Month: January 2016

cri du chat syndrome

childhood: the most innocent stage in a human’s life. Children should have the right play, the right to have fun, the right to receive proper education, the right to bond with friends and family, the right to determine their own future, the right to just be a child. We were all children, and we still are. But, that’s not how life works in the majority of the world. We are extremely lucky. In school we learn about the countries that can’t afford education, or work all day to provide for their families. This really hits home and is an extremely serious topic to talk about, but we don’t really know how life would be, if everything that we had got taken away. Our cellphones, those new Jordans you got, that hoverboard that you got for christmas, our daily meals plus snacks, our education, our homes, and even our families. Like they say, you really don’t know what you got till its gone. So today, we are going to walk in the shoes of a child labourer from the Philippines; who ironically might not even own shoes. But his fingers are worked raw, and his body is on the verge of breaking point. That’s the power of child labour in the mines of the Philippines.

Child labour is not a problem that we commonly have to deal with here in Canada. In British Columbia, workers must be 15 years old to work, in every area from industry to agriculture. Once you start working, there are certain time restrictions on the hours you get. Minimum wage is $10.20, although there is the option of overtime which could result in double time.

In this movie, you will learn all about child labour in the Philippines, and child labour in Britain during the Industrial Revolution. You will be educated on both topics, and you will learn why child labour is such a serious effect that can’t be stopped.

 

Aquino, Norman P. “Philippine Children Risk Lives Mining Gold, Rights Group Says.” Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 29 Sept. 2015. Web. 17 Jan. 2016.

Clow, Caitlin. “South East Asia Project.” Pinterest. Pinterest, 17 Jan. 2014. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.

Cranny, Michael William. “Triumph of Steam.” Crossroads: A Meeting of Nations. Scarborough, Ont.: Prentice Hall Ginn Canada, 1998. Print.

Del Col, Laura. “Child Labour.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Oct. 2015. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.

Eaton, Sam. “Philippines: Too Many Mouths?” Philippines: Too Many Mouths? Market Place, 23 Jan. 2012. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.

Edelijn, Gertjan. “The Industrial Revolution. Where Are We Now?” Linkedin. Linkedin, 31 Aug. 2014. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.

Editor, BMI Online. “Philippines to Curb Worst Forms of Child Labor.” Balitacom. Balita, 5 Apr. 2011. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.

Fitzgerald, Rachel. “The Industrial Revolution – Human Rights.” The Industrial Revolution – Human Rights. Google Sites, 21 May 2013. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.

Kippenberg, Juliane. “”What … If Something Went Wrong?” | Human Rights Watch.” Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch, 29 Sept. 2015. Web. 16 Jan. 2016.

Lone, Stewart. “Flag of the Philippines.” Wikipedia.org. Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia, 12 Jan. 2016. Web. 16 Jan. 2016.

MacDiarmid, Peter. “40 of the Best News Shots | Photos.” Newcastle Herald. Newcastle, 31 Dec. 2014. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.

“Multimedia Download Centre.” ILO. International Labour Organization, 12 June 2014. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.

Nowak, Geralt. “Shocking Photographs of Child Labour In Philippine Gold Mine – Best of Web Shrine.” Best of Web Shrine. Best of Web Shrine, 11 Sept. 2015. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.

Price, Larry C. “Philippines: Child Labor and Gold Mining.” Pulitzer Center. Pulitzer Center, 7 Nov. 2012. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.

Price, Larry C. “The Philippines: Risking Lives for Gold.” Pulitzer Center. Pulitzer Center, 15 Nov. 2012. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.

Reed, Lawrence W. “Child Labor and the British Industrial Revolution | Lawrence W. Reed.” FEE Freeman Article. Foundation for Economic Education, 23 Oct. 2009. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.

Saludes, Mark Z. “Report Condemns Child Labour in Philippine Gold Mines.” – Al Jazeera English. Al Jazeera, 1 Oct. 2015. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.

Scruton, Roger. “England.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Jan. 2016. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.

Thatcher, Wade. “Child Labor During the English Industrial Revolution.” Child Labor during the Industrial Revolution. Wade Thatcher, 2009. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.

The Children Risking Their Lives In Underwater Gold Mines. Dir. Evan Williams and Georgina Davies. Perf. Joshua. Journeyman Pictures, 2015. Film.

 

Mutant Genes in Ambras Syndrome
Yes, I am the gene that caused Melissa to have Ambras syndrome. Melissa functions completely normally, but she has a very different appearance than the average human. This is because she is abnormally hairy. Ambras syndrome (aka hypertrichosis or werewolf syndrome) is an extremely rare gene mutation that causes excessive hair growth. Her mutation is genetic, and her father had Ambras syndrome as well. Melissa has two brothers, but neither of them were diagnosed. A father can only pass off his mutation to his daughters, and never the sons. I am located inside her body, near a section of her X chromosomes. I grow on the short arm of chromosome 8. Some people who are diagnosed with Ambras Syndrome receive abnormal hair growth later in life, but Melissa’s situation is congenital. Her case is generalized, meaning that it occurs over her whole body.
Ambras syndrome can unfortunately not be cured. You are given the option of laser hair removal, although it would result in major scaring. Ambras syndrome can be acquired later in life, and in some cases is found to be a side effect of chemotherapy. Ambras has also been found to be a quite common side effect of cyclosporine, and the majority of children using this drug will experience hypertrichosis to some extent. The cause to Ambras syndrome is unfortunately still unknown. In a genetic case, Ambras syndrome is obviously passed on from the parents, and most acquired cases are believed to be caused from later stages of cancer.
Melissa is a crucial part of my life, because, well, I wouldn’t be informing you today if it weren’t for her. I must say, the girl’s a trooper. She has gone through some pretty tough situations and is still able to succeed in life. School has been awfully difficult for her, because she has had to face some bullies. She is in the eleventh grade now, and is very smart. In the sixth grade she actually dropped out of public school and became home schooled, but last year she decided to break out of her shell and conquer public school once again. Walking around in public can get frustrating for Melissa. Whether she is walking around the mall or the beach, she will always get weird looks from strangers. She will always get young children asking what is wrong with her, and she will always hear those stupid and annoying jokes that she has heard a million times, over and over again. She plans on becoming an entrepreneur, and running her own company where she takes hair and makes wigs for cancer patients. All through her life she will have to deal with her differences from everyone else, but thats okay. Thats just the life of Melissa.

What questions did you need to research in order to create your mutation story?
What causes hypertrichosis?
Can hypertrichosis be passed on by either parent?
How do you treat hypertrichosis?
Is hypertrichosis common?
Where is hypertrichosis located?
Is hypertrichosis something that you are born with?
Is hypertrichosis a side effect of any diseases?
What are the symptoms of hypertrichosis?
Can hypertrichosis appear among animals?
What new or familiar digital tools did you try to use as you worked through this project?
I went on youtube and watched documentaries about people who actually have this mutation, so I get a more visual and in depth description on what life is like with hypertrichosis.
3. What was the process you used to investigate the topic?
I first wrote down all of the questions that I thought may be useful for me to discover. Then I searched them up one by one, while taking notes so that I could later write a story. After that I created an outline for my story, and then I finally put it all together.
4. How did you verify and cite the information you found?
I would search up each question that I had, and then I referenced it to a few others to make sure the information was accurate. Then I would take the website that I used to collect my information and copy the URL so there is an easy link for anyone to check it out.
5. How did the process of completing this challenge go? What could you have done better?
The challenge went well, and I am proud of the work that I have done. Next time I could work on digging deeper in my information, and trying to brainstorm possible causes.

http://www.dermnetnz.org/hair-nails-sweat/hypertrichosis.html
http://www.classkids.org/prednisone.html
http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/the-werewolf-syndrome-hypertrichosis/

http://www.primehealthchannel.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Hypertrichosis-Images.jpg

Today we made bracelets out of codes of a word that describes us. My word was ‘hyper’

 

 

 

 

Today we created edible DNA models.

 

 

Today we put the cells from our cheek under a microscope, along with some methyl blue stain.