Don't Be Dumb....too late :)

I definitely agree with the technology being an issue. I'll sit and text and be on facebook as well as the phone and listening to music while studying. I'm sure I could memorize a lot faster if i did put it all away, but come on leave my cell phone?? what if someone important texts me?? I also don't think memorization is as important cause all i have to do is google whatever question you ask me and bam i have the answer, and several different versions and languages if iwant.

Do Graduates Understand Citizenship

I think that it was an interesting article. It's true we're taught that education is everything for us. Its our boost up in the world and I think its' more important to realize the heavy responsibility that is put on us as now adults

Domestic Spying

Its hard to take a side in these arguments, because, if the government has caught people and spying has helped us then its a good thing, but there's always the fear that it could be taken too far and then we will be a 1984 senario. I think domestic spying should be very closely watched, i think we need proof before someone just goes off and starts watching innocent people. Then again, if ur not doing anything wrong you shouldn't worry right? Its really hard to take a side.

1984 numero tres

In the final analysis, how accurate was Orwell in his vision of the future?
Well I just thought it was scary that they had such complete and utter control over a community. It's hard to imagine! The ideas were brilliant, what they said went, everyone was completely brainwashed.

In what ways does our contemporary society compare to his idea of society in 1984?
I don't really know if we are controlled much in the US, but maybe we are, for all i know we could be taught something completely different then what's really going on in the world, sadam might not even exist, i haven't seen him. It's scary to see in places like North Korea, the complete control they have over their people, whether that will move or grow i can't say, but it could.

Are there examples in which he was correct?
The whole Big Brother senario with domestic watching
Um even when we learned about torture to break people, that's part of the whole ending

What is most opposite?
we have freedom of rights, to assemble, to love, freedom of speech, that's very opposite the books message

Do you see a potential for aspects of Orwell's "vision" to come true?
it all ready has! see north korea, it could spread here, someday maybe... when we're out of hope or something bad happens, a phsyco leader will take over for sure that could have to potential to do something like that, hopefully not in my lifetime... unless the physco leader's me ;)
muahahahahahaha

Should the United States Seek Negotiations and Engagement with North Korea

I agree with the first guy. Both articles really made us seem like the bad guys! I think we need we need to talk to North Korea and make some way that we can trust them, even though we don't trust them. We need to be fair, but we can't just go on fighting them for forever. They maybe be an unstable country and that video made them seem even worse, however, they did open railroads they hadn't before and they do seem to love their country, maybe we can find even ground.

censorship

I am siding with the left mostly. I'm totally for reading whatever is written out there, if someone doesn't want their child reading a certain book, then they are robbing that child of personal thought. I understand the innocence thing, but if you live in America and go to school, you're gonna know what sex is by the age of 12, it's just how it is. Reading a book shouldn't change your opinion of sex or drugs or whatever if you're family at home is teaching you otherwise. If anything it should just make a child more knowledgable about a topic so that they can defend their side of it if needed. You have to know the facts if you want to be an accomplished person in society. The thing I don't agree with is fairy tales being banned, come on! Maybe they are sexist, but they are fantasy. Every little girl dreams of being a princess and being saved by her prince. Women have been fighting for rights for years, but I don't know one girl who's really offended by Snow Whites kiss of life.

How can you ban a book about an old woman who likes to put things on her bike?? I see nothing wrong with this!! What is this world coming to?

Down’s syndrome
Heroine
Pop
Polo
Sophisticated

1984 Numero dos

Why is Winston happy to find out that Julia has had sex with many people?
Because that means that more people are breaking the law and this makes Winston glad

Where do Julia and Smith set up their rendezvous?
An old run down church

What happens to Syme?
He disappears, because he knows too much, just like winston thought

What do learn that Winston is afraid of?
Rats

Brave New World Seminar Makeup

Mond says that people need new things, it is the only way to keep the world going. Consumerism is a lot of what this world is based on. Good things, like literature, are things that people can get attached to and the society doesn't agree with that. Also this same idea reflects on the relationships in the book. Everyone jumps from one lover to another, not allowing them to get attached. That was one of Bernard's faults when he got attached to lenina. He also talks of how there is no other emotion but happy. The civilization doesn't know what sad or pain or any other emotions are, they only know happy. Whether that is true happy or not who can say?
This book really scared me. To think that a world can be totally taken over like that is a frightening ordeal. I think if you don't experience all the emotions that we do daily you are not really living. I think it's also really sad that all the old things are thrown out. We can learn so much from the past! It just seems like how they run their world would be a waste to me.

He hated the happiness and how no other emotions were allowed. He wanted to feel love from lenina, and he never let his lust overtake him. He felt that the individual was important when society said it was just about the whole. Him killing himself was even worse. By doing that he was more easily forgotten, it was just a little disruption and people could just go back to their pointless lives. I really think that him killing himself in the end was the worst thing he could have possibly done.

1984 numero uno

Newsspeak is the language in Oceania. It's purpose is to make people's vocabulary smaller, because then they will not know as many words and have no way to think other thoughts. It's actually a really good idea, how would you rebel if you didn't know the words to say.

Facecrime is how one acts when they are thinking about something they shouldn't. They can get caught by a certain wrong gesture or movement that will give away the person's thoughts. And apparently that can get you in a lot of trouble.

They change it to fit what is happening now. They can destroy anything that involved something they don't like and change it to something they do. The people who rewrite it are the only ones who will remember but they soon forget. Scary but it probably could happen.

Health Care

Obama and Hillary have pretty much the same ideas when it comes to health care. Affordable by everything and it's not controled by the employer, also that no one can get turned away. Obama's site goes a lot more into detail about everything. It expands on the affordability and the quality of the situation. I think their plan was the best, because they are really on the same page with health care. However, I don't think someone can change our health care system that has been in place for how many years in a few years. It would take major change and support from citizens, I don't know if they could get that kind of support, maybe from a younger generation but not the oldies.

Brave New Babies

This article really comes down to ones own personal morals I think. I myself would leave it up to chance because of my religion and the old fashion way of things, however if someone really wants to chose the gender of their child, I see nothing wrong with that either.
I can see how people may like their babies more if they were wishing for a certain gender, but for goodness sakes, if its their baby you'd think they'd like it either way! I think it's amazing what science could do these days, it would be gross if we start throwing out all blonde haired blue eyed babies right and left because I don't think the world needs to become that shallow. Gender is one thing, perfect children is another. It kind of comes to how will we ever measure the records in the olympics or the masterpieces of music by geniuses with no genetic changes, is it really fair? Then again, science is something that has no bounds so it's not like it can just be stopped.
This is a very hard decision to take a side on. My way of avoiding it is to just uninvolve myself and when I have children, just see what comes out.

Brave New World

This was all around a really weird depressing book, I didn't really like it. I mean it was strange to imagine a world like that but even harder to read about it. I thought that Bernard was going to be our hero but he just turned out to be a dead beat like everyone else! John really became the dominant character and what he did at the end reminded me of the davinci code. It seems like he almost created a new cult religion. I can't believe he killed himself too! I was so surprised at the ending! It's almost like he brainwashed himself!

Binge Drinking VS Ecstasy

I think a bigger deal in our nation is definitely binge drinking. Probably because it hits closer to home in and it is seen more often, even in our school. I think its a real problem because if has the same effect as so many other drugs and the scary part is that its legal! That alone makes it a public concern! So many people are killed by drunk drivers or alcohol poisoning. It ruins lives everyday, its an addictive drug and I don't understand why there are not more restrictions on it. If we can have alcohol, why not pot why not ecstasy? Long term use of any of these drugs will harm the user, alcohol is a drug, our nation just seems to scared to admit that it has a problem, everyone knows thats the first step.

I don't know exactly what our government could do because we all know prohibition got us no where. I think more restrictions on drinking should be put in to place. Perhaps people can only drink in one place or have a rule that if there is any alcohol in someone's blood they should not be able to drive, not just have a legal limit.

Brave New World

I think what really is wrong with this society is people aren't allowed to think for themselves but it is a natural human instinct to want more. I noticed that each character that has an issue with thier lives are those that have a chance to learn or are different. Hemholtz is in a position of power so naturally he longs for more and to do more. Because Bernard has always been shorter and not easily accepted into any group he longs to see what is different so he tries out his emotions to find that. Humans will always have emotions you can't rid any human of that.

Most of these people are happy, many people go their whole lives not wanting to know what a problem is. Ignorance is bliss. If they people of the society accept that there is a problem they will feel the need to fix it and why do that when they are made happy by the governement as they are?

Ectasy makes the taker extremely happy and open, soma does the same thing. It makes whoever takes it completely oblivious to the world. Therefore it makes them happy. They are more open to excepting lovers (even if one girl's eyebrows connected in the middle) . It is an addiction to these people which is what the government wants because then they can control them.

Universal Health Care Downside

I found an article on Japan and it says that their doctor's are not as educated and well as thier drugs are not good enough. The government saves money in any way they can. Thier facilities are not as good as in the US. The doctor's don't have enough time for all thier patients which can lead to serious repercussions. They are also paid less so the government saves.

A Brave New World 1

This story is very weird. A way I see that it connects to our society is genetic engineering and cloning. In this book, each person is created and brainwashed perfectly to the role or caste they are put into. This is arguably what our nation today is doing, engineering corn that's yellower, animals that provide more, and plants with more of what we need naturally creating certain things just for future use. We have not gotten as extreme by creating 'perfect' people but if we keep on this road we may someday accomplish it. This causes a huge stir among the religious fanatics and one's own personal beliefs. We are now able to pick whether our child will be male or female, hair color, eye color, its all there. However, one's own morals come into play and some are very against this type of creation. "Playing God" is a term often used, if we stretch that kind of power, what will come of us? Will we end up like this society? They have to no god. (unless that is what that Ford thing is which I was confused about) I also saw a connection on a more superficial level, the beautiful girls and built men were the ones who were allowed to have fun and enjoy themselves. The short one (yes i forgot his name but it starts with a B) all though he may be in the highest caste, he still is looked down on because of his looks. The same is true today, in the popularity castes of highschool, certainly not to the extreme in the book but naturally, the more beautiful, the more popular.

Blog

The Prince fits in with the war in Iraq, because it talks of how hard it is to have a regimine change. They need a firm hand to set things straight, but it doesn't just take political changes, it takes changing of the people. I don't think we're doing a very good job if we wanna follow the rules, we have to make their people like us, or at least fear us a bit, instead we're scaring the crap out of them, so they are obviously gonna rebel. They also have to get rid of the people who crave power so that only the ones who want freedom remain. I also think we are not doing a very good job of putting someone in power, I predict its gonna last a long time. This article tried to simplify it way more than I think it can be simplified.

The Prince 2

Good Idea:
Chapter 10
I think it's a good idea to keep an army at the ready because then no one will dare attack them because they will always be ready. I think it would make the kingdom look stronger and harder to overtake, it would also keep the people feeling safer.

Bad Idea:
Chapter 13
It's not a good idea to borrow troops from another kingdom because their loyalty isn't to that kingdom it's to their own, therefore they wont really help either way. Not a good idea also because if the other king is at all good he will pull his troops out to protect them and then where will they be?

Machiavelli

Iran obviously doesn't like us, but there was a time when they did, their main hatred is focused on Israel right next to them. He uses ideas from Machiavelli about fear and how to keep control of the other countries. I guess the ideas make sense but I don't think it's really appropriate. I understand that we need to act now before they attack us but we don't even know if they are going too. We need proof before we go with the Bush administration and just follow Machiavelli's idea and keep them in fear. It sounds like more of a dictator idea them a democracy. It says that noone will be liked by them unless they follow their religion which obviously isn't gonna happen.

The Prince

Good Idea:
These all seem to me like each idea is used to gain power through corruption but the best idea to me was that there should be no violence when taking over a country. Because everyone who helped take over for you could easily turn their back on you just like they did the last leader. I also believe that violence never solves anything so it's just an obvious choice to me.
Also using your resources and supporting the people who have supported you, agian, it's underhanded when you only help those, but I suppose it would work.

Bad Idea:
The worst idea was keeping the people in fear, even though it would work, it doesn't seem fair to just kill random people to keep in control.

NIE

The Bush Administration in this article is simpley being portrayed as a bully. It's like they are trying to hard to stick to their guns, there's no longer any logical explaination for what is happening. Its not really fair for either party. It would make sense to not use military action but to still check things out because our allies agree to check but disagree with military action. We just come off as mean if we cause more trouble, this needs to be resolved in a more mature way.

Change in Iran

Oil in Iran is it's main source of economics in trade, a lot of power struggles there because some leaders wanted to use the oil to sell to other countries and be better while others were tired of outside influences and wanted nothing to do with them. Much of the leadership in Iran is based on stark religions, leaving little room for freedom. Anyone who spoke out against the leaders were killed or tortured. When Khatami was elected he was the first step towards change. Women and young people had a voice once again. Because of the new ideas and changes taking place of liberalism vs conservatism, many college students and women began to rebel on things they believed needed to be changed. They took steps towards a more democratic government but had a strong agreement to stay peaceful. The conservatives did as much as they could to make sure their way of life stayed intact. They closed down rebellious newspapers, made arrests and shut down student demonstrations, soon all that Khatami stood for seemed to lose it's fire. Protests started to get violent with students clashing against officers. While all this was happening, the US was feeling pressure to try to fix the way the government in Iran works and see if they have nuclear bombs.

Iran Problems

I agree that we shouldn't drop a bomb because they have nothing to defend themselves with. It would be unfair and kind of make us hypocrits. Iran is so far behind in technology we don't even know if they are as far as we assue which would not be fair play. We can't just blow something up because we feel like it. Iran is one of the few countries that still are on our side, by blowing them up they will all turn on us and we will just have another enemy.

Apocalypse Now

I think that this quote goes back to the idea of someone being inherantly evil. It is a natural blood lust each of us has inside of us just waiting for it to take us completely over. When it says we want to die from it, I think it's not implying literal dying but you're own personal self dying and becoming someone completely different. Its like when you're instincts take over. As the movie goes on, we see more and more chaos as they go deeper into the jungle, this thing that is out taking and killing people is more prominent in the chaotic places. The instinct to survive has completely taken over and all reason is lost.

Darfur

I understand why we can't leave Iraq at the moment because of the chaos that would ensue, but we've been there for years, people are dying on a daily basis in Darfur. This is one of those things they will make a movie about in 50 years and the US will be an enemy. Maybe we specifically can't help, but can't we get other countries to help out this nation. A genocide is going on and we're doing nothing. If it can't be us, we should support other countries who will go help. This is mainly a moral issue as i see it, how can we sit aside while so many people die? Its not even a secret anymore, Darfur is a problem, and i believe we need to do something about it.

Heart of Darkness 2

1. The blacks are portrayded as savages. They are animals, they have no idea what to do with their lives and where they are going. They are "simple beings". Marlow is in a way racist because he does treat blacks as inferior, but I think he shows more respect for them than anyone else does in the book thus far. I think what scared him about them is their lust for life and freedom, which is something he will never have. He grew up urbanized, but he feels a slight pull towards this primative way of life. When he sees such chaos he doesn't want to see that these people are humans too.

2. I think he believes in exploration and spreading out to make a home but his idea is not to have men just take over and completely destroy a culture and another person's way of life, which is what the English seem to want to do.

3. Becasue he was made to be refined and above everyone. All the people respect and work for him. He tried so hard to be everything that everyone wanted, i think he went through a real break down when put in a situation he got too tired to handle.

Heart of Darkness

1. He talks about his industry of the shipping. He discusses how there were ilks in the countries and that it was not well organized.

2. I think he means that when people are different from ourselves, we are allowed to control them, and we justify it by saying that they are different than us. It's like he's trying to justify it but he really doesn't believe in it himself.

3. He wanted to be the first to explore these places. They are where he wanted to go and what he wanted to see. When other people now live there it shows that the world expands and these places that were once big black spots are now being explored and modernized.

Should the US Withdraw From the UN

I don't think we should just leave. The US has been a leader for years and years, if we leave now, reform might never take place. By leaving the UN we are subject to the crueltys that its constitution protects us from. I think we need to help fix the UN, by leaving we are just goin to leave a bad taste in everyone's mouths. I think the UN is a great thing, it has the potential to do so much. If we could take advantage of that power, I think everything could be fixed.