The Ebb & Flow of Life

> Here is an article I ran across through a magazine I read occasionally.  It's fairly liberal at times, but it does have awesome articles from time to time.  Read the article, then my comments, and then add your own. <


Article: The Ebb & Flow of Life


There is so much in life that we have yet to experience. Words cannot convey the raging passion my spirit has to travel the world to gain wisdome, have experiences that shed new light on my life, and further propel me down my road.

"The shortest path to oneself is around the world."
-Count Hermann Keyserling, (german Philosopher)

I love how this guy dropped what he was doing, to travel the country side, in order to learn from another culture. Other cultures on this earth have so much to offer us, if we just open our eyes. I often feel that we are too proud to do so. I believe that americans need to be more open minded. I'm sure everyone has heard the expression: "if you speak 3 languages, your trilingual. If you speak 2, your bilingual. But if you speak one language, your American."
I refuse to be part of a that group. I'm always open and ready to accept the teachings and thoughts of other cultures, with an open mind.

The only thing stopping you from reaching your goals is yourself.

What you you all think about all of this?  Any thoughts or elaborations?

A sip of my Soul

[>This is a note I posted some time ago on FB, but I thought it would do more good here.  Not every1 is on FB, much to my dismay.<]

Just a few moments ago, a brilliant revelation unveiled itself to me. I was strolling to the Library in between classes, and happened to notice a certain bag. A young girl was toting this messenger bag, with the word "Love" on it. The word was written not horizontally, as most words are, but a combination of up/down and left/right.

L E
O V

The serendipitous arrangement of the letters prompted me to re-evaluate the word, and I came to a stunning conclusion. Ask yourself, what is the opposite of Love? Well you might say "Hate". My reaction was the latter as well. There are few similarities between the 2 words, other than they both consist of 4 letters.

Let's get dyslexic though. "Love" backwards is "Evol". You are probably questioning my sanity at this point, but bear with me. Sure "evol" is not a word, but do sound it out in your head. It sounds remarkably like "evil".

Perhaps man turns evil in the absence of Love. With out people to love, or without someone to show affection for, we [may] eventually face a digression to evil.

This affirmation is reminiscent of the classic argument between young Einstein and his professor:
"Evil does not exist, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv6pyoWLBoY )

( http://hubpages.com/hub/Einsteins-God-Argument )

I read a book a few weeks ago for school about King Leopold. He was the King of Belgium many years ago, and was the ruler of the Congo in Africa. He was responsible for millions of deaths, slavery, and oppression. His childhood was one full of neglect. His parents were king/queen, and never paid attention to him, so he was lonely. He ended up becoming a miserable person, with an unquenchable thirst for money, power, and stuff. One could say that he became the way he was because he was never loved, or never loved anybody.

Another example is Hitler. The dude was equally miserable, and murdered millions of people.

Informative Paper

[Here is the paper I wrote for English.  It basically describes Nuclear Fusion, history, & applications.  Enjoi!]

A Glimpse of Nuclear Fusion

            When a person takes a stroll on a distant beach, and perceives the ocean, their mind is filled with the usual thoughts- Beauty, serenity, peace, grandeur, and perhaps infinite potential.  Well some not so normal people may get those same feelings while on a similar walk, but for a slightly different reason.  The National Ignition Facility states  that 1 gallon of seawater holds the same energy potential as 300 gallons of gasoline.  With that in mind, how can one simply stand idly by as man continues to depend on fossil fuels?  Surely after 100+ years, we would find some concrete solution to our problems.  In the 60’s, people envisioned by the turn of the century flying vehicles would be the norm.  Have we gone wrong?  Perhaps we have, but the more important question is- What can we do?  I believe that a large portion of the future is destined to be driven by a force so powerful that our very existence is dependent on it.  I’m of course referring to nuclear fusion.  Our sun is fueled by fusion, and soon so shall we.

                        An average Joe knows next to nothing about nuclear fusion, let alone nuclear physics.  How can something as important as our future be but a fleeting concept in our minds?  Allow me to inform you on the workings of the atom, what fusion is, how it works, and the applications today and even tomorrow.  The oblivious citizen may assume that nuclear fusion is fusing nuclear… things.  Well in laymen’s terms, that is precisely correct.  Contrary to popular belief, fusion is not rocket science; At least it is not conceptually that difficult to comprehend.  Nuclear fusion was discovered around 80 years ago, by two physicists by the names of Atkinson and Houtermans.  They postulated that the fusion of light atoms such as hydrogen would unleash great amounts of energy.  These two men laid the ground work for all fusion research to follow.

            During World War 2, the US was secretly working to unlock the secrets of nuclear fission through the Manhattan Project.  The research was done in Los Alamos, New Mexico, while most detonations of atomic weapons were conducted at the Nevada Test Site, in Nevada.  Fortunately most of the radioactivity has subsided, but that could explain why everyone at that concert is rather questionable.  I’m not sure they can explain the event, but I can certainly explain what nuclear fusion is.

            Nuclear Fusion put quite simply is when two atoms are forced together by means of heat or gravity until they overcome their opposing forces.  The two atoms fuse together, becoming a single atom, while excess weight is converted into energy.  Scientists discovered that a temperature of 100,000,000 degrees Celsius was required for fusion to take place.  The most simple and abundant form of fusion is Hydrogen (H) into Helium (He).  Isotopes are variations of elements, where the amounts of neutrons differ.  A hydrogen atom consists of one proton, and one electron.  Isotopes of hydrogen include Deuterium, which is hydrogen with a neutron, and Tritium, which has two neutrons.  It is notable to mention isotopes because higher isotopes produce neutrons during a fusion reaction.  When Deuterium and Tritium fuse, the end result is helium, (2 protons, 2 neutrons) and a single neutron.  This reaction is the most common and effective method of inducing fusion.  Besides neutrons, energy is a byproduct.  Specifically, several different kinds of energy.

            The combination of energies released is importing due to the fact that they are what fuels a chain reaction, and what we harness to produce electricity.  Alpha particles are produced, which is essentially a helium atom traveling at substantial speeds.  This atom is stable and reacts with very little.  In fact, alpha particles cannot even pass through a piece of paper, let alone your skin.  Next up is Beta particles.  They are charged electrons or positrons that are jettisoned at very high speeds.  Beta particles can mutate human DNA, along with causing light burns.  A few millimeters of aluminum are sufficient to stop these pesky beta particles.  The other major particle of a fusion reaction is a rogue neutron.  Neutrons are the most destructive particles that fusion produces.  These neutrons induce radioactivity as they pass through atoms.  So basically if they pass through your body, you become radioactive, and emit gamma rays.  The last notable emission from fusion is gamma rays.  These waves of the highest energy and frequency on the electromagnetic radiation spectrum (light).  Gamma rays pass through most objects, and are only stopped by six inches of steel or concrete.  They are more destructive than beta radiation is, but not as bad as neutrons.  The sum of all these particles is what helps to contribute to starting a thermo-nuclear chain reaction when fusion occurs.  A temperature of 100,000,000 degrees Celsius is required to induce a fusion reaction with hydrogen.

            Nuclear fusion is different than nuclear fission in many ways.  Atomic bombs use energy released via a fission reaction of Uranium or other heavy, dense, unstable elements.  Where fusion joins two atoms together, fission breaks apart atoms.  The energy released from a fusion reaction is 1000 times as powerful as a fission reaction.  To give you some insight into the destructive forces that atoms harbor, observe the following:

1000 lbs / TNT:                       1 Kiloton      |  
1,000,000 lbs / TNT:               1 Megaton

Little Boy (Hiroshima):           13 Kilotons     |  
Tsar Bomb (Russia 1961):       50 Megatons              

Mt. St. Helens:                        24 Megatons |  
Krakatoa Eruption (1883):      150 Megatons            

The bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945 was Little Boy.  It had a blast rating of 13 Kilotons, and up to a roughly estimated 200,000 deaths.  (Including long term deaths)  It is difficult to imagine such destruction at such high numbers.  Take notice to the most powerful nuclear bomb ever detonated, which utilized the awesome power of fusion.  The Tsar Bomba was detonated in Russia on October 30^th, 1961.  Its yield is equivalent to Hiroshima and Nagasaki’s bombs combined, times 1400.  The heat from the detonation could have induced 3^rd degree burns up to 62 miles away, and the resulting mushroom cloud was 7 times higher than Mt. Everest.  Most incredibly of all, this weapon was so powerful; it produced 1.4% of our suns output !  At this point you should be enlightened to the potential that fusion holds for destruction.  Surely there are more practical ways to harness the power of the sun.

            Currently there is a large movement to contain the energy fusion produces, in order to convert it into electricity.  All fusion reactors operate on the same basic principle:  Raise the temperature of hydrogen until fusion occurs, control it, and use the heat generated to turn a steam powered turbine.  One would think that in almost a century, man would discover a more efficient means of taming heat.  Unfortunately as it stands now, we are limited to the maximum efficiency of 50% that steam powered generators can provide .  The two main types of fusion reactors are Inertial and Magnetic Confinement.  Inertial confinement uses a small pellet of hydrogen, about the size of a needle head.  This fuel pellet is heated up by lasers from every angle until the outer shell explodes, compressing the core.  The remainder of the fuel fuses into helium, and electricity is produced.  The other main type of reactor is the magnetic confinement reactor.  Hydrogen plasma is confined in the reactor, while being charged with huge amounts of electricity.   Magnetic fields contain the plasma from escaping, due to plasmas’ inherit attribute to conduct electricity.  The hydrogen plasma is eventually heated up to the point of fusion.  These two reactors have made huge amounts of progress in recent years, but we’re still a few years away from producing more energy than the reactors consume. 

            Another field where fusion is shedding its light is in space.  Mans current means of interstellar travel are crude and ineffective at best, so we are long overdue for some strides in this direction.  The most promising and inexpensive idea presented so far is the Orion Project.  This programs basic idea was to drop small fusion bombs behind the spacecraft, thus propelling it towards its destination at incredible speeds.  This concept is coined “Nuclear Pulse Propulsion”, and I expect we will hear more about it in the future.  The smallest proposed ship would require 300,000 of these small fusion bombs to throw itself to Alpha Centauri, our nearest star.  The ship would travel 3.3% the speed of light, and take up to 100 years!  Not exactly a practical idea, hence why it never left the drawing board.  Space craft utilizing fusion power can reach up to 10% the speed of light, which is incredibly fast considering our current capabilities.  A fusion rocket is 10 million times more powerful than most chemical rockets that are in use today!  In theory, our transit time using fusion could be reduced by up to 50%. 

            Nuclear fusion is an incredibly powerful force that holds unlimited potential.  So what is stopping man from researching this technology without restraints?  Alas, the issue that forces us to tarry is money.  Money and power is what makes the world go round as they say.  It requires immense amounts of money to research and develop such technology.  Some fusion reactors or space craft utilizing Fusion drives require 1 GDP (Gross Domestic Product) or more to build.  We will reach a point sometime in the future            I conject that you and I will be fortunate enough to see the successful fusion of hydrogen for the generation of electricity in our lifetime.  It will truly be a magnificent day when man can end his dependence on fossil fuels. I believe that fusion is the next step for man to wean itself off of fossil fuels, in order to propel our civilization into the future while becoming better stewards of the environment.

You gotta love a good pun.

Eugh wow they're so bad!  Ohhh why do I continue to read despite the over whelming urge to commit Harakiri.

1. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian .
3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
4.. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
7. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
8. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
9. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
10. Time flies like an arrow.  Fruit flies like a banana.
11. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
12. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'
13. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger.  Then it hit me.
14. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab centre said: 'Keep off the Grass.'
15. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
16. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
17. A backward poet writes inverse.
18. In a democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.
19. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
20. If you jumped off the bridge in Paris, you'd be in Seine.

Fruition at Last

[Below is the paper I composed for my Writing class.  Please let me know any thoughts if you have any.]

Does anyone actually read fine print? Sure, we may skim through it, but we don’t usually direct the analytical eye to scan each sentence as if there was a bomb hidden somewhere in the text. “What? That can’t be right.” I say to myself. I made sure I spent over $100.00 to get the free shipping. I intentionally spent more than I intended on, so I could save $20.80 on shipping. I certainly didn’t need a 72 inch black oak long bo staff. My rationalization; or more accurately myself justification, figured it would be like getting it for free. Clearly, I should have read the fine print.
The sun is shining on my face. It’s a constant reminder that despite the warm light gently soothing my skin, it is 20 degrees outside. Utah is nice this time of year, if you’re into freezing temperatures drinking the life from your body. Or if a gentle breeze makes you contemplate igniting your thick puffy clothing on fire in the hopes that it would return feeling to your appendages. I’m sitting in a bustling airport, awaiting my flight home. My company sends me around to different states, doing contracts for the government. I bounce back and forth every 2 weeks. It’s not exactly crowded, but there are enough people where you can have a conversation with someone nearby, and everyone isn’t clinging to your every word. Airports have an incredible amount of activity at any given moment. My situational awareness tells me that the overall mood of the terminal is calm, patient, but still slightly anxious to be on their way. To my front, a beautiful strip of mountain stretches from one side of my vision to the other. Planes are crawling around, while extending walkways ease transitions from spacious terminals to elbow bumping plane seats. My mind is lassoed back to earth by the feeling of heat on my lap. Don’t be alarmed, no one is sitting on my lap. My laptop is quietly reminding me that my battery life is slowly draining. I check the battery… 55%. That should last me until my plane boards. I re-orient my attention to the most troubling situation at hand. I’m down a measly $20.00. A week ago, I ordered some martial arts gear over the internet. The company is called E-Bogu, and they’re based out of Los Angeles, CA. They specialize in Japanese martial arts equipment, uniforms, and weapons.
I’ve been training in the martial arts since I was 16. I started off doing Okinawa Karate. We learned basic Japanese during classes, and I began to take an interest in the language and culture of Japan. After some research on the language, I decided that it would be a good investment of time and resources to learn another language. I once heard a joke that goes like this: “What do you call a person who only knows 1 language? An American.” I became bound and determined not to become one of these people. A person who is fluent in 2 or more languages and familiar with the culture of both can be an excellent bridge between them. Initially, I started off on Rosetta stone, a popular (albeit expensive) program that uses pictures to help you retain the knowledge. Eventually, I moved to audio tracks, which were more versatile and convenient. I could listen and practice while working or driving. For three years, I studied Japanese independently. But never once during those arduous three years did I hold a conversation in Japanese. This misfortune was not by my doing, but as fate would have it, I knew no one who was actually of Japanese descent, or that spoke any more than counting 1-10.
I review my email once again, trying to make sense of my current debacle. I was curious on why the company decided not to forget the shipping charges, so I decided to give them a call and investigate. I break out the cell phone and Bluetooth. A familiar tone conveys that the Bluetooth is connected, and I dial the number. Have you ever noticed that there are three tones while dialing a phone call? The tones are arranged vertically, lowest tone from the left and highest tone on the right. It is indeed possible to by chance play “Hot cross buns” while dialing a phone number. This time, it sounded reminiscent of “Mary had a little lamb”. A dial tone ensues, and three rings follow. A pleasant young lady answers the phone, “Hello, thank you for calling E-Bogu, how may I help you?” Her voice is soft and curious, as if she was genuinely intent of helping whoever needed her assistance. Now to the casual American person, they wouldn’t notice much in regards to ethnicity or accent. But I suppose I don’t fit that category. I immediately noticed that she had a Japanese accent to her English. A small flutter in my stomach emerged, and my heart rate quickened. Suddenly I decided to relish the opportunity to have my first conversation in Japanese. Not only would it be my first conversation to a real person, but a native Japanese person. I instinctively answer her, with what limited vocabulary I have.

“Yes, hello. How are you?” I say, with wavering confidence.

“I’m well. How about yourself?” My stomach feels like a flock of birds taking off.

“I’m good.” I respond with mechanical precision.

“So you speak Japanese?” She must notice my rough American accent!

“Yes, a little. But I’m not good yet.” I try to be humble and respectful.

“No, you’re very good.” At this moment, hot blood is rushing straight to my head.

“Thank you very much. My name is Scott. It’s good to meet you. “

“Good to meet you to, Scott. My name is Kikuchi Atsu. How may I help you?”

(By now, my knowledge of the language is exhausted. I know how to hold a basic conversation, to include greetings, introductions, asking directions, and basic things of that nature. I certainly don’t know how to ask why I didn’t get shipping free. I decide to switch to English.)

“Well, that’s about the extent of my Japanese. My question for you is why my order did not have free shipping. My order was over $100.00 but I paid $20.00 for shipping.”

“There are exclusions to the promotion. Your one item is exceptionally long, so we don’t cover that item. Sorry for the inconvenience. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No ma’am, thanks for your time. I appreciate you clearing up my situation. Have a good day!”

Once again, my mind came flying back to my body. For the duration of my short conversation, I completely forgot that I was sitting in a slightly crowded airport terminal. I’m still awaiting my flight, and still basking in the sunlight. I’m surrounded by the bustle of busy men in sharp suits, reviewing tight schedules on their PDA Blackberry phones. A man nearby double checks his Itinerary; making sure he is in the right area. All these people, each in their own little world, are completely oblivious to my brilliant moment in time. I’m sure that some person, eyes bouncing from one person to the next, would see no difference in composure between me and everyone around me. Little do they know; I’m brimming with excitement. I just successfully had my first conversation in Japanese.
What could be so special about such a trivial occurrence? For 3 years, I’ve studied Japanese several times a week. I had a diversified learning approach, using varrying methods and programs. I’ve most certainly spending entirely too much money on books or software. Never the less, a culmination of countless hours and effort had come to fruition at long last. This moment in my life would re-kindle my love for Japanese, and for learning any language. I later go on to study Arabic for the Army. Some say that all things happen for a reason. Perhaps they do. But some others think that some good can come from any situation, and that’s exactly what happened here. Maybe I should have read the fine print, but I would have never had this pivotal moment in my life. The feeling of seeing years of effort transforming into pure bliss for a single moment is something that I will never forget. I know that my love for languages will continue to burn, and my passion for experiences such as this one will drive me forward.
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Jargon:

Karate: Martial art primarily involving self defence, fighting, and Kata (forms)
Kendo: Japanese Martial art involving bamboo swords. Similar to fencing.
Bogu: The armor used in Kendo. Covers body, hands, face, and waist.
Bo: A wooden staff used for self defence. Sizes range from 3, 4, 5, & 6 feet.
Okinawa: A island in between Japan & China. Culture influenced from both.

Adversity & Oppression can bring out the best of us

This is a video that I ran across through my various news feeds of conservative think tanks or movements.  It is a must watch.  The song "Apologize" by "One Republic" is already incredibly popular, and this video only gives kudos to the band.  After watching it, I seriously had chills.  I am so moved by this video, that I decided to post it for the benefit of all, along with my thoughts on it.  I am painfully aware of the parallels of the depicted time and today.  Hopefully I can influence others to see and feel what it must have been like to have been oppressed and controlled, as the 13 colonies were in the late 1700's.  Man must take a stand against such travesty, and overcome whatever holds him back from creating a good place to raise a family, and pursue individual interests ,serving the community and ultimately humanity, all while diligently serving God.

My aim: Creation, dissemination, and supplication.

Hello friends or fellow peoples,

As it is quite unmistakably been made aware, I have started a rudimentary blog.  My aim is to inform & expand various thoughts that I have throughout my days, disseminate vital or important information to my friends, & supplement the life curious individuals live with different experiences that I have encountered.

I've found that Blogs are to be put in the same league of Facebook and Twitter, but here I have more freedom to relay my messages or revelations.  Thoughts or suggestions from others I am more than willing to incorporate into this blog, if others are willing to share as well.  I have the ability to delegate admin rights to whoever I choose, so let me know.

Enjoi.