Week 7. 10/02/2013.
Standing for Tomorrow.
We had
more talk on the biographical movie, Erin Brokovich and the associated issues
with the movie like social justice, the role of education, advocacy and many
more. I would say Erin was one brave woman who saw what had to be done and did
it. I so much admire
the character Erin Brokovich; her courage to investigate the case, empathize
with victims and arrange for plaintiffs. Even though she didn't have a resume,
she had other skills, her curiosity and tenacity saved a city and made a
company beg. It's an inspiring reminder of the power of the human spirit. Being
usually drawn to memoirs and biographies, I feel inspired about stories like
this and it affects me in many ways. Having a degree in Public Health is an
added advantage and I should be prepared to change the world with it. I'm
currently reading Silent Spring and Rachael Carson is another woman with great
courage. Unlike Erin, she has a degree but like Erin, she wasn't afraid to
stand in the box for what she believed in. While Erin stood for the Henkley
residents, she stood for the environment; for the fishes and the birds, for the
soil and the wild berries, for the springs whose voices where silenced. She
stood for nature. And though she is no more, posterity remembers her as one who
started a great environmental movement; and as Public health people, we should
be willing and able to change the world in all the positive ways we can.
Radiation
is dangerous to humans and our concern should be to put humans and the
environment out of harm's way. We may not be able to control natural disasters
like earthquakes and tsunamis, but I think we can control wars and the use of nuclear
weapons which are so destructive. True, there are policies against nuclear
weapons in place but how about settling differences in ways other than wars.
Week 8. 10/09/2013
No End to Learning.
Today was
Midterm exams and it was a fair one. Dr.F made me think deeply and write something
like a research proposal about an environmental concern in my country. I didn't
know I could think so fast and come up with ideas and solutions for the Niger-Delta
environmental situation in such little time, but I had to because that question
was 12marks! In a way, tests empower us to reason, they empower us to act.
I didn't
understand the question on LD50 dosing and was wrong on my answer but after the
exams, I discussed it with some friends and got the explanation. When later, I
saw a similar question on the bonus part of the next quiz, it was easy to
tackle. I think it's fair to be tested because we have been learning and exams
encourage us to study and seek answers. And to relate it with happenings in the
world around us, because whether we are in school or not, there is no end to
learning. And there shouldn't be.
Week 9. 10/16/2013
Where the Clues Led.
Today's exercise
was different and the first of its kind. Dr. F made us go around the school in
search of clues to a question (I really enjoyed the work out!). Well, it was
like looking for treasure and nobody wanted to lose out on the treasure hunt. It
was important not to lose our team mates as we bumped into other teams making
their way around EAD, RES and LIB, trying to figure out what their clues would
lead them to. Well, our clues led us to Campylobacter jejuni. That was the win,
and information is the greatest treasure. Given that there are many possible
biological food contaminants, I think we should be concerned about the safety
of our food. In my home country where you are never sure of the hygienic
conditions of food in restaurants or water sold on the streets, and there are
no reliable regulatory agencies, you are better off eating home cooked meals
and it's a miracle people survive years of eating contaminated foods, that people
survive amidst the odds.
I had the most
interesting online discussion, as my classmates and I debated on what exactly
waste was and which was more beneficial, reusing or recycling. I stood for
recycling, but it's somewhat annoying that there are no perfect answers, that
even when we have something beneficial like recycling in place, studies would
be carried out and researchers would come up with the pros and cons of using
that method. However, it's good that we have answers to some of our
environmental issues like the issue of waste, that we can choose to reuse or
recycle, that we can argue back and forth on whether recycling is beneficial or
not; I think that having these choices is more important than not having them
at all.
Week 10. 10/23/2013
It's not just a Game.
Quiz day and it
was a good one. It made me think and go back to the textbook afterwards. I
liked the Jeopardy game session in class; it was a game alright but then you
are learning and things like this are hardly forgotten because the facts just
stick in and you are still having fun. It's good that we stood with our teams,
my team mates and I had to face the game squarely and together. We learned the
importance of team work and many things about water. We didn't win the cookie
prize but we got to know a lot and some things we thought we knew from previous
knowledge weren't the right answers so we had to learn to use the textbook.
Week 11. 10/30/2013
Man's way of life through the World.
Today's class
was cancelled because of the warnings on severe weather. I made sure to stay
indoors and keep safe during the storm, but it got me thinking about climate
change. Many years ago, when there was no weather forecasting, people were in danger
because they couldn't be warned about impending storms or hails. Many people
have lost their lives and properties to extreme weather conditions. Last year
in Nigeria, there was the issue of fierce floods carrying houses, cars and
people away. The authorities did nothing to prevent the calamities despite the
warnings. The thought of it, that today we have the forecast made me marvel at
science, at man and his discoveries. Because such discoveries make us powerful;
how easier it is to plan my day now because there is an app called 'weather' on
my phone. The climate affects our life and has a big effect on everything we
do.
I used the time
to read more chapters of Silent Spring, of how Rachael Carson's warnings were
waved off at first, because people weren't seeing the effects of things she
talked about, because the companies producing such dangerous chemicals didn't
want to be stopped. People easily ignore and overlook things concerning the
environment but not about themselves, as if they are not all connected. If the
warnings of the weather being dangerous can prompt quick actions like staying indoors
and keeping safe, then warnings about the environment should keep us on our
toes.
Week 12. 11/06/2013
Tragedy, fate and the power of choice.
We had educating
and engaging exercises in class. In the Occupational health exercise-well, I've
never been good with dates so matching events with their corresponding years
isn't something I would love to do, but I came to know how important history
is, because if we know where we are coming from, we'll know how better to
tread. Everything that is fact matters and it's good that we have so many organisations
in occupational health.
For the air
pollution, we are all guilty because we have all introduced chemicals or
particulates into the atmosphere which could cause damage or discomfort to
other humans. We all had multi colours in our cup of water and that is the true
reflection of how we live and how our daily activities pollute the air.
I enjoyed the
discussion on unintentional injuries and I wish people would be more careful to
avoid harm. Nobody wants himself or family members to be injured and it's a
call to us to live carefully, so we can live longer. But then we make a choice,
to be careful or not, to drink and drive or not. I think people should, before drinking,
make arrangements with non-drinking friends to be driven safely home
afterwards. Almost daily we wake up to sad news on unintentional accidents,
murder and all what not. It's a constant reminder of fate, and how one's own
actions can lead to their demise.
Week 13. 11/13/2013
Ideas rule the World.
I debated in my
mind whether to add this week or not, but I had to. First, I love
presentations, it's one of the best ways to learn. Second, I was amazed by the
ideas of some groups. The diverse ideas and activities were all interesting and
exciting. My group would be presenting next week, and we have been pooling
ideas. The best about this is that in the end we would have all expressed the
information in that big Environmental textbook, chapter by chapter, in
different forms. That's great.
That said, I
would like to share this quote on creativity: "When one creates she
presents herself in a form other than the one in which she normally appears.
Creation, therefore, is an act of re-creation. In addition, to use the
mind completely, one must create—whether he makes a painting or an essay, a
sculpture or a play, or an exciting dinner served to a party of friends or
family. " I will always remember this class. Oh yeah, the semester is
coming to an end. Thank you Dr.F, I learned a lot, and you were fun in so many
ways!
[Found this on Dropbox and decided to post on my blog. Good memories from Fall 2013. Enjoy!]
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