What else is out there?

Will we ever travel outside of our solar system? It doesn't seem very likely. No matter how fast our technology advances, one thing seems to remain the same. Travelling at the speed of light does not seem possible. It’s a frustrating feeling to think that were stuck here, gazing out at what's beyond, left only to wonder of what else exists. In such an enormous universe, it would be nice to find out our role in the scheme of things. Perhaps one day, they will invent a way to freeze and preserve people, allowing them to travel for thousands of years. It seems to be the only plausible answer for visiting those other places and finally satisfying our undying curiosity.

Stem Cell Research?

Why don't we support stem cell research? With all the possibilities it holds medically, how do we justify not supporting it? Some of the arguments I've heard were almost completely absurd. What if it advances so far that humans will live forever? Though I doubt that will ever happen, even if that is an incredibly long term result, don't you think curing the incurable today is worth that slight risk? Its like playing god, so its wrong. Don't we play god every time we have a baby and create a life? Don't doctors play god, saving people who would otherwise die? Its in our nature to survive. Our average life span has greatly increased over the years and it would only make sense that it would continue to do so. We have to support the things that aren't frowned upon in order to advance. Not to long ago, heart surgery did not exist. It was not even studied. Think of all the lives saved because of the risk of the doctors who oppossed the common consensus. It would be foolish to not explore every possibility in order to help the sick. Foolish and unethical.

Why is it so hard to Diet?

Even if you're eating healthy there is still a ton of rules and guidelines to follow. Who's to say we even have it right this time anyway? The original food pyramid was completely unhealthy. The Atkins diet removed all carbs, but vegetables are full of carbs. We keep changing what's healthy and what a good diet consists of, no wonder so many people struggle. Not to mention the impossible task of limiting sodium. I read that the body only needs about 500mg of sodium a day and the maximum recommended amount is 1500mg. Have you ever read the labels of food and condiments? Everything is so full of sodium its almost mind boggling. It would just be nice if all these so called experts could come together and agree on exactly what we should be eating each day so people could have a straight forward guideline to follow.

God Bless America or God Save America?

It nearly seems like people as a whole are completely blind to the world. I mean how on earth did we end up like this? We have allowed ourselves to become fully dependent on oil. Oil, a natural resource, which we as Americans must import. We are dependent on a time sensitive, highly profitable, foreign country run product. We fear terrorism? True terrorism would be the destruction of our access to fuel. Our country would shut down. Our whole world would stop short. So who do we blame for this? Ourselves. We have let ourselves be led by a government that has not mass produced any of the many, many alternatives to this fuel crisis. So far the most mainstream answer is overpriced hybrid cars which has forty mpg instead of twenty. That's the best we can do? At a time like this, when we have factories being run on methane gas from garbage dumps, green houses being fed the co2 waste from factories, this is the best answer we have? A car that uses slightly less gas? And to really get this solution out to the public were going to charge more money for the hybrid model then its gas hungrier counterpart. What a joke. God bless America, or as it will soon read, god save America.

So Little Time

Why is so little time allowed for what people actually want to do? For about a third of your life you are unconscious, hardly living life at all. For about another third you're working a job to be able to support yourself and the things you actually want to do. Which presents the problem, without working you have the time to live but not the money, work and you shall have the money but lack the time. So not taking into account the time we spend eating, keeping up with hygeine, traveling and all the other mundane aspects of life we are left with a measly one third of our existance to pursue what actually interests us. Sure it can be argued that if we choose a career that's passionate to us that that's time spent for ourselves. But I ask, how many people love their jobs? My guess is not many. I want to hit the lotto, not to be rich or drive fancy cars while living in a big house. I want to win the lotto so I can spend nearly all of the precious little time I have to live on living. Living the way I want. That's my ideal life.

Where do I belong?

Lately I've been thinking a lot about why things are the way they are. I live in new york because this is where I was born, but does that mean I belong here? I see most people just accept their situation, never questioning it, and I sort of envy them. I yearn for that blissful ignorance that they so easily possess. Instead I'm full of this desire to continually travel, searching for that vague feeling of home. Surprisingly, nearly every place has felt much more right then here. I admit this could be contributed to the whole, the grass is always greener saying, but I don't think so. Yet, no matter how at home any of these foreign places feel, I fear I will never be brave enough to take the risk and leave the comfort I have here. I guess only time will tell.

A Micro Compact Home

This box-like figure is to my surprise, a home. It is 76 square feet designed by the Technical University of Munich in Germany. This home costs $96,000 and is complete with a flat screen TV and a dining room table that seats five people. It includes a fire alarm, smoke detectors, sliding dining room table, two 7.5 feet double beds, shelves and doors, a control panel, a bathroom, and a kitchen. The kitchen includes a sink with an extending tap, microwave, refrigerator and freezer, three slot garbage, storage, and shelves. How does such a small space include all the essentials of a home? I have no idea, but they made it work. This home is made for temporary stay and includes delivery and installment anywhere in Europe. This past summer, a model of this home was placed in The Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Shopaholics

Is there such a thing as a shopaholic? Is it just someone who shops excessively or does it go beyond that? I believe that everyone has a little bit of a shopaholic in them. Everybody likes to have nice things right? However, when your shopping addiction results in bankruptcy, it becomes a problem. Not only are you completely broke, but many shopaholics begin to shoplift. Their addiction becomes so uncontrollable that many wind up in jail because of it. What are some of the things that can lead to this type of shopping addiction? It can be self-esteem issues, insecurity, or a simple act of constant boredom. When it comes to a true shopaholic they do not simply just go to the mall and buy a shirt or two. Once they buy something it becomes a compulsive thing to do. This can be a very dangerous. Although women are stereotyped as being shopaholics, the addiction goes for men also. There is counceling for shopoholics which helps people spend their money properly without going overboard.

The Lost City of Stone

Petra is located in Jordan, to the northwest of Saudi Arabia. The word Petra in Greek means “rock” or “stone” which is a great name for this city considering the entire city is made from the rock that were located there. The people who carved these beautiful sculptures were called the Nabataeans. These people began to settle in Petra around the late seventh century. The rocks in Petra have a variety of hard and soft layers which gave the Nabataeans the ability to build their city of stone. They used the harder layers to build steady ceilings and the soft layers to carve open spaces. Many statues of Gods, Goddesses, and other figures still exist, along with many other architectural monuments.

Petra was unknown to the western world until the year of 1812. If this city was “lost” for so long, what other cities have yet to be discovered?

Wasp Knife

Did you ever hear of a wasp knife?
This is a new invention that is intentionally made to kill bears and sharks. It is unlike any knife you have ever seen before. This particular knife has a trigger button and once it is pressed it release a ball of gas which shoots out of the tip of the knife. Once released the small ball of gas grows instantly into approximately the size of a basketball which suddenly freezes the internal organs of the victim.
Watch this video and see what this knife is capable of doing to something as simple as a watermelon:



Britain is currently worried about this new invention. They are afraid that this deadly weapon will reach the hands of the wrong person. Should such a deadly weapon be available to the public? In my opinion I do not think so, but it is currently available to hunters and divers, and easily can be obtained over the internet. Someone made a comment stating, “Wow A knife that I am more afraid of than a gun!” Will this new invention become a serious problem? Is Britain right to be afraid, will this reach the hands of the wrong person?

Lunar Halo

What is a lunar halo? Last night I seen something I have never seen before. Around the moon there was a large circle that was perfect in diameter. I have never seen this before in my life. When I had looked it up online I found out that it is called a lunar halo. Ice crystals in a hexagon shape refract light from the moon causing these rings to appear. Many people say that the lunar halo means that bad weather is to come, but it has not yet been proven. This has happened many times before, but this is my first time seeing it. I found this very interesting because it looked like a shadow of something, directly in the middle of the sky circling the moon. When I found out what this was, I wondered why this only happens once in a while. Does this mean something that we do not know of yet?

Will the Earth Rebel Against us?

Yesterday I watched the movie “The Happening.” Although I thought that the movie wasn’t that good, the plot made me wonder. This movie was about a wind that suddenly passes through and takes over people’s minds where it makes them kill themselves. No one knew what this was or why it was happening, but the main character had a general idea. He figured that because we were hurting the world by using power plants and so forth, the world was rebelling against us.
Will the Earth rebel against us in real life? Don’t get me wrong, I do not think that a wind is going to come along and everybody is going to kill themselves, but will global warming get to the point where we may severely suffer? If people do not change their ways of life, what will happen in years from now? Is global warming the Earths way of rebelling agaisnt us? Watching this movie made me think about the effects of pollution and what may happen if we do not do anything about it.
If you are worried about what may happen if we do not prevent global warming, the website below lists a variety of things that may help:
http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_actionitems.asp

The Curse of the Lottery

Is it true that the lottery is a curse? The other day I watched a documentary on people who had won the lottery. They had shown a film of many people and of their lives before winning the lottery, while they gained wealth, and afterwards. Shortly after these people had won millions of dollars, they all went bankrupt and their lives fell apart. One couple lived in a trailer. They won this money and thought that it was going to be the greatest thing in their lives. They went out and bought a mansion, beautiful cars, a jet, and plenty more unnecessary things. Not to mention they quit their jobs. Before you knew it they ran out of money and were unable to pay their bills, claiming bankruptcy. Although this couple lived in a trailer before winning the lottery, they were content with their lives. Now with all of this chaos, they are two people with more problems than ever.

Another story, that is truly heartbreaking, is a story of a man who won hundreds of millions of dollars and lost it all due to drug abuse and alcohol. Not only did he lose the millions, but he also lost his granddaughter to drugs and his marriage broke up. When he first won the money, he thought that all his financial problems were gone and he can finally relax and provide his family and himself with whatever they desire. What he didn’t know is that it was about to become the worst years of his life. After claiming bankruptcy, he admits that he would rather be poor and have his family in good health than to have millions of dollars.

The following is a link to an article with stories of people who were cursed by the lottery.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/70165/winning_the_lottery_curse_or_a_blessing.html?page=2&cat=47

My View on the Presidential Debate

Who won the debate? Tonight the presidential debate was on, which I did not watch. I havent really followed politics at all this year, or any other year for that matter. When it comes to the presidential race and voting I feel absolutely powerless. I guess I can attribute this to a few different reasons. First, I hate the electoral process. I really dont like the fact that presidents are elected by the electoral college. My vote seems almost meaningless unless I happen to be the same color as the state I live in. Then there's the two party system. You have your choice between candidate A and B, and if you dont like either, well your'e basically out of luck. Lastly, you have the presidential model. Specific qualities, that if you dont meet you will most likely never become an American president. I dont mean things like born in America, but rather white, male, and protestant. "Requiring" candidates to fit a certain mold cripples a democratic government. I personally hope Obama wins if for no other reason then to hopefully bust open our stereotypical view of what a president should look like and be. Hopefully if he does win, we can start a trend of accepting a wider variety of candidates and therefore increasing the level of democracy we have in this country.

Capitalistic?

Since when is it ok for the government to interfere in the course of business? In the news last week, the United States bailed out AIG with an incredible 84 billion dollar loan. I don't understand how it is ok for the government to save one company out of thousands that are doing poorly. We are supposed to live in a country where you are responsible for your own businesses welfare. You take a risk in order to hopefully reap the rewards or suffer the consequences. Don't get me wrong, its not so much the fact that they saved AIG, its more about the fact that they don't do it for everyone else. What makes AIG more important then any other business out there? How can they justify saving one and continue to let the rest fail? I can't help but think of the kids out there whos parents small companies are struggling and failing in this troubled economy and wonder how they feel about our countries interrests. Which brings up another point, how is it possible that what our economy is currently experiencing is not classified as a recession? Unemployment is up and stocks are down with no relief in sight. It's sad that appearances are held in such high priority.

Teenage Ignorance

Are people that ignorant that they don’t realize that there are consequences for their actions? This past summer I had continuously watched acquaintances of mine turn their lives around, not for the best. Whether it be doing drugs or driving recklessly, putting other people’s lives in danger, they were slowly ruining their own lives. I have heard of many stories of teenagers that have passed away due to their own shocking actions or the actions of their friends. Certain situations that had occurred made me appreciate life more and more. I don’t understand people who do drugs, especially to the point that it takes their own lives. People can be very foolish and not realize that they can be hurting someone close to them or even themselves. Everyone thinks that they are invincible, until they have to pay for their thoughtless actions.

Is it ok to be a Procrastinator?

Do you ever think of why people constantly procrastinate? Is it just a way of pushing things off to the last minute? Or is it a fear of the task you have to do so you wait until the last minute? Whatever the answer may be, many people are victims of this, including myself. Whether it’s a huge paper that’s due or as simple as going to the store to get dog food, I always seem to put it off to the last minute, when the paper is due the next day and the last drop of dog food is gone. Although I consider myself a huge procrastinator, I always seem to finish all my tasks.

I sometimes wonder, is this a good thing or a bad thing? I am constantly reminded by my parents and teachers that I shouldn’t leave everything until the last minute. In my opinion, I don’t agree. My thoughts on procrastination vary. If I am to start studying a week before a test, I know for a fact that I will not remember anything by the time the test arrives, but if I study the night before everything will be fresh in my mind. I also think that procrastinating something and doing it the last minute, leaves people to work under pressure which for some people can be a good thing. On the other hand, if I have two huge papers due on the same day and wait until the night before to do both of them, then I would say I have a little bit of a problem. So my question is, is it ok to be a procrastinator?

A truly amazing city..

This past summer I went on a vacation to Italy. I travelled with my three aunts, my cousin, and my two sisters. For two weeks in Italy, we practiced the Italian culture. We rented a villa in the heart of Tuscany. We didn’t stay in Tuscany the full two weeks. We travelled to Rome, Venice, Florence, Pisa, and Chinqueterra.I seen many exhilarating things such as, the Vatican, the Coliseum, the leaning tower of Pisa, and much more. Although all of these things were a great experience and fascinating, I do have one favorite place that to me was truly amazing.
This place was Venice. Venice is this little city in Italy where there are no cars. Everyone who lives there travels by personal boats, water taxis, ferries, or their good old feet. Venice is famous for their Gondola rides, which take you throughout the canals and alleys of the city, to capture the true feeling of Venice. It is also famous for their infamous art work, such as many oil paintings which are displayed all around the city.
Venice is a very large tourist spot, which means it is also an exceptionally large shopping area. There was many of our typical everyday stores, plus Gucci, but there was also a ton of little boutiques that held masquerade masks and many unusual sculptures of Murano glass. I did quite a lot of shopping myself while I was there. Although this is my favorite place in the world, I am not going to lie, it is extremely pricey and the food isn’t that great, but the gelato makes up for the faults in the food.
When you are in a truly amazing place such as Italy, you realize a lot. You start to appreciate that there is a great big world out there for us to explore and experience. In my opinion, Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but besides Venice, Italy has a lot of significance and is very unique in its own way. I am lucky that I was able to experience this trip.