During the 2008 election campaign, socialism was branded as a deviant philosophy marked by "Peter taking from Paul", quasi-communist morals and utter rejection of all things capitalist. I'm inclined to think this was not a fair representation of the philosophy. Socialism is not evil, nor should it be shunned as something "anti-American" or "anti-capitalist".
Socialism at its roots depends on the willingness of each individual to contribute equally to the cause of progressing the entire society. In theory this is an admirable endeavor as it seeks to pool the skills and labor in a society to benefit all. The inherent weakness in this lies with human nature as humans can be lazy, unproductive or unwilling. Is this a flaw with socialism? No, because socialism requires all participants to be active and willing. This flaw lies with human nature itself.
The idea of Utopia is also regularly lumped in with socialism because the two have similar ideals. Utopia, like socialism, doesn't account for the flaws of human nature. The principle is a good one because who wouldn't want a perfect society? Although I think the idea of a Utopian society and the application of socialist values will never be valid for human beings, the foundations of the philosophies are noble. Humans are just not perfect enough to make them work.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Y-33 Chromosome Testing
I ordered the Ancestry.com Y-33 (33 Markers) Genetic Testing kit yesterday. For those that don't know, I am very into genealogy research. I have spent countless hours researching the family tree, collecting family photos and interviewing family members. I currently have a database with over 750 members in it, all somehow linked to me!
The test was $65, somewhat expensive, but worth it in my opinion. The test will match you up with other testers who have submitted samples that are genetically similar with yours thus helping to find the fringes of your tree who may not share your surname.
I would encourage everyone to participate in this genetic study. If you can't stomach the thought of spending $69 for it, there is also a free study being done by the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation. You send them your address and they will send you a cheek swab kit. While they won't give you a lot of frill like Ancestry.com will do, your results will be added to a search-able database with the goal of getting everyone's DNA in the entire world.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
I Hate That!
Everyone has a few phrases or subjects that really grind their gears. When someone starts talking about something and your lip just starts to curl and you really have to restrain yourself to hide your grimace...that is what I'm talking about. I have a few subjects that really seem to get under my skin:
1. Snow & Cars: I hate it when people discuss how they are in the market to buy a new or used car and you proceed to make a car suggestion and they say "I don't think that is good in the snow". What do we live in Buffalo, NY or something? How many days of the year does it snow, like four maybe? In short, unless a person lives in an extreme northern climate, I do not like it when their car purchase hinges on the car's ability in the snow.
2. Reading Books is Un-cool: I dislike it when someone scoffs at someone else because they read books. Just because someone is reading a book doesn't give them a disease or anything, it means they either want to be enlightened by a subject or they are not content to have television dictate every story to them. Whatever happened to imagination!
3. Gym Grunting: Please don't grunt in the gym or workout room. Yea we get it, you're a man. You don't need to prove anything to us. You will never hear me utter a sound in the gym. Please do the same.
4. Pink (The Singer): I've never liked any songs by Pink. I can summarize all of them with the following: "I'm really angry because (insert man) has dumped/left/slighted me, let's get crazy and drink/be violent/hang with our girls."
5. Ugg Boots: Dressing with eskimo-esque footwear is apparently a fashion statement now. Travel across any college campus in the thick of spring/summer and you will still see furry boots gracing the feet of our nation's young women. What's the point?!?!?! I think they are almost as bad as crocks.
1. Snow & Cars: I hate it when people discuss how they are in the market to buy a new or used car and you proceed to make a car suggestion and they say "I don't think that is good in the snow". What do we live in Buffalo, NY or something? How many days of the year does it snow, like four maybe? In short, unless a person lives in an extreme northern climate, I do not like it when their car purchase hinges on the car's ability in the snow.
2. Reading Books is Un-cool: I dislike it when someone scoffs at someone else because they read books. Just because someone is reading a book doesn't give them a disease or anything, it means they either want to be enlightened by a subject or they are not content to have television dictate every story to them. Whatever happened to imagination!
3. Gym Grunting: Please don't grunt in the gym or workout room. Yea we get it, you're a man. You don't need to prove anything to us. You will never hear me utter a sound in the gym. Please do the same.
4. Pink (The Singer): I've never liked any songs by Pink. I can summarize all of them with the following: "I'm really angry because (insert man) has dumped/left/slighted me, let's get crazy and drink/be violent/hang with our girls."
5. Ugg Boots: Dressing with eskimo-esque footwear is apparently a fashion statement now. Travel across any college campus in the thick of spring/summer and you will still see furry boots gracing the feet of our nation's young women. What's the point?!?!?! I think they are almost as bad as crocks.
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Barack Obama Cartoon
I really didn't get the cartoon even if we put aside the fact that monkeys are often used as a derogatory representation of African-Americans. Does it mean the crazy monkey was actually the author of the bill due to its outrageous spending or does it mean something else. Just a plain old bad cartoon in my opinion.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Rap Music/Thug Culture Destroying Black Youth?
People display culture, emotions, artistic skill and inspiration through the music they make. Does music have the ability to be detrimental to an entire race? While having a discussion with a friend about the subject, we seemed to be on opposite sides in terms of our viewpoint.
Some (such as Bill Cosby) feel that societal and cultural "pressure" to conform to a "gansta" mentality in African American communities is destroying youth (particularly young males) and creating broken households. Others think the music is merely an outlet for impoverished communities and an apparent lack of upward mobility for black youth.
It is also possible that there is a bias in American culture to view black youth (especially young men) as violent and aggressive. However, I think there is some merit to the argument that rap culture while maybe not hurting, is certainly not helping. There has been statistical proof that black youth are more likely to grow up in a single-parent home (63% of all black households). Why is this? Are the demons of slavery and racism still felt or is this a product of black culture itself? No clear answers here...
Some (such as Bill Cosby) feel that societal and cultural "pressure" to conform to a "gansta" mentality in African American communities is destroying youth (particularly young males) and creating broken households. Others think the music is merely an outlet for impoverished communities and an apparent lack of upward mobility for black youth.
It is also possible that there is a bias in American culture to view black youth (especially young men) as violent and aggressive. However, I think there is some merit to the argument that rap culture while maybe not hurting, is certainly not helping. There has been statistical proof that black youth are more likely to grow up in a single-parent home (63% of all black households). Why is this? Are the demons of slavery and racism still felt or is this a product of black culture itself? No clear answers here...
Sunday, January 25, 2009
My New Car!
As a finance major, there are two things that I was taught by a professor I had a great deal of respect for:
- Never buy a new car, always buy a used car. Used cars don't have the "lot depreciation", are usually better these days because of services like Carfax and Certified Pre-Owned programs.
- Never finance for longer than four years. If you can't afford it in four years, then you can't afford it!
Friday, January 23, 2009
The Middle East Situation
Hidden behind the scenes of the rocket fire in Gaza is over fifty years of conflict and struggle over the boundaries of Israel and Palestine. The underlying issue here is over the creation of the Jewish state in 1948 and whether it was the right thing to do. Overturning centuries of Palestinian rule and inserting Israel in a narrow strip of land surrounded by enemies was certainly a risky maneuver and may take hundreds of years to achieve success with.
From an American perspective, imagine the U.N. stepping in and giving the Taliban (or other U.S. enemy) an entire U.S. state to create their own homeland with. Then imagine Russia immediately supplying this new nation with arms and the capability to defend itself. Although this is an extreme example, it more than likely provoked a reaction in you as soon as you read it. To Palestinians, Israelis are in some cases hated and despised and viewed as an American would view the Taliban. From a Palestinian perspective, you can replace "Taliban" with Israelis, "U.S. state" with Palestinian territory and "Russia" with the United States.
Will a solution ever be reached? Probably not if history is any indication of how things will play out. It would be naive to think western powers such as the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia will remain powers forever. Rising countries such as China, India and Pakistan will more than likely have a say in how things play out. Without western support, Israel would have surely fallen by now, and its fate will lie in the hands of whomever the greatest power is.
As a caveat to this, I think the ultimate downfall of the western powers will be over the struggle for water and natural resources. As third-world nations grow, they will have an increasing demand for water, energy, land and etc. It is not inconceivable to think they could rise up to overthrow other nations.
So where does that leave us? Well after my rambling statements here, I do not know. I, as most other people, worry about the future of the middle east and even the future of my own country. I think as the planet warms and resources become more scarce, things will definitely change in my lifetime and spheres of power will definitely shift. The only question is when.
From an American perspective, imagine the U.N. stepping in and giving the Taliban (or other U.S. enemy) an entire U.S. state to create their own homeland with. Then imagine Russia immediately supplying this new nation with arms and the capability to defend itself. Although this is an extreme example, it more than likely provoked a reaction in you as soon as you read it. To Palestinians, Israelis are in some cases hated and despised and viewed as an American would view the Taliban. From a Palestinian perspective, you can replace "Taliban" with Israelis, "U.S. state" with Palestinian territory and "Russia" with the United States.
Will a solution ever be reached? Probably not if history is any indication of how things will play out. It would be naive to think western powers such as the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia will remain powers forever. Rising countries such as China, India and Pakistan will more than likely have a say in how things play out. Without western support, Israel would have surely fallen by now, and its fate will lie in the hands of whomever the greatest power is.
As a caveat to this, I think the ultimate downfall of the western powers will be over the struggle for water and natural resources. As third-world nations grow, they will have an increasing demand for water, energy, land and etc. It is not inconceivable to think they could rise up to overthrow other nations.
So where does that leave us? Well after my rambling statements here, I do not know. I, as most other people, worry about the future of the middle east and even the future of my own country. I think as the planet warms and resources become more scarce, things will definitely change in my lifetime and spheres of power will definitely shift. The only question is when.
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