We need to talk about an INJUSTICE

   "To this day, I have not touched an ounce of alcohol" spoke Bryan Stevenson on the stage of TED. Blending personal stories and real-word problems, Stevenson crafted one of the most inspiring and thought-provoking TED talks that I have ever seen. He begins by talking about the value of identity. He explains that when ideas come through TED, people regard these ideas with greater value. With that in mind, he launches into a personal story of his grandmother and his own promise to her to never drink alcohol, a promise he still has not broken to this day. Chuckling here and there, he speaks of this story until he reaches a point when he starts talking abou the criminal justice system. Apparently, the US housed only 30,000 prisoners forty years ago but now houses 2.3 million. He moves on to speak about issues such as the death row, and how blacks are convicted much more often than others, but most importantly of how we as citizens do not take action. He goes on to blend stories of when he knew Rosa Parks herself, and his own work in courts against such inequalities between blacks and others.
Stevenaon's talk shows us that our criminal justice is flawed, and that we as citizens cannot just sit around and do nothing to assess these problems. We must take action, as he and Rosa Parks have done, to help change these inequalities and issues. Personally, I believe that we should abolish the death penalty, and I am well aware that people will argue with me  about this issue. In addition, I believe that the perceptions of blacks and favoritism towards people of other religions must end. Nevertheless, regardless of my personal beliefs, this TED talk is a must see for anyone.

Watch this to see what we should change in Anerica to make it a better and safer place to live.

Click here to watch the talk

Strawberry DNA Extraction

Strawberry DNA Extraction

I found this experiment to be very interesting because it gave us an opportunity to view DNA in its actual form, since the book we've been study has painted a somewhat abstract picture in my head about it.

The main chemical that we used in this lab was a DNA extraction buffer, and we made this before using the strawberries. It was composed of a mixture of dish-washing detergent, water, and salt. Its purpose was to break down the fatty membranes and the nuclear membranes of cells, and to break apart DNA from proteins.

measuring salt for the buffer

Once our buffer was formed, my lab partners and I managed to break apart the cells by inserting the strawberry into a bag and crushing it. Soon after, the juice leaked out into the vial that we had placed under it.

crushing strawberry cells

Finally, we mixed the vial of strawberry juice with our buffer, and watched as a clump of white-colored DNA floated to the top. The buffer had broken down the membranes of the strawberry cells, and separated the DNA from the proteins it was bonded to. We had isolated the DNA.

DNA (in white clump)

mixing the juice with the buffer

DNA clumps at the top of the vial