It's in You to Give

In a recent poll, 52% of Canadians said that, in the past, they or a family member have needed blood for medical reasons. It is estimated that nearly every minute someone in Canada is in need of a blood donation. The graph to the right shows how many units of blood are needed for various surgeries. Keep in mind that blood donors are allowed to give a maximum of half a litre of blood when donating and that one unit (as displayed in the graph) is only equal to a cup (450 mL).


Photo courtesy of http://www.bloodservices.ca/

I, myself, have not yet donated. However, I do plan to attend one of the blood drives this week. So how did I get into this, you may ask? Actually, it was the simple word-of-mouth phenomena that encouraged me to donate blood. My friend had been doing it for a few years now, and when she told me about the statistics, I couldn't just say "oh, that's too bad" and do nothing about it. I couldn't just let it go if I knew I could help. I think that's one of the biggest problems in today's society: so many people claim they would help if they knew how. Well, now you know, so there's no excuse!

However, there are certain rules and regulations for donating blood; they don't accept just anyone. In order to be eligible, you must:

• be atleast 110 lbs
• be between 17 and 71 years old
• pass a hemoglobin test that determines whether your blood has enough iron
• pass a screening test comprised of a series of health-related questions

They will not accept applicants who

• have had dental treatment (fillings, extractions, cleaning, restoration, etc.)
• have a cold, flu or sore throat at the time they donate
• have any recent body piercings or tattoos

For more information on the guidelines and how you can go about donating, please visit http://www.bloodservices.ca/ .

Sure, a needle may be scary, but such fear is nothing compared to what patients and their families feel when they are told there is not enough donated blood available to perform their operations. Plus, knowing that you've helped save a life is probably one the most satisfying feelings you can get. There's no better time to get involved and give back to the community than RIGHT NOW!

Time's Up!

photo courtesy of www.sctechsystem.com/tctc/Math110/Test%20T3.gif

"Okay guys, bags and books away. I don't want to see anything on your desk other than a pen and pencil."

Since I studied throughout the week and spent all day Sunday with my nose in my books, I wasn't too nervous about my Philosophy test (worth 30% of my mark, may I add!). Instead, I casually flipped over the test and took a look at the questions.

"This isn't too bad," I thought. "I remember studying all this."

However, what I didn't realize was how fast time flies when you're concentrating. As it turns out, I spent too much time focusing on the short answer questions and struggled to finish the essay questions on time. Although my teacher pre-warned us to "spend only a couple minutes" on each short answer question, I didn't feel I could do just that. Instead, I felt I had to throughly explain each of my answers and, for me, doing so meant writing a paragraph for each question. I failed to consider that the short answer questions were only worth 2 marks each and the essay questions were worth 10. Luckily, I finished in the knick of time. However, I felt I could have managed my time a lot better. So afterwards, I came up with strategies on how to prevent situations like this:

1) Read over the entire test before you begin. This will help you understand what types of questions you will be answering and which ones you should spend the most time on. Also, since you've taken a look at the questions, ideas/answers may pop into mind as you write the test.

2) Make notes on the side of each question. Not only will it help you remember what you want to say, it will also help you to organize your thoughts and come up with more ideas.

3) Move on. If you don't understand a question or just don't know the answer, skip it. Come back to it later when you have time, for the time you waste looking at a question you don't know the answer to could be time spent answering a question you do know.

If you'd like to read more about test-taking strategies, you can refer to the following Douglas College online handout: http://www.douglas.bc.ca/services/learning-centre/pdf/rs/RS7_31_Essay_Exam_Taking_Strategy.pdf

What test-taking strategies do you use?

Think Before You Drink

(photo courtesy of http://www.ballwin.mo.us/police_info.html)

Just yesterday I found out someone I knew got into a serious, life threatening accident. He wasn't a good friend of mine, but we went to the same parties and knew the same people, so I saw him around often. He was only 17 years old and went out to celebrate the last day of 11th grade with his friends at Barnet Beach late Tuesday night. It was raining that night and he had been drinking. On top of that, he was riding his motorcycle on the Barnet highway to get back home.

Somehow, he lost control of his motorcycle and sped off the highway, crashing to ground. The police later found him unconscious in a nearby bush. Soon after he was put on life support in the intensive-care unit at Royal Columbian Hospital and was to have numerous surgeries. Unfortunately, he passed away this afternoon.

For the full story please go to: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=090eb19d-ef5c-4f99-aa90-245d6ab0d53a .

My question is, how many more accidents will it take for people to stop drinking and driving?

For some reason, some have the mindset that they are 'invincible' and 'good drivers' when they're drunk. Some even claim they drink and drive because they "don't want to pay for a cab." I don't know about you, but I'd pay any amount to save a life.

Statistics show that vehicle accidents are the No. 1 killer of youth aged 13 to 21. If we know this, why don't we stop it? Do we really want to be a part of this statistic?

A few months ago, another two of my friends got into a car accident while intoxicated. Afterwards, they were in debt by $30,000 and managed to walk away from the accident with only a broken arm and some cuts. If you saw the pictures of the accident, the fact that they survived would have seemed like a miracle.

Luckily, they learned from this horrific experience. Now, they are both extremely cautious drivers and make sure they have a safe ride home if they're drinking. However, it shouldn't take a car accident for people to realize the dangers of drinking and driving. We should be carefully planning out our trips and organizing safe rides home or sleeping over if we aren't completely sober.

And contrary to the popular belief, this could happen to you if you're not careful. So please, be a responsible driver and consider your own safety and the safety of others on the road.



-Rest in Peace Elliott Harty-

What a Wonder-ful World

Ever wonder which countries get the most visitors each year? According to statistics, France is the most popular destination in the world, raking in a whopping 76.7 million visitors a year! Several other countries follow close behind:

2) Spain - 51.7 million visitors
3) U.S. - 41.9 million visitors
4) Italy - 39.8 million visitors
5) China - 36.8 million visitors

(statistics derived from http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Most-Popular-Travel-Destinations-In-The-World&id=140398)

(picture courtesy of http://www.visitingdc.com/images/eiffel-tower-picture.jpg)

Now, I'm sure those places are nice and everything -and believe me, I'd love to see them- but right now, I've got my eyes set on good 'ole "Ελλάδα," better known as "Greece."

A few days ago, I came across a program that allows you to study AND live in Greece for an entire semester. Can you imagine going to Athens and Olympia, and visiting Aristotle's birthplace in Stageira, then going to the beautiful beaches and eating Souvlaki and -okay, I think you get the picture.

Ever since I started my Philosophy course (Values & Contemporary Issues), I've been practically obsessed with the subject -yeah, I know, I'm a philosophy nerd. I just love how it relates to aspects that affect your everyday life: decision-making, morals and values. It really makes you think, too. My teacher always gives our class scenarios that make me wonder "Hmm... What would I do in that situation?" Pretty soon, I wouldn't be surprised if I found myself thinking "What would Aristotle do?" As embarassing as it is, I think I could actually see it happening!

But anyhow, back to the studying abroad program....

Apparently, there are three courses we would be required to attend while in Greece:

• History 306-4: Reading Byzantium: Elements of History in Text
• Humanities 385-4: The Presence of the Past: Greek Literature & Culture
• History 307-4 ST: The World of Homer: Tradition & History

Sounds pretty interesting, doesn't it?

Have you ever studied abroad? If not, where would you like to go?

Soy Trouble

Ever since I diagnosed myself as "lactose intolerant" four years ago, I've been trying to include soy into my diet as much as possible. Soy milk is the best way to go because you can use it for practically anything that requires milk: cereal, sauces, coffee etc. And if you're not a fan of regular soy milk, you can try out vanilla or chocolate (although I'm not really a big fan of them). When I first tried soy milk, I'll admit, I really really really didn't like it. I think this is because I was told it tastes like cow's milk when, in actuality, It tastes nothing like it. However, now I'd prefer soy milk over cow's milk anyday! If you find you just can't seem to get into the habit of drinking soy milk, you can also try eating soybeans, tofu, or soy yogurt.

Studies show that having 25 grams of soy protein in your diet can reduce your cholesterol level and even prevent heart disease. It can also help protect you against breast, colon, lung, and prostate cancer, osteoporosis, and kidney disease. Nowadays, many people choose soy milk over cow's milk, even if they aren't allergic. This is because, compared to cow's milk, soy milk has no lactose or synthetic hormones and contains only vegetable proteins. Thus, it's also an excellent alternative for vegetarians.

However, after reading an article about the dangers of soy, I'm beginning to get a bit skeptical.

Apparently soy:

-contains phytic acid which stops your body from absorbing calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc
-contains aluminum (who would have thought!) which may jeopardize your nervous system and kidneys
-contains phytoestrogens which may potentially cause infertility and promote breast cancer
-increases the body's requirement for Vitamin B12 analogs and Vitamin D

[to read more about the disadvantages of soy, go to: http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/03summary.htm ]

So, right now, I'm torn between the two! I'm not really sure which side to believe, but I'd like to believe soy is beneficial because I really don't want to stop drinking it. Without my soy, I'd be lost!

And now, for your enjoyment, some interesting facts on soy:

1) Soy was first used as a food during the late Chou dynasty (1134-246 BC), only after the Chinese learned to ferment soy beans to make foods like tempeh, natto and tamari.

2) A recent study found that women with the highest levels of estrogen in their blood had the lowest levels of cognitive function; In Japanese Americans tofu consumption in mid-life is associated with the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease in later life.

3)Numerous animal studies show that soy foods cause infertility in animals. Soy consumption enhances hair growth in middle-aged men, indicating lowered testosterone levels. Japanese housewives feed tofu to their husbands frequently when they want to reduce his virility.

Who would have ever thought that soy would be this effective!

Are you a soy supporter?

Dazed and Confused

Yup. I've done it again. Just when I thought I had all the answers I find myself back at square one.

-Oh, you're probably wondering what I'm talking about, aren't you?

Well, just the other day I officially broke a world record: it has now been the 1,254th time I've changed my mind about my career path. Over the years I've patiently deliberated about what I want to do with my life and, over time, came up with a few answers: Marketing, Criminology, Dental Hygiene, Teaching, Journalism, Editing, Psychology, Media Arts, Acting -you get the idea.

You'd think that after all this contemplating I'd be frustrated and annoyed, right? Amazingly, I'm actually the complete opposite. That's right; I'm happy I've changed my mind so many times. I figure if I find out what I want as a career afterwards, I won't be a happy camper. I know of many people who went to school, got their degrees, and started their jobs. Sounds peachy, doesn't it? Well, it definitely would have been if it wasn't for the fact that they really didn't like their jobs and decided to go back to school. This is why I'm glad I'm doing the hair-pulling, teeth-grinding decision making now. I'm okay with making mistakes, but that seems like too much schooling to me!

So, what have I decided this time? I'm thinking something along the lines of Philosophy and teaching. I discovered that Philosophy is something I really enjoy, and that teaching isn't as scary as I thought it was. Tutoring has definitely given me a new perspective on the education field. I've learned so much and feel eager to learn more. It's amazing how satisfying it is to help people.

Not only am I deciding what I want career-wise, I'm coming to terms with what I want to do with my life in general. I know that I want to travel sometime during the 4 years I'm working towards my degree. I think this would be the perfect time to do it because I want to start career-hunting right after I'm done school and, if I do that, I may not have the time to travel. Some places I'd absolutely love to see are Australia, Egypt, and India. I'm really set on visiting the rainforests, pyramids, temples and different forms of architecture. Gosh, I'm getting all excited just by talking about it!

Those are all the plans I came up with so far, but I'm sure I'll come back with some more to talk about sometime soon!

What are your life goals?

Back Attack

Okay, either I'm suffering from an unrecalled back injury or, simply put, I'm just getting old (If the latter is the case, then I won't be looking forward to my birthday next week!) Fortunately, I'm pretty sure Arthritis is out of the question for a 19 year old. Whatever the case may be, I hope the pain decides to take a vacation sometime soon!

Although I'm not exactly sure what is causing my back to rebel, I have a feeling it has something to do with the way I sleep. Either that, or I spend too much time huddled over my keyboard on MSN Messenger. However, MayoClinic.com insists that, for many cases, the causes for back pain are not obvious. They also claim that four out of five adults suffer from back pain at least once in their lives -yikes!

Apparently, certain conditions may cause back pain as well:

• Herniated Disk - when disk material presses on a nerve.
• Sciatica- when a herniated disk impinges on the sciatic nerve causing sharp, shooting pain through the buttocks and back of the leg.
• Spinal Stenosis - when the space around the spinal cord and nerve roots narrows due to arthritis and bone overgrowth. This can press or pinch a nerve.
• Spondylosis - a type of arthritis affecting the spine. It is due to the degenerative changes in the spine that often come with aging.
• Spondylolisthesis - when one vertebra in the spinal column slips forward over another.
  

There are also the more serious cases:

• Cauda equina syndrome - a serious neurological problem causing weakness in the legs, numbness in the "saddle" or groin area, and loss of bowel or bladder control.
• Cancer in the spine - A tumor on the spine can press on a nerve causing back pain.
• Infection of the spine - If a feer and a tender, warm area accompany back pain, the cause could be an infection.
• Injury - Damage to the bones, ligaments, or muscles of the back can cause severe pain.
  

Luckily, one can do many things to prevent such injuries: exercise, build muscle strength and flexibility, quit smoking, maintain a healthy weight, stand smart, lift smart, sleep smart and sit smart. (You can read more about back pain prevention at http://mayoclinic.com/health/back-pain/DS00171/DSECTION=6 )

Taking care of your back is probably the most important thing you can do. Remember, you've only got one spine, so take care of it!

For more information on back pain/ injuries, please visit http://mayoclinic.com/health/back-pain/DS00171