What is evil?  According to Wikipedia, evil is, “used to describe acts or thoughts which are contrary to some particular religion."  This definition leaves a lot of room for interpretation, as most religions have different ideas on what is right and wrong.  By investigation acts that people consider evil, and then removing all religious connotations, one can find a common thread among all "evil" actions.  Evil actions tend to bring chaos into this world.  Look through texts on morality, and everywhere the word evil comes up, replace it with the word chaotic; one would find that the words are almost interchangeable. 

Now that evil has been defined, I will now define the process in which ones becomes a hero.  First, the person must become the other; move to the fringe of society. Then the person, through their conflicting ideas, must become a villain.  Next the villain will start speaking out about how their group or idea has been marginalized in society; slowly gathering support from others.  And slowly, the villain moves their marginalized group or idea into the inner circle of society, or at least as close to the center as they can get, then becoming a hero. The system then returns to a calm state until this process repeats with the next possible hero.  Throughout this process, the hero brings evil into society; becoming a villain, and then they eventually get their idea accepted into the center circle of society, moving their status from villain to hero, or never get their ideas accepted, thus staying a villain.  But without the evil these people bring, society would become stagnate.  We need the evil that the hero and villains bring into this world to move forward; to break the monotony of daily life; come up with new ideas.

First, let's look at Galileo, and how he followed the process to become a hero.  First, Galileo became the other by taking the view that the world was not flat, but round.   He then started writing and speaking about his marginalized ideas; brining much controversy and chaos as he did, becoming a villain.  Slowly he gained more supporters for his cause and got his views moved closer to the center circle of society (acceptance).  During this process, Galileo brought much distress (evil) to the church (causing himself to become a villain). But without this disruption to the system, mankind could not move forward; the foundation before Galileo was shaky, and any ideas built on top of it would have eventually collapsed.   What was then considered evil, is now considered common sense (and thus he is now considered a hero) , which goes on to prove that evilness is nothing but randomness, and thus, once the randomness settles down, it is no longer evil.  

Martin Luther King wanted to take black people to the center circle of society.  He followed the process of the hero, first moving to the other, then speaking on his groups marginalization, and then through time ,the time it takes the chaos to become non-chaotic,  he brought the people in his cause closer to the center of society;  they were accepted.   But before his ideas where accepted,  Martin Luther King was the villain of society, though once his ideas were accepted, he became a hero.

Finally Ward Churchill, who is a good example, since the chaos he has created has not yet become completely un-chaotic yet; the process of becoming a hero has not yet been finished, and Ward is still a villain.  He has moved himself into the other, and speaks on the marginalization of his people, but the time for the system to clam down hasn't completely happened yet; his ideas have not been accepted into the center circle,  which brings up my final point, can a hero fail?  Is a hero still a hero if his idea is never accepted, even though he tried?   If a person brings chaos into the world, and the chaos does not bring progress, then instead of hero, the person being defined is a villain, as the villain does not want progress, just chaos.  

In conclusion, I believe a hero is a person that brings change, for the better, to the world.   If the ideas of a person bringing change are accepted into the center circle of society, then a hero is born; if not, a villain.  Heroes are only needed in a world where people refuse to accept new ideas.  If everyone would accept new ideas, and be open to change, heroes as we know them today would not exist. 

"Evil." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 7 Oct 2008, 14:48 UTC. 7 Oct 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Evil&oldid=243662540>.

silent skies above the billowing surf

greet a new crescent

from the deep of the nights

silent boughs that erstwhile

trembled at a sad lament cast strange shadows

on the ancient mountain-way

the waves wash ashore a golden locket:

what does it hide? No locks of precious hair

no scroll of passionate verse

but the silent memories of days past

whiled away on the shore

before the dying sun

in his glorious twilight

silent memories of tenderness and heart-bonding

soul speaking to soul

in the silent language of Else

remembrance

of the embrace sublime

Now the flow of tears

mingles with the last refrain

of a passing world

the earth shall no more retain

the spoils of the wars

of man against man

she treasures in her bosom

the cherished moments

of love

that remain best unsaid, unspoken

for she knows well

that loving heart will reunite with loving heart

there where our words dare not intrude

GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED

I envy Kevin. My brother, Kevin, thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night. He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen, 'Are you there, God?' he said. 'Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed...'

I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in.

He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.

I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life?

Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed. The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child. He does not seem dissatisfied.

He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores.  And Saturdays - oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. 'That one's goin' to Chi-car-go! ' Kevin shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.

And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips. He doesn't know what it means to be discontent. His life is simple. He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be..

His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working.. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax..

He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue. Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God. Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child.. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an 'educated' person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion.

In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions. It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap.. I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care.

Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God.

And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.  Kevin won't be surprised at all!

7.10.2008, 16.50

Ohnmacht von mehr als 50 Millionen irgendwie wehrfähigen Bundesbürgern . . .

Angesichts der Herrschaft einer relativ dünnen Clique von unfähigen Schwerreichen und Beziehungsreichen (Ausnahme solcher Leute wie George Soros) ist das deutsche Volk ein schwarzer Fleck in seiner Geschichte. Ein erneuter!

Es lässt sich nicht auf einen Nenner (den des Grundgesetzes) setzen, es lässt sich weiter fehlinformieren, es lässt sich krankmachen, verarmen, es lässt sich einlullen. Wie schwach dieses Volk geworden ist!

Es ist nicht mal fähig, die zu ehren, die es vor diesem Debakel von heute zu warnen versuchten, geschweige denn, dass es diese auf seine Fahnen setzt.

Wie schwach ist dieses Volk, das nicht die zu ehren weiß, welche es 1939, 1941, 1942, 1943 von diesen dunklen Führerschaften erlösen wollten. Sie würden das damalige schöne Deutschland hinreichend erhalten haben lassen: Briten und Amerikaner hätten keine Chance gehabt, ein sich ergebendes Deutschland noch weiter bombardieren und verwüsten zu können.

All jenes, das humanistische Schulen einmal nach 1945 lehrten, all das ist verpufft unter einer Journaille von Nebensächlerischem aus dem Äther der Rundfunk- und Fernsehsender von Bayern bis Hamburg mit SAT1 zwischendrinnen oder ganz unten. Seit 1985 konnte man sehen, wohinein die Mentalitäten von Dallas&Denver das Fernseh-Volk verleiten , wohinein die Wirtschaftskapitäne das Heer der willigen Verbraucher verführen. Seit etwa 1980 ist in echten, jedoch verpönten, vom Volk verstoßenen Eliten die Rede von einem drohenden Zusammenbruch des Weltwährungssystems unter einem Dollar, dessen Deckung 1971 aufgegeben wurde. Seit 1982 steuerte einer die Republik für sechzehn Jahre, welcher selbst als treu- und gesetzeslos zu gelten hat. Er fand in einer Frau Merkel eine Nachfolgerin!

Nichts dergleichen wurde in Großmedien gebracht. Oder nur was Winziges verschämt am Rande.

Wie sehr hat sich diese Welt allein schon was Deutschland betrifft verändert! Da war es noch richtig schön, als gestandene Männer in grauen oder dunkel gehaltenen Zweireihern, an regenreichen Tagen in einem elegant geschnittenen Mantel und mit einer dazu passenden Kopfbedeckung hinter`m Steuer in einem pickfein gepflegten Mercedes 170 sitzend  auf den Straßen gediegen unterwegs waren, höfliche Manieren zeigten und ein Deutschland der Bildung und Fairneß verkörperten: die Moral war kurz nach Kriegsende hundertmal besser als sie es heute ist (in alten Filmen läßt sich diese Welt manchmal noch nachempfinden. Das macht diese Filme für viele Menschen im Land so attraktiv).

Heute – es ist ein hinterhältiges Drängeln auf Straßen und Wegen, nahezu am Rande des Pathologischen und Wahnhaften. Es ist ein Fahren in und mit Einheitsblechen, einfältig - und unter fremde Mode gestellt - sind die Fleischkörper in Jeans und Jacken made in USA, radiohörend, sich dabei abhörend, ohne Unterhaltungs- und Bildungswert. Und wer Geschäfte in Deutschland macht, der muss sich gut schützen: treulose Mitarbeiter, Anwälte, die auf Gelegenheiten lauern, Gerichte, die überfordert . . . der Anständige in Deutschland besitzt schlechte Karten, daher sich die Unanständigkeit so rasend schnell vermehrt.

Deutschland, ja der Westen nach 2008 – zunehmend haltlos, treulos, beziehungslos, würdelos, gesetzeslos. Es lohnt sich in Deutschland nur noch an paar Stellen mit viel Geld und jederzeit zum Abflug bereit zu leben. Und die meisten bleiben dabei ohne Familie.

Deutschland familienlos, kinderlos, bindungslos, ideenlos. Ein Großnternehmer aus Frankfurt sagte bereits 1993, dass er Deutschland verlassen werde, wobei er auf die Verwahrlosung des Stadtpublikums in Frankfurt deutete. Inzwischen wurde es dort noch viel schlimmer. Die Kaste der Banker und Spekulanten macht das Bild klar: Deutschland im Untergangssog.

cicerone

zur Titelseite

Hehe... if you haven't read Draft then you should now, 'cause this is basically that written out as a little story, but with much more detail. I like far better, I just used the same concept. This goes into more depth though, even spiritually O.o

So check it out (:
I hand it in tomorrow
Wish me luck!

Falling From The Stars by Imaad Majeed

Enjoy (:

"If you are a smoker and something really irritates you on Wikipedia, don't react to it -- just grab your pack and have a smoke to calm down." - Wikipedia:No angry mastodons

A wikipedians attempt to remove poor health advice was reverted with this excuse:

Place information back. The advice is geared for people who smoke so they do not become angry mastodons. Instead, they should go get a cigarette and cool off. Some smokers do this, but some do not. - Guroadrunner 09-07-08

The idea of beneficial nicotine is sourced to HowStuffWorks.com, does this mean the blame is off wikipedia? It still sounds like a breach of Wikipedia's rules on Synthesising Original Research to me.

Influenced by the Robot Ethics Committee, it’s become common sense for people to treat androids like household appliances. Their appearance - indistinguishable from humans except for the ring over each android’s head – has lead some people to empathize unnecessarily with androids. Known as “android-holics,” such people have become a social problem.

Rikuo (Jun Fukuyama), a high school student, has been taught from childhood that androids are not to be viewed as humans, and has always used them as convenient tools. One day Rikuo discovers some strange data in the behavior records of his family’s household android.

Rikuo and his friend Masaki (Kenji Nojima) trace Sammy’s (Rie Tanaka) movements, only to discover a mysterious café that features a house rule that “humans and robots are to be treated the same” . . .

Eve no Jikan is a fascinating show. For a 15 minute ONA, it manages to cram in a lot of visual detail and information while maintaining a steady flow in the story itself. While the music, pacing, animation and characters are all excellent, it is the angle which Yasuhiro Yoshiura has taken, along with the wealth of information in the background, that I would like to discuss.

Eve no Jikan offers a lot for the viewer who is willing to engage with it beyond a superficial level, and I hope that my essay will add to your enjoyment of the show and get you thinking. This is based solely on Acts I and II of the show.

How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Androids

The most interesting aspect of Eve no Jikan is the interaction and social dynamic between the humans and androids. Typically, the humans treat their robot companions as inferior beings. There is a fair amount of Luddite propaganda pushed by the Ethics Committee (which seems to have a more sinister hidden agenda, but more on that later), and concerns about the growing phenomenon known as dori-kei: a psychological dependence on androids.

Rikuo and Sammy share a moment. Ahhh, how romantic.

All of this is fairly standard stuff as far as robot tales are concerned, but there is one critical point in which Eve no Jikan differs, and it revolves around the treatment of dori-kei. Dori-kei extends beyond its presented official definition as presented in Eve no Jikan’s media – the very act of thanking an android or treating it similarly to a human, (which can hardly be construed as having a psychological dependence), is enough to warrant being labeled as a dori-kei, and there is a fair amount of ridicule, shame and disgust that follows the label.

But, if it is so important for humans not to empathize with androids - and there is a definite social stigma in doing so - then why are the majority of them manufactured to resemble humanity so closely? Barring very few exceptions, almost every android shown in Eve no Jikan is eerily human in appearance, voice and manner. Empathy is the natural, instinctual reaction to another human being, and a lack thereof is seen as the hallmark of psychotics.

Isn’t it odd, then, that the level of interaction promoted with androids in Eve no Jikan seems to be one of abuse? In THAT Animeblog’s review of the first episode, the observation was made that the androids are treated worse than one would treat an appliance. Androids appear to be used as a target for humans to vent their frustrations or act out small cruelties that would be frowned upon if enacted on their fellow man – which would explain why dori-kei is so detestable. It places such action in a very negative light, and no one wants their own motives called into question.

There is a fair amount of criticism in the portrayal of this interaction. Eve no Jikan presents the question: if given a human being who was denied the same rights and privileges as themselves, how would they treat such a human being? The answer seems to be a misanthropic one – the average person treats them like slaves. I can only wonder if the show will look at the less savoury, maladjusted portions of the population who are not dori-kei.

Similarly, the older generation is exempt from dori-kei. In one scene, when his sister asks why he talks to Sammy as if she were a human being, Rikou points out that their mother talks naturally to her and even purchases her clothes to wear. The sister replies, “For her generation, it can’t be helped. But if you do it, it means you are already a dori-kei.” If everyone acted the same way, one could argue that dori-kei is an unnatural deviation.

By separating the older generation from the younger one, Yasuhiro highlights that this enforced regime against androids is a deliberate construct by the Ethics Committee, and to explain why we will have to dig into Eve no Jikan’s history.

"Would you eat a tomato created by machines?"

Aquatic musings in the time of EVE

Eve no Jikan shares many themes with Yasuhiro’s earlier work, Mizu no Kotoba, otherwise known as Aquatic Language. Both feature androids, coffee shops, questions around the Three Laws of Robotics, issues around human relationships and the power for language to shape ones thought.

In Aquatic Language, a graph is displayed showing the curves of the first two robotic laws against the dimensions of potential and time. 1 and 2 represent the First and Second Laws of Robotics respectively: 1. A robot may not directly harm, nor through inaction fail to try and prevent harm to a human being and 2. A robot may not disobey a command from a human unless it contravenes the First Law. The potential, I believe, represents the likelihood of the laws contradicting themselves over time and the operational band in which they can successfully follow each law.

Aquatic Language could be seen as the historical precursor to the current times of Eve no Jikan; a point where robotics and artificial intelligence have been only recently introduced. The barista in Aquatic Language identifies herself as an android immediately, and openly states that she’s never experienced the same emotional hardships as human beings. As a result, you could argue that the androids in Aquatic Language fall near the start of the graph, and therefore have a fair amount of play in following the laws.

Whereas Eve no Jikan lies further on the time axis, either just before, on or past the turning point as indicated on the graph. Asimov designed the rules to have a hierarchy of importance; therefore, as long as the curves of each do not cross, the three rules can be maintained.

This is particularly relevant in Eve no Jikan, and I will explain why. The only thing that separates humans from androids is the digital halo that spins around the androids head, marking them as such. In other words, without it, humans would be constantly performing a form of Turing's Test - trying to determine whether the person they're interacting with is a human being or a robot.

The café itself presents such an environment. By enforcing the house rule that patrons cannot discriminate, you create the environment for this test to occur. If a human is unable to determine who is an android - or chooses not too - it is possible that said human could develop a relationship (platonic or otherwise) unwittingly.

This is where the graph factors in. The potential to cause harm beyond that of the merely physical increases substantially in this scenario over time. Therefore, it becomes more and more difficult to follow the Laws. Let's say that a human - unaware that the object of their affections is literally that - had just confessed his love for an android. The android knows that a romantic relationship would cause them harm due to increased animosity from their peers due to dori-kei. However, to spurn their love would also cause emotional harm.

In Eve no Jikan, the androids side-step the issue by either lying or refusing to make a decision (say, by not answering at all) on the premise that the Second Law prohibits them from doing so. This side-step requires rationalisation, something at which human beings excel over their logic-chained brethren. This is the "turning point" in the graph - the point where the androids cease to be mechanical devices following a program. At this point, androids would begin to demonstrate autonomous action and nurture intelligence.

This is why the Ethics Committee pushes the anti-android propaganda so forcefully. It can be seen in various areas of the show – in an advert which criticizes the modernization of agriculture, in the “Human Style/Robot Style” posters that grace the billboards, the “No robots” sign which uses a symbol reminiscent of the androids' 1940’s counterparts. Interestingly, not once in the first two episodes do the Ethics Committee refer to androids as “Androids”, despite the popular media and androids themselves referring to themselves as such.

The Ethics Committee is trying incredibly hard to maintain that disconnect between humans and androids in both action and language in order to avoid what the café has created: an environment where androids and humans are indistinguishable from one another, and for the very reason I explained earlier – such an environment encourages the growth of individuality in androids as they, along with their human counterparts.

Although the obvious reason would be to prevent losing a cheap workforce, that doesn’t sit very well with me. I believe the Ethics Committee have another reason for suppressing the growth of a self in androids, but with only two episodes I can’t really say what with any degree of accuracy.

Ultimately, for some, Eve no Jikan may seem to fall into the “Can robots think and feel?” category. Truthfully, there isn’t an original story in the entire world – yet we continue to tell them. Eve no Jikan happens to be telling an old story very well, and falls into a subset of anime that has been released recently (such as Kaiba and RD Sennou Chosashitsu), but more of that in another post.

Postscript

These are just one or two other observations that I would like to point out that didn’t really fit with the flow of the essay.

• One of the things that cropped up while I was looking for screenshots was the gender of the androids people selected. Notice how all of the owners seem to gravitate towards androids of the opposite sex? The rich lady walking has an all male entourage; the off-screen female classmate who is ridiculed for thanking her male android; the two male students who slam their bags roughly into their waiting female androids arms. Is it related directly to our preference for aesthetically pleasing objects and persons, or is the show hinting at a deeper, psycho-sexual meaning behind the choice, considering the level of abuse levelled at the androids?

• I was immediately taken by the digital halos that adorn the androids, and the shift between the red/green status. I’ve tried to correlate the colour with their actions to determine some sort of pattern, but I can’t really explain it. Maybe someone else has some idea, but I’m largely stumped.

• References to Code:Life, which appear both in a book and in the opening credits to the show, when the title of the act is displayed.

• Sammy is cuter in a ponytail. That is all.
  

Validation of statement. See above.THAT IS ALL.

Acknowledgements

Thanks must go to Pireze, who has not only taken it upon himself to sub this awesome series, but has introduced a form of open-source subtitles that makes capturing screencaps and blogging a breeze. Pop him a message of thanks if you can!

Food security is the economic problem that exists when people are having lack of sufficient and nutritious food for the healthy and active life of human living. It is also a key problem that leads a government in trouble with the increase in population in most of the poor countries.

Bhutan “The smallest land of Thunder Dragon” has sufficient and some what timely frame regulation for maintaining the food security at present. Besides with poor development of our country if the government could not maintain food security in the coming future there is always a chances that conflicts could confront inside the country with the change in climate in the global world, the productivity of crops are yet to reduce.

Government initiatives and policies of competitive market can nearly improve the food availability in the near future. Apart from those issues, we mainly need adequate supply of health services, education facilities, infrastructures and secure environment for the economic development of the food security reduction. If our country could not maintain the food crisis naturally will lead to fuelling conflicts and almost the institutions, agencies make collapse and face difficult times for the further readjustment of food security with change in climatic condition.

In Bhutan, in the face of increasing prices of commodities it’s very essential to implement policies and practices in utmost talented and profitable field such as agricultural trade, promotion of fisheries, forestry production and sustainable agricultural production by providing technical assistance to the agriculturist which is useful to boost the standard and yield of crops to the farmers and leads to decrease in problems of food security.

It is essential to enhance agricultural research and development for the improvement of rural farmers’ product as well as to improve delivery of agricultural product to markets with the help of governmental assistance. There is always risk of getting food borne diseases that cause human suffering and economic lost.

It is fabulously a great time for us to challenge adequately to develop the food quality nad safety for prevention of food crisis in the future. The uncertain impact of climate change would lead a country’s production to decrease there by plunging into miserable food crisis. So, for that we need to effectively integrate people and farm holders into commercialization schemes, needs to give literary training, develop effective rural financial system.

Poor nutrition lead to poverty and degree of economic stability also depends on the security of under nourishment and deficiencies in iodine, iron, vitamin, etc. It’s very difficult task that trade liberalization alone cannot solve the problem of food security, besides, government needs to achieve long term food security with the removal of impediment to agricultural trade that reduce the problem of food security in the country in the face of increasing food prices.

Food security is one of the biggest global concern that is likely to see short of food supplies in the near future as the climate change started to make the impact of food security a problem in the global world. Therefore, it’s essential that the cropping paterns needs readjustments to cope up with the change in climate of the global world. We need to make long term plans and justify the investment in the agricultural sectors that is essential situation where the people of the country should act on it.  To minimize the shock by reducing the preventable losses.

The government needs to help farmers with the help of weighing and ensuring the fear and justice to manage time for the payment of money in the market. For yielding the productivity of crops, governments need to provide quality seeds and other inputs to the farmers at right time in a fixed low price. The long term policy and the investment in agricultural research an education is must, to have new helpful knowledge with the scientific technology based in agriculture production.

Lastly, the research and development should have durable solution to ensure good agricultural productions which helps in reducing of food security. Agriculture is one of the most and must to enhance problem of food security in Bhutan which leads to economic stability and tangibly helpful in reduction of food security with change in the climate of the global world.

Leki Jungney

BA. Eng & Dzo

1^st Sem.

r: how far are you along?
me: HAHAHA
me: not far at all
r: that's probably like two pages for you
r: ahahahahahah!
me: ...
me: omg
me: are you psychic?
me: hahaha
me: I do have two pages
me: freakyyyyy

I think she really might be psychic.

Or maybe my sleep-deprived brain is making everything seem funny to me...

- T.

In the past hour, I've only managed to write one paragraph in my analysis of Beloved. Granted, it's a long and winded paragraph. But still. This is bad news if I plan to finish before midnight.

Oi. Procrastination is such a pain.

-T.

Suffering a mental block is undoubtedly one of the most dreadful afflictions any writer goes through once in a while. I should know, for I can recall several moments when my mind cannot come up with a topic to write about. Normally, taking a short rest and reading will help, but there are just times that nothing seems to be powerful enough to remove the great big block that prevents my creative juice from flowing freely. I can always result to what other people do just to find an immediate remedy; and that is to write about topics many people would love to read over and over again, like fashion, celebrity news, and gadgetries. There is nothing wrong with these topics, but it will not satisfy my desire to open the minds of readers to subjects with more substantial value.

As I struggle with my affliction, I realized I failed to consider my family and friends as a source of help. With their rich life experiences, they can provide me with subjects that can inspire and even possibly change the lives of readers. I suggest that students who are searching for an original topic for their essay or thesis should first approach those people closest to them for ideas. They will discover, just like the way I did, that the most amazing subjects for any writing work come from those who truly care for them.

            The thermos in my lunchbox is forward so that its weight pulls toward the front.  If it happens to roll toward the back, I will tilt the box, forcing it forward again.  The empty sandwich bags crinkle against the wadded paper towel I used for a placemat; my daily peanut butter sandwich and potato chips routinely consumed amid the school tray lunches and the other lunch boxes which surround me, lovingly packed, I imagine, by other mothers. 

            My knee socks are loose and puddle at my ankles as I walk.  I hate the hair on my legs and am glad there is no one around to see.  I have long since given up on stopping and pulling the socks back up to my knees again.  It does no good.

            I watch my feet on the pavement; slap… slap… slap… slap.  My mind is spinning stories which continue each day like a soap opera, picking up where I left off the day before.  I can only get so far and then the story dies in my mind because I feel guilty about the subject matter.  A part of me knows the story is really about me, hiding behind a different name.  I tell myself a story about a sad, sweet, good little girl who is adopted by a loving family and then lives happily ever after.  Sometimes there is even a boy who wants to be a caring friend. 

But, I have a family! I am not an orphan like the girl in the story!  The story is not about me!  I have a mother and a father and a brother.  I just don’t see them like the make-believe girl sees her adoptive family.  We just don’t have time to sit down together and talk.  Mommy works, so she can’t make my lunches for me or give me big hugs.  Anyway, I tell myself, that stuff doesn’t matter, really. The important thing is that they do love me… don’t they?

A car is coming toward me, so I pause, pull up my socks, and stay to my left.  I don’t pay any attention to the car, other than to acknowledge I must stay out of its way.  I am lost in my imaginings.  Seconds later, there is a car behind me, and I turn around to look.  I’m not sure, but I think it is the same car that just passed me going the other direction.  It is a yellow Volkswagen Beetle with three teenage girls inside.  They pull up along side me, stop, and ask if I want a ride.

I’m not supposed to get into cars with strangers. I know this; it’s been drilled into our heads weekly at school.  But, it looks so fun to get in that car with those grown up girls.  They are so pretty, and I am so plain.  I’m sure they just feel sorry for me, having to walk so far by myself.  But, the pull is too strong, and I can’t resist.  So what if they think my hair is ugly and I’m not pretty.  They are offering me a ride and there is no one home to scold me for accepting.  Besides, who would care? 

I don’t know how to feel or act with these girls.  I’m extremely self-conscious. What are they thinking?  Will I really end up at home, or will they take me somewhere else?  Do I care? Part of me wishes they would take me with them to wherever it was they were going.

But, I end up at my house, thank them dutifully yet nervously, and use the key on the chain around my neck to open the front door.  My hands are shaking.  Nobody will be home for another hour and a half, so I have the house and the TV to myself.  There is a knot in my stomach as I realize what I have done.  It will forever be my secret – the time I got to ride in the cool yellow Volkswagen Beetle with three pretty, blonde, long-haired high school girls who were nice to me for a little while.

It is 1974, and I am 7 years old. 

I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat 400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

But I have not yet gone to college.

The essay was mentioned to me by Joe Shahoud (AT&T colleague) and I finally found it on Google. Written for a contest and later used as an admission essay by Hugh Gallagher, this is one of the most creative short essays I have come across. Along with "Patras ke Mazameen" (Patras's Essays), it never fails to bring a smile.

One thing I shall never truly understand is God’s love for me.

God, the eternal being, with his infinite power, knowledge, and wisdom decided that he wanted to create me. Of what value I could possibly be to God I do not know, yet he focused all his attention on me as he wove me together. He cares for me, and plans great things for me. He cannot take his mind off me. He loved nothing more than to be with me.

He created the world for me. He created it with all its hills and valleys and all its jungles and oceans so that I can explore it and conquer it and learn ever more from it about God. He sculpted great canyons and mountains and huge volcanoes spewing forth lava. Then he gave it all to me, as his gift to me, and told me to subdue it – control it. He entrusted to me such a brilliant work of art.

He created all the teeming animals of the sea, the birds in the air, and the mammals of the land. Elephants, Deer, Kangaroos, Giraffes, Crocodiles, Buffalo, Snakes, Pandas, and Owls were all created just for me. They were created with such care, a gift made with love.

God created all the stars and planets. He filled the sky with them. Oh, how he loves how his stars can take my breath away. He created them, in infinite numbers, just for me. Galaxies, Nebula, Black Holes, mysteries to confuse the minds of the wise - he created them to be admired, to reveal himself in them, and one day for me to explore them.

Whilst God also did these things for you, I have no doubt that even if I was the only human, he still would have done them. He loves me that much.

I do not understand it. Why would God, the one who is so utterly amazing, serve me in such a way? Why would he pour his energy into me? Why would he focus all his time so completely on me? What can I possibly give him? I do not deserve such love.

I sin. Despite all of what God has done for me I have decided to turn my back on him. I can’t imagine how I must hurt him. I have said no to God and yes to other things. I have had an affair with sin. As far as I can tell, God should smite me from the face of the earth. What a despicable creature I am. But he doesn’t. Instead he decided that he would die for me.

I cannot fathom the depths of God’s love.

With Yom Kippur fast approaching I wanted to share my new year’s resolutions with you. I don’t usually make resolutions, because I resolved not to keep them as it’s generally too hard and I have been a completely lazy bunny in the past. However this year I feel inspired from within.

I have resolved to not curse or swear, even inside my head or under my breath. I am finding it not as difficult as I thought it would be, but it makes me hyper sensitive to those around me who don’t have their colourful cursing quashed. Nothing like a reformed curser…

I also want to try my hardest to leave Lashon Hara and Rechilut behind in the dust. There should be no room for it in my life, but sometimes the temptation to gossip proves just so delicious. I need to withstand that temptation. If anyone has any tips on how to bite their tongue in this regard, I would very much appreciate it.

I had a very thought provoking conversation with a friend today, about the Ashamnu’s. How many of us have ever taken the time to look through them, and decide that next year we want to be able to say I don’t have to beat my chest for that one – I worked on it, and I vanquished that aveirah. Wouldn’t that just be an awesome feeling?

For me, for some reason, I feel the need to work on the aveirot that we do with the mouth,  tongue, speech etc. I guess included in this is not yelling at the kids, something I rarely do, but hey, I am a person not a robot and am so not perfect. But there is a line I use on my perfect kids when they show some speech related imperfections, and I guess it was time to stop and think about the words that I actually used. “you kiss your mother with that mouth” and “you daven to Hashem with that same mouth”. We can use our mouth for so much good – prayer, kissing booboos better, encouraging people, advising, supporting, consoling etc. Isn’t it better to do good with ones mouth than yell, badmouth, denigrate and the like?

I am so not a holy roller, folks, I just want to improve myself. Who is up to the challenge?

We waste so much valuable time by dedicating almost our entire lives to earning a pay check so that we can afford to live, so we can survive; when did this become the cost of life and who made this decision? We are sent to school for years that altogether seem like an eternity almost immediately after we are first capable of communicating, and for what purpose? We are not educated for the sheer satisfaction and value of the accumulation of knowledge. We are educated so that eventually we reach a standard, a level that has been approved and deemed adequate qualification for the most basic jobs that are now necessary for survival. We need this approval for any slight chance of credentials to compete for a limited number of jobs that are never even guaranteed. We have voluntarily evolved into slaves of an unknown purpose. Life's primary focus is now work and everything relevant.

Money causes an unnatural imbalance. Why have we created a system that divides us as people instead of bringing us all closer together? In this system we are judged in every way possible by how much money we have or even what we do, or do not do, with our money. With money comes social status, and with social status comes authority and special treatment. People all over the world are being deprived of essential rights such as shelter, food, and clothing. It is so corrupt to the point where the people who need nothing are given everything, and the people with the simplest needs are forgotten. This is the result and consequence of the monetary system.

The importance we have placed on money has overwhelmingly empowered it, thus calling forward many negative effects. Chasing the almighty dollar has become the sole purpose of our existence. The true purpose of life has been lost somewhere in between.

I hold the idea of abolishing the monetary system firmly. Think about it! I eventually plan to write a book on the subject.

How many times do I have to say that I hate numbers.

Since my elementary days math has been my waterloo. I don't know why but I always find dealing with numbers so difficult. From the basic and simple additions to sine and cosine numbers, it just continue to bother and haunt me.

Now in my college days I still encounter mind-popping math problems. I don't know this semester if I will get a nice grade in my Algebra and just like what I always say back in my highschool days that in my college I will choose a course that will need no math and numbers. But now, numbers refused to leave me because it loves me but I don't love it.

Its true not all of us have the talent in dealing with numbers, just like me. I always, always, always, always and always and still always try my very very very very very best to understand it but still my mind is not for numbers, it discards all the information and computations I hardly tried to encode. Maybe just like the old saying says, when God distributed the talent in math I am sleeping and failed to get one, which make me feel mad back in my elem days.

I always smile whenever they tell me that what is the use of algebra and numbers when you already have your job, and no math is required when you write, take photographs and deal with people. But why do we have to study math!!!???? I don't know.

Although I hate it, many were math and numbers fanatic, these are the people that however hard the math problems are they still manage to answer right away, as if they were eating Sunflower seed while watching baseball, and I confess I do really get envy and jealous to those people because whenever we have mind-bursting math problems and I am exchanging faces with the paper and calculator almost crazy and I will see them relaxed and smiling, it feesl like they're teasing me and saying, "Simple math and it looks like you're dying?" Well, its true *laughs*

Despite the hatred for math that formulated in my mind, I know the uses of these "precious" numbers, we need math to build bridges, buildings, houses, cellphones and our gadgets used creating blogs. So I concluded, not bad.

But still, I do not have the talent in using these numbers. Sometimes I doubt if I'm dumb or what because some of my classmates who're bad in subjects such as Reading and Language, they manage to deal with my worst enemy.

This moment I'm still thinking about my Algebra class, will I fail or pass? One thing is for sure, not all people are good in math but do excel in certain subjects and vice-versa and we can't be perfect in all areas.

You'll notice a new eye-catching display in the library's main area today: Latin American Literature (in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month which runs through October).  To celebrate, there's an essay contest related to reading a book by a Latin American author.  Here's how it works...

Choose a book by a Latino author.  Read it and then write a 500-word essay in which you explain how the literary work enhanced your understanding of Latin American culture.  By no later than Oct. 31st, submit your essay to your English teacher, Mrs. Williams, or Ms. Sellors.  The winning essayist will be awarded a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble.  Good luck!

Okay enough with the ego boost, so I had to write an essay today. A narrative based on some crap about Buck Fever, which would appeal to the senses. I had to write another one too, not narrative rather descriptive. That one is going to be counted into my final grade, I will post it later. Now as for this one. Well you know me when it comes to writing. I write as fast as I think, and believe you me, when St.Fallen sits down and thinks... well... things happen, and fast.
:P

So here is it. It's a narrative of my first experience with the herb (:
I'll probably expand this into a short story titled "The Trade-Off" or "Tricks of the Trade"

Hover by Imaad Majeed

Enjoy (:

Der Ursprung des Paparazzo

Anerkennung ist eine Triebfeder menschlichen Handelns, vielleicht die Stärkste.  So modern uns das Phänomen des Sensationsjournalismus erscheint- bereits die WANTED! Anzeigen in den Revolverblättern des Wilden Westens veranlassten die prominenten Banditen zur Prahlerei in den Salloons. Und gewiss wurde so mancher nach der stolzen Aufzählung seiner Verbrechen im Saloon verhaftet (oder erschossen), so wie heute in Aktenzeichen XY nicht wenige Fälle auf genau dieser Grundlage, dem Narzissmus des Gesuchten, gelöst werden. Die Jagd nach Kopfgeld war im frühen staatenlosen Amerika ein lukratives Geschäft. Je prominenter der Fang, desto besser die Bezahlung - und Banditenprominenz gab es bekanntlich genug. Dabei ist die Selbstverliebtheit der Banditen des Headhunters beste Waffe: Sieht der Renegado sein Plakat an einem Baum hängend, dann plappert er gerne darüber - auch wenn er früher oder später selbst an einem Ast aufgeknüpft wird.  Promis und Paparazzos führen ein symbiotisches Verhältnis - wie Kopfgeldjäger und Pistolero.

Promijäger in der Schweiz

Der Schweizer Boulevard ist brav. Die letzte freche Kampagne im Blick, an die ich mich erinnern mag, ist der Zuberbühler Gau - er hat damals einen Journalisten des Blicks während eines Interviews offen kritisiert. Darauf folgte eine wochenlange Zubi-Schelte ("Klappe zu - Bälle halten").

Trotzdem war in der Schweiz war der Blick lange das einzige Medium des People Journalism. In seinem Schatten tauchten die Schweizer Illustrierte und die Glückspost als Spezialisten auf. Später zogen die Tageszeitungen und Magazine nach - mit Spalten, Zeilen und Kolumnen, die eigens zur Kommentierung des Promi-Lebens dienten. So sucht sich etwa die Sonntagszeitung jeweils einen Anlass mit viel Schweizer Prominenz aus, um dort die Stimmung zu beschreiben. Dass man dabei die meisten Namen dann doch nicht kennt, oder zumindest nicht unter dem Label "VIP", ist eine peinliche Nebenerscheinung des gesamten Schweizer Boulevards. Eine weitere Peinlichkeit ist, stellvertretend für viele andere,  die Kolumne Andrés Welt in der Neuen Luzerner Zeitung: Zwar schreibt André nicht nur die lokale Cervelat-Prominenz schön, sondern weiss auch Hollywood und andere grosse Parkette zu zitieren. Jedoch ist er offensichtlich weder dabeigewesen, noch kennt er die Cruz oder den Cruise persönlich, geschweige denn hat er jemals ein Interview erhalten. Das macht die Kolumne zur Alibiveranstaltung. Sonntagszeitung und André zeign zwei Tendenzen auf: Unsere Promijäger sind entweder zu nahe dran, so dass sie echter von falscher Prominenz nicht mehr zu unterscheiden wissen. Oder sie sind zu weit weg, so dass ihre Berichterstattung nicht mehr glaubwürdig ist. Bei Andrés Fall ist das in etwa so, wie wenn einer das Plakat von Billy the Kid entdeckt, zum Sheriff läuft und behauptet, er hätte den grössten Banditen seiner Zeit gesehen...

Richter über den Lebensstil

Auch wir, das Publikum, spielen unseren Part. Wir sind der Sheriff.  Wir wollen die Reichen und Shchönen dabei beobachten, wie sie ihr alltägliches Geschäft verrichten oder mit dem neuen Kleiderschrank spazieren gehen.  Um dann unser Urteil zu sprechen. Entweder stellen wir fest, dass auch die vermeintlich ganz Anders gestrickten nur mit Wasser kochen und das Füdli nicht mit dem goldenen Vlies, sondern Charmin abtrocknen. Dann ist es gut. Oder es wird uns eben doch die Unerreichbarkeit eines Lebensstil vorgespiegelt, über dessen Privilegien wir uns ärgern oder uns damit trösten, dass die Spears an ihrem Ruhm zerbricht. Dann ist es Schadenfreude. Dabei richten wir ständig: Aufhängen oder Bewundern, Beneiden oder Bemitleiden. Das Interesse an Human-Interest-Stories ist Ausdruck der genuin menschlichen Veranlagung, unseren eigenen Status zu vergleichen, zu messen und selbst wenn wir uns der vermeintlichen Oberflächlichkeit überlegen fühlen, lästern wir gerne über die Brunnis, Schumis und Federers. Das Urteil des Publikums ist der Paparazzi Auftrag. Und da sind wir Schweizer irgendwie einfach zu brav. Das wiederholt sich.

Magic happens in the kitchen

(from Kay Hetherly's book Kitchen Table Talk - Anything and Everything Essays on America and Japan published by NHK Publishing)

I received this book from my wife. At first glance, I didn't know what to expect from it. So I began to read it with the "Beginnner's mind" attitude.

I read the first two pages and I couldn't stop until I finished the book late that day. If you want to know what it is like to live in Japan, read it. This is a collection of short essays on various topics related to living in Japan as a foreigner.

My favorite is "The Chopsticks Debate." What is yours?

Book information: ISBN 4140350636 or 9784140350638

“The food security exist when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy lifestyle” (SAARC Summit, 2002). In Bhutan food security problem is caused due to urbanization and inflation of food prices, etc. Urbanization is always taking away agriculture land and it has happened everywhere in the developed countries in the world. However the case is little different in Bhutan because, urbanization alone is not solely responsible for the food security problem. On top of that we have hardly few towns in our. Since ours is a developing country we still do import foods from the neighboring countries like India.

According to National Land Use Atlas of Bhutan {1997}, Bhutan is using only 8% of the total land area for agriculture cultivation. It is found out that only 16% of the total land is suitable for cultivation in Bhutan and most of the fertile land in located in central and southern foothills of the country. The total land hold is merely 3.4 acres per rural household in Bhutan. We are infact using only 50% of the total cultivable land and remaining half is still not in usage. Keeping above in mind, I would like to explore some of the possibilities for us to achieve food security in Bhutan.

In order to achieve food security, we must have an available and reliable food supply at all times. Even the sustainable progress in reducing the poverty is critical to improve access to food in Bhutan. Out government should alleviate poverty and improve physical and economic access of poor people by making vulnerable to sufficient, nutritionally adequate safe food. Government should also concentrate on promoting rural development, including sustainable agriculture, fishery and forestry production with proper management of the natural recourses. One such example is SNV project, which is going on in Khangma. However, our farmers are hardly giving a positive respond to such type of programme since most of them are illiterate. To achieve food security, we must first achieve the good attitude from our villagers. To do this, our people must be provided with basic literacy training like non-formal education so that they are integrated into a commercialization schemes from the initial small farm holders. Royal government need to offer an opportunity to the farmers to receive short term training courses related to agriculture. People should be briefed with basic knowledge regarding the animal husbandry and poultry farm so that they can have proper wholesome diet in their daily meals. We must develop our agriculture system in a proper way by making sure that there are presence of advanced infrastructure and skills to adequately taste food quality and safety before it is being imported. Bhutan should now extend export market by improving the quality and safety control of locally produced food to get extensive foreign currency for its vibrant economic growth. This can be possible if our government give an important priority to the horticulture. We can easily export extensive quality of fresh fruits like apples, oranges and potatoes to other countries.

 One such important factor to achieve food security is by discouraging the one-crop agriculture practice in Bhutan and encouraging double cropping farming throughout the country in order to have increased production. We must implement modern methods of farming and try to influence the attitudes of farmers. From subsistence to commercial farming. We must also undertake agricultural research in Bhutan and prepare for any disasters and emergencies to meet transitory and emergency food requirements in ways that will encourage recovery and rehabilitation since our country is geographically more liable to such hazards like flood, landslides, wild pests, etc. As a long-term policy, investment in research and education is a must to have a new knowledge and technology for science based agriculture in Bhutan.

Besides all this measures, Bhutan need to work hard in agricultural development programs since agriculture is the backbone of our nation. The tight policies should be laid down to prevent our farm lands loosing for urbanization rather people should be forced to farming activities by supplying cheaper and effective agricultural tools, modern techniques, high yielding variety of seeds, and etc. A campaign should also be launched to revive the traditional farming methods and provide a financial support to renew it with the law rate of agro-loans. On the other hand, people who are civil workers should be paid enough by government so that there is an increase in the purchasing power of the poor against high food prices in the market.

In summary Bhutan is never too late to solve the problems over food security. However, we must know that the lack of proper food can lead to many disabilities of the children. A food security is therefore closely linked to the economic and social health of the nation, society and individual. There is also a direct relationship between food security and poverty and rural development. Meticulous investments in agriculture will have mitigating effects on rural and urban poor, resulting in socio-economic stability and of course a good number of potentials political dividends for the effective government like ours.

                                    Tshering Ngedup

                                      Ba. Geo& Dzo

                                            1^st Sem.