21st Century: How Long Will We Live?

Life Expectancy: Numbers are rising. We will live forever, in time.

Right now, the 3rd of June, 2013, there are 11 people on Earth who was born in the 1800's. These people are all older than 112 years old, being the oldest among the oldest people alive in the world. These people are now receiving medical help to maintain their lives, as their bodies are not strong enough to sustain itself. In a way, the medications are playing a huge role in their survival. If these people were living in 1913, with the age over 112, unfortunately they will not be able to stay alive much longer. Since the mortality rate of a person increases geometrically as someone ages. without the aid of medical procedures, it can be said that it is almost impossible to live over the age of one hundred let alone a hundred and ten. However, as science develops and medications improve, people are expected to live much longer than just 110.

The medical industry has flourished and the understanding of biology has increased incredibly in the recent times. This had led to scientist expecting to create the 'Elixir of Youth'. Science experts also claim that the first person to ever peak the age of 150, has already been born. Furthermore, with the demand of wanting live longer, there currently is a field of study called 'Life extension science'. 'Life extension science' is a study devoted to find methods to slow down or reverse the process of aging to extend both the maximum and average lifespan. Longevists(people who want to live longer themselves) believe that when the technology of tissue rejuvenation becomes possible to be applied to mankind, the average lifespan of a man will be indefinite. Although this does not sound logical, science can give a theory of how such technology will be brought to life. The reason why such is possible lies in the process of aging. The process is simply an accumulation of damage as cells regenerate in the body. This damage is a result of oxidation, like the way iron rusts. If scientist are capable of manipulating the DNA of humans, change the properties the cells have regarding reproduction, it is clear that laboratories will certainly be able to design humans to not age at all. However, there is no way in the status quo that people will be able to develop such complex technology. Even though experts say they will, all this sounds just like any other science fiction. There must be more evidence of how this seemingly unrealistic idea is not entirely a dream. The evidence lies in nature itself. Nature already has an answer to a much higher level of preventing aging. It already the opened the door to immortality.

Nature currently has a prototype of immortal organisms. It is a very well known micro-organism, the Hydra.The hydra is very much the closest thing that can be compared to Marvel Comics' 'Wolverine'. Hydras regenerate their cells not by reproducing them from the stem cell like humans, but the simply divide a currently existing one into half. This allows the accumulation of defects and toxins to be diluted. In conclusion, hydras basically, do not age. This is called senescence, or biological immortality. Apart from hydras, there are different animals that are thought to undergo senescence and they are: tardigrades, bacteria, jellyfish, and lobsters.

In the end, the hope mankind has, going towards immortality is not totally absurd. Although it may sound hypothetical, the chances are that people will some day reach a point of creating immortal humans.There are current science groups working on the creation of immortal humans. The pioneer of such research collaboration is the SENS Research Foundation that supports several research pathways that could lead to engineered negligible senescence in humans. Some time in the future, people may be transformed into a species that do not die just because it's time for them to go.

Dreaming of mortality in the 21st century might be a little risky. However, in the 21st century people will exceed the Guinness World Records of the oldest person ever alive. I might be able to hit the age of 150, and my parents and teachers might be able to meet their 130th birthday. Moreover, in the 21st century, people will have hope in science, of which that one day, mankind will not be able to exceed their limits, whatever it is.

Here's a video about aging and more!

Nacirema's are not the only weird people.

     Although I usually say "I am a person who understands diverse cultures", I was flabbergasted by the body rituals done by the Nacirema. What I wrote about this particular essay, <The Body Rituals Among The Nacirema> was that I could not understand why these kind of actions are done and also that I realized there still are people who act out rituals somewhat similar to the ones done by the ancient Mayans. I thought these people are cruel, worthy of criticism and should be rather, say, civilized. I felt sorry for these people, thinking that they met the wrong culture that made themselves suffer.

     Unfortunately, I was one of the foolish. It turned out, the Nacirema was no other tribe but word made up to symbolize the American people. My first thought of figuring this out is that I misinterpreted the entire passage, and that I should take back what I said. However on my second thought, I realized that I was right. American people really are just like how Horace Miner portrays. American people are highly reliant on actions that from a alien, will probably look strange. Paying to change their outer looks, amputating a leg because it is not usable. Other ironic things, such as paying to go to health clubs and at the same time denying the existence of stairs.

    

     I recognized, as I learned the true meaning of Nacirema, that I was not much of a understanding person. I figured that I am the same as any other man, having an unreasonable rejection towards new and awkward customs. However, the correct interpretation of the passage did not necessarily teach me cultural relativism. It simply made me think on the fact that people across the globe might not picture our own, Naerok's culture as the most desirable. Eventually, I learned that we do not have the right to criticize other people's cultures.

a little bit political................?

I guess the world is teasing artists....
This picture really made me think that 9gag is not necessarily a website for morons....
In this world of capitalism, competition, and the rat race, I know that it is hard for a company to advertise.
I never thought advertisements bad, but the comparison between graffiti an advertisements....was a bit surprising.
I believe that the situation towards street art must change, looking at the fundamentals of advertisements and graffiti....


I really agree with this one...
Seriously people who say they believe in god, don't care about using bad words, don't care about other people who need help, don't accept variety of thoughts and sexual orientation......I think I am glad that I am an atheist

The Real Problem of Global Warming

     The emotion banging in my head was anger. I was angry that we, humans are knowingly eliminating our own home we are living in. I was angry that the greed of minorities are not only shredding Earth to pieces but also tricking people to believe in the untrue.

     The message of 'Age of Stupid' is simple. Fail to stop global warming now, no hope to saving life on Earth. 3 years more of what we do now, and our world's destruction status will be in an irreversible state. According to the film, the only way to stop the world from total destruction is to maintain the 2℃ limit of the average temperature on Earth. With this ceiling broken, there is no going back. The small effects of this 2℃ difference will bring the rise of the sea levels, the breakdown of the ozone layer, and eventually accelerating the process of global warming. The film predicts that the average temperature will rise by 6℃ soon after the 2℃ limit is broken. Ultimately, the world will fall well before people realize that it is really too late.

     However, the seriousness of the situation is not only due to the factual information that the increase of 2℃ the world will be over. The real problems are mainly the reactions of people. The flick portrays how scientist are acting worldwide to give out warnings and how individuals are also working to spread ideas of using wind turbines and other renewable energy sources. Unfortunately, their works do not turn out so well. In the case where a town's people are going against a man's wind turbine, one of the protesters against the turbine says that she does care about global warming but she will win this fight against turbines. The town's arguments of disagreeing are these: 1. The turbine damages the view. 2. The house prices drop because of these turbines. This means that people are not acknowledging the severity of the status quo. While people are very much aware that global warming is happening, they are not seeing how deadly the results can be. The film states that mankind were brilliant at seeking benefits in front of themselves but they never were bright in looking at incidents in a longer perspective. So this means that people cannot help but to look into their advantages right in front of them. But also there actually is another reason why people are not being able to think for the environment.

  

     Many governments, global organizations and companies(especially oil companies) are not willing to accept the severity of the problem. Like what the two links above show, the big and powerful are afraid that they will lose their power over the economy and the political system. Their current control over power are blinding them from reality, making them think as if everything is a game. Governments and global committees are changing their stances every time in order to seek benefits. Different communities have different views towards global warming. One says global warming is beneficial, that there is not much to worry. Others propose that global warming is serious that the government will work to stop the problems occurring. Moreover, companies are working to fake reports on global warming and climate change, to stop restrictions from taking away their profit. There are cases in the movie, which companies pay for the government and different political parties to change policies. Their willingness to accept their economic losses for the future do not exist at all. To sum up, the main problem of many organizations are these. First off, the authorities are not taking care of the problem. Second, these superpowers are confusing normal citizens on the regards of global warming. Like I have mentioned above, the people's uncaring of the status quo can be, in a way, due to the strong and influential, trying to deny the problems.

     I feel anger. I feel rage towards the selfish, blind people thinking that it is okay to delay actions necessary to restore the ozone layer, stop the sea level from rising, help the extreme weather change go back to its normal state, and eventually saving Earth from becoming a dead, lifeless planet. I believe that with a bit of consciousness, it will be possible to save the future of the planet although we only have 3 years to count down. The only thing that has to be done is alarm the world not only on facts but on the severity of the status quo. It is needed to educate the people and the workers and the politicians. It is time for science to work on teaching people more than making theories. In a nut shell, this is how we should start as a tipping point in making a change.

(Extra video: What if we have to leave Earth?)

Ends VS Means

Can the End Justify the Means?

Prezi: http://prezi.com/z5zbh7z8pv-i/should-the-end-justify-the-means/?kw=view-z5zbh7z8pv-i&rc=ref-35264215

-The general sense: it is not justifiable; laws give limits to what should be allowed and what should not be considered as justifiable.(Normal rules in laws do not overlook the means for the ends.)

 **However, it is necessary to think of it in a more specific way: cases where this idea of the justification of means is a dilemma

1. Cases in life where the ends can be more prioritized over the means

i) Ambulance

     -the ambulance doesn't follow the general rules of the traffic order

     -there is a law actually considering the urgency of the car, enabling the ambulance to have an excuse

     -the set rules are only active when there is a patient on the board.

*still this case is that an example of which the normal street laws are bent for the purpose of saving a life: but in some cases when the patient isn't that much in a serious status, we need to ask whether it is THAT necessary to break the normal law on the road.

ii) White lies

     -lies are normally seen as not justifiable, however the term 'white lie' goes against this thought.

     -white lies are lies told to others with the reasoning of not making them hurt their feelings.

     -also the placebo effect can be categorized as a white lie.

*the placebo effect: actually this method of remedy, using flour based medicine in order to TRICK the patients to use their mental power is actually not justifiable. What the patient wants is a proper cure, and we can see that these doctor misused the different information that they have and what the opponent has.

*officially, the method using the placebo effect is not considered legal in most cases of the US and also S.Korea.

2. Cases in which the focusing of the ends led to disasters.

i) The melamine incident

     -several years ago, China was under a discussion due to their act of using melamine in baby products

     -after the truth revealed, China faced many hardships and was asked to change the current system in making baby cream and milk.

     -this situation can be viewed to be a case of where China had a problem of ignoring the moralities in making products, only focusing on the ends of reducing the entire cost of production.

ii) The Death Note

     -although it is a Japanese anime, the concept of trying to eliminate all the criminals something we should talk about.

     -in the anime, the main character finds a notebook that has the power the kill anyone with who has their name on the note.

     -the main character, Laito decides to eradicate all the criminal masterminds in the entire world.

*the problem of this anime is that whether it is justifiable to actually kill people if these people are considered dangerous and a civil menace. Laito himself, dies at the end of the comic series, making us ponder what he did was justifiable at all.

DEBATE

1) The wrongdoings and the contributions of the president Park.

2) The problems regarding life and death in the cases introduced by Michael Sandel.

Life: Self Narrative

Today I am up here to supposedly talk about my life. Obviously this is meant to be a narrative speech, talking about my life. Actually there's not much to say about my life. I didn't live in a jungle where I ate caterpillars as a daily diet. nor did I have a disabled member in my family who I always had to look after. No, no, no. I grew up in quite the average family in South Korea, living in an apartment with my mother, father, and my younger sister. We are a happy family and are very close to each other. All of this is boring. Nothing in life would be that different to you guys also with a normal family and in a normal house. It seems a bit ridiculous to actually talk about myself and my life when it's just the same as everybody else's.

To be honest though, I think I have a story that I can tell everyone else that probably most of the people here haven't gone through. A car accident. And a serious one. How many of you saw your airbag go off? Or did anyone see your car window shattered into pieces on the road? Well not that much I guess. Okay then, let me tell you what exactly happened. It was about a year ago, it was the day when me, my mom, and my sister had lunch with my grandmother. After the meal and after a bit of shopping, me, my mom, and my sister gave our grandmother a ride back to her apartment, and then left for my English Academy. My mother said that she needed to stop by to refill the fuel tank at a gas station, so she drove to the direction. Our car arrived near the gas station, at a T-shaped road. (Drawing and explaining) The light was on signaling the left turn, and my mom drove the car forward. And then there was a crash. It was incredible. Something so powerful shook the entire body of the car, making everyone inside, the three of us, not being able to sense what was going on in that moment. My sister screamed for a second. And then silence. Well I guess I just thought it was silent because my ears were ringing. Then I got out of the car first, trying to figure out what happened. Then I was dumbstruck. Our car's right side was literally caved in. (Drawing Explanation) And also the direction of our car was FACING the other car(a truck actually). That day, we all went to the hospital taking small tests and getting check-ups, and having the entire day off. Luckily, no one had a serious injury, except for the truck driver who sprained his ankle. Honestly I has a bit more relieved by the fact that I missed the English Academy rather than the fact that I didn't die.

But anyways, there's a message I want to tell you. What I learned through this not-an-every-day-event is that not necessarily the fact that you should put your seat belt on. Actually, my sister didn't get hurt because she didn't had her seat belt on and because she was leaning towards me, but that's a different story. What I really wanted to say is that everyone in this room should live your life as if it is your last. People these days, take their life as granted. But, there is a open possibility to be gone from this world every second of your life. My grandmother that day, was lucky. If she decided to be with us in the car, she might have gone through serious injuries that may have harmed her life. Especially because she would have had seated on the right front passenger seat, which was the most heavily damaged. Not only about our grandmother, but even myself, if our car was not a SUV that is higher than an average sedan, I might not be here.

After experiencing an accident that might have been somewhat fatal, I began to lean close to the idea that you have to live your life without regret. I believe it is very important to do so. Looking back at the accident, I...was scared. because your life, your last breath can be taken anywhere, at anytime. So lastly, I want you to shout out carpe diem! in your lives. Live a life where you will not regret anything, and enjoy your afternoon! Thank you!

Volunteer Work?

I never have fancied meeting the poor. I also never fancied meeting disabled people and helping them. I other words, I never actually liked volunteer work. Trying to give meals to people I do not know, sitting in front of mentally ill patients and making myself look like one of them. That was the initial view I had towards all the different acts of volunteer work. I literally found them a waste of time.

When I was in middle school, I found out that it was necessary to fill in 60 hours volunteer work throughout the 3 years in order to graduate from the school. Having a dark look on my face, I decided to participate constantly in playing the violin for the poor in front of a cafeteria. The cafeteria was run by a chapel nearby, the priest looking over the system, hygiene and the financial management of the place. Me and my part of my orchestra went to that place once every two weeks. And whenever we visited the place, we weren't that happy. The music teacher, who managed our school orchestra, was getting aggravated by the fact that me, as a bandmaster, was not seeming to be the best model for the freshmen nor the juniors. Eventually, I decided to pay more attention to the people who come to have a meal.

As I drew my attention from my personal boredom to the people who are taking our volunteer work, I got to know something peculiar. The people there weren't that happy either. It was very weird to think that the service that our orchestra provided never was that much of a joy to the people who met upon it. With a characteristic of which I cannot stand my curiosity, I ask the priest why these people were so unhappy about our performance. His answer struck me hard in the head.

"These people spend their entire day simply craving this single meal. Most of the people only get to eat this meal as their one and only diet everyday. Of course they don't understand you're musical talents, actually they can't afford to understand. It would be a better idea to try to understand them and try some new music, okay?"

I was a fool. Every time I visited the cafeteria, I was loaded with hard and dynamic notes composed by Mozart and Beethoven. However, it was clear that the people who visit the place had no way to access such genre of music in their lives. It was obvious that they don't understand classical music. So, I changed the plan. I made an agreement with my other orchestra members to choose songs that are probably much more familiar to the people. Old Korean songs and songs by very famous Korean singers were the major choices we made.

After the change I started, there had been a huge difference in the way the people reacted to our performance. Starting off from nodding their heads, some elderly people even danced and sang aloud to our music. In the end I acknowledged something very important. Volunteer work is something that can be only properly done when you truly try to understand the people. Although I still am not a big fan of doing such work, it turned out much more easier for me to understand the people whenever I had a chance to help them out.