Post #14 - 5/13/09 28 Days Later

For a while now, a lot of people have been afraid of the so called "Swine Flu." Many doctors have already agreed that there is little to be worried about. There are those, of course, who see this as a global pandemic, (which "is an epidemic of infectious disease that spreads through populations across a large region; for instance a continent, or even worldwide") that will claim the lives of many. I, however, see it as a normal flu virus.

This whole "epidemic" reminds me of a movie called "28 Days Later," which has a story that "depicts the breakdown of society following the accidental release of a highly contagious virus and focuses upon the struggle of four survivors to cope with the ruination of the life they once knew." For some people, that sounds like the swine flu. In this movie, it isn't.

Here's a small piece of the plot: "Late one night, British animal rights activists break into the Cambridge Primate Research Facility to free chimpanzees being used for medical research. The local scientist warns the activists that the chimps are infected with something he only calls "Rage," but the activists disregard him and set a chimp free. It immediately attacks and infects the activists and scientist. 28 days later, a bicycle courier named Jim (Cillian Murphy) awakens from a coma in a deserted hospital. As he leaves the hospital, he discovers London is completely deserted and rife with signs of catastrophe. Jim is soon discovered and chased through the streets by infected people before being rescued by two survivors, Selena (Naomie Harris) and Mark (Noah Huntley), who rush him to their hideout in the London Underground. They reveal that while Jim was comatose, the virus spread uncontrollably among the populace, turning most people into vicious monsters ("the Infected") and resulting in societal collapse, possibly on a global scale."

Some people predicted that something like this could have happened if the swine flu was that serious, or if it mixed with the bird flu that happens to be a much deadlier version. Well, what do you think? Do you think the swine flu will ever become so deadly? Could a global pandemic like the one in this movie ever happen in the future? Feel free to share any thoughts below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28_Days_Later

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandemic

Post #13 - 5/5/09 "Desire"

If you've ever read A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, then you know that this word is of great significance throughout the book. I'm not going to spoil anything, but the characters in this play show various forms of desire. In this play, the prevalent meaning is

"...a sense of longing for a person or object or hoping for an outcome. The same sense is expressed by emotions such as "craving" or "hankering". When a person desires something or someone, their sense of longing is excited by the enjoyment or the thought of the item or person, and they want to take actions to obtain their goal."

Also, the motivational aspect of desire has long been noted by philosophers; Hobbes (1588 – 1679) asserted that human desire is the fundamental motivation of all human action.

That goes the same way for the story in this play. The character Blanche DuBois shows constant signs of desire for love and men as a way to escape her troubles. So, in fact, it correlates to the motivational aspect of desire in philosophy as stated above. It is the fundamental motivation for almost all of Blanches actions. She either constantly needs men, or money.

If my views on this are undoubtedly incorrect, please kindly say so. Otherwise, what does desire mean to you? How far can it go emotionally and/or mentally?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desire_(emotion)

Post #12 - 4/28/09 Got Benefits?

Earlier this week I had to write an essay about whether or not people help others simply to help themselves, which is what I like to call "self-beneficial," without mutual benefits or gains. I'm sure you've seen some examples of people using other people to accomplish their own selfish goals, turning the other person into a used, meaningless bystander.

Did you know that this can actually be a 'good' thing? I bet you didn't.

"...In the practice of Dhamma, even if one specifically looks to the benefit of other beings, the results that are most assured are those that arise within oneself. Thus it is said that by helping oneself one helps others, and by helping others one helps oneself. "

That is what the Buddhists believe. They believe that this cultivates virtue. After reading the story in the link below, I may be starting to agree with them. The practice of Dhamma is co-productive in that its effects extend to all beings.

What do you think? Is it possible to do good for others by helping yourself? Can helping someone to achieve their goals help you to achieve your own? Feel free to share any thoughts.

Link to story and more info:

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/9280/helping.htm

Post #11 - 4/21/09 Declaration of Independence

Yes, the good ol' Declaration of Independence. That crafty document that laid out the very foundation of the United States we know and love today. The phrase that rings in every American's head when they read it would most likely be:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Inspiring words, aren't they? I bet you didn't know that that isn't the only document with such words crying for independence. Yes, my fellow Americans, there is more than one type of Declaration of Independence, a different one for various states and countries. I bet you didn't know that there was a Texas Declaration of Independence, or a Romanian Declaration of Independence, did you? My point here is that the United States as a whole wasn't the only country to be subjugated by another country. Even some of its own states, and other countries shared a similar fate. Vietnam and the Philippines had one too.

If you know your history, then there's no need for me to explain what country was in control of another. I'm pretty sure that every state, country, town, village or colony that has been oppressed and/or subjugated has fought for independence and has their own Declaration.

What do you think? Should every free, independent nation have their own Declaration? Would doing so help the rest of the world clearly realize their rights to independence? Feel free to share any thoughts below.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_independence

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence

Post #10 - 3/31/09 Your Cerebral Cortex

Interesting image, eh? The cerebral cortex is actually the outer portion of your cerebrum, or anterior portion of your forebrain that determines intelligence and personality. It is also divided into the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes. (More of that info can be found here: http://biology.about.com/library/organs/brain/blcortex.htm) Enough of the science, let's get to a more interesting conversation on this, shall we?

Since the cerebral cortex "plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language and consciousness," imagine yourself without one. Yeah, that's right, you would literally be a mindless zombie without the cerebral cortex, and not the flesh-eating type either. The cortex is basically where brain sends its waves to make your body work. This is why we see all those subtle nuances in different people and the way they talk, react and remember things.

In other words, like a zombie, you would be unable to react normally if you lacked a cerebral cortex or had a messed up one. You would practically be brain dead, unconscious, or...dead. My point here is that the brain and its cerebral cortex are more important than you think. Not having one is like walking around in public naked and not even wondering why you didn't put any clothes on. The cerebral cortex is the prime tool in human functionality. That, my friends, is what you should understand.

So what are your thoughts? Do you think the cerebral cortex is the 'prime' tool of human functionality? What do you think a lack of a cerebral cortex would do for you and/or to you? Feel free to comment.

More on the cerebral cortex: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_cortex

Post #9 - 3/24/09 Top Secret Torture

Based on what I have read from the latest newsweek, the torture methods used by the CIA during the Bush administration were quite horrific. From what I already know, torture is a common means of interrogation used by specialists such as the CIA. But just how far does that torture go? The torture memos will soon be declassified and we will all find out...

Apparently the bush administration used "enhanced interrogation techniques" for "high value" detainees. The former head of the CIA was furious about disclosure of such sensitive matters. A senior Obama official described the memos as "ugly" and said that the memos could embarrass the CIA. I personally think that these should be released for public viewing just so we can see what has been going on behind the closed doors of Guantanamo and other possible interrogation/torture locations. It would give us that realized feeling of how America deals with terrorists and if we should continue such practices in the future.

So what do you think? Should terrorists be tortured so brutally? Should these memos be released to the public? Feel free to comment on this matter.

Link to the article: http://www.newsweek.com/id/190362

Post #8 - 3/17/09 The Amish Mantle

Here's what I read about in the latest newsweek...

What does this picture look like to you? No, it's not a sweatshop. These people aren't old pilgrims. They are Amish workers and they are making their signature "Amish HEAT SURGE miracle heaters." (Find out more about the Amish here: http://www.800padutch.com/amish.shtml)

What are these so-called "miracle heaters" you ask? Well, they are the new revolution of heaters. Not only do they save heat and lower your heating bills, but they also don't use real fire, so they are safe for children as well as reliable. They use what's called the 'Fireless Flame' patented technology that gives you the peaceful flicker of a real fire but without any flames, fumes, smells, ashes or mess. They don't require a chimney or vent. You just plug them in. HOW AWESOME IS THAT!!! You probably won't find a greater deal than this. (That's just my opinion.)

"Readers who beat the 48-hour order deadline are getting their imported hi-tech miracle heaters free when encased in the real Amish built solid wood fireplace mantles. The mantles are being handmade in the USA right in the heart of Amish country where they are beautifully hand-rubbed, stained and varnished." What would otherwise cost $249 is free if you call today! ...Guess what? NO SWEATSHOPS!!! So you know that these aren't being made by children in factories, just hard-working Amish folk who take pride in their craft.

Not only are these fireplaces safe and reliable, but they can also be decorative thanks to their great design. An added bonus is mobility because they have wheels under them. This may just be the greatest invention since the ShamWow. Modern technology and Amish people are great.

So, what's your opinion? Don't you think this is the greatest heating system ever invented? Even better and more useful than ShamWow? I think so. Oh, and by the way, the info on the heating system can be found at: http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/deal-discussion/786579

Order on today! The website is: http://www.amishfireplaces.com/
More info and other purchase website: http://www.heatsurge.com/

Post #7 - 3/10/09 The Watchmen

I read quite a bit about "The Watchmen" in a newsweek magazine and I have to say that I am really impressed. I haven't personally seen the movie, though despite the mentioned setbacks, I think it looks like a great film and may be well worth watching.

The movie was based on a comic back in the day about a group of vigilantes in 1985 where tensions heighten between the United States and Soviet Union. The vigilantes themselves are very interesting. They are: Nite Owl, Rorschach, The Silk Spectre, Doctor Manhattan, Ozymandias, and The Comedian. Each has a unique superpower which helps make the cast a memorable group of heroes over the course of the film. Their profiles can be found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409459/.

As for the reviews, they were mostly mixed, spanning great to horrible. Like the last hero movie, The Dark Knight, this movie was very long and lasted at least three hours. That was a major complaint. On the other hand, Newsweek states that "The 'Watchmen' novel is funny, gory, sexy, sleazy and heartbreaking. And for years it was considered unfilmable." The directors tried to reproduce an exact copy of the comic as hard as they could, and yes, they succeeded. One review claims that "The best and worst thing to say about the Watchmen film is that, if you read the book, the movie you made in your head probably looked a lot like this." That review can be found here: http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1883200,00.html

What do you think? Is it worth watching? Would it be able to match The Dark Knight's potential? I will see it this weekend to figure that out for myself, and I must say I am very excited and am looking forward to seeing what could be the best movie I have ever seen.

Post #6 - 3/2/09 "Nevermore"

Edgar Allan Poe...he is easily considered one of the best poets ever. His famous poem, "The Raven," was his best poem and became quite popular in the 19th century.

The word "nevermore" is used multiple times in the poem and adds an intriguing as well as a significant meaning to the poem. Apparently Poe tells us himself in his Philosophy of Composition why the word is frequently used.

"I had now gone so far as the conception of a Raven, the bird of ill-omen, monotonously repeating the one word "Nevermore" at the conclusion of each stanza in a poem of melancholy tone, and in length about one hundred lines. Now, never losing sight of the object- supremeness or perfection at all points, I asked myself- "Of all melancholy topics what, according to the universal understanding of mankind, is the most melancholy?" Death, was the obvious reply. "And when," I said, "is this most melancholy of topics most poetical?" From what I have already explained at some length the answer here also is obvious- "When it most closely allies itself to Beauty: the death then of a beautiful woman is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world, and equally is it beyond doubt that the lips best suited for such topic are those of a bereaved lover." I had now to combine the two ideas of a lover lamenting his deceased mistress and a Raven continuously repeating the word "Nevermore."

"I had to combine these, bearing in mind my design of varying at every turn the application of the word repeated, but the only intelligible mode of such combination is that of imagining the Raven employing the word in answer to the queries of the lover. And here it was that I saw at once the opportunity afforded for the effect on which I had been depending, that is to say, the effect of the variation of application. I saw that I could make the first query propounded by the lover- the first query to which the Raven should reply "Nevermore"- that I could make this first query a commonplace one, the second less so, the third still less, and so on, until at length the lover, startled from his original nonchalance by the melancholy character of the word itself, by its frequent repetition, and by a consideration of the ominous reputation of the fowl that uttered it, is at length excited to superstition, and wildly propounds queries of a far different character- queries whose solution he has passionately at heart- propounds them half in superstition and half in that species of despair which delights in self-torture- propounds them not altogether because he believes in the prophetic or demoniac character of the bird (which reason assures him is merely repeating a lesson learned by rote), but because he experiences a frenzied pleasure in so modelling his questions as to receive from the expected "Nevermore" the most delicious because the most intolerable of sorrows."

"Perceiving the opportunity thus afforded me, or, more strictly, thus forced upon me in the progress of the construction, I first established in my mind the climax or concluding query- that query to which "Nevermore" should be in the last place an answer- that query in reply to which this word "Nevermore" should involve the utmost conceivable amount of sorrow and despair."

The specific word choice Poe uses is indeed quite astounding. Feel free to share your thoughts on this masterpiece.

The link to his philosophy and word usage can be found here: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/poe/composition.html

Post #5 - 2/24/09 Horticultural

I had no idea that such a thing even existed. Horticultural can be defined as relating to the science or art of cultivating fruits, vegetables, flowers, and plants. I mean, I knew of botanists, but a science for cultivation? Not quite sensible if you ask me.

Upon closer inspection, this science is much more significant than you think.

"Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic engineering, plant biochemistry, and plant physiology. The work particularly involves fruits, berries, nuts, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs, and turf. Horticulturalists work to improve crop yield, quality,nutritional value, and resistance to insects, diseases, and environmental stresses."

Well? What do you think? Horticulture is a useful science after all and contributes to some of our human needs as well as deal with problems. Do you think this science is just as beneficial to mankind as something like genetics or astrology is?

More info on horticulture here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horticulture

Post #4 - 2/17/09 Socialists?

Well, here's something interesting I found from Newsweek...

While many of today's Americans are embracing the changes Obama is bringing to the government, there are just as many who loathe his ideas about government and fixing the economy. Almost all (or basically all) Republicans dislike Obama's stimulus plan; Republican Sean Hannity had this to say about it:

"It is...the European Socialist Act of 2009."

Apparently the America of 2009 is moving toward a modern European state. Some even compare Obama and his ways to the president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy.



The complaint here is that the president is doing too much spending in an already troubled economy as well as not focusing on job creation and wasting tax cuts on people who don't pay them. The taxes will basically amount to spending.

So what do you think? Is our government going in the right direction? Will the stimulus bill save America? Will Obama's promises be fulfilled? Are the two presidents similar in your view? Feel free to comment on these issues.

More info on the stimulus and Sarkozy on these links:

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/106490/Stimulus-101-What%27s-in-the-Bills

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Sarkozy#Presidency

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3673102.stm

Post #3 - 2/9/09 Redemption

Redemption is a term used when we want to supposedly avenge or redeem ourselves for something we did wrong. Still, we don't always have to redeem ourselves for doing bad things, do we?

I believe that we can redeem ourselves from mistakes in many other things, such as our grades, sports, or any other opportunity we have to make a mistake. Redemption isn't even just about redeeming ourselves.

There are other definitions such as "Recovery of something pawned or mortgaged."

Another definition is "The payment of an obligation, as a government's payment of the value of its bonds."

"Deliverance upon payment of ransom; rescue."

The religious definition of redemption actually has to do with what I stated earlier, redeeming yourself or others from bad things, which is "Salvation from sin through Jesus's sacrifice."

If you think for a moment, there are actually many other forms of redemption. What others can you think of? What other things or opportunities can we redeem ourselves for?

Link - http://www.answers.com/topic/redemption

Post #2 - 2/2/09 Echoes Down the Corridor

If you've ever read The Crucible by Arthur Miller, then you know that Echoes Down the Corridor is the epilogue for the book. If you have not read this book, then I suggest that you do because it is an interesting as well as controversial story.

In this particular epilogue, it is stated that "Certain farms which had belonged to victims were left to ruin, and for more than a century no one would buy them or live on them." This to me is interesting because most of the victims were accused of witchcraft and sentenced to hang.

Do you suppose that people really believed that the victims were really witches and did not want cursed land? Or rather, do you think that people were sorry for accusing these victims of being witches and did not want to buy the land or they would be haunted by vengeful spirits?

You can read the rest if you're interested in The Crucible by Arthur Miller after the last page of Act Four.

Post #1 - 1/23/09 The Inauguration of President Barack Obama

I belive that this inauguration has, in a way, changed politics. Now the world will remember this historic event and the legacy it will leave behind. It has attracted so much attention since Obama became the president.

"An estimated 1.8 million people attended the 2009 Inauguration, a record breaking number for any event in the nation’s capitol... With such a huge turnout, there were many security and transportation challenges. Overall, the event ran smoothly. However, some areas were so congested that people could not move. Thousands of people who had tickets to the swearing-in ceremony could not get there in time." (The full article can be found at http://dc.about.com/od/specialevents/a/Inauguration.htm)

Would you not agree that this event was one of the biggest so far this year in terms of politics and possibly in history? Feel free to share your thoughts.