A Truckful of Baloney

     I think this article was a very well written article.  I also found it every entertaining.  I think the way he approaches his topics is different.  I am not sure that I have read anything written in this manner before.  When he began his comparison of age recommendations between different studies on mammograms, this is something that I have heard differences on before.  I have been told before that you need to start being checked at age 40 then the next time a study comes out the age changes.  This is a topic that I try to pay attention to because of the dangers of Brest Cancer.  It seems that someone is always changing the "recommended" age to start preventative checks.  Some studies say that it is okay to get checked out as early as 25 or 30 while others are saying to wait until you are 40 or 50.  I like that he questions when does risk out way false positives.

     I also enjoyed the portion about the beer for lunch.  Science has proven that alcohol can be good for a person in moderation.  I also believe that when people see this they take it to the extreme saying they are drinking because it is good for you.  People see what they want to see in a study like this.  They see a drink a day is healthy for you so they take it up a notch and drink three.  This is where the science gets blown out of proportion.

     I didn't understand exactly what the whole point of this article was for.  I understand he was asked to write about science claims he heard on a typical day, but why?  He also covered some topics very thoroughly and some of them he barely touched on leaving me a little confused.  He would point out a claim like the ban on silicone breast implants and then said that the statement was true but not much else.  For the most part I did enjoy reading this article. 

Goals for Class

     I am not very comfortable with writing.  I have written reports and legal documents for the last approximately 9 years.  It is very hard for me to stop and think about who I am writing for.  I get into what I am saying and forget my audience.  I am hoping this course will help me figure out a way to overcome these issues.  At times, I have a very hard time expanding my thoughts past the exact facts of what needs to be in a piece.  The reports I have written over the last years don't want extra information in it.  They don't want you to explain any more than you have to.  You are supposed to be exact and to the point, and not put too much or too little information in the piece.  It is going to be very hard for me to break this habit because I am not used to elaborating and going into more detail.  I have not used an opinion in a writing in a very long time so I am excited about being able to elaborate in more detail.  I am really kind of nervous about using a blog.  I have never written on a blog before, or even published any of my writings for anybody to read.  I am not a very open person when it come to things like this.  I have followed a couple of different blogs in the past, but have never even considered writing one.  I am interested in hearing other peoples opinions about the same pieces that I will be reading.  In a lot of other classes you never really know what other people are thinking because a lot of other people don't really speak out in class.  I think that will be a good thing.  I am excited about this class because I am not one for writing papers on literature.