TOC - Additional Items

Thanks to the wonderful Ms. Medina, here is an UPDATED version of the Table of Contents available on In Class as of today (3/15/2011 - 7:30 pm).

Partial Table of Contents Available on In Class

Check out the partial TOC which is available on In Class.  Your course notebooks are due on WEDNESDAY - March 16.

GRADES! GRADES! GRADES!

Don't ask!  Fall semester grades will be POSTED outside L-2 by or before FRIDAY - January 28.

Ms. Sanderson

Great Sacrifices, Small Rewards. American In the Middle East

Name: Vlad

Per: D

Source: Great Sacrifices, Small Rewards.

The Economist.

Blog Posting: #2

Words: 244

The Middle East is the world’s goldmine of natural resources. And it’s no surprise it also is the biggest generator of political headaches. As one of the leading consumers of fossil fuels, the United States has taken a profound interest in the region. A 20 years ago, when America pushed Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait, there was little or not opposition from the national leaders in the region. But when Radical Islam rose as the sole defying power against this new “American International Order”, things began to get messy. The invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 although being successful in deterring some serious attacks by Al-Qaeda really only solidified America’s position as “the enemy” and significantly drained its national treasury. Everywhere you look it seems American is being thwarted every step of the way. Israel who has been receiving billions of dollars in military aid over the past decade, still continues to build Jewish settlements on Arab occupied land. Iraq has slowly began to develop a shaky kneed government while Iran continues to develop it’s nuclear program. Many of these countries have lost allegiance to America because they no longer feel dependent on American largess. They have grown strong enough to stand on their own with thriving economies and ambitious leaders. Everywhere you look, American efforts have been thwarted, the failure to find WMDs in Saddam’s Iraq and the torture of “enemy combatants” in Guantanamo bay have damaged America’s moral authority.

January 7 - Last Day for "Missing" Assignments

Don't forget that Friday - January 7 is the LAST day to hand in any missing assignments like posters, Harlem Renaissance work.

U.S. Trade Pact Set With South Korea via Deal on Auto Tariffs

Name: Hannah R.

Posting: #2

Period: D

Topic: Leaders

Title: U.S. Trade Pact Set With South Korea via Deal on Auto Tariffs

Writer: Sewell Chan

Publication Name: New York Times

Publication Date: December 3, 2010

Length: 706 words

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/04/business/global/04trade.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

The Obama administration and the South Korean government made an agreement that takes off the tariff on United States exports to South Korea. The Obama administration said that this deal strengthens the relationship between the United States and South Korea greatly. This deal is very beneficial to working class Americans. The current unemployment rate in the US is 9.8 percent. This new deal will, according to the Obama administration will create thousands of new jobs, and increase American exports by 10 billion dollars a year, if not more. This deal did not originate from the Obama administration itself. In fact, the idea came from the Bush administration in 2007, but failed to pass back then. The differences between the two deals are that the 2007 deal cuts off tariffs immediately, where as the 2010 deal cuts them off gradually, over a span of 5 years. The deal was supported by both democrats and republicans, creating a sense of unity between the two political groups. The deal also created support and praise for President Obama, which has not come to him in a while. In conclusion, this deal is good all around for Americans. It creates jobs, increases exports, and created a sense of unity between democrats and republicans.

Snoring, Sleep Problems May Signal Heart Risk

Name: Amy
Posting: #2
Period: D
Topic: Health
Title: Snoring, Sleep Problems May Signal Heart Risk
Writer: Amanda Gardner
Publication Name: CNN
Publication Date: December 1, 2010
Length: 676 words
URL: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/30/sleep.problems.health/index.html

Summary & Conclusion:
3 years ago, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh surveyed adults from the ages of 45 and 74 about the quality of their sleep. Recently, the researchers surveyed the adults once again to find any significant information from the gathered data. It was found that those who had the tendancy to snore louder were at a larger risk to have metabolic syndrome, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, high triglycerides and excess belly fat. Thus, there is a direct relationship between the frequency of snoring and heart risks. It was found that 14 percent of the participants developed metabollic syndrome. In previous studies, the ink between high blood pressure, obesity, and sleep were overt. This is the first time that a connection between metabolic syndrome and sleep was found. Although, the new study cannot prove that sleep problems cause metabollic syndrome (affecting over 25% of the adults in the US). In addition, obesity may be the link for sleep issues and metabollic syndrome. Researchers continue to look for findings. Doctors are now deciding on incorporating questions into monthly checkups that ask of one's sleep because of the gathered information.
Overall, the findings of the link between sleep problems and metabollic syndrome have raised much awareness for the doctors. The doctors are now taking action and asking their patients of any sleep disturbances that have occured recently. Not only is snoring linked to metabollic syndrome, it can increase potentially damaging inflammation in the linings of arteries due to the vibrations caused by snoring.

I am glad that the researchers have found the link because this extra bit of information will make a big difference. If there's a link between obesity, sleep problems and metabollic syndrome, certain precautions may be taken in the future that will allow a decrease in health issues. Each finding is always a contribution to the rise of our health curations.