With issues ranging from gay rights to healthcare, it seems like some people are so blindly stubborn in their beliefs that if they can’t win the argument, or are proven wrong, their next step is to do everything in their power to discredit whomever they are having a debate with. After a few comments back and forth about whatever issue we are debating, the issue quickly changes from the main issue to, “You spelled ‘tragedy’ wrong, don’t you know anything?” or “Hey fatty, why don’t you stuff a donut in it!” and my favorite and most frequent one “You’re very young, you know nothing about…”.
When it comes to any debate I’m having (usually online) the subject of my age usually always comes up. Instead of acknowledging that I have actually studied the subjects I debate, or that I may have a point about an issue, I’ll get a response like, “You’re only 26? Go get my Latte before I have you fired!”. It seems like anywhere there is a young person, there always seems to be doubt about their intelligence or readiness to handle the job.
I’ve watch a town hall meeting on healthcare where people dramatically scream about the burden healthcare reform would be on our children, fair enough. Yet, when a very young veteran comes to the microphone to urge the congressmen to push for the reform, he get’s booed. When it comes to the importance of the future of the United States, is youth really a crutch? Are we doomed to be dismissed as infants who don’t know anything and just need to shut up and let the older folk handle these issues?
I think the youth of this nation have been greatly underestimated. I’ve seen young Americans voice out strong opinions backed by facts that they’ve researched themselves, only to be dismissed as young and idealistic. Even Meghan McCain, who, I’m sure knows a thing or two about politics, is overlooked and often attacked by members of her own party.
The problem I have with being attacked for my youth is that most of these issues are ones that will greatly affect my future. With the world changing ever so quickly, nobody understands changing trends more then the youth. But when the youth as an age group are ignored, eventually the need for change becomes more imperative, by the time the issue is finally resolved, it is usually at great cost.
I believe a young voice brings with it a fresh perspective of what needs to be done to make this country a better. Are we idealistic? Of course, however, it’s well known throughout history that some ideas we thought at one point to be unrealistic, can become reality. From landing on the moon, to escalators, we’ve proven over and over that anything is possible.
I also believe that it is only a matter of time before these changes will take place, as the youth slowly begin to creep into public office, the face of America will change. With the Internet innovating social networking and information gathering, it will be easier to debunk lies and half truths. Eventually we’ll look at today’s issues, the same way we look at past issues, with optimism that our country is continuously moving on the right path.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Brains, The Final Frontier...
"I spent my youth / looking up at the stars dreaming about what was up there, about / new worlds..." - Jean Luc Picard/Praetor Shinzon - Star Trek Nemisis
Most of us have been in Picard's shoes, looking up at night and imagining what it would be like traveling through space, leaving this planet, this galaxy and beyond, but what would happen if you looked back expecting to see the universe, and instead saw a giant galactic brain?
I once bought a DVD about the Universe, at the end it traveled 13 Billion light years to the 'edge of the Universe' which was perceived as a web of galaxy clusters. I thought it was pretty impressive. I found it more impressive when I studied psychology and how the brain transmits and receives information.
Just a quick overview, in the brain we have brain cells that have tentacle like things, they are called neurons, they are in contact with other cells and together they form cobwebs called a Neural Net. When the brain receives stuff, the info is passed on from cell to cell and forms a pathway, when it receives the same information, it travels down the same pathway. With repetition, the pathway becomes permanent and thus you have a permanent memory.
Notice I mentioned the word 'web' twice, this is why:
This is a Neural Net
This is The Galaxy
Now remember, this is a rendition of what scientists THINK the universe may look like. This isn't absolute. Yet you can't help but to think that there may be a realistic possibility that the universe, could in fact be a neural net. Is All the Universe a mind? We may never know, but an attempt to answer that very question would require an open mind, centuries of research, and an unprecedented marriage of Cosmology, astrology, Biology, and other sciences.
The problem is that there are many loopholes, questions, and the difficulty of fully understanding the magnitude of this theory beyond our current physical comprehension. In order to do that we have to use creativity and imagination, use them to come up with questions, and hypotheses'. Then we need to find a way to experiment in order to prove/disprove, and answer questions.
So for sake of argument, let's assume that the universe is a mind. What questions would we ask? If the universe is a brain and the galaxy clusters make up the neural net, what would that make our sun? Would that make dark matter similar to a synapses? There are articles about space plasma which spirals similarly to DNA sequences, is it possible to conceive DNA in a large scale, Plasma? Where would gravity, black holes, comets or blood, blood vessels, or other bodily chemicals fit in?
Let's compare:
Universe = Cerebral Cortex
Galaxy clusters = Neural Net
Galaxies = Neurons
Stars & Planets = atoms (funny how some stars have planets that rotate around them like Electrons around the nucleus on an atom)
Elements(Hydrogen, Helium, etc.) = Protons, Neutrons, electrons
Atoms = quarks,leptons
Protons, Neutrons, electrons = ???
By now you may say, "But Brain cells are used to transmit information, Galaxies don't". So here's another aspect to think about. Neurons transmit information by electrical signaling. As we all know, electricity is a form of energy. Stars emit light, and gravitational pull, which is received by other stars. Both light and gravity are also forms of energy, so with the knowledge that light, electricity and gravity are all the same in elementary terms, we can assume that the energy sent through the Universe, is the same as the Energy sent through Neurons.
Something else to think about; if they universe is in fact a brain, we may be able to determine the age range of our host (No, Not God!) If we are to do this though, we have to assume that our host's time is different than time here. Let's say 1,000,000,000 years our time is the equivalent of 1 year host time. We have determined that our Universe is about 13.7 Billion years old, that would make The Host about 13 Years, nine months old.
To further cement that, let's move to Expansion. The Hubble Law, states that the Universe is expanding. During the Big Bang the Universe expanded faster than the speed of light, then began to slow down had been decelerating but has since recently sped up. When a baby is first conceived, they undergo very rapid growth until birth, then there is little growth in the brain until puberty, which occurs between 12-16 years, and growth speeds up again. So could it be that our Host may be in the beginning stages of puberty?
I leave the rest onto, you. There are still questions to be answered, and answers to be proven. I leave you with one more thought. If our Universe is but the mind of another being, what will happen to us when it dies??
-F
P.S. To any physicists, biologists or cosmologists out there, don't crucify me, I'm pulling your leg.
Most of us have been in Picard's shoes, looking up at night and imagining what it would be like traveling through space, leaving this planet, this galaxy and beyond, but what would happen if you looked back expecting to see the universe, and instead saw a giant galactic brain?
I once bought a DVD about the Universe, at the end it traveled 13 Billion light years to the 'edge of the Universe' which was perceived as a web of galaxy clusters. I thought it was pretty impressive. I found it more impressive when I studied psychology and how the brain transmits and receives information.
Just a quick overview, in the brain we have brain cells that have tentacle like things, they are called neurons, they are in contact with other cells and together they form cobwebs called a Neural Net. When the brain receives stuff, the info is passed on from cell to cell and forms a pathway, when it receives the same information, it travels down the same pathway. With repetition, the pathway becomes permanent and thus you have a permanent memory.
Notice I mentioned the word 'web' twice, this is why:
This is a Neural Net
This is The Galaxy
Now remember, this is a rendition of what scientists THINK the universe may look like. This isn't absolute. Yet you can't help but to think that there may be a realistic possibility that the universe, could in fact be a neural net. Is All the Universe a mind? We may never know, but an attempt to answer that very question would require an open mind, centuries of research, and an unprecedented marriage of Cosmology, astrology, Biology, and other sciences.
The problem is that there are many loopholes, questions, and the difficulty of fully understanding the magnitude of this theory beyond our current physical comprehension. In order to do that we have to use creativity and imagination, use them to come up with questions, and hypotheses'. Then we need to find a way to experiment in order to prove/disprove, and answer questions.
So for sake of argument, let's assume that the universe is a mind. What questions would we ask? If the universe is a brain and the galaxy clusters make up the neural net, what would that make our sun? Would that make dark matter similar to a synapses? There are articles about space plasma which spirals similarly to DNA sequences, is it possible to conceive DNA in a large scale, Plasma? Where would gravity, black holes, comets or blood, blood vessels, or other bodily chemicals fit in?
Let's compare:
Universe = Cerebral Cortex
Galaxy clusters = Neural Net
Galaxies = Neurons
Stars & Planets = atoms (funny how some stars have planets that rotate around them like Electrons around the nucleus on an atom)
Elements(Hydrogen, Helium, etc.) = Protons, Neutrons, electrons
Atoms = quarks,leptons
Protons, Neutrons, electrons = ???
By now you may say, "But Brain cells are used to transmit information, Galaxies don't". So here's another aspect to think about. Neurons transmit information by electrical signaling. As we all know, electricity is a form of energy. Stars emit light, and gravitational pull, which is received by other stars. Both light and gravity are also forms of energy, so with the knowledge that light, electricity and gravity are all the same in elementary terms, we can assume that the energy sent through the Universe, is the same as the Energy sent through Neurons.
Something else to think about; if they universe is in fact a brain, we may be able to determine the age range of our host (No, Not God!) If we are to do this though, we have to assume that our host's time is different than time here. Let's say 1,000,000,000 years our time is the equivalent of 1 year host time. We have determined that our Universe is about 13.7 Billion years old, that would make The Host about 13 Years, nine months old.
To further cement that, let's move to Expansion. The Hubble Law, states that the Universe is expanding. During the Big Bang the Universe expanded faster than the speed of light, then began to slow down had been decelerating but has since recently sped up. When a baby is first conceived, they undergo very rapid growth until birth, then there is little growth in the brain until puberty, which occurs between 12-16 years, and growth speeds up again. So could it be that our Host may be in the beginning stages of puberty?
I leave the rest onto, you. There are still questions to be answered, and answers to be proven. I leave you with one more thought. If our Universe is but the mind of another being, what will happen to us when it dies??
-F
P.S. To any physicists, biologists or cosmologists out there, don't crucify me, I'm pulling your leg.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Questions about Prop 8
Many of you may be coming here wondering why the passage and upholding of Proposituion 8 has such a large impact on our democracy. Many of you may have questions. In this blog, I bring up these questions.
How did Prop 8 Affect Me?
Depends:
For California-
If you're gay and already married, then your marriage is still valid and legal, however, if you were to dissolve your marriage, you wouldn't be able to marry again unless they are of opposite gender.
If you're gay and not married, then this affects you greatly, for Prop 8 halted same sex marriage and made it illegal in the state of California. The only other option you have is a civil union.
If you live outside of California, pay attention to what happens here, for it is likely that if same sex marriage issues have not come to your state yet, it will. When it does, educating yourself on what happens in California, as well as past cases, will prepair you for what may come in your state.
Prop 8 does not apply to Heterosexual Marriages.
What is the big deal?
Prop 8 has now created a legal underclass out of the gay community by taking away their right to marry people of the same sex. Throughout history we've seen the travesties that people of an underclass suffer due to discrimination. Discrimination distorts the truth and damages personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority. It also sets the precedence for more radical laws or amendments to be passed and deflates justice into nothing more then a euphemism of bigot beliefs.
But my church says I should oppose gay marriage?
Allowing people the freedom to marry whomever they choose should not only be a right, but a moral obligation. It is wrong not only to allow religious philosophy to enter into the political realm, but to presuppose that it obligates you to condone inequality for a minority in a democracy that promotes freedom regardless of beliefs. It is blasphemous to believe in a higher power that says that it is OK to dehumanize others because they disagree with you.
What about the Preservation of Marriage?
In Loving V. Virginia, there was a similar issue. A state law that banned interracial marriages. In this, the state interest was protecting the sanctity of marriage, the preservation of Justice however outweighed the hidden motive of discrimination, and it was overturned. Same sex marriages do not destroy the sanctity of marriage. The states that allow same sex marriage, have not been destroyed and all of the fear behind it's legalization was just that. Fear. When Prop 8 was on the ballot, supporters of it pushed fear into the public by saying that it sets a precedence for laws allowing people to marry animals and that you will lose parental rights, that allowing homosexuals to marry impended on freedoms.
In the end, the final product was a perversion of justice and a mockery of civil rights. But it's not over yet.
Check back here periodically, I will have more questions to answer and more education to give.
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