Weekly Blog 17

Have you ever had weekends that exhaust you more than the week?

I got back from EOSSA on friday night at 10pm, then worked 9-2 saturday and got home, did my chem assignment followed by my ISU intro.

Today is Sunday, I worked 8-2 and got home, made Matt's birthday brownies for school tomorrow, ate dinner, finished paragraphs 1,2,3,4 of my ISU.

I am currently laying on my bedroom floor waiting for the habs and rangers game to come on and I can barely keep my eyes open.

The feeling when you're so tired that your eyes feel dry and itchy sums up exactly how I feel right now. I just wish that there were weekends or even days where it's possible to sleep in and do nothing, worry about no homework or tests, I didn't need to go to work, and time was not an issue. Would it be too much to ask for to have one weekend like that? JUST ONE!?

Annotated Bibliography

Anonymous. Poem Hunter. 21 May 2014. 21 May 2014 <http://www.poemhunter.com/lawrence-ferlinghetti/>.

 This source was used extensively for the poetry presentation on Lawrence Ferlinghetti while searching for online versions of his various famous poems. The credibility of the source may not seem great due to the fact it is anonymously posted, however the sole objective for this site was to find and look at examples of his poetry for the anthology. The intended audience for this site may be for students trying to find poems of specific poets for research; however the source could easily be used for anyone that wishes to read poetry from a wide variety of poets both past and present. One of the helpful parts of this site is that it sorts a poet's poems based on most popular, and it also contains background information as well as important quotations from the poets, also there were audio files for many poems. One thing that perhaps could be improved about the site could be the addition of analysis or summary of the poems, or just helpful things to remember while reading the poem.

Anonymous. KE.EN. 10 August 2011. 21 May 2014 <http://dekenny.wordpress.com/2011/08/10/fahrenheit-451-online-text/>.

This website served a very small purpose however it was still very helpful in terms of having an online version of the novel Fahrenheit 451. Its credibility may not have been the best because it was an English teacher's blog; however the copy of the book which was a pdf file was exactly the same as the novel so it helps immensely with using quotes from it in the essay outlines and essay. Its audience is clearly targeted for students of that teacher's classroom, or other students that are using the online version of the book. Anyone that wants to read it online would also find it very helpful as well. The good thing about having the online copy of the novel is that if you find yourself without the novel at some point but still want to read it, if you have a laptop or phone it can easily be read. This source while serving a very small purpose, was incredibly helpful. 

Editors, Sparknotes. Sparknotes: Macbeth. 30 April 2014. 21 May 2014 <http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/macbeth/>.

This source from the website "Sparknotes" was used during the Macbeth unit for a bit of further research on the play. The credibility of Sparknotes is quite high amongst popular novels and their information and study guides provide great research for students and provoke deeper thought into novels with things like example essay questions. The intended audience for Sparknotes is for students to learn and study the novels they are currently working on in school. The different and great thing about Sparknotes that made it unique from other sites was the in depth analysis of the play that really helped me understand the deeper concepts of the play. Things like analysis of each character and also themes, motifs and symbols in the play really helped in understanding certain concepts. Also for studying for tests, the example quizzes and study questions help immensely to outline important things to remember before taking your test in school. Perhaps an improvement could be having different questions that are selected at random for practice quizzes.  

Hiner, Kristi. Cliffsnotes. 21 May 2014. 21 May 2014 <http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/f/fahrenheit-451/book-summary>.

CliffsNotes is a rather popular website for studying novels, similar to Sparknotes, and it is a relatively useful tool for studying a novel that is being read. In particular, this source was used for research and novel study of Fahrenheit 451, my ISU novel. It is intended for a younger audience that would mainly be compromised of students that are trying to understand their novels further or do further research into their novels. There were several very helpful and unique things about the site such as the examples of critical essays on the novel combined with the analysis and practice study questions. Also, there was an audio overview of the novel which is a nice change from always looking at analysis and reading it. Overall the source was very helpful in provoking deeper thought about the novel and understanding its themes and motifs further.  

Moran, James E. The History of Madness in Canada. 2009. 21 May 2014 <http://historyofmadness.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=80>.

This source was used for the Mental Health assignment and it was very helpful in terms of giving a background of information and history on the subject. The credibility of the site is fairly high given the credentials of the man who wrote the piece on mental health. In general, the audience for this source would be young people that want to learn more about the subject, or anyone really for that matter with an interest in mental health in Canada and its history. It helped provide a very good understanding of the subject and aided in touching on certain aspects of the history of mental health that one would not normally think about. One thing that could have been improved about the site is perhaps its user-friendliness in terms of finding what you're looking for quicker.   

Parrot, Thomas Marc. Shakespeare Online. 10 August 2010. 21 May 2014 <http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/macbeth_1_1.html>.

This source was used extensively for the Macbeth unit because it had an online version of the play among other things and it was very effective. The credibility is quite high due to the fact that the text from the book matched the text on the website exactly, with no grammatical errors. This source's target audience is likely for students to use to research the play and look for quotes perhaps to use for essays and papers they are writing. However, any Shakespeare lover that would want to access his plays online would use this website as well. It is a really effective and useful source for getting an exact online version of the play, which really helps when finding quotes for papers that are done on the computer. Another great feature was the addition of explanatory notes on each section of the play. This helped extremely with explaining certain quotes that were hard to understand throughout the play. The source was in every way very helpful for the Macbeth unit.

Team, Schmoop Editorial. Schmoop. 11 November 2008. 21 May 2014 <http://www.shmoop.com/one-flew-over-cuckoos-nest/>.

This particular website called "Schmoop" was used to help with further research during the One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest unit. It is a fairly credible website for getting general information and analysis on the novel and what is happening in it; however it definitely cannot be substituted for reading the novel itself because it does miss a fair amount of information. Its target audience would definitely be for students that are attempting to supplement their reading of the novel with further plot information, to make sure they are following the plot correctly and understanding. The source did have a somewhat helpful video summary of what the novel was about, which was good to watch before reading the novel itself, serving the same purpose as the back cover of a book would usually do. Then the general summary of each chapter made sure that full understanding of the novel was achieved. One thing that could maybe be improved about the source would be perhaps it could provide more in-depth analysis to help provoke deeper thought and discussion about the novel. 

ISU OUTLINE

Written down on paper and shown to Mr. Murray instead. 

Weekly Blog 16

EOSSA is tomorrow and I'm so pumped! We get to stay over night in Brockville and on friday I have high jump, triple and 4x400 relay.

I realize we probably won't advance further past this round because the competition is getting very tough. Although I believe Matt Rossi has a great chance at moving onto provincals for 100m dash and Thomas Keith for high jump.

The funny thing is track was just something to keep me acitve since hockey season is over, so making it to EOSSA is surprising and exciting!

Anyways I should probably focus on my ISU draft so I'll post next week!

Weekly Blog 15

Running a race at a track meet is indescribable (but I'm going to try.)

As the man yells "On your mark.."the intensity of my heart beat is beating out of my chest, as if it is the wheels of a train loudly turning on the train track.

"Get set..." The hips soar up gracefully as my full attention is waiting for the final signal. Eyes open so wide I could very well be related to an owl.  

*Bang* the sound of the gun blows. Head down and my legs move as fast as possible, almost like a cheetah racing through the high grass of an African reserve.

Until I reach the hand off to my partner nothing else in the world matters except this race right now. All of the students yelling and cheering is a mild noise as my vision is a tunnel pointed directly towards the left hand reaching back towards me.

Finally after the baton is flutters from my hand to my partners, the train's wheels eventually slow down as I gaze across the track observing my team mates and cheering loudly as I rush to the finish line to greet them.

Unit 5, 5.1 News Article

Ottawa Sun

Mental Health treatments still need improvement.

By: Alicia Hillier

Rockland, Ontario - It is often assumed that those who are entered in a mental health institution are taken care of and the best procedures available are preformed for their well being, unfortunately that is often not the case.

www.Dictionary.com states that Lobotomy is the operation of cutting into a lobe, as of the brain or lung. This definition does not clearly outline the details and outcomes of the dangerous "treatment" used in the 1950's. Patients found in mental health hospitals who were often "moody" use to undergo a procedure in which the connections of the frontal lobes in the brain were sliced apart thus leaving them in a vegetable state. 

The decline of lobotomy lead to the use of anti-psychotic drugs. These drugs are still used to this day since the risks of malfunctions are low..as well as the price. Once an individual intakes an anti-psychotic drug their symptoms will decrease.

Although the medications and treatments used in mental health institutions from 1950-2014 have drastically increased feeding unhealthy people drugs is not a reasonable solution. Considering the personal does not have a full, in depth understanding on the drugs they're intaking into their body and what possible side effects it may have upon them persuading these patients that "these drugs will help cure you" isn't reasonable. 

Further research must be done to increase the success rate of patients entering and leaving asylums. The use of drugs and surgical procedures must be decreased and therapy group talks or other methods must taken advantage of. 

Mental Health hospitals have a high potential to be successful, it just takes the cooperation and patience of the community.

Weekly Blog 14

Have you ever just felt super overwhelmed with everything going on at once and you feel as if the list of things to do and complete are endless?

I seriously can not wait for summer. I'm sure while you're reading this right now you're thinking "Wow... Alicia writes about stress 70% of the time in her blogs." With taking grade 12 chem, history (which is easy in comparison to english and chem) and english my brain is just constantly worrying about finishing work for each class. Gym on the other hand is a breeze and my 90% in that class makes up for my 75% in chemistry. PLUS I have a job at the golf course twice a week, and a job at food basics on wednesdays, and track and field uggghh.

During chemistry Mr. Kumahor had us teach a lower grade a lesson instead of a lab exam, therefore that lesson was worth 5% of our overall grade. Megan Koch and I taught our lesson on eco friendly devices and ways to save the earth. Personally I thought it was boring, little did I know we would receive a 92%! He probably just felt bad for us both considering we are passing with mid/low 70's meanwhile last semester had an 83%.

ANYWAYS, I figured out a way to tone down my stress levels! Using lavander, it really calms me down prior to a test or while studying. Also- baths help, I usually try to take a bath in between homework sets or after I come home from Track.

ISU- Thesis

In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 the citizens are deprived of knowledge thus sacrificing the beauty and power of individuality.

Patient Journal Entries

1792 and the sun rays are feeling great.

This great fellow that goes by the name of Philippe Pinel had a theory that patients would heal faster and more effectively if they were treated with care and respect. Therefore the abuse I had to put up with? Gone. Dirty cells? Gone. Rude and inconsiderate tones? Gone. Finally, I feel like a normal human.

I am now allowed to exercise whenever I wish outside. The rays on my skin feel warm and soothing after a nice refreshing jog around the grounds.

My animal collar has been unhooked and my oh my does it feel great!

Patient Journal Entries

1547

YES I KNOW. MY ANGER ISSUES OT ME PUT INTO AN ASYLUM. BUT DO YOU REALLY NEED TO INVITE INDIVIDUALS IN TO WATCH ME FREAK OUT?

I am totally aware of what these sick nurses are doing. They are charging these people to watch me freak out and progress into a violent person. I frustrates me so much that these stupid nurses think they have the right to treat me like a show or a play.

I am placed into this hospital to receive help for my condition, not to have people that are totally fine and wealthy egg me on into throwing a fit. Doing so is almost like running backwards instead of taking baby steps forward. I can not do this anymore. 

Patient Journal Entries

3:00 pm

3:01 pm

3:02 pm

Everyday at 3:02pm I have to take medication. They say I NEED to take it voluntarily otherwise they'll find another way to force it down me. Therefore I don't bother questioning their methods, and I just take the three lime green tablets.

Everyday is a constant repeat of the previous day. Nothing exciting ever happens, unless Billy next stall acts up and throws a temper tantrum. Any who, no matter it is November 14 or May 9 I promise you my day is black and white and each minute is the same as 24 hours prior.

To be honest I have no idea what year it is.. I'm guessing 1950's. I have been in here quite awhile but after so long, the repetition of the days gets brain washing.

3:07 pm

3:08 pm

Patient Journal Entries

Last night I couldn't sleep at it was 1972, October 5... Which happens to be my daughters birthday.

While I was up I over heard the nurses bitching as normal but this time it may benefit me. I heard my nurse "Ms. Koch" screech "DAMN RIGHT! NO PAY NO WORK! PATIENTS CHECK IN HERE DAILY AND IT IS TOO MUCH!" Ms. Baidoukov then replied "I heard we are sending some of these people home.. the ones... not insanely crazy. We just need space for the ones who desperately need help."

I then thought to myself "Jesus, that has to be me. I have slight depression over my husband who constantly beat me but in comparison to some other illness' my case is very minor." I guess all I can do is wait here and glance out my window in hope that I am released soon enough to see my baby girl.

Patient Journal Entries

As I'm sitting on my cold, rock hard bed I await Freeman. Freeman has preformed up to 3000 Lobotomy procedures in 1953 Athens, Greece. They say it will "cure" me and I can be back home in up to a week.. but I do not believe it.

Knowing the idiots that run these hospitals (should I say jails?) they will do almost anything to ruin my life and make it miserable. In all honesty I would much rather be at home or dead for that matter. I am border line to being totally done with this atmosphere and how I am treated.

I am not an animal, I am simply just not perfection to certain personals perspective.

*Knock Knock* "Ms. Hillier, we are ready for you! Freeman is here and will preform on you momentarily, please stay seated in bed."

Unit 5, 5.1

Introduction

Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was inspired by the author's time spent as an orderly at a mentral health facility in Menlo Park, California. Narrated by the schizophrenic patient Chief Bromden, the reader explores many of the psychiatric practices of the 50s and 60s (such as electro-convulsive shock therapy and pre-frontal lobotomy) within the context created by the power hungry Nurse Ratched.

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The Task

Based on your research, record your thoughts and experiences in a journal (blog). Using your journal reflections as a guide, you will create a product (this may be a news article, and essay, a slideshow, prezi, wiki, annotated timeline, etc) comparing mental health care in the late 1950's to that of today, recommending courses of action for improvements that still need to be made.

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The Process

-Explore the Mental Health History Timeline, especially noting changes that occurred in the 50 years since McMurphy's death.

Mental Health history:

People with Mental Health were feared and usually kept from other personals. 

People with Mental Health were often locked up in asylums to get rid of the "problem" by preforming inhumane actions upon them.

A popular asylum was Danvers State Hospital built in 1878, to house 500. In 1940 it hit it's peak with 2300 patients... needless to say it wasn't the best environment. 

The first recorded Lunatic Asylum in Europe was the Bethlem Royal Hospital in London, it has been a part of London since 1247 when it was built as a priory. It became a hospital in 1330 and admitted its first mentally ill patients in 1407. 

Asylums were shut down as they opened up about abuse in 1961.

Providing funding for asylums was difficult therefore food for the patients was scarce.

Changes in the last 50 years:

People are more aware and comfortable with the idea of mental health.

Nurses can now make up to 72,000$ a year.

Techniques used on patients are not nearly as gruesome. 

-Explore the history of one particular hospital through David H. Clark's article, "The Story of a Mental Hospital: Fulbourn, 1858-1983," again, taking particular note of the period between the late 1950's and the present.

History through David H. Clarks article:

Back then there was lack of funds, neglect and low morale, where as today lack in funds is not an issue nor is neglect or low morale.

Exciting new changes include: Unlocking the wards, social therapy, administrative therapy, therapeutic communities, and rehabilitation programs. 

-Learn about the practice of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) 

Electroconvulsive therapy:

Given to patients 2-3 times a week, it involves giving the patient seizures and electrically induced (Mania is a common disorder this was used on).

Usually patients we women since they're more at risk to depression then men.

Applied until the patient didn't show any symptoms.

-Learn more about the practice of Lobotomies.

Lobotomies:

Consists of cutting or scrapping into the skull and breaking the connections to and from the frontal lobes of the brain.

It was a mainstream procedure for 2 decades.

Very cruel. 

-Read about the practice of Institutionalization, taking special note of changes and/or progress over time.

Institutionalization:

After complaints and speeches were made against the "jail" like institutions, patient count began to fall rapidly due to the amount of deaths.    

-Go beyond. Google search terms related to your article (i.e. "mental health," "shock therapy," "electroconvulsive therapy," "lobotomy").

Mental health: a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being.

Shock therapy: treatment of chronic mental conditions by electroconvulsive therapy or by inducing physiological shock.

Electroconvulsive therapy: the administration of a strong electric current that passes through the brain to induce convulsions and coma

Lobotomy: a surgical operation involving incision into the prefrontal lobe of the brain, formerly used to treat mental illness.

Asylum: an institution offering shelter and support to people who are mentally ill.

Patient: a person receiving or registered to receive medical treatment.

-Based upon the information you learn, write 5 - 8 journal entries about experiences a patient might expect to have in a mental institution at any given moment in the last 60 years (make sure you specify the time in each journal entry).

-Using your journals as a basis, create a product (this may be a news article, and essay, a slideshow, prezi, wiki, annotated timeline, etc) comparing mental health care in the late 1950's to that of today, recommending courses of action for improvements that still need to be made. You can find public domain photos for your product at any of the following sites Wellcome Images, EveryStockPhoto, and Pixabay.

Weekly Blog 13

Over Easter weekend I took full advantage of the four day break and headed down towards Houston, Texas. Houston was NOT what I expected at all. When you hear "Texas" images of horses, cowboys, sand, sun and marrages appear. Little did I know, Houston was an amazing city that is very green, warm and is almost like a paradise.

My friend Maria Baidoukov is Russian therefore in Houston I got to endure the whole Russian-Orthodox Easter tradiations. To begin Easter morning we had a breakfast which included Russian pancakes called "Blini's", they are thin like a French Crepe but have a slight different texture and are often eaten with jams, fruits, maple syurp, caviare or sour cream.

Following the breakfast we ate a Russian cake which was bought from the Russian Orthodox church in Houston. It is almost like sweet bread with rasins. For the rest of the day I finished up Chemistry homework and relaxed in the sun. Finally to conclude the day, Maria's family and I experienced a Brazilian resturant. It was all you can eat with 14 different types of meat cooked on spits. Each person in the resturant had a circle card, a red side and a green side. When you would like more meat you would turn the card green, then red when you're full. Men working in the resturant would constantly glide around the room, each bringing a different type of meat.

Anyways, this whole blog entry is on food and it's making me rather hungry thus I'm going to stop there.