My Comment on Neglected Question

I commented on Fitzzy’s post, Neglected Questions, because she brought attention to an issue that deserves more attention.

What I have been reading!

I commented on Nathan’s post, Americas Health Care System, because I thought his points were very interesting.

Gas Prices

When Bush came into office gas was only $1.45 per gallon. In less than 8 years gas has rose to $3.50 per gallon. That is almost a $2 rise in just 8 years. In 1930, gas was only 19 cents per gallon. From 1930 to 2000, gas only rose $1.26. In 70 years, gas prices rose less than the amount they have rose the past 8 years. I find this outrageous. It is predicted that if we continue on the same road we are on now with our oil problem, a gallon of gas will be $5 in another year. If gas continues to rise, what will happen to our society. I cant imagine paying over $70 to fill the tank in my little Jetta. How much will people with bigger cars have to pay? This issue needs to be handled because it is seriously affecting out country. Airline tickets increase, road trips become too expensive, and car dealerships are going to continuously be affected by this. I heard of this car that is powered by hydrogen. Not only is practically free, it is beneficial to the environment. They have these hydrogen powered in Iceland, so it is about time they make their way to the United States.

Butterfly Effect

I love movies that make me think for days. One movie that constantly comes to mind is Butterfly Effect. It is about how every moment of your life determines your future and one decision can totally change the outcome of your life. In this movie the main character has the ability to go back to moments in his childhood that defined the rest of his life and see how his life would have turned out had he made a different decision. This movie made me think about my life and all the defining moments that have gotten me to where I am today. Where would we all be today and what would our lives be life had we not gotten into SMU?? I can’t even imagine what my life would be life if I had chosen to go to another college. It is amazing to think that one decision brings so many different people into your life. If I didn’t come here I never would have met all the great friends I have made this year. What are some of the defining moments in your life that have gotten you to where you are today? What would your life be like had you made a different decision? “It has been said something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world.” - Chaos Theory

Commented on Hey Girl Hey's Blog

I commented on Hey Girl Hey'sBLOG, "No one lives on campus sophomore year...." because I am living on campus next year.

Are computers really our friends?

Should we really rely on computers as much as we do in our everyday life? Think about how much of your everyday life revolves around computers. Your communication with teachers, job opportunities, and campus alerts is all processed through e-mail. All your meals, access into buildings around campus, and entry into parking garages are all stored in the barcode on your student ID card, , which computers read. Almost all assignments, papers, blogs, projects, etc. are done through the couple thousand dollar computers that every student must have if they expect to survive this collegiate world. Do we ever worry about what would happen if these computers failed? It hardly ever crosses my mind how reliant my life is on my computer and how I take it for granted. It is not until a problem arises that you realize that computers should not be depended on as much as they are. After working several hours each day this weekend on my Rhetoric paper and never thinking twice how easily my whole paper could disappear. My computer shut off and would only display a plain white screen. That’s when I realized that computers can not be trusted as much as I had trusted them. I took my computer into the Apple store hoping they could recover my paper, but there was nothing they could do. EVERYTHING in my computer was gone. Not just the paper I has worked so hard on to get finished by the rough draft due date, but also all my pictures, iTunes, videos, everything! I learned to be more careful and to always expect the worst when computers are controlling our lives. You can never be too cautious when it comes to something you have no control over. I bought an external hard drive to back my entire computer up to every time new information is added in order to prevent this disaster from occurring again.

The Fallen Soldiers

Over the past five year in Iraq, the death toll of American soldiers has rose to at least 4,000. I find this number chilling due to the fact that our country has lost 4,000 men not for the benefit of our own country, but for the benefit of another country. We have given up the lives of 4,000 in order to bring “peace” to another country. “Peace” that is still non-existent after 5 years. Last year I went to Washington DC on a school trip and at Arlington Nation Cemetery, a memorial has been set up called Faces of the Fallen (picture at top), in which a painting has been done of every single soldier that has lost their life in Iraq. I did not even complete my walk around the entire building because it seems to continue forever. I was shocked to see the ages of these soldiers. So many looked like my age, mainly because they practically were. Many of their pictures were of them in their graduation gowns. These were high school graduates from the class of 2005 and 2006. They were not even legally allowed to drink. They were hardly grown up at all. Most still teenagers. But, they all died for Our Country. I have attached the article, Iraq: US Death Toll in War Hits 4,000 .I found it very interesting and I think you would too. But, the fact that caught my interest was the death tolls of other wars. In Vietnam, the U.S. lost on average about 4,850 soldiers a year from 1963-75. In the Korean War, from 1950-53, the U.S. lost about 12,300 soldiers a year. I have heard these facts for years now and just believed it meant that those wars were much bigger and more violent. But the fact that has been left out for so long is that the War in Iraq has seen many more injuries than past wars. The reason for the increase in injuries and decrease in deaths is due to the advances in medicine that our world has seen since the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s; as well as the enhanced protective gear worn and reinforced armored vehicles. Think about this….there have been 15 soldiers wounded for every fatality in Iraq. In Vietnam only 2.6 soldiers were wounded for every death and in Korea only 2.8. Although it is much better to have our soldiers returned with lost limbs rather than lost lives, I am truly affected by the fact that 60,000 American Soldiers return to the United States and receive a Purple Heart for their duty. If we stay in Iraq, a year from now at least 1,000 more soldiers are estimated to lose their lives and over 15,000 more purple hearts will be awarded.