Jun 17
In my previous post I talked about the conflict between a women’s rights to choose abortion, and the ethical danger of normalizing the practice of abortion in order to eradicate disability. Medical professionals and parents-to-be may argue that, due to environmental barriers, cultural stigmas, or the lack of available medical options, the quality of life …
Jun 16
Earlier this week, Ryan wrote about the difference between providing technical assistance to a one-dimensional problem and making a change that has a more sustainable impact. Digging a well in an area without access to clean water, for example, is a great solution to the simple problem of not having clean water. However, that one …
Jun 15
Putting Innovative Thinking into Action Last night I had an experience that is sure to be a memorable one—I got to see President Barack Obama speak to an intimately filled room of supporters. I must say that his speech left quite an impression on me. Sure he focused on the usual topics of increasing jobs, …
Jun 15
Coal and the future of energy In a recent post I commented about the problems that communities in Kentucky face against coal industries and mountain top removal procedures (see here). People concerned about mining’s environmental impact propose a return to “deep mining. Deep mining is not as damaging as mountain top removal, and it also …
Jun 13
I was so happy at 2:30 PM on Monday afternoon. I had stayed up until 3 AM the night before watching pointless youtube videos and had been exhausted all morning. The lab for my Molecular Biology course is scheduled to get out at 4 PM on Mondays, but today’s lab was short. I had completed …
Jun 13
Last week, I talked about some possible exercises that could be administered in elementary schools that would allow children to develop people comprehension skills. While I certainly think it’s extremely important to begin learning and practicing these skills at a young age, I think it’s perhaps even more important to continue developing these skills as …
Jun 13
I recently returned from a 6-day trip to California (you may remember my preparations) that turned out to be surprisingly eco-friendly, and so I thought I would deviate from the traditional blog post today to do a sort of photo-essay. Hopefully this will help drive home the point that no matter where you are going …
Jun 10
Bicycles Changing Education for Girls For many people, social change is synonymous with completely altering or overhauling the rules of society. There is usually a belief that the lifestyle or principles of an entire group of people are the catalysts to an issue affecting the area. In other words, the reason why a faction of …
Jun 06
Researchers have recently published surprising findings that people who live in higher elevations are more at risk to commit suicide. Although the causal link is still unknown, the researchers used solid methods and controlled for typical suicide risk factors such as age, race, gender, and income. One potential explanation for this finding is that people …
Jun 06
When I was a freshman in high school, I had a tense conversation with my biology teacher that has always stuck with me. As a class, we had been learning the basics of genetics, and examining some of the ethical issues surrounding prenatal screening for congenital disorders. Our teacher was an enthusiastic supporter of screening, …
