What Does It Mean To Be Human?

To be a human is very simple, here is a list of all the components one needs to be considered human:

1. Human DNA
2. Conscience

That's it. Nothing else.

Anything beyond that would describe a person's character, personality, and intelligence. Trust me, there are many people out there who lack intelligence, whether they don't want to learn, cant afford to learn, or have disabilities these people are all human no matter what. Personality doesn't really single humans out because just about every animal has a personality, such as a shy dog or a friendly giraffe. Many humans lack character as well but all have conscience. Some people don't bat a lack when they do something wrong, but their conscience tells them know they've done something terrible. 

That's all, only two things.

Bye.

Terri Schiavo Case

In the the Terri Schiavo case, I think it was a bad idea to take her of life support. According to the quality of life topic, It wasn't very good at the moment. But it could only be blamed on the fact that her husband refused care for his wife. Her family had to keep treatment on the down low, but eventually it stopped. I feel as if somehow, she could have gotten better because there were improvements reported by her family as she went through the underground treatment. But even if the treatment corrected some things, it wouldn't correct everything. She would probably not be able to walk, dress herself, eat through her mouth, use the restroom alone, etc, etc. She wouldn't have of the little luxuries that we as human usually take for granted. She would never be the same, but the real question is : Did it bother her? Did it bother her that she couldn't eat, and drive, and speak in fill sentences. That she couldn't dance and enjoy many of life's gifts.

Terry Shiavo seemed to be enjoying the treatment and the presence of her family. He had positive reactions when they came around. But one person kept taking away her happiness- Her husband. Before she even died, he married again and had multiple children with his new wife. It was thoroughly to my classmates and I. His amount of disrespect for Terri was unbelievable  He had ridiculous demands such as her family cant see her, or stopping the treatment, and others. In all, Terri's quality of life was terrible, but much of is could have easily improved if her husband couldn't decide her fate.

20% Project Ideas

In this 20% project I am focusing on researching Ghana and my ancestry related to it. My parents were born and raised in Ghana so I so not foresee any lack of information on my topic. I will consult with my mom and dad for any information that I don't know. I would also kick some of the unreasonable stereotypes made about Africa itself, such as "Africa is a country" and other things. I will also devote the final part of my project to looking into my mother's life story. I fond her to to be a very hard- working and respectable person, who moved from Ghana and made a very comfortable life for herself in the US ever since 19. In, all I think my project will be very informative and interesting. Not only will I educate my class on my heritage, but I anticipate that I will learn many new things as well.

The DNA Dilemma: A Test That Could Change Your Life

In class, when read a TIME article. It was about genome sequencing. If you don't know what that is, Genome sequencing is a DNA test that can test a person for just about all known diseases and disorders and know when they will develop them. It seems so crazy, knowing that all of that information is held in something so small, but it is true. The article states that soon the test will become cheap and common, and you will be able to test at home. The real question is to get it or not, and if so, how much is TOO much?

I personally think that I would be curious to see that would show up. It wouldn't be a necessity though. I think that too much would be testing your child to know what they would get when they're older. I would only test my child if they had an unknown disease/ disorder. I would also get them tested if they were diagnosed with caner. The genome test is perfect for testing which cancer treatments would work. This feature can save you money, time, and the patient's pain. If I was getting the test, I would get it when I have completed most of my adult life. I would test for specific thing such as all known types of cancer and diseases that you may develop when you're older such as diabetes and Alzheimer's. Although, it would make it uncomfortable to not tell the patient about other serious diseases when they are getting tested, making one of the stakeholders the doctor. you would also be a stakeholder because when the disease actually comes, you would be ill-prepared. In all, the idea of genome testing is crazy, and in my opinion, not even necessary unless you have cancer... And you know what they say... Ignorance is bliss.

New Years Reflections and Revolutions

In 2012 I learned a lot about myself. I learned how to be more out going, how to make more friends, and how to become better at math. I learned the high school wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, and I definitely learned the life isn't always fair. The biggest thing I learned was that I was the WORLDS WORST PROCRASTINATOR. It had become so bad in 8th and 9th grade that it affected my work ethic. Terrible. But I hope to change myself this year and stop being lazy. I hope to change that.

Online Identities: After Death

"What happens to our online personality after we die? Could it...live on?" Should it live on? What should happen to our social media accounts and blogs after we die? Should our families get to be in charge of our internet identities?"

These are all the questions that Adam Ostrow asked in his TED talk. His topic wasn't something that you usually think about, but in today's world, these are valid questions. After witnessing this myself, I can't say that the profiles are often turned in to memorial pages, then eventually shut down. It seems like a safe idea. Quite frankly, I would feel uncomfortable having one of my deceased friends' profiles left up. I feel that your social networking accounts shouldn't live on unless it with still add to the lives and benefit its readers/followers. If someone wanted to create a seperate memorial page on Facebook, that would be okay for a permanent page. It will allow for healing for the family and friends by posting pictures, writing posts and celebrating that persons. If the person wishes, the family can uphold their internet identity in this way. 

20% Project

I'm back again, doing my 20% project. What's it on this year? Well it goes hand in hand with the topic I covered last year- Child Psychology. What I'm doing now is studying every human's instincts, logic, and emotions, and how the all connect under the topic of human behavior. So far, I have seen many interesting facts about how the brain processes something, uses your instincts and logic to react, and then displays emotion as it does all that. I think this goes even deeper into the profession that I would like to explore as I grow older- Psychology. It really breaks down the basis of our behavior and why we do everything the way we do. I will try to consult with the psychology teacher at my school. Many of the websites I may need may be blocked or I may have a hard time trying to find good information on these topics because they are not heavily researched. Either way, I think that my chat with the psychology teacher will help fill any holes in my research. Here's my video: