• Arsenic Levels Lowered In Apple Juice

    There has been a lot of publicity recently about the FDA’s decision to lower arsenic levels in apple juice.  For a lot of people, the bigger question is why is there arsenic in apple juice to start with? Did you know there are low levels of arsenic in drinking water? Arsenic is an element naturally occurring in the earth’s crust and seeps into our food, water, soil and pesticides. High levels can be dangerous over time, as arsenic can cause cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Senior scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., Joshua Hamilton said, “Low-level exposures in the womb and during childhood can set the stage for problems later…

  • Seattle

    Last week, my roommate and I decided on a spur of the moment trip to Seattle, Washington. The bus is only four hours and 34 bucks round trip – it was perfect. Seattle didn’t feel as much like the United States, or the stereotypical picture of the US we have come to know. The people were friendly, although servers were not as we received horrendous service in two different restaurants. The first day was spent walking up and down very large hills. We began by visiting the Public Market, which included talking to a store owner about his JFK posters so much, he chased me down to show me the…

  • Mailer, Thompson and Wolfe

    I have a Non-Fiction class where we read selections from novels and short stories. This week we read exerpts from Norman Mailers “The Armies of the Night“, Hunter S. Thompsons “The Scum Also Rises”, and Tom Wolfes “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.” Here is my journal: This week I was exposed to writers I had heard about but never read. I have found myself becoming more and more inspired by the words. I sat down to read Norman Mailer’s The Armies of the Night and found myself writing instead. These stories seem to take longer and longer to get through because of the inspiration I get when I read them.…