Hollblat’s Weblog

CNN is a cable channel that covers news and more news.  It was first launched on June 1, 1980 at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time by Ted Turner.  They are on the news 24 hours a day, which can be really boring or really interesting for some people.  They are still in distant second in international news coverage reaching only about half of the viewers that BBC news reaches. 

In my opinion, CNN is very informative, but rather boring.  As you waft the monotonous aroma of the program you will be forced into the ZZZ’s.  Can’t they jazz it up a bit? They could add some humor or at least have an interesting tone in their voice.

This channel is mostly intended for the “old foagies”, or those of us who do not have fun in our genes.  However, I must say it is very informative, except when you’re trying to figure out the weather.  That is one thing they should add to attract more viewers. 

The success of CNN will only continue to go up because they are known world wide, and world wide people need to know the news.  It covers the news to its fullest extent.  They are the station that will be there before the news happens. 

In my opinion, sleep is important for many different reasons.  I mean, who wants to be tired and crabby all the time?  Anyone who doesn’t think sleep is important should try and go 32 hours without it.  Then, they are sure to change their minds.

I totally believe the fact that lack of sleep can cause diabetes.  After all, the two main risks for diabetes are obesity and lack of sleep.  Getting enough sleep helps you in so many ways.  One way is that it gives you more energy, so you can accomplish more, and possibly get some exercise.  Getting more sleep also makes you more aware of what you eat. It gives you a chance to lose weight and eat healthy.   This usually leads you towards your fruits and vegetables.  It helps you stay on a well balanced diet. 

The average amount of sleep an adult should get per night is 8-9 hours.  Without this much sleep, there can be some negative effects.  Things from altering your speech, loss of concentration and memory loss, to things like heart disease and diabetes are all results in not enough sleep. 

They say if you learn something new one day, and don’t get a decent amount of sleep that night, there is less of a chance that you will remember it.  Sleep is a time for your brain to regenerate and refresh, and without enough of it, your mind almost gets “confused”.  Overall, sleep is good for you no matter what the question.   

1) Does not getting enough sleep effect the way you perform in school or in extracurricular activities?

2) Among all your priorities, where does sleep rank?

A recent article talks about the fact that children, under the age of 18, should not be handling guns, none the less, killing people.  These kids, otherwise known as, Child Soldiers not only do the abuse, but also get abused at times.  It talks about a lady who met these children and heard stories about what they’ve been through.  Things like, torn from the arms of parents, beaten, given a gun and injected with drugs to make them ruthless in combat, and many other things.  It’s awful.   

 The lady interviewed was the high-level United Nations official charged with giving voice to the boys. She was trying to make a difference by giving these boys and girls a chance to let it all out.  She believes it is a problem having little kids armed and wants it taken care of before it gets worse. The boys fight, but this article states that girls sometimes have it much worse.  They are sometimes abducted, raped and forced to work in camp labourers.  Basically, she wants these poor children to know that the world cares and someone is trying to relieve them from their misery.  I agree strongly with the concept of this article.  Children should not be allowed to shoot others, or even be exposed to that kind of murder, or actions.  In the movie “Blood Diamond”, a father went through the most miserable time of his life, being held up by his son.  His son was taken away from his family and made into a child soldier.  All that terrible training made him place a gun at his own father.  That isn’t right.  No child should ever feel pressured to shoot his/her father.  

Overall, child soldiers are badly influenced, and America needs to stop making all this happen.  We buy over 2/3 of these illegal diamonds from Africa, not knowing what we are doing.  This needs to stop, and watching “Blood Diamond” really makes you realize how terribly wrong this all is. 

Homesourcing, also known as homeshoring, is a great idea that allows people to work for their business in their own home.  For example, there is a stay-at-home mom who has three young children and helps care for her elderly father with diabetes. This idea helps her manage those loved ones and still earn a living. Though at times you are asked to come in for training, overall, it is a great advantage.

I believe it is a growing trend because it makes the employees happier. I mean, who wouldn’t want to sit on the couch in their pajamas and do work you get paid for.  It is easier for the company, and for you, to just work at home.  Everyone is by themselves, and can do their work on their own time.  It’s also nice to have a flexible schedule.

Homesourcing can benefit you and your family in many ways.  First of all, you don’t have to arrange babysitting needs for your children, pay for the gas it takes to get to and from work, or be up and ready at a particular time.  Also, it is said that those who work at home accomplish more because they are happier.  Being in a homely atmosphere helps you concentrate more and be thankful for that advantage, therefore try harder to succeed in your profession. 

This idea can save the company and yourself a lot of money.  It can save the employer money on office space, and technology, because most of the time the employee uses the equipment they have at home. Also they don’t have to pay all those extras, like heating, ac, bathrooms, and everything else.  Homesourcing also saves the employee money, too, like mentioned earlier.

Even though, in my opinion, it sounds like a good thing, it does result in some problems.  Sometimes the business finds that the workers aren’t doing their job at home.  They don’t stay focused and tend to fall behind with what they are supposed to accomplish.  Also, you don’t get to socialize with other workers, or make “work” friends, and that’s sometimes where you meet the most interesting people!

Of all the advantages and disadvantages of homesourcing, I am still convinced that it is for the good.  I mean, in the end, it saves everyone money and is just more convenient.    

Timothy Treadwell, in the documentary Grizzly Man, is an adventurous man who was just trying to take a risk doing the things he loved.  He had a way with the animals, specifically bears, that made him feel safe, and not in harm.  Though most people think he is incredibly insane, I think there’s nothing mentally wrong with him.  Not to say I would ever do anything like this, or that it’s normal to do so, but he knew what could have happened and went in expecting the worst.  He just wanted to be with them and live like the bears.

Through Treadwell’s behavior, he gained many positive things.  With his findings and interest, he started finding resources of the bears.  He began teaching what he found and educated others with what he discovered.  He did things he loved to do when with the bears, and then talked about those things when he wasn’t with the bears. He just wanted to be with them and do things other people are too scared to do.  How else would we figure out how they act or what they’re really like?

One of the interviewers brought up the point that Treadwell’s behavior disrupted the bears’ way of living; however, I don’t think this is really true.  He was showing respect for them in my opinion.  Just trying to look further into the animals; seeing things about them that their physical appearances did not show. 

 Treadwell lived by these bears each and every day.  He loved them.  He learned as much as he could about them right up until his death, which was caused by the bears.  This, in my opinion, really showed how much he loved them, because after all, he died for the bears.

In my opinion, the foods room in the Jr. High end of Campbellsport High School holds many uses, and is relatively important in my perspective.  Not only did I take food classes in there, learning the purposes of different ingredients and baking various food items, but this is where we hold all of our meetings for FCS.

FCS is a family and community service organization where students can volunteer their time and do things for their community.  Looking into this room just reminds me of all the generous students anxious to donate their time for good causes, and teachers giving up their free time to organize a well-known club. Not only does this room symbolize a good club in general, it also is the place that holds good social time with other students and many learning experiences. 

This room also is the place where we mix and bake cookies to sell for the Christmas Cookie Walk, one of the many activities we take part in.  However, the members of this club make this room more than just for cooking.  They make it a place to share stories and make friends, a place to organize social events, plan upcoming activities, and give credit to those who participated in those activities. 

So physically, when I look into this room I can only see chairs and tables, but mentally I can see loving, caring students filling those chairs, in hopes of making a difference.   

E. coli, Escherichia Coli, is a bacteria that infects different foods like spinach, lettuce, beef, vegetables and much more.  This bacterium is spread when a human eats or comes in contact with something containing it.  Usually when this happens, there is a callback on the food possibly contaminated.  However, that doesn’t help the people who have already eaten it. 

E. coli causes an infection with severe pain that sometimes results in death.  It is said that people who have been diagnosed with E. coli have had rough experiences with the symptoms.  As a matter of fact, it has killed a large number of people just in the U.S.  Statistics say about 61 people per year. 

In my opinion, E. coli is a deadly disease that needs to be looked at more seriously.  Every food product should be tested for it before released to a public market or restaurant.  There is no reason for it not to be found.  The only way it has been found was when someone became infected with it.  After all, how are we, as ordinary people, going to know if our food has a deadly disease in it, and if we did, would we eat it?  No. 

I find it hard to believe that this bacterium can sometimes be deadly, and at other times cause no sign of pain.  I understand there are different types, but why is the result so different?  Because the source of E. coli, is so varied; meaning getting it from water to getting it from working with cattle, it is hard to be so cautious.   How do you know where, or when, to look? 

Overall, I think this whole E. coli thing needs to be understood by all, and soon.  Most people just need to be more alert and take action.

Sources say there are many mental differences between men and women, and that the society needs to do more for boys.  They say women have advanced ahead of men in numerous ways.  Women have recently taken over many of men’s professions, and therefore are treated “smarter” because of this.  They say we should do more for boys because they are falling behind.  They aren’t getting the “treatment” they need according to journalists. 

Colleges take any males they can get, even if they have to “stretch their limits”, because women over-populate them.  They want a 50/50 ratio, and don’t always get that under certain restrictions.  This makes men think they don’t have to try.  They believe they will get into any college, no matter what, because of their gender.  This leaves women, who try hard for their GPA, “in the dust”.

I agree with this difference, but don’t think it is fair the way they are TRYING to solve it.  Women, in my opinion, have just been brought up to work hard at what they do and always try.  I have always worked hard for my grades and position in life, and my parents always just expect that.  My brother, on the other hand, doesn’t even want to be seen doing homework.  He would take a detention over studying for an hour or so, but yet my parents don’t really say anything.  It’s like there is nothing wrong with it. 

Something just isn’t right about this picture, and I think someone needs to do something with this problem before things get way out of hand.    

All around the world, doctors have been implanting microchips, made originally for animals, in humans.  For a matter of fact, close to 2,000 Americans have had these chips implanted.  The microchips are used for various things.  They are used for anything from easier access to medical reports to signing into your computer by the wave of your hand.  However, tests from officials showed that they brought tumors and cancer to lab rats and mice. The question is should they really keep implanting them in humans?

In my opinion, go for it.  Studies have showed that it is easier for a rat to get cancer than it is for a human, and what are the odds?  These microchips are out there for an inexpensive price of about $200 a piece, are painless, and look at the convenience they bring.  Yeah it may seem creepy that you have this however many mega pixel gadget in your hand, but it’s made for you and doesn’t affect your body at all!  Think of all the less things you would have to worry about.  No more carrying around a key to your house.   Now, just program your microchip to the lock on your door and all you have to do is wave your hand in front of the lock.  No more remembering passwords for your computer either.  All you have to do is wave your hand in front of your PC and be immediately signed on.  Does this sound like a bad thing?

Another good characteristic of these microchips is that some have been activated with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) scanners.  These devices allow doctors to get all your medical information just by scanning the part of your body where the microchip was implanted.  So, in the case of a medical emergency, you can be taken to any close hospital and the doctors can easily access your medical history.   

Of course there’s another half of this technology other than convenience, and that is cancer. But, think of it this way, you are at a higher risk of cancer so the doctors will check you more regularly. And don’t sources say it is easier to stop cancer when they catch it early on?  Plus, no human has yet been diagnosed with cancer from these microchips.  So why not take the risk, because in the long run, is it really a risk? 

If I had the chance, I would get one of these microchips implanted.  There are so many types that you can use for so many different things.  You can’t go wrong.  They are all for the good in my opinion, and they are FDA approved. (Food and Drug Administration) Though the slight risk of cancer would hang over your head, look at all the other technology out there, just waiting to be used.  So, take the risk, and show these doctors that there is nothing to worry about.            

ATVing in my opinion is a great sport that many people know and enjoy.  So, why don’t we have any place to ride them?  If snowmobiles have a trail, why can’t 4-wheelers?  Living with my parents, who own 2 ATVs, it’s hard to see their almost $10,000 sit in the shed with nowhere to go.  There are trails all around WI for ATVs so why is it different here?  We pay the tax dollars too.  Many people like to say they tear up the trails or make too much noise, but there are ways to prevent that. In Eden, there is an ATV club that is trying to get The Eisenbahn Trail open to ATVs.  All they are asking for, as of right now, is a winter trial on the trail only when the ground is frozen.  At this time, you won’t see any hikers, bikers or even snowmobiles, if there isn’t any snow.  For example, last year was a bad year for winter sports.  There was hardly any snow, and it was really cold.  Those are perfect conditions for 4-wheeling, but we weren’t aloud on them!  They spent all that money in grooming the trail when no one was even using them.  This isn’t fair!  Plus, the Eden Area Trailrunners have about 40% of their members trained for Trail Patrol, have taught a few hundred kids at the ATV safety class, and have volunteered their time at many public events.  In my opinion, this sounds like a great group that is just trying to get a trail, and I know that if they don’t get it this year, there is nothing stopping them from trying again next year.  I love 4-wheeling and would just like to get out onto a trail and enjoy a good ride!