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Rotunda blog

When presented with the opportunity to educate the population of our school on any social issue, I immediately knew that I wanted to discuss processed foods. From a young age, I've known that there was something bad about processed foods, because my mom's nutritionist had cautioned her to steer clear of "foods" that came in bars, bags, or boxes.  Yes, that includes your "healthy" granola bar and my "strengthening" Quest Bar.  For many people, this is a baffling notion, because consuming products that are packaged in this manner has become the norm in our society.  However, we often fail to step back, look at the big picture, and reevaluate what exactly we are putting into our bodies.

The purpose of eating is to provide our bodies with various macronutrients that are broken down and used as energy sources.  Still, most processed-food companies are not interested in efficient energy storage and release.  Instead, they combine various chemicals and artificial substances in order to trick our brains into wanting more, which ultimately increases their profits.  For example, many companies in the  processed food industry play with the principle of "sensory-specific satiety."Big distinct flavors overwhelm the brain, which then depresses the desire to have more.  Knowing this, companies will create complex formulas that pique your taste buds just enough, without overwhelming them, thereby overriding your brain's inclination to say "enough."  

It seems that recently there are thousands of articles on the internet about various substances that are claimed to cause cancer.  Personally, and I speak without much knowledge on this specific subject, I feel that the ambiguity of the conversation about cancer can be at least partially attributed to the consumption and usage of all these synthetic products.  Human organisms are made up of organic substances that occur naturally on the Earth, so it makes sense that we are "designed" to run on fuel that is also organic in nature.  When we choose to consume manufactured and processed foods, there is a good chance that our bodies will respond negatively in one way or another.

I usually try to eat a healthy and nutritious diet, but am included amongst the millions of people who eat processed foods.  We are all human, and will all fall prey to the processed food industries tricks and trades.  However, it is important to have a basic understanding of the science that is being utilized for manipulation of the masses.  It would be very beneficial for everyone to follow a diet that is at least 90% whole foods and 10% processed.   

Rotunda Response

According to a recent Gallup survey, the number 1 issue in America today is not marijuana legalization, it is not immigration, nor is it homosexual rights. No, the one thing Americans take the greatest umbrage in is the American government. Our government has been perhaps the least effective in it's young history than it has ever been. The country faced a catastrophic shutdown in the wake of our politicians' petty bickering. No major laws have been passed, however hundreds have been blocked. Why is it that we elect these representatives who don't seem to represent us at all?

Rotunda Response

One project that stood out to me the most was Anthony DeFeo's video on Health care. I would say that it shocked me how little teenagers seem to know about health care, however I feel like I learned more through his five minute video than i did in my four years of high school.

Through out my high school career i have learned tons of things from the quadratic formula to the purpose of a zeugma.  But never have I learned about health care, health insurance (or any type of insurance for that matter), or even how to pay taxes. We would think that in a place where they claim to be preparing us for the real world they would be teaching us at least some of these things. It boggles my mind how little we actually know about the world around us and how to survive.

Something i would suggest doing to improve our knowledge on these things is to implement a higher level home economics class. I understand that we take home ec in both seventh and eighth grade, however i personally remember very little of what we actually did. It may be of some immense assistance to all of us if the school was to at least offer a higher level of education n this subject matter.

Rotunda Response

One rotunda project (among the many other wonderful ones) that really stood out to me was Laura Kesnig's "Get the Facts". This board showed what many honors students that you and I roam the halls with knew, or perhaps didn't know, about issues that relate to the country we live in. I was surprised by some of the results. It's a bit unsettling that a percent of the so called brain trust of ESM doesn't know who the vice president is. 

This board made me think about how many people today make assumptions or form opinions when they are not even apprised of the situation at hand. I saw this video once (linked below) that really reminded me of her project. It featured an Australian news person going to America and asking Americans questions. Some of the questions are silly and just to make you laugh, but a lot of them are things that have to do with politics and foreign affairs. At one point he tells people that he is the prime minister of Australia and people go with it. Though the video humors the "Dumb American Stereotype" that other countries perceive, it does make you reconsider how much you think you know, or it at least sparks a sudden interest in who the prime minister of Australia is. (It's Tony Abbott.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5I4oY7zj-w

Response to Rotunda Project-GET THE FACTS

While I could respond to many of the  wonderful projects put up in the rotunda, one really caught my eye. This was "GET THE FACTS-Common Misconceptions Among ESM High School Honor Students" which was made by Laura Kesnig.


In her project, she exposed how many honors students failed to correctly answer simple questions concerning popular issues. These questions ranged from "Why did the United States go to War with Iraq in 2003?" all the way to "Is Global Warming really happening?".


The main reason that this project caught my attention is that it made me laugh. I mean, its hard not to think that "Honors" students get these questions wrong is a bit funny. Malicious, maybe. Funny, yes. Regardless, I believe this brought up a major problem. Despite normal students not being educated about popular issues, the students ESM deems as "special" and in a way "smarter" still don't have the right answers to questions that are, or at least in my opinion, common knowledge.


It supports the idea that the labels given to certain students like "Honors" are completely meaningless. These labels also help create a divide in the student body of all grades. For example, the National Honor Society is talked up to be some prestigious organization when in reality, it's only purpose is to use its student members to further their own agenda. But that's a completely different conversation to have.


Regardless, I tip my hat to Laura for her work and research concerning our "Honors" students.

Rotunda project response #11

     I found the rotunda project videos to be the most appealing. They caught my intrest quick. The first one I saw was Anthony Defeo's piece on healthcare. It was interesting to see what some of our fellow students knew about the current healthcare system. I thought it was really smart to get such a wide view of subjects not just seniors or juniors. It was really professionally done and was very interesting . I was surprised to see how little I knew about such a  broad topic. This is a very important subject and must be treated as such.
   
      It's great to finally make younger people aware of struggles they must face. I agree that such important information should be taught in high school. We are mature enough to learn information that will one day soon greatly affect us all. Adults need to teach this in the ciriculum whether it's a social studies class or health class it shouldn't matter. There are many useful things that students will need to learn to survive in the real world that we are never taught. No teacher teaches us how to invest our money or balance our checkbooks,but that's important stuff. I think this video clearly demonstrated this and is eye opening. Teachers should make a stronger push for this type of information. Anthony did a great job in that aspect of his rotunda project.

   This video just stood out to me, but the others were great. I thought the milk alternatives video was also very interesting. It really made people rethink such simple things as milk. All we hear about is that milk is really good for you, but this seems to disprove it. There were many interesting facts they presented I never knew.

 The last video was also good. It seemed to coincide with what I thought about Anthony's video about what should be taught in schools. They got real students and teachers prospectives that I thought was nice. All the projects there were very informative and interesting. I was just so immersed in the videos.

Rotunda Project (blog 10 or 11 ????????)

For my rotunda project I worked with Christi Raia. We did gender rolls. When Christi was like "lets do gender rolls i was like what even is that? (which is probably the question youre asking yourself). But gender rolls are a set of social and behavioral norms, that basically say what is/ isn't appropriate for certain genders in different cultures to say and do. Basically its stereotypes. We collected info from the websites below and put it all together. I think it was cool to see all the different topics, it was like blog posts but in real life

https://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/gender-and-sexuality-15/introduction-to-gender-and-sexuality-75/gender-roles-and-differences-296-12831/

1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/gender-roles/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_role
3. http://www.cliffsnotes.com/sciences/sociology/sex-and-gender/gender-roles

Rotunda Project response

    Reading and looking at mostly all of the projects a lot perked my interest but the project explaining school lunches really got me interested. I have always questioned school lunches, there are posters that show a plate broken into the quantity of the food groups you're supposed to eat but we don't get some of those options.

    I understand that getting quality food is expensive but maybe we use the food in different ways. The chicken doesn't even look like chicken and the chicken that somewhat looks like chicken tastes worse than the "chicken" that doesn't look like chicken. We don't get offered fruits and vegetables everyday, what grains and protein do we get? The only thing we get is the dairy, and  I am lactose intolerant so I can't even drink that milk. 

    I bring lunch to school and it is great. I don't have to spend $1 on a snack or a water. I can actually eat a sandwich instead of "chicken", I bring fruit everyday and sometimes vegetables but I have a vegetable everyday at dinner so i am not missing out and I bring almonds, or a yogurt with granola.

    I hope I am not the only one who thinks about this....

Rotunda Project Response

I really enjoyed the project of media consolidation.  Demonstrating the change in network ownership and who really owns the channels was pretty unsettling.  In a market where only 5 or 6 massive corporations own tens to hundreds of channels, there is no other viewpoints besides those of the owners.  It also gets way too commercially driven, but the interest of their sponsors before that of the public.  When all of the T.V providers offer hundreds of channels, for all we know we could only be getting a couple hundred.  If one company owns 1/5 of those channels, we only receive what the company wants us to, so the themes and shows may be very identical.  Consolidation of media is an issue all must be aware about, and I feel like most don't take the issue as seriously as it should be taken.  Thank you to whoever did this to spread awareness of the issue

What triggers Conspiracies to Arise?

That is something that always caught my attention.  Sometimes the theories are arguable, such as the J.F.K magic bullet theory. While some are just plain stupid and very oddly specific, like how some believe that no planes were used in 9-11.  To the oddly specific, how lizard people rule the world and are in disguise.  Why lizard people?  Why not ducks or ants or birds?  So now, instead of me writing a page on speclation on what we discussed in class and what Professor Harris has said, here is an interesting article I found on why conspiracies exist and how they arise.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-people-believe-in-conspiracy-theories/

Personally, i think the theories arise from a lack of believe, something that we don't want to happen has happened.  The death of J.F.K was so tragic, people did not want to except the fact that he is dead and tried to find other explanations.  But with the lizard people, i have still have no idea

#9 Pixar Theory

     So Sam Quinn Showed me this video that explains the Pixar Theory. This theory explains that all pixar movies from the movie Toy Story to the movie Brave are all connected. Some characters are in other movies but we never find out their names. Like the witch in Brave is really Boo from Monsters Inc. like what?! I am a huge Disney fan because well I grew up with it and i just love those kinds of movies! But hearing how all these different movies are related is crazy. There is apparently a Human, Animal, and Machine struggle where they try to invade each others way of life. It explains it better than i can in the video. I highly recommended you watch it!





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SQcrVoAsVQ

Link to the Video

Rotunda Project: Walking into Adulthood Blinded #10

      I analyzed Anthony DeFeo's project on healthcare and Gabby Calise's group project on addicting junk food, both to be found very interesting. but I'm going to talk about Anthony's project.
      Even though I was in Anthony's video it's weird to see that other people don't know the same stuff I don't know. I find it kind of ridiculous that the school doesn't provide a class that is mandatory in order to learn about the future. Things like insurance healthcare taxes mortgages, people our age know nothing about and are going blind into to as we become adults.
        I learned so much from just an interview with Anthony. Like I didn't know that when you turn 26 that you are dropped from your parent's healthcare plan. LIKE WHAT! What if that age was 18? Then in a year I would be without healthcare and have no idea what to do and what to consider. Anthony also mentioned a Healthcare Marketplace, where you can go and speak to other healthcare providers.
         The point of his project was to show how little adolescence know about healthcare and probably about a lot of other things that we don't think or hear about. I think it was a very well put together project and has a very clear point that happens to be true.

Project Review: Misconception of food

The McDonalds Sugar Misconception Project was totally up my alley. As of lately I have been paying some serious attention to the foods that I consume simply because i want to be in the best shape possible, so I thought that is why this project peeked my interest. Seeing studies that revealed McDonald's Big Mack had less sugar in it than their SouthWest Chicken Salad wasn't all that surprising. In no way am i saying a Big Mac is healthy, but you would automatically think that a salad is the smarter choice right from the start. In truth the amount of dressing, cheese, croutons, ext., compromises the "healthiness" of the salad itself. On the poster board there was a comment about how it is such a common misconception that people hear the word salad and they automatically think that its healthy and i can totally agree with that statement. A salad is as healthy as you make it. I did some research on the matter for myself and discovered that a Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad from Mcdonald's with grilled chicken and absolutely no dressing is around 230 calories. On the same website it showed the amount of physical fitness that you would have to participate in in order to burn the salad off and a variety of activities were given; 60 minutes of walking, 26 minutes of jogging, 31 minutes of cycling or 19 minutes of cycling. Now keep in mind that is still without the dressing, croutons, and all the extra goodies that make salads taste good. Although the calories may look like a decent number, you must also take into consideration that there is 700 mg of sugar in the salad as well. Now for McDonald's Premium Southwest Salad with grilled chicken. There are about 110 more calories in this particular salad and about 200 mg more sodium as well. So in total that comes to 340 calories and 910 mg of sodium. Now given the fact that most people don't eat their salads without dressing, these estimated numbers truly mean nothing. As i said before all the extra additions to the salad jack up the calories big time. Just by adding ranch dressing to the Southwest Salad with grilled chicken makes the calorie count shoot up to 530 calories and the sodium to 1440 mg! The calorie count is the exact amount of McDonald's Big Mac, and the sodium level exceeds the Big Mac's by approximately 200+ mg! If you are serious about turning around your diet, you should cut out all fast food as a whole. Perseverance is what separates the strong from the weak and when you are on a diet  self discipline is whats going to get you to where you want to be. 

Rotunda Project Response

Gender Roles:

The "Gender Roles" poster really stood out to me the other day because the subject ties into a recent unit that we covered in my english class. I found the poster to be very informative. 

It's crazy to me that gender stereotypes are so common in our society, but what's even more unbelievable is that women are still treated as if they are inferior to men in certain ways. Inequality between males and females is something that still largely exists in our society today. One example that the poster gave is that most men still earn a higher salary than women. If the reason for this was that men on average had higher paying jobs then it would not be a problem, but the truth is wage discrimination favors men over equally qualified women. 

Certain other gender standards are just not acceptable in our society anymore. For example, females being considered "home makers" and being expected to do all of the housework is a role that no longer fits into our society. Sure, there are plenty of women who still stay home and take care of chores around the house, but many women today have jobs which leave them less time for these things. In the past, it was not common for women to work, so they were left with the responsibility of cooking and cleaning, which was acceptable back then. Now, women make up almost half of the U.S. Labor Force, which means that this role should no longer be accepted in our society. 

There are so many unfair stereotypes and gender roles in our society that need to be changed, which is why I thought that this poster was very interesting. 

GMO Foods - Rotunda Project

   I took to looking at the rotunda project on GMOs and their effects on human health. While this study took a neutral standpoint in stating both the purported positive and negative aspects of genetically modifying organisms, I wanted to do my own research.
   I had heard that very little proof had come to light that GMOs negatively effect the health of consumers, but proof that they were positive didn't exist either. What I found was instead quite different:
   The project said that, in defense of the argument that they are detrimental to one's health, that GMOs could cause allergic reactions. I read that, over the past 15 years, studies have been done to prove this untrue and that any allergens associated with genetically modified foods come from the foods themselves; i.e., if I have a peanut allergy, I am just as likely to have a reaction to a GMO peanut as I am to a non-GMO peanut. And the same goes for if I didn't have an allergy; the GMO peanut wouldn't induce a reaction either. It just comes from the food.
   One of the main arguments of those against genetically modified foods is that the studies and tests on them are conducted by the companies responsible for their sale, which produces bias. This may be true, but evidence further pointed elsewhere:
    It was stated in the project that microscopic bacteria growing on GMO foods may cause decreased antibiotic efficiency. The bacteria would transfer DNA that caused antibiotic resistance into bacteria in one's own body, which would prevent such medications from treating infection. As it turns out, the chance of this occurring is as microscopic as the bacteria themselves, as we consume such organisms whenever we eat fruits and vegetables, yet this does not occur.
   However, I did find two very compelling arguments against GMOs:
   Firstly, the fact that, since their introduction, the increased use of herbicides has produced "super-weeds." While the GMO plants can survive the poisoning, weeds cannot, forcing natural selection. Weeds that have a certain resistance to the herbicide reproduce, requiring a stronger deterrent to be used. Presently, one that has been utilized as a result is 4,2-D. This is a major ingredient in agent orange, the chemical responsible for causing various illnesses and medical conditions in our Vietnam veterans.
   Secondly, as GMO seeds are planted just like regular ones, they have a tendency to be swept up by the wind onto the farms of cultivators who do not grow GMO plants. If the company producing them finds their seeds on another farmer's field, they are free to sue - and they have. As a result, smaller farms are getting eaten up by larger ones (such as those run by Monsanto) and big corporations are monopolizing agriculture.
  I believe that, in this argument, there are some very vague points in regards to the actual harm that GMO plants themselves can cause. However, their growth has definitely caused some issues that need to be ironed out, and I believe anyone weighing in on this debate needs to view those more carefully than those shrouded in superstition.

Rotunda Project Response

After browsing all the rotunda projects (all of which were insightful and thought-provoking) I noticed the one that struck the most refulgent chord within me was the photojournalism introspective. "We Are All Human" is a project that not only reflects on what I sometimes look past when making a first impression, but it shows the depth to every human who has ever lived. I am familiar with Humans of New York which is a catalogue of photographs which gives daily glimpses to the world of NY's citizens, and enjoyed that this concept was applied to a realm that is closer to home for me. This part of Long Island seems very slow and calm to me which is weird considering we live less than an hour away from the place with the fastest pace on Earth. Even with the slowness of our community, I still walk past people like I have somewhere important to be, or am on my phone rather than trying to connect with people by having deep conversations. Gossip is so easy. It is simple to talk about people, but I think it's a special quality to share with a person if you can sit down and discuss your thoughts about your philosophies, the universe, or what happens after life ceases to exist. These may seem like the hard hitting questions, but we look past these and settle for shallowness. Sometimes to get the true essence of a person, you have to get to their core and realize what keep them up at night to understand where they are coming from. Judging a book by its cover could be a dangerous thing. Asking a person to just let go and talk about what keeps them going can make them incredibly comfortable and a lending ear could give them worth. There is more to a person than just their look and material possessions, and sometimes the human race forgets that. If even just I make the effort to take a moment to have a conversation with a stranger, maybe I'll be adding joy to their lives that they needed.

Rotunda Project Blog

Media has always had negative impact on people since it was created. Violence,
vulgar wordson tv and video games was always a factor in adolescent behavior. I
believe media has the most impact on young teenage girls.

The project that showed negative impacts on girls in the rotunda had some great points. Even when we were little we were exposed to Barbie dolls that had the perfect figure. We always
wanted to look like them and as time proceeded models on tv are what we
perceived as the ideal look. 42% of Girls that are between ages 6-10 wish they
were skinner. Anorexia used to fall under ages 13-17 but now it's gotten to ages
9-12. As technology increased the ages of anorexia decreased.

Also, media has portrayed a disturbing way of life for young girls. 16 and pregnant is a show
about irresponsible 16 year olds who are having kids and living the life as a
reality star. Back in 2009 when the show was created an astonishing 410,000
girls were having kids at the age of 16 which was the highest rate ever.

This project really affected me being that I've experience life as a teenager
clearly. The pressure it is to be pretty and to impress other is agonizing. All
tv shows have pretty skinny girls and after awhile it gets in your head.


Though I've never watched 16 and pregnant I always knew that is was a bad
show because it glorified teen pregnancy. That is a very difficult life to live
and no teenagers show have to go through it. But, the media keeps showing it
even though they know the negative impacts it has.

Rotunda Project Response

There were a lot of really great projects on display at the rotunda, many of which I would have liked to have been able to spend more time looking at, but one project really caught my attention.

I found "Sugar Misconception" particularly interesting because it challenges the idea that just because something is marketed as a "salad" doesn't necessarily mean that it's healthy. Seeing that the McDonald's salad contains 12 grams of sugar, 3 grams more than a Big Mac, came as a shock to me because like many others, I always assumed that getting a salad from McDonald's was a healthy alternative to typical fast food, however that is clearly not true. Not only does he salad have more sugar than a Big Mac (often considered the most unhealthy item on McDonald's menu), it also posses almost as many calories, just as many carbs, and 19 grams of fat! That's insane!

Another thing I really liked about their project was how they made it easy to get a grasp around just how bad these items really are for you. 12 grams may not sound like a lot to unknowing patron, but when it's presented right in front of you like so it's impossible to dispute. Just thinking about eating that ziplock  bag full of sugar makes me sick to my stomach and yet people actually eat that every day unknowingly whilst believing that they are eating something healthy for them. Additionally the fact that they included regarding how much exercise it would take to burn off the calories gained by eating the salad blow my mind. 3 miles. It takes running 3 miles to actually burn off one of these salads. I don't know about you, but if I'm going to have to run 5280 yards ( the length of over 52 football fields) to justify eating my meal, I wouldn't exactly consider it healthy.

11. Domestic Violence

For some odd reason no matter how I try to images will not post correctly so I guess I'll just have to deal with it. 

I was incredibly drawn to the Domestic Violence visual representation, as well as moved by their factual presentation. Even when incorporating the silly dress meme that went around to convey a very important message. "Why is it so hard to see black and blue?" Well the answer might be that violence isn't always obvious. Domestic violence does incorporate physical signs, but not always is it taken to that extreme. In some cases those who cause physical abuse don't always mean to take it to that extreme. Substance abuse such as alcohol, inhalants, and prescription drug abuse can egg-on these behaviors to the point they get too. 

This group did a wonderful job in there presentation of social issues, the use of flowers in the artwork to symbolize the bruising and the pain inflicted on her is just a creative take on it. Especially in the sense that flowers are usually used to symbolize beauty and fragility, something that most individuals are, no matter how much physical pain they may have inflicted on them, they still are as precious as a flower.

rotunda project blog post

Same Sex Marriage
As soon as I saw this post in the rotunda it immediately caught my eye. Maybe this is too personal, but my sister is gay and I recently got into a big fight with my extended family over it defending my sister. They shoved religion into her face, saying the Bible is against homosexuals, but then again it's also against divorce and cursing and other things that happen in everyday life, yet there's no law against them. Legalizing gay marriage should be more secular, and religious views shouldn't determine the law. On the poster I saw in the rotunda, the 'cons' of same sex marriage included that to some people it is immoral and unnatural and that it goes against religious tradition. But law making should not be influenced by one particular religion, or some people's views on how they don't think it's right. The 'pros' included that denying people love and happiness is wrong, tradition has changed, and secular v. religious issues. I agree with all of these. All marriage should be legal, and it already is in 37 states. But there's 50 states in the US, and I'd liked to see the rest of them legalize what shouldn't of even been a problem in the first place. Everyone deserves to be happy and live the life they want to. So thanks to whoever made that poster, I agree 100%.

Sugar Misconception

People believe if they go to mcdonalds and get a salad they are eating healthier. In reality they are eating much healthier than if they had gotten a Big Mac. The southwest salad has 320 calories, 29 g of protein, 19 g of fat, 40 g of carbs, and 1040 g of sodium. If a McDonald's salad would take 3 miles of running for the average person to burn off... are you really eating healthy? You would be better off making a salad at home that would be much healthier and better for your body. 

Get The Facts

While there were many interesting presentations in the rotunda this past week, Laura Kesnig's poll of ESM honor students stuck out to me because it reflected how people, especially young people, can start regurgitating other people's opinions and believe them to be facts. She asked news-related questions, and the responses were tinged by bias. For example: of the students asked "Is global warming really happening," 50% responded that global warming does not exist.
The uncomfortable truth that Laura's survey brings close to home is that people do not look for differing perspectives before synthesizing their own. They simply accept what opinions their parents, or the major news outlets offer, and regurgitate these.

In AP English Language and Composition, one of the types of essays students are required to write is called a synthesis essay. The test offers a concise statement about some news issue, such as global warming, and provides the arguments of people who either agree or disagree with the statement. The student must absorb all of this information, and use the provided arguments to form their own opinion, which they must then argue for. This skill is essential, especially in this age of hyperpartisan news, and AP students can thank Mrs. Wilcken.

Students polled by Laura might not have had Mrs. Wilcken, or the sentiments they expressed may have been the result of their careful synthesis. However, issues such as global warming simply cannot be contested, as it has been scientifically proven to exist and to be a product of human activity. The fact that people still consider this information to be a matter of personal opinion is disconcerting. Their is so much information in the world in 2015 that to ignore that which conflicts with your opinion is a disservice to the society in which we all live.

The Entwives #11

All of the projects in the rotunda were interesting so it was hard to pick a single one to reflect/respond to in a blog post. Yet here I am and the project that spoke to m the loudest was Genevieve’s about the Entwives. The illustration was detailed and lovely and the paragraph that accompanied it was short and sweet. The Entwive comes to life with the expression and posture he takes on the page. His face is solemn as he strides across the page while he seemingly contemplates his situation. As discussed in The Lord of The Rings the Entwives were once creatures that roamed Middle Earth in abundance. But then they disappeared, seemingly without reason. However their vanishing is attributed to the industrial destruction of the forest. This situation shares many parallels with our own reality. Sadly in our current era the Earth’s forest depletion and loss of species of both flora and fauna.

In Tolkein’s world the blurred knowledge of the Entwives is discussed with a sense of regret, because they won’t come back into existence. This is something that today many people don’t take seriously or at least as seriously and they need to be. Deforestation across the planet is occurring at an alarming rate. This piece and not only shows the lore from a great piece of writing but it also can be applied to today. The use of trees to serve the developing world is increasing everyday. I hope that if have not read the Lord of The Rings then I highly recommend you do and while you are reading why not give an article about forest preservation? Thanks for listening.

Love and Revolution

   This weekend I watched Steven Soderbergh's two-part film, Che, based on the participation of Ernesto "Che" Guevara in Fidel Castro's 26th of July movement and the Ñancahuazù Guerrilla group in Bolivia. The revolutionary was portrayed by Academy Award-winning actor Benicio del Toro.

   The first part of the film followed Fidel Castro's overthrow of Cuban President Fulgencio Batista in 1959 with the assistance of Che. It alternated between Guevara's December of 1964 addresses to the UN and his assistance in the guerrilla warfare that eventually took down Batista's regime.

   The second part covered his actions in Bolivia from 1965 to 1967, where the democratic government, assisted by the United States, attempted to capture him in an effort to prevent a revolution similar to that in Cuba. This half had a more somber tone, as he was eventually caught and executed by the Bolivian army.

   What I found to be most interesting about the film was the overall portrayal of Che. He was, by most standards, a communist, which, especially in his day, carried a heavy connotation. Marxist/Leninist ideals are often regarded as "only good on paper" and utopian rather than practical and realistic, and its proponents commonly have self-interest in mind, rather than that of the people.

   But Guevara seemed to have a radically different view that was, if anything, more truly communist than most. I began to see this when, in Part One, Castro and Guevara are leading troops through the Cuban jungle in order to reach target cities. Along the way they passed through many villages and farms, often while in dire need of food and supplies. Yet they never stole or harassed the peasants; instead they paid for everything and, if nothing was for sale, went on their way. Thievery within their army was punishable by death.

   At first I believed this to simply be good public relations; any attempt to oust an oppressive regime would be pointless if those posing as the "good guys" blindly berated the peasants who they would soon govern. Instead, they treated them fairly, even offering medical attention when needed.

   Che, however, seems to view this as more than the necessary custom. This becomes apparent in a statement he made during the 1964 Afro-Asian Conference in Algeria:

   "Socialism cannot exist without a change in consciousness resulting in a new fraternal attitude toward humanity, both at an individual level, within the societies where socialism is being built or has been built, and on a world scale, with regard to all peoples suffering from imperialist oppression."

   Guevara believed in the brotherhood of mankind above all else, not just the communist platform of government. Perhaps this ideal was the most utopian of all, but it showed a tremendous amount of dedication to the people that other regimes across the Atlantic Ocean lacked. As the "architect" of the 26th of July movement, this belief was a strong driving force in Castro's assertion of power, which stressed Cuba's independence from all other sovereignties, their only similarity with other communist governments being their framework.

   Whether or not Cuba maintained or ever held the faith of Ernesto Guevara, he did try and spread it elsewhere. And, all along, he carried a simple and ringing message.

   In the film, he is asked by interviewer Lisa Howard, "What is the most important quality for a revolutionary to possess?" His answer:

   "Love."

#10 Reality Check!

On the topic of conspiracy theories this week, one my favorites has been the Hollow Earth Theory. I'm not 100% sure why this idea is so fascinating to me but it is. However like most good things there is another side. In this case reality has come to wreak havoc on my hopes of ever petting a woolly mammoth. Lets start with the outer crust. According to most of the diagrams I've run across, they leave the outer crust completely unsupported with a giant void in the center. This is undoubtedly a major problem. The gravitational force would make this outer shell of the Earth to collapse on itself. But what about the second sun? The fact that a secondary sun within our planet means nothing more than a brightly burning star is lurking beneath the surface.

Problem number one with having a star in the center of the planet would be the outward and inward thrusts. As the fuel on the surface of the star burns there would be releases of large amounts of energy. This energy is likely to be light and heat energy both of which would cause problems to the small oasis. First off the light would be too strong and condensed to allow for any life(let alone plants and animals). The distance from the star (no matter how small) would be too short to be habitable. Next the amount of heat as output is most likely to cause temperatures close to that on the surface of Mercury or Mars. And if you passed 5th grade science you would know that these are not habitable places. At least not in term of lush greenery and flowing bodies of water. And as if this wasn't bad enough the outward thrust exerted by the star would be great. Such a force could cause a number of outcomes such as: the outer crust being ripped apart, the Earth's rotation and gravitational axis being altered or entirely thrown off or even causing the eventual slipping of the outer layer falling into the pull caused by the star's own gravity.

With these reasons and countless others I say with a heavy heart that a hollow Earth is not physically possible. Physics has a twisted way of making things dull some times huh? But don't throw out all of the hollow earth memorabilia you've bought just yet. You can make a cool indie band and use the diagram of the supposed hollow Earth as your logo or even use it as album art! Or on the flip side you can continue to follow the threads and envelop yourself in the idea of such a cool hidden place. Whatever you choose stay curious my friends.

The Irresponsible Poor

We often hear the excuse of those against programs like welfare that those receiving assistance "are not responsible enough" and "put themselves in that position". They complain that they see poor people with iPhones and designer bags and are still struggling to sustain their children or themselves. What most overlook, however, is that these people are not spending their welfare checks on these frivolous things. More times than not, that designer bag is a knock-off bought on the street. The iPhone they are using is old or was a gift. Just because certain facets of these people's lives don't appear to fit their stereotype, assumptions are made immediately.

The assumptions don't stop there though. Because this person is spending their government-handout money frivolously, that means that they are not trying to better themselves by getting a better job, making them lazy. That person is bad at decision making, which is what got them in their position. The minds of those who believe this simply don't stop. We've all seen the lengthy copy-paste posts on Facebook about this, but it's something to consider. Next time you see someone clearly at a low in their life on an iPhone, catch yourself, because you might be making assumptions without even knowing.

Conspiracy Theories Affect on History

Conspiracy theories have played an important role in human history. During times of international war politicians and military leaders on both sides of a conflict will suspect that their opponents are engaged in several conspiracies. They will thus scrutinize their enemies’ actions and rhetoric carefully. Conspiracy theories are in fact an essential tool in warfare and are required for effective anticipation and countering of enemy strategy. On the other hand conspiracy theories can contribute to the creation of corrupt establishments. A classic example was the Nazi dissemination of conspiracy theories about Jewish / Zionist covert influence over world affairs. And more recently conspiracy theories about Al Queda terrorist networks were used by western governments to justify the introduction of fascist policies both domestically and in foreign affairs.

http://youtu.be/2tN4Zulagb8
Recently I saw this video while scrolling through facebook and immediately thought of humanities. This has been such a relevant topic within society and culture today. Personally I love slam poetry and think it's amazing form of art and expression, especially when completed in ways such as this. The message she is presenting is so powerful and needs to be discussed. It can even go along with "diet racism."
Sometimes we don't realize what we are saying and how it may offend someone. We all need to be more aware of the things we say and the things we do. This video is a perfect representation of why we need to be actively aware of out words.

Pareidola; the science of conspiracy theories

http://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2013/sep/05/conspiracy-theories-science-belief-secret-plots

This is a really interesting article on something Professor Harris touched on the other day, which is the tendency for your average human to be susceptible to conspiracy theories. This susceptibility comes from the brains desire to seek patterns. This pattern seeking component was extremely helpful in early human evolution because it helped us detect enemies and defend ourselves. It is known formally as Pareidola. 

Conspiracy theory believers often already have anxiety and worry about trusting the government, therefore when a pattern is detected that suggests a conspiracy, they are more inclined to believe it.

I think it's important for humans to keep our Pareidola in check in order to avoid jumping to rash conclusions about situations. However our brains tendency to be skeptical is also very important in modern times.

My Definition of Love #10

        My definition of love is when yoh care deeply for someone who means a great to you and your life. Love can come in all ways whether it is personal connection, visual connection, or trusting home your heart feels. How do other people feel when they care deeply? For me I physically feel it in my heart like with any emotion. It sounds strange but I think everyone feels that way sometimes.
         I think love can be immediately thrown away if the ither person does something powerful enough to make their devastation and hurt become more then their love. Have you ever felt stabbed in the back enough to make you not care for someone anymore? I definitely have! Probably still will in the future because human nature is inevitable.
         Personally I believe that everyone is destined to find someone that will become apart of their life forever. If someone doesn't have feelings for me or someone breaks up with me, personally I will be upset at first but if I am not the person that they will love forever then that is okay with me.

Maoi of Easter Island

Easter Island (Rapa Nui) in Polynesia is famous for the iconic Easter Island Heads or Maoi. These Maoi are said top be built in honor and memory of former high priests. They would be built and transported across most of the island to be put on hills facing the sun. But weighing up to 14 tons and being up to 13 feet tall, it is a mystery to modern historians how they moved these megaliths with the technology available back then. Some ancient alien historians have speculated that these Maoi could only have been brought by ancient aliens. Another interesting fact about Easter Island is that this island is the only Pacific Island to hold historical evidence of a written language (similar to the Egyptian hieroglyphics).  This causes many Ancient Alien theorists to believe that ancient aliens helped this 

civilization in many aspects including written language. Though people will tell you creativity and regular technological advancements can account for the great Moai, the sudden disappearance of the population and their forests, as well as the only account of a written language in the Pacific Islands, the mystery of it all does make you wonder. 

9/11 -Pat Minogue

After going over all the 9/11 conspiracy theories in class I decided to google 9/11 political cartoons and this was one of the top images. In this drawing, it shows the short term memory that U.S. citizens have. This image was released only 6 years after the tragedy and many americans already forgot about it.  It is now almost 14 years since the terrorist attack and the children and young adults of today barely even remember the attack if they were alive; which many young americans were not. It is important to remember this day not only to mourn those who risked their lives to save innocent americans, but also to remember the reason troops are still in the middle east today.

blog -trist

September 11 at 6:00 am, the President, a reporter friend, and his Secret Service crew went on a four-mile jog. As Bush was getting ready for the jog a van carrying several Middle Eastern men in the vehicle pulled up to the Colony’s guard station, they said they had a scheduled interview with the President. Secret Service me told the Middle Eastern men to contact the President’s public relations office in Washington, DC, after the van turned away. Some say the Secret Service protected Bush from an assassination attempt.

   I have never heard of this event until now. I thought this would be a big thing. Right after 9/11 our President might have almost got assassinated.

BLOG #10

So, after thorough discussion in class i made up my mind about love; I came to the conclusion that it does exist. We all came up with similar definitions of what love is to us, which was along the line of an extreme infatuation with someone who you feel romantic towards. I feel as if you can find true love without searching, and that is the beauty of it. When people go out of their way to find "the love of their life" they might be missing what could possibly be right in front of them. Another thing about love that we discussed is the fact that it might fade. I also do believe that love does fade. If something goes wrong in a relationship, sometimes you can't look at the person the same way, and the love beings to fade. For instance if someone cheats in a relationship, how are you supposed to forgive them, let alone promise to love them still? Over time feelings change, they either grow stronger or they fade. I believe if you find "the one" deep down, you will know. If the flame dies down then you know it wasn't meant to be. I am a believer in the flame of love, but i also believe that the flame can die.

"The War on Science"

   Running along the lines of the discussion we had with Professor Harris on Friday on the topic of the human search for patterns and acceptance, this month's issue of National Geographic contained an article entitled "The War on Science." It centered on why, in this day and age, human beings find a desire to question everything from the truth behind the moon landing to the side effects of vaccines (especially the claims that they can cause autism) despite loads of scientific evidence that proves otherwise.

   Science and facts have always been available to some human beings, but not all. The truths behind evidence and experimentation were usually left to those in their respective fields, but these days, everything is available through the Internet. This is by no means a bad thing; however, the issue with statistics is that they can be manipulated to appear as though they defend a certain thought or ideal and can therefore be misrepresented.

   With access to facts and numbers at everyone's fingertips, they are often used to defend whatever people feel most strongly about; not what is right, per se. Someone will seek out and latch onto the information that defends their core values and consider it a new foundation for their beliefs without considering the opposing viewpoint - which still leaves them a believer, not a scientist.

   Take, for example, the theory that the Earth is a globe. In this day and age, it is an irrefutable fact. It was proven in ancient times to be true. Yet still, in the nineteenth century, beliefs that the world was square or flat pervaded, making their way past fringe ideas into mainstream society. While this was considerably difficult to do by pony express, with the advancements of social media, it is far easier for this to happen in 2015.

   This is part of the reason why we hear theories such as those that 9/11 was an inside operation or that the moon landing was faked. The other portion would be because we search for patterns - as Professor Harris pointed out. "If subject A reacts to subject B, the same must be the case everywhere." This simple yet practically baseless argument is what drives a huge portion of modern dogma, which leaves everyone generally misinformed and undereducated. 

   There's also the thought that everyone simply wants to be accepted. The article discussed how people will not alter their ideas if those adjustments will insult the others in their "tribe" of believers, risking their expulsion.

   That being said, for the full, "scientific" explanation in the article, here it is:

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/science-doubters/achenbach-text

   If anything, this article should be an encouragement to see both sides of a story and attempt to put aside one's previous contentions lest one be wrong.

What if I were to tell you there is a magic number that does determine attractiveness, and it can be seen from the parthenon to the Mona Lisa? In the art world, it’s hard to break the rules because there are no one set of definites, but painters have found a way by using the ancient theory of the golden ratio to find beauty. Many use this visual principle as more than a compositional guide, instead of applying it to an image to make it proportionally attractive, it consults the image as a diviner of lines and shapes. The more input the image receives from the artist, the more it begins to determine itself. There’s a push and pull between the creator and the creation that resolves itself like an equation. Despite the mathematical conclusions found in the pictures, the results are anything but formulaic. The reason it is so popular is because it has created the vision of perfection seen as favored by gods and humans alike.

While the golden ratio is arguably successful in making art aesthetically pleasing, to claim it’s God’s building block found in all manifestation of nature and art is as dubious as a conspiracy theory. Once you see a pattern, it’s hard to not see it in all shapes and forms, but paintings look at the golden ratio exposed on its own by the secret formula it imposes. Look at basilicas or triforium buildings like churches for example.. Painterly interpretations of what could be hard-edge straight lines provide a needed indeterminacy for the viewer to approach the work on a human level, creating a distinction because heavenly and earthly, or even reality and fantasy. 

The Parthenon

Viewing the world through the golden ratio can be useful, but it’s only a one sided perspective. There’s little evidence to suggest its more right than one’s intuition, but there’s a willingness to invest in the golden ratio’s veracity because it offers a peak behind the curtain. The subjective nature of art is what elevates it beyond other endeavors because it eludes scientific analysis, but we're closer than ever to understanding how the mind reacts to art through our advancements. Is it coincidence how we react to perfect proportion?

It might be that it’s only a matter of time before artists, instead of using the golden ratio, become more like scientists and consult mounds of brain scans from various experiments and questioning minds to predict the viewer’s reaction, calculating with a high degree of clarity what colors, shapes and motifs that create the strongest reaction, making a work of art that is beautiful rather than subconscious reliance.

Improve Yourself

Today in class one of the quotes we went over was about how it was more noble to improve yourself than it is to show you're better than someone else. I believe this is accurate because you shouldn't have to bring someone else down just so you can feel accomplished. You should measure yourslef on your own scale, not compare yourslef to someone else's. While scouring the Internet i found another quote which illustrates this well. 

#10 Illuminati

http://www.gotquestions.org/illuminati-conspiracy.html

In the article above it basically explains what the conspiracy behind the illuminati is and how it is a plan for the 'new world take over'. The Illuminati is said to be Satanic and is more commonly associated with pop culture with leaders apparently like Jay Z & Beyonce. It's said that if you sell your soul to the devil for fame that you will become a rising star and have into the 'elite society' however i guess you burn in hell or do the devils low work like pick up his laundry. There is no actual proof that there is an actual group or cult but the references to said group is present in most pop culture. For example its believed making your hands into a triangle is a shoutout to the group some artists even put it in their lyrics. Many conspiracy theories relate back to the illuminati due to the fact its a plan for the 'new world' take over. However, there is no information on how to actually get into the cult i'm assuming you can just send the devil a twitter DM or face time him and i'm sure you can't just send him an I.O.U for your soul. If this is a real cult though that is kinda scary.

#10 Hemingway Quote

     This quote really stuck out to me in class and felt a desire to write about it for my blog. We didn't have too much time to discuss it in class, but I believe it is more than just boasting or saying its wrong to be superior to others. To me, It`s about working your way to becoming the best possible you and moving towards it each day. Hemingway seems to forewarn of competition between your fellow man.
  
     As it states you must be more introspective than  looking outward on oneself. I believe this quote is motivation to be the best version of you. It is good to refer to others as benchmarks of excellence, especially when they are doing well in the goals which you want to pursue. However, know that your end goal is to create your own unique  path in life and excel in your own shoes not just be a clone of somebody else`s aspirations. The quote does not discourage you from being inspired by others but the main thing is to never loose sight of you own ambitions and goals. Because really, your biggest and only competition in life is yourself not just perceptions of others.
     Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses. Nobody is good at everything you are good at and visa verse. We all have our unique talents that makes us,us and nobody else. You yourself are an unlimited source of competition as you continue to mature and better yourself every waking second of your life.

     I feel as though Ernest Hemingway himself believes that there is no real benefit of being superior to others. He believes it is not noble to compete with your own kind. When bettering yourself there is no limit to the superiority. There is no maximum to reach because there is always,literally always a way to get better. For example look at the people who are pure geniuses in their fields. They still study and find new things fascinating; people like Einstein aren't going to know every single thing about black holes for example,but the superior knowledge he has motivates him to continually learn and better himself until the day he dies. Have you ever heard of anybody being the maximum amount of smart that can fit in your brain. Well I haven`t. The mind is endless (as far as I know) and can always be filled more. It seems to overlap with the other quote about "not just filling a pail, but lighting a fire". Your brain,nor your superiority can ever be filled. Though many of us are prone to getting lazy, there is more we can be doing, I know I can better myself or I would have 100+ averages in every single class. I don't know exactly why I better my self slower than somebody who has very high grades,but even if it is at a slower rate I try to always better myself.Still the whole point is that we shouldn't compare ourselves to others,but work with our own unique experience in life that nobody else shares with us. That is true nobility,that is the only way to be superior(but only figuratively).

"Death and the Robot"

   Last weekend, I visited the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. While I was on campus, there was a viewing of some of the student thesis work that had come out of the school recently.
   One of the films shown was called "Death and the Robot," a 2013 project by Austin Taylor, now an alumnus, which won numerous awards and recognitions at a variety of film festivals.
   The stop-motion short centers around a robot that lives beneath a cemetery and grows flowers in his underground greenhouse. Up above, Death calls the graveyard her home, destined (or cursed, rather) to kill anything she comes in contact with. One day, she stumbles upon the robot, who is kind enough to show her his garden - and a special bond is formed.
   Continuing with our study of love, I found this piece to be rife with not only beautiful imagery but sorrowful irony and the age-old adage that "opposites attract." While there is no dialogue, none is needed. The score and the wonderfully whimsical animation do more than enough to convey this uncommon yet charming love story.
   Through a union of science fiction and fantasy, this piece manages to portray love's enduring and pure characteristics; it isn't hard to discover the depth of the bond between the two protagonists. With a sort of fairy tale lore about it, "Death and the Robot" calls on love's innocence to tell the story.
   I don't really want to let his piece do all the talking, but I'm afraid there isn't much more I can say without revealing key details. It's really a film you have to see yourself. That being said, here's the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okCIHAbve3k

I hope anyone reading this gets just as much out of it as I did.

#9 The bubble

Today in class we looked at and discussed some quotes and one that stuck out in my mind was one by N. Kazantki.“A man needs a little madness, or else... he never dares cut the rope and be free.”  First off how about meaning? The quote in its' simplest form means that if you don't take risks then you cannot move forward. The ''madness'' within us is what pulls us forward, it is the first step to every journey. On the same hand if your decisions are too safe and withing your comfort zone you will not grow or advance. Taking a leap of faith is hard but it might be well worth it.

As an artist I live in a bubble by myself. Within this bubble I live and go about my daily routine, i'm comfortable here. But when I feel like drawing or painting in the back of my mind a little voice rings out. This voice is the risk, the madness that dwells inside my brain. With every piece of art I've every created I have had to step out of my bubble for a moment. If I try not to either, one: artist block sets in or two: anything I put on paper just doesn't live up to what is in my mind. So the next logical step is to take that leap of faith, to engage the madness. 

This quote perfectly captures the decisions we sometimes make that can go unnoticed. These can be as simple as what to wear that day or as extreme as deciding on skydiving. Next to each other they seem vastly different but the similarities they share have an impact to your everyday. For example that shirt you wore could start a conversation that in return, could begin a friendship that lasts a lifetime. While the skydiving adventure gives you a new look on life. Both situations will shape the future and both involve a risk, a little madness. And this untapped madness holds a vault of potential adventures and experiences.   

Hemingway says YOLO (10)

"There is nothing else than now.  There is neither yesterday, certainly, nor is there any tomorrow.  How old must you be before you know that?  And if you stop complaining and asking for what you will never get, you will have a good life."

This quotation that we discussed in class was taken from one of Ernest Hemingway's novels, titled For Whom The Bell Tolls.  The story takes place in Spain at the height of the Spanish Civil War.  In this setting, the fragility of life is more apparent than ever, so it makes sense for one to encounter such a "Carpe Diem"-type quote nestled within the novel.

Hemingway is passionately reminding his readers the importance of living in the moment.  When he states, "There is nothing else than now," he is pointing out that both the past and the future are abstract concepts.  Yesterday is merely a memory, images stored in the brain.  Tomorrow comes from the assumption that time will continue on, and that we will be around to experience it.  It feeds off imagination, for no one has ever been to "tomorrow" in order to discover exactly what it has in store.  However, "now" is tangible; using our five senses, we can experience all that our "now" has to offer.  There is no need to assume or imagine what is going on "now", because we can simply tune in and see for ourselves.  

Often, people waste time dwelling on yesterday and waiting for tomorrow, missing the opportunity to experience the now. Imagine a scenario in which you spend each day of a month counting down until the next month, because you are looking forward to an event.  Once this event comes, it is not what you expected.  This makes sense, because the future is abstract and we have no means of discovering how it will pan out.  After the event, you realize that you could have accomplished something great over the last 30 days, but instead you've accomplished nothing.  In this scenario, you were negatively affected by thinking about both the past and the future.  While anticipating the future, you have created a month full of empty days that have not positively benefitted your life in any way.  Once the anticipation ended, you looked back on this folly and criticized your past decisions, instead of making new ones in the moment.  This is a repeating cycle of unhappiness and missed opportunity.

One of my pet peeves is listening to people constantly count down to friday and dread the arrival of monday.  As we count down to friday, we are disregarding the importance of every other day of the week.  And when friday finally comes, it lasts 24 hours, and soon enough monday is approaching and everyone is unhappy yet again.  If instead we took advantage of the privilege of living for seven full days in a week, perhaps we could begin something meaningful on monday and have something to be proud of on friday.    

Extra food for thought :)

William Butler Yeats Quote

A quote by William Butler Yeats states that "Education is not the filing of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." When I first read this quote, I interpreted in a negative way, which confused me. I was thinking of lighting a fire as a negative thing, and was unsure of why Yeats was comparing education to it. Then, after reading it over a couple more times, I realized that the "lighting of a fire" is actually referring to inspiration. The filling of a pail is merely feeding information to students. A good teacher should inspire students to challenge ideas, ask questions, be curious, and be passionate about the subject that they love. Instead of just making them remember irrelevant information that does not mean anything to them, teachers should encourage students to on their own. Is was mentioned in class today that a bucket can only be filled to a certain point, but that a fire can spread wildly. I completely agree; learning should have no limits. By lighting a fire and allowing it to grow, a teacher gives students the unlimited ability to continue learning. On the other hand, a teacher who only "fills the pail" limits the learning capability of their students. 

I also agree that a Yeats' quote describes the ideal learning situation, and that our education system does the exact opposite. The point of going to school should be to learn, but in reality, school only teaches us to memorize information in order to pass tests. Most of the things that we are taught are forgotten after the test. I believe that school would be more successful if education was focused more on inspiring students and making them want to learn themselves. Putting less emphasis on test scores and being less concerned with how students compare to each other would cause us to be able to "light a fire" instead of just "fill the pail." 

Kayla Mueller

In class we have seemed to stray away from the topic of ISIS compared to the beginning of the year.  I remember when I first heard about ISIS is was held high with concern to most people. Then came Ebola and ISIS was discussed about less and less. 

As shown in a recent event, a 26 year old names Kayla Mueller was captured and killed by ISIS.  Many left heartbroken especially her family members.  Kayla Mueller was in Syria serving refugees fleeing a war-torn region.  According to her parents she was a very helpful, caring, intelligent woman. “Well, yeah, it was overenthusiastic youth and, of course, being naïve. But who wasn't, you know?” Carl Mueller said. “How many mistakes have we all made in life that were naïve and didn't get caught at? Kayla was just in a place that was more dangerous than most. And she couldn't help herself. She had to go in there and had to help.” (Eun Kyung Kim). 

Now the part that really disturbs me is what exactly is Obama doing? It seems to me and many others that he is laying back and not taking any responsibility for this terror.  I completely understand why he can't just go and bomb ISIS because they are located in civilian areas, but, there are many other methods to defeating them.  Our troops outnumber ISIS by thousands and these soldiers are ready to fight.  What exactly is Obama waiting for? More Americans dead? That does not sound like the correct leadership an American President should withstand.

ISIS demanded 6.2 million dollars for releasing Kayla.  It is near impossible for a family to raise that type of money.  Although it is expensive Obama refused to pay the ransom.  The father of Kayla made an interesting point by asking Obama.. "What if it was your daughter held hostage?"  I can bet millions that Obama would pay as much money as ISIS wants in order for his daughters safety.  These people that are being captured are daughters and sons of many.  Any parents out there would understand that you would want anything and everything done to bring your child home even with the policy of refusing to pay ransom.  Many are also mad about U.S. government policy that forbids paying ransoms for the lives of American citizens, noting other Western countries have paid millions to secure the release of their nationals.  Obama is not doing the most important job; protecting his citizens and this country. 

blog #10

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self." -Ernest Hemingway

I believe there is a lot of validity in this quote. Basically, he is saying instead of trying to be better than everyone else, try to be the best version of yourself possible. Life is not a competition between you and your peers. You shouldn't live your life trying to be better than the next person, and constantly comparing yourself to others. Don't worry about what everyone else is doing with their lives and focus on your own. Once you can do this, you will lead a much happier life. Always comparing yourself to others and trying to become better than them is exhausting and unrealistic, because no two people are the same. Everyone's meant to be different, to accomplish different things and to just be different human beings in general. There's no scale to measure if you're "better than someone else" so why try? Be yourself, be happy, and be whatever you want to be and then you will gain true nobility. Become better than the person who you were the day before instead of trying to be better than everyone else around you.

The Filling of the Pail

W.B. Yeats has said "Education is not the filling of a pail, it is the lighting of a fire."

Yeats' ideal of education sounds smart and inspirational, like something you'd find on tumblr. But when you think about it, the pail needs to be filled before you can burn it to the ground.

If a student doesn't have a broad and strong foundation - general history, math, exposition to literature, writing, etc. - what are they to draw from when they want to delve deeper into certain areas? How would they even know what they were interested in? There must be something to burn, and Yeats' idea doesn't provide for that. He posits that education should provide inspiration, and should not just stuff kids with useless information. However, without some information that might be useless in the "real" world, people would not find anything to be curious about. There must be some base which people can build up from, and that base may be otherwise useless information.

The curiosity and inspiration that Yeats is talking about is the curiosity and inspiration to learn more and more, and to better oneself with knowledge. Children should be exposed to as many different things as possible, so that they may pick and choose from that reservoir what they want to make up their personalities. Once they have been exposed, when they have reached an age in which they are able to think for themselves and choose their path in life, they will have a place to start.

DMT: Life After Death

I have recently watched a documentary and done much research on the psychoactive substance known as Dimethyltryptamine, or DMT for short. The documentary, "DMT: The Spirit Molecule", adapted from the book written by Rick Strasssman. It delves into his research and experimentation with DMT starting in the 90's. He also discusses the role of DMT in the human body, soul, and beyond.

Now, DMT is a naturally occurring compound found in the human body and plants alike. The gland that secretes it is found in your brain. The pineal gland, located in the center is what is responsible for this substance. Its general purpose, for short, DMT is what makes you have dreams. Every time you sleep, a little bit of this molecule is released into your body. This is what causes your dreams to be so lifelike. Also, when you die, your brain's last function before death is to release all of the stored DMT it has left. Now imagine that the DMT released when you dream is a glass of water. When you die, that glass of water is now a flowing river. (hold onto that thought)

DMT, under the Controlled Substance Act of 1970, is a Schedule I drug for its hallucinogenic purposes. But many argue that it's not "some drug to have fun with". DMT when found in nature, is located in many plants but most specifically, cacti. Now tribes in South America use the cacti to create ayahuasca, a psychedelic substance that is used for many religious and spiritual purposes. Why you ask?

In Strassman's own accounts and the accounts of over 60 other's who used the drug during the research period, called the effects of DMT "profound". It was not any other hallucinogenic like LSD or mushrooms. It was leagues beyond that. Its now known that a use of DMT is referred to as a "journey" compared to a "trip" due to the profoundness of its nature. Users described the experience as life changing. That the perception of reality was not only altered, but discovered. A trip beyond the material realm that we live in. All of the subjects said that they're experience (which lasted 10-20 minutes) felt like an eternity. Not exaggerating, beyond a lifetime. DMT, had brought them to what they described as "The Devine Realm". Summing it up, its said that DMT is what allows us to transcend ourselves as a human being and become the entity of our soul.

Okay, so if you take this substance in its smaller controlled doses, its said to bring profound, life changing results. So, back to my earlier point, when death comes to you, ALL your stored DMT is released. An unimaginable experience id assume thats only achieved through death. If DMT is seen to be so divine in its small doses, then what would a huge dose at death mean. If it has such a correlation with your soul, could it be possible that DMT is the gateway to it. That when you die, all your DMT reserves help your soul to make its journey to the afterlife. That eternity or "heaven" is a real place only reachable through the transportation of your soul.

Let me just state something, I'm not sure how well all of this information is getting to you. I don't believe that I'm not doing it justice at all in my writings but i felt compelled to speak.
I HIGHLY urge you all to take and hour and a half out of one sunday or something to watch "DMT: The Spirit Molecule". Its on Netflix, so there ain't no excuse to not see it.

In summary, food for thought. Perhaps, just perhaps, there is a key to unlock our spirits and the world beyond. And that key is already inside us.

The "Pop Culture" Illuminati...Our Idols May Be Evil.

   Many of us have heard myths about the Illuminati and also have heard that people like Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Kanye West are a part of the elitists group. The Illuminati is a group founded in 1776 in Bavaria originally made of the greatest thinkers and routed out to those of the highest power and money holding in the world. They are a group who want to create a one world government. They apparently control the global economy as well as the media and parts of government throughout the world. Some think this is such a far fetched idea but is it?
   We know of big names like Rothschild and Rockefeller are closely associate them with their accomplishments and money but they are also sought to be some of the family dynasties in the Illuminati. We know that both of those family have an abundance of money, and what do they do with it? Fund the secret society possibly? Maybe they are the leaders of the people we look up to.
   Some celebrities are closely tied with the illuminati like Miley Cyrus with the "all seeing eye" tattooed on her finger. Also we remember when Beyonce was performing the super bowl halftime show and flashed the illuminati symbol with her hands (making a triangle by putting her hands together) the power ironically went out moments later. Was this a job of the Illuminati letting us know they have power over us? Beyonce may be apart of the illuminati, but what about her husband?
   In the Jay-Z and Kanye West music video for "Otis" we see many symbols. After the transformation of the Maybach(The Maybach being a status symbol because only the wealthy can afford it much like those in the secret society), Jay-Z is seen in a white t-shirt with skull and cross bones. Also at 0:51 Kanye throws up the Baphomet symbol with his left hand.  Another thing I noticed was throughout the video the men were in front of the american flag but instead of stars they were bullheads and uzi guns which represent Moloch the god of destruction. Another thing is the song title is also a word known for something else. "Otis" stands for "Only The Illuminati Succeeds". Not to mention Jay-Z's record label is ironically labelled Roc-a-fella...can this be alluding to the Rockefeller family? Who is notoriously associated with the Illuminati like I said before.
   Many other celebrities have flashed Illuminati symbols in their videos. Rihanna's whole "Umbrella" video is a symbol. From her sitting the the triangle, to the actual song meaning of a good girl falling under the devils umbrella bringing her to the dark side, to even having Jay-Z featured on the song and wearing all black. In the Lady Gaga "Bad Romance" video, you see the bullheads appear like in the Otis video. Another Lady Gaga Video "Judas" (It is believed that Judas betrayed Jesus), Gaga flashes the Illuminati symbol and also sings "Ill bring him down" referring to her doing what she can to bring Jesus and religious beliefs down. (Which was an Illuminati goal) Another artist, Kesha has had Illuminati symbols in her videos, like the pentagram, upside down cross and the all seeing eye in "Die Young" not to mention her lyrics "We're gonna die young." She however, claims that she was forced to sing that and she knew the demonic and dark meaning behind it. Is this all a coincidence? Maybe, but maybe it just goes to show that money is controlling the media and who has the money to do that? Maybe those like the Rothschild and Rockefeller's, and who are they associated with? The Illuminati.