badgers burrow among the rocks.
The moon keeps track of the seasons,
the sun is in charge of each day.
When it's dark and night takes over,
all the forest creatures come out.
The young lions roar for their prey,
clamoring to God for their supper.
When the sun comes up, they vanish,
lazily stretched out in their dens.
Meanwhile, men and women go out to work,
busy at their jobs until evening.
24-30 What a wildly wonderful world, God!
You made it all, with Wisdom at your side,
made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.
Oh, look—the deep, wide sea,
brimming with fish past counting,
sardines and sharks and salmon.
Ships plow those waters,
and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them.
All the creatures look expectantly to you
to give them their meals on time.
You come, and they gather around;
you open your hand and they eat from it.
If you turned your back,
they'd die in a minute—
Take back your Spirit and they die,
revert to original mud;
Send out your Spirit and they spring to life—
the whole countryside in bloom and blossom.
31-32 The glory of God—let it last forever!
Let God enjoy his creation!
He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake,
points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt.
33-35 Oh, let me sing to God all my life long,
sing hymns to my God as long as I live!
Oh, let my song please him;
I'm so pleased to be singing to God.
But clear the ground of sinners—
no more godless men and women!
O my soul, bless God!
I also really love the power that is spoken through this whole passage, but an idea emerges in verses 31-32, which give the idea that all of these natural disasters that we fear so much and ask "God how could this happen," is at the sole whim of the creator enjoying his creation. He can exercise his power to simply point and a volcano and it will erupt, but more than that, he enjoys the power that his creation can exude. A characteristic of pride and building that can be found in the male spirit even now.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Week 8: Pre-Post
Good Stewardship, ecological awareness, and global responsibility have come to light and importance much more recently. That isn't to say that it has received as much attention as it should have, but Al Gore is doing the best he can, but hey, when you invent the internet, you don't have time for saving the world. Captain Planet, let's face it, the guy is a hero, but he disappeared in the 90's at the peak of Global Warming. Enter Al Gore.
Ok, seriously though, it is our responsibility to drive a prius, reduce our global carbon footprint, participating in Chartwells Project Clean Plate and buy fair trade Starbucks out of a 20% recycled paper cup. Clothing companies have cropped up everywhere selling more globally aware products. It is literally everywhere. But are we doing it properly?
No. Slow- food and slow-life are the right approach. Focusing on a local approach to helping be a good steward of this earth is what we should be doing. This walks hand-in-hand with slow-life approach of being aware of the world around you. If you are aware and you take notice of the world around you, you will understand the need for protection and good stewardship. The harder you work to reduce your negative impact of the planet the more you are aware of it's beauty.
We have been given this place to enjoy God's creativity, not to pillage and plunder like vikings in a new land. We owe it to humanity to honor this sacred place. We are called to enjoy it at a local level and appreciate it through responsiblity. Grocery shopping, clothing wearing, car driving, and outdoor pursuits are all a part of this.
Ok, seriously though, it is our responsibility to drive a prius, reduce our global carbon footprint, participating in Chartwells Project Clean Plate and buy fair trade Starbucks out of a 20% recycled paper cup. Clothing companies have cropped up everywhere selling more globally aware products. It is literally everywhere. But are we doing it properly?
No. Slow- food and slow-life are the right approach. Focusing on a local approach to helping be a good steward of this earth is what we should be doing. This walks hand-in-hand with slow-life approach of being aware of the world around you. If you are aware and you take notice of the world around you, you will understand the need for protection and good stewardship. The harder you work to reduce your negative impact of the planet the more you are aware of it's beauty.
We have been given this place to enjoy God's creativity, not to pillage and plunder like vikings in a new land. We owe it to humanity to honor this sacred place. We are called to enjoy it at a local level and appreciate it through responsiblity. Grocery shopping, clothing wearing, car driving, and outdoor pursuits are all a part of this.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Week 7: Post-Post
I want to revisit "Danger on the Peaks." As I mentioned in my previous post, this was my favorite by far. of anything we have read.
I have never been exposed to this style of writing, the whole prose poetry thing. I am such a straight forward person, and so the directness of it is so much more appreciated. But I also appreciated that he moves through his life in pieces. He engages the reader in so may various aspects of life, through his own experiences as well as the other people and important influences in his life. He engages ecology in such a different way. Not necessarily observing it like Mary Oliver, but through his life. He does life with nature. The brazen way he asked for the toughest, most remote peak is a direct nod to the fact that he is a part of his surroundings. He has no fear of them because he knows them inside and out. instinctively. They are a part of him innately, not through observing, but through subconscious awareness of who he is and how that relates to nature.
I have never been exposed to this style of writing, the whole prose poetry thing. I am such a straight forward person, and so the directness of it is so much more appreciated. But I also appreciated that he moves through his life in pieces. He engages the reader in so may various aspects of life, through his own experiences as well as the other people and important influences in his life. He engages ecology in such a different way. Not necessarily observing it like Mary Oliver, but through his life. He does life with nature. The brazen way he asked for the toughest, most remote peak is a direct nod to the fact that he is a part of his surroundings. He has no fear of them because he knows them inside and out. instinctively. They are a part of him innately, not through observing, but through subconscious awareness of who he is and how that relates to nature.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Week 7: Pre-Post
I love in particular, that I have have lived so many diverse places, because then I can identify with so many of the places that we read about. The Astralian Crawl piece was great. II could really identify. Not through writing necessarily, although I recognize that my most acclaimed writing and the pieces that win contests are always the ones that I do not over think. The pieces that I do vague planning, and then just let my fingers type away to a piece of excellence (although I rarely think they are, they did get me some scholarships). I, of all things, could identify through cheerleading. Cheerleading is a sport that commands that you get over mental blocks. You have to get inside your head and remove any thing that is in the way of you getting to the task. You have to convince yourself to flip backwards like a crazy person, in the same way that you have to just throw yourself into writing and think through how you want to land.
Danger on the Peaks was SO great. I love love love the Pacific Northwest and this great piece gave such an impression of the heart and soul of this region. I also appreciate the style of prose poetry. It gives me understanding. It makes so much more sense to read these odd little poems instead of trying to understand what the author is implying and interpreting whatever is inside someone else's head. The piece One Thousand Cranes, was my favorite piece we have read all semester. I absolutely adored it! It was so capturing and the way he wove real cranes and the story of his wife and japanese tradition together was positively stellar.
I did not like State of the Planet. It was boring. Not engaging at all. And we all know how much I love poetry. I suffered through it, but it just felt like circling. I have no idea the point at the end.
Danger on the Peaks was SO great. I love love love the Pacific Northwest and this great piece gave such an impression of the heart and soul of this region. I also appreciate the style of prose poetry. It gives me understanding. It makes so much more sense to read these odd little poems instead of trying to understand what the author is implying and interpreting whatever is inside someone else's head. The piece One Thousand Cranes, was my favorite piece we have read all semester. I absolutely adored it! It was so capturing and the way he wove real cranes and the story of his wife and japanese tradition together was positively stellar.
I did not like State of the Planet. It was boring. Not engaging at all. And we all know how much I love poetry. I suffered through it, but it just felt like circling. I have no idea the point at the end.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Week 6: Post-Post
I chose my usual topic of the beautiful oaks on campus.
Patriarchs
Standing tall, watching, protecting.
They have learned from many students,
observed many professors.
The Patriarchs of this place.
The tears of anger, stress and loneliness
shed beneath;
In the spring,
The engagements and tears of Joy.
They clothe themselves in lacy moss for the occassion.
Nuturing, loving, standing tall
They watch the students,
they protect them;
They have been here for years,
and will remain
if in fact, we allow it.
They watch us,
all of us for several centuries.
But will we let them watch our young?
Or will we remove them
for our football fields and parking lots.
Patriarchs
Standing tall, watching, protecting.
They have learned from many students,
observed many professors.
The Patriarchs of this place.
The tears of anger, stress and loneliness
shed beneath;
In the spring,
The engagements and tears of Joy.
They clothe themselves in lacy moss for the occassion.
Nuturing, loving, standing tall
They watch the students,
they protect them;
They have been here for years,
and will remain
if in fact, we allow it.
They watch us,
all of us for several centuries.
But will we let them watch our young?
Or will we remove them
for our football fields and parking lots.
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