Lawd JESUS, it's a Fire

When I think of nuclear explosions, I think of Chernobyl and of course the nuclear bombings that ended World War II in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. One was a nuclear accident, the other one was done on purpose.
The atomic bombs that happened in 1945 happened first. They were used by the United States and they let the world know truly how dangerous and effective nuclear warfare can be. The Chernobyl disaster happened in 1986, and even though this one was an accident, it also let the world know how dangerous the effects of nuclear power can be. The effects of both events can still be seen today.

Below is a map of all of the nuclear explosion that have happened in the world since 1945. We can see the countries that carried them out, when they were carried out, and how big the blasts were.

I think that the scariest thing about this map is the countries with question marks about them. In this day and age, really no good things can come from nuclear weapons. And we have countries that might or might not have nuclear weapons and countries that might or might not have had nuclear tests. Also, you would think that it would be more known to the public about when their governments are performing tests. I would want to know the long lasting repercussions are such tests.
With what is going on in the Korean Peninsula and with also the threat of nuclear weapons possibly being used by both state and non-state actors, I think that this is something to keep on one's mind. And maybe we also need to reconsider anyone, state-actors included, having any form of nuclear power. We have seen how more accidents, like the one that recently happened in Japan can occur at any time.

Guns vs. No Guns Border

A major topic for debate in United States politics has revolved around gun control. The country is split between citizens being able to own guns or not, specifically guns in schools. Traditionally, schools are gun free zones, but recently the NRA has recommended that schools should be guarded by someone with a gun. An example of a time were the NRA thinks a school could have used an armed security guard is at Sandy Hook Elementary. The tragedy could not have been helped with one guard with a gun.  

There is a reason why this border hasn't been completely crossed. Some schools around the country have armed guards, but this really doesn't solve any problems. By having these guards, your basically fighting fire with fire and very possibly making the situation worse. The NRA continues to believe that the right to own a gun is a necessity for citizens and should not be taken away. This border border puts children in danger by crossing it. Something needs to be done to protect children at school instead of attempting to protect them with an armed guard. Having an armed guard at a school only provokes criminals to bring guns to school. The NRA says that the only way to protect children from a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun. I do not agree with this strategy and there has to be a better solution for this problem.

Why Can't I Read This?

One topic that we touched on in class was the opposition raised by various individuals (mostly parents and teachers) to children reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. We looked at several disapproving reviews from Amazon.com which talked about the use of profanity, the frequent remarks about race and racism, the references to masturbation and other sexual innuendos throughout the novel. One of the comments that we read talked about how, a superintendent removed the book from the general library collection so that only parents were allowed to check out the book and how a school board in Missouri banned the book from all of its schools. The first comment about the superintendent got me thinking as to how exactly books get banned or restricted, so I did a little research.

Searching around online, I found out some of what I already knew. I found out that a parent or even a teacher has the right to challenge a book and that a school can ban a book permanently or restrict the book so that only children of certain ages can access the book or so that only parents can access the book. One thing I did not know is that, in some districts, it only takes one complaint to get a book reviewed and potentially banned. And in some situations it is only the principal or the librarian who evaluates the book meaning that the decision as to whether this book should be banned or not is left in the hands of one person.

The idea that one person, or rather two people, the complainer and the reviewer, are all it takes to get a book banned is quite concerning. The ability for a child to have access to a certain piece of literature should not ride on the opinions, morals and beliefs of two individuals. I personally believe that this decision should be made on a parent by parent basis or at least in a more democratic way. There should be a certain number of people who have to complain before a book can be reviewed and a hearing conducted before a review committee before a book can be banned so that the views and opinions of the few are not the only ones that a heard. In my high school, thinking about it now, we read a lot of African American literature and other books that many would consider to be racist, sexist, sexual in nature or controversial. In fact, when I was reviewing the 100 Most Contested books, more than half of the books I read in my school including Invisible Man, Their Eyes were Watching God, The Bluest Eye and To Kill a Mockingbird were among the books on this list.

http://www.bannedbookstx.org/the-problem/how-books-are-banned

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade

She's the Man vs. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

I have a secret to admit: I love stupid romantic comedies that have no higher purpose than to make you laugh and smile. Not to say that I can’t enjoy a serious flick once in a while, but sometimes, I just want to watch something that will entertain me and not work my already overworked brain. And one of my personal favorites of these types of movies is the undeniable classic, “She’s the Man.”  It is about a girl, Viola, disguising as her brother, Sebastian, so she can attend a new school to play on the boy’s soccer team after the girl’s soccer team at her old school was cut. Now, it may not have subtle plot twists or deep, metaphorical dialogue, but it’s sure to make me laugh every time. And what I realized with my most recent viewing of this movie is that Viola’s story might be more relevant to our class than first meets the eye. I noticed that over the course of the movie, there were many borders that Viola faced and there were parts of her journey were very similar to Arnold’s.

            To start, when Viola first gets to school, she is viewed as “different” and ignored by her classmates. She doesn’t have the walk or the talk of a cool dude because she’s, well, a girl. Therefore, the other guys see her as a dorky weirdo. Just like Viola, Arnold is rejected by his classmates because he is different, being the only Native American in a white school. Viola doesn’t know how to act like a boy and Arnold doesn’t know how to act like a white person, which leads to social rejection for the pair of them.

            However, Viola and Arnold both experience a dramatic turnaround following a social incident. For Viola, the other guys accept her as “cool” after they witness beautiful girl after beautiful girl swooning over “him.” You can view this cinematic excellence below.

            For Arnold this turnaround is the combination of two things. First, punching Roger in the face stops the taunting and the name-calling. After this, he is accepted into the popular crowd when he attends the dance with Penelope and they invite him to go get pancakes afterwards.

            What all this comes down to is that by crossing the more clearly defined boundaries of different school districts, both Viola and Arnold are forced to cross the much more abstract border of outsider to insider. High school is tough enough without having to make the effort everyday to fit in somewhere that you clearly don’t belong. At some point in each story, each protagonists’ secret is revealed, Viola’s being that she is actually a girl on the boy’s soccer team, and Arnold’s being that he is actually dirt poor. Despite these shocking reveals, the people that have grown to care for Viola and Arnold remain loyal and don’t judge them. The lesson to be learned here is that decent people will take you for who you are, even if your way of life or situation is very different from theirs.

The 38th Parallel

“North” and “South” has without doubt been one of the greatest borders in all of history. From the Civil War to mere high school sending districts, there has always existed an ingrained sense of rivalry between the two. However, there has been no rivalry to “parallel” that of the 38^th parallel: the latitudinal demarcation line separating North and South Korea.

What’s most interesting about this north-south border is that conflict is not only present between solely the North and the South, but also the North and essentially the rest of the world. For those of you who have not seen it, below is a YouTube video of the National Geographic documentary “Inside North Korea.”  The National Geographic reporters team up with an eye doctor from Nepal who has offered to perform 1000 cataract surgeries for the people of North Korea. Under normal circumstances, North Korea would never allow American reporters to enter their country, however, National Geographic had pretended to be working for the doctor as a camera crew, and were thus allowed to enter only under this pretense. The American correspondent was the only American in North Korea during her report.

The picture painted of North Korea in this documentary is all but a pretty one. From the very first shots of Pyongyang, the capital city, it looks like a complete ghost town. There are almost no people walking around the city and all of the 12 lane highways are bereft of cars. Everywhere you look, though, there are pictures of “The Great Leader,” Kim Il-sung, plastered everywhere- whether on the side of a billboard or in the frame of a sixty foot statue. The American reporter says that being in North Korea “feels like you’ve been cut off from the rest of the world,” after having their cell phones confiscated and learning that you need a permit to travel anywhere within the country. As the film progresses, we begin to learn how “brainwashed” the people of North Korea have become. The Great Leader wrote every book in the library; the National Geographic team is invited into a local home where there are no family pictures, but instead countless pictures and posters of the Great Leader. After successfully receiving an eye surgery, one of the patients gets up, completely ignores the doctor, and thanks a picture of The Great Leader for “his blessing”. He attributes his ability to see not by the hard work of the Nepal eye doctor but the power of Kim Il-Sung. There are clips of the North Korean people during Kim Il-Sung’s death, as they hysterically cry and mourn their leader’s demise.

All in all, the way of The Great Leader is all that the North Korean people know. His ways have infiltrated their minds and completely influence their manners, behaviors, and attitudes, especially towards Americans. For example, a mother and her young daughter are walking the streets of Pyongyang singing a nursery rhyme, “The pathetic Americans kneel on the ground. They beg for mercy”. Even at a young age, the people of North Korea are taught to hate.

Just south of the 38^th parallel though lies South Korea, a long trusted ally of the United States. As a matter of fact, the US Army 2^nd Infantry Division is stationed in South Korea and we conduct yearly military exercises with the Republic of Korea Army, which is called “Foal Eagle”. Overall, I found this border particularly interesting because on one side we have sworn enemies, and yet the other side is our allies. It’s amazing how a mere border is separating two completely divergent groups of people. This post is especially relevant because North Korea cancelled the armistice with South Korea. These actions make me wonder if there will ever be unification between North and South Korea, if some agreement can be made, or if the differences amongst the border are just too strong. Once a border is made can it be broken, or will traces of the border always remain? Are borders helpful, or even necessary in some aspects? 

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of traveling to Salt Lake City as a member of the pep band, while our basketball competed in the NCAA Tournament.  Although the outcome of the game was undesirable, I enjoyed three beautiful days in the mountains.  While away from home, I was astounded at the number of subtle, cultural differences existed between Utah and Pennsylvania.

For one thing, pedestrians carry flags when they travel through cross walks.  The flags are located on poles on either side of the street, and pedestrians pick up a flag, hold it while walking, and deposit it at the receptacle at the opposite sidewalk.  Obviously, these flags are in place to promote pedestrian visibility during dark hours.  But not only are the pedestrians visible; they are warned.  For the pavement at either end of a crosswalk encourages pedestrians to 'LOOK' for traffic!

My first thought upon noticing these visual cues was 'Wow, the Utah population is seriously concerned with pedestrian safety.'  This was quickly followed by 'I would've loved to have been a fly on the wall in the City Council meeting where these ideas were brought up.'  But the realization I am left with is 'This street safety wouldn't last five minutes in Oakland.'

Let's be honest here.  Have you ever tried to cross Bigelow Boulevard and nearly become roadkill in the pedestrian crosswalk?  Have you ever tried to drive straight through a green light, only to find a person walking casually in front of your vehicle?  And furthermore, could you imagine little baskets of orange flags remaining in Oakland for more than a day without being stolen?  Our urban college campus isn't full of rude, inconsiderate people.  And Salt Lake City isn't limited to kindhearted, patient folks.  Rather, there seems to be a general consensus of social cues that varies from city to city.  How do these variations on manners come about?  Every American knows that it is polite to say 'please' and 'thank you', but some cities value traffic laws while others value arriving at work in a timely manner.

This concept of social cues varying with geographical location has been touched upon time and time again over the course of the semester.  Mattie, John Grady, Charles Eastman, and Junior all seem to notice different levels of social interaction as they move from place to place, but in most cases these differences were attributed to social class or race.  How can the disparity in manners be explained when it pertains to cities of similar social classes, in a day in age where race is considered irrelevant?

Unfortunately, I don't have a good answer for this one.  It doesn't make sense that people within the same nation come to different unspoken agreements concerning traffic laws, manners, and the like.  However, after spending three days in a city where cars stopped for red lights, refrained from blocking intersections, and pedestrians waited for the walk sign to cross the street, it was a dash of reality to return to Oakland, where driver and pedestrian alike have a mindset of 'My turn!'  But rather than being sad to return to a land devoid of orange pedestrian flags, it was comforting to cross the invisible border of mannerisms and return to Pittsburgh, where it's okay to arbitrarily cross the street when I'm running late for class.

Carving Up the Sky map

The stars that appear in the night sky have been a matter of interest to every civilization.  Many different interpretations have arisen concerning the meaning of stars, as well as many different constellations have been fathomed.  The Radical Cartography map "Carving Up the Sky" focuses on five different views of the stars including the unbiased natural sight, the eclipses, the Chinese sky, the Ancient Greek sky, and the Modern Western sky.  It is amazing to compare these wholly unique and separate views of the stars side by side.  The first view of the stars is completely biased, containing no borders, but only what is seen by any human eye.  On the other hand, the Chinese, Ancient Greek, and Modern Western interpretations of the stars place borders in the night sky.

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I am choosing to focus on the borders that are present in the modern Western sign.  Specifically, I take interest in the astrological signs that have been created in the modern Western night sky.  There are twelve astrological signs that each span across 30 degree increments of the night sky.  These signs include: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. The astrological signs in the stars have been translated into categories for humans born under each specific sign.  Each sign has a multitude of common defining characteristics that the humans born under them are supposed to possess.  The characteristics that define each sign place borders between the other signs.  For instance, some signs are thought to be more compatible with certain signs.  For those who are believers in astrology, this may create a border between non-compatible signs in terms of relationships.  It is a wonder that astrology theorizes such distinct differences in people that could be born mere days apart.  For this reason, it is often believed that astrology is not the most concrete of theories. Personally, I am highly interested in astrology and find that is possesses some merit.  I find it particularly interesting when friends or family of mine will display traits typical to those of their astrological sign.  Astrology creates borders between different types of people, yet it also gives us a context in which to compare ourselves in relation to others. Astrology can be used to shed light unto personal strengths and flaws.  It can be used to "find" aspects of our individual selves within a larger individual group. For example, Pisces are said to be very sensitive and emotional, while Aries (only a few days and 30 degrees of sky separating them) are said to be headstrong and ambitious.  Humans can fit into specific astrological borders, using it as a means to identify with others.

Source: http://www.radicalcartography.net