"The New Risk Estimates and Exposures to Radon in High Grade Uranium Mines" by L. Denis Brown

Being a Biochemistry major, I found the article on uranium mining especially interesting. I have studied uranium and its place on the Periodic Table of Elements. Uranium is in the "f-block" of the periodic table. These elements are called actinides, or Rare Earth Metals. Uranium has several isotopes - atoms that are the same chemically but have different masses. These isotopes are unstable and emit radiation randomly, creating a dangerous environment for humans.

"Dulce Et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen

The imagery in this poem made rethink mild patriotism of the Fourth of July, patriotism that I once thought was overbearing. The image that resonates the most with me is the man they were forced to put in the wagon, the blood gargling in his lungs. He died in a crude, disgusting way. In instances like this, is it still sweet to die for one's country?

"A Cafecito Story" by Julia Alvarez

I don't love coffee, but I do love fun facts! This is what I found while researching coffee:

The side effects of coffee were noticed after goats in Ethiopia ate coffee berries.

Yes, I said coffee berries above. Coffee berries are bright red berries, and the coffee bean is their seed.

So where do coffee berries grow? On trees! These trees can grow up to thirty feet tall.

Here's a fun link with more information on coffee!

"The Annals of Kansas; 1886-1925" by Jennie Small Owen

This quote is still relevant because the amount of exploited Mexican workers in the United States is far too high for a country whose values are founded upon equality. Many employers depend on the lack of English and knowledge these workers have, utilizing their ignorance and forcing them to do copious amounts of manual labor for little to no pay. 

This article gives further details of this issue.

"Humanities scholarship is incredibly relevant, and that makes people sad" by Natalia Cecire

Being a "South Campus" major, this cartoon is very representative of the attitude many science, math, and engineering majors have towards the humanities. They regard them as useless and unstable means of income. This article capitalized on the importance of humanities majors. The majority of available majors and minors at the University of California, Los Angeles are humanities based, so why is this field being dismissed?

"Big Ask" by Carol Ann Duffy

This poem truly confused me. That's why I want to write out my thoughts right here, right now. I saw this poem as a parallelism between politics and the way politicians speak, like responding with rhetorical questions and diverging from the subject. I also saw this as a representation of how people in society ignore prominent social issues by merely ignoring the problems. 
Comment with your analysis!

"Achilles" by Carol Ann Duffy

Why was Achilles’s tendon his weakness? Duffy’s poem reminded me of my lack of knowledge, so I did some research. While trying to make him immortal, his mother, a nymph named Thetis, dipped him in the River Styx by holding his left ankle. Because the mystic river did not touch his left ankle, it was susceptible to mortal wounds. This ended up being his downfall during the Trojan War.




For full website with more information on Achilles, click here!