Big Bang

We are looking at the same sky that existed thousands of years ago. Some of those stars are dead already but their light is still traveling the universe and getting to us. And some are born and their light has not gotten here yet. So, nobody knows how the sky really is. We study what we see, and what we see is not always what exists. Everything is transforming and will continue transforming, because matter is still the same that existed millions of years ago. So, it is true that when we look up at the night sky, in a way we are looking back in time. This applies to the novel because it demonstrates how we are eternal, because matter is simply trapped energy that cannot be either created or destroyed. Also, some truths are well beyond our reach. We can never trust what we see, because what we see might not even be there...like the night sky. We end up with the same question...where did the universe come from? And not knowing that answer makes it all more beautiful, because every individual has their own explanation.

Image: awinkandasmile.wordpress.com

MARX

Material, economic, and social relations are the basis of society.

1. The first image depicts the conditions of production. In a place where the weather is tropical, crops such as sugarcane, coffee, and corn could be produced. Therefore, one could create a monopoly with any of these crops in any tropical area. One must take advantage of the climatic conditions and use it to one´s own benefit. I will focus on the production of sugar cane.

2. The second image depicts the means of production. We know that sugarcane can be harvested in this tropical area, so we will focus in taking it to the next level and increase productivity. Before, slaves were sent to do the arduous work. It was dangerous since they could get cut, and the heat is extreme. Sugarcane is also crowded with ants. Then, people would work in the plantation for miserly wages. Nowadays, its more common to see machines in a sugarcane plantation, since they cut down wages and accelerate productivity, thus being beneficial for the owner.

3. The third image is a contrast between those who own the means of production, and those who actually work all day in the fields. Here the division of labor is clearly seen. A poor worker goes all day out to the field and gets a salary. The owner pays the worker a tiny sum for the huge amount of work, but the owner also gets a lot of money from the sugarcane production. S., in a way, the owner of the means of production is not necessarily the one out there working his butt off.


HUMAN SCIENCES
I can connect this to the human sciences through economy. One of the bases for an orderly society is a thriving economy. Therefore, the more developed this economy is, the better the society is. However, the economy must be handled well, there must be equality, because a disorganized economic system can lead to unemployment, then desperation, and lastly revolution.

ETHICS
I can connect the bases of society to ethics. This is because ethics are moral duties or obligations that reside in all of us. However, without a stable economy, how can there be ethics? Desperate people only care about themselves. People will not cooperate with one another to achieve a more orderly society. It would then be a society condemned to failure. Therefore, the economy and means of production must be well established so the ethics in a society are correctly enforced.


http://www.google.hn/imgres?imgurl=http://www.agronamex.com/sugar_cane.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.agronamex.com/pepper.htm&usg=__bcVGwfxg97k5H4ltIT6dCKRe19Y=&h=300&w=400&sz=37&hl=es&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=7O4GQqp8sVDwgM:&tbnh=153&tbnw=229&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsugar%2Bcane%26hl%3Des%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D509%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=555&vpy=140&dur=590&hovh=178&hovw=237&tx=138&ty=104&ei=JHedTKjKK4T58AbC6PCBDQ&oei=JHedTKjKK4T58AbC6PCBDQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=9&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0
http://www.google.hn/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Sugarcane_harvest_Piracicaba_05_2009_5783.JPG&imgrefurl=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sugarcane_harvest_Piracicaba_05_2009_5783.JPG&usg=__XhL4ykJhPtT4scqo7jss5nwKndE=&h=800&w=1200&sz=1111&hl=es&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=7SYVgMC6Y31aYM:&tbnh=120&tbnw=164&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtools%2Bfor%2Bharvesting%2Bsugar%2Bcane%26hl%3Des%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D509%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:10,780,78&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=708&vpy=179&dur=3602&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=227&ty=92&ei=HnidTPmiHYP88Abw-42fDQ&oei=HnidTPmiHYP88Abw-42fDQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:0&biw=1024&bih=509

http://www.google.hn/imgres?imgurl=http://www.topnews.in/files/Sugarcane_2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.topnews.in/government-confirms-decline-sugarcane-output-17-pc-2166027&usg=__0Rjw18iHt5nRpg7S71Lgfjvl_wM=&h=300&w=399&sz=51&hl=es&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=97cwb3ZIitk6SM:&tbnh=163&tbnw=217&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsugarcane%2Bproduction%26hl%3Des%26gbv%3D2%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D466%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=371&vpy=166&dur=1769&hovh=195&hovw=259&tx=156&ty=191&ei=m3ydTO3_OcP-8AaciZmYDQ&oei=m3ydTO3_OcP-8AaciZmYDQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=8&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0

Natural Sciences Innate ideas

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/BIE/BIE_images/ioLoadImage.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/NSP/83761.htm&usg=__SS76u-1QBprtYYUDnAQ8U3nMI_8=&h=410&w=565&sz=268&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=1reB5L66__wXFM:&tbnh=128&tbnw=122&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnatural%2Bsciences%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D922%26bih%3D364%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C147&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=530&vpy=74&dur=506&hovh=128&hovw=176&tx=140&ty=117&ei=mx2ETKm9JYP98AbTjvlb&oei=mx2ETKm9JYP98AbTjvlb&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0&biw=922&bih=364

Global Issue: Biodiversity



http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.dylanfraser.com/photos/research-02.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.dylanfraser.com/research-projects/&usg=__wsabsjxOcW71Wkx6A7A30_spuhY=&h=446&w=300&sz=48&hl=en&start=2&zoom=1&tbnid=eoMvlw0z-0yiaM:&tbnh=127&tbnw=85&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbiodiversity%2Bconservation%2Bfish%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D922%26bih%3D364%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&ei=bR6ETIDjLYH_8AapleG-Ag

Aristotle

No Innate Ideas

For Aristotle the highest degree of reality was the one that we perceive through our senses. Unlike Plato, who stated that the highest degree of reality is that which we think with our reason.

NATURAL SCIENCES

What are the implications of introducing non-native or exotic species into an environment? This affects the diversity of life on Earth. The problem of Biodiversity should be taken into consideration. This problem is better understood when it is perceived through the senses. Biodiversity is not just an ´´idea´´ of something that is happening. It is a fact, and people around the globe are sensing its repercussions. This was happening ever since people started introducing commercial species into an environment. And then, the idea of biodiversity arose.Therefore, the ´´form´´ biodiversity came well before the ´´idea´´ biodiversity.

http://www.actionbioscience.org/biodiversity/simberloff.html

This can be seen in Lake Yojoa in Honduras. Other species of fish lived in the lake before tilapia was introduced into it. Due to the fact that tilapia are larger fish than the native species in Yojoa, the tilapia eventually obliterated the native species. This took place before people came up with the ´´idea´´ that introducing tilapia would exterminate the previous species. Therefore, what we perceive through our senses comes before we conceive the ´´idea´´.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.toptenz.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/smart-baby1-300x257.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-strangest-philosophies.php&usg=__UNDjI9Cx96vwZ1S_1DdR1yhEZ-Q=&h=257&w=300&sz=19&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=1YLMHYixXSTNCM:&tbnh=129&tbnw=183&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dno%2Binnate%2Bideas%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D922%26bih%3D364%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C39&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=553&ei=URyETPTRJcGC8gaV5NDvAQ&oei=ShyETKGWEsP88AaxzOyEBA&esq=2&page=1&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0&tx=130&ty=64&biw=922&bih=364

IMAGE

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/08/10/opinion/Whoever-Reads-Resize.533.jpg

ART

1. I believe the intention of the artist was to protest against German nationalism and militarism, the causes that fueled World War I. The quality of the work is really good, and John Heartfield is mostly known for his mastering in the art of photomontage. I believe the response of the audience during those times was quite ambivalent. On one side, there are the Germans like John Heartfield who are against the war. They feel the need to find a place in which to express their ideas freely. On the other side, there was the strong sense of German Nationalism. Due to the fact the Treaty of Versailles had been unfair to them, they felt the need to fight for their country.


2. John Heartfield wanted to imitate reality in the sense that he wanted to imitate what he and many other Germans felt towards War. The reality he wants to convey is one of feelings, an ambiguous but at the same time concrete one because many Germans felt oppressed during the war.
Through his artwork he wants to portray the social values and cultural trends of a contemporary world facing a disastrous period of war.
He wants to show the people that there is no purpose in war, the only outcome it has is oppression and lack of freedom of speech. Here the human subject has been reduced to nothingness, just like people during times of war when they lose their identity and sometimes fight for a cause they do not even understand.

http://wwar.com/master/movments/dadaism.html

Bandura Bobo Doll Experiment

The Bobo doll experiment was conducted by Albert Bandura in 1961 and studied patterns of behaviour associated with aggression.

Bandura carried out this study to look at social learning, where people learn through imitation. He used children, because they generally have less social conditioning. Bandura wanted to expose children to adult models exhibiting either aggressive or nonaggressive behaviors. Then, in a new environment without the adult model, he wanted to observe whether or not the children imitate these adult model aggressive (or nonaggressive) behaviors.

Bandura found that the children exposed to the aggressive model were more likely to act in physically aggressive ways than those who were not exposed to the aggressive model.

http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Bobo_doll_experiment
http://www.freewebs.com/pickleheadsgang/bobo%20doll.jpg

Euthanasia

Euthanasia is defined as the deliberate taking of someone's life by action or omission, with or without that person's consent, for compassionate reasons and for their alleged benefit

1.Legally in the Netherlands, only a competent patient´s request for euthanasia can be accepted. According to Dutch law, any treatment that has no clear medical benefit for the patient is regarded a sfutile, and argues that no patient should be subjected to useless medical interventions and that these treatments should not be offered as an option.
http://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1702041.html

2.The right of a competent, terminally ill person to avoid excruciating pain and embrace a timely and dignified death bears the sanction of history and is implicit in the concept of ordered liberty. The exercise of this right is as central to personal autonomy and bodily integrity.
- American Civil Liberties Union
http://euthanasia.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000126

3.Euthanasia is illegal in Britain. This is to dissuade people as this is not morally accepted in this country.
www.horsforth.leeds.sch.uk/.../euthanasia%20presentation%20cut%20down.ppt

Euthanasia includes the many rights of a person which conflict with one another.
Therefore, as a result of several conflicting issues, euthanasia is an ethical issue.I personally believe that euthanasia shouldn´t be legalized, especially passive euthanasia which is involuntary. People have a right to fight for their lives no matter what, after all, its THEIR life. No one has a say if you choose to live your life or not.

IMAGE:http://breakthroughtogod.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/144.jpg

Origin: the United States, Pro-Imperialism Cartoon

Purpose: It shows the recent purchases the U.S has done. The fabrics represent all the countries in which the U.S can expand, to set up trading posts and intervene. Most countries are LAtin American. The cartoon´s message is to convey how Mckinley wants to expand U.S foreign policy, and how he wants the U.S to become an imperialist nation. They wil become a more powerful country if they expand, and Latin America is the more promising area in which to expand. It is an expansionist message vecause it portrays what will belong to the U.S when they enforce the Monroe Doctrine.

Value: It comes from the U.S. It is a primary source within the Pro-Expansionist poitn of view, but it lacks the point of view of the people that are being conquered. It is obviously biased.

Limitations: Primary source within the U.S but it is a secondary source in other countries, for instance, LAtin Americans. It is an extremely biased pro expansionist message. Lacking evidence that gives the U.S the right to govern these regions. What are the underlying causes that give the U.S a right to do this?

http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/resources/online/2001/eoc/ushistory/p14.gif

Fractals

A seashell is an example of a fractal in nature because it has the same repeating pattern from the inside all the way to the outside.

http://webecoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/fractal-nautilus-shell.jpg

Stem Cell Research

1. Stem Cells are cells that are found in all multi-cellular organisms. Stem cells have the ability to renew themselves through cell division and can differentiate into a variety of specialized cells. Dr. Ernest A. McCulloch and Dr. James E. Till were the first to start on human stem cell research in attempts to find new cures to diseases such as leukemia, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, and muscle damage. Although this research was started purely to help advance the medical industry along with science, several U.S. Politicians along with many religious denominations are against “stem cell research”.

2. It is unethical to destroy embryos to simply obtain their blastocysts. I believe this is considered murder because the embryo had a potential for life. Due to the fact that there is no certainty that specialized cells generated from human stem cells can replace damaged or diseased cells people ask themselves what gives scientists the right to experiment with "human life". How long would it take to develop stem cell treatment should there be any? Embryos are human lives and therefore should be protected by the government. However, stem cell research is highly controversial since it has the potential to cure many diseases and save many lives but embryos are necessary for the experiment. One life for another? When exactly does life begin for a human being? Conservatives believe that it starts when the zygote is formed, but many liberals believe it starts until the ebryo is able to survive detached from it´s mother´s womb. I believe stem cell reseacrh to be highly unethical, no matter all the benefits it has, scientists are destroying a life that had potential.

http://www.biotech.ucdavis.edu/TBCWebsites/TBC07/StemCells&TissueEngineering/Li-MiraLoma/Biotech%20Website%20Design/issues.htm

http://www.rso.cornell.edu/progressive/pics/stem-cell-harvest.jpg

Perception Post

1. I do believe that doubt is the key to knowledge because only when you question something you will truly learn about it in depth. It is virtually impossible to know about everything, but by doubting something, you will investigate different points of view on it, and broaden your horizons. When you doubt something, that means you are open to new ideas, giving your knowledge a chance to grow, instead of sticking to a single point of view on something.

2. At the beginning of human existence, people said that natural events such as rain, earthquakes etc. were the cause of Gods. However, certain individuals in society started doubting and started searching for explanations to the natural events that ocurred on Earth. Due to the fact that those individuals doubted, they finally reached an explanation to those events. Precipitation was the cause of evaporation and condensation of water. And earthquakes were due to the shifting of the tectonic plates on earth´s crust.

3. In school it is good to question what you are being taught. There is an excellent example from the movie-documentary ´´An Inconvenient truth´´. One day the geography teacher was teaching the students something on geography. A student after looking at the map for a while, asked the teacher if Africa and South America ever fit together. The teacher told him he was speaking nonsense. However, now, many years later, it is true that sometime in the past, these two continents fit together. It was actually proved due to the shifting of the tectonic plates. So, what is true today might be proved wrong tomorrow.

4.I love phsycology, so I always ask myself what makes psycopaths the way they are. General belief states that it is based on environmental factors. And I believed this for many years, but i decided to do some investigation. I found out that their violent behavior is also due to some chemical imbalance in their brain, and also that their frontal lobe is not as developed. The fact that their frontal lobe is not as developed means that they are not aware of the consequences of their actions. I therefore dont believe solely in the environmental aspect of psycopaths, I know that their actions are also due to their biological composition.

Support 2: The theory of creation vs. big bang. The origin of the universe is not clear, so humans create their own explanations. It all happened a really long time ago...so no assumption is accurate. The most concrete theory is the big bang. However, some people go with the theory of creation and how god created everything in 7 days. Neither if the two is right or wrong. Because all truth is relative.

http://www.bibliotecaviva.cl/uploads/agenda/1367_img1.jpg
http://www.islandcrisis.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/adam-and-eve.jpeg

Topic: There are no absolute distinctions between what is true and what is false.
Opinion: Some things in the world just cant be proven to be true, but that doesnt meant that they are false.

Support 1:
Just because it cant be proven clearly that aliens dont exist means that they dont exist. it would be extremely arrogant for human beings to think they are alone in the universe. Just as at the same time, someone saying they dont exist is equally right because it still isnt proven. Both sides are right, and one doesnt diminish the other.

The War on Terror

After the incident in World Trade Center, President George W. Bush declared a war on terror. Troops were sent to Iraq in an attempt to put an end to terrorism. However, it was all pointless. American soldiers died for foolish reasons, they were doing nothing out there. Also the poor innocent civilians in Iraq suffered greatly. And what did the U.S. get out of this? A huge loss in mainatining the army out there, and a great loss of American lives. Was it really a war on terror or where there other hidden motives? Bush´s reasons to send the soldiers out there are not motive enoguh to have caused that war.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/images/march2006/100306iraq.jpg

Porfirio Diaz was a dictator in Mexico. He wanted to improve Mexico´s economic problems at all cost. However, even though he DID improve Mexico´s economy greatly, lifestlye and wages remained the same. For example, people who worked in mines earned the same 37 cents they earned even before earning their independence. Peasants had no land and everything was in hands of the elite and of foreign investors. The people in Mexico were starving, even when the economy was improving. This is extremely ironic, since Porfirio Diaz´s way of reasoning and to imrpove the coutry did not include it´s people.

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/mexican-revolution/porfirio-diaz-1.jpg

Josef Stalin was a leader in Russia, who greatly believed that the end justifies the means. He believed he was doing everything for the greater good. Yes, he led Russia into becoming a world power, but all of this came at a great price. Millions of Russians were sent to concentration camps where they were literally worked to death. Stalin simply stated: ´´A single death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic.´´This is utterly unbeievable, but some people just don´t know the collateral damage their actions might cause.

http://www.northstarcompass.org/french/nscfr24/stalin.jpg

Queen Victoria of England

The meaning of Victoria

Origin:Latin

Meaning:
Conqueror; victory

Pronunciation:(vik TOR ee ah)

Used in:
English, Romanian and Spanish speaking countries

Victoria was the Roman goddess of victory

The meaning of Elizabeth

Origin:Hebrew
Meaning:My God is a vow

Pronunciation:(eh LIZ ah beth)

The origin of Molina

One who came from the mill in Spain; dweller near a mill.

The origin of Sugrañes

A Spanish arquitect, a disciple of Gaudi. He helped in the construction of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. The name is from Catalunya, a province in Spain where only Catalan is spoken.

My parent's reason for choosing Victoria:

They really did not knowhow to name me. My older brother Mauricio started calling me Victoria out of nowhere, and my parents liked it, so they decided to name me that way. Also, it was the name of Queen Victoria of England. My mom always said: ''You have the name of two queens of England, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabteh.'' I like those two names, and the way in which they go together. My parents were happy with their decision, though my dad wanted to name me Arianna. My mom resufes because it sounded like saying spider, and she said kids would make fun of me. So, they finally decided on Victoria.

http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/meaning_of_Victoria.html
http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/meaning_of_Elizabeth.html


http://surnames.meaning-of-names.com/Molina/
My brother gave me information on Sugranes.