1984 First Blog

In Oceania, Newspeak is the official language used for English Socialism. In the novel the language is not yet being used but they are coming up with editions of dictionaries containing the words that will be used. Newspeak is used in order to minimize the expressions used around the world but also to keep people from having too much thought. The words are divided into three classes; A vocabulary, B vocabulary and C vocabulary. They also eliminated negative words. A vocabulary contains words needed for everyday life. B vocabulary consists of words for political use and are all compound words. C vocabulary consists of scientific and technical words. Winston also informs the reader on thought crime and face crime. Face crime is committed when a negative facial expression towards the Big Brother or Party is given. The Party controls history by simply re wording documents from the past and people believing what they are told. Winston recalls the truth that lies within his own consciousness and says, “If the party could thrust its hand into the past and say this of this or that event, it never happened –that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death” (34). I agree with Winston. If people are capable of "changing the past" simply because they want it to be changed, so they re word documents, is a very terrifying thought. It's giving the power the government power to do whatever they want to keep themselves looking good. Who controls the past is said to control the future.

Healthcare - Three Candidates

Barack Obama – Barack wants to give every American health insurance by law. No one should be turned away from health insurance and premiums will be less. The plan covers preventive, maternal and mental health care services. People will also be able to move from job to job without worrying about their health care coverage. Insurance companies will also have to report data to ensure quality of healthcare. Overall, he wants to make coverage more accessible and affordable for Americans. All children will be covered and will be allowed to remain under their parents’ plan until age 25. He wants to lower the cost, modernize U.S. healthcare and promote patient safety. He wants to prevent companies from monopolizing the healthcare industry which will lower the cost for coverage and prescription drugs. Obama strongly supports biomedical research.
Five Main Parts
1. Reduce costs for employers
2. Focus on preventing costly disability conditions
3. Improve quality
4. Reduce waste and efficiency moving from pen and paper to information technology
5. Prevent companies from monopolizing

Barack is committed to listen to everyone and move process forward, everyone should be covered without discrimination, system should be cost effective and families with insurance get relief with payments.


Hillary Clinton – Clinton also believes in Universal health care. She wants to give children health insurance, allow people to keep their current health care or switch to affordable choices. Hillary also wants to push drug companies to lower the cost of vaccinations. Believes it’s a tragedy to have one stroke of bad luck and lose everything you work to earn. Plan doesn’t create new government department or agency but a public private partnership providing more choices. Her plan is all about choice in order to make the people happy and incentivize people for healthy behavior. Put doctors back in charge of your health care not insurance companies. She believes the new health care system could be paid for by rolling back tax cuts Bush implemented and savings. If we had an electronic medical record system we would save $77 billion dollars a year. Also, innovations, prevention of chronicle illness and negotiation with drug programs and Medicare for cheaper drug prices will save money.

Three Objectives
1. Lower Cost for Everyone
2. Improve Quality for Everyone
3. Cover Everyone


John McCain – Sees the fundamental problem as the rising cost of U.S. health care. Improve health and spend less while promoting prevention of diseases. He wants to provide health care for all citizens. Promote competition throughout the health care system. He also believes in personal responsibility. We must take better care of ourselves to prevent illness and teach our children nutrition to prevent obesity and health concerns in future generations.

Brave New Babies

"Brave New Babies" is an interesting section in Newsweek. In virtro fertilization is controversial topic leaving many questioning morality along with religious aspects. The cost averages at $18,480 plus any travel expenses. "After 25 years of staggering advances in reproduction medicine--first testtube babies, then donor eggs and surrogate mothers-techonology is changing babymaking in a while new way" (46). Conception is no longer a spectacular and miraculous experience but takes place in a laboratory. Many people are divided on this issue. "The Science of Sex Selection" discusses three methods for reproductive techonology and also gives public perception. Embryo testing to choose gender 28% approve while 68% disapprove. Embryo testing for genetic testing 74% approve while 22% disapprove. This information shows how more people tend to agree with testing for genetic diseases rather than simply choosing the sex of their baby. If people continue to use technology, birth will no longer be a miracle. There is also the question of whether or not choosing the sex of a baby will lead to sex discrimination.

"No Girls, Please" discusses the idea of sex discrimination. In different Asian countries discrimination against females is shown through abortion of female fetuses. "Meanwhile experts estimate that 30,000 Korean female fetuses are aborted annually" (50). Asian countries have high populations and in some places over population however 30,000 fetuses able to grow and live because of their sex.

"The Ancient Art of Making Babies" shows what distance certain people will go in order to conceive the sex of their choice. Different sexual positions at conception, diets, timing, temperature, ect are said to give a better chance of producing a girl or boy. It seems crazy at some length people will go in order to have a certain sex. Birth and reproduction is an amazing and miraculous thing, it shouldn't be corrupted by advancing technology. I understand there are different reasons for embryo testing but spending a chunk of savings in order to choose the gender of your future family member seems like a waste. Not to mention the time spent on this type of advancement that could be spent in other fields, or helping people that really need it; such as avoiding genetic diseases in future children.

Ecstasy vs. Binge Drinking

When examining the short term and long term effects of ecstasy and binge drinking it's hard to say which is the greater public concern. Ecstasy has many effects after use including "increases in heart rate and blood pressure, nausea, blurred vision, faintness, chills, sweating, and such psychological problems as confusion, depression, sleep problems, craving, severe anxiety, paranoia, and psychotic episodes" (http://www.watton.org/drugsinfo/aboutecstasy.shtml). It also destroys cells that produce serotonin in the brain which controls aggression, mood, sexual activity, sleep and sensitivity to pain. Long term use can cause both physical and psychological risks such as; incoherent speech, liver damage, double vision, depression, violent behavior, catatonic syndrome. Although ecstasy is a very dangerous drug I believe binge drinking to be the greater public concern. People are more likely, no matter what age, to get their hands on alcohol. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website, "Almost half of Americans aged 12 or older reported being current drinkers of alcohol in the 2001 survey (48.3 percent). This translates to an estimated 109 million people. Both the rate of alcohol use and the number of drinkers increased from 2000, when 104 million, or 46.6 percent, of people aged 12 or older reported drinking in the past 30 days" (http://ncadistore.samhsa.gov/catalog/facts.aspx?topic=159). Many more people and under aged people are getting their hands and consuming, binge drinking, alcohol. Not only is drinking dangerous at the time of consumption with vehicle crashes but it also has long term effects such as; liver damage, pancreatitis, certain cancers, and literal shrinkage of the brain. Alcohol is also said to be the second-leading cause of dementia. Alcohol consumption also leads to fatalities. According to the Alcohol Alert website, in 2006 there were 15,829 alcohol related fatalities.

Since the greatest amount of binge drinking occurs at colleges and universities the best plan would be to make strict regulations at that level. Limiting the availability and restricting the promotion of alcohol on and off campus, while promoting healthy activities, will help make the college experience a positive one. Some people argue that the drug testing in high school isn't doing anything. Starting at the high school level isn't going to totally clear out the drug use but it will help prevent it for the future classes. Middle school and elementary school students hear about the drug testing and are turned away from trying it in fear of getting drug tested. Making stronger regulations at the college level will work the same way for high school students. However, along with using fear and regulations to turn future generations away from drug use healthy activities and lifestyles need to be promoted.

Last Section BNW

In the last section of Brave New World Bernard loses his popularity over John because of his criticism of the World State. Lenina likes John and when he said how he felt about Lenina she angered him by pressing her body against him and taking off her clothes. John's mother Linda dies and he continues to ask people why they don't wish to be free. John, Bernard and Helmholtz are taken to Mond's office where they are informed of their exile. Bernard doesn't want to go to an island and begs to stay. However, Mond explains how going to an island is actually a reward: "He's being sent to an island. That's to say, he's being sent to a place where he'll meet the most interesting set of men and women to be found anywhere in the world. All of the people who, for one reason or another, have got too self-consciously individual to fit into community life" (227). Mond explains to John there is no God for the same reason there aren't high arts, it's old and people have changed.

Stability and Happiness means everything in the World State. Searching for truth and experiencing various emotions leads to instability which leads to the end of civilization; or so they think. Mond doesn't let John go with Bernard and Helmholtz. John retreats to the lighthouse where he punishes himself. People begin to flock John's house to see his rituals and one man taped him and made a film. One day a crowd forms around John and Lenina comes towards him and he whips her. The next day people find John has hung himself.

I don't really like the ending of this book. After realizing the negativity within the World State the reader would expect Bernard, Helmholtz and John to go on to greater things. John hanging himself in the end only shows the instability without conditioning. The question is whether or not a person would choose to live with instability or stability. With stability comes a lack of art, emotion and truth.

BNW Blog II

Most members of the World State are happy however; John, Bernard and Helmholtz criticize the quality of their lives. In chapter six Bernard and Lenina are planning to go out and Bernard prefers to be alone rather than in a crowd. Bernard also stops, turns down the music, and takes appreciation for the sea; nature they were conditioned not to love. He questions Lenina on happiness, "Yes, Everybody's happy nowadays. We begin giving the children that at five. But wouldn't you like to be free to be happy in some other way, Lenina?" (91). This is what is wrong with the World State society. Everybody is happy; everybody belongs to everybody else. They are conditioned to avoid the truth and simply pop a soma when things get hard to handle. Such as when Lenina and Bernard go to the reservation and Lenina wishes to take soma after she sees a boy whipped. She can't handle the truth or the depth of the situation and simply avoids it by taking the soma.

There is a connection between the soma in Brave New World and our discussion on ecstasy. In the movie we viewed people were taking ecstasy to feel good but they were also taking it to become more comfortable with themselves and their environment; much like Lenina's situation at the reservation. The woman getting over her husband's death is using ecstasy because she can't handle the truth of the situation. She said her and her husband would take it together and discuss anything and everything because when you're on the drug you are more comfortable. Taking a drug in order to talk about your feelings is taking the easy way out. People need to learn how to be comfortable enough with themselves and their feelings so they can share with other people. Today there are too many substances being used to change mood, behavior and feelings. I understand that some people experience chemical imbalances and turn to anti-depressants but it would be hard for me to think a drug is shaping my behavior and mood. I would think I am who I am because of a drug? It doesn't seem right.

Health Care Blog

I logged onto Badgerlink in order to find some negative aspect of health care in Norway. I came across an article titled "Connecting With Children" that was published April 11, 2007 in the Nursing Standard magazine.

The article was written by Claire Westwood and mainly discussed how to better nursing and health care for children. Many hospitals in England are unable to deliver high quality health care for children and young people because they aren't properly trained. Nurses and other medical practitioners need to learn how to handle situations involving child illness. When a child is ill parents feel helpless. Part of a nurse's job is making both the child and parent feel comfortable in the health care facility. The article states, "Children and young people are more frequent users of health care than adults. Nearly 700,000 children (7 per cent of all children) spent a night as a hospital inpatient in 2006 and 2.9 million children presented at emergency departments" (62). It's important to provide high quality health care especially to children and young adults. They visit hospitals frequently for different vaccinations and yearly exams and as they grow up they tend to see the doctor less and less. If people are giving high quality health care as children they will be less likely to develop a severe illness or have an illness go unnoticed as adults. This topic isn't discussed in Michael Moore's documentary Sicko.

Brave New World

I was immediately hooked once I began reading the first chapter of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. The planet in this futuristic so called utopia is run by the World State; their motto being "Community, Identity, Stability" (3). As the beginning of the novel unfolds we notice how this motto is in effect. The first chapter details the growth of human beings within a laboratory. This idea relates to cloning that is taking place today and the prediction scientist have on what will be able to be grown in a laboratory. In the novel Bokanovsky's Process takes place when one embryo splits and forms up to ninety six humans. This is where we begin to see Identity. A person is not only developed in a lab but they can be identical twins with up to ninety five other humans which shows a loss in one's unique identity. Everyone is beginning to look, dress and talk alike forming one identity.

As the story continues chapter two displays the stability factor in the World State's motto. As these humans develop in a red room they continue onto the Social Predestination room where newborns and children are somewhat brainwashed. They are exposed to loud noises at the sight of books and given electric shocks at the sight of flowers. This part in the novel reminded me of the firefighters in Fahrenheit 451 who burned books in order to save society from an artful expression of ideas. Hearing loud noises and being shocked as a child teaches them to ignore nature and simply work. This is part of what could stabilize the planet. Another idea that could fall under both community and stability is the separation of people into the Gammas, Deltas, Alphas and Betas who are all known for wearing a certain color or doing certain things such as drinking. The community is also run in a caste system where one class of people is higher than the other. They closed museums and blew up historical monuments. Erotic and sexual play is also a significant part of this novel. Humans grow up within stages of life from the Hatchery to Social Predestination and so on. As they grow children are introduced to these types of games. This idea relates to today's society and how we are exposed to sexuality at younger ages by hearing things on TV, friends or experience. Sexual activities aren't seen starting in adulthood as much as it did in the past.

We are introduced to characters that seem to start and question the power inside they seem unable to use. This happens today when people conform to the norm in society ignoring the power they hold within.