Distractions vs. Government

A socratic dialogue is a method that Socrates used on his students. He would question people’s statements in order to get them thinking about what they know. This caused Socrates to be a problematic figure in his day because the citizens of Athens thought he was corrupting the youth. They believed that Socrates didn’t believe in the Gods. The problem was that he did, and the only reason why he kept questions was to better his belief. Because people didn’t agree with the Socratic dialogue, this led to Socrates being prosecuted in Athens. In class, we read through Socrates’ Apology in class. This apology was basically Socrates trying to state that he was right, and his accusers were wrong. What was effective throughout the whole apology was that he kept questioning his accusers. This was basically a banter of back and forth, questions and answers. Although Socrates argument was effective for the reader, that was not the case for the accusers. Socrates was sentenced to a death penalty, but his methods are still functional today.

For this class, we were assigned to create our own Socratic dialogue on an issue that was going on in the world. One character was supposed to act as Socrates. In this case, the “Socrates” had to keep asking questions to get character two thinking. Character two was supposed to react to character one’s questions, until character two gained knowledge from the conversation. The topic was on the government implanting distractions for society to avoid global issues. This is something that my partner and I agree on, and it was also something that was easier to back up on our part. Researching global issues that went on in the year 2018, along with viral trends started us thinking about the ways the government works. Society tends to not pay attention to the correlation between certain political events and viral trends. They focus on the viral trends, and that leads us falling into the government’s trap. Half of America doesn’t advocate for our government, yet these trends lead us into distraction. Check out my partner's blog to learn more!

Citations:
Clips in video 1. Stories, Pinkfong! Kids' Songs &. “Baby Shark Dance | Sing and Dance! | Animal Songs | PINKFONG Songs for Children.” YouTube, YouTube, 17 June 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqZsoesa55w. 2. Levenson, Eric. “Saudi Teen Granted Asylum in Canada Says She's One of the Lucky Women Who Escaped.” CNN, Cable News Network, 15 Jan. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/01/15/americas/saudi-teen-asylum-intl/index.html. 3. NOPE, DOPE or. “6 Of The Most Unique Fidget Spinners!” YouTube, YouTube, 2 May 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDwcFrLJRyI.

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

For this Winter term STEAM course, Disease, we looked into Cancer. We researched what may cause certain cancer and the treatments that could be taken when getting diagnosed. We dove deeper into the eleven different body systems, and how they work. For my first AP, we were asked to conduct an interview with someone who suffered from a disease. After, we took that information and created a research paper talking about the cause and effects of the disease the patient had. I decided to interview someone with a disease I am pretty aware of- Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Throughout this paper, you will see the etiology and epidemiology of this disease as well as which parts of the body it affects.

Diagnosis: 

Our patient is named Rhiannon. Rhiannon is 41 years old. She works a 9-5 job, and works in the purchasing department. She identifies as half Mexican and half Spanish. She is married and has a sixteen year old daughter. Rhiannon also suffers from Hashimoto’s Thyroid disease, and has been for about a year or so.

This disease impacts the Thyroid nodules. Thyroid nodules are lumps that show up in a normal thyroid gland. They feel like lymph nodes, but lymph nodes are located on the sides of the neck, collarbone, and armpit area. Hashimoto’s causes there to be a goiter which is when the thyroid becomes abnormally enlarged. Leads to trouble swallowing and trouble breathing. This disease could impact the uterus. The uterus is an organ in a female’s body where an offspring is conceived. Hashimoto’s could impact the uterus because the imbalance of hormones that the thyroid produces can lead to heavy or irregular menstruation which makes it harder to conceive. People with Hashimoto’s could also feel fatigue which a sense of tiredness or lack of energy.

Rhiannon says, “I had felt lazier than I normally do. I just felt like I had to go to sleep constantly.” When she had sought for help, she made an appointment with her primary care doctor. He suggested to take a thyroid test which is a blood test to check the balance of hormone functions, particularly in the thyroid. When she got her results back, the doctors realized that her hormones were balanced. That was a relief for Rhiannon, but she still wondered why she found it hard to breathe. The doctor recommended for her to get an ultrasound. Although thyroid nodules are normal, Rhiannon’s were abnormally enlarged. The ultrasound did show an enlargement in the thyroid, specifically her thyroid nodules.

NB Hashimoto's Thyroiditis Patient (2019)

After the ultrasound, the doctors sent her to another hospital to perform something called a Needle Aspiration Biopsy. During this procedure, they stick a needle in the center of your throat to extract small tissue from the thyroid. From there, they are able to determine the diagnosis. They found out that her thyroid was in fact enlarged, but particularly on the right side. The best option at this point was surgically remove the right side of the thyroid because they were afraid that what she was feeling could be a tumor. The dangerous thing about this tumor is that there was an unknown answer of it being benign or malignant. A benign tumor is a non-cancerous tumor, and a malignant tumor is cancerous. There was a point in the middle of all of this talk about different surgeries to get that Rhiannon thought about taking the natural route. Rhiannon said, “I did go see an herbalist. They didn’t use any needles, but they did tell me that this is caused by anxiety. I have suffered from anxiety from an early age. She prescribed me some natural herbal remedies to try out, and I did take them. I felt like my body was functioning the way it should be, but the worry that I could have a tumor in my thyroid was worrying me.” Sometimes taking the natural route is the healthier option for your body. Sometimes there are natural supplements in nature that are made to rejuvenate our bodies. The problem is we usually go towards the quickest options, pharmaceutical drugs. You know your body best. If you believe that by seeing an herbalist your taking the route that is healthier for you, take it. In this case, Rhiannon thought it was better for her to get half her thyroid taken out, and she did. She got the surgery, and the tumor came out to be benign! Now, Rhiannon has changed her diet. Lowered her sugar intake to decrease her insulin levels. She has tried different techniques to alleviate stress. All of these methods have changed her for the better, and Rhiannon is now feeling healthier than she has ever felt.

Etiology & Epidemiology

So you may be thinking, what can cause your thyroid to act up? Many articles, including Endocrineweb states, “caused by a malfunction in your immune system.” Instead of having the immune system protect your thyroid tissue, the cells in the immune system attack it. The goiter in your thyroid is a reaction and cause of hypothyroidism. As this goes on without paying attention to the side effects of hypothyroidism, this could affect your entire thyroid. Hashimoto’s is caused by “large amounts of damaged immune cells, ” says Mira Milas, MD, and that can irritate the thyroid. This takes quite a while until you feel the side effects of Hashimoto’s which is why people usually go years until detecting that there is a problem. Now you may be asking, how can we find a cure? There currently is no cure for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, but there are treatments.

Now you may be asking, how can we find a cure? There currently is no cure for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, but there are treatments. Rhiannon decided to take the surgical route. This is usually recommended by the majority of doctors and surgeons because usually by the time they get diagnosed, the thyroid is abnormally enlarged which can lead to a tumor that could be benign or malignant. Other routes could be medication. Although medication is better than surgery, there is a concern many biochemists are talking about. The thyroid produces a hormone called T4 that usually gets converted to T3. T3 usually regulates the body temperature, metabolism, and heart rate. This task for cells also includes brain cells. This conversion for hormones usually takes an enzyme that we produce called type-2-deiodinase. Many patient that suffer with hypothyroidism have trouble converting and using this enzyme effectively. Biochemists who look particularly into the way cells react to medication, noticed that doctors who prescribe oral medication aren’t getting to results they were expecting. An article written by John Easton at The University of Chicago, states, “In as many as 20 percent of people who rely on levothyroxine however, the tiny genetic flaw in D2 causes the shuttling process to go astray.” Meaning the medication is only effective to twenty percent of patients.

This is something that is still being researched, and in a couple years we will probably have a more efficient and effective oral medication. There is always the natural route to take. Many people with hypothyroidism have began to reduce their intake of soy. Soy is ineffective when dealing with a hormonal issue. Soy acts like estrogen in your body, but could also block estrogen from producing which can lead to infertility and other health risks. Seaweed is high in iodine, so that’s something else to avoid. Yoga or meditation are important to relieve stress. Stress is what causes the hormone imbalance. Because of stress, there is an increase in adrenaline and cortisol levels. With these levels rising, this can increase your heart rate. This leads to high blood pressure which is just one more health risk your thyroid is taking over your body. Hashimoto's is affecting many different people from around the world, and this disease needs a cure.
Overall, I found this action project as a good way to wrap up this unit. Being able to research diseases like these makes you walk out of class with more of an understanding of who we are. I think this term is going to be a lot about self care, and being aware of your own body. Because we know our body best, we are able to detect when we aren't feeling the way we normally do. Being aware of diseases that other people can get like cancer, it is important that we educate ourselves on how this disease can affect us physically and emotionally.

Citation: 

1. “Causes of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.” EndocrineWeb, PracticalPainManagement, www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/hashimotos-thyroiditis/causes-hashimotos-thyroiditis.

2. Easton, John. “Genetic Flaw Causes Problems for Many with Hypothyroidism.” UChicago Medicine - At The Forefront, UChicago Medicine, 5 Nov. 2018, www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/biological-sciences-articles/2018/november/genetic-flaw-causes-problems-for-many-with-hypothyroidism.

I guess you could say this AP is pretty smelly

For this last AP we dove deeper into decomposition. During this unit we went on multiple FEs. My favorite was, The Plant. We were able to explore throughout the building, and we were able to see the process of aquaponics which was very interesting to see. Another FE guest came in, Sharayu, who gave a presentation on Vermi-composting. Vermi-composting is very impactful on the environment, and you will see why throughout my presentation.  We learned about different fungi, and the beneficial effects that they have on the environment. Without decomposers we wouldn't have closed loop systems. Closed loop systems are used in multiple environmental friendly business that think of Earth's resources as a system that could be reused. They believe that waste can be recycled and transformed into something else for their company that benefits everyone. Less waste leads to more possibilities.

For my final AP, I was looking into how long it takes a disposable diaper to decompose. The information I got back was quite surprising. Working with the idea of a closed loop system, I decided to create an efficient diaper that would work with the closed loop system.  Continue reading to learn more about the effect disposable diapers have on the environment, and how we could change that.



To conclude, I believe that it's important to think about the overall life of things. We as a society should be thinking about where our trash goes after we have thrown it out. Our landfills are getting way to cluttered, and we tend to think that composting is a hassle. Composting, especially vermicomposting, is an efficient way to throw away biodegradable materials and the leftover soil can be used as nutrients for your garden. There are many ways to close the loop on products we use in our everday lives, start doing it!

#THEFORGOTTENWAR

This is my final AP for Global Peace. During this term, we discussed what it is to become an activist. We were assigned to focus on a certain conflict in the world. I decided to work with a war that not everyone is aware of, the Yemeni Civil War. I made a nonviolent public intervention by posting stickers around different street poles in Chicago to raise awareness. Read and watch my video to learn more about my public intervention.


Citations:
1. Patrick Cockburn @indyworld. “'The Yemen War Death Toll Is Five Times Higher than We Think – We Can't Shrug off Our Responsibilities Any Longer'.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 26 Oct. 2018, www.independent.co.uk/voices/yemen-war-death-toll-saudi-arabia-allies-how-many-killed-responsibility-a8603326.html.
2. “Yemen Crisis: Why Is There a War?” BBC News, BBC, 18 Dec. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29319423. 3. “Yemen Profile - Timeline.” BBC News, BBC, 5 Nov. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14704951.

The Voice for the Voiceless

This is my first AP in Global Peace which was my humanities class for this elective term at GCE. We looked into Gandhi's principles. The first Gandhian principle was Sarvodaya, the uplift of all. We looked into Swadeshi, which is looking particularly on local economy. Swaraj looked deep into self government. This means to work for yourself, and making your own decisions before making communal ones. Lastly, we looked into Satyagraha. This means finding the truth in something that already exists, or finding the truth in resistance. These principles are important in an activist. In order to create your own "perfect" world, you must be able to follow these principles according to Gandhi. To further our knowledge on Gandhi's principles, we were asked to choose an activist that has used at least one of these principles.

I chose Ahed Tamimi which is activating for her own country. Throughout my research paper you will see examples that makes this young woman an activist, and find out more about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I learned that this young activist has become the inspiration to many different people who are going through similar crisis in the world. She is a brave figure to the 21st century. She is the change we as a society need to see in the world. She is an inspiration to not just journalists and other activists, but an inspiration to the youth. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a conflict that should not go unheard. We need to think about the world that we live in today, and be the next Ahed Tamimi of our own nation.

Diario de Madrid. Mauricio Valiente recibe a Ahed Tamimi. 28 Sept 2018

Swordfish 1.0 & The Underwater Office

In Unit 2 of my STEAM course, Biomimicry, the subject was based off animals. Throughout this course, we looked into different animal adaptations that influenced the design to solve real world problems. While looking into the adaptations, we also looked into different animal architects that create structures for themselves to help them in their habitats. For this AP, we were asked to choose two different animals, and create two structures for housing and transportation influenced by the animals you chose. I chose the Japanese Puffer Fish and the Swordfish, and you will see how I incorporated the two to create a unique design.


To conclude, I found that we as a society should be looking deeper into animal architecture, and what purposes they serve in the environment that they are found in. I found that there were multiple types of animal architecture which were used for mating. We should be thinking more about how we can incorporate these ideas into our everyday lives. Some of these ideas are already being used for housing and transportation. This AP allowed me to look into more of that in depth, and think about the way society is changing along with the direction in which we are going.

The Rose Bowl

For this class, Biomimicry, we looked into how humans have been influenced by nature in order to create designs.  We visited a company called Interface Flor and met with one of the workers, Mikhel Davis. He spoke about the company and how they use nature in order to create their carpeting design and different patterns found in nature. We also went to the Lincoln Park Conservatory where we observed plants. We chose a couple to look into closely. For this action project, we were asked to choose one plant in nature and create a design. I decided to look into the Rose of Jericho which is found in the Middle East. The design that I made also works with the Sustainable Development Goals created by the UN. Look at my slideshow in order to learn more about this plant and my design!


To conclude, this action project made me think more about how much nature has an impact on the designs we have made as humans. It made me think about how society should be influenced more by nature than the designs created by desire.  When we make designs, we should think about the people we are surrounded with day by day. We should make our designs based on world struggles. Zero Hunger should never be an issue. People like you should use engineering and the inspiration of other life forms to solve real-world problems. 

Day 4: Butterfly Stage

For my writing workshop, we were given an AP. This AP is cut up into four stages, metaphorically the stages of a butterfly. This is the butterfly stage. In this post, we are taking the feedback that we got from the third day, and apply their feedback into the piece. That is what I am working on today. 

Something that stuck out to me from the feedback that I received was using imagery. Something that I don't usually do in a song, and that might be because I have not written a song. I usually keep the structure of a poem which is when I do apply imagery, but I didn't this time with the song. That's something that I applied to today. With the opening sentence, "the house without lights... the coldness in my feet" I decided to describe and get more of a feeling for the room and how I was feeling physically in the song. 

Revised:

The house without light
The only thing I could see was the dark shadow when I open my eyes.
The coldness in my feet... that feeling you get when the ones that have passed are with you.
I begin to think
I lay down backwards on the bed
I pass time
just remembering
like a soul with shame
I keep on waiting.
I am at a loss of love from the past years.
I started as a young girl loving,
and growing, I grew up hating
and I prefer to call myself the ignorant one
so that I don't look so lonely
I flow just like the river
and I just smile discretely.
The bad that has come my way
I try to hide it
and it comes out from the wounds that will soon heal
...  and I just live my life waiting
and I start to compose a list
a list of the cursed ones in my country.
In the country that adopts me.
There are other girls who are missing
And I have so much shame
so much fury in my throat.
This instant humanity
the one that's selfish, and the one that kills.
So that I can tell you this from the inside, it doesn't matter whose voice it is.
There is so much to say
that it doesn't even fit in a song.
I'm not really good at speaking... or writing
these are only delusional words

out of a crazy woman who pains for her country.

Are Humans Interfering the Population of Fennec Foxes?

Welcome to my third and last presentation of Population. Today we will take a further look into the population of these Fennec Foxes in comparison to the country, Algeria. Along with that, I will be listing a couple of fun facts about the Fennec Fox and their symbiotic relationship that they have with humans. We learned how to find the arithmetic or geometric sequences, and you will see how I ended up using that in my AP in order to find the population of the Fennec Fox. Overall, I thought this was a good term. I was able to learn things from a biological standpoint, and even think about future career options.
Geometric or Arithmetic?

When we look into a geometric sequence, this means that the sequence can be multiplied or divided by one specific number in order for the flow of the sequence to stay consistent. While arithmetic sequences can be added or subtracted by one number to make the sequence flow. In this case, since I was not able to find the population for the Fennec Fox. I had to create a geometric sequence in order to get my data for the following nine years. The equation that I used each year was 100(1.3)^n. The 100 is there because of the overall percentage of the foxes. When I was looking into the population of the Fennec Fox I wasn't able to find anything for the overall population, but I was able to find how many are in one liter when born. There are usually three Fennec Foxes in one liter when born according to eol.org. If there are three in one liter, and there are two parents; we divide that number and get 1.5. I decided to lower that number to 1.3 in order to get that separation in Algeria's population to the Fennec Fox population. This is a geometric sequence because I am multiplying by 1.3 each year and the exponent of the equation is changing each time.
Here was my process:

NB % Age process (2018)

Here is a presentation I made about the Fennec Fox along with their symbiotic relationship, or biological interaction they have with humans, my graph explaining my geometric sequence and more!

              

In conclusion, this term allowed me to dive deeper into biology, and the things around me. I was able to become more aware of the relationships humans have with different species that we are surrounded by day to day. I was able to think about what is in store for my future, and future career options that I have. Biomedical Engineering is something that I have been looking into these past 7 weeks, almost the whole term.

Citations:
Drew, Avery, File:Fennec Fox Vulpes zerda.jpg, 28 January 2010, 13:07:16
Kitty Terwolbeck, File:Artis Fennec fox (11114753056).jpg, 26 November 2013, 15:28
User:Jrockley, File:Distribution of the Fennec Fox.png, 23 January 2007

Marjane & My Grandfather

Welcome to the final unit of Stories. Throughout this term, we looked into the hero's journey and what that means exactly. We dove into Joseph Campbell's meaning of hero's journey and the stages that makes a hero. The stages that a hero in the movie has to go through in order to make a hero, a hero. In class, we were asked to find a fictional character to follow their journey, and point out why. Then, we were asked to find someone in our life that we consider a hero, and interview them. We interviewed and asked them their story, and labeled their journey with an explanation. Here is my last AP for Stories.

We had to choose a fictional character in a movie, so I chose Marjane from the movie Persepolis. I chose her because the Irani revolution is something that has affected the lives of Persians, especially young women. I wanted to get the perspective from a younger girl living her life during a revolution. What started this revolution was the growing economy in Iran which caused there to be more people graduating, and less jobs being given. In Mexico, there is a similar issue going on. There are not enough jobs, with not enough wage being given either. This made Ocotlan, Jalisco a poor city. My grandfather had been married, he was 19. He had his wife and four year old daughter. He knew they couldn't be living like this for the rest of their lives, and wanted a better future for his daughter. Both Marjane and my grandfather went through a transformation in their lives by one issue, economy. Now this doesn't really cross anyones minds, but money was behind all of this. Economy in both countries was what made these two heroes. You will see how this caused them to leave their country through the two slideshow presentations, and interview with my grandfather.
Interview With My Grandfather

Transcript of interview: Translated from Spanish to English
Q: How old were you?
A: I was nineteen, your grandmother was sixteen, and your mother was barely four years old.

Q: What was the purpose of you coming here?
A: I wanted a new life. I wanted to provide for my daughter and your my wife, as any man would do in Mexico. Look, in Ocotlan, everyone in the back of their minds knows there isn’t much hope for them in the city. There’s industries which I guess is a similar job to what I have now, but you have more potential in America, and we were aware of that. Plus, we already had some family waiting for us in California, and some family in Chicago.

Q: Did you make a plan on how you would leave without getting caught?
A: I had planned everything. We would leave at night time because it was less likely to get caught by border control. We would take breaks and sleep in the desert and keep walking. We would get there in the morning. We were young. We didn’t think about the most essential items, besides the ones for your mother. Looking back, I would have done things differently.

Q: Did anything not go according to plan?
A: A lot of things. It’s not good to plan for the future. You may think you have everything in check, but anything could happen. Many things did not go to plan. Getting caught was one, which was our major issue. I got caught by border control late at night which was something I had planned not to happen. I was sent back, but headed back the next morning and started the journey over so I could be back with your mother and grandmother. Then, your grandma was caught with your mom. They sent your grandma back, but your mom got to go in a van with other children that were separated from their parents. She was picked up by our family in California which she nothing about, until your grandmother and I got back to the U.S.

Q: Did you feel a guidance by anyone through the difficult times?
A: God. I was raised believing in God. I was raised in knowing to seek God through difficult times. I knew he was watching over my family and I, and that made me feel safe. Knowing that my daughter was going to be okay.

Q: How did you eventually get here?
A: I finally made it. It took me about 1-2 months to get here. I kept taking long breaks, trying to figure out new plans to eventually make my way. When we all got here, we stayed with the family I had in California. Eventually we got a car, and moved to Chicago. We lived with your uncle, my brother, for a while, and then we bought a house.

Presentation of Hero's Journey: Persepolis




Presentation of Hero's Journey: Grandfather



Overall, this action project allowed me to open my eyes on both people. For one, I was able to look deeper into the Islamic Revolution even outside of class. I was able to see how this revolution changed the structure of Iran, and how much of an impact economy can have on a whole country. Realizing that this is not only a situation in the country of Iran, but also in Mexico. I didn’t know that I could correlate the two, a nineteen year old guy and a young girl living in Iran. They were both going through two different issues, but both had to leave their country. This caused them to start a new life and without even realizing it, they became heroes.

Day 3: Peer Editing

For my writing workshop, we were given an AP. This AP is cut up into four stages, metaphorically the stages of a butterfly. This is the peer editing stage. In this post, we were looking at the students pieces and making revisions for them, and seeing what looked good and what didn't. 

The response that I was able to get from my partner was adding more imagery to my piece, which is something that I think I have trouble with sometimes. I'm usually a person who is to the point, rather than because more descriptive about it. She also said to check my grammar. Because this song/poem is in a different form, I punctuated differently. I didn't really think about punctuation in this case. It was more writing what I felt down, and not thinking about grammar. Now that I have dealt with this piece for a while, i'm able to look deeper into my mistakes, and make revisions. She liked specific lines like, "... I prefer to call myself the ignorant one, so that I don't look so lonely." Which is a line that I love because I think we all go through that in our life. We don't talk about something we truly think because we are afraid of the backlash we may get back.