Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Cancer

        Look, I realize that cancer is bad, and that no one likes to hear about it. But it's just like bacteria: if you know it's bad, you want to learn about it to prevent it, right? Right. Good. So, unlike bacteria, all cancer is bad. It can kill. Most of the times, it does. It's the second leading cause of death in the United States, after cardiovascular disease. Cancer is a word that strikes fear into everyones heart...


        As you can see, this will not be pleasant. Never fear, though, there are simple steps to keep yourself from getting cancer. And, if you do happen to get cancer, make sure to catch it early. Here:
  • Eat plenty of vegetables.
  • Get checkups at the doctor.
  • Exercise.
  • No smoking, and no drugs.
       
         Some of this may be hard, because I know I do not like cooked vegetables. I can handle them raw, but cooked? No way. Can't change it. My taste buds think it stinks. See, me, I don't wanna smoke or do drugs. I hate exercise, but be proud of me: I joined the cross country team. It ended, though, a long time ago, so now I'm back to my old lazy reading self. But learning about cancer... well, it really rained on my parade. So now I gotta exercise. Dad's rules.
        Now, look. Many people, and you may know some, have cancer. If you do know someone, please, be nice. Act positive, because when you're positive, it spreads. Kinda like an infection. If you're positive, they're positive. Do not act as if you're talking to a person who can't understand you, because most of them can. They won't appreciate it.
       Cancer is cause by DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) damage. If your body can't fix the DNA, the DNA will keep splitting. The broken DNA will be copied over and over. It will not stop. Eventually this can cause a tumor:
       There are two types: benign and malignant. A benign tumour is harmless. 'Benign' means cannot infiltrate the bloodstream.  This cannot be said for the malignant tumour. This tumour can enter the bloodstream and travel to other part of the body. This is called metastasis. If cancer cells travel to other parts of your body, and they multiply, it becomes harder to fight. That's why you wanna catch it early.
 
        If your family has a history of cancer, the more likely you will get it; it increases your chances. You need to work on not getting cancer, and if you happen to, catch it before it spreads. We don't need more people dying because of this disease. Work hard, and eat right.

        There are many different types of cancer. Blood cancer, lung cancer, brain cancer, throat cancer, breast cancer, and many many more. Every cancer is dangerous. Most cancers are deadly. Cancer needs to be treated with caution. It is not something to be made fun of, even if you didn't mean to. You need to treat it with respect, because it can kill you in the link of an eye. Maybe when you grow up, you'll be a doctor, or even research new ways to treat cancer. Help, and you can be a hero.
        Hope this helps somone. Even if it helps one person, just one, it will be worth all the time I put into it. I really hope someone reads this, and then helps someone else. Please kindly go to SuperSara's, youngro-jalenguy's, and Kevin's blog if you wanna know more. I put the links below.
        And finally, here's videos for all those fighting cancer:
         

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Mitosis

        Mitosis is very interesting. Why? Because it helps you grow! It duplicates the cell in a process, and this process has stages. Very interesting. Now, for all those people out there that are short (I feel you, I'm one of them), I'm pretty sure you're wondering why you're short. Maybe your cells aren't duplicating properly? Or that the process of mitosis in your body just works plain slow? Maybe. Maybe not. I don't really know, but I'll find out later.
        Now, one thing you need to remember is that mitosis is not the only type of cell division. It's one of the types, sure, but not the only one. The other one is called meiosis. And no, that's not the same thing. It's quite different. S o if you go out saying that mitosis is the only type of cell division, expect a look that says, What the heck are you talking about? Don't say I didn't warn you.
        Here's a little music video about mitosis.

        Awesome video, huh? And catchy, too. Prophase, Prometaphase, Metaphase, Anaphase, and Telophase. Cool, huh? Yeah. So, you know the order, you probably know what they do, now, but what kind of teacher would I be if I let a mere music video teach you guys. Not a very good one. First, I would get a bad grade, and second, that will never get you past your test. Sure, it'll help. But imagine if you suddenly answered every question in rhyme, and singing this song under your breath. Not good. 
        So, I'm going to explain this one by one. First, prophase. Now, as you should know, it is the first step of mitosis. The chromatingenetic material made up of DNAcondenses, which makes the chromosomes (DNA and protein that are found in cells) shorten. The nucleolus breaks down, and the centrosomes, which are a small region of cytoplasm, move apart and begin to build a mitotic spindle.
        Next up, prometaphase. The nuclear membrane breaks down, which allows the spindle to invade the nuclear region. Then the spindle fibers take the chromosomes.  
        Third, metaphase. The spindle fibers pull the
chromosomes  to the central  plate, where they line up.
        Almost done. Anaphase is next. The spindle fibers shorten, and the opposite poles of the cell start to move apart, so that each chromatid of the chromosome is dragged to the opposite of each cell.
        Last step is telophase. The spindle fibers break down. The chromatin also begins to uncoil. Nuclear membranes form around the chromosomes, and the nucleoli begin to reappear.
        Hope this helps you. Remember: Prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. "P" "P" M" A" T". It's very interesting. Interesting, and it helps us grow. Cool, huh? If you want websites, look down. If you want to learn more, as always, go to SuperSara's and youngro-jalenguy's blog. I put the links below. I just figured out how to do it. Now you can actually go to their websites! I hope you like them. And... we have a new kid. I completely forgot to put him in here. Say hello to Kevin! Have a good day, and until next time!
Cool interactive Cell Game

Sunday, January 2, 2011

2012

        2012 does not exist. It's not going to happen. I mean, come on. These people have predicted the world is going to end so many times, that it's almost as if they want the world to end. It's stupid, and now people are getting all paranoid. In the year 2000, they 'predicted' that all technology was going to fail--and then the world was going to end. Well, let me tell you: the only reason the world will end is because of how we're treating it. So, technically, we're bringing this all down on ourselves.
        Anyway, maybe people would believe the world was going to end. Maybe. Maybe if they'd have been more organized in the date and time. I met one person who says its going to end December 12, 2012. Another says it going to end December 21, 2012. And yet another say December 25, 2012. One says the time will be 12:12 A.M. And the other two say 11:11 A.M. They say the Maya predicted the end of the world. The truth is, that's when their calender. And are we seriously going to believe a tribe that disappeared without a trace? Now, I've got nothing against the Mayans. I think they're interesting. They had interesting ways of doing things. But people belive them becuase they predicted that white bearded men would discover America the exact year they did. Well, let me tell you, it was black bearded men.

        Yes, yes, it's a small mistake. But think about it. If they made a mistake on that, what's to say they didn't make a mistake on predicting 2012? What if the world doesn't end? If it doesn't end in 2012, then, let me tell you, it will only be a matter of time until they predict that the world will end another year. They'll just keep predicting until it happens. And by that time, no one will believe them, so no one will get ready.
        You know how people judge people by their color, or their styles, or their beliefs? Well, maybe people don't like me for not believing in 2012 (even though that would be a really stupid reason for not liking me), but that's really too bad. We are who we are, and who I am is me. And there's nothing anyone can say or do to change that (except for me). I'm me, just like SuperSara is SuperSara, and like youngro-jalenguy is youngro-jalenguy. Maybe my opinion will change about 2012, but I seriously doubt it. Anyway, do you believe 2012 will happen?