BLACK FRIDAY

The day after Thanksgiving is known as black friday. It is considered the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, and as a result, almost every store in the country rolls out big sales on products. Over the past few years, the black friday craze has gotten more and more insane. People line up outside stores like WalMart and Best Buy hours and hours before opening so they will have a better chance of grabbing a sale product before they are all gone. Some stores even opened their sales on thanksgiving this year. While having a big sale sounds like a good way to kick off the holiday shopping season, it is turning citizens into crazed zombies and slaves to products.

Around noon on friday, a saw a video online that had just been filmed at a WalMart in Chicago. In the video, a massive crowd of people are fighting over the last few boxes in a certain section of the store. Punches were thrown, people were kicked, children were hit and thrown out of the way. It was absolute chaos. And all of this just for 30% off of an Xbox or a new TV... The DAY AFTER we give thanks with family for the things we have. It is disgusting! After black friday passed, the videos and stories continued to pour in of similar fights and arguments. There is another video in which three women are fighting over an item, and one of them pulls out a taser and uses it on one of the other women. I just don't understand how people are this crazy. It is very sad, and makes me worry about what people will do if food or electricity runs out...

Bieber Fever

Justin Bieber has been a huge star for a few years now, and it doesn't seem like he will be going away too soon. When he first came into the public spotlight he was a little kid with a very high pitched voice and a funny bowl cut type thing that made girls faint. As he got older and his voice changed, his personality seemed to have changed and his music type changed as well. He cut his hair, got tattoos, started doing punk stuff with his "posse", and doesn't quite sing about loving only one girl forever anymore.

I remember seeing a video a few months ago of Bieber and his crew walking through the kitchen of a night club (very intoxicated) and Bieber urinates in the mop bucket in the kitchen. Next, Justin or one of his friends says something along the lines of, "You ought to feel lucky that I just did that in your mop bucket". This boldness and very self centered ego is bringing a considerable amount of bad attention lately.

This past spring, Justin made a comment while visiting the Anne Frank house that brought in some serious outrage. He said that he would have hoped Anne Frank would have been a fan of his. I am not really sure how I feel about this comment, but I really don't think it deserved the outrage it received. There are too many unknowns in the situation and out of context, we don't know exactly what he meant by it. Additionally, we have to remember that he is in general very self centered and has a large ego, so it is understandable that he would want to tie in this historical figure with his fame. However, I don't think it was a malevolent comment. Perhaps he should have held his tongue or phrased it better, but I don't think it deserved the attention it got. I DEFINITELY think that people need to focus a little less on silly celebrities like this clown and focus on important things in the world. It is fine to listen to celebrity's music, watch their movies, etc... But don't spend too much time blogging about what Katy Perry had for dinner last tuesday, because it really doesn't matter.

Well, going against what I just said, what on earth is with these pants?

Johnson & Johnson

The recent lawsuit involving Johnson & Johnson, a major pharmaceutical company, is truly disgraceful. It is sad to hear that a company who's products are marketed to promote health and wellness to people would market antipsychotic and anti-seizure drugs to people who they are not meant for despite major health risks. I understand that the company wants to sell more products and make more money, but of course this is not the way to go about doing that. Putting buyers at risk to increase revenues, especially children and the elderly, is one of the worst things a company can do in my opinion.

Now, Johnson &Johnson payed 2.2 Billion dollars in fines for this. This seems like it is a huge amount of money that would actually set the company back for their terrible actions. However, it is almost nothing to them. In 2012, Johnson & Johnson's revenue was about $67 billion. I don't think the company should be forced to shut down or anything, they are still a (semi) reputable company that sells good products that people use every day. But, the penalty definitely should be big enough for them to have to pay the price for what they did. People cannot be manipulated in unsafe ways like this, especially when it comes to medicine.

New Tobacco Laws in NYC

In the United States, tobacco use is responsible for roughly 440,000 deaths per year. Additionally, about 8.6 million people in the United States suffer from some sort of tobacco-caused illness. Clearly, tobacco products, cigarettes especially, are very unhealthy. In fact, about $96 billion dollars are spent each year on public and private healthcare for smoking related issues. And although tobacco products bring in immense amounts of tax revenue, this is money that should not, and would not be spent on healthcare if it were not for the mass use of these tobacco products.

Despite the major issues that tobacco causes, I do not think it is the right move by the Mayor of New York City to enforce this law to raise the purchasing age to 21. Just as when Mayor Bloomberg proposed the ban on large soft drinks, it simply is not the right approach. For example, if someone wants 64 ounces of soda, but the 64 ounce containers are not allowed, they can simply buy two or three smaller bottles, and they have what they want. In the case of the tobacco age increase, someone who is underage can simply leave the city limits to buy, or, as it is very easy to do in the city, ask someone older to buy them. It is a futile attempt to reduce the problem.

 Although I think the law is wrong, it means well. In my opinion however, there is a much better approach to fixing the issues with tobacco death and illness in this country. If more effective programs can be started to educate children on the dangers of tobacco use before they are tempted to experiment, the illness and death statistics will decrease because use will decrease. I don't believe that the government implementing laws on personal choices like this is the best way to govern a people. Educating the people and helping them make the better decisions on their own will be much better in the long run. Instead of young rebellious teens being upset that they can't buy cigs anymore, in a few years we could have a group of teens who know the harmful effects of tobacco and avoid it because they want to be healthy.

PIRATES

There have been two major stories in the news lately about pirates or piracy. The arctic30 group that got arrested after boarding an oil ship in protest of drilling, and the abduction of two American oil ship sailors by Nigerian pirates off the coast of Nigeria. In my opinion, the second issue is the more serious matter, because the Americans were abducted by real pirates who are very dangerous. Oil ships like the one these two men were abducted from have become an increasingly popular target for pirates from west Africa. When reading the suggested article, I came across a point that said West African governments don't allow the large oil ships are not allowed to have armed security guards. This seems very irresponsible to me, because it is obvious that there is a problem with pirates in these waters. Restricting the ships from protecting themselves seems to encourage these pirates to attack ships because they know the people on the ship would not be able to defend themselves. The ships traveling in these waters need to be able to protect themselves, because it could take a lot of time for help to arrive.

The Shutdown and the Debt Ceiling

The recent government shutdown in my opinion is nothing but the result of childish behavior from both parties. This shut down did not need to occur. But procrastination and unwillingness of the house and the senate to compromise or at least work together to build a better America caused this to happen. Instead of working to sort out the health care reform and the debt ceiling issues, it seems to me as if both parties stood there with their arms crossed and faces pouted like a child who didn't get the toy they wanted as the clock ran out and the debt ceiling was reached, resulting in the shutdown, which further delays the process of figuring everything out. Regardless of my own political views, both parties are at fault, and it is a shame that it happened.

On a related note is the debt ceiling itself. The idea of  this "ceiling" and mainly how the ceiling is dealt with has perplexed since I first heard about it. I thought, why have this debt ceiling if every time the debt is about to reach the ceiling, it is simply raised? It seems pointless to have this limit if the government will not obey the limit and make proper cuts as well as reforms to actually decrease the debt instead of increase it by less. I understand it is not easy to do that, but the supposedly smartest and most powerful people in the nation that were elected for this very job should figure it out!

"Biker Gang" and Alexian Lien

The recent incident involving the "Hollywod Stuntz" motorcycle crew and Alexian Lien has made major news over the past few weeks. Many articles have jumped to blame the "biker gang" and to defend Lien. However, it is totally necessary that both parties are blamed. This "gang" (which, according to the article is not your typical leather vest biker gang) was clearly disrupting traffic, speeding, possibly inciting rage, and of course, beating the New York man, all of which are against the law. However, Lien should have expected what happened to him considering the way he acted towards the motorcycle street riders. By picking a fight with this Stuntz crew, who are obviously people who don't mind breaking the law, he was certainly playing with fire. When he lost his temper and sped over one of the riders, he certainly could not expect that the bikers would just disappear trouble free. Both parties are responsible for the damages done, so both should be held accountable legally. This is a good reminder for us about how we should drive and respond to other people on the road. Causing problems can only lead to more problems, and reacting poorly to people causing problems will only make problems worse.

Obsession with Cats

The past few years has shown a huge explosion of obsession with cats on the internet. This really started in 2007 with the emergence of the website "icanhazcheezburger.com". This website features LOLCATS and cat memes, and quickly became one of the most visited meme websites online. But why cats?! It seems foolish for pictures of cats with captions to become such a hit. But upon closer consideration, it makes perfect sense. Cats are furry little creatures that generally have quite an attitude and they are a little too curious for their own good. They make funny faces, and matched with the right caption, it is just the perfect time passing type of comedy that people are addicted to now a days. This is the reason why a picture or video of a cat can get millions of views in just a few short days. But this whole cat craze may not be such a new phenomenon.

Think of the Austin Powers movies. Dr. Evil had a cat named Mr. Bigglesworth that he held in his lap and stroked as he conspired his evil plans to take over the world. This cat was by no means cute of furry, but the cat and Dr. Evil's relationship with it added another level of comedy to these scenes just because the cat was present. Similarly, as we read for this week's readings, dictator Vladimir Lenin too had a cat that he held and stroked in his lap. (Possibly while he was conspiring his plans to take over the world?). It is possible that Dr. Evil's cat was inspired by Lenin, but both examples truly show how some people regard cats. It is no surprise to me anymore when I open youtube and see a featured video with millions of views, and it is just a cat getting into trouble. History, and the emergence of the internet, has created a pathway for cats to rise into comedy fame.

Navy Yard Shooting and the Main Stream Media

It is a tough time when these shootings happen. We see the clips played on the news after it happens for weeks and weeks to come. These "body count" type shootings are horrible and scarring and they happen far too often. Unfortunately, much of the mainstream media generally takes these terrible events and uses them to push their views and agendas on gun control. However, there is a bigger issue that needs to be looked at instead.

Within minutes of the news of the shooting in the navy yard, many news sources immediately started blaming the guns. CNN said in a headline that the shooter, Aaron Alexis, had an AR-15 rifle, which is a high powered, semi automatic weapon. This was the same gun that Adam Lanza was said to have used in the Sandy Hook shooting, but again, did not use. Shortly after, CNN  changed the headline to say the shooter had an AR-15 shotgun, which doesn't even exist. In my opinion, CNN, which is a left wing news broadcaster, wanted to use the term AR-15 to instill a fear in the minds of the viewers and give them the idea that guns are strictly bad. Time and time again, many news anchors and political pundits jump to gun control the second news breaks about these events. While it indeed may be necessary to have some sort of regulation changes on fire arms in the United States, this is simply not the way to push it. 

There is a much bigger issue at hand here than the guns. This issue is the person behind the trigger being pulled, and more importantly, their mental health. Almost every single one of these shooters has had a mental illness that either went undiagnosed or was ignored. The Navy Yard shooter, Aaron Alexis, had psychiatric issues in the past, as well as gun violence charges in the past, yet was still granted access onto the gun free navy yard. Adam Lanza, James Holmes, and Seung-Hui Cho, who are the perpetrators of a few recent spree killings, all had some sort of mental or psychiatric issue. In my opinion, this is a far more urgent topic than the gun itself. No gun can enter a building on its own and open fire. The problem lies within the people behind the guns, and mental health is an important issue that needs more attention in the United States. 

Syria

The current situation in Syria is no easy topic to either understand or create opinions about. The things that the people of Syria are experiencing are incredibly horrific. To have a once great and economically diverse country destroyed by a bloody civil war is almost impossible to imagine. However, it is easy to wish for relief and give compassion to the people of Syria because of this. Many Americans, including the President, want to get involved in Syria because of the disastrous chemical weapons that were allegedly used by the Syrian government on its people. While it is absolutely understandable to want to intervene and help out the people affected by these attacks, I believe that it is simply best not to get involved.

It may sound cold or inhumane to not want to help the people of Syria and get involved, but in my opinion, this situation is simply not our place to jump in. Additionally, President Obama's stance on the issue is incredibly hypocritical. As one of the most aggressive opposers of the war on Iraq, the President now wants to get involved in Syria under a situation that is nearly the same. After calling past political leaders warmongers, he now wants to jump into a situation that could very likely create another war for the United States. Despite the crimes of humanity that are happening to the Syrian people, I just don't think that it is the job of the United States to intervene in this situation. There is too much risk for another war for the United States, and the Syrian ties with Al-Qeada make it even more complex and dangerous.

Selfishness vs. Self Interest

Where is the line between selfishness and self interest? Is there even a line? Or maybe some sort of overlap? These are all questions I have been asking myself after this week's readings and discussions. Although it may be a small idea compared to some the thoughts discusses in class, it has really made me think. So what IS the difference between the two?

In my opinion, there is a very small difference between the two, but that difference is crucial. Both self interest and selfishness involve a concern with oneself, but where the line is drawn, is that selfishness is a concern for oneself without regard for others, and often at the expense of others. It is easy to say that someone with self interest is acting selfishly, but in reality, it is good for people to act in their self interest. Both self interested people and and selfish people want themselves to prosper, but selfishness comes out of greed whereas self interest is a general necessity to make sure your needs are fulfilled, which can often be a benefit, either emotionally or financially to other people around you.

In addition to Mandeville and Hutcheson's conflicting ideas on selfishness and self interest, the reading that truly sparked the deeper thought of this for me was from Smith's Of Sympathy. Smith said, "As we have no immediate experience of what other men feel, we can form no idea of the manner in which they are affected, but by conceiving what we ourselves should feel in the like situation. Though our brother is upon the rack, as long as we ourselves are at our ease, our senses will never inform us of what he suffers". This made me think about other people's situations that I will never experience and made me question if my own self-interest has any impact on these experiences. While it is obvious that selfishness can certainly impact other people's lives in a negative way, I wondered if the same was true for self interest, and came to my proposed conclusions above. 

Thinking about it and discovering my new ideas on self interest and selfishness has shed a new light on the importance of not being selfish. While self interest is a very good thing, one must be careful not to extend their self interest to a point where is negatively impacts someone else's life and situation. 

Plagiarism Exercise

1. Formula racing refers to a class of motor sport defined by open-wheeled, single-seat race cars. Open-wheeled cars have their wheels outside of the car's body, unlike "normal" cars and stock cars, whose wheels are under the fenders. As its name implies, Formula One is the pinnacle of formula racing, featuring the best drivers in the most powerful, technically advanced cars (Harris).

2. There is a certain class of motor sport called Formula racing. It is classified by single-seat, open-wheeled race cars. Unlike a regular consumer car, whose wheel's are hidden beneath fenders, open-wheeled cars' wheels are located on the exterior of the car's body. As the name Formula One may insinuate, this type of racing is the pinnacle of formula motor sport. It features the most skilled drivers in the world driving the most technically advanced and powerful cars. 

3. Hematocrit (HCT) is essentially the percentage of your blood that is made up of red blood cells.  When hematocrit is tested, blood is considered to have two main components:  red blood cells (RBCs) and plasma.  Plasma is mostly water, along with some plasma proteins, blood glucose, etc.  Red blood cells are the hematocrit portion.  As you probably know, red blood cells are the portion of the blood that carry oxygen.  So hematocrit is a representation of the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood.  What are normal values?  Normal values for men are typically about 40-50%, and normal for women is about 36-45%.   

4. In my recent studies, I have come up with a new physical theory. I have determined that all laws of physics are the same for all observers, regardless of where they are located or how fast they are moving or accelerating. I have come to these conclusions organically through my own tests.