Chocolate Lovers of The World

I love chocolate!!! I enjoy eating it in cake, drinks, and all different types of deserts. In my opinion chocolate makes everything taste better. My topic for my inquiry project is what the “real” effects of chocolate are. Specifically, I want to know what the negative and positive effects of eating chocolate are. In addition, I want to look at what are the different and interesting combinations of chocolate around the world.
Looking at different websites of chocolate I found that some of the effects of chocolate are the following:
• eating chocolate releases endorphins in the brain, which act as pain-relievers,
• eating chocolate boosts one's appetite, but does not cause weight gain,
• the sugar in chocolate may reduce stress and have a calming and pain relieving effect,
• eating chocolate does not give someone acne or other skin eruptions,
• eating chocolate does not trigger migraine headaches,
• eating moderate amounts of chocolate makes one live almost a year longer,
• eating chocolate reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer.

I found that information in the following link: http://www.acu-cell.com/choc.html
Other information about the effects and research on chocolate can also be found on that link. The site provided real insight of the effects of chocolate that many believe true but have proven not to be. Specifically, these facts are supported by unprocessed chocolate. Once chocolate is processed, such as, milk chocolate then other ingredients added which can add the secondary effects of chocolate. Many of us eat milk chocolate, which is why we have all these believe of what chocolate can do to people.

At this point I want to find what other studies have been conducted on chocolate and I need
To move forward with the second part of m inquiry which is to find interesting combinations of Chocolate with other foods? For example, I have always heard of "mole" which comes from Mexico. Mole is a Mexican recipe that includes chocolate and poultry. Also, Mexico is the place where chocolate was invented. Chocolate was the welcoming food given to the Spaniards from the Aztecs before the Spaniards decided to take over the civilization.
Hershey’s is one of the leading chocolate makers in the United States. As I went to their website I was able to go on a virtual tour of the entire process of how chocolate is made.
http://www.hersheys.com/discover/tour_video.asp I learned that making chocolate is actually an international process. The cocoa bean only comes from tropical climates. Even though the website explains the entire process of how to make chocolate I wonder what are the ingredients that are not mentioned that make milk chocolate to have more side effects of unprocessed chocolate.

Listen to this song and watch the video along with it from Charlie and Chocolate Factory http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMIi5w2YlKY&feature=related

Getting your groove on while shopping

In recent weeks, I have been shopping for "back to school" clothes. Through the course of my retail therapy, I have found myself spending WAY too long in many of these stores. In addtion to sales and my love of shopping, the music they play keeps me so engaged and I find myself wanting to stay in the stores, and spending money, for longer than necessary. Often I find myself looking like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fsbpZjkqT8) or this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaOoeiTXPJc). I have a feeling many other people have found themselves lip syncing, singing and dancing to the tracks played in retail stores. Therefore, the topic of my inquiry project deals with the music played in shopping/retails stores.

So far in my inquiry project, I have a few questions. 1) Who designs/where are the megamixes designed? 2) Do the music choices have a specific purpose? Are music choices designed to increase purchasing? Or are they used simply for enjoyment?

At this stage in completing this inquiry project, lucky me, I have been able to do a lot of shopping. I have made observations in stores such as Forever 21( http://www.forever21.com/Default.asp?cookie%5Ftest=1), Express (http://www.express.com/home.jsp), and Ann Taylor Loft (http://www.anntaylorloft.com/home.jsp). I have noticed the types of music they play, the volume the music is played at, genres of music they play, the artists or specific songs they play and finally how people react to the songs played. As the project continues I hope to gather resources through interviews. I hope to interview sales associates as well as customers to gather their knowledge, insights and opinions on my inquiry topic.

One thing that has posed a challenege is the lack of concrete researchable information. At this point, I have not found many blogs or published research on this topic. Throughout the course of this project, I will need to continue to find more information.

Because this topic is interesting and enjoybale to me, I am hoping it is to other people in my class. If anyone has any background knoweldge, experience or opinions on the music played in retail stores, I would LOVE to discuss it with you. So far, I have talked with classmates who have siblings or friends that work in retail. I have also spoken with classmates who LOVE to shop. If you fall into either of these categories, please come speak or shop with me :)

As discussed, I have found there is little information, espeically in blog format on my topic. At this point the "Daily DOOH" is the best blog I have found. This blog deals with "out of home audio". There is a really intersting history of music in retail stores, or as the author puts it, "audio retail choreography". http://www.dailydooh.com/archives/10124

This is another blog that deals with "royalty free" music. Because retails stores need to purchase or pay to play music in their stores, this blog discusses royalty free or "free" music that stores can play. It is great because it illustrated types of music, and artists which can be used for holidays or seasons (valentiens day, christmas, etc.) http://www.loopsound.com/blog/

Although not directly related to retail audio choreography, this blog allows people and artists to share music with one another. This is a great, and very popular blog. Similar to http://www.loopsound.com/, royaly free music is available. I feel this is a great way for people to get ideas as to what music they would like to play in their store.

Again, because I have had some difficulties finding blogs, if anyone has information on this topic please feel free to share it with me. I feel fellow shoppers will be a great resource in my inquiry!

Me and My Clutter

My inquiry project deals with my clutter problem. I found a great blog/site, clutterdiet.com. http://www.clutterdietblog.com/ This site has been an incredible resource. I found out that clutter problems are similar to diet/weight problems-something else I know too well. That, alone, has been a revelation to me. And it has helped me understand my behaviors. Resolving to finally understand and do something about my clutter issues, I read a lot of the information on this blog and posted to it. Maybe someone who shares this problem could give me insights.

I am exploring the following questions for my inquiry:
1. What, exactly, are my cluttering habits?
2. Why do I do it? What do I get out of it?
3. How does this affect the other people in my life?
4. Who influenced me to become a clutterer?
5. What steps can I take to resolve this problem?

I am exploring these questions in no special order-I am finding that they all bleed together-much like the mess that is my closet.

I explored another site, www.disposophobia.com. "Disposophobia" is a term they coined, describing someone who is overly attatched to their possessions, sometimes needing to get outside storage to keep it in. That's me. This site is put out by a company called Disaster Masters. They are professional organizers, who deal with people who are extreme hoarders. The company is run by Robert Alford. He speaks on a video titled "Help Someone I Know With Disposophobia. There is a link to it on the disposophobia site. But it can be found on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEegrSpfLtM. He sits in the middle of extreme clutter, talking about clutter habits. He says that people can't make a hoarder stop; therapy and drugs don't work. In fact prodding, theraby or drugs can make things worse. Looking at the images in the film and on the website, I realize that I am nowhere near as bad as some of these people. But it has been very unsettling to watch. What does Robert Alford suggest? His company can help. Call 1-800-THE PLAN. For a fee, his company will send a project manager to help deal with the clutter, get the person organized, and provide help and support for the person, so that they can control their cluttering/hoarding. I mean, their "disposophobia."

I also watched "Help! I'm A Hoarder, Part 1 from TLC, on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daKsMsa8YAc. I felt this was a "don't let this happen to you" moment. I know people say, "Oh, that could never happen to me..." But many of theos are just whom it happens to. It scared me. (Note: I tried pasting the URL directly from my computer, but was prevented by the site, so I copied it on paper and typed it in.)

I have interviewed 2 people-my partner, whom I live with, and a psychologist friend of mine. Tomorrow, I plan to interview the two people who share my office. I photographed some of the accumulation cluttering my apartment. Correction: MY accumulation. I have to upload the pix to the computer. I will be photographing my office space and a possible solution as I go along.
I have gotten an on-line book sent to me, which I haven't read yet, about this. It's called, 30 Ways to Find Time to Get Organized, put out by the clutterdiet people.

I have noticed that I accumulate things I really belive I have to have. I have to look into this more. I am being confronted by how my clutter is affecting other people. I don't mean to be inconsiderate or annoying, but this is not just my problem-it affects others. I think that understanding this will not only give me new insights and make me an easier person to share space with, but it will make me a better teacher. My making meaning of this can lead to my being able to steer my students to unclutter their thinking and communication skills so that they can utilize them more efficiently to make sense of their world/s

Jaywalking: Reckless Pedestrian Crossing!

As a NYC driver, I experience all facets of NYC traffic. But the most frustrating aspect of driving in New York is the 'jaywalkers'. You know who they are perhaps you are one of them, crossing the street when the street sign blinks a red man indicating that you can't walk but you do it anyway because getting to your destination is far more important than your life. New York City states that pedestrians always have the right-a-way, however, some pedestrians abuse this right and really disrupt the flow of traffic and the driver who also have a destination to get to.

Therefore, as a driver I want to explore why people jaywalk in New York, this law was established to protect pedestrians from moving traffic but yet there are pedestrians who risk there lives by not walking on the crosswalk. I also will like to explore why this law is not enforced through out all of New York City, I've seen police officers present when people had jaywalked during traffic and they were not stopped or ticketed. As a driver I have experienced people running in front of my car without looking causing me to stop short and having my heart pound heavily on my chest in fear that I almost hit the person. This is an experience I have nearly everyday that I drive and I can never get use to it.

As a result, I intend to do extensive research on jaywalking laws in New York City and how they are enforced. I will also do a survey on everyday New Yorkers to find out their views on jaywalking and whether they ever jaywalked. This inquiry will help me gain further insight as to the laws established to protect the drivers and pedestrians who must share the streets of New York City.

In order, to proceed with this inquiry I must review the two sides of the issue the pedestrians who consider jaywalking laws to strict and the others who feel that these laws should be more enforced. Below are links to other blogs and/or website that will inform me throughout my inquiry:


http://http//www.transterrestrial.com/archives/2008/05/are_antijaywalk.html
This blog states the opinions of pedestrians and jaywalking laws in New York and other states.
http://http//www.huffingtonpost.com/nicholas-stephanopoulos/beating-the-jaywalking-ra_b_111053.html
Nicolas Stephanopoulas is a attorney in Washington D.C. who discusses legal issues and his experiences with the issues. He wrote a piece on jaywalking on the www.huffingtonpost.com.
http://http//www.hyperorg.com/blogger/mtarchive/004259.html
Though brief I got some opinions from bloggers in other states about the jaywalking laws and whether they are enforced or not.

Though this video is a mockumentary on jaywalking I thought it touches upon the real life incidents that occur when pedestrians jaywalk. This video demonstrates the reasons why people should not jaywalk.

LisaSimon's Bookmarks on Delicious

LisaSimon's Bookmarks on Delicious

Do NYC bridges move?

I have always been very curious about NYC bridges and tunnels. I’ve always been curious as to how they were built, when they were constructed and how safe they really are. One day while crossing over the Manhattan Bridge; I thought to myself “how secure is this bridge”. I saw trains, heavy traffic, bikes and people walking on it. If bridges constantly move from side to side to help keep there balance, how can we believe that this is a secure way of transportation. My focus is to find answers to the following questions, Do NYC Bridges move? and How safe are NYC bridges?



There are several things that I am doing to reach the answers to my questions. Mainly I’ve been focusing on researching things on the internet on what other people believe and what engineers have to say on the subject. At the same time I’ve been looking closely at the patterns on the bridges. I believe this similarity can lead me to a more unanimous answer.

My next steps for this inquiry is to interview people that bike, drive and walk constantly on any of NYC’s bridges. I’ll ask them about how safe they feel going over these bridges? Have they seen anything uncommon during there ride? Do they believe that NYC bridges move and/or why? At the same time I want to obtain information from experts on the field; by looking for answers given by engineers and officials of NYC safety.


I found several sources that are relevant to my inquiry process. While doing some research online I came across this video that shows how in one minute and fifty-eight seconds how the Manhattan Bridge sways up and down because of the heavy traffic. See it yourself and than decide whether or not you will go over this bridge again?



While looking at this video, I found a response for the swaying of the bridge given by a Columbia University Engineer.



I also found this Blog that discusses the issues that has been raised after looking into this video

http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/07/28/the-swaying-manhattan-bridge/

On the New York City Department of Transportation website we are also able to find more concrete information as to how the bridges were built, rehabilitation or reconstructions that are being done on the bridges.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bridges/bridges.shtml

Now I am curious to know how safe is my daily commute over the Williamsburg bridge?

The Wonderful World of Public Transportation

Have you ever wondered why some people are vehemently against the use of mass transit and while for others it is their only means of transportation? Well I did and that is why I have started an inquiry about just that; why some people will never take mass transit and why for others it is their only means of travel specifically when they don't have to. Being a New Yorker, I am totally for mass transit. I do not own a car and I don't have the urgency to get one when I am in a city surrounded by buses and trains that I can take instead. I get around town mostly through the use of the subway system. From where I live on the border of Brooklyn and Queens, for me, the subway is the fastest and simplest means of travel into Manhattan. It takes 20 minutes on the L to get to 14th Street. It takes 50 minutes to get from my stop on the L to 137th Street and Amsterdam Avenue with the use of only 1 transfer. In my opinion, this beats the street traffic, the hassle for trying to find parking, the worry of my car getting stolen, ticketed, or vandalized, the cost of gas and the cost of maintenance just to name a few.

Is the NYC MTA the best means of travel?

For some, the answer is NO! Some New Yorkers say that the wait time for trains, the noise, cleanliness and the crowding are enough to keep them away from mass transit. While I agree with them on this point, that indeed it is frustrating having to wait for trains and fight for a seat, I would much rather do that than have to get stuck in traffic behind the wheel of a car. Instead, I sit back and let the conductor worry about driving while I do other things. Personally, I find the train to be a very productive means of getting things done for the most part. Whether it is reading a book, doing homework, grading papers, or listening to my Ipod, I am usually always making use of my travel time.

Throughout my inquiry, I have read articles dealing with why people take mass transit and why some do not. One in particular that I found interesting was written by a blogger named Lisa Newton from Los Angeles. http://www.travelinlocal.com/10-reasons-to-use-mass-transit/ Lisa provides her reader with 10 good reasons why people use mass transit. She lists them as: " 1. Getting to be outside, walking, in touch with your local environment 2. While waiting for the bus, you can talk with clients, friends, and family uncluttered by having a steering wheel glued to your hands. 3. Read a book, magazine, or even a Kindle. 4. Save time because many buses have their own bus lane. Plus, if you’re stuck in traffic, it’s much more relaxing to sit back and let someone else do the driving. 5. Save money—Just think, no parking fees, no meters, no high gas prices, and less wear and tear on your car. 6. It’s easy – with a monthly Btap card. 7. The opportunity to be independent and free. 8. Added time to work or play on your laptop; or to just relax and daydream. 9. To save the planet by reducing carbon emissions, reducing pollution, and reducing smog 10. Set an example for others in your community".

I agree with Lisa's reasons behind why people use mass transit and I have had very similar experiences that she has while taking bus trips around NYC. I think that she has some very valuable points that not only apply to LA but also to NYC. Lisa talks about the comfort she has with sitting back and relaxing on the bus. She also mentions that she gets a lot of work done on her trips as well. As she walks her reader through her journey on the public transit she touches upon some of the very same reasons that I take the buses and trains in NYC. I think her blog is worth visiting for some insight.

Another source of pretty accurate information in reference to the the NYC subways is provided by NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign. http://www.straphangers.org/statesub09/ Here the NYPIRG provides the state of the subways report card for 2009. Every year this organization puts out a report card for the best and worst subway lines in the city. They rate the lines based on their findings of what New Yorkers want which according to them is, "They want short waits, trains that arrive regularly, a chance for a seat, a clean car and understandable announcements that tell them what they need to know. That’s what MTA New York City Transit’s own polling of its riders shows". They go on to state their findings on each of the aforementioned criteria and then they explain how they came up with their statistics and their grading system. The part that I especially found interesting is that it voted the L train as being the worst line to get a seat on in the most congested part; whereas according to them, you have only a 24% chance of getting a seat. This is very accurate in my opinion. In fact, I could even tell you that, specifically, I feel the worst place to get a seat on the Brooklyn bound train during rush hour is at the Union Square station. The place that I see it getting the most congested on the Manhattan bound trains are Lorimer and Bedford which are the last two stops in Brooklyn before the train goes into Manhattan. Now don't get me wrong, it is congested all along the line during rush hour, but it is so congested that often by the time it gets to Bedford Ave., people have to wait for the next train and on occasion the train bypasses this station. The likelihood of finding a seat at that stop is VERY low during rush hour specifically in the morning.


Another interesting statistic that I found from this report is that the L was deemed number 1 in cleanliness. This too I will agree with because for the most part the L is clean when comparing it to other trains. Additionally, I agree with the idea of report cards being given out to the subway system and its lines. I think that is good to know that other people feel the same way that we riders do. Heck, if schools have to have quality reviews now why not the subways,right? Yes, that's all great but my question to the Straphangers organization is now what? What happens to the lines that fail? I mean if our school gets an F on the report card, the Board of Education comes down hard on us.

What does the MTA do if a line gets a bad report?



At this stage in my inquiry, I am interviewing people to find out why they do not take mass transit and why others do. While I know the majority of reasons why people do and do not take mass transit, I want to see some of the specifics. Particularly, I would like to know why people that live within the 5 boroughs; Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island, do or do not take public transportation. Specifically, some of the questions that I want answered are: Do you use mass transit? Why do you use mass transit? or Why don't you use mass transit? How do you get you work and/or school? How long is your trip to work and/or to school? Do you feel mass transit is an effective means of travel?


My next steps in my inquiry are to get answers to my surveys and begin to analyze the answers. I am also in the process of viewing interesting videos shot by New Yorkers in the WNYC's series Door to Door. Below are two videos from commuter's that document their trip to work using mass transit.


This is commuter Steven Jones from Cambria Heights:





This is commuter Ray McCarthy who takes the Yonkers ferry to work.