Adventure Mining Company

The Adventure Mining Company is a tour of an old copper mine near Greenland, MI.  They have guided tours (real people!) ranging from 45 minutes, to 80 minutes, to a +2 hour rappelling tour.  The guides are knowledgeable, fun, and being in the mine is very cool.  There are no lights underground: instead, they give you a hardhat with a light on it.  Tours cover how the copper formed in the region, the mining methods used, lives of the miners, mining terms, and information about copper.  There are also bats in the mine!  This tour is highly recommended.  Feel free to visit their website for more information in planning your trip:
http://www.adventureminetours.com/

Pet Rats: Stan, Snowball, and Fredrick

These are my guys.  Stan is the brown one on the platform in the back.  Snowball is the white one on the floor.  Fredrick is the tan one on the platform in the front.  I recently got these guys from another person (they didn't have the time for them and another housemate did not like them).  Stan and Snowball were already named, while I picked out "Fredrick" for the tan guy.  Stan is the most outgoing, followed by Snowball, and Fredrick is shy.  Currently trying to litter train them.  It might be too late in their live to teach them that, because they are already about a year old.  The attempt can always be made.  Hopefully they get to know and like me.  We are getting along okay (no biting), but I can not wait to spend more time playing with them!

Website Review: theChive.com

http://thechive.com/

The Chive is a highly interesting (addicting) and amusing site.  Their posts consist of mostly photographs of silly, crazy, and odd things, people, and animals.  The site is geared towards the male population.  This is obvious due to all the "hot chick" posts.  Skimming over the parts that are of no interest to one's personal tastes is easy enough, though.  They get their pictures from emails and a variety of other sites (for example, a personal favorite, http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/).  Just a note: they only post a "best pictures of the week" on Saturdays and there are no new posts on Sundays.

This site is most certainly worth taking a look at.  Just be warned: it can be a big time waster!

Not having kids

Being perfectly frank, I don't want kids.


No, I'm not a kid hater and throwing puppies off bridges is not one of my past times either. Heck, I even like (some) kids. Especially Elanor, who is currently a 22 month old, adorable as can be, smart, funny, and well behaved. She is also out going and intelligent: mostly due to her parents being good, intelligent, sensible people and her active life style requiring her to meet and be around a variety of people and situations (her parents own a mine open for tours). Believe me, I could keep going on about how great this kid is, but is the inspiration for reproduction seeded? No.

I am a graduate student, so would like to think of myself as fairly intelligent. I have a variety of friends, so would like to think of myself as well adjusted socially. I am within the BMI and live an active life style including running and weight lifting. In short, there is nothing particularly abnormal about me. Nor do I think that there is anything wrong with having or wanting kids for those who do. Reproduction is necessary for the species to survive, although it could use some controlling at this point. Self-regulated control would be for the best: people having the realization that the world is getting over populated and that quality is better than quantity in nations with high survival rates for infants.

Why not have kids? There are several articles exploring the issue (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65O53O20100625, http://www.newsweek.com/2008/06/28/having-kids-makes-you-happy.html, http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1642/more-women-without-children, http://www.slate.com/id/2259822) and more! Just try a Google search with some key words.

Does that mean if by accident I become pregnant that I will, hands down, have an abortion? No. I would simple have to re-asses at that time my current financial position, relationship, and all factors related to my life and if I (and my partner) would be capable of providing for another human being. I really don't know if I would have an abortion or not. I agree with the "Roe vs Wade" decision that a woman has a right to have an abortion if she so decides that would be best. Do I believe it is morally right? I really haven't decided yet. Do I also believe that whatever resolution I come to in the matter does not reflect others beliefs and that they still have the right even though I may disagree? Yes.

My personal reasons for not wanting a child include many facets of my life. I am currently still a student (although an older one) and would not have the time and resources for that type of commitment. I currently am not in a stable, long term relationship and might not have support of my current partner. When I do get a "real job", I will need time to start my full-time career and may be moving around a lot. I don't want to have to wake up at random time of the night to a crying baby nor deal with the issues of toddlers and teens. as I earn more income, I want to spend time doing things I couldn't do before like travel to exotic places, afford week long kayaking trips, or pick up a new hobby. I thoroughly believe that once some one, or a couple, besides to have a child, their own wants come second to whatever is best for the child.

Not having a child is not selfish, it is a responsible consideration of facts and life situations which would making rearing another human being an unwise choice for the individual(s) involved.

Popular Email Forward

HELL EXPLAINED BY CHEMISTRY STUDENT



The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?


Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant. 

One student, however, wrote the following:

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time.  So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and t he rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.

As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today.  Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell.

With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially.  Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you, and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over.  The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct...leaving only
Heaven thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."



THIS STUDENT RECEIVED THE ONLY "A"

Zambia - according to Wikipedia.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zambia


Zambia: a quick summary of Wikipedia's page on Zambia

Zambia is a country in the middle of the southern Africa as Lusaka for the capital. Surrounding countries are the Democratic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola. The official language is English with several local languages also recognized. Government is a republic and the current president is Rupiah Banda. According to the 2009 population censes there are nearly 13 thousand people living in the country.

The country was originally inhabited by hunter-gatherers. Europeans started coming into the country around the 1900’s and was eventually occupied by the British. Independence from England was officially achieved in 1964 and was a socialist country under the president Kenneth Kaunda until 1991. Fredrick Chiluba became president from 1991 until 2002 under a social-democratic party. The country struggles with TB and AIDS along with poverty. The major religious beliefs are Christian varieties. There are also some Muslim and Jewish communities.

Natural beauty includes the Victoria Falls and other waterfalls, rivers, mountains, plateaus and is found in a tropical climate. They have a dry season (summer) and a rainy season (winter). A large portion of the population is found in urban areas. There is farming, mining, tourism, and financial services. The main diet of the local population is maize, vegetables, beans, meats and fish, and milk. Football (soccer) is a popular sport in the country, along with rugby, boxing, and cricket.

Argue!

The article "Go ahead and argue, it can be good for your health" by Rachael Rettner at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38698442/ns/health-behavior/ says that letting the issue come out is more healthy than bottling it up.  Cortisol levels rise, married couples have been shown to die sooner, and other side effect are showing themselves as researches look further into what health impacts are associated with lack of arguments. 

Seemingly quite often in the American society females are expected to, from a young age, keep their feelings in rather than face confrontation and the possibility of repercussions from disagreeing.  Most, not all, of the women I meet and get to know would rather side-step an uncomfortable issue rather than just coming out and saying what is on her mind.  Suggestions, looks, and passive aggressive behavior which can be misunderstood or over looked (we can't read your minds, now can we?).  Also noted is that women often idolize or envy women who can and do express their opinions without trying to disguise the meaning, especially discomforting news.  Might I be so bold as to cite the television series "Bones" as the perfect example?

Men do tend towards being more forward, but also seem to hold more in than women and society often give them credit for.  One aspect that should be greatly respected of male interactions is their willingness to "fight it out" if need be.  Not saying that a bar brawl is called for over every little issue, but it gets the problem solved.  Not logically, not "right", but allows for closure of the situation.

The article is short and rather lacking in depth reviews or facts, but is an interesting starting point to get one thinking.  There are many more articles on stress and arguments available.  Should you need a reason to justify and argument or confrontation, it can't hurt to cite an article scientifically showing that you should argue.

Learning to Play the Ukulele

So, I have decided to learn to play the ukulele:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byJ9aTEQ6Wc

Fried plantain

While out shopping, a friend suggested I try fried plantain.  So, I pick one up and fried it last night.  I have to say, it was surprisingly good.  A little odd at first, but this treat will most certainly be made again! 

Fried plantain is extremely simple to make:

Canola oil
plantain
cast iron skillet
spatula

Heat up the oil in the skillet on about medium heat.  For my electric stove, the setting was half way between 4 and 5.

While the pan is heating, peel the plantain and cut it in half the long way (one side will be flat the other side round).

Once the oil is heated up slightly (about the same heat used to fry an egg) place the plantain halves in the oil.  Cook until they are slightly browned, then turn them over.  Once the second side is also slightly browned, turn off the heat.

Remove the plantains from the skillet and let them cool slightly before eating.

Enjoy!

Someone else's view

"Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama throwing democracy's best friends in Afghanistan under the bus" by M. Amin Wahidid and Robert Maier on http://kabulpress.org/my/spip.php?article12192 of May this year gives an interesting perspective of how one of the ethnic groups in Afghanistan are treated. 

The authors suggest that the current Afghan army helps Taliban supporters to actively hurt the Hazara people with the willful ignorance of the U.S.  The article given no solid evidence on the theories that the current Afghan government supports the violence against these people.  Sometimes, locals in a region do know more than clear evidence can state and other times, people just have antagonistic views and conspiracy theories about unpopular politics.  Have the attacks on the Hazara people been ignored by American press, as suggested?  Probably not.  There is a lot of violence in the region and the American press tends to focus on military casualties for the American public interest.  Do Afghan papers report Detroit gang war violence when the Afghan people are far more interested in other issues?  Unlikely.

There is obvious anti-American sentiment in the article, which might reflect an popular opinion that the U.S. needs to leave Afghan as quickly as possible and let the Afghan people feel as though they have control over their country and not just have a puppet regime in place.  The article goes on to give a brief description of some big issue Afghanistan's problems, suggesting that the government is purposely aggravating the situation.  The opium business is also blamed for much of the unrest (which, might I add, the English newspapers do report).

The Hazarajaat people are described in a favorable light as peaceful, productive, and democratic.  For these reasons, the article claims, the people and region is ignored.  An example is given of a  promised highway not being built and other construction issues.  What the authors fail to mention is that if government support did pour in and help the region, what about other pressing issues that also need time focus and money of the government?  Is it more important to develop a rural region, or rebuild major cities?

Also described are the various hardships the Haraza people have/are gone through and (real or imagined) harm done by the government.  The article also suggests possibilities for helping these people, including eliminating their nomadic life style.

 If this these people, these regions, are as positive as described, then support for education, cultivation, women's rights, and other issues would be a boon to support U.S. assistance and give a strong foothold for positive growth in Afghanistan.  Perhaps some other agencies in the U.S. are working with these people, trying to gain and keep support, which cannot otherwise be reported due to covert operation.

This article is recommend to read, if only to give Americans an idea of some of the sentiments and issues face by the people in Afghanistan, NATO, U.S. military, and other groups besides that of roadside bombings.

Never the right time

The BBC article "Iraqi general says planned US troop pull-out 'too soon'" http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-10947918 posted August 12 tells of high ranking officers from the region disagreeing with the currently posted withdraw date for U.S. troops. 

Is the U.S. pulling out too soon, leaving the settings ripe for corruption and more brutality from future leaders?  The argument for troops staying is simple: Iraq is a mess and someone needs to have control.  The projected date for a more appropriate U.S. pullout, according to General Zebari, is 2020.  By this time, he claims, the Iraq army and political system will be ready.   Of course the article points out one reason for staying longer is from all the violent deaths still occurring in the country, but also brings up voting issues in the U.S. (no one wants to look bad, right?).  On the flip side, attacks and deaths have, over-all, been going done, many troops have already left, and there are reports that the Iraqi military is ready to take over after U.S. troops leave in 2011.  The last sentence sums up the article very nicely in saying that no matter at what point/time the U.S. removes the last of their active troops, there will be issues and problems to be dealt with by the Iraqi people.

Sticking to the pull-out date is most likely in the best interest of the U.S. and for Iraq.  The region is known for instability and has a violent history which will be a difficult trend to break whether in one year or in twenty.  Letting the Iraqi people have their country back under their own control will hopefully help the people view the U.S. as an ally that came to assist, not a nation coming to conquer, and  might help solidify a sense of responsibility and ownership for their new government.  Will mistakes be made?  Of course (look at the U.S.: getting into wars for the sake of oil, right?  Which, don't get me wrong, is a valuable asset to the economy and every day life).  Let the people make their own mistakes and (hopefully) learn to correct issues for themselves.  Otherwise, blaming every problem on the "conquering nation" would be all too easy.

Stick to the pull-out date despite insecurities?  Yes.

How much?

The article "Americans may be getting honest about their weight" by Mike Stobbe (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38540537/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/) highlights that the gap between research indicating what people actually weight and what people report themselves as weighing is closing.

The articles suggests that the just over one third of the population that is overweight is getting more "realistic about their weight", meaning that people are just unaware of their true size.  True, most people would seem to rather knowingly ignore weight problems rather than step on the scale and observe how many excess pounds actually have built up.  Simply telling one's self that a few extra pounds can not be so bad, or that they really are not THAT large (comparatively speaking, while searching out larger examples than themselves) is easier and more comforting than watching the red needle on the bathroom floor scale climb steadily higher.  So, with higher reports of self-reported larger people, the article suggests that the American population is becoming more aware of their weight problems.  Which is a good thing!  An excellent first step in making progress towards easing weight problems is to admit there is a problem in the first place.

I would also like to suggest another reason for rising reports of  the self-reported overweight individuals.  Instead of willful ignorance reporting lower weights and education leading to self-realization and growing self-reports of obesity, what about just plain acceptance?    Being overweight is a social stigma.  Yes, fat people get made fun of, there is no denying that.  As more overweight individuals see people who are larger than themselves (not only everyday people, but also well know individuals (think TV)) who are willing to admit that they are overweight, these people who would otherwise stretch the truth feel more empowered to be honest with themselves and with others.  Even in phone interviews with random strangers, people want to appear better than they are and give off a good first impression.  Since society has become more open and acceptable towards being overweight, answering honestly might simple become easier since the research participants would feel less pressure to conform to a thinner social norm.

Test methods for such research are not perfect, as noted in the article, but can lead to interesting speculation about how people in America view obesity.