Preventing the Spread of HIV/AIDS

In my Humanities course MDGs at GCE, we learned about the 8 Millennium Development Goals that the UN made in 2000. For Unit 3, the specific MDGs we focused on were 6, 7, and 8. MDG 6 is: Combat HIV/AIDS, MDG 7 is: Ensure Environmental Sustainability, and MDG 8 is: Develop a Global Partnership for Development. For this Action Project, we were told to write an essay that gave information on one of these MDGs and inspired people to take action. I chose MDG 6 for my essay and learned a lot about how it affects millions of people around the world every day. I also learned about the many misconceptions people have about this disease, how certain people have taken action against it, and how regular people can help prevent HIV/AIDS.

LS. Spreading HIV/AIDS. 2015

Spread of HIV/AIDS

More than 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV, and almost 1 in 8 (12.8%) are unaware of their infection (aids.gov). Either people in the US don’t know much about this horrible disease or they have rash misconceptions due to lack of education. However, even though you may not have this disease, there are many things you can do to help prevent others from contracting it.

HIV and AIDS have been a widespread global issue. The MDGs made by the UN in 2000 recognize the importance of trying to stop the spread of this disease because of the horrors that it imposes and the amount of people they affect. As a race, we have been slightly effective at reducing the spread of these diseases. According to the website Our World Data, in 2000 there were 3.5 million new HIV infections globally and in 2013, there were 2.1 million new HIV infections globally. This decrease in new infections can be considered successful but it can also be reduced a lot more. Also, in 2000, there were 1.8 million global AIDS related deaths and in 2013, there were 1.5 million global AIDS related deaths. While much less of a decrease, this is still a step forward in preventing this disease. However, according to this data, there are still around 2 million new HIV infections and AIDS related deaths each year.

One specific person who has made a difference in the progress of the stop of the spread of HIV and AIDS is Naina Khanna. In an article written about Khanna’s good doings, “This year, Khanna and team greatly expanded a leadership seminar that reached nearly 400 women from across the country and trained them in public speaking, media, blogging and community organizing” (Turkewitz, Ford, and Terell). In my opinion, the best way we can go about preventing HIV/AIDS is getting people educated and aware of the diseases. Khanna did this by teaching people that went to teach others about HIV and what they can do to protect themselves from it. From the same previous article, “... since January, PWN has also launched two major campaigns: the ‘30 for 30 Campaign,’ which focuses on ensuring that women's HIV issues are incorporated into new health care policies, and the ‘Count Us In!’ campaign, which began Dec. 1, and demands that women living with HIV have better access to care and are included in HIV policy decisions, more research and data, and leadership” (Turkewitz, Ford, and Terell). This quote also shows how getting people aware goes a long way to help prevent HIV from spreading.

There are many ways that regular people, young and old, can help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. Like I said before, the best way to go about preventing this disease is spreading the word and getting people educated. HIV/AIDS is spread by people making decisions. If we can make everyone aware of the risks involved in having unprotected sex with another person you don’t know well, we can help prevent the disease. Also, making sure people are aware of the way that the disease spreads can be helpful too. Making sure that people know that they won’t contract HIV/AIDS just by being around a person that has it will also help clear some large misconceptions about the disease. So, quite simply the best way to prevent these diseases is education people about being aware, safe, and protected.

In conclusion, the spread of HIV/AIDS is a large problem all around the world. As the facts show, this disease has affected millions of people and many people every day try to stop it. What we can do as regular citizens to help is make sure that every person is aware, educated, and safe. The most important thing to remember about this disease is that it can and will infect anyone it comes in contact with, even you.

Works Cited

Rosser, Max. "HIV / AIDS." Our World in Data. OurWorldInData.org, 2015. Web. 23 Oct. 2015. http://ourworldindata.org/data/health/hiv-aids/

Turkewitz, Julie, Olivia Ford, and Kellee Terrell. "HIV/AIDS Community Spotlight: People Who

Made a Difference in 2011." TheBody.com. Remedy Health Media, 13 Dec. 2011. Web. 23 Oct. 2015. http://www.thebody.com/content/65158/hivaids-community-spotlight-people-who-made-a-diff.html

"U.S. Statistics." AIDS.gov. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2 Dec. 2014. Web.

23 Oct. 2015. https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/statistics/

Weather and Climate in Olympia

In my STEAM course Water at GCE, we learned all about weather and climate patterns in Unit 3. While learning about weather, we also learned about fossil fuels and greenhouse gasses and how they play a role in the environment. For this Action Project, we were asked to chose a city and do research it's weather patterns and it's ppm, (parts per million) which relates to the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Also, we presented issues that could arise if more carbon continued to enter the atmosphere and what could be done to prevent it.

Bari Presentation and Introduction

In my Italian course, we've learned how introduce ourselves, describe what we like and don't like, and many other things. For this Action Project, we were given a city, told to do research on it, and make a presentation shown in a video. For my Italian city, Bari, I found many interesting things on Music made in the city, Art, location, and significant places. All of these things are included in the video below along with an introduction of myself.

Gender Pay Gaps in the United States and Italy

In my humanities class MDG's, we've learned about Millennium Development Goals 3, 4, and 5. These are promoting gender equality, improving maternal health, and reducing child mortality. Because of MDG 3, I created this essay to talk about the issue of gender pay gaps in different countries around the world. The countries I chose were the United States because I live here and Italy because I have family there and it's a place that is close to my heart. In the essay I compare and contrast the facts about the current status of the pay gap and give some examples on what each country is doing to try to narrow it.

LS. Gender Pay Gap. (2015)

Did you know that in 2014, women working full time in the United States typically were paid just 79 percent of what men were paid, a gap of 21 percent? When someone talks of a “gender pay gap”, they are referring to the amount of income each genders gets. Around the world, a pay gap like this between genders is unfortunately very common. However, the size of the gap and what the country is or is not doing varies depending on the specific place you are talking about. As you will soon see, both the US and Italy have gender pay gaps that they are trying to narrow.

There is a gap in pay between genders in the US of about 21 percent. In the US, the government are very aware of the gap in pay between genders. While going about our efforts to reduce the gap, we’ve noticed that “for young women, the wage gap is even smaller – at 93 percent – meaning they caught up to their same-aged male counterparts by roughly the last week in January of this year” (Patten, Ileen). This means that what the US has been doing has been working for the younger population. As far as what the US can do, here is what lleen thinks, “The Paycheck Fairness Act would improve the scope of the Equal Pay Act, which hasn’t been updated since 1963, with stronger incentives for employers to follow the law, enhance federal enforcement efforts, and prohibit retaliation against workers asking about wage practices. Tell the Congress to take action for equal pay.” Also, “Even though women have increased their presence in higher-paying jobs traditionally dominated by men, such as professional and managerial positions, women as a whole continue to work in lower-paying occupations than men do” (Patten, Ileen). What this basically means is that for the most part, genders doing the same job are getting paid almost the same (which is good) and that the biggest reason for the existence of the pay gap is actually just the fact that women are employed in jobs that are known to pay less than men based on the fact that . That being said, this can be a result of gender discrimination. During a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, they found that “...women were more likely to say they had taken career interruptions to care for their family. And research has shown that these types of interruptions can have an impact on long-term earnings” (Patten, Ileen). This is trying to justify the gap in pay between genders by saying that women have more interruptions than men. While this is not always true, the survey does provide an interesting insight on a possible reason why some companies may pay their employees differently. If I had someone having to leave work early often or maybe sometimes not come in at all versus an employee who was always there when they were supposed to, than I would obviously want to pay the more committed worker more than the other.

While a gender pay gap also exists in Italy, they too are aware of its existence and are also trying to narrow it. In 2012, the gender pay gap in Italy was a mere 6.7%. “Despite the gap being relatively small in Italy,  the country has one of Europe’s worst disparities in hiring” (Scammell, Rosie). This explains that while the gender pay gap in Italy is relatively low (approximately 14.3% lower than the US), it still remains to have a problem with jobs hiring different genders. “There has been some change at the top, with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi installing a number of women into key ministerial posts such as defence and health” (Patten, Ileen). This is explaining how some of Italy’s respected authorities have been aware of the gap and intentionally trying to promote the idea of women being in powerful positions. I think this a great way to get people to realize that they shouldn’t base their decision of hiring someone on their gender. “Prominent Italian businesswomen who have beaten the odds including Emma Marcegaglia, president of energy company Eni, and Luisa Todini, president of the Italian postal service” (Patten, Ileen). This also supports the previous point about putting women in powerful positions. It gives examples of businesswomen that are respected and powerful in Italy.

Although both countries have a pay gap, the status of it and how they are being handled  are very different. Some of the similarities of the countries because of the gender pay gap are: both countries actually have a pay gap and both countries are trying to narrow it. Some of the differences between the countries are: state of the gaps (size) and what they’re doing to decrease it. For the similarities, the most obvious being they both have a pay gap. 21% for USA and 6% for Italy. For both of these counties, they are trying to reduce the pay gap to ensure equality among all of their citizens. Most notably, Italy has put women into positions of power to empower women. Also, the most obvious difference is the fact that they have different pay gaps.  21% for USA and 6% for Italy.

In conclusion, Italy and the United States have many differences and similarities on the topic of their gender pay gaps. However, it’s important to note that both the United States and Italy have gender pay gaps that they are trying to narrow. Each of these countries is doing different things to narrow the gap and the effectiveness can be shown with the numbers.

Works Cited

Patten, Ileen. "On Equal Pay Day, Key Facts about the Gender Pay Gap." Pew Research  

Center RSS. Pew Research Center, 14 Apr. 2015. Web. 01 Oct. 2015.

Scammell, Rosie . "Italy's Gender Pay Gap Getting Worse." The Local. N.p., 05 Mar. 2015.

Web. 01 Oct. 2015.

Filtering Water

LS, Filter. 2015

In my STEAM course at GCE called Water, this Action Project made us construct our own filters and try to use it to clean river water. Before and after, we tested the pH level of the water to see if we observed a change.  I used various materials to build my filter that I found around my neighborhood. Some of the struggles involved with getting the materials were collecting them and bringing them back to my house. The sand and gravel were especially hard as I had to bring them on a bike. While I was filtering, I had some trouble with the water. Some of the sand got around the coffee filters and resulted in the sand coming through into the filtered water.

The way my filter works is very similar to ground water filtration. The smaller gaps in the sand filter out the smaller contaminants while the larger gaps in the gravel can help filter out the other things.

LS, Dirty Water. 2015.

Materials:

1. Soda bottle
2. Coffee filters
3. Gravel
4. Sand
5. Cup to catch water
6. pH tester
7. Scissors
8. Knife

To construct my filter I followed this procedure:

1. Cutting soda bottle off at the bottom
2. Poking small hole at the cap of the bottle
3. Putting in 2-3 coffee filters
4. Add about 3 cups gravel
5. Add about 3 cups sand

To test the water I followed this procedure:

1. Collect 500mL dirty water and test the pH
2. Pour the water into the filter. Wait for it to stop dripping before taking drip cup away.
3. Test the pH of the filtered water and record any noticeable visual observations.
4. Repeat this 2 more times with the water so that you will have put the same water through 3 times.

Data

	Visual Observations	Measured amount	pH Test 1	pH Test 2	Average pH
Before filtration:	Translucent, many particulates and very dirty	500mL	6.9	7.0	6.95
After 1st pass:	Translucent, still very dirty from sand at the bottom (came from filter)	275mL	7.0	7.4	7.2
After 2nd pass:	translucent, very sandy similar to the previous recording	250mL	7.5	7.6	7.55
After 3rd pass:	translucent, still dirty because of sand	250mL	7.5	7.6	7.55

I started off with putting in 250mL but the sand absorbed it and nothing came out. So, to overflow the sand with water and force it to come out on the bottom I added in an extra 250mL of water. The same thing happened during the filtration and thats why I ended up with less water than when I started.

pH Scale
0------------------------------------------------ 6.95--7----7.55-------------------------------------------14

The pH scale shows hot the water became more alkaline after the filtration process.

pH Change

Before filtration: 6.95

After filtration: 7.55

Change: 0.6

- log X = 0.6

X = 3.98107171

By filtering my water, I was able to make it almost 4 times more alkaline than it's unfiltered version!

Works Cited

"Water Purification: Improvised Charcoal Filter." Practical Primitive. Practical Primitive LLC, May

     2010. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.

"How to Make a Water Filter." Wilderness Survival Skills. Wilderness-Survival-Skills.com, 2011.

     Web. 08 Oct. 2015.