Palm oil is an ingredient that is used in hundreds of products (i.e. food, make-up). The main concern is that with so many companies using palm oil, the harvesting of the trees for the oil will devastate the environment and its inhabitants. Zoos around the nation are campaigning for companies to start using sustainable resources of palm oil and help save the habitat for the local animals. Another reason is that with the destruction of so many trees, the companies are then burning the remnants which is a major source of greenhouse gasses and increasing global warming. We now need to make companies aware of what happens when they use palm oil and how it is affecting the world we live in.

Check out the following links to learn a bit more about Palm oil and how it is affecting us:
– Say no to Palm Oil
– WWF on Palm Oil

Follow me on twitter! Here are some important tweets to keep in mind 🙂

With the destruction of Palm oil plantations even local people are loosing their homes.

— Jamie Huffman (@vet_tech101) March 30, 2015

Palm oil is used in so many products that we need to focus our attention of the companies in general and not the individual products.

— Jamie Huffman (@vet_tech101) March 30, 2015

Companies need to be aware of sustainable sources for palm oil.

— Jamie Huffman (@vet_tech101) March 30, 2015

The burning of palm oil trees is becoming a major source of greenhouse gasses.

— Jamie Huffman (@vet_tech101) March 30, 2015

Palm oil is destroying the natural habitat for so many animals!!

— Jamie Huffman (@vet_tech101) March 30, 2015

The topic I’ve chosen is fairly open and not overly controversial, although there are subtopics within it that do tend to be controversial. For example, there is currently a trend of “No Poo”- short for “No Shampoo” and people are choosing to replace their shampoo with other household products like Baking Soda and Vinegar. Personally, I’ve learned that professional shampoos are designed for your hair with a pH balance that matches that of your hair to keep it healthy and moisturized. I would never replace my shampoo for something like Baking Soda and Vinegar that will strip your hair of natural oils and seems extremely damaging. See this link for more info about “No Poo” and some healthier alternatives:

Does the “No ‘Poo Method” Damage Hair?

In regards to hair color trends, I found this article interesting about Balayage and it’s transition into popularity:

http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/blogs/545771/so-what-exactly-is-balayage-why-do-we-love-it.html

Here’s an example of a natural toned Balayage:

Tweets:

https://twitter.com/Emily_Field2/status/582710210910814208

https://twitter.com/Emily_Field2/status/582710340330242048

https://twitter.com/Emily_Field2/status/582710594161119232

https://twitter.com/Emily_Field2/status/582710987440029697

https://twitter.com/Emily_Field2/status/582711348749971456

One big topic and issue right now is body image. While some people are pounding weights at the gym and eating the nutrients their bodies need, some people are beginning to look at alternative ways to contour their bodies, such as body wraps or weight loss shakes or pills. All in all, people are trying to shape their bodies to have them the way they want, however which ways work and which ways “work?” Which ways are actually healthier and which ways are just short cuts that shouldn’t be considered or spent time wasting?

Links
YouTube
Vimeo

Tweet Links:
Tweet 1
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Tweet 5

We’ve all seen the horrors of animal mills, diseased chickens with broken legs, featherless and dying. Many of us still enjoy eating meat, despite the unhealthy medicated and hormone-infused production. Raising your own is really not difficult at all, and you have all the control for their health. Even a small flock of five or less will keep you in eggs for very little cost. And you will enjoy knowing your food had a great life prior to your plate. There are also many different breeds that are just gorgeous, bright shiny feathers, long feathers, even half bald if you choose.

More info:

How to Raise Backyard Chickens

http://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Didyawanna/status/582578553583087616
https://twitter.com/Didyawanna/status/582580464285700096
https://twitter.com/Didyawanna/status/582584720132714496
https://twitter.com/Didyawanna/status/582585628711243776
https://twitter.com/Didyawanna/status/582592637644861440

For my capstone project I plan on expanding on my breed specific legislation info graphic project. Through this project I want to go in depth on why breed specific legislation is bad as well as how many beautiful dogs it effects. Through my project I will show how breed specific legislation has a huge impact on shelters around the United States, as well as how many families are effected personally. I will use my Breed Specific Legislation info graphic as one of my media options. As for my second media option I plan on making a video mash up of specific rules and regulations that go hand in hand with Breed specific legislation guidelines.
I feel that it is important for people to know that discrimination doesn’t stop with people, but it also effects different breeds of dogs. I think that if people were educated about breed specific legislation that we can end discrimination against certain dog breeds. In my opinion we are blaming the wrong end of the leash. Hopefully by the end of this project I will not be the only person that feels this way.

A good portion of the population in the United States has been a victim of or culprit to cyberbullying. This problem has been found across many social networking platforms, but content on Twitter tends to go viral faster. People have attempted to counter this by using public shaming as a way to deter the offender posting abusive content. Since we cannot force platforms, such as Twitter, to police the matter or restrict people’s freedom of speech something else must be done. A potentially better way of taking a preemptive strike would be to give secondary and primary school children a course on what is acceptable (and why) on social media, primarily Twitter. This might help them make well informed decisions about it later in life.

More Information:
Mashables- Unacceptable Things to post
Business Times- What Employers look at

Twitter:
Tweet 1
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Tweet 4
Tweet 5

The health care provided by the Veterans Affairs has been under scrutiny for some time now, and it is commonly associated with poor and inefficient service.  Veterans are going anywhere from six months to two years or more just to get an appointment, let alone be compensated or treated accordingly.  Even once these Veterans are being treated, the care is poorly executed and frequently ineffective.  This leads many veterans to seek self-medication through illegal drugs as well as high rates of veteran suicide.

Veteran care needs to be completely overhauled and reconsidered.  Most VA programs are complicated and unknown to veterans, with many programs having specific time frames to act on that most veterans are not aware of.  A large amount of these programs are only usable immediately around the end of active service time frame, which is already an immersive and stressful time for veterans as they adjust back to civilian life.  Many programs such as the Wounded Warrior Program are out there doing great work and truly reaching out to active military as well as veterans.  If smaller, donation driven programs can provide excellent care, why cannot the massively funded Veterans Affairs system do so as well?

More info:

• Washington Post
• Public Integrity

Twitter Links:

• Post 1
• Post 2
• Post 3
• Post 4
• Post 5

What I plan on doing for my capstone project is the evolution of Batman as a social icon. There are many forms of Batman that have evolved over time and he has fit in with the culture going back as far as sixty years ago. He has encountered cultural icons good and evil such as Hitler, Predator, and even Robin Hood. The many lives of Batman has gone from him protecting Gotham to fighting in the war. Batman has also evolved in his rules, as before he would be able to kill criminals but now he has one rule which is not to kill anyone. He is the most popular super hero of all time and with no real super powers is an icon to this day with kids and adults all over.

I plan on using Adobe Premier to make a video of the evolution of Batman. I will have small movie clips of the Batman series from over time as well as interviews from Comic Book lovers such as people who own local comic book stores in the Vancouver Portland Area. I will interview other people as well asking why they like Batman the best and who Batman is to them. Most people now a days say Christian Bale but Adam West is always another one. I will also be using Adobe Photoshop to make a collage of the different Batmans and Batman symbols. Make a Website I will have my video embedded with the Photoshop picture as well. I will have about 3 navigation’s on my website. One for the video, One for the collage and One with the “About Batman” quick narrative.