Evolution with the Amazing Traits it give us. Response

While rummaging through my Google reader, I came upon this quote from Mercede's Blog:

Evolution is an interesting subject, one that affects us all. Take a look at fossils you can find in almost every museum, and compare them to the knowledge we have of their current descendants. 

AHHHHHHH! Yes! And the question that comes up is why was the Brown Beetle naturally selected? What was it about that Brown Beetle that made it more attractive to the opposite gender that allowed it to multiply?! Evolution is one of the most amazing processes on Earth. To think that Darwin was able to piece it all together without the benefit of modern day scientific tools/techniques. I consider him a genius. 


The way you gave visual examples of evolution really helped make your point. Comparative Anatomy is fascinating and those scientists that can look at a set of bones in two different animals and tell how they are related really have my admiration. Developmental Biology is also a fascinating field that is providing us with tons of evolutionary knowledge. Comparing developmental stages in wombs is like watching a video on evolution. All of the stages are there in one form or another, like gill slits and tails. Amazing! 

You are right, the whole notion of evolution brings up so many more questions about species relationships and about how organisms are still evolving. How are humans evolving? There is an interesting television show called “Stan Lee’s Superhumans”. Yes, THAT Stan Lee, Mr. Comic Book writer himself. The show really makes you think about how humanity is evolving, about how our DNA might be mutating and about how some of those mutations might be naturally selected for. For instance, there is man here in the Bay Area that can run literally forever (it seems). He ran the equivalent of 10 marathons in one run back in 2008, as an experiment. When two scientists examined him they found that his body has the ability to get rid of lactic acid and in fact, it seems to use the lactic acid for energy somehow. He has some kind of mutation that allows him that Superhuman ability. Fascinating!
In the end, it is amazing to see the roads evolution is taking us down!

Reflection on “Yali’s Question” from Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond By Cristian Nicolas Cortez

     “History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among peoples environment, not because of biological differences among peoples themselves.” Jared Diamond. Prejudice towards people based on what they look like but should be based on their environmental surroundings and what they make of it. This is what Jared Diamond meant by his quote. Many of the people that would agree with this quote would be people living in modern day “stone age”, living off the land. The people living in suburban areas like the United States or Europe would disagree with this quote and say that people should be based on there “biological differences.” I, living in a suburban little town, have truly seen what people do to other people based on their “biological differences.”

     For our own community, this might mean that people are based on their skin color or hair or other things that the media says is “important.” I have seen it happen at school, especially in 7^th and 8^th  grade. People start to care more about what they look like instead of there personality or their schoolwork. Racism is one of the major things people make and poke fun of. In 7^th grade, some 8^th grade bullies used to go and purposely make fun of me for being Mexican, calling me bad racist names and staying away from me because I had “swine flu.”  I know first hand what Diamond means by “biological differences.” In fact, everyone in my family has experienced some sort of racist jesters, whether it be from outside groups or in side the family.

     Racism, for me, is the most opportunity giving and depriving I have ever seen. Now, as much as some one says there are not racist or biased to a specific group or race, but they are truly. It can be as simple as a cashier or as complex as teachers. My mom always says that she is a double-minority, being a women and Mexican. So the question remains as why? Why do different groups of people in the bay area have different resources and opportunities? I think the answer lies in being either basis or prejudice towards a group of people. When this happens, the unfairness of people comes out. So, even in our very own community, people tend to become prejudice toward groups of people, so some people get special treatment while others don’t. In non-suburban areas, people tend to not be as racist as others, but it still happens to some degree.

    “History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among peoples environment, not because of biological differences among peoples themselves.” Jared Diamond. This is a strong powerful quote describing how people come to be basis and mean to others, and how the environment around us can change the way work, mentally and physically.   

Q's Identification

In the story of the "thing" named Qfwfq, or "Q" for short, it describes stories of which the main character is Q. Q's personality changes many times. However, in the stories The Aquatic Uncle and The Dinosaur, Q experiences Jealousy, Arrogance, Embarrassment, and un-empathetical. He experiences these three emotions in these two stories. Q takes on many personalities, each describing his character further from the physical appearances.

The most important character trait which Q expresses is Jealousy. We experience this theme when Lll leaves Q for the comforts of the old, uncle, fish N’ba N’ga.

“And what do you think you'll do, all alone with an old fish?” “Marry him. Be a fish again with him. And bring still more fish into the world. Good-by.” pg 81

 This quote expresses Q’s jealousy because he goes on to describe the way Lll re surfaced with the uncle. He writes:

“She surfaced, but she wasn't alone; the sturdy, curved tail of great uncle N’ba N’ga rose near hers and, together they cleft the waters.” pg 81

 He wrote with so much jealousy. The way he described the uncle’s tail in this passage is full of resentment and disgust. This is an example of the theme of Q’s jealousy. 




Q often goes back and forth between arrogance and embarrassment.

“Never before had my great-uncle seemed so different from the rest of us: a real monster.” pg 76

 In This passage, Q explores embarrassment through the relationship of the uncle and Lll. Here's another quote from The Dinosaur:

“And if you don't dance with me, I’ll dance with another!” pg 110 

 Here, Q went over to go and talk to Fern-Flower, pleading with her to have fun with him. After this quote, Q goes and dances with the Half-breed. here, it shows how Q seemed to want to hurt Fern-flower, and make her feel guilty of all her wrong doings toward Q. This quote also explores how, since he is the last of species he somehow deserves special treatment.




Throughout the story, Q shows a low level of being empathic. Here, Q asks Fern-Flower to dance with him after she just told him that she was feeling bad about her dream.

“you can never talk about anything that isn't sad!” I said, frivolously. “Stop it. Come and dance!” pg 110

Here, Q is being un-empathetic and rude to Fern-Flower’s feelings. It shows the level of curtisy he has for her and the amount of emotional intelligence to understanding these type of ques.

While searching through google reader, I came upon this quote from Jesse's Blog.

I think the worst is Linguini’s. It’s down by the Alameda Theater, so if you see it, don’t go there. Don’t say “Ooh let’s go to that pizza place, I’ve never been there before!”, because you’ll only be disappointed. The only thing that I ever will like is the arcade the they have [but last time I checked half of the games were out of order (big surprise)], because I won a something in the claw machine. A bunch of other times I got tricked in a way from the machine because I kept putting coins inside it, but the game wouldn’t start. It was always after I put the coins in that I asked someone and they said it was out of order, but they never got around to putting an out of order sign on it (yeah, they just never had the time).

 I think that this quote can go for many arcades. I have always witnessed the poor little innocent kids fling away all their quarters to the claw machine, unsuccessfully obtain a prize. It is always sad to see people try their luck on the racing games and always try to win. But they never as so much leave the starting line. The only decent arcade game is the shoot-em'-up games, but what values do the show you? I believe that arcade games have down graded since the times of video games began. 

For Instance, Tron is an excellent example of this. The normal, average day arcade game has long synced evolve from the normal basic game (which it is) to full-length new Wii Video game. it has been created to motion pictures and has received nothing but positive reviews of the movie and the Game.

Another example would be Galaxia, or Space Invaders, or Dig-Dug. All of these great examples have touched the live of millions and has always been a part of out American culture. I am proud to say that i grew up with these games myself, as my mom and dad have played these games ever since they were created.
So, try to find a good antique Arcade game place and look for these instant classics! I assure, you will be hooked to them as I.

The Pleasure of A Grocery Store

You, know world, I really fantasy the Simulated rain and storm at the produce section of every Grocery store. I think it is really awesome. All of a sudden, the flashing LED lights of the produce section flash like a police siren lights, it never ends. Then the simulated sounds of thunder ring through out the grocery store, singing a joyful tune that a "storms a brewin'". All the shoppers drop their un-purchased stuff and run to the produce section, trying to beat the rain.     Then, the exciting part happens...the rain. the rain drops down from the heavens (the sprinklers in the veggies ceiling). Then all the vegetables get up and start to sing, just like a corrupt version of everyone's favorite Veggie Tales. they all get up from their resting place and start to dance around and sing and have little communities made of one specific type of veggie. the wonderful sounds of veggies laughing and dancing fill the customers hearts with joy.

I really like this. I think it is a good way for the customers to become entertained with shopping. i have always wanted to know how they do this however. What was the concept that led to this? I guess it would start with the fact that you need to water your produce in a store, so they don't get moldy. Then i guess, the water made them get reminded of a storm? and then finally, after some serious stereo systems and LED lights, the whole thing is set and ready. I really like the fact of having a fake storm in the produce section of a Safeway, etc.

The way people react to it is all so fun to see. little kids, and even some adults (don't be shy) all put there hand in the water for what ever reason. It is something that you should experience any time during your life.

So the next time your strolling the down the produce section of a grocery store, and you here the magic sounds of a storm and the flashing LED light that represents lightning, stop and take a look, you'll be surprised to see how fun and cool it is... and maybe even stick your hand in the water!

"I know what it means, I just cant explain it!"

Here are 10 words from a word list found on this website under Your Assignment "Academic word list" that "I know what it means, I just can't explain it!".

1. Compensation
2. Consent
3. Constraint
4. Philosophy
5. Reliance
6. Consultation
7. Discretion
8. Entity
9. Subsequent
10. Revenue

“All’s Well That Ends Well”

     I was enjoying my life as any other 14 year old boy would. Doing homework, hanging out with friends, doing chores, activities like these filled my day. I was walking home from school one day when it happened. The path home from school is right in font of the old the circus amusement park, abandoned in 1945, and it was a Friday. They say that only on “Friday nights the ghost of the monstro would linger around looking for the sacred…” and that’s the entire story the village elder ever said. The village would always have an unsaid rule on Friday nights to not enter the circus park. But this night was different. Well different for my friends and I.

     As we entered the abandoned circus, all we could see is the beams of light our flashlights would make and the things un-hidden by them. It was a cold, dark, and scary night to choose to go, but it was like us to do irrational things. I could tell that we all had the same gut feeling when we saw the gruesome clown face staring down at us from atop the fun house. That’s when we decided to go back.

     We turned around, ready to leave, but only to find that we were somehow in a middle of a dense forest. We turned again to see if the fun house was still there, but all we saw was the shape of a figure moving very fast in the distance. When we looked again in the direction of the fun house, all we saw this time, was an antique fortune teller booth. We approached the fortune teller cautiously as we could start to feel the sense of fear, and coldness of the woods starting to settle in our bodies. Finally, after reading the sign that said, “Deposit Twenty-five cents to return”, we all started searching for the cold, silver coin that would grant us our freedom from this nightmare.

     One by one we inserted the quarter into the cobweb filled insert slot and one by one we left. I was last in line. I put one of the two quarters I had with me in the slot and was about to walk into the light when I heard a noise from the back of the machine. I thought “oh no, the monstro”, as I could see my breath in the coldness of the night. “AHHHHH!” as I ran into the deep, dark woods. I suddenly realized that I had dropped my quarter and there was no time to run back for it now. I was stuck. I was alone, afraid, worried, and cold. All of these things swept through my body like a tidal wave during a hurricane, it over whelms you…

     I remember running and running until my legs gave up and surrendered to the opposing tiredness. I fell on the twigs and pine needles on the cold ground below me. I remember seeing a glitter in the ground. Finally realizing it was my quarter, I picked it up and tried to run. It was too late. Again the forest switched on me and I was now somewhere deeper in. The sound of the monstro got fainter and fainter until I knew I was in the clear. I began to look, seek, and call for the fortuneteller. But when I called it didn’t appear. Instead the monstro found me and ran towards me. I soon realized that I got what I sought, the fortune teller was on the back of the monstro and was morphed in, controlling it. It grabbed me and tossed me in the air. I fell hard to the ground with a loud thud. I remember then opening my eyes and seeing my stuffed animal, a sheep I’ve had since I was five, right next to me. I looked around, and all I saw was my dust covered shelves, and the unread books on them. I saw the closet door fully closed and in it,  the reflection of the rest of my room. I looked around and saw no monstro. I sighed, closed my eyes, and was soon fast asleep. 

Something Special Amist The Dust

Wow! this is an amazing short story. Here, its on Constance's blog. Her use of words and description to create an awesome impression in your mind is baffling. She uses words spelled like it was written back then. The words she uses such as "neighbours’" and "colours" gives the piece a sort of special aspect about it. The way she describes the characters in her story is with so much detail and vigor that it leaves you begging for more. I have to say that I was very eager to to see what was going to happen to Tad and whether or not Darasci was going to support his search of the heavenly Eggstone. I highly recommend this to become a book and after that, a full on Motion Picture.
     The excitement of the writer is dominantly presented in this piece. I can fully see the whole aspect of Draigfest. I really like how she gave a full description of the way the dragons mistreat each other and how the separation and segregation of the Dragons cultures are so dominate in their overall culture. She gave an awesome entry of how this "lone dragon", as if she were a professional writer. Her diction in this story is outstanding and "right on", it goes well with the overall story line.
     While I was reading this, I was full of eagerness to see what was going to happen and amazement to see she could right this good for a teenager. I have known Constance for about 3 years now, we went to the same school for Jr. High. I have graded some of her work in core class and what not, and I was already amazed by her diction and grammar. But this is a work of art! A true masterpiece! Constance, If your reading this, I highly recommend that you continue this story, and go as far with it as making a book. It holds a true tale of adventure and will be as big as Harry Potter. I really enjoyed this sneak peak of the Future Book.
     The detail oh each of the clans is awesome. I really got an image of hundreds of Dragons in a deep part of some abandoned forest in some make believe fantasy world. I love the description of the disagreement of each of the clans, and how each clan has a unique talent. I said it once and I'll say it again, this is a "Next best seller" in the making.
     I await eagerly to see how this whole thing will turn out.

Sorry

Sorry people. Here's the link to the opponents blog.

This is a quote from my Opposing Teams first paragraph in their opening statement:

In California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, there is very little control over who enters the country, and who leaves the country. We need to step up the security right away to ensure that all Americans have a fair shot at getting jobs, and the population does not overwhelm the availability of them. We already have enough homeless and unemployed people in America without more people coming here.

Let me just say this, the Governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, had the exact same idea and now, she has made it OK to stop any Mexican and ask them for their "papers".  Is that a right thing to do? In what way is it? I do believe that there may be some truth in letting people on and out of this country, that are illegal, to do things that legal citizens would do. But then we start to racially profile people, and stop to ask them for their papers. That's not right. Also, how do we decide whether or not people are illegal or not? That's where we start to discriminate against other people. "...all Americans..." How do we define American? As someone who is born here or has gone through the appropriate "training" to becoming American? So lets take this and make a situation. Lets say that two illegal immigrants come and have a child here in the United States. When their child is old enough, they try to apply him/her to school in the local school district. The district finds out that they are illegal and they sign a deportation paper. What happens to the child? We cant separate the family. What happens there?

Also, my opponent mentions only the states of the Mexican-American Border. Illegal immigrants are not just from Mexico, I would like to remind my opponent of this. That is racial Profiling.

Here's another from this blog:

If nothing happens, and we allow illegal immigrants to come, then the population of the United States will overflow, and probably half of America would be full of homeless people. If that happens, then there would be a lot more murdering and stealing over food and money.

How does letting illegal immigrants coming into the country induce murdering and stealing? Murdering can be done by anyone, even children. Race does not prohibit anyone from committing crimes. It seems ludicrous that half of America would become homeless if illegal immigrants were to enter the US. That happens when the economy collapses like during the recession that started in 2001. When the economy falls, jobs are lost and then homelessness is increased. Not because of illegal immigrants. I understand that you mean that the country would be strapped for recourse's. But the way you word this phrase makes you sound like illegals are the problems. Be careful when wording your phrases.

Here is a link to our response to the debate question. devin's blog