CatTheTrainer’s BodyBlog

Ghandi

Ghandi was a great social and spiritual leader who fought for his country’s political freedom in India. Up until the day of his assassination on January 30th, 1948, Ghandi dedicated his life to an alternative for violence. He developed and contributed his life towards non-violent tactics. His alternative was heard and practiced world-wide during a time of depression after the second world war. I think the main reason that Ghandi’s tactic worked was because he was in a situation where his opponent did not fight back with complete aggression. In a situation such as the Vietnamese war non-violence could not have worked because at least one side was not willing to stop using violence to win. What his alternative does offer is a moral way of solving problems as opposed to brute force. This alternative could be used in many simple situations such as most gang fights which occur mostly due to miscommunication. Unfortunately in our world today violence has become a means of solving simple issues. Thankfully Ghandi has marked his alternative in the history books and can forever be looked at as a "better" and possibly more effective method of solving confrontations.

Does Physical Activity Affect Grades?
A research on today’s students for tomorrow’s world

Catlin Foster
A734392

Dr. G.Frias
Research Methods

Assignment #3: Annotative Bibliography

Monday March 3rd, 2008

My hypothesis remained the same, whether or not physical activity affects grades.

1. Matt. (August 25th, 2006). Does Exercise Improve Grades in Middle School Children? Retrieved March 3, 2008, from http://www.eorthopod.com/public/patient_education/6253/does_exercise_improve_grades_in_middle_schoo
l_children.html

The article is a review on a study that showed how children who spent 55 minutes in a PE class daily did not experience higher or lower grades. The author concluded that students that did vigorous activities out side of school did have higher grades. The method of research, which the author used, was qualitative and analytical. The source was interesting because it showed how PE during school did not have any effect but vigorous activities out of school did have an impact. The only limitation for the document was mainly how the study was done and they didn’t show any table of marks from before and after to show that there was no link.

2. Adams, Susan & Bagby, Karen. (May, 2005). Increasing physical activity in schools: kindergarten through eighth grade. Retrieved March 3, 2008, from http://www.guideline.gov/summary/summary.aspx?ss=15&doc_id=8111&nbr=4
518

The study wanted to provide strategies to increase the level of physical activity and to reduce inactivity behavior in the kindergarten through 8th grade students in order to improve the fitness level and physical and mental health of the students, and helps establish life long patterns of healthy behavior. There is no conclusion; it is only a guideline on how this procedure should be enacted. They used qualitative and analytical methods to do their research. The source is interesting because doctors, pediatricians and people who work under preventative medicine made it. The only limitation is that it doesn’t say weather or not it affects the grades or not.

3. Gao, Zan (2008). College Students’ Motivation Toward Weight Training: A Combined Perspective. Journal of Sport Behavior, 31. Retrieved March 3, 2008, from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=1435823091&SrchMo
de=1&sid=2&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1204575152&clientId=42970

This was a very long and complex article that took me awhile to read and understand. In short it was a study on the motivational beliefs and indices of achievement behaviors in a beginning weight training class. The author concluded that this is a very complex relationship to compare and would require more information in different sectors. The author used methods such as giving surveys to collect his data and for his research. This text was interesting because it went into detail about his data collection and his results. The only bad thing was the fact that there was no decisive conclusion to the link between physical activity and grades.

4. Kahan, David (February 2008). Recess, Extracurricular Activities, and Active Classrooms: Means for Increasing Elementary School Students’ Physical Activity. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 79. Retrieved March 3, 2008, from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=8&did=1431316291&SrchMo
de=1&sid=2&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1204575153&clientId=42970

This article talked about the integration of physical activity in classrooms being a positive and beneficial guarantee to depleting the morbidity rate of children in their adult years. They also say that plain physical education is not enough on its own. They conclude that schools are not supplying children with enough physical activity for them to be sustaining a healthy lifestyle. Their research was done by surveying the public and private school systems to see their daily physical activity curriculum. The article was very interesting because it showed how much of an importance physical activity is for students, especially young adolescents. The limitations to the paper are that it does not show the correlation between the physical activity and the student’s performance in school.

5. Weir, Kirsten. (Jan 2008). FIT Body, Fit Brain. Current Health 1, 5. Retrieved march 3, 2008, from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=1&did=1404863211&SrchMo
de=1&sid=5&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1204575696&clientId=42970

In short the article stated that with the presents of physical activity, students would score higher on tests. The conclusion the author came to was that aerobic exercises have more brain benefits than anaerobic exercises which means that 60 minutes of vigorous to moderate activities a day, 6 days a week are needed. The research method seems to be interviews from exercise researchers. The source is interesting because it shows a distinct connection between physical activity and grades. The only flaw I can point out is the fact that there isn’t a lot of information on their findings.

Escape

Elinor Wylie

when foxes eat the last gold grape
and the last white antelope is killed
I shall stop fighting and escape
into a little house ill build.

but first ill shrink to faerie size
with a whisper no one understands
making blind moons of all your eyes
and muddy roads of all your hands

and you may grope for me in vein
in hollows under the mangrove root
or where an apple scented rain
the silver wasp nest hang like fruit.

third paragraph he reaches a satisfying
his tone is smirky and satisfied

In the poem "escape" by Elinor Wylie the speaker is trying to escape and hind from some kind of fight or struggle.

In the first stanza the speaker opens up with a mythical method of describing aspects of nature that do not seem to stick with reality such as a “gold grape” or “white antelope”. The speaker then explains the circumstances for which he or she "shall stop fighting and escape into a little house".

At the beginning of the second stanza the speaker portrays the immediate actions that must be first carried out before he or she can actually hide away.

In the third and final stanza the speaker suddenly changes tone from apprehensive to assured and bold. In the last two lines like the first two lines the speaker describes once again this mythical sub-reality of nature by describing “apple scented rain” and “silver wasp nest hang like fruit”.

Escape

Elinor Wylie

when foxes eat the last gold grape
and the last white antelope is killed
I shall stop fighting and escape
into a little house ill build.

but first ill shrink to faerie size
with a whisper no one understands
making blind moons of all your eyes
and muddy roads of all your hands

and you may grope for me in vein
in hollows under the mangrove root
or where an apple scented rain
the silver wasp nest hang like fruit.

third paragraph he reaches a satisfying
his tone is smirky and satisfied

In the poem "escape" by Elinor Wylie the speaker is trying to escape and hind from some kind of fight or struggle.

In the first stanza the speaker opens up with a mythical method of describing aspects of nature that do not seem to stick with reality such as a “gold grape” or “white antelope”. The speaker then explains the circumstances for which he or she "shall stop fighting and escape into a little house".

At the beginning of the second stanza the speaker portrays the immediate actions that must be first carried out before he or she can actually hide away.

In the third and final stanza the speaker suddenly changes tone from apprehensive to assured and bold. In the last two lines like the first two lines the speaker describes once again this mythical sub-reality of nature by describing “apple scented rain” and “silver wasp nest hang like fruit”.

Ode: Intimations of Immortality

Recollections of Early Childhood

Catlin Foster

A734392

Introduction to college English

Thursday, November 21^st 2007

In the poem “Ode” written by William Wordsworth he writes, “We will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind”. I believe the reason why he wrote this is because people must try to learn from their mistakes to better themselves. There is no way in going back in time to retrieve what we have lost or failed in. The closest thing we will have to the things we have lost in the past are memories that help us remember what we need to change for the next time. Basically what he is saying is that what has happened is done and can’t be changed, but take what you have learned and use it for the next obstacle you will face.

In the poem Wordsworth explains how he has lost his connection with nature while growing up. This connection was lost because he grew up around it day in and day out, eventually making it a habit which leads to a loss of appreciation. His appreciation for nature can be regained by being “pulled away from it” and placed in a different atmosphere where nature is scarce.  Then the benefits and qualities of nature will be apparent and make him realize the beauty as well as a deeper appreciation for nature’s offerings. Yet the loss is still there. The loss of time and opportunities that he could have gotten if he stayed there in the first place are things he can’t get back.

This loss of time and opportunity comes with every experience in which we lose appreciation for someone or something. For example in a relationship where two lovers find that they are fighting and not appreciating what the other does for the other. The couple may take a break and with time feel more like being with the person. They will experience a new perception of why this person made them feel complete and loved which will therefore make them want to be with one another. But even if they do reunite, their lost time together will never be fulfilled nor will the opportunities of their relationship being successful and meaningful.

The various social roles that we must play while growing are based on the environment throughout this poem. When the author is young he sees the nature around him as a marvelous playground full of beauty and new experiences. Over time this perception slowly deteriorates and he then becomes accustomed to its glories and donations.

It is true that as the world has changed over time, and just like the world so does our point of view of the environment through our eyes. The author tries to make a clear and distinct point that as we grow up and mature our perception does change.

When we’re young we just live to live, we go on ever day and do only what pleases us without thinking of the consequences. Children think present and not future and therefore have nothing to worry about. When the child’s mind reaches adulthood it then is exposed to various responsibilities, pressures and things to fear that require a sense of maturity and understanding. Nature will always be nature but it’s the child’s perception that has been altered. The child can now count days, months and years therefore grasps the preciousness of time which of course leads to the understanding of the future and what needs to be done instead of what he or she wants to do. What makes the difference is the attitude taken to go through this change weather it is negative or positive.

Being positive or negative will dictate the difference the soon to be adult will make in the world. If you enter the world positively you will cultivate positive results where as if you enter it negatively your outcome will be negative.

Nature is something that for possibly millions of years has still never changed. The humans on the other hand are a civilization that has only been around for a couple thousand years and has changed drastically in all ways, shapes and forms. Our world is constantly changing but not because of the environment but because we are a race of innovation and evolution. We have been considered being like a virus or plague because we multiply, spread and are damn hard to exterminate! We are survivors and don’t accept death or defeat and will do anything to get by. Nature on the other hand has control over the circle of life. Death and rebirth of all things is how nature takes its course. This is the way that nature has been since the beginning of time. Therefore that is why we are the one’s who have changed and nature hasn’t.

With time Wordsworth has learned truth, responsibility, and depth to all things he once saw as marvelous. He gains understanding and meaning while losing innocents. He is put into another environment with new obstacles and situations and learns the mysteries of others. He gains more consciousness and strength by being living through those obstacles and situation. He then gains respect for the things he has accomplished and sees another form of beauty and connection with it.

Stimulants Help Students With ADHD
Drug Treatment Improves Long-Term School Success, Study Shows
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Sept. 19, 2007 — Kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who take Ritalin or other prescription stimulants are more likely to achieve long-term academic success than children with ADHD who don’t take drugs.
That is the finding from the longest and most comprehensive follow-up study of school performance among children with ADHD ever conducted.
Researchers from the Mayo Clinic had unprecedented access to the medical and school records of an entire population of children living in a school district in Rochester, Minn. As a result, they were able to follow the children’s progress from birth to age 18.
The results showed that compared with kids without ADHD, children with the disorder were at higher risk for poor long-term academic outcomes, including lower reading scores, more school absenteeism, and having to repeat a grade.
Among children with ADHD, treatment with prescription stimulants was found to significantly lower the risk of these outcomes.
Stimulants and School Performance
Earlier studies have linked treatment with stimulants to short-term improvements in school performance. But the study is the first to show long-term benefits even after drug treatment has been stopped.
The children in the study who took Ritalin or other stimulants typically began treatment in elementary school, and they took the drugs for an average of 2.5 years. Many kids took the drugs for five years or more.
“Long-term school outcomes seem to be improved when children are treated with appropriate stimulant medication therapy for ADHD,” researcher William J. Barbaresi, MD, of the Mayo Clinc, tells WebMD.
“This finding should prompt us to make every effort to ensure that all children with ADHD are identified and have an opportunity to receive appropriate treatment.”
The Mayo researchers compared outcomes among 370 children in the population cohort diagnosed with ADHD between 1976 and 1982 and 740 children without ADHD living in the same Minnesota school district. The groups were matched for sex and age.
Among the major findings from the study:
    * Children with ADHD were 1.8 times less likely to be held back a grade if they were treated with stimulant medications.
    * Girls were as likely as boys to have worse school outcomes when their ADHD was not treated with drugs.
    * Children with ADHD who also had other psychiatric or learning disorders were at greater risk for poor academic performance than other children with ADHD.
Not Just Controlling Behavior
Nearly 2 million children in the United States have ADHD, but many children with the disorder remain undiagnosed and many more do not get treatment.
Barbaresi says the Mayo research offers some of the first evidence that treatment with stimulant medications can have a lasting impact on quality of life into adulthood.
The research appears in the August issue of the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.
“The criticism [of stimulant drugs] has been that we are treating children just to control behavior and other undesirable symptoms,” he says. “But these findings show a real impact in terms of life outcome.”
Not Just Controlling Behavior continued…
Pediatric psychologist Ronald Brown, PhD, of the Medical University of South Carolina, says it is clear that Ritalin and other stimulant drug treatments can positively affect school performance and other life outcomes in children with ADHD.
But he adds that too many health providers rely on drugs alone, ignoring other effective treatments like psychotherapy, special education, and behavioral interventions.
“Pediatricians have to treat many kids in a short period of time, so it is hard for them to provide any other type of treatment,” he says. “And many insurance companies don’t pay for additional services for children with ADHD.”
Brown chaired a recent American Psychological Association (APA) task force examining the use of drugs in children with mental disorders.
The group concluded that a combination of behavioral therapy and drug treatment can often be more effective than either treatment alone in the treatment of ADHD.
“The message to parents of children with ADHD is that there are treatments that work, and stimulants are just one of those treatments,” Brown says. “If parents don’t feel comfortable with medication there are other options.”
 

http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/news/20070920/stimulants-help-students-with-adhd?page=2

In short, what the article is saying is that through a large study done by a medical association it has been proven that kids who have been medicated by stimulants for ADHD are more likely to succeed in school then children with the same disorder but aren’t medicated.
 

1. Could the treatment for the disorder actually “cure” the patient from his dysfunction?
 

2. What are the negative effects of the drug?
 

3. What other alternatives treatments for ADHD have been tested and proven successful as a cure?
 

This topic heavily affects me because I have an 8 year old brother who is now on a stimulant much like Ritalin. His attitude, eating habits and emotions have changed drastically while being medicated which is why I completely oppose to the treatment. I believe the only “cure” is attention and discipline towards the child. To go even further I think that it’s a lack of the two which cause the problem in the first place. Stimulants don’t cure the disorder and won’t cure it unless there is something more efficient developed that gives the patient an instant capability to function correctly without any side effects. Until then I will always oppose of stimulants as a cure for ADHD.

Warfare in Napoleon’s era

The Western Heritage

Catlin Foster

A734392

Western Civilization, Semester 1, 330-101-DW

Professor J. Harvey

November 10^th, 2007

Napoleon Bonaparte, a man crowned emperor in 1804 who lead an army which could not be matched until 1821. He was a man who conquered in great numbers of about 700,000 men. During his reign he conquered most of Europe until his defeat at Waterloo in 1815. He was considered to be undefeatable at one point when England, Russia and Austria opposed and fought him during his era.

During his time spent as emperor he was constantly in battle against opposing forces who where mainly the British. Australia and Russia joined forces with Britain at one point to try and defeat Napoleon was still did not succeed. It was Britain’s navy that Napoleon feared; he knew that he was not as clever on water as he was on land and so found himself not having a choice but to fight on land. Britain gave France this fear when they won a great victory by destroying the French and Spanish fleets at the battle of Trafalgar. This victory ensured the survival and well-being of Britain as they gained control of the sea. France would not be able to invade throughout the remaining time of the war.

Napoleon lead France into many great land victories, however the sea was not his dominant war plane. Before losing at Trafalgar, Napoleon was able to conquer Vienna due to the fact that he won against a large Australian army in Ulm. One can say that his greatest victory came in 1805 when he tactically defeated both the Austrian and Russian army in Austerlitz. The whole of Europe began to acknowledge France’s power and some powers such as Austria vacated from Italy, leaving Napoleon in command of the peninsula north of Rome. France’s conquest was established on July 7^th, 1807 by the treaty of Tilsit set forth by Tsar Alexander. The consequences of the treaty subjected Tsar to a loss of half of his territory yet saved Prussia. Each victory that Napoleon accomplished, he would set members of his family in power making the land their own piece of real-estate.

France was still threatened by Britain seeing as it was the only major power left after the Treaty of Tilsit. The British navy was too powerful for Napoleon therefore he used economic warfare as a tactic to deplete British forces. According to Napoleon, creating the continental system would impact Britain’s economy. This system implied closing off the continental ports to the British commerce. Napoleon’s strategy backfired and ended up hurting France more than their enemy. Smuggling, which was done by the merchants due to the consequences of Britain’s boycotting, was the reason that France invaded Spain in 1808. This lead to the Spanish campaign and began the downfall of the great Napoleon Bonaparte.

Spain was the area that approved the least of Napoleon’s ways. Spain received help in putting pressure of Portugal from a French army in 1807. This army remained in Spain until 1808, when Napoleon appointed his brother Joseph as King of Spain. The peasants and the lower clergy of Spain rebelled in anger towards their new leader. Napoleon was now facing new complications involving his army. He no longer had his massive over-populated sized army and could not communicate for further instructions for other regiments. Additionally guerrilla bands killed wondering soldiers, destroyed his military posts and would then run off into the mountains before any counter-attack could be made. British forces then began to aid Spain in the quest to defeat Napoleon’s army and drive him out. All of these aspects finally took its toll and plagued Napoleon’s army which slowly crumbled to defeat. Britain and France both experienced the same war but at different ends of the Spanish Campaign. It was the greatest loss for France yet the grandest victory for Britain. Austria, hearing about Napoleon’s weakened army, sent battalions to even the score with France to avenge the German losses at Austerlitz. Unfortunately for Austria, once again, they were forced to surrender to France. This was due to an enormous miscalculation that Austria made. Napoleon’s difficulties elsewhere were not as great as the Austrians had assumed. France gained control of territory containing over 3.5 million people and Napoleon took the Austrian emperor’s daughter as his new 18 year old wife. Napoleon sought after his own future dynasty and hoped to continue his reign through family.

we had a bench competition in the gym today…it was rly fun! there was about 6 of us and it went down rly well. Couple of us found a new heavier 1 rep max (always a good thing). I tried to hit 300 but i ended up getting a bit of a spot so maybe in a couple weeks ill try it out again.

Bench Press: 155×8 / 225×6 / 300×1 (big spot)

Incline dumbell: 80×8 / 90×5 / 100×4

machine press: 120×8 / 140×6 / 160×4

cable cross overs: 70×8 / 80×7 / 80×7

squat A2G: 225×12 / 225×16 / 225×20

dumbell squat: 60×15 / 65×15 / 70×15

leg extensions: 100×10 / 120×8 / 130×6

Today i started my Animal M-Stak and no joke it was like f*ckin roids! Never did i have the energy to do both legs and chest with record lifts! I also started Cell-Tech Hardcore and so i expect to put on about 10 pounds in 2 weeks. My weight right now is at 157.5 or something so im ready to gain a sh!t-load of poundage.

Bench-Press:  135×10 / 195×8 / 225×4 / 275×1 then 275×2

Incline dumbbell-Press: 60×10 / 80×8 / 90×5

Pec-Deck: 150×10 / 180×10 / 200×7

Squats: 225×10 / 315×8 /  405×5

Leg Press:  500×8 / 770×6 / 970×3

All in all i had an amazing workout and expect to see my lifts skyrocket all over. I just gotta improve on my diet.

first blog i’ve decided to write…i believe its time to start writing down my goals, progress, and achievements to see what i’ve actually accomplished. Since i planned on entering a competition in the next year and a half i’m going to make a full log of my training and such. Hope i can stick with it…
Training: Chest and Legs

bench press: 5 sets starting with 135 for 12-155 for 10-185 for 8-195 for 6-225 for 3

incline dumbell press: 4 sets starting with 60 for 10-70 for 8-80 for 6-90 for 5

incline dumbell flyes: 3 sets starting with 45 for 10-55 for 10-65 for 6

decline bench press: 3 sets starting with 135 for 12-175 for 8-195 for 5

squats: 4 sets starting with 135 for 12-195 for 10-245 for 10-295 for 10- 345 for 10!!!

leg extensions: 3 sets starting with 90 for 10-110 for 8-130 for 9

that concludes my training for the day…good work Cat, Job well done!