Laura

In the United States, growth hormones are legal to use on cattle.  Growth hormones are used to speed up the growth process in cattle on their way to the slaughterhouse.  Over 90 percent of cattle are injected or consume growth hormones. 

There are 6 growth hormones that are FDA approved.  Out of the 6 growth hormones that are legal only 3 can be naturally found in the body of a cow or a human.  The 3 naturally produced hormones are the following:  estradiol, testosterone and progesterone.  The other 3 growth hormones are made synthetically and are as follows:  trenbolone acetate, melengestrol acetate and zerol.  Two of the 6 hormones are considered to be carcinogens by the National Institutes of Health.  Estradiol (a type of estrogen) and progesterous may cause cancer.  Research is still being conducted, but growth hormones have already been banned from several countries, including Europe.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) tests cattle for synthetic hormones and illegal hormones, but cannot test for naturally produced hormones found in the body because the animal will always test positive.  It is hard to determine exactly how many farmers are using illegal growth hormones on their cattle.  The USDA does there best to prevent the usage of growth hormones, but sometimes their best is not enough.

There are alternatives to eating meat that has been exposed to growth hormones.  Organic meat does not contain any growth hormones and is very safe to consume, but it is expensive to purchase.  Another option is to become a vegetarian, that’s a little too extreme for most people, but vegetarians do not have to worry about growth hormones in meat.  Basically, all anyone can do is be aware of what you are consuming; your body will thank you in the long run.  

Technology is constantly changing.  As technology the mediums of mass media change too.  One of the first forms of media was the newspaper.  Newspapers were widely distributed after the printing press was invented in the 1430’s.  Today there are multiple mediums of mass communications.  The public is able to get their news through the following mediums:  newspapers, radio, television, and the internet.

The internet is the newest medium to get news.  News is easily accessible through the internet and news companies have the ability to up date news quickly as news is occurring.  News companies can also publish their stories with an unlimited amount of space (pages) and color.  The internet is now and it is the way of the future.  Teens of today are the future of tomorrow and teens prefer the internet for their main source of news medium.

In 10 years I think that the internet will be the dominant medium.  The internet is easy and convenient for everyone to use.  News can be accessed from practically anywhere if you have a cell phone.  You can access the news 24/7 at your own convenience.  Convenience is key to our society; if something is convenient then we like it.  News through the internet is convenient and so we like it.

All mediums (newspapers, radio, television, and internet) will probably last for at least another 50 years or so.  Take the newspaper for example, it has been around for hundreds of years and I don’t think that newspapers will become nonexistent anytime soon.  People like variety.  Offering a variety of mediums to get news is what the people want.  It is the news companies to give the people what they want, so all mediums remain as resources. However, I think that the internet will dominate over all other mediums in 10 years.  More and more people are turning to the internet to get their news already.  Until a new piece of technology is invented, and I am sure it will be, I think that the internet will be the lead medium to get news.

Ethics is determining right from wrong.  Everyone has their own opinion about what is right and what is wrong; this makes the decision of whether or not something is ethical in the media hard to call.  Ethics have to do more so with personal beliefs.  Just because something is legal does not mean that it is ethical. 

The history of media ethics primarily dealt with scandals, controversies, and the different understandings of media ethics. Throughout history, most controversies occurred during specified periods.  The periods were known as the following:  the print era, the electronic era, and the digital era. We are currently living in the digital era. 

The print era occurred during the 15^th century after the printing press had been invented.  Inventing the printing press led to the mass production of bibles.  Anything that was printed had to support the royalty’s opinion.  If the literature was not in favor of the royal opinion it was considered to be unethical.

The Electric Era was the second controversy period.  This was the time when technology had been put onto the market.  We had television and radio, but we needed something to put on the air.  Sex and violence is very entertaining, but is often considered to be unethical to put those types of programs on the air.  Rating systems were put into play to help determine what was ethical and what was not.

The Digital Era is what we are living in today.  With the invention of the internet came a lot of controversies.  We now have access to just about anything that you can think of at our fingertips.  One controversy that arose was, is it ethical for the internet to have sex, hate, violence and so forth on the internet?  There is no limit to what you can view on the internet.  The internet has provided the public with things that we like and things that we hate.  You have to take the good with bad.  The websites can’t all be good.  If you don’t like something, here’s an idea, don’t look at it!  Everyone has their own idea of what is ethical and what is not ethical.  Respect other people’s right to express themselves.  If you don’t like something that is being presented to you then don’t look/listen.

The media does try to control what is ethical for the general public to watch/listen/read.  Councils try to objectively observe the media performance, this helps to ensure ethnicity.  One person’s opinion could be completely different from another person’s opinion and that makes media ethics a little fuzzy and hard to make judgments on ethnicity of programs.  No one can really ensure ethnicity.

Every child will go through the stage of, what most people would call, the “Terrible Twos.”  The terrible twos can occur anytime after the child has turned one year old, and sometimes earlier.  It is hard to believe, but the terrible twos is in-fact a good thing.  It is a sign that your little one is growing up mentally; simply put, the terrible twos is a development stage that your toddler is experiencing. 

Babies will often mimic the people around them.  You smile at them and they smile back.  You say “woof, woof” and they say “woof, woof” too.  Then one day, your child begins to push you away and disagrees with just about everything that you have to say.  When the terrible twos begin you’ll know it.  Welcome to the terrible twos!  

It is important to understand why the terrible twos are occurring.  This development stage is occurring, because the child does not have the ability to ask for what he/she needs.  His/her language skills are not well developed enough.  This is frustrating to the little one.  He/she needs something but doesn’t know how to ask for it, which often results in hitting, biting, and temper tantrums.  The child is not trying to be intentionally bad or disobedient; it is their way of trying to get what they need.

Exploration and independence is your little one’s goal.  They will disagree with you and they will often disagree with themselves.  They will say “no” when they sometimes mean “yes.”  How confusing and frustrating for the parents?  Understanding the terrible twos is important, because it will help you to cope with what seems to be a terrible time.

Some tips for making the terrible twos not so terrible:

·        Keep to a set routine everyday.  Your child can know what to expect and when to expect it.

·        Limit choices.  As the parent, you have to be in control, but give your little one the opportunity to feel as though he/she is in control sometimes with decision making.  For example, let them pick what they want to eat.  Say, “Do you want a banana or an apple?” Instead of saying, “What do you want to eat?”

·        Set limits.  Set limits, but do not be surprised when your toddler pushes the limits as well as your buttons. 

·        DO NOT GIVE IN TO TANTRUMS!  If you give into your child’s tantrums you will be prolong the tantrums.

·        Time-out and lack of privileges.  Use time-out or take away a privilege when your child is misbehaving.

·        Safe environment.  Set-up a safe environment and let your child learn and explore freely.

·        Avoid “yes” and “no” questions.  Asking “yes” or “no” questions is simply asking for trouble.

Understanding what your little one is going through is key.  Do not get upset at your little one for learning and exploring.  Let them become their own person and encourage their development.

For more information about your child’s mental development visit http://pediatrics.about.com