Unnatural Landscapes: The Human Impact on Earth's Surface

Here is the link to the article.

     I am no tree hugger. I will never sit outside a college (or in Boston) in protest of the destruction of the environment. There is nothing I can do to stop the spread of human growth. It is way too late for that. But these pictures are just wrong. Look at the pile of tires. Stephen Hawking has never used numbers that large. Here is a question for the AP Environmental Science class: what's up in Canada? I would bet that they would have no response. There is just an abundance of environmental problems. In real life, the environment is being torn apart right under our noses (remember that dull Patterns story, The Secret Life of Garbage?). My response? Oh well. Too bad. Too soon we will have to pack our bags and ship out to some planet at the edge of the universe. Hopefully science will develop to the point in which we actually have the ability to do so. Maybe Hawking will find the answer to stabilizing wormholes. Maybe. These are some pretty huge problems, and I don't know about you, but I don't want to end up like the people in Wally. Moral of the story is to keep pushing for astrophysics because environmental scientists aren't doing us any favors. Remember that actions speak louder than words.

Happiness Is.

     Have you, dear reader, ever been in a good mood? I mean an exuberant, walk-on-clouds mood for no good reason whatsoever? Well, it doesn't happen often, but I'm in one. Though my face lacks the smile that one would expect, my thoughts have aligned. It cannot be explained by any doctor; I am just happy. I didn't even have a good day. I was asked a lot of deep questions that I haven't come up with answers to from people I wouldn't expect to pose them. This might have to do with it. I often obsess over ethics inside my head, rarely revealing what I come up with. This time, I was put on the spot about something I have never noticed. The question was "Can I just be replaced?". The answer is yes, and I know and accept this, but why? Can everybody? At least the majority of the American population could I believe. This, strangely, does not disturb me. The person who was down about this question. Why? In fact, I find it comforting that there is someone who will be just as good as I am at living life. I am happy with what I've done thus far, and I am proud of every word I've said. I don't have a single regret because if anything had turned out to be slightly different, than I would be an entirely different person. That is frightful. I am happy right now, and because of that, I love everything that has happened to me, for better or for worse. This perfect utopia that is my mood should never be broken. Euphoria  is coursing through my thoughts and limbs at the speed of sound, floating on, delivering good news to all who care to hear. The most perfect thing about this post is that, at most, eleven people will read it. They are eleven people that I trust and value. On that note, I am off to better myself. Have a wonderful night.

Stephen Hawking, "Equal to Anything!"

Here is the link to the article.

     Stephen Hawking has always been a huge inspiration of mine. About a year ago, I watched a ridiculously long documentary of him that focused primarily on his work on black holes. It was interesting and informative. It covered everything from the dark monsters to string theory to greater dimensions. I watched Curiosity with Stephen Hawking, a fantastic production that disproved any sort of creator. Click here if you want to watch it; I will not argue any more about whether or not there is a god. He is one of the visionaries of the modern age, and he held the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics for 30 years at the University of Cambridge. He is an extraordinary human being, and this biography about him will certainly assist us at holding him in the highest regards.
     I learned a new word today: fetter. It is a chain or a shackle. This is perfectly appropriate for the title of the biography. Although Hawking may be immobile due to illness, his mind is very much free. I thought the excerpt from the biography was rich. One would probably think that such a book would be a bland story about some boring physicist's life, but there actually is some really beef (meaning drama) in his life. Actully, this article didn't tell me much I didn't already know. As we move into 2012, I cannot wait to see what Hawking discovers concerning life, the universe, and everything.

Also, his first wife wrote a book of memoirs, if I can find it I will read it.

New Rules for the New Year

Here is the link to the article by Bill Maher.

     I went into this article expecting a serious list about how poorly structured and impractical the average Joe's New Year's resolutions are, and was blown away at its content. Instead of the stone-faced truth that I wanted to read, I was instead given a comedic group of ideas that all were unique. I don't follow the presidential race (although I should, I can vote for 2012), but I know just enough to actually understand the jokes. Only, any time Rick Perry is mentioned, I start foaming at the mouth, so I didn't actually like all of them. I thought that Maher raised a good point in the beginning. Why must New Year's resolutions be about self-improvement? Can't you help your family or community? I think that people sometimes forget that running every day isn't the only thing you can do to make yourself feel good.
     I enjoyed Maher's poking fun at online journalism. I agree that people documenting the clothes that celebrities wear should constitute the returning of a degree, but also removal from Earth. There is nothing more that I can't stand than the news feed I see when I log onto my Yahoo email. For instance, today, the first article I saw was called Dennis Rodman's Racy New Job I skimmed it and it is about how some basketball star is now coaching a topless woman's league. Simply put, I do not care about Rodman or some stupid basketball league. While I find Yahoo especially guilty of this, it is surely not the only site that puts out such news. My sister watches E! News and whenever I hear it on in the background it ticks me off. The stupid host's voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard, and despite my best efforts, I cannot restrain from telling Maria to watch something good, possibly Doctor Who. I also thought that the one about the natural disaster was funny. I particularly liked the line about them being "swallowed up by the earth". It was a quick read, I would recommend it for something to do. Nice job Bill.

Duh! 11 Obvious Science Findings of 2011

Here is the link to the article.

     Scientific American strikes again! This time around, we have a hilarious article with something to actually discuss linguistically! I know, right! Okay, the article contained eleven apparent human and animal behaviors that are proven through science. All of them were confirmed, hold on, actually, I think it would've been funny to put one down, such as "99% of adults get hammered on New Year's Eve" and then disprove it. They probably have an article like that somewhere, but I'm not going to dig for it right now. My favorite one was smoking pot and driving is not safe. I wonder what they did to disprove it, I mean smoking it is illegal, so how are they able to put it to the test? Hmm...very suspicious indeed. I also wonder how much these tests cost, when in actuality, we didn't need them at all. I realize that it is never safe to assume in science, but come on. Pigs like mud, okay? Why else would they sit in it all day? Did they get stuck? Someone, somewhere spent a good deal of money to "determine" if these things are true.
     I think there is beauty in these words. The sheer simplicity is what really turns the reader on. Read just the titles of the findings. All of these could be a major part of a stand-up comedian's routine. I believe this was to further articulate the substance of the article. Keeping it short, clean, and crisp was the aim, and it was achieved well. If you haven't noticed, I've been writing this blog in contrast; I am quite wordy and I tend to run on. Anyhow, I would highly suggest reading this article, as it is a great break from most of the depressing "Outrage" articles us Language and Composition students often write about.

The Beginning of the End

     I sit here listening to Soul Meets Body, thinking about the new year and the last one. I cannot bring myself to say the number 2012. It just feels so remote, almost robotic. I accomplished so much in 2011, more than any other year in my life. Almost nothing went wrong, I can't even name anything that did. Chronologically, my favorite parts of 2011 were picking up the tenor, the Annapolis trip, and all the new friendships I've made. 2011 was the year I learned how to sort out the good people from the bad. I learned how I am going to conduct myself, who I will allow to be around me, and what I want to do in life. 2011 was a fantastic year, for it was the year in which my life came together. Although I have never had any physical problems, I have been wondering mentally, and I decided exactly who I am with much difficulty. I am not ready to leave it behind.
     2012 has been dubbed doomsday. December 21 is coming. I cannot wait to see what the media makes of it. I will be all over Cracked and the Times all next December. The Earth is not going to end. Do some research. Nothing will ever change; it never does. This is what I am afraid of: I go to school on Friday, December 21, and get wrecked by some drunk redneck who prefers to listen to mainstream media (see the outrage effect) than to listen to the logic of scientists. Astronomers agree that Planet X will not hit, nor pass near Earth. Nice try Nancy Lieder, but you are confused and a filthy liar. You cannot communicate with extra-terrestrials. I wish you could, if we could only find them. Recall the Random Monkey Theorem. But I'm getting off topic. I want the public to understand that the world will not end. No matter how hard I try, I will never hear the end of it (until December 22) because the news can go to town with it. So many whispers, they will say any of them can be correct, when truthfully, astronomers have already disproved it. But nobody listens to reason anymore. It is even claimed that the date will be a positive transition! Make up your minds! As far as science is concerned, nothing will hit the Earth. 2012, you are not the scariest thing since 2000. You are a phony who will only stir people into fear.

Reader Response Blog: Bless Me, Ultima 4

     Well, I finally made it. I spent my vacation skiing, repairing and playing an alto from 1931, and reading Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima. I feel pretty good right now, actually. I think I have accomplished a lot this Christmas break. However, this cannot change my dislike for the book. It's not even that I hated the book. Instead, I disliked it, and as a result, I consider it a waste of time. I wish I read it all before break started so I wouldn't have wasted my precious relaxation and practice time.

     The worst things about this book are its espanol and its world views. One of the (numerous) things that grinds my gears is when a person is over religious to the point where they constantly talk about it and they impose it upon the people who don't care about it. Sorry, I'm a "sinner" and it will never change. In your eyes at least because I think most of the things that I do are perfectly acceptable; I have never really hurt anyone, committed a crime, drunken or done drugs. I get good enough grades and I try as hard as I can. I want people (Anaya, Catholics) to stop telling me that I'm doing something wrong simply because I'm Protestant and don't go to church. Christianity is one of two major world religions that actively recruits. I think the other is Islam, but I could be mistaken. Anyhow, I am a good person, I work hard, and I am seeking a productive career. I felt like Anaya was criticizing everybody, Catholics and non-Catholics through the entire book. It was hard to connect to it because I am not Catholic, not religious, and have no connection to the llano. I am polar to Antonio, and for this reason, I have not enjoyed the book.

     This book never really had what people may call the "It Factor". I was never stimulated by its pages and the only time I ever felt any real emotion was when Narciso was killed. I felt sad and sort of annoyed that Anaya would kill off the most interesting character in the book. From there on out, all hope was lost. It was actually hard to finish the last pages; I had to mentally push myself. Bless Me, Ultima was a horrifically boring read, and I would not recommend it to anyone, ever.