Week 10: Pre-Post

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.