Does Anyone Really Win? The Aftermath of War.

   
      Since the beginning of time, war has been present in all civilizations. There are many different reasons for war like; food, land, power, money, and since the 20th century, oil. The results of these wars have been catastrophic to say the least. Many soldiers and civilians from both sides have been caught in the cross fire. The 9/11 attack started a chain of events that still cripple this nation and the world today.

Bombs fell into the industrial 

neighborhood of Al-Zafaraiya 

in southern Baghdad, caused by U.S forces. The war in Iraq went on for an unnecessary amount of time and costed an unnecessary amount of money and resources. In this image you can see the locals of Baghdad carrying out a victim of the bombing. The war was getting out of hand when civilians were being killed because they were either in the way or they were potential threats. Also, many soldiers were killed in the line of duty. This war was only the start of what will become multiple terrorist attacks around the globe that will cost the lives of many innocent people that had no part in the events of the wars.

      This is a photo taken at the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Mostly everyone will remember this cause of the terrorist bombing that occurred at the finish line costing the lives of a few people and the injury of many more (In the hundreds). Two terrorists whom had some ties to middle eastern terror organizations set off the attack with 2 pressure cooker bombs. After a 4 day manhunt one suspect was shot and killed while the other was captured in Watertown, Massachusetts. The United States was under attack because of the war against terror. It traumatized everyone that a person would hurt so many innocent people.




      Last year the world found out who Boko Haram was. This terrorist group was responsible for kidnapping hundreds of school girls because of the fact they were girls and they were in school, The terror organization is a group with Islamic beliefs. It took months before the United States and Canada decided to go into the country officially. There was word of Special Forces in the country within the first week of the kidnapping but that was never confirmed. The girls were eventually either sold or killed by the terrorist group. Many people have lost their lives to this terrorist group and no one has done anything about it. Our country as well as the U.S but still hardly anything has been done.


      This photo was taken in Paris during the terrorist attack a short while ago. The attack on the newspaper cost the lives of 12 people and 11 others were injures. The suspect have known ties to Al-Qaeda. The two suspects split up after the attack and 2 days later, both at different locations, took hostages. French special forces raided both locations and deescalated the situation. some of the hostages lost their lives because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, Because of the war on terror and the back and forth fighting, the Terrorists are starting to fight back hard all around the world and the fighting is just escalating to a point where so many people forget why they're fighting. So many people died of the past decade to the point where people realize that no one will win, many more will just die and the war will always go on.

The most important discovery of mankind.

        In the world today, scientists are often talking about what they think is the most beneficial discovery to mankind.  Some say that it was the wheel, others would talk about irrigation or the light bulb.  Me, I think that the most beneficial discovery that was made by mankind is medicine and different medicinal treatments.  In this blog, I will use four images to prove that medicine is the most important discovery and that it will continue to be the most important for a long time to come.

“Statue of Asclepius, Exhibited in the Museum of Epidaurus Theatre.” Wikipedia. N.p., 1 Sept. 2001. Web. 13 Jan. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepius#mediaviewer/File:Asklepios_-_Epidauros.jpg>.

        This is a sculpture of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine.  The most predominant theory is that the snake is used for the fact that all snakes shed their skin and have a new skin grow which can show rejuvenation and the venom of the snake symbolizing death.  The staff is symbolic of the walking stick of the physician who is often travelling in the ancient times and now a days, the physician who is travelling by ambulance.  The snake is actually supposed to be an aesculapian snake which is non-venomous and was the image that the ancient hospitals were built around.  These hospitals would actually have these snakes living in the building and crawling around on the floor in between the patients.  The snakes on a staff is still a prominent image in the medical industry today.  Also, the attitude of the sculpture is positive which shows that medicine is a good thing to continue to develop because it will help people.  This proves that medicine is the most beneficial discovery of mankind.

“Different Types of Medicine on a White Background.” 123rf. N.p., 9 Oct. 2005. Web. 13 Jan. 2015. <http://www.123rf.com/photo_11310079_different-types-of-drugs-on-white-background.html>.

This image shows how there is many different types of medicine that have been developed in order for people to become or stay healthy.  Most medicine is used in order to help make you healthy when you have from a common cold to sicknesses as devastating as cancer or malaria.  There is also another type of medicine that most people take every day in order to help boost their immune system and even get you some of the necessary nutrients into your body.  These are vitamins.  Some people take vitamins every day and some only take them around flu season or when they are feeling like they have a pre cold.  There are also different ways in order to get medicine into your body.  Medicines taken by the mouth are the most common type of medicine takes ie. pills, inhalers and liquid medicine.  Pills are the most commonly used of these but this does not mean that they are the most effective way at stopping whatever you are trying to cure or prevent.  For instance, asthma is a relatively common thing for people to have but they don’t take pills in order to help with an asthma attack, they would use their inhaler.  All of these different types of medicine show how people believe that medicine is an important study to continue to develop.

“Needle Pill.” New Drug Delivery Capsule May Replace Injections. MIT, 1 Oct. 2014. Web. 13 Jan. 2015. <http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2014/microneedles-drug-delivery-capsule-1001>.

Not many people can honestly say that they are a fan of needles, they are pointy and feel really weird and can, in some cases, really hurt.  But now, researchers at MIT are making a new way to get medicine into your body, through a pill that is made out of acrylic with 5mm long hollow needles covering the pill in order to get the medicine into the body that you cannot ingest and would therefore have to have a needle to get into you.  This pill is covered in a ph sensitive coating that when it reaches that ph, dissolves and allows the medicine to go through the needles and into your bloodstream.  In tests on pigs, the pill was filled with insulin in order to reduce the levels of glucose in the blood of these pigs and it reduced the levels throughout the whole body in less time than through an injection.  The team of researchers are now working on a way for the movements of the digestive system to squeeze the medication out of the pill.  They are also working on an alternative method that the needles will be made out of degradable polymers and sugar so that the needles will break off in your digestive tract and will release the medicine while they disintegrate inside of you.  Doing this will make people feel a little safer with the thought of swallowing needles part of this new medical innovation.

“Elderly Man Talking with an American Doctor.” Dreamstime. CAPA, 29 May 2000. Web. 15 Jan. 2015. <http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photography-elderly-man-talking-american-doctor-image23958702>.

Your doctor is someone that you should trust. They will always know what is best for you when you are sick or when you have injured yourself in some other way ie. a broken bone or surgery. The amount of people that doctors help in a year is the main reason why medicine is the most beneficial discovery. In this image, you can see through the attitude of the patient that he is happy that he has his doctor to help him through whatever he needs while he is hurt or sick. This point is shown especially through elderly people because they are more fragile than younger people and because of this, are more prone to injury. The doctor is also smiling showing that he is happy to help his patient. In the doctor's hands, he has an envelope which we can assume is the medicine that he is giving to the older man. This medicine could be for anything from the common cold to arthritis and for this reason, medicine is the most beneficial innovation to continue to develop to this day.

With this new knowledge, maybe you too will agree with me when I say that medicine is the most important discovery that was made by mankind and that it should continue to be developed and produced.

Christian Stereotypes

Christian Stereotypes

Christians are often viewed as hateful, judgemental people because either others that are not Christian simply do not understand Christianity or decide to label Christians as something that they aren't .

That Christians are Homophobic

Looking at this image right away I notice the big bold words and then small words following after. This image is clearly someone speaking out against the stereotype that gays (lesbians etc.) are hated by Christians which is most definitely false. 
Christians do not accept the homosexual lifestyle but that doesn't mean we hate homosexuals. There are some 'Christians' that display hateful, and judgemental behaviour; but that doesn't mean that all Christians are like that. I feel that the overall message of this image is that just because Christians are not supporters of homosexuality, does not mean that homosexuals are hated by the Christian community.

That Christians are Anti-Science

When I look at this picture I notice that each side is very different. Two different groups of people, and to different beliefs.This image shows the desperation of the two conflicting groups struggling to have the upper hand. which in some cases is true. But really; Christians do believe in science. Maybe not the creation of the world, or evolution but Christians do believe in science. There are Christian Biologists, Chemists, Doctors, and even more things that have A LOT to do with science. I think the main idea of this image is that Christians hate science which is completely untrue.

Anti-Fun

   Many People Think That Christians are restricted by their religion and cant have fun which is very wrong. The very fact that someone made this image shows me that this is a common stereotype that Christians are labelled as . Everyone has their own opinion of what fun is, some people think reading is fun or doing sports. What one person considers boring someone else can think it is the most fun thing in the world. The overall message really sticks out to me when I look at this image. The overall message is that Christians are just like everyone else, only difference is that they have different beliefs.

Is America really the Land of the 'Free'?

The 4 images below demonstrate how ironic it is that America claims to be the land of the ‘free’, yet has the highest prison population in the world.

  

"I Miss My Friends and Family." Self Deprecate. Jason Parker, 29 Sept. 2013.

    Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <http://selfdeprecate.com/politics-articles/

    us-incarceration-rate-prison/>.

This cartoon supports the ironic fact that America, the land of the ‘free’ has the highest prison population in the world by showing a family member/friend missing someone who has gone to prison, and a person replying that they will be together again soon. The accompanying frame includes his friends and family who have ‘joined’ him in prison implying that the American incarceration rate is on the rise. As of December 31st, 2013 there were 1.57 million inmates who sat behind bars in federal state, and county prisons. Per 100,000 people in America, 707 are incarcerated. Tone is used in this image by the illustrator to demonstrate the ridiculous increase of prisoners in America.

Arnold Abbott, head of the group Love Thy Neighbor, was back to handing out food

    to the needy Wednesday, undeterred by his arrest for feeding the homeless

    over the weekend. Washington Times. Jessica Chasmar, 6 Nov. 2014. Web. 12

    Jan. 2015.

This is an image of a 90 year named Arnold Abbott, a Florida man who was arrested for feeding the homeless. The new city’s (Florida) ordinance forbids people to feed the homeless in public. It is ironic that America, the land of the ‘free’ incarcerates people for their actions caused by good intentions. These meaningless laws are contributing to why America has the most populated prisons in the world. This image reflects conflict because Arnold needs to decide between continuing to feed the homeless or facing possible jail time.

Kwame Ajamu, right, formerly known as Ronnie Bridgeman, is comforted by attorney

    Terry Gilbert on Tuesday. Washington Post. Elahe Izadi, 9 Dec. 2014. Web.

    12 Jan. 2015.

This is an image of Kwame Ajamu, a 57 year old man who at 17 years old was convicted of murder in the killing of a Cleveland salesman. On Tuesday December 8th, Ohio man Kwame wept after a judge cleared all charges against him at age 57. This demonstrates complication because an innocent man had spent 27 years of his life in prison for a murder he did not commit while the person who did commit the crime was running free. Further proving that America is not necessarily a land of the ‘free’ if someone has to spend a great portion of their life in prison for something they did not commit.

"1 More Strike Zone." Incarcerated Voices. Jaime Stankowitz, n.d. Web. 12 Jan.

    2015.

This cartoon image demonstrates the 3 strike law which is currently found in 28 states. The 3 strike law increases the prison sentences of someone who has previously been convicted of two or more felonies. A person with 2 previous, less spiteful charges, such as stealing a bike and littering can go to jail for 25 years to life if they are convicted of a third felony, no matter how severe. This clashes against the perception America has as being known as the land of the ‘free’ and contributes to the increasing  prison population. Irony is demonstrated throughout this law and image because the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. Someone who has committed these lesser felonies should be sentenced to probation and rehabilitation not added to the already overpopulated prison system that America has created by enforcing these absurd laws.  

Escapism from Reality

People come across challenges on a daily basis, due to the decisions one makes, or the effect of decisions made by others. In order for people to cope with these challenges, different tools have been created or used in order for one to escape reality. The tools that I will be discussing today are: the invention of the CBC radio, Jake Sully's avatar linking process from the movie Avatar, and alcohol.

CBC Radio:

A family gathered around a radio. Boston Live Theater Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.

<https://bostonlivetheaterproject.wordpress.com/>.

The first example of a distraction tool is invention of the CBC radio in Canada, during the 1930’s, or in other words the great depression. The great depression began shortly after the “roaring 20’s”, in 1929, during the crash of the Wall street market, leaving many Canadians unemployed and miserable. There was a need for occupying citizens time, thus the birth of the CBC radio occurred, serving a purpose of distraction and hope during a time of desperation. The image of a family gathered around a radio displays this message, as the composition of the way each family member is sitting closely together, both father and mother holding young children close, on their laps. This shows how listening to the radio is sacred family time, as the radio is a force that brings the family together. The family is also huddled around to what seems to be the corner of the room, staring at the radio, eagerly awaiting to hear of a saving grace to end another grueling day. 

Another detail that sticks out is the man who appears to be the father, holding his two sons. The father is covered in dirt on his hands and face, as he may have just come home from work, to come and spend this sacred family time together, sitting around the radio. Because along with the depression came job loss, the father looks as if he is working hard at keeping his job in a coal mine, so that he would be able to somewhat support his family. The radio serves a purpose of helping the man become distracted from the difficult work lifestyle he faces everyday. Through the seating composition of the family, and the hard working father, this demonstrates how he uses the radio as a tool to escape the challenging realities of the depression.

Avatar:

“Hell’s Gate.” Avatar Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <http://james-camerons-avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Hell’s_Gate>.

Secondly, the character Jake Sully from the movie Avatar, demonstrates how he feels the need to live outside a body of his own. As he is in a wheelchair, he is paralyzed from the hip below, due to being hit by a grenade on his mission while serving as a marine. In the first image, Jake is surrounded by other members in the army, heavy machinery, vehicles etc… By him being restricted to a wheelchair, he cannot do much compared to his other team members. In this scene, Jake is looking around through all the busyness, to search for something he could help with or be a part of.

“Best moments of 2009.” mtv. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <http://www.mtv.com/photos/best-movie-moments-of-2009/1628937/4490540/photo/>.

After Jake's identical twin brother (Tom) dies, he finds a purpose in his new work as two RDA (Resource Development Administration) agents ask him to work on an expensive project his brother was working on before he died. Since they had the same DNA, Jake accepted this fate, as he was required to take control of a new, fully functional, avatar in another world. In the second picture, Jake has woken up from from the linking process to his avatar, his face shocked and amazed at the sight of working, healthy legs and feet. This is shown through the overall expression of his face, as his mouth hangs open, eyes fixated on his new feet, and how he spreads his legs far apart. When the linking process is done and Jake returns to his human body, he craves for more time with working legs and feet, so he, makes multiple trips hooking up to his avatar, until he makes the decision one day to stay as an avatar for the rest of his life. Through this process of Jake hooking up to his avatar, it shows how he uses the avatar to escape the challenging life of a handicapped person, knowing that he will never return as a fully functioning human again.

Alcoholism:

“Haymitch Abernathy.” The Hunger Games Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <http://thehungergames.wikia.com/wiki/Haymitch_Abernathy>.

Lastly, the character Haymitch Abernathy demonstrates how alcohol is another escapism tool, as his character is identified by his severe drinking problem. Haymitch was crowned victor of the 50th Hunger Games, and is now Katniss and Peeta’s mentor, two individuals chosen to fight in the Games. As Haymitch, Katniss, and Peeta leave their home (in District 12) by train, for training in the Capitol city of Panem,  Haymitch is found drinking several times throughout the day. This scene is during the train ride where he is describing the Games to Katniss and Peeta. Haymitch has a blank, expressionless face when looking at his drink, holding his glass up in the air, showing an implicit message of the alcoholic drink having a greater, controlling power over him. He is surrendering to the alcohol, as it became a coping mechanism for him over the years. Since facing the deathtrap arena at the Games, he now lives with the traumatic nightmares and thoughts of killing others, and watching others brutally attacked and killed, in order for him to spare his own life. As he is provoking this patch in his mind that he does not want to enter, he stares at his glass and awaits for the moment when he can drown his sorrows again. You might all be asking, why is he still so upset after he won the Games?  Well, as the winner of the Hunger Games, you DO become untouchable. It is like winning the lottery, as you're  given a new house in the higher end of town, an endless food supply, money etc… Yet despite this new luxurious lifestyle, the trauma it not far trailing behind, as Haymitch tells Katniss before she faces her own battles in the arena: “ you never really win”, as life after the games only puts you in misery, as you're constantly haunted for the rest of your life. Thus, alcohol helps mute the pain and trauma Haymitch has been dealing with over the years,  a tool of escaping the reality he wished he never lived, just like the working father in the first image. Haymitch relies on the tool of drinking because he knows he will never be the same, also like Jake Sully from the previous image.

In conclusion, challenges approach people everyday, whether 80 years ago, or today. The way that people cope with these challenges vary to how different ones circumstance is, and to what tools they are available to them. Escaping from reality can be either good or bad, depending on whether or not the tool you use is for a “quick fix” like Haymitch’s alcoholism, or a tool that will help benefit a person for a lifetime, like the Jake Sully’s new body, or family bonding moments of the working father’s family.

Real Beauty: Society's Expectations of a Womans Body Image.

The human mind is like a computer; each a little bit different but built to do similar things. A computer holds specific files, data and memory depending on the computer, just as a human mind has memories and thoughts different from another mind. Each mind is unique and different which makes a personal an individual. Society is like a computer hacker; they pick through all the contents of the computer until they have exactly what they want. For most computers, the way to begin accessing the contents is to use three keys on a keyboard; control, alternate and delete. Overtime, an individuals self worth has been warped and mutated to fit both a physical and mental image of what we call today's society, specifically a woman’s body image. This is done through control, alternate and delete.

Figure One

 

"Marilyn Monroe Body." Quote Every Day. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Jan. 2015.

    <http://quoteeveryday.com/marilyn-monroe-body/>.

The first thing a computer hacker has to do to gain access to the computer is press the control key on the keyboard. In order for society to gain control of the human mind, society uses social media to portray what a woman should look like. Over the past seventy years the perfect woman has changed to fit society's standards and expectations. In the nineteen forties and fifties, Marilyn Monroe, a model and an actress, was idolised for her beauty and she was considered the “perfect woman”. She was considered perfect because she was not a stick. She had curves and was confident about them, which is evident through the way she stands with her head held high and a big smile to match. She was happy with who she was and she did not let society control who she was, she controlled herself. She is a timeless role model because of this.

Figure Two

  

"'Skinny Model' Debate Hits Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Again." news.com. N.p.,

    n.d. Web. 9 Jan. 2015. <http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/

    skinny-model-debate-hits-mercedes-benz-fashion-week-again/

    story-fnjeuzyi-1226878122188>. 

If we fast forward seventy years, we see models that look like this. Society over the past seventy years has warped and mutated what they believe real beauty is. They have created this idea that women need to be stick thin to be beautiful. This model has extremely thin legs and arms, and a very tiny waist. Does she look happy to you? I would say that she is not happy because her facial expression does not show happy or confident, her facial expression shows a blank look. She fits into the fashion world,a place where one has little control over their body, and this is the kind of woman that is portrayed in advertising that is around us everyday. We see women that look like this on television, in advertisements, clothing store mannequins and even kids toys like Barbies. Once a woman feels that she is not beautiful without having a thin body, society has the been able to have the control that they want.

Once the computer hacker has pressed the control key on a keyboard, the hacker then proceeds to press the alternate key. After society gains control over the mind, it is easier to alter an individual's thoughts and feelings. As humans, we feel the need to be accepted by others at one point in our lives and we choose to change in order to feel that acceptance. Once this happens, there can be two major repercussions. The first major repercussion is changing body image by vigorously exercising and a crazy amount of dieting with a lot of determination, which is a healthier option.

Figure Three

"'I'm Proof That Age Is Nothing but a Number.'" Mail Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 9

Jan. 2015. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2600455/ I’m-proof-age-number-76-year-old-bodybuilder-says-exercise-rescued-depths-depression.html>.

In the image, it is clearly stated on the woman's sports bra that she is determined, dedicated and disciplined. This woman is determined to change her body image by working hard, which is evident through her clenched teeth and closed eyes as she lifts weights. Working hard to get what you want is not bad, it is a healthy way to feel confident in yourself. Is it okay to want to feel good about how you look? Of course it is, but changing who you are to have the approval of someone else is not okay. However, the second major repercussion of society altering the mind is not a healthy option. Throughout the past while, anorexia has become more common due to the fact that women feel the need to have a perfect body. Instead of exercising and maintaining a healthy diet, they do not eat.

Figure Four

"Lost in My Fingertips...Anorexia." Bizlocallistings. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan.

    2015. <http://bizlocallistings.com/junytd/

    anorexic-girl-looking-in-mirror>.

The girl in the image has let society control and alter her thoughts to the point that she does not even see what she really looks like. She looks uncomfortable and ashamed by the way that she holds her hands together close to her chest. This is further demonstrated by the look of concern and disappointment that linger in her eyes. We can see that she is extremely thin, but she sees herself as a girl that society does not approve of. On the other hand is it wrong for a female to have a body shape like the girl in the mirror? No, bodies come in all shapes and sizes, and we are all meant to look different. This proves that once society has control over the mind, it can alter a person from the inside out.

Finally, when the computer hacker has pressed the control and alternate keys, the last key is delete. When society has controlled an individual's thoughts and altered them from the inside out, the person that was once there is completely gone. The real question is; how can this be prevented?

Figure Five

"Dove's Real Beauty Campaign's Success." Blogs.ubc. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Jan.

2015. <https://blogs.ubc.ca/giuliamontagnaro5/2014/11/11/128/>.

In 2004, Dove launched their Real Beauty Campaign with the slogan, “Imagine a World Where Beauty is a Source of Confidence, Not Anxiety”. Imagine a world without pressure to look a certain way. This image from the campaign literally shows real beauty; women of all different shapes and sizes. The women in this image are all posing and smiling as they show off the different body types that they all have. How did they become so happy with who they are? They took CONTROL of their thoughts, they decided to be confident in who they are and not let anyone ALTER them, and they did not DELETE who they truly are, but rather accept themselves. That is real beauty!

In conclusion, our minds are similar to computers; every one a little bit different from another but built to do the same thing. Most computers only allow access to contents by pressing control, alternate and delete on the keyboard. Society is like a computer hacker trying to discover all the contents of the computer until they get what they want. Today, society tries to convince women what their body should look like by slowly controlling and altering the mind until an individual lives up to society's expectations and completely abandons the person they once were. I want to leave you with one thought: WE are society, so how can WE change it?