Entry #11: Final Blog Reflection

Blogging was a new and very exciting experience for me. I was hesitant at first because I did not have any experience in blogging and English is not my primary language. I was surprised that once I started writing, the ideas kept coming and I was able to express my feelings and share opinions. Blogging gave me the possibility to improve my writing skills. It also brought out my personality. I did not know I had so many things to say and I was shocked that I was able to say them in correct English!

This experience taught me how to use technology. From this assignment I learned that blogs are a wonderful addition to our social media. It is a way to hear the most current news in the world, to learn about the latest discoveries in science and technology, to travel in time and to new places, to communicate with people from all over the world. The information in the blogs is presented in different ways depending on the author’s style. As a blogger I am able to choose who to trust and to follow, who to discuss the topics I am interested in, which pictures and videos I want to see, and all this is just one click away.

I expressed my views on topics concerning our health, lifestyle, environment, food, and medicine. The most exciting was the fact that I could choose a topic to write about. I used the possibility to express my opinion on important health issues such as: “Can we prevent cancer?” and “Killing Cancer”. “Can we prevent cancer?” is a blog about the preventive measures we can do to prevent cancer. Prevention of cancer could be achieved with leading healthy lifestyle, keeping the environment clean, and preventing diseases through immunizations, and physical activity. “Killing Cancer” is a blog about the new ways of treating cancer. I give an example with so called Immunotherapy method, in which our immune system attacks cancer cells the same way it kills infections.

Other important health concerns that I was able to write about in my blog were: “The Rise of the Superbugs” and “Ebola”. “The Rise of the Superbugs” is a wake-up call that antibiotic resistance is a growing global problem. As infectious bacteria evolve, growing stronger than the medications used to fight them, people are now vulnerable to infections that haven't been a threat to human health since the discovery of antibiotics. I give some ideas how we can prevent from getting these infections. 

My blog “Ebola” is about Ebola virus, one of the deadliest viruses known to medical science, with no specific cure and mortality rates of up to 90 percent. I showed how the whole world united in the fight against this virus. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of world health organizations, government institutions, and scientists from many countries, the spread of the virus is diminished and new vaccines are tested.

I was able to blog about topics which I consider important for our society and concern me personally. My blog “Solution for the Obesity epidemic in USA” gave the opportunity to do some research and express my opinion on a very important global health issue. I realized that “obesity epidemic is a complex problem. There is a solution and our whole society has to be involved in order to be successful.”

In my effort to figure out the reasons for these problems, I learned a lot about our food industry. Thanks to the blog I posted “Slanted Reporting on GMOs”, I will make an effort to change my lifestyle. I will definitely consider the local food markets for buying food, and I will try to eat more fruits and vegetables. I signed a Petition to the Governor Brewer, Senators, and Representatives to pass legislation that will label genetically-engineered foods in Arizona. I also invited all my friends and co workers to join the Petition in support of GMO labeling in Arizona.

As a blogger, I am able to learn about new findings from our history and hear news about political, social, and sports events in the whole world. I can enjoy the work of artists and witness the achievements of scientists at the same time. Blogging gave me an opportunity to express my vision on important current topics such as "Possibility to choose” about Arizona State University offering short classes-7 ½ weeks instead of the traditional 15 week classes. I stated my opinion that this is democracy in practice.

My blog “Capitalism Rhetoric” is a commentary on the movie “Capitalism: A Love Story-Documentary” by Michael More. I wrote in my blog: “The main idea of the movie is to show that the monopolized capitalism, ruling the country through corporate organizations, which dictate the stock market through Wall Street and the parliament through influential figures (which are actually the CEOs of the same corporations and banks), is bringing failure to this country.”Michael More is asking us, the American citizens, to take action.

My blog ”Stereotyping” is a discussion on a website called “Dumb Men” which  show how the stereotyping of American men as dumb is used from different companies in their commercial videos. I personally share the same opinion as the author of the website. I disagree with stereotyping the American men as dumb. I think they are honest, interesting, and funny. I think that the possibility of somebody to make fun of his/her negatives is a sign of moral strength.

In my blog, “The Power of Media” I give examples of how powerful media is in shaping our mentality and lifestyle.  I think that media developed a culture of stereotyping-what is norm and what not. It shaped our minds, our behavior and has a huge impact on our culture. That is why I decided to say at the end of my blog: “Watch out, media, now, I am watching you!”

I enjoy reading blogs that catch my attention and see the world through the eyes of other people. This was a very enriching experience for me and I will definitely continue blogging.

Entry#10- Solution for the Obesity Epidemic in USA

To be able to start working on solving a problem, you have to acknowledge it first. According to CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), nearly 69% of Americans are overweight or obese and 18% of our children are obese. Our new generation is craving Big Mac, not broccoli.

So, we realized that the weight of the nation is out of control, but we can fix that. We have to come together as a country and really make this a priority. It is our only hope. It is about survival and well-being as a nation. If we do not take this issue seriously, we, individually and as a nation, will pay very big consequences. The generation of our children is going to have lower life expectancy than us because of obesity. We have an abundance of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, and strokes.

All of us have to be part of the solution. “To win, we have to lose.” 

Eating more filling, higher fiber foods help satiety signals to the brain. Get physically active! Parents can be role models for their children. Community programs, like Farmer Markets provide fruits and vegetables for free to people who can’t afford to buy them. The number of farmers’ markets in the US has increased by 300% in a decade to over 7600 today. In 2002 Dr. Preston Maring pioneered the nation’s first hospital based farmers market. He has a passion for engaging children in the kitchen and opening their eyes to how delicious fruits and vegetables can be. 

Government organizations can develop environments which support more active living- allow easy access to parks, businesses, so people can walk; provide incentives to grocery markets which provide healthy foods; employers can offer healthier food, and organize programs which support healthy lifestyle, like gyms and lactation rooms at the workplace, for their employees.

Congress passed and the President signed a comprehensive health care reform bill into law. The legislation contains several measures to help reduce the rising rates of obesity in the United States.

The first lady Michelle Obama started a campaign to combat childhood obesity. It is called Let's Move. The campaign outlines a wide range of initiatives to attempt to end childhood obesity within a generation. The Let's Move campaign encompasses support for parents, the provision of healthier foods in schools, more physical activity for kids and the availability of affordable healthy foods in communities.

Let’s Move – 5 Simple Steps

Move Everyday: A minimum of 60 total minutes of physical activity per day for every single kid will get them moving in the right direction. They will feel better, be less stressed, more attentive in school, and get a better night sleep, all because of one hour of physical activity.

Try a New Fruit or Veggie: Fruits and veggies are vital for a healthy diet and kids can have more fun eating them by trying new things. Let the child come grocery shopping and pick out their own fruits and veggies to try, turning a healthy lifestyle into something fun for them. Challenge the kids to make the most colorful salad possible which will increase the amount of nutrients they will get from it.

Drink Lots of Water: Stop stocking the house with soda and increase the consumption of water. Only purchase 100% real fruit juice. If the kids want something similar to a soda then add a splash of juice into some sparkling water.

Do Jumping Jacks to Break up TV Time: The statistics for how much television kids watch per day is sickening but is also a good opportunity to make some big changes. TV has a lot of negative side effects, but those can be stymied by doing jumping jacks during commercial breaks and in between shows. Same thing goes for kids that spend all day on the computer, have them run up and down the stairs, do sit-ups or push-ups, stretch, or come up with their own physical activities to break up the time in front of a computer screen.

Help Make Dinner: Plan the daily dinner menu with the kids and have them help decide and do the shopping with you. If it is a made into a fun experience that they have control over, they will not just learn about making healthy choices, they will be excited to do so.

Staying Active

With the Family: The family has the largest influence on the child’s lifestyle and could easily plan a fun active hobby or daily activity that kids will be excited to do when they come home from school. A few ideas include giving the kids toys that promote moving such as balls, kites, and jump ropes, encourage kids to join a sports team, create a family park day a few days per week, and even make some house rules like no sitting still during TV commercials.

At School: Schools have an amazing opportunity to both teach the kids about the importance of physical activity and also let the kids be active with all of their friends. The most effective way to promote activity at school is through a strong P.E. program where 50% of the class time is spent doing vigorous activity. The programs should have a variety of options for kids and should be a fun environment rather than a forced exercise regime. They will burn twice the calories when they are having fun and are more likely to transfer over the daily school activity habits into their lifestyle.

In the Community: The entire community should get involved in helping to reduce childhood obesity. The community could dedicate some funds to building and improving parks and playgrounds, creating safe trails for kids, and getting the kids involved in outdoor environmental programs.

Obesity epidemic is a complex problem.There is a solution and our whole society has to be involved in order to be successful.

Entry #9 THE POWER OF MEDIA

When I think about the power of the media I come to the realization that media has a profound effect on our lives. It has been providing us with information of any kind, playing an important role in forming our personalities, and influencing our relationships. 

Since I started working on my assignments in English and reading about media I started questioning the effects of media on my family, my friends and me. I started paying more attention, discovered new information and made new connections about the effects of media on our lives. I think that media developed a culture of stereotyping-what is norm and what not.

I remember my Psychology teacher telling us that the messages presented through commercials, news, and advertisements are made with the help of psychologists. There are details in the messages that we process subconsciously. That is why we do not even realize how the media shapes our minds.

TV is the cheapest source of info and entertainment, but it is also a powerful means of shaping public opinion. It has gained considerable influence on the political scene.

Today social media is a huge part of our culture. It has become a fact of life for civil society worldwide. Social networking sites allow people to improve their relationships and make new friends. It helps employers find employees and job-seekers find work. Social networking provides academic research to a wider audience, allowing many people access to previously unavailable educational resources.

At the same time social networking site users are vulnerable to security attacks such as hacking, identity theft, and viruses. Social media facilitates cyberbullying. Students who are heavy social media users tend to have lower grades. Psychologists correlate the use of social networking with personality and brain disorders, such as the inability to have in-person conversations, a need for instant gratification, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and self-centered personalities, as well as addictive behaviors. Social media causes people to spend less time interacting face-to-face. 

Like most things in life there is positive and negative site of media. When I think of the pros of media I remember the mass media campaigns used to inform the public of the dangers of smoking and motivate existing smokers to quit.  Today, millions of Americans have quit smoking, and attitudes towards tobacco and cigarettes have changed so dramatically it is now illegal to smoke in many public places.

Likewise, safety belts and highway safety provide another example of the Power of Media to influence attitudes and behaviors.  Thanks to the media safety belt usage has increased and many lives saved.

From pollution education (“Keep America Beautiful”) and Smokey Bear (“Only you can prevent forest fires”), to crime and drunken driving prevention, there are numerous examples of the Power of Media to impact culture.

The American lifestyle has been influenced by the media in a negative way too. Our food industry through the media shaped our minds and culture to eat more and to be less active. While fast food companies and chains compete with one another by increasing portion sizes, our waists are increasing proportionately.

Food advertisement is everywhere we look. The moment we turn on the T.V. and we will see a commercial program showing dancing M&M’s or beautiful models eating a “hot” cheeseburger from Carl’s Junior.  Even if we are not hungry and we do not think about food, the constant reminder of food is stimulating brain receptors subconsciously which make us consume food. I realize now that media is one of the factors contributing to the obesity epidemic in USA.

Paradoxically enough the images of supermodels on advertisement ads are in the range of size zero. The artificially produced images of beautiful girls give an unrealistic model of what is “cool” and “valuable”. Our young people have to measure up and compete with computerized “perfect” photo models. This gives them low self-esteem and leads to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. The number of depressed people is on the rise.

Other commercials with such huge influence and money making potential are the Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic industries. They claim to have a "fix" for every problem we have. If we need to lose weight, to be happy, or become more physically attractive, “call our doctors and ask them about...”

These are just few of the examples of how powerful media is in shaping our mentality and lifestyle. I think that media is one of the most growing industries in our society. Now, since I learned important facts about the influence of media on us, I try to analyze the messages that it tries to convey and think how people will react to them. 

Watch out, media, now, I am watching you!  

Entry #8 Ebola 

Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) (sometimes called Ebola Virus Disease, or EVD) is the disease caused by infection with an Ebola virus. Ebola is one of the deadliest viruses known to medical science, with no specific cure and mortality rates of up to 90 percent.

Frederick A. Murphy/CDC

The Ebola virus, pictured above in the image from a special type of microscope, is the agent that causes Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever (EHF).

In areas of Africa where Ebola viruses are common, suspected reservoirs include primate and bat populations. The disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelope.It then spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments. To get Ebola, you’d have to get these fluids in your mouth, nose, eyes, genitals, or a break in your skin. You could also pick it up from items that have fluids on them, like needles or sheets.You can’t get Ebola from casual contact, like sitting next to an infected person. Air, food, and water don’t carry the virus. But kissing or sharing food or a drink with someone who has Ebola could be a risk.

Early symptoms include fever, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding, sometimes from the eyes and the mouth. People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus - in some cases, up to seven weeks after they recover.

How Many People Have Been Infected in Africa? 

More than 23,200 people in Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone have contracted Ebola, according to the World Health Organization, making this the biggest outbreak on record. More than 9,300 people have died. The presidents of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea appealed for more aid to help fight the disease.

“The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is unlike anything since the emergence of HIV/Aids”, top US medical official Thomas Frieden has said.

What Is Being Done to Improve Medical Treatment in Africa?

To stop the spread of Ebola, the World Health Organization (W.H.O) is coordinating the construction and staffing of treatment centers across Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. As of October 2014, there were 15 operational centers, with a total of 1,047 beds — but this is just a small fraction of the 41 new treatment centers that the W.H.O. has been trying to get into operation. The lack of infrastructure and of medical personnel makes the construction and staffing of centers difficult.

“A fast global response could ensure that it did not become ‘the next Aids’, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

How Many Ebola Patients Have Been Treated Outside of Africa?

At least 24 cases have been treated in Europe and the United States. Many were health and aid workers who contracted Ebola in West Africa and were transported back to their home countries for treatment.

 What Is the United States Doing to Make Sure That Ebola Does Not Spread?

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) categorizes Ebola virus as a Category A select agent. This group includes high-priority agents that pose a risk to national security because they can be easily disseminated or transmitted from person to person; result in high mortality rates and have the potential for major public health impact; might cause public panic and social disruption; and require special action for public health preparedness. Federal, state and local officials are identifying hospitals to be used as Ebola treatment centers. Of the nation’s 100 state public health laboratories, 24 are ready to test for Ebola.

The five United States airports screening travelers from West Africa for fever are: Kennedy International, Washington Dulles International, O’Hare International, Hartsfield-Jackson International and Newark Liberty International.

Passengers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea will have their temperatures taken and have to answer questions.

With the start of 2015 we have much more hope. The number of infected people is decreasing. Hopefully by the end of the year, there will be no new cases of Ebola virus.

First Ebola vaccine trial started in Africa and a safe and effective vaccine is hoped for by the end of 2015.

 

Entry #7 Stereotyping

The website "Dumb Men" posts pictures from commercial videos which are made to look like postcards with titles written under the pictures. When you click on the postcard, it opens the commercial video. The advertising companies convey their messages to the public by making fun of men.

The purpose of the website is to show how the stereotyping of American men as dumb is used from different companies in their commercial videos. We all remember the "Sonic"commercial video guys.

The audience is everyone. The women’s reaction is expected to be positive and agreeable, and the men’s reaction probably not positive, but memorable. From the tone of his/her writing, which is most of the time sarcastic, I assume that the author doesn't agree with this kind of stereotyping of American men.

The opinion of the author is expressed in the written messages under the videos. These messages give a brief description of the video clip and then a comment from the author. Comments like: “You have to go to another country to see a commercial where the man outwits the woman” or “I give GEICO some credit for also including the wife in the stupidity and not singling out the dopey white dude as the idiot like so many other commercials”, or “Thanks for depicting us men as idiots, Fidelity”, shows that the author does not agree with the stereotyping of American men as dumb.

The commercial video that I like is “Yoplait Confused Husband Commercial”. The husband overhears a conversation of his wife about her diet consisting of eating pies and keeping them in the house. Of course, the husband’s reaction and I would say, who would not do the same thing, started looking in the fridge trying to find the delicious desserts his wife is talking about. Instead of desserts we, as audience, see stacks of Yoplait yogurts in the fridge and understand what the wife is referring to, but the "clueless" husband keeps looking because he did not see anything he expected to. 

Then the voice of the commercial says:” Yoplait Light with Fourteen Delicious Flavors and a Hundred Calories” and the wife asking the husband what he is doing. His face is showing the frustration and the shame that he could not find what was he looking for. 

It is funny and at the same time I felt sorry for the guy. This situation can make anybody confused. Why would somebody expect to see yogurts instead of pies when hears the words "pies". He takes his wife’s word literally and this makes him look “stupid”. I find his “childish” behavior as the author says, actually as very naive. This is what makes us, the audience, sympathetic to the guy in the commercial. 

The company "Yoplait" uses the satisfaction of the wife of losing weight by consuming flavored as delicious desserts yogurts, to show the positive sites of its product. The part of the husband is the funny site of the commercial to make not only women but also men to pay attention to their product.

The message of the commercial: “Eat delicious yogurt, which tastes like desserts and lose weight”. Audience: everybody who wants to lose weight while eating yogurt which tastes like pies. The comedy in the commercial makes the product memorable and desirable. This is the purpose of the company-to make the audience buy their product.

 

I think we can all relate to situations where we experience shame and frustration of not being able to figure out a “simple thing”, because we accept things literally, not understanding the second meaning of words. I had similar experiences when I first came to the USA. Sometimes people use words which have another meaning and if we do not know the second meaning, we can become a target of embarrassment. 

I find the website interesting. The author makes a point. I personally share the same opinion as the author of the website. I disagree with stereotyping the American men as dumb. I think they are honest, interesting ,and funny.
I think that the possibility of somebody to make fun of his/her negatives is a sign of moral strength.

Extra Credit Entry: Capitalism Rhetoric

The movie “Capitalism: A Love Story-Documentary” by Michael More is a picture of the real America without a mask. This is like watching USA without the “pink glasses” that the Hollywood movies usually give you. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgcdtOcfqfc

The movie starts with showing bank robberies. This is the first thing we usually see when we turn on any T.V.station- police statistics. Everybody hears the local police reports in the news, but nobody hears about the stolen money from the American people by the big corporations and banks. 

The association that was made between USA and agent Rome had the purpose to worn the American people that our country will have the same destiny if we do not take action. From my history lessons growing up in Bulgaria, I know that some of the reasons for the Rome Empire's failure were the greediness and the demoralization of the Roman society which started from the top, the emperor and the governing body.

 

The main idea of the movie is to show that the monopolized capitalism, ruling the country through corporate organizations, which dictate the stock market through Wall Street and the parliament through influential figures (which are actually the CEOs of the same corporations and banks), is bringing failure to this country.

When Michael More was trying to clarify what capitalism means, I remembered my history class. I was taught that capitalism is an organization of a society in which there is a small percent of very rich people and the rests are poor. The rich become rich through the exploitation of the workers, though giving them minimum wages, not paying them any benefits and healthcare, not giving them money for education. The whole system is made in a way to keep the wealth of the rich in their hands. The children of the rich should become the future capitalists and the children of the poor should become the future workers to produce to profits and the goods for the rich. I thought that this kind of social system is long gone, at least half a century ago with the end of the Second World War. My history classes taught me (consider the fact that I grew up in a socialist country) that USA was the first democratic republic, with the first democratic constitution in the world. You can imagine our pride when we received our Green cards to come to live in the most democratic country.

Michael More gives a lot of historical facts in chronological order to support his thesis. He shows documentaries and interviews with people who were victims of the house market clash in 2008. I will never forget that time. I almost foreclosed my house and it was heartbreaking for me watching these hard working people being treated like criminals while evicted from their houses. I showed the movie to my children and told them that we could be on the place of this people. I remember nobody said anything on the news to warn us for the coming disaster, nobody told us who did this to us, and nobody helped us. I remember my neighbors disappearing one by one and at the end only few homeowners left. The homeowners association increased our association fee so we would pay the fee of the neighbors who foreclosed their homes. 

The ordinary working people lost their houses, were treated like criminals, and the banks get their money from the Congress. These were actually OUR MONEY, of these same people, who worked to pay our mortgages, bills, credit card bills with 30% interest, homeowners’ association fees, and taxes. If this is not a crime and the biggest unfairness in the world, I do not know what else. I do not see anything DEMOCRATIC in these actions of our government.

Michael More shows how the economic was flourishing without competition in the past. When President Reagan was elected our country became a “corporations’ country” and the taxes for the rich were cut by 50%. The small, even big businesses like GM filed bankruptcy, leaving thousands of people without jobs. In this way the top 1 % of the population, the bankers and the CEOs of the big corporations became even richer. The filmmaker shows names, numbers, and documents, made interviews with congress representatives revealing the story how they were politically tricked by fear to sign “A BAIL FOR OUR ECONOMY.” And this was purposely done just a few weeks before the elections for very short period of time so the congressmen would not have time to review any documents. "They TOOK 700 BILLION OF OUR TAX MONEY! The CEOs of the biggest financial institutions backed a pickup truck at the door of the Treasure Department and took our money.” Our congress representatives failed us. The author called it a “Financial coup d’état.”

The demoralization of the society was shown by the examples of “Dead Peasants” money taken by the big monopolies when an employee dies; or by the juvenile facilities where young people were imprisoned because of stupid, typical teenage behaviors so the lawyers and judges become rich.

Why people do not do anything, do not protest? Mr. More has an explanation for that too. The propaganda of “brainwashing” the people, making them to believe that someday they can become rich too and reach the “AMERICAN DREAM” is a very good tactic. The ordinary people worship their rich county men; put them on first pages of magazines, look up to them as role models and heroes because they want to be like them someday “if they just keep trying hard enough.” Meanwhile he shows a video with the jumping little puppy representing us, the little people, trying to reach the food on the table (the wealth) and the big dog, representing the wealthy people, eating the bone, showing that the rich had never indented to “share it with anyone.”

The filmmaker visited Washington D.C. to check if it is written in our CONSTITUTION anything about the economic system and specifically words like “free market, “free enterprise”, and “capitalism” which were used from President G.W. Bush to show how our country became rich and successful. He did not find any one of these words. The words that he found were: “WE, the PEOPLE”, “UNION”, and “Promoting GENERAL WELFARE.” He made the conclusion that this is “DEMOCRACY.” He then went to show a solution to our economy: democracy at the workplace. He gave us examples of workers’ owned businesses. The dictatorship at work represented by the corporate companies is replaced by democratically run businesses, where all of the workers are the owners of the business.

At the end of the movie, Michael Moore goes to the banks who took our money, the headquarters of Citibank, Goldman Sachs, Chase and other banks with empty bags to ask them to return our money or trying to make citizen arrests of the CEOs. It was the most humorous part of the movie. The music, the gestures, the talk of the filmmaker to the security guards and the policeman was made in a way to show that this is not the way to get our money back. You can imagine the reaction; he was thrown out by the security guards and managers.  

And then “the unusual happened”, the American turned against their rich on the Wall Street protest.

 

The American people chose a new direction, the direction of the “CHANGE.” Our new President Obama was called “socialist” because he wanted to “spread the wealth.”His winning of the elections inspired people like the sheriff in Detroit who decided to break the law by stopping all mortgage foreclosure sales in the county. Then we hear words like “Community Power” and people fighting back to take their houses back. The fired workers started strikes calling Bank of America: “Bank Robbers of America”, supported from the community, the Bishop, and the President.

Mr. More tells the story about the fight of the Union of workers against the corporate of the GM factories in Flint, Michigan in 1936. This was the first union “that beat the industrial corporation and their actions resulted in the creation of a middle class.” The President Roosevelt agreed that the workers had the right to protest for better life. In 1941 the President Roosevelt proposed a “Second Bill of Rights” to the Constitution and then he shows the speech of the President. This is an example of democracy and it is very unfortunate that the “Second Bill of Rights” was never accepted.

 

If it was successive, “Every person in America, regardless of race, would have had a right to a decent job, a livable wage, universal healthcare, a good education, and affordable home, a paid vacation, and an adequate pension. None of this would come to pass. No American got any of these. But the people of Europe and Japan got everyone of these rights.” Then he gives examples how “the Italian Constitution gave all women equal rights and this was 1947.” In Japan “all workers have the right to organize in unions and the academic freedom is guaranteed.” But for the Americans the “Second Bill of Rights” never became reality.

At the end Michael Moore says:” I refuse to live in a country like this and I am not leaving.” Then he pulls the yellow sign: “Crime Scene Do Not Cross” around the buildings of the big financial institutions and says;” We live in the richest country in the world. WE ALL DESERVE A DECENT JOB, HEALTHCARE, A GOOD EDUCATION, A HOME TO CALL A HOME. We all deserve the American dream and it is a crime that we do not have it. And we will never have as long as we have a system that reaches the few at the expense of the many. CAPITALISM IS AN EVIL and you cannot regulate evil. You have to eliminate it, replace it with something that is good for all people. And that something is called: DEMOCRACY!”

Then he addresses his audience, us, the people that watch this film to join him, because he cannot do this on his own and says: “And please, speed it up.”

Entry #6 The Rise of the Superbugs

Antibiotic resistance is a growing global problem. As infectious bacteria evolve, growing stronger than the medications used to fight them, people are now vulnerable to infections that haven't been a threat to human health since the discovery of antibiotics.

In "New 'Superbugs' Plaguing Hospitals", Katie Couric reports that new classes of the deadly Superbugs are becoming a growing threat around the country that has put doctors and hospitals on edge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-ov6gFbeac

1. What do you mean, "superbug"?

It's not a medical term, but it represents a class of dangerous microbes, generally bacteria, that have mutated in a way that help them to resist the medications we most frequently use to treat them. This is why superbugs are also often referred to as drug-resistant or antibiotic-resistant. They've managed to outsmart our best line of defense against the infections they cause.

2. Why are we hearing more about superbugs now?

Infections seem to be on the rise. At least 2 million people become infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria a year in the U.S., and an estimated 700,000 die from such an infection worldwide. Without additional methods of treating superbugs, that number could reach 10 million by 2050. 

3. How much is the average healthy person at risk?

Drug-resistant infections are more common in hospital or other health-care settings. People who are already seeking medical attention may have weakened immune systems that leave them more susceptible to infections. Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections have only been seen in a health-care setting, USA Today reported. But others can occur outside of hospitals. MRSA, for example, one of the most well-known drug-resistant superbugs, is on the decline overall, although increasing outside of hospitals.

CDC Warning Antibiotic Resistant Super Bugs Kill 23,000 People Annually!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGZonx1GrCI

4. What about antibiotics in food?

Yes, the germs that contaminate our food can also become drug-resistant. Antibiotics are sometimes given to feed animals to cause them to gain weight quickly, which could contribute to growing antibiotic-resistance. In fact, a particular strain of drug-resistant E. coli seems to be causing more urinary tract infections than in the past, and some researchers believe chickens are the source. Eating chicken carrying drug-resistant E. coli delivers the bacteria to a person's gut and could eventually end up causing an infection -- and indeed, studies show genetic similarities between the E. coli found in chicken and in people with UTIs, Everyday Health reported. Others argue this E. coli could originate in humans but make its way to animals through the sewage system.

5. So what should we do to protect ourselves?

Because there are limited treatment options (because these infections are resistant to antibiotics), prevention is the best measure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urge patients concerned about drug-resistant infections to stay up-to-date on vaccines, to help you stay healthier overall and out of medical facilities in general. But perhaps most importantly, you can avoid unnecessary treatment with antibiotics. Stop taking antibiotics when they are not needed. Remember: Antibiotics do not fight viruses, so please do not try to bully your doctor into writing you a prescription when you have the flu.
The simplest thing that everybody can do is: Wash Your Hands!