**Fashion 101**

 

Do you know the trending styles from the past??

This is a girl wearing a flapper dress and heels with bobbed hair. (4)

The 20's (1)

-Flapper dresses   
-High heels 
-Bob cut hair style

 

This woman is wearing a fur coat from the 50's. (5)

     The 50's (2)

-Fur clothing

-Brooches (fancy pins worn on women's dresses at special events)

       The 80's (3)

This girl is wearing neon colors in her leg warmers, gloves and belts. (6)

-Exercise clothing
-Neon colors
-Leggings 
-Leg warmers 

 

 (1) (Thomas, n.d) (2) (Philipps, 2014) (3) (Schwanke, 2013)

Do you think you have what it takes to be a trendsetter? Being a trendsetter can be a pretty challenging thing. A trendsetter is someone who shows off their own fashion ideas and other people around them can follow. Anyone in your school can be one! If you see a girl wearing a dress and sneakers, maybe you will want to wear a dress and sneakers. Here are some steps on how to become a trendsetter: (7)

1. Be nice to people and make lots of friends.
2. Be original with your fashion. You can’t be a trendsetter if you are taking someone else’s fashion ideas!
3. Be confident in yourself. Be confident with your taste and style in fashion and be confident in your body image.
4. Read some fashion magazines or go online and see what other people your age are wearing. You can base your own fashion trend off of other  people’s outfits that are popular!
5. Show off your fashion trend everywhere! Wear your new outfit to school, the  store, your friends house...anywhere that people can see your awesome and cute outfit!!

(7) (How to Be a Trendsetter, 2014)

Be positive  and confident with your body and fashion

Many times within the teenage years, girls and sometimes guys are insecure about their bodies. Girls always want to look like the celebrities who have long skinny stomachs, legs, and arms and have long pretty hair and pretty eyes.

Guys want to have the fit and athletic look like athletes. They want bigger muscles in their arms, legs and stomachs and may be interested in growing facial hair. Not everyone's body develops at the same time and pace so being insecure about your body can be a waste of time! If you want to become a trendsetter and have people want to copy your style, you need to be positive and confident! 

You can be positive and confident by loving your body just the way it is. Look at yourself in the mirror and see all the beautiful and unique features you have that makes you, you. Not everyone will have the same color, length and style of hair or the same exact eye color..everyone is different and you should know that it is okay to be different!

Citations:

(7) How to Be a Trendsetter. (2014). Wiki How. Retrieved from: http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Trendsetter

(2) Phillips, P. (2014). Fashion in the 1950’s. Retrieved from: http:// www.retrowaste.com/1950s/fashion-in-the-1950s/

(3) Schwanke, C. (2013). Eighties Fashion for Women. Retrieved from: http://womens-fashion.lovetoknow.com/Eighties_Fashion_for_Women

 (1) Thomas, W. P. (n.d). Flapper Fashion 1920s. Fashion Era. Retrieved from: http://www.fashion-era.com/flapper_fashion_1920s.htm

Images:
(6) Image from Mary Gormandy White from the article, “80’s fashion pictures”. 
(4) Image by Marsattack. Retrieved from: http://fav.me/dnn3om Image of 1920's
(5) Image from Candance Michelle. Retrieved from: http://fashiondiva1984.blogspot.com/2011_12_01_archive.html

How Little Corn Seeds Became Super Food

As the small corn seeds patiently sat in the lab they looked around at all the equipment. Rows of tables lined the lab filled with beakers and chemicals. “I wonder why we’re here”, pondered one of them. “I hope they don’t hurt us, I want to grow up to be big and strong one day. I’ll be the best corn anyone has ever eaten”, exclaimed another. They seemed to be sitting there forever. Eventually a tall man in a white lab coat entered the room. He was wearing safety goggles and carried a clipboard. He looked very professional, which made the small seeds nervous.

(1) Emotional Corn Collection
by Sarah Embery

           He approached the table and looked down at all the small seeds patiently waiting. “Excuse me,” a seed squeaked, “why are we here?”

“Well,” the man proclaimed “today we’re going to be turning you into super food.”

“Super food? So we can be super heroes?” they all exclaimed together.

“Precisely!”

(1) Emotional Corn Collection
by Sarah Embery

The tall man in the white lab coat spread them out onto the table. “What we are doing is called genetic modification, we will be placing new DNA into your body (3). But you don’t have to worry, it won’t change how you look, but when you grow up you will be able to do amazing things. A lot of different seeds go through the same process so there is nothing to be scared of. Once the procedure is done you will be known as genetically modified organisms or GMOs” (3).

“Is it going to hurt?” One whimpered.

“Maybe for just a second. It is a simple injection, like us humans receive when we go to the doctor”, he replied.

“Oh thank goodness! That won’t be bad.” They answered.

            As all the seeds eagerly sat waiting for their injections they began to daydream about all of the things they will be able to do with their new improvements. They thought they might be able to fly or become invisible but then they realized that those improvements would not be able to help humans when they were eaten. What can GMO plants do? They sat and they thought. The seeds that were finished with their injections did not look any different nor did they really feel different. Between the mixes of ideas of what they will be able to do one blurted out “So what can we do now?”

(1) Emotional Corn Collection
by Sarah Embery

“So many incredible things! With your new improvements you can help the world become a better place. With a simple injection you will be able to grow in all sorts of soil and weather (2). That means that in places having a hard time growing food, you will be able to grow. You can help people from going hungry in third world countries like Africa where they do not have a lot of resources. On top of that, you are now healthier for humans. You have an increased nutritional value so humans can grow up big and strong” (2). The tall man informed.

“Wow we really will be super food! I can’t wait to help change the world.”

(1) Emotional Corn Collection
by Sarah Embery

The little corn seeds left the lab very proud. With genetic modification they knew they could help save people all over the world. Together they would change how the world looked at food one small seed at a time.

(1)   Embery, S. J. (2014). Emotional corn collection [Art].
 

(2)  Maghari, B., & Ardekani, A. M. (2011). Genetically modified foods and social concerns. Avicenna Journal of Medical Biotechnology, 3(3), 109-117.

(3)   Tzotzos, G. T., Head, G. P., & Hull, R. (2009). Genetically modified plants: Assessing safety and managing risk. San Diego, CA: Elsevier.

Simon Says...

What is Simon?

Simon is on the left beside an iPhone. (4)

Simon was the first smartphone. It was created a long time ago. Simon was the first smartphone to receive emails and faxes (4). It also had a touchscreen which reduced the number of buttons on the phone. Before Simon, emails and faxes were received by computers and fax machines. Now, you can get them anywhere and anytime.

Simon says… Smile!

            After Simon, smartphones began to have applications such as games and even a camera. The need to carry a camera has been replaced with smartphones. Smartphones have a built in camera and can be used anytime. Once a picture is taken, it can be sent to anyone instantly. This is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family all over the world.  Many great pictures are taken that would have been missed before smartphones.

Simon says…ABC, 123.

(3)

            Smartphones have many different applications to choose from. There are games, maps, and learning tools to name a few. With applications such as Sesame’s Workshop iRead program, kids learn to read in a fun and exciting way (2). Applications for counting and beginners math are also available. These learning tools are fun and can be used anywhere. Smartphones can make a long car ride easier.

Simon says…Lights, Camera, Action!

            Get the popcorn ready! Movies can be watched with smartphones. Just about any movie can be downloaded onto a smartphone. Once the movie is on the phone, it can be viewed anywhere. Smartphones have speakers so the sound can be heard. Headphones can also be plugged into the phone.  Most cars now have Bluetooth. This allows the smartphone to be connected to the car without any wires. Once connected, the sound can be heard through the cars speakers. 
Use your smartphone all the time.

            Gotcha! Simon didn’t say. Smartphones are really cool and fun to use, but should NOT be used too much. The time spent using a smartphone should be limited and regulated by parents. Playing outside, hanging out with your friends and family, exercising and doing your homework are examples of activities that are important. Sometimes, if too much time is spent using smartphones, these activities can be missed. Simon says put down the phone and go outside!

(1)

Simon says…Remember.

         Although smartphones provide endless information and entertainment, it is important to remember that too much time spent using them is not a good thing. Make sure you spend time enjoying the people and places around you. Smartphones are great devices that will only get more advanced. Only time will tell what will come next with smartphones.

 

1.     Coastal Softwash. (2013). Playground cleaning and sanitizing. Retrieved from  www.coastalsoftwash.com.

2.      Hoffman, T. (2006-2012). Can smartphones make kids smarter? Education.com.

Retrieved from www.education.com.

3.      Imgkid.com. Retrieved from www.imgkid.com.

4.      Sager, I. (2012). Before iPhone and Android came Simon, the first smartphone.

Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved from www.businessweek.com.

 

What are YOU made of?

Figure 1. Baby with DNA strips. Adapted from
Genetic Battle of the Sexes, In discoverymagazine.com, 
May 23, 2014, Retrieved November 28, 2014, from
http://discovermagazine.com/2014/june/15-genetic
-battle-of-the-sexes

What are your genes? 

The pants that you wear? No, those are Jeans. Genes are tiny bits of information inside of you that make up who you are. 

Where do they come from?

Your parents. Your genes are a combination of their genes. For example, what color are your eyes? Brown, green, blue, purple? Probably not the last one, right? What color are your parents’ eyes? Most likely, at least one of your parents has the same eye color as you. Is this a coincidence? Not at all! Some genes from your mom and some from your dad come together to make you. 



Figure 2. Julianne Moore and her look-alike daughter, Liv.
Adapted from 15 Celebrity Kids Who Look Just Like Their
Gorgeous Parents, In Suggest.com, n.d., Retrieved November 28, 2014,
from http://www.suggest.com/celebs/5967/15-celebrity-kids-who-
look-just-like-their-gorgeous-parents#slide/3 

When do you get them? They begin to make you who you are the second you are conceived and start growing. 

So what do they do? Genes can do a bunch of different things. They give you your eye color, hair color, hair type, skin color, even your height. They make you unique. Genes can also determine your health. 

Figure 3. Human Characteristics. Reprinted from
Human Characteristics, In lookfordiagnosis.com, n.d.,
Retrieved November 28, 2014, from https://
lookfordiagnosis.com/mesh_info.php?term=
Human+Characteristics&lang=1

So what’s the problem? Some babies get very healthy genes from their parents. Some, however, can get the genes for a disease. Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease is an example of a genetic disease (1). It is a form of dementia which means it attacks the brain (1). Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker is a mouthful so let’s call it GSS instead (1).  A woman named Amanda Kalinsky got this disease because she was born with the GSS gene. Amanda and her husband did not want their children to get the disease (1). They decided they were never going to have kids because they didn’t want to give them the GSS gene. Amanda’s doctors told them they could go through a procedure to make sure that their kids would be born healthy (1). Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, also known as PGD, is when doctors can see which genes a baby will have before it is born (2). This allows parents to pick a baby that will have healthy genes. Amanda and her husband were able to choose a baby that they knew ahead of time would not have the GSS gene (1). 

What would you do? People like Amanda Kalinsky that do not want to pass on a certain gene can use PGD to make sure that their children won’t have it. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Should you be able to choose the baby that you are going to have? Should you only choose babies with healthy genes? Are babies that carry disease genes less important than babies with healthy genes? These are the questions that are going to shape the future of genetic procedures. YOUR generation will get to answer these questions. So what would you do?

References

1. Bailey, R. (2014). The moral case for designer babies: should parents be allowed to know if their fetus will get Alzheimer's?. Reason, (2). 20. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=14&sid=b6a147db-2afa-48df-a980-7b5188b84050%40sessionmgr114&hid=108&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=edsgov&AN=edsgcl.367198234

2. Medscape. (2013). Overview. In Preimplantation genetic diagnosis. Retrieved from: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/273415-overview 

Aaaaaand Action

Aaaaaand Action

Sitting down in a big soft chair with a bucket of popcorn in hand and a tall cup of  Coca-Cola Icee in the cup holder as the excitement for the movie to begin. As each preview passes, the anticipation for the movie gets bigger. The lights turn off and the movie begins. The moment everyone has been waiting for is finally here.

Who doesn't like a good movie or TV show to watch with the family? These things can only happen if there is a director. A director is a person who makes the movie happen. They tell the actors/actresses what to do and how to say the words they have been given. They also start and stop the movie whenever they feel necessary. What some people don't realize is how much time a director puts into making a movie happen. They work far more than the other people involved in the process of making a movie. They make sure the film is a perfect and is ready to be released.

Some movies that would be recognized as a good quality movie would be Toy Story,  Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, The Lion King, etc. Although these films may be animated they are still great movies that do well with critics and are great to sit down and watch for a movie night with the family. Disney and Pixar movies are the leading companies for animated movie production (1).  Pixar has put out many milestone Hollywood films. Pixar is the reason for many respected movies people are aware of today (1). Let’s take Toy Story for example. This movie was respected back in the 1990’s for its animation and style of production. Toy Story was known as a brilliantly made animation movie at its time and also was one of the first animation movies to use advanced animation.

An actor’s job is a very important job in the making of a movie. An actor has to memorize their lines and recite them when they film. Without them there would be no movie for us to enjoy. More important than the actor’s job is the director’s job. The director’s job is the most important because they start and stop the filming when they want until they get the perfect take. They decide when the film should be released and when it is finalized (2). So when you are sitting down and watching a movie you will understand the effort that was put into making the film. 

References 

(1) Animation School, College & Program Profiles and Animation Career, Salary & Employment Statistics | AnimationCareerReview.com. (2014, January 1). Retrieved November 30, 2014, from http://www.animationcareerreview.com

(2) Career: Film Director. (2014, January 1). Retrieved November 9, 2014, from http://www.princetonreview.com/careers.aspx?cid=65