1 Day Left

There is only one day left of actual school, but has my stress level dropped? It has somewhat, only because there are no more papers to worry about and a few the next few days off, free of school and work. But finals are still left and studying for them is not exactly the most stress free activity. I dread this part of the school year. The school semester is so close to being over, but the hardest classes have yet to be finished. I don't mind taking tests necessarily, but when the tests consist of constant writing for an hour or more...that is something that I dread. One may wonder which type of test is better, multiple choice or short answer and essay. It is not an easy choice. In my opinion, it is easier to get a better grade on an essay type test, BUT it is not an easier test overall. Multiple choice tests are less stressful because one does not have to take the time to necessarily "think" about the answer, the choices are there. But students tend to do worse on multiple choice tests because if they guess the answer wrong, they is no such thing as "partial credit". Why am I writing about this right now? I have no idea. Maybe it's because the upcoming tests I have to deal with are on my mind. In fact, that probably is it. So I'll end it there.

Vocabulary:
Semantics: noun 1) Linguistic, the study of meaning, the study of linguistic development by classifying and examining changes in meaning and form 2) Also called significs, the branch of semiotics dealing with the relations between signs and what they denote 3) The meaning, or an interpretation of the meaning, of a word, sign, sentence, etc
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/semantics

Antagonist: noun 1) a person who is opposed to, struggles against, or competes with another; opponent; adversary 2) the adversary of the hero or protagonist of a drama or other literary work 3) Physiology, a muscle that acts in opposition to another 4) Dentistry, a tooth in one jaw that articulates during mastication or occlusion with a tooth in the opposing jaw 5) Pharmacology, a drug that counteracts the effects of another drug

23 Years

Imagine being alive, but being unable to communicate with everyone around you. You can hear what people are saying as you are essentially fully conscious. But at the same time, you cannot move your body, you cannot talk or communicate in any way. Now imagine being in this position for 23 long years. This was the case for Rom Houben. According to an article by Kate Connolly, Houben suffered from a car wreck in 1983. The car crash caused him to become paralyzed. Doctors assumed that he was in a vegetative state. For 23 years Houben endured the suffering one might imagine with the inability to communicate while still being fully conscious. In 2006, a neurologist, Steven Laureys, decided to do some tests on Houben only to discover that the original diagnosis was incorrect, Houben was still conscious. I read this story online today at guardian.co.uk and couldn't believe it. I cannot even begin to comprehend the kind of torture he must have been through early on. Eventually Huoben was able to endure it by meditating, taking his mind out of his body and separating from the reality of it all. But to live 23 years in such a state is unbelievable. It is speculated that because of this story many may begin to take another look at those in comas and whether or not taking those suffering from such ailments ought to be taken off of life support. The question of concern is whether or not this is a single confined incident, or if it is possible that other cases, similar to this one, may exist. We cannot forsee what will become of such a case, but it is an interesting read nonetheless. (The URL for this story is as follows: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/23/man-trapped-coma-23-years)

Vocabulary

Apothecary: noun 1) A druggist; a pharmacist 2) A pharmacy or drugstore 3) A druggist licensed to prescribe medicine
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/apothecary

Monetize: verb 1) To legalize money 2) To coin into money: to monetize gold 3) To give the character of money to 4) Economics: to convert (a debt, esp. national debt) into currency, esp. by issuing government securities or notes
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/monetize

Why couldn't more mornings be like this?

I woke up this morning around 6AM in order to finish a paper due around 10:30AM today. My alarm made the same annoying sound it has made for years. I woke up, hit the snooze button, and fell back asleep. The alarm went off again about 10 minutes later, only this time, I turned the alarm off. Usually when this happens, I end up waking up an hour or so later only to realize that I am going to be late for class. Luckily for me my brain, or something else, did not allow this to happen this morning. I woke up again at 6:30AM and was able to finish my paper just in time to take a shower and leave for class. The title of this blog suggests that my morning was a good morning,, which may seem somewhat perplexing given the information I just stated. But my morning got better. I made it to class on time and sat through a lecture that actually kept me awake for once. I proceeded to my next class, turned in my paper, and sat down, waiting for class to begin. The professor walked in, announced information about our next assignment, then dismissed us. I looked at my watch, it read 10:40AM. Ten minutes of class, and I was already allowed to go home. Now I'm home, finishing my blog for the week, and actually have spare time before work. Why couldn't more mornings be like this?

Vocabulary:

Epidemiology: noun: The branch of medicine that deals with the study of the causes, distribution, and control of disease in populations
http://www.answers.com/topic/epidemiology

Escheated: noun: 1) The reverting of property to the state or some agency of the state, or, as in England, to the lord of the fee or to the crown, when there is a failure of persons legally qualified to inherit or to claim 2) The right to take property subject to escheat Verb 3) To revert to escheat, as to the crown of the state 4) To make an esechat of, confiscate
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/escheated

about nothing

This blog is about nothing. Absolutely nothing. Why? Because I have absolutely nothing to talk about. I'm going through some random bullshit in my life right now. My mind is presently preoccupied with said "bullshit", and since those thoughts that fill it are something I'd rather not write about, I am stuck with "nothing". I am sitting in front of my desk, listening to music, trying answer questions that can't be answered, but that's the way of life isn't it? I did recently discover that, according to a friend of mine, a unicorn plus a llama equals a llamacorn; a little known fact. That thought we able to preoccupy my mind for all but a few seconds. Oh, and the picture just changed on my desktop. There is currently a desert on display on my monitor.

Obelisk: noun 1) A tapering, four-sided shaft of stone, usually monolithic and having a pyramidal apex. 2) Something resembling a shaft. 3) An obelus
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/obelisk

Sommelier: noun 1) A waiter, as in a club or restaurant, who is in charge of wines
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sommelier

Hobbes and Locke

I completely forgot that I had to do this blog thing until about 10 seconds ago so I've decided to talk about the first thing that popped up into my head, man in a state of nature. According to Hobbes men are evil, selfish and out for themselves. In a state of nature, therefore, anarchy would be the result accompanying chaos and destruction. Humans would fight for their own survival, doing whatever it takes to come out on top. Hobbes, then, has quite a bleak outlook on humanity. Locke, however, believes that in a state of nature mankind is essentially good. Honestly and fairness would shine through the darkness of anarchy, but, Locke admits, there is always room for evil. There would still be those evil-doers out there would would seek to exploit the goodness of people in general. Hobbes' answer to the evilness of humans is a government run by one "Leviathan" who is chosen among the people to watch over the people. Locke's solution is "majority rule", or a government essentially ruled by the people themselves, with no central authority or head figure. The interesting thing here, though, is that when it comes to both Locke and Hobbes they make assumptions which cannot possibly be proven true or false. There is no way to know how mankind would act in a state of nature. All we can say is that mankind in a state of nature would seek some form of government in general, for if mankind was not so inclined to do so government would not exist in the first place. That's about it.

narcissism: noun: inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/narcissistic

predilection: noun: a tendency to think favorably of something in particular; partiality; preference
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/predilection

Change

I work for the government, and as many of us know, change comes very slowly if at all for the government. There are, of course, several reasons for this. Often times it is because change has a cost which no one wants to pay. Other reasons include the inability for the institution to change due to rules or procedures which prevent it. There are still many others which I will not mention here, but there is one which I will discuss more thoroughly, and that is the unwillingness of the staff or bureaucracy to change what it has grown used to. I've noticed this more and more at work lately, mostly concerning one specific individual, though I'm sure he represents the majority of the workers in his position. We, at the work place, tend to discuss various things happening in our workplace, as most employees do in any industry. One such issue is how we select schedules every six-months to one year. This basically involves having individuals choose a work schedule from a list of possible choices. This is done over the course of a few days and by seniority. I, as a more recent employee, have argued that the way the system works is unfair and biased for reasons which I will not go into now because it would make this blog into an essay. But what I want to mention is the fact that, concerning this issue, those who have only been with our agency for about as long as I have, see the flaws that I point out and tend to side with the fact that change needs to take place. Those who have been with the agency much longer, for instance the man I am referring to, think things should stay the way they are. He specifically makes the argument that things should stay the same because "that's the way they've always been". This argument, to me, is ludicrous. What kind of world would we live in if everything stayed the way it's always been? Without change we would be nowhere, and humans would accept a fate both dire and depressing, without the will to change things for the better. Just because it's what people are used to does not make it right. But what is the reason for this fear of change? I'll leave it there for now.

Vocabulary:

Subsistence: noun 1: The state or fact of subsisting 2: The state or fact of existing 3: The providing of sustenance or support 4: Means of supporting life; a living or livelihood 5: The source from which food and other items necessary to exist are obtained 6: Philosophy, existence, the quality of having timeless or abstract existence, mode of existence or that by which a substance is individualized
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/subsistence

Diffident: adjective 1: Lacking confidence in one's own ability, worth, or fitness; timid, shy 2: Restrained or reserved in manner, conduct, etc. 3: Archaic: distrustful
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diffident?db=luna

My Weekend...Ugh

This last weekend was somewhat eventful so I'll write about it. Friday, the 2nd of October was my birthday. Lucky for me, I was able to avoid work for the day. I went to lunch with my girlfriend at BJ's, ate dinner at home later that evening, and went to Dave and Buster's that night. Nothing particularly interesting happened during Friday. The "fun" occurred on Saturday. Having spent Friday night drinking somewhat heavily, I woke up to the wonderful feeling as if having been spun in circles all night long. I spent most of the day like this, doing what most others do after a night of drinking. The day went by while I sat in bed, dreading work, cursing alcohol, and cursing my inability to stop drinking when I know I should have. By the time I arrived at work, the dizziness had mostly gone away, that is, until my coworkers took it upon themselves to remind me of the night before and everything that had happened. That night, I went to dinner for my Sister's birthday, which just happens to be today, the 5th. Afterwards, still slightly feeling the effects of the night before, I went home, and slept. Sunday went by like any other Sunday, nothing interesting happened other than a few instances at work in which I managed to anger a few of the "customers", something which only served to brighten my day. All in all, a somewhat eventful, and long, weekend.

Vocabulary:
1) psychodynamics: noun 1: The psychology of mental or emotional forces or processes developing especially in early childhood and their effects on behavioral or mental states 2: Explanation or interpretation (as of behavior or mental states) in terms of mental or emotional forces or processes 3: Motivational forces acting especially at the unconscious level
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychodynamics

2) hoodwink: transitive verb 1: Archaic: blindfold 2: Obsolete: hide 3: to deceive by false appearance: dupe
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hoodwink

Sleep

I start school at 9:00AM Monday through Thursday. I get off of work at 12:00AM every night, usually falling asleep around 2 or 3AM. Needless to say, I'm tired. I woke up this morning at approximately 8:25AM to the sound of my brother opening my door. I sat bolt upright when this happened, spitting out the first word that came to mind after reading my clock: "shit". -I usually aim to get up earlier than this - I rolled out of bed, changed clothes as quickly as I could, jumped in the car, and went to class. Class was, as usual, long and mostly boring. The lack of sleep did not help. When both of my classes had finished I met my girlfriend and friend and had lunch. While talking to them about the day I realized something, I could not remember half of what I had learned in the day. I attribute this to the lack of sleep. I am not always so tired, however, so I can safely say that today was the exception. What I have learned, though, is how important sleep can be before class. In fact, the only reason I am writing what I am at the moment is the fact that I'm too tired to figure out what else to write about. In all honesty, I simply want to finish this. I suppose I should apologize for the randomness and lack of enthusiasm in this writing, but I won't, since it probably makes no difference. Sleep is good.

Vocab.
1) Juxtaposition: noun 1) An act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast. 2) The state of being close together or side by side.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/juxtaposition

2) Bourgeoisie: noun 1) The bourgeoisie class 2) (In Marxist theory) The class that, in contrast to the proletariat or wage-earning class, is primarily concerned with property values.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bourgeoisie

Video Games

Today, I have decided to talk about video game violence and the debate that still goes on today concerning this topic. I need to mention first, however, that I have not done any real "research" on the topic, I am simply basing my ideas on what I have heard and read throughout the years. The argument which I thoroughly disagree with goes something like this: Violent video games have a tendency to promote violent acts. Children who play these games therefore become more violent. They become more aggressive as well as hostile and care less about those whom they affect or hurt in their actions. The conclusion that several individuals draw from this is that violent video games should not be made. They believe that companies who develop and manufacture these games should stop what they are doing and essentially be punished for creating the games they do. My main argument is with the latter of these statements. Whether it can be definitively proven or not that violent video games create violent children does not concern me, what concerns me is the conclusion that is drawn from such research. Those who protest violent video games and the creators of such games are targeting the wrong people. Whose responsibility is it to monitor what children are doing, watching or playing? Their parents. We live in an age in which children are spending more time in front of the TV than with their parents. There should be no problem with violent video games, as long as they are being played by the adults for whom they were meant for. Parents need to take responsibility for what their children are getting their hands on. Whether or not violent video games influences children makes no difference, the fact is that children should not be getting their hands on them to begin with. That is the responsibility of their parents, not the creators of violent games.

Vocabulary:
1: Aggrandizement: n 1: The act of aggrandizing, or the state of being aggrandized or exalted in power, rank, honor or wealth; exaltation; enlargement; as, the emperor seeks only the aggrandizement of his own family
http://www.answers.com/topic/aggrandizement

2: Preponderant: adj 1: Having superior weight, force or influence 2: Having greater prevalence
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preponderant

Lunch

Every Monday and Wednesday I usually have lunch with my brother and girlfriend. During these lunches we typically discuss what we did in class that day. Today, my brother, Ben, decided to bring up an issue that was discussed during his philosophy class, courage. I've decided to discuss it here since it was somewhat interesting to hear what his class had had to say about courage (and because I cannot think of much else to discuss). Someone in Ben's class had come to the conclusion that courage exists in the absence of fear, or that the "fearless" are extremely "courageous". Ben went on to say that the rest of the class generally agreed with this statement, something that my brother, my girlfriend and I could not do. In fact, the point this student made, the point that most of the class agreed on, makes absolutely no sense! Courage could not possibly exist without fear! If someone has absolutely no fear (something which is virtually impossible) then their actions could not possibly be courageous. If a man ran into a burning building in order to save a child, knowing that his life is in danger, he is being courageous. But if this same man has no concept of fear, and therefore does not realize or understand that his life is in danger, or if he simply does not care whether or not he dies, he is NOT being courageous. Why? Because being courageous is committing an act while overcoming the fear and danger it involves, not blindly doing something without any idea of what fear or consequence is. The students in his class also decided that an excess in courage equals overconfidence. I have to disagree with this as well. Courage and confidence are, simply put, not the same thing. A man may have the confidence to ask someone on a date, but that does not necessarily involve courage. Confidence would involve the idea of believing that one is "worthy" of a positive response from the other, while courage relates more to the ability to accept rejection. Of course, it depends on the situation and the individual, and at times there is a fine line between courage and confidence, but they are not the same thing. There is, of course, more to the discussion that took place in my brother's class, I just found it interesting how these individuals came about these conclusions about the idea of courage, and how easily they agreed with someone that clearly had no idea what they were talking about. This, however, is not an uncommon occurrence, but I'll leave it at that.

Vocabulary:
Thetic a : 1: Set forth dogmatically; prescribed 2: In Greek of Latin poetry, pertaining to or constituting the thesis; also, beginning with a thesis
Umbrage n : 1: Shade; shadow 2: That which affords shade; especially foliage 3: Offense; resentment and displeasure 4: A semblance or shadowy appearance

How important is education?

In my last blog I mentioned that I have been enrolled at SJSU for around 6 years but that I do not regret it, the time spent in college I mean. Though I have spent much of my time taking several classes, not focusing on one major area, I feel that it has benefited me overall. What could possibly be wrong with learning as much as one can in several different areas of study? Herein lies a major problem I have with our education system in America and how college is looked upon, especially in California. As most of us would agree, education is among, if not the most important part of any society. It is the driving force behind the way any society runs. It leads to increased productivity, decreased crime levels, and techological advancements as well as advancements in all other fields. But in the United States education is seen as something required for a good paycheck. Although not everyone sees it this way, education, and especially college, is seen as simply a means to more money. While we are taught at an early age that getting a college education is important, we are taught the wrong reasons for this. The emphasis is placed on the amount of money one will earn with a degree, not on the knowledge one will hopefully attain. The idea of getting out of college with a degree as quickly as possible is presented as the only way to do it, to be successful. In California things are even worse. Students are being forced to graduate as quickly as possible, and denied the opportunity to take classes outside their field of study (my brother is a good example of this, but I won't get into that right now). At the same time, any attempts to raise taxes to increase money spent on education are voted down by a population that is both naive and uninformed. So how important is education? The answer would seem obvious, but apparently it isn't.

Vocabulary Words:

Sacrosanct: 1. Extremely sacred or inviolable 2. Not to be entered or trespassed upon 3. Above or beyond criticism, change or interference (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sacrosanct)

Inviolable: 1. Prohibiting violation; secure from destruction, violence, infringement or desecration 2. Incapable of being violated; incorruptible; unassailable (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/inviolable)

The First One

Seeing as how I am required to write a blog, I've decided that I'll write about myself, an idea that I highly doubt is original, but I'm running low on time at this point and my mind is virtually dead (yeah, at 120 in the afternoon) so this is pretty much the only thing I can think to write about. So I'm 23 years old, oh, and named Danny Posadas, and I live in San Jose, where I was born on Oct. 2nd 1985. I've been going to San Jose state for around 6 years, which I guess is a long time, but I don't really regret it, although I'll get into that whole issue another time...if I remember that I wrote it to begin with. I am officially undeclared but plan on majoring in Political Science, I've just been too lazy to actually declare it. I go to school full-time (4 classes) as well as work full-time, which essentially leaves me with little freetime (hence why my mind is "dead" at 120 in the afternoon). I still live with my parents and brother and sister, which isn't exactly great, but avoiding high rent elsewhere seems worth it to me, although I probably won't be living here much longer. I have a girlfriend I've been with for almost 6 years, whom I spend most of my freetime with, though I also try to spend time with my friends when I can. I love the outdoors, camping, hiking and the like. Actually managed to do some camping over the Summer, although with work I didn't have a lot of time. There's definitely more to me than that, but seeing as how I don't really want to go on much further and whoever is reading this probably doesn't want to read much more, I'll end it there. Or, here. For now.