Supernova

A supernova is an explosion of a star at the end of its lifetime. The core of the star implodes and an explosion occurs. This results into a rotating neutron star that can be observed years later as a radio pulsar. Supernovas are rare events and the last one occurred in 1604 and was known as Keplers Star. The supernova prior to that was the Crab Nebula.

College expectations

The majority of students do not know why they are going to college. They have no answer to the questions of Why am I here? Why College? Why Now? Many students feel that they are obligated to attend a university and are just going through the motions. There are two categories that most students goals fall under as their definitions as success in college. The first group of goals are the classroom goals. The students are at college for a purpose. Their main goal is to obtain a higher education and achieve their goals of getting a high paying job, or getting into the graduate school of their dreams. The second group is the social group. This groups aim is to achieve their goals of getting involved with that club, sport or other form of activity. Not all students have these goals, and most students mix their goals between the two. The one thing most incoming freshman desire out of college though is an experience. Most students are unsure of what college is like. They have heard stories, but want to experience it for themselves.

Faith or Fiction

Faith and the Placebo Effect written by Lollete Kuby PhD states that faith healings are caused by the placebo effect. The placebo effect is when the person believes they are receiving treatment so they mentally feel they are getting better when no such treatment exists. The main point of the book is that the faith healing can be triggered by our own response. There is a range of different types of causes that trigger the placebo effect and one of them is faith. The placebo effect is sometimes more effective than conventional medicine. All though the placebo effect is our true healer we still give credit to that external force.

DOMA

The Defense of Marriage act also known as the DOMA was passed in 1996 under Bill Clinton’s presidency. The law was passed by a landslide in the senate and the constitution. The law had two main points. The first was that no state should recognize same-sex or polygamous realtions of another state. The second point is that the federal government can not recognize any same-sex or polygamous marriages even if a state has. Most states do not allow same-sex marriages however some do while others have domestic partnerships. If gays wanted to get married, Canada allows gay marriages.

Mukasey's Stance on Water Boarding

President Bush, indirectly supports water boarding. Micheal Mukasey is a nominee for the United States attorney General. As the clip showed at the end of last weeks class, water boarding is a form of torture that makes the victum believe he is drowning in order to give information to his torturers. This form of torture is done in a controlled enviornment and has minimal long term physical problems but does have long term mental problems. It was believe to be started by the CIA but has its basic forms in the Spanish or Italian inquisitions. Micheal Mukasey's personal opion on this position is no comment. When he was being interviewed for the atorney gerneral position he sais that he did not want to give his position on it because he did not want terroists to train an prepare for his tortre techniques. Allthough he never admits it, some sources say that Mukasey does not consider waterboarding a form of torture. He is a flip flopper and still wont come out with a definitive answer and is being criticized by the democrats for it.


http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/11/bush-defends-mukasey-refusal-to-condemn.php

http://www.trews.org/node/927

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Investigation/story?id=1356870

Party like it's 1999, Oh Wait

In 1999 time square was crowded with people waiting in anticipation for the turn of the century. While there were thousands of people present, many more were sitting in their homes awaiting the computer takeover. The computers were going to malfunction and all hell would break lose. Bombs would be set off, stocks would crash all because the computer could not cope with the change. People freaked out buying bottled water, canned food, and batteries for flashlights. Once the century did change there were no large mass apocalypses. In fact, most of the problems were minor and able to be solved. It was just a big scare, and proves that humans are still smarter than computers. Take that Mac's!

The Monster of Elizabeth Lake

Wanted:
Winged creature about 50 feet long, with giraffe like neck, six legs, head of a bulldog, and smells like a wet dog. The creature is believed to live in the Elizabeth Lake in southern California. If foung do not shoot because your bullets will not penetrate its skin. Notify Miguel Leonis, owner of Lake Elizabeth. The creature is believed to be the spawn of the devil and if you swim far enough into its lair you will find a direct route to the underworld. This has been passed down from the indians to the owners and to Miguel. The lake is said to have been created by the devil. Stay away, and keep your livestock close because this creature attacks during the night.

http://www.weirdca.com/location.php?location=37

Call me Now!

Probably the most famous scam artist of all time is Mrs. Cleo. Call her now and she will answer all of your questions through her tarror cards. She was found guilty by the FTC. She was forced to pay $500 million in outstanding problems. I guess paying $5 per minute adds up quickly. Allthough Miss Cleo lacks morals, the people who actually called in were the true idiots. She predicted the peoples lives in the realms of money, love, and happiness. I guess if anyone is going to listen to a Jamaican Mystic she is the one to call. So, yes one woman did take over the tarrot card world for a short time, but surely some other conartist will take her place.

Extra! Extra! Life on the Moon!

On August 1835, the most important astronomical findings were published in the New York Sun. The moon was not made of Chesse. The theory of the moon being made out of chesee is absurd however that was one of the only findings not claimed in an article that discussed Sir John Herschels findings. With a telescope Herschel had viewed vast forsests, liliac hued quartz pyramids, hers of bison roaming the plains, and blue unicorns. The life on the moon according to Herchel was very active and similar to the lfe on Earth. However, his most notable finding was that there is intelligent life on the moon. There are two races established first is the primative tribe of hut dwelling, fire wielding biped beavors. The next race was given the name Vespertillo homo or man-bat. These discoveries were only recorded in the New York Sun.
Once again i have managed to find an article where the media has embellished a story trying to make a profit losing credibility. The discoveries of this article were credited to Sir John Herschel but when the story was brought to his attention many years later in England he had no clue what the article was talking about. To this day the New York Sun has declined that the article was a hoax. The closest they ever came to proving that the article was a hoax was in an article the next month stating that it could not verify the article as a hoax until proper documentation was sent from England.

Mediasteria

The most famous example of mass hysteria was a halloween prank by the quality station of CBS. On October 30, 1938, the radio station decided that they were going to make claims that ailens were invading from Mars beginning in New Jearsey. They had reporters act as eye-witness, described the aliens, and scared many people. at the beginning of the program they acknowledged that it was fictional drama,however for those who tuned in late it was a reality. Sure fear was spread throughout the country, but the real mass hysteria lies in how the media made this into a big deal. The New York Times began the media run by titleing their headline, "Fake War on Radio Spreads Panic Over U.S." The Associated Press was then lead to respond with, "Tidal Wave of Terror Sweeps the Nation." after this report there were suddenly accounts of people trying to commit suicide, having heart attacks. The problem with this situation is that it is not the people who control mass hysteria it is the media. The media has the power to manipulate the way people think and percieve things. The only cause of mass hysteria is the media, not the broadcast. The media was so concerned with getting a story that they degraded themselves by lowering their standards and putting in fictional information to support thier fictional stories. The newspapers criticized CBS for its broadcast, but the people should be criticizing the newspapers for guiding and aiding the mass hysteria.

Run Away the Barcodes Are Attacking!

http://www.whale.to/b/barcodes.html
Yet again i run into an article that makes my jaw drop. This time some lunatic who claims to have proof that bar codes cause cancer and there are hidden messages encrypted into the system. The author has a hobby in radionics and has found a particular interest in barcode toxicity. He establishes his credibility further by letting his audience know that people commonly seek out his advice on radionics. However, he must keep his sources confidential, which could only mean one thing: He made them up.
The first point the article brings up is the number 666 is encrypted into every barcode but not shown in the number scheme. 666 has a religious significance as it is the number associated with the bible passage from Revelations 13:16-18
"He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast, or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666"
This revelation led him to meet a woman by the name of Anja. Anja has rid herself of barcode toxicity over a three day period. Throudh the rigourous battle she became the victor but at a horrible expense, "teracting with hundreds of barcodes in a short period of time made her sick for three days." Despite her sturggle she is dedicated to letting people know about the this unknown epedemic. The way she was able to rid herself was by covering the barcodes with stickers. She wanted to remind the audience to get the stickers laminated for durability.
Now the epedemic of barcodes causing cancer comes from the theory that barcodes have an energy field which threatens cells. The major location of the damage done by barcodes can be found in the large intestine and the madula oblongata. The source of the problem has been verified as the demacration lines in the middle of the code.
If you feel threatened that barcodes are the sign of the Anti-Christ, and the demacration line is giving you cancer do not fear. The post office uses a similar barcode system however theirs is safe and does not have the potential dangers that arise with most commercial products.
The authors of this article care about spreading the word about barcode toxicity that they have included their phone numbers. If you would like to reach Peter Lindehand you can call him at 505 282 7554. You can also reach Ajna Luminaria at 505 466 1213. It also gives you a link where for only ten dolalrs plus two dollars and seventy five cents you can purchase one hundred stickers that minimize the toxicity of barcodes.

Abominable Paper

Elliot Campos
Mr. Blaskiewicz
English 190-17
9/11/07
Experience: My Anti-Drug
Three billion six hundred thousand drinks a year at ten million drinks each day.[1] A teenager in America is guided through social stages throughout his life. One expectation, whether built by society or by their limited perception of society, is the temptation to be involved in underage drinking and smoking. A balance between social life and grades, every high school student struggles to be accepted by their peers. One way many feel they can do this is by using drugs and alcohol to deflate the tension of social situations. A growing problem in the United States is that teenagers are now making poor decisions despite new information about the dangers of smoking and underage drinking. Personally I have been able to resist the temptation presented to me, because of my education and my experiences.
New studies have shown the ill effects of drugs and alcohol consumption for teenagers. This information has been accumulating and is being supported by youth programs targeted towards kids in their junior high years. One program is D.A.R.E, D.A.R.E stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education[2]. This program was introduced to me when I was in fifth grade. D.A.R.E. is a program aimed at children and their parents to promote safe alcohol and drug free environments. My peers and I looked forward to our D.A.R.E. classes because a local police officer would come into our class and teach us. At this point in our lives, we still had the admiration for the officer, whom many of us would soon lose in a few years. From a young age I realized that all of the time spent into the program and the funding made me value the message. I was able to realize that drinking and smoking was harmful, and people were exhorting their effort and money to make me become conscious of the dangers those actions and decisions possessed. A class every other week during my fifth grade year was not enough to persuade me that the irresponsible use of drugs and underage drinking were harmful. I needed to become the victim in order to realize what potential dangers arose.
I was introduced to the effects of underage alcohol and drugs at a very young age. At the ripe age of seven, many children are still occupied in their own world. I was like every other child, happy-go- lucky expecting that all my wants and desires could be taken care of by my parents. I was a normal child who looked forward to Christmas, got holes in my jeans, and every once in a while tempted my parents rules. Yet, one special day caused my small world to crumble and shake my beliefs on what reality was.
I have spent Easter at my Aunt’s house in Villa Park, Illinois since I have been born. I always look forward to this event because I can expect an Easter basket filled with an abundance of chocolate and toys to entertain me for the day. I always enjoyed the dinner of ham and the cake in the shape of a lamb that followed. I spent my Easter nights not only devouring my new personal supply of chocolate, but going around and “borrowing” Reese’s Pieces or Hershey’s bars from my relative’s baskets. Within about five minutes upon entering the party I would be bouncing off the walls due to my sugar high. Every year, sometime around 8:30, I would suddenly hit a wall and lose all of that energy I had, which was always my mother’s favorite part of the evening. I would zone out for about thirty minutes then secretly start up again without my parents knowing. On my second wind as the party was ending I saw my Dad taking leftovers and presents to the car. I decided that I was going to help him load. I ran into the street and woke up in the hospital.
I was hit by a teenage driver on his way home from a party. I had bruises on my body, a cut on the side of my face, scars on my knuckles, and suffered a severe concussion. In the assessment of the accident, an officer said that I had been knocked back one hundred feet landing into a garbage can, and I was literally knocked out of my shoes as they lay were I was struck. I was lucky to have survived the accident, much less to have been able to recover with minimal injury or impairment. Unfortunately we were not the only family to suffer the same predicament that happened that Easter night in 1997. Two other families, the Ryan’s whom I played soccer with their son, could identify with the situation. We could only have empathy for them because in their tragedies both families had lost their sons who were also struck by cars in the same manner as I was.
For years I had been oblivious to what had happened to me and how fortunate I was. As a seven year old, I was able to recover to my normal self and enjoyed the rest of my childhood. For years I went on to live without realizing how lucky and fortunate I was. Eventually, I came to realize the seriousness this accident has had on my life. I began to question the purpose of why I was able to survive the accident and the other two boys were not. Through many discussions and thought I was able to realize that I would never put myself in a position to possibly hurt or injure someone the way the other two families had been. I decided that I would take a stance against drinking and using drugs.
This decision to be alcohol and drug free was tested throughout my high school years. I had settled myself with a good group of friends, some which decided to participate in underage drinking and drugs, and some that decided to not use drugs. This support system of a few friends allowed me to get through my high school years obtaining a social life but also refraining from partaking in bad decisions. Not only had I strived to create a safer environment for myself, another goal was to create a safe environment for my friends. I seemed to always be the designated driver whenever my friends drank. At times I was frustrated at the parenting and responsibility my friends put on me but I knew that if I didn’t make those small sacrifices my friends could jeopardize their lives.
The first move toward independence, teenagers begin to learn to flirt with the line of what they can and can not do. Another lesson for me was observing others people use alcohol irresponsibly. If my peers got away with their illegal activity, they would brag about how they were so deceptive. Yet, if they were caught and punished, the punishment would serve as a great story and entertainment at which their friends could marvel at. My personal sight of the irony of this situation allowed me to see my peers as juvenile and unsophisticated. Drinking and drugs to me became a social strategy toward being accepted. I did not only need evidence from my peers, but my education also served as another motive in my decision to not drink or experiment with drugs.
With a Jesuit education, I was taught that a body was a gift from God. The body is a gift that needed to be cared and nurtured for in order to care and nurture others. The use of excessive amounts of alcohol and drugs impairs the body, killing brain cells necessary for the development. As teenagers are maturing into adult hood, many debilitate their bodies by maiming their growth by making poor judgments.
I was able to have a social life attending parties, but sometimes the drunken banter and unconscious bad decisions of other attendees made me frustrated and angry. Their remarks both inappropriate and uncalled for led me to see the effects on judgment that alcohol has. I have also spent many nights taking care of friends who have made poor choices in their amount of consumption of liquor, and had to watch them suffer the after-effects of their choices.
Through my own personal experience I have been led to make the decisions to not participate in underage drinking and the experimentation with drugs. From a young age I had to come to a realization that life is precious, and that every minute should not be taken for granted. I was taught to make wise decisions that would nurture my growth and development. It was not just that police officer telling us about drug free environments, or just my own personal tragedy. It was not just my education or experiencing my friends poor decisions. In the end, those factors lead me to use my reason, and make smart positive decisions. Experience, my anti-drug.
[1] www.underagedrinkingprevention.org 9/10/07
[2] www.dare.com 9/10/07

Revision:
9/25/07

American teenagers are guided through social stages throughout their life. Underage drinking tempts American teens. A balance between grades and social life, every high school student struggles to be accepted by their peers. One way many teens feel they can overcome the social stress is by using alcohol to deflate the anxiety of social life. A growing problem in the in the United States is that teenagers are making poor decisions despite new information about the dangers of underage drinking. My education and my experiences have lead me to resist the temptation of underage drinking.
Programs are now being geared toward kids about the dangers of alcohol. One program is D.A.R.E, Drug Abuse Resistance Education. I took part in D.A.R.E when I was in fifth grade. An officer would come to our class and talk to us about drug abuse. From a young age I realized how much money was spent into making me realize that alcohol was harmful. A class once a week in fifth grade led me on the path to not partake.
I was introduced to the affects of alcohol from a young age. Every Easter my family gathers at my Aunt’s house in Villa Park, IL. I can always expect lots of candy and a delicious dinner of ham, and my favorite desert, a cake in the shape of a lamb. As the night ended I saw my dad taking leftovers and gifts to the car and I decided that I was going to help him. I ran into the street and woke up in the hospital.
I had been struck by a teenage driver on his way home from a party. I had bruises on my body, a cut on my face, scars on my knuckles, and suffered a severe concussion. In the assessment of the accident, an officer said that I had been knocked back one hundred feet landing on a garbage can, and I was literally knocked out of my shoes as they lay where I was struck. I was lucky to have survived the accident, much less be able to recover with minimal injury or impairment. The driver stopped and made sure that I was ok. He was then arrested by the police.
We were not the only family to suffer a tragedy of a child being struck by a car. Two other local families had identical accidents to mine. Their sons however were killed upon impact. Eventually I came to realize the serious effects the accident had on my life. I began to question the purpose of why I was able to survive the accident and the two other boys were not. Through many discussions and thought I was able to realize I could never put myself in a position to injure someone the way the other two boys had been. I decided that I would take a stance against underage drinking.
This decision to be alcohol free was tested throughout my high school years. I had settled in with a good group of friends, some who drank, and others who didn’t. This support system of a few friends allowed me to get though my high school years obtaining a social life, but also refraining from making bad decisions. Not only had I strived to create a safer environment for myself, another goal was to create a safe environment for my friends.
The first move step toward independence, teenagers test the line of what they can and can not do. Another lesson for me was observing how others used alcohol irresponsibly. If my peers got away with their illegal activity they would brag about how deceptive they were. Yet, if they were caught and punished, the punishment would serve as a great story and entertainment at which their friends could marvel at. My insight led me to disregard the influence of alcohol on social life. Drinking to me became a social strategy toward being accepted. With my Jesuit education from St. Ignatius College Prep, I was taught that a body was a gift from God. As teenagers are maturing into adulthood, many maim their bodies by making poor judgments.
My experience has led me to decide to refrain from underage drinking and experimenting with drugs. I was taught to make wise decisions that would nurture my growth and development. It was a path from an early age that led me to chose not to drink along with my own personal trauma. My experience has led me to resist the temptation to drink.

Poor American Healthcare System Leads to Alternative Cancer Treatments

Eight years of medical schools and Doctors are still unprepared to give their patients the best possible treatment. This website, http://www.bonuspages.com/cancercuresinformation/, loses its credibility within the first few lines. The website claims that the people visiting the website are probably interested in cancer information, and that they have the simple answer. "So I shall get right to the point: cancer can only grow in your body when your immune system is weak. It is that simple. Strengthen or rebuild the immune system so that it works properly, and the cancer will go away." That’s the solution! Why are we spending billions of dollars on furthering cancer treatments when this website has made it so simple?
The purpose of this book is not to create a credible voice for alternative medicine it is to create a profit. The book never offers how the information in its book is credible it merely attacks the American medical system. The website claims that Doctors are persuaded by pharmaceutical companies to use their products. also, the new current information is presented to doctors by the pharmaceutical sales reps. Healthcare is a problem in America, but that does not mean that Oxygen Therapy, or Kombucha Tea are the new solutions to cancer treatments.
This website takes advantage of innocent people who are looking for answers to either their own disease or their loved one's disease. What is even worse is that the website acknowledges that its target audience is vulnerable.

Holocaust Hoax

Did the Holocaust really happen? Is it some sort of conspiracy that millions of people have somehow accepted without question? According to BibleBelievers.org all of those people are wrong. Don’t take into account the physical structures throughout the Nazi Empire, or the eye-witnesses who actually saw the horrible slaughter of man. No, what www.BibleBelievers.org wants you to believe is that it is just a hoax. This website gives pages upon pages of factual information describing how the Holocaust did not happen the way history says it did. The website makes emotional and monetary appeals to its readers. They direct their message toward American Christians who are only supporting the holocaust hoax. “If not for our extravagantly generous gifts to Israel, every family in America could afford a brand new Mercedes Benz.” This is just one of the few claims this website makes. This websites insults not only the victims of the holocaust but also the survivors. They make claims that if the Nazi party didn’t want to exterminate the Jews because there are so many eyewitness accounts the eyewitnesses should be dead.

UFO: Unintended Fad of Omnipotence

Too often do we fail to recognize the line between insanity and humor. As I read the first two articles I responded with two very different reactions. The first article, Claiborne Pell: Senator from Outer Space, reassured me that we had qualified and intelligent people making decisions and that the tax dollars were being put to a proficient use. The second article, Heaven's Gate, questioned my morals as to what level of lunacy people can fall under due to propaganda. The two articles kept me entertained by shocking my attention.
The first article, allowed me to question the mindset of the senator from Rhode Island. Despite his earnest belief in the power of psi, he struggled to find support for his outrageous claims. The fact that our military is even thinking about putting money into psi research is disheartening. The insanity behind the views that our tax payer dollars are not only funding the lives of people like Senator Claiborne Pell, but into researching psi technology as means of competition with Russia , allow me to question the motives and goals set by this great nation. However, I must concede, I have not experienced the phenomena that is psi technology, and therefore am not a credible source, yet I still hold my belief that Senator Claiborne Pell is crazy! It is that same power that leads his creed of harmless monetary losses and shocking claims that can cause a more radical change to make people believe that they are better off dead than alive.
The second article was tragic, the manipulation of the innocent minds by “Bo and Peep” was sick. They targeted weak individuals, whom they could sculpt their radical ideas around. The fanatics had complete control over their followers; they could convince them that the pain of death was well worth the reward to catch a flight to the other side. It was truly a tragedy how the events turned out, but how different are the views of Bo and Peep’s followers different from mine? I am a Roman Catholic and believe with the majority of creeds and stances the Church holds. Am I being conned by the Church because I believe that after death I will enter into a new realm? Or, is it so obscure that I take for granted the teachings and homilies of religious figures without questioning their authority? These questions that cause me to question my faith also lead to radical actions taken by radical people.

UFO: Unintended Fad of Omnipotence

Too often do we fail to recognize the line between insanity and humor. As I read the first two articles I responded with two very different reactions. The first article, Claiborne Pell: Senator from Outer Space, reassured me that we had qualified and intelligent people making decisions and that the tax dollars were being put to a proficient use. The second article, Heaven's Gate, questioned my morals as to what level of lunacy people can fall under due to propaganda. The two articles kept me entertained by shocking my attention.
The first article, allowed me to question the mindset of the senator from Rhode Island. Despite his earnest belief in the power of psi, he struggled to find support for his outrageous claims. The fact that our military is even thinking about putting money into psi research is disheartening. The insanity behind the views that our tax payer dollars are not only funding the lives of people like Senator Claiborne Pell, but into researching psi technology as means of competition with Russia , allow me to question the motives and goals set by this great nation. However, I must concede, I have not experienced the phenomena that is psi technology, and therefore am not a credible source, yet I still hold my belief that Senator Claiborne Pell is crazy! It is that same power that leads his creed of harmless monetary losses and shocking claims that can cause a more radical change to make people believe that they are better off dead than alive.
The second article was tragic, the manipulation of the innocent minds by “Bo and Peep” was sick. They targeted weak individuals, whom they could sculpt their radical ideas around. The fanatics had complete control over their followers; they could convince them that the pain of death was well worth the reward to catch a flight to the other side. It was truly a tragedy how the events turned out, but how different are the views of Bo and Peep’s followers different from mine? I am a Roman Catholic and believe with the majority of creeds and stances the Church holds. Am I being conned by the Church because I believe that after death I will enter into a new realm? Or, is it so obscure that I take for granted the teachings and homilies of religious figures without questioning their authority? These questions that cause me to question my faith also lead to radical actions taken by radical people.

First Blog

Hello, this is my first blog on my new blog site. The craziest thing I have ever heard is that Jermaine Dye, the right fielder for the Chicago White Sox, does not believe that dinosaurs existed.