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.