Phat Chicks

Watching the documentary in class kind of made me think about what I eat. Before watching, I knew that my eating habits were bad and I knew my health wasn't the best, but personally seeing how it can make my heart look grossed me out and I kid you not, I called my grandma and made her renew my gym membership. 
I've always wanted to do something about my weight, being known as the "fat chick" and having to shop "plus size" gets annoying after awhile. And no, I'm not going to sit here and cry because someone calls me out on how much weight I've gained over the years and no, I am certainly not losing weight for anyone but myself. 
The documentary really made me look deep into my eating habits and it made me put my foot down and I'm going to stop eating bad for me food (such as Taco Bell @Nano). 

To Each His Poison

On the topic of steroids, it seems like the issues with legality, ethics, and morality come from the use in athletic competitions. I find it completely understandable that regulations do not permit steroid use in sports competitions because it promote the use of the harmful substance (steroids). What I don't understand, is why steroids are not permitted for personal aesthetic use. If an individual wishes to use a substance in situation that does not impact any other people, (such as to gain muscle mass for non-competitive purposes) why are his or her actions illegal and taboo. Why are other synthetic and harmful practices, such as implants and plastic surgeries, permitted in a legal manner and not frowned upon by the general public. Other practices, such as drinking and smoking, are also harmful to humans (can be more harmful than steroids) but are permitted by regulations. It seems like the taboo surrounding steroids is what prevents them from becoming legal in the U.S. With everyone harming themselves with something, it seems irrational to criminalize steroids to the same degree as cocaine.

Power of Attorney

The power of attorney is a very powerful thing. However its also a very fragile thing to hand out and can ruin a future such as Marcus Dupree. I believe that giving out the power if attorney it should be a very situational thing. You shouldn't be allowed to give it out if you are in perfect shape and just to lazy or busy to take care of things yourself. Unless you are injured I think it should be hard to give Power of Attorney even if you're sure.

The Best That Never Was

Watching the 30for30 on Marcus Dupree has made me open my eyes to the corruption that occurs due to ethical reasons. As many college coaches saw Marcus Dupree as a great individual, many saw him as just a number. The first thing coaches thing about is how can this kid influence our program, but mainly from a statistical view. Coaches went to an extreme extent to try to get Marcus Dupree to come to their college, but Oklahoma hit the jackpot. As shown in the movie, Marcus Dupree ran for thousands of yards on the season, breaking the Fiesta Bowl record for most rushing yards. However, the coach blamed the game on him and said he could've rushed for 400 yards and won the game. The last thing a coach should do is blame an individual for a loss in a team sport. Later in the USFL, Dupree got cut because his knee injury, losing his 5 million dollar contract. It goes to show that football is all a numbers game and even if you have contributed a lot to the team, they'll drop you in a second. Even today, corruption still occurs throughout all levels of sports, and it all happens to benefit coaches in some way. Although, at the end of the day were all human beings that are more than just a number.

Oversized Generation.

After watching the documentary "The Weight of the Nation," It gave me a reality check. It completely changed the way I see the new generation, and It also made me realized how being overweight is a huge factor now a days. What really got my attention were the statistics that they presented in the documentary.  One of them includes, "In a Latino or African american family, one out of two kids will be overweight/obese" it showed how common it is to be overweight or super sized and how it will continue growing throughout the years. I remember one day walking out of class and taking a look around at people, both adults and kids, and it  showed that those statistics are very realistic. It opened my eyes, and encouraged me to want to do something about it. This is because I have younger siblings, friends, and family friends who worry me about their health and its sad to see close ones be affected by something that could potentially be prevented. I believe that the Government has power to do something to minimize the percentage of Americans becoming over weight. Its not just an individual issue, but more of a community.  I disagree with people who think they don't have to deal with this issue because they are not overweight or obese, but their tax money is going into research and medical finance. In some weight It does affect them. Bottom point, It made want to encourage myself to change my lifestyle. That is because my family has previous health issues. And if one doesn't take care of themselves now, it'll be too late once they are told they are diagnosed with diabetes or liver failure.

Cheating vs. Morals

After the discussion about if using steroids should be considered “cheating,” the biggest thing that popped into my head was the idea of students using adderall to help them with their academic studies. There are a lot of cases of students taking adderall for the SAT and the controversy reminds me a lot of the controversy over the use of steroids. Personally, I would not consider the use of steroids or adderall to enhance your performance as cheating. There is a lot of pressure these days to do good in school and good in sports that students are overwhelmed and end up having to resort to certain drugs. I think the use of these drugs is more of a moral problem than a cheating problem. Clearly, taking adderall to get an advantage on the SAT is immoral in the eyes of some students and teachers, but on the other hand is extremely moral and realistic to others. However, I would not consider it cheating because steroids and adderall are out there and available for use to get an advantage, but some people just choose not to use them. Also, things should not be classified as cheating simply based on the idea that some consider it immoral and unethical.  However, they are both illegal in some sense and possibly not available to people with less money, but there are still a lot of ways to get these two different drugs that people can usually get it if they want it. I think that since it is technically available to most people that it should not be considered “cheating.”

Girl Hires Hitman to Kill Her Parents

The other day I stumbled across this article on the internet. As someone who immigrated to America as a child, I also faced the pressure put on me by my mom and my family.

Jennifer Pan's parents moved to Canada from Vietnam as Political Refugee. Luckily, they were able to settle down and live a very good life. When Jennifer was growing up, her parents had lot of expectation on her to work just as hard as them. Her parents didn't let her go to parties, dances, and hardly sleep overs. Near the end of high school, she was forging her transcript and forged her admission to University of Toronto. After she "graduated" at U of T.

Her parent's eventually found out and was furious. Even after finding out that their daughter wasn't going to U of T nor graduated from High school. They still wanted her to enroll in a college to become a pharmaceutical lab technician or a nurse. Her boyfriend also broke up with her, which caused her to make up these bizarre tales about the new girl he was dating in order to get him to leave her.  It worked to an extent, Daniel and Jennifer decided to hire hit men to kill her parents.

It was made to look like a home robbery. Her mom was shot dead, and her dad was injured badly. Remarkably, it was her dad that found out this wasn't a home robbery gone wrong. He had remember everything that night and saw his daughter talking to the hit men as if they were friends.

To read more: http://www.torontolife.com/informer/features/2015/07/22/jennifer-pan-revenge/

I personally never had my mom be that strict with me. When she became really strict, I started to tell her it made me feel and how I wish she could be supportive. I believe that there is a lack of communication between her parents and her. Sure, her parents might have been extremely strict, but because she didnt really speak much about it, I don't think her parents think what they were doing was wrong.

Even if she did speak about it, I think her parents should be more open-minded and not so strict about how their daughter's life should be like. Overall, I think both her and her parents are at fault.

What do you guys think? Can you guys relate to her? Do you guys think it was immoral and unethical?

Your Health... It's As Easy As 1-2-3

Can the government regulate and control what we put into our bodies? Simply, the answer to this question is no. In the society we live, the government cannot control each and every action of the 319 million Americans. It is up to the individual and the choices they make. Although the government cannot control, they most certainly can make adjustments to how foods are advertised or labeled. Maybe the problem is people do not know what is good or bad. Maybe people just do not know how to eat healthy. That is when the government should come into play. They should come up with a system where foods are grouped and numbered according to their so called "healthiness." It's simple. All Americans would need to know is how to count. They would know which foods are healthy and unhealthy by the number it is labeled by. People would no longer need to question whether or not something is healthy. This would also clear up the confusion of morality mentioned in "Weight of the Nation." Since the new system would make things easier for Americans to see what is healthy and what is not, we could see if their morals stand above all. So the next time you are debating between a banana and energy bar, think about ways that would help you and motivate you to make healthier choices.

Wrong or right ? Cheating or not?

Was it wrong that Smelly didn't tell the truth to his students whether he had taken steroids or not? In my opinion I don't think that it was wrong that he didn't tell them because if he would have told them that he had taken steroids during a hard time in his life and that helped him. The students then might think that it's okay to take them because they heard their mentor using to help him out then it could be the same with them. If Smelly did tell the truth then his students would want to take them and if their parents found out about it then they would blame it on him and it would cause a greater problem. Smelly would be teaching them that steroids is the easy way out, however it shouldn't be about that, you should work towards meeting your goals. This leads to the question whether taking steroids is cheating or not? In class my classmates mentioned, would drinking monster to get you up and moving count as cheating, or taking a coffee in order to wake you up count as cheating, or the other example that Mr Stewart mentioned if he had a headache and he took Advil would it be considered cheating? No it should not be considered cheating because we are not doing it to win something we are doing it to get rid of something or to ease the pain, however in other cases where professionals athletes take them on the day of their competition to help them out should be considered cheating because there were other athletes that work hard to get where they are today and for somebody to come and snatch that away from them because they took steroids to boost them up is totally unfair.

Supersize

Today in society people are always hungry, looking for ways to make their already large meals even larger. They used to call it "a little more" but nowadays they call it "supersize." You can walk into any Mcdonalds and order a meal, but if that's not enough just simply say you want it supersized. By asking for it supersized, you not only just made your burger bigger, but you also enhanced the sizes of both your fries and drink. To me obesity is a widespread epidemic, with numbers continuously going up. This documentary taught me that obesity is a problem, but it also told me that it can be very easy to prevent. Although everyone has a sweet tooth or enjoys the deep fried variety, simply watching what you eat can regulate your weight. With continued obesity can come health problems such as diabetes, and from watching the film we can till that it is a constant fight that nobody wants.

Connection to the 49ers

Watching ¨The Weight of the Nation¨ and ¨Bigger, Faster, Stronger¨ reminded me of a conversation my uncle told us. He works for the 49ers and he sees the players while working there. He told us about the food they consume and the purpose behind it. He said that there are some players who aren't as big as they are suppose to be, depending the position they play, so they have to eat a lot of junk food in order to gain weight. This is the opposite of what the people had too do in the film ¨The Weight of the Nation¨ where they had to lose all the weight and eat healthier. Once the players have consumed all the food, they have to drink protein shakes before and after they exercise so they can get muscle and get bigger. This relates to ¨Bigger, Faster, Stronger¨ because Chris Bell would drink protein pills so he could get big like his inspirations. This was a connection I had while watching these films during class.

Americas Obesity Problem

After watching the weight of the nation it made me realize that someone being overweight doesn't just  affect the person who's overweight but it actually affects your family and the nation. I always knew that being obese could bring dangerous diseases like type 1 and type 2 diabetes that could pose a threat to someone's health but I never knew that it would affect the whole nation. After watching this documentary I found out that this is a problem for the whole nation because it cost thousands of dollars to help someone who is diabetic throughout their lifespan. It also showed me that to many people being obese or overweight also affects the nation because there would be less people that are fit enough to become a police officer or a fireman and a solider for the military. This shows us that the person choosing to live an unhealthy lifestyle doesn't just affect the individual but everybody.

The obesity of society

 I understand that obesity is a big issue in the United States but people have the right to eat anything they want at anytime they want because at the end of the day its their body and we should all respect that. If eating too much effects their health then they should watch out more on what they are eating and get professional help. Society pressures people too much about the way they should look, I think that if a person is happy and in good health conditions weight shouldn't matter. After seeing ¨Weight of the Nation" besides being hungry half the time i was watching it, it did make me realize that people who know can have an health issue because of their weight is also responsible but should not make it worse by eating KFC all week just for some ¨projects or studies¨... instead eat Subway.

Fighting the Epidemic: Individual vs. Community Responsibility

After watching the Weight of the Nation documentary, we can all agree that obesity is quickly becoming an epidemic and must be controlled. The real question though is who's responsibility is it to take on the task of reducing the rate of obesity; the individual or the community? First we must determine the differences between the two. Individual responsibility falls more on the morals of how people act and think regarding health and fitness, as well as providing a good example for those around them such as their friends and family. For example, if you are a parent providing for a family, your children are likely to follow in your footsteps in terms of their own health and fitness. If you are an overweight parent who is not doing anything to change this fact, your children will see that being overweight is nothing to worry about and consequentially not care for themselves in terms of health and fitness. It is the duty of the individual to provide good examples and follow through in order to show that it is important to be healthy. The responsibility of the community is much broader. The community, such as doctors and employers, have the responsibility of helping people to monitor their health as well as provide information on how they can hep improve their health if needed. Both of these groups has an important responsibility to not only themselves but those around them. The key to fighting obesity is not to decide who does what, but how the two can work together to fight the growing epidemic.

Unhealthy lifestyle Devastating All

I thought being ¨healthy¨ was about being in good shape and not consuming junk food, exercising often. I was aware about how being overweight dragged a bunch of diseases with you. Yet these illnesses bring  a whole set of nation wide issues for everyone not just for oneself. In the documentary The Weight of a Nation, we see a variety of contributing factors affecting the United States as whole through individuals personal cases. What caught my attention the most was how what seems as one individual's problem turns into everyone's problem, health care for a person who is obese and starting to have medical issues impacts us all. It’s not just about that one individual choosing to opt for a unhealthy devastating life style, the consequences are for all of us as a whole.

Physical Image > Morals

After watching "The Weight of the Nation" opened my eyes about our (Americans) everyday habits.  We live in a weight challenged world, where social and physical image plays a big part in our live.  Morally and Ethically we are conflicted if we should follow our morals and ethics, or go against what we know is "right" in order to boost our social image.  The difficult part is what is "morally" right, when it comes to social image. Are steroids morally right?  Is it unethical?  We use them in order to improve our body to be "better" in the community.  Is that an ethical way to improve muscle and physical body appearance?  The baseball community and weight lifters may find steroids to be completely morally acceptable while some other folks may highly disagree.

Government controlling more the commercial world Weight of the Nation

The documentary about obesity made me think if the government should play a big part to combat it. I think that they should even if most of the public disagrees. A government is meant to protect the people and serve them but also ensure that the future is good. If obesity spreads the future of the U.S will be alot let secure as the workforce will be weaker and weaker. The government should have some limitations but also be able to help the people control the obesity from spreading any more.

The Gov Should Take the Weight Off Our Shoulders(and body)

          The government does what they can nutrition wise but they should do more.  People believe that the government is violating their rights when they limit their foods and beverages such as when De Blasio banned the sale of big gulps.  People were angered by this, but De Blasio had to do it.  The government must step forward and follow De Blasio's actions and realize that even though the people may want something, that something may be highly detrimental to their health.  The government should go after big and unhealthy food corporations such as Coca Cola and Pepsi and work on making healthier options and ridding the options that are unhealthy.  The government should nationally promote companies that work towards healthier food and drink options.

Food

As I was watching the film The Weight of the Nation it made me realize that I should pay attention to what I'm eating because they may be bad for my body. I also realized to not eat lots of fast food because you can gain weight really quick. Schools should give out healthier foods, like serve vegetables and more fruits. As for the parents, they should cook meals that are healthier and look out what their kids are eating, so they don't gain weight.

Thoughts

• I do think more should be done, it is something that the gov’t could limit
• Morally and ethically it wouldn't matter because it's not as if eating or drinking sugary or unhealthy food/drink is good anyway
• i think it just needs to be packaged smaller and limited
• not surprised, reminds me of other countries that have taken action to make things healthier

Influence vs. Morals

As we watched Bigger, faster, stronger, I found it really interesting how what Chris looked up to as a child and what his morals were as a kid followed him all the way through his adulthood. Throughout his life he watched his heroes on the tv be such strong and inspiring people to him. However these people were insprining him while they were taking steroids, which is something he did not know at the time. As he grew older and discovered that people he looked up to his entire life were not truly the heroes he really thought they were, he was still able to stick to his morals and be against the use of steroids. After he found out about the steroid use of his heroes and his brothers he stated "I was always against steroids." However, despite this statement, Chris still tried steroids at one point in this life but said he felt too guilty to continue. Chris, growing up with such high morals and knowing the idea of steroids was wrong was able to stick to that as he grew older despite who he was surrounded by.

Marijuana or Steroids?

We have been surveying and contemplating what is and is not moral in Global for the last week. What decisions go into thinking whether an idea is moral or immoral for you? Are taking steroids moral or immoral, and what benefits do they have on people’s health? In my opinion, steroids can be compared to marijuana. Steroids taken when healthy are immoral, because they give you unnatural and unfair advantages to athletes who are not taking them. To me, it is immoral because of the effects on the person’s health overtime as well as the advantages you receive from taking them (muscle mass). Children (like Chris) find their childhood heroes in people like Arnold Schwarzenegger and look up to them and try to be like them. Adult figures in the media taking steroids promote children to take steroids as well, making steroid usage both unethical and immoral. However, when steroids are used to treat a disease, it is ok, just like the use of Marijuana.

TACO BELL

After watching The Weight Of The Nation, it really put all of my eating habits into perspective. all though I've been a vegetarian for going on 6 years and mainly only eat fruits and vegetables; i still feel as if my habits are worsening due to the fact that i really like taco bell and showing taco bell in the documentary didn't make it any better.

I ALSO SPENT $25 ON ONE THING FROM WHOLE FOODS SO THANKS 4 MAKING ME BROKE

The Over-Kill Solution

For a moment let's put aside the freedoms and rights of individuals. Let us simply think of obesity as a problem that has detrimental effects on the citizens of this nation. Why not simply remove all harmful, overly caloric, and detrimental foods from our society. Now, I understand that this totally encroaches on the rights of individuals and may be economically impossible for individuals. With government assistance, it seems possible to remove the worst foods from our society in an attempt to reduce the obesity levels in the U.S. and to revolutionize the societal perspectives of food and to create economical betterment through the reduction of cost to aid individuals.

Why not restrict rules for the states about reducing sugar levels?

Question?

Should the government control what you should or shouldn't eat?

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What would happen if society collapsed?

Today I saw the movie "The Purge" on TV,  and it made me question some issues in society. Society is something we've built up over so many years, including the government and all its laws. The movie is based on 24 hours free of law enforcement, and all crime is legal. Throughout the movie, many gangs groups form together for the greatest amount of protection. If our society were to collapse right now, where would you go and what would you do? Who would you trust and join together with, or would you be go off on your own? It makes you think who in this world is really looking out for your best interest. Sometimes, it is the people you would never expect to help you that do the most. The first thing that popped up in my mind after watching this movie was Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution. This theory is mainly based off of the "survival of the fittest." Money and all the materialistic things we own would mean nothing. The real question would be, which group of people would be most prepared for such a tragedy to occur?

Welcome!

Looking forward to your posts! Once we get the class up and running we hopefully can use this as a resource to help our growth as a class! As always remember the context of our blog...this is an educational resource. Please act like you are in class as this is a blog that will be viewed by the Los Altos Administration and the wider community.

Make sure any posts are by your first name and last name so that you are clearly identified. Any posts that violate procedures will be removed and will result in penalties related to the class. Report any violations you observe. Always keep in mind you are representing you, the class, your family and the LAHS community. Hopefully it will not only be educational but somewhat entertaining as well.