Category: eLearning ENG4U

Discussions with the online eLearning class

World Dairy Expo

Published on by emilyhartt3 Comments

Showing dairy cows is a popular hobby among many farmers. These farmers spend their time and money showing these cows as well as selling and buying new cows. The World Dairy Expo is the world’s largest dairy show. It is a five day event that showcases the finest genetics, and the newest technologies available to the dairy farming world.

To the farmers in the cow industry, The World Dairy Expo is the biggest show of the year. It is the time when cows of all types, such as Holsteins, Jerseys, and Ayrshires all come together into one show and auction. It is the best of the best as far as farmers are concerned, and to place at this show is a great honor.

Getting ready for this show is probably the most difficult task for farmers. It requires choosing the right cows to take to the show, cosmetically enhancing them, and transporting them to Wisconsin for the show. The longest process is making them cosmetically appealing. To get them looking cosmetically appealing to the judges, they have to wash them, shave them, trim their hooves, stretch their bags, which all happens before departure to the show. While at the show, the cows need to be milked by hand everyday or the cows will be in a lot of pain, and will refuse to walk. They also have to put on minor finishing touches while at the show. These touches include up brushing the hair along their spine, and putting hairspray in it so that it stays. During this time, they also put a colour spray on them to make the cows look as if they have no flaws. Lastly, they give cows injections that are like temporary botox to make it seem like the cows have no imperfections from carrying calves. As you can tell, cow shows are taken extremely seriously, they are like beauty pageants for cows!

As for spectators, there are many scheduled events that they can participate in! Watching the show is just as exciting as being in it. The spectators can take part in watching the shows, the auction and educating seminars. The point of the show being open to spectators is to educate and inform people and encourage them to join the 4-H, cow showing group! By attending the seminars different milking options and how to optimize income when owning a dairy farm, people are more likely to think about operating a cow farm. The World Dairy Expo is the largest place for cow seminars to take place, as there is on average 2 or 3 seminars a day, all talking about how to optimize your dairy farm experience and how to start your own farm. Aside from the educational pros from dairy shows, spectators get to enjoy the cow show environment. Speaking as someone who has been to many shows, there is nowhere else where you can get the feeling that you get while at a show. Seeing as The World Dairy Expo is the world’s largest cow show, I am willing to bet it is an amazing time! The people that you meet while at shows are amazing, and it is an all around great experience.

As you have learned, The Dairy Expo is a great experience for both cow enthusiasts and those who just want to learn more about them! Between learning about what it is like to have a dairy farm, and experiencing the cow show life, everyone who goes to this huge, global cow show is going to come out being a cow enthusiast!

Cigarette Smoking: Why are so many kids still smoking?

Published on by wmelnick48 Comments

Smoking timeline: a legal history of smoking in Canada

It has been illegal to sell cigarettes to those under 16 years of age since 1908. Why are there so many kids still smoking today? This article outlines the steps the government has taken to limit smoking in Canada. Has it gone far enough? Should smoking be illegal?

According to the Lung Association of Canada, almost 20 per cent of Canadian teens (aged 12-19) currently smoke (daily or occasionally). Some tactics that tobacco companies use to target the youth market:

Cartoon character mascots: A U.S. tobacco company introduced the cartoon character Joe Camel, who became widely known by youth between 1988 and 1991. The success of the Joe Camel character was said to be directly responsible for the increase in cigarette sales from $6 million in 1988 to $476 million in 1991.

Promotional offers: Joe Camel ads once offered Joe Camel leather jackets, sandals and neon signs in exchange for coupons from Camel cigarette packages. Youth had to smoke many packs of cigarettes to receive these promotional materials.

Shifting the blame: Tobacco companies try to shift blame to youth who smoke instead of themselves. Tobacco companies suggest that youth have a choice whether to smoke.

Making tobacco look cool: Nearly all of The Simpsons cartoon characters (including children) have been seen smoking. Eighty-seven per cent of the top box office hits between 1988 and 1997 portrayed tobacco use an average of five times per movie.

Showing tobacco use as an “adult” activity: Tobacco companies send the message that smoking is for adults only but that a child can pretend to be grown-up by smoking

Alarming statistics from The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada on smoking and teenagers:

More than 90% of teenagers who smoke as few as 3 to 4 cigarettes a day may be trapped into a lifelong habit of regular smoking, which typically lasts some 35 to 40 years.

Canadians under the age of 19 consume about 1.7 billion cigarettes every year.

Among young women who smoke:

  • 26% began smoking before the age of 13
  • 83% before age 16
  • and almost all before age 18

Smoking contributes to more than 37,000 deaths a year in Canada, of which almost 11,000 are heart disease and stroke-related (29% of all smoking-related deaths are heart disease and stroke-related).

Almost 6,300 non-smokers die each year from exposure to second-hand smoke.

Smoking is responsible for 14.54% of all heart disease and stroke deaths.

If current rates of tobacco use continue, approximately 1 million Canadians will die over the next 20 years as a direct result of smoking and second-hand smoke.

Becoming smoke-free

As soon as an individual quits smoking, the risk of heart disease and stroke begins to decrease.

  • Within one year of quitting, the risk of dying from smoking-related heart disease is cut in half.
  • Within 10 years, the risk of dying from lung cancer is cut in half.
  • After 15 years, the risk of dying will be nearly that of a non-smoker.

More than 50% of former smokers report they are able to become smoke-free after one or two serious attempts

The percentage of people who remain smoke-free after one year of quitting ranges from 5% to 18%

There is a new, cheap brand of cigarettes coming to a boutique near you. They are being marketed as a young, hip alternative to the more sophisticated brands. They are hand-made by women in India, for a whopping $1.00 per day. Most of these women end up with bronchial asthma and permanent disabilities from using the same muscles over and over again from 6AM to 7PM. This is promoted as the best way for women to support their families, but, as the company gets rich, nothing is being done to better the working conditions of the job or fix the pay inequities. Listen to more about this new tobacco product here under Bidi’s deadly hold on India, Rick’s conversation with Murali

What should be done? Give your opinion in the comment box below.