Room Temperature

This is in response to Adam and Liza’s blogs about the temperatures in the rooms. Ithaca does have set temperatures for the dorms however they have changed these temperatures for this year in order to be more sustainable. They have lowered the heat in order to save money and energy. Although people think it is still hot in the dorms, Ithaca has been taking steps to drop the heat. It is unrealistic to fit the temperature needs of all students and if they let us set our own temperatures we would surly waste energy. Although I agree that opening and closing the windows gets annoying, I think Ithaca College is doing the best they can.

Sidewalk on Coddington

After reading Chris’s proposal, I totally agree that Coddingtion Road needs a sidewalk. There are so many nights where I have seen intoxicated students walking on the 2 foot wide shoulder trying to get back and forth to campus. It is very unsafe that such a popular road should not have a safe sidewalk for students and other pedestrians. If there were a sidewalk students who live off campus and on that road could walk to campus instead of driving, and it would cause much less of a threat to pedestrians. There are plans to create a larger shoulder but I do not think this will solve the problem at all. This will only encourage cars to be more reckless.

Key System

This weekend a friend of mine lost his keys, and then lost his lock out keys. He went to see what he should do and residential life had no solution for him. He had no way to get into the building or to his room since all doors lock on the weekends. He couldn’t even get into the residential life office because it is located in the east tower lobby which is locked. He had to pay 40 dollars to get his lock replaced and was stuck with no way to get into the building for almost a week. No doubt it was his fault for loosing his key, but it is definitely not an efficient system. Keys have shown to be a hassle and very ineffective way to get into the building. Waiting outside for someone to let you in and frequently getting locked out of your own building is not working.

Cavity fighting candy

A new candy has hit the market that reduces cavities. Children in Venesuala who ate the candy had 62% less cavities than those who brushed their teeth daily. The mint cadies have special enzymes that neutralize bad acids in the mouth the destroy enamel. The candy is designed to be chewed so it sticks in the back of the mouth. Researchers say that this could be the revolutionary break through that could change dental care forever. They are currently seeking approval from the food and drug administration, but are worried that it could take years to hit the market. Making dental care obsolete could have a negative effect on the economy, but they hope people realize how large of an improvement this could be to society. The article goes on to explain all of the advantages to their mints to convince people that it must hit the market as soon as possible. I believe that creating hype for their product will put pressure on the government to speed up the process.

Obesity in schools

Five Philadelphia Schools have banned candy and soda from their cafeterias and have begun to promote healthy eating habits. The study concluded that it helped cut weight gain in students by 50%. The number of kids who got fat during the two-year experiment was half the number of kids who got fat in schools that didn't make those efforts. Scientists at the Center for Obesity Research say this is a great step in the right direction; however the article proposes that this program must be instilled in every school across the country. After they explain how large the problem is they go on the give their answer on how to fix it. Now that it is guaranteed to work, the Center for Obesity Research has made a game plan for all schools to set into action. They explain in detail what is to be done and what the results will do.

iPhones

An article in the Wall Street Journal complained about the use of iPhones in the work place. The author has evaluated what the iPhone can and cannot do in the work place. Unlike other smart phone such a Blackberrys, the iPhone does not require password protection for things such as email. Companies are worried that important information will be easily leaked through iPhones if they continue to be used. The author argues that the phones are not compatible for many programs needed on business phone and the phone is not appropriate for work. He is also trying to use logos to stop the spread of the phone by using information about the phone. In the end I don’t think this argument is effective. In an earlier blog I wrote someone evaluated the iPhone, saying it was the best phone for college students on the market. IPhones are definitely taking over the market by storm and this article is not going to stop it.

Diet Soda

I have already done a blog post on diet sodas and artificial sweeteners, but I found another article on it that I found very interesting. Since this is a topic that has been questioned by many more and more tests come out each month. The news clip I first read was about tests going on at Purdue University, and this article is about researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. The articles pretty much said the same things but through different testing. The same website produced both articles within a month of each other. I found it interesting that they are so admit about convincing their readers not to drink diet soda. By bringing up their argument over and over they have a better chance of success.