Posted on March 30th, 2008 by maddikh
This poem, “Reflections…”, means a lot of things to me. The most prominent meaning to me, is that this poems is talking about being a kid. The author is remembering what it was like to be a kid, the times when every day seemed like “summer”. The poem talks about “…when unicorns were still possible…far above and away from the softening effects of civilization…” which, to me, describes a kid’s ability to believe and imagine without being denied by “civilization” or the responsibilities of an adult. This poem also reminds me of the times when I would sit outside and just day dream. It also reminds me of the times when, right after I had read a book, I would just lay in bed for hours imagining myself into the pages of the story. This poem also reminds me of the innocence of children. It says “…hallowed out, fitted with straws, crammed with tobacco stolen from butts in family ashtrays…“. This seems like the author is speaking about the times when they were able to get away with anything simply because they were kids. The author seems to be reminding us that the times when we could just let go and do whatever we wanted on a whim were the best times of our lives, the “summer that never ends”.
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Filed under: English
Posted on February 4th, 2008 by maddikh
The topic of adding fluoride to drinking water is controversial to a point. Most people are fine with fluoride in their water, but most people don’t actually know what fluoride is. A man named Frederick McKay discovered the role of fluoride in a small town. He discovered, after observing the townspeople’s stained teeth, that their water supply had a high level of fluoride. Through this discovery, McKay realized that their teeth were resistant to decay because of the levels of fluoride in their drinking water. Fluoride helps teeth to keep out the acids that cause tooth decay. That is why many cities have decided to add fluoride to their drinking water. Fluoride is now also found in toothpaste, to add to the protection from tooth decay. Before fluoride could be added to toothpaste, however, another substance had to be discovered to assure that the fluoride toothpaste was able to be liquefied.Three different forms of fluoride were then created. Each of the forms reacts differently with substances to form liquids, able to be used as toothpaste. These three forms are stannous fluoride, sodium fluoride, and sodium monofluorophosphate. The most common of the three is sodium fluoride. [what’s that stuff? fluoride]
Although I have some minor doubts about fluoridation of water supplies, I would probably support the fluoridation of water supplies. Tooth decay is not a very pleasant thing and I would rather not have to worry about the health of my teeth. Fluoride helps to keep out the acids that cause teeth to decay, as I stated in the previous paragraph. Without fluoride protecting our teeth, many people would be seen with lost teeth, rotting teeth, and bad breath, because of the rotting. I would prefer to not have to worry about losing teeth because of faulty protection. Losing teeth would also affect one’s ability to speak audibly. Tooth decay also brings up the cost of getting rid of the effected teeth. As tooth decay is when the minerals in teeth have dissolved so much that a hole (cavity) forms in the tooth, then a dentist is required to remove the rotting teeth. This can be quite painful, as the cavity itself is also painful. It is also not very cheap. Fluoride helps to protect from cavities, which therefore reduced the need to visit the dentist for an operation/removal of your teeth. Fluoridation of water allows, in my opinion, many more people to have access to protection from cavities and tooth decay. Even if fluoride comes with possible few issues, they seem rather minor in comparison to the benefits that come from drinking fluoridated water. [What is Tooth Decay?]
There are some who oppose the addition of fluoride to drinking water. They are concerned with health affects from the fluoride being consumed. The most recognized problem with the ingestion of too much fluoride is dental fluorosis. This condition is the failure of tooth enamel to crystallize properly in permanent teeth. The effects range from chalky, blotching of teeth to rust-colored stains and tooth brittleness. This is considered a minor concern. Some of the greater concerns include dose-related increases of bone cancer in male rats. Dr. William Marcus concluded this statement based on the results of the National Toxicology Program experiments on fluoride. [see dental fluorosis article]
So as you can see, these are some issues that worry those who may be opposed to fluoridation of public drinking water. But not everyone shares these beliefs. Decide for yourself what you believe is best for the people of America and for you, yourself, as a human being.
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Filed under: Fluoride
