TEDxFIU Speakers and Innovative Shark Ideas!

For those who may remember, I recently perchased my ticket to go to this year’s TEDxFIU Reimagine Possible event! The tickets to which sold out in a matter of minutes, and I was able to get my hands on one. The ticket camp-out processes is one that I had never done before and provoked a family value-sized amount of anxiety. The sweat on my palms alone could have filled the Red Sea.

Words cannot describe how excited I am to go to my FIRST EVER TED talk. Seriously. Like, the words…I don’t have any.

At the time of purchasing my ticket, I didn’t actually know WHO was speaking at the TEDxFIU event, but nowww THE SPEAKERS HAVE JUST BEEN ANNOUNCED. 

SWEET SONS OF NEPTUNE I AM SO EXCITED.

Innovation and new ideas are something that everyone can use.

Even better is taking negative stigmas and turning them into positives.

Take for example, this supernatural shark phenomenon. So I don’t know if you’ve heard about Sharknado…but its basically showcasing the already feared shark as a diabolical, flying death machine. WHAT?

There’s also Ghost Shark, which I caught on the Sy-Fi channel… It’s about a shark so evil that it kills you after it’s already died. And yes, this shark also flies at you in the land.  Really???

What I’m trying to say is that if we are going to make sharks do stuff that they normally don’t do – why do we have to make their tasks things that are violent – and always flying?  Why not have sharks save the world?

TED has inspired me to reimagine new innovative ways that we can use sharks that relieves them from this flying death trap stigma.

I present to you, Shartato. This shark is half potato, and grows back its body parts – so infinite potatoes for the world to feast on!

I got another idea: Sharktenna. Sharktenna is a new, innovative way to improve your cellphone reception.

I know that I could definitely use this next invention: Shark.S.B. The USB that swims your way when you’ve lost your own USB or desperately need to back up some documents!

But lets think on a global scale, how about repairing our OZONE LAYER? Thanks to sharks, we can. Its a little idea that I call SHARKZONING.

I even have an idea to help local communities get more into physical fitness! Just institute the EXSHARKCISE program!

Help give scientists around the world a new perspective on their research, a shark’s perspective. That’s what the SHARKINEERING is for:

Is your government shut down because of irrational convoluted political drama? Send in the GOVERNMENT SHARKDOWN! All problems will be solved within hours, or no one leaves Washington alive.

So with that last one I seem to have failed at providing a non-violent representation of sharks…sorry. I think I’ve just made my whole argument invalid at this point.

Guess I’ll end it here.

What kind of shark innovation would you invent to better the world?

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Talk about Depression.

As a student nurse, I feel like I should really be mentioning a lot more posts about health promotion and awareness.

That’s why I’m going to do a Mental Health related post because its Mental Illness Awareness Week!

More specifically, today (October 10th) is National Depression Screening Day! So if you, or someone you know, has had an inkling that something is a bit off in their lives and that feeling doesn’t seem to resolve, there’s free screenings offered through the website “Help yourself. Help others.”

I’m not sure why there is such a stigma about depression, although no one can deny that it exists. People go through so much in their life times, its no wonder that the statistics for depression are so high.

I’d like to leave some of these statistics with you all so that you can become more aware of how problematic this health issue is, and why it needs to be talked about.

• 3 million men are affected by depression in the United States
• Men are 4 times as likely to die by suicide
• Women 18 to 45 years of age account for the largest proportion of people suffering from depression
• 10 percent to 15 percent of women experience a clinical depression during pregnancy or after the birth of a baby
• Latinos are more likely to present “somatic” symptoms of depression, like body aches and nervousness
• One out of four young adults will experience a depressive episode by age 24
• Suicide is the third leading cause of death for those aged 15-24 and the second leading cause of death of college students
• Depression affects more than 6.5 million of the 35 million Americans who are 65 years or older

The CDC has some more statistics and information about depression.

Depression can be caused by a variety or combination of different factors. No one chooses to be depressed. Start talking about it. Seek out resources about depression, especially those in your local community.

I recommend that you give Kevin Breel’s TED talk, “Confessions of a depressed comic” a listen as well.