Moon Rover

This week I read an article about a brand new moon rover that NASA is calling the "Chariot". Compared to lunar vehicles in the past, this piece of machinery is incredibly high-tech and thought out. It includes six wheel drive, an attached pressurized cabin and technology akin to that of SUVs for stability and maneuverability. Past crafts or "buggies" faced a few issues in navigation and traveling capabilities; for instance that the buggy could barely travel 7 miles an hour, did not have rechargable batteries, which in turn restricted its roaming range to less than a 5 mile radius. NASA hopes to put a new team of astronauts back on the moon by 2020, although they may be facing delays after the election this November. Both candidates propose to hold off on lunar exploration. Barack Obama suggests a delay of 5 years so that the money can be used for an educational reform, and John McCain plans to hold off for a year to reduce the federal defecit. No matter when this project gets to actually reach the moon, scientists are continueing to test and improve it. It is currently being test driven through moon-like terrain in Arizona by former lunar buggy drivers so that NASA can get the best imput in design. I found this article quite interesting because space exploration is very important for scientific developement in our society, and it would be really exciting to see more austronauts reach the moon. I was also surprised to find political connections in this article considering the important election we are about to have. Especially for that reason, I would recommend this article to someone who would like more information on the plans of either of the presidential candidates in regard to the scientific future of the US.
LINK to article

Our Favorite Thing to Do

Photography: The Rule of Thirds

I read an article from a photography help site that was about simple things someone can do with their pictures to make them look professional. This article was about the "Rule of Thirds" that can be applied to any camera or used by anyone no matter what skill level. The basic concept is to imagine a three-by-three "tic-tac-toe" grid in the viewfinder of the camera, and line up the subject with one of the lines, making sure to keep it away from the center of the shot. With less obvious subjects like landscapes, especially those with horizons, the same rules apply by simply placing the horizon on one of the grid lines. One method the author Phil Pivnick suggests for learning the grid method is to analyze pictures, either professional or just ones that you like, by drawing the grid on them to visualize how the method works. The "Rule of Thirds" works well for novice photographers, because it is a simple way to improve the appearance of casual pictures and make candid moments become actually pleasant to look at. I found this article very interesting and even helpful for myself, because I enjoy taking pictures very much but have never known any ways to improve them without upgrading equipment or taking classes and such. Now that I am aware of it I will be conscious of this method every time I use a camera, and I believe will enjoy taking pictures much more. I would definitely recommend this article to anyone who is interested in a quick fix for their photography skills.
Link: Photography Rule of Thirds

India's New Buddhists

This Time Magazine article is about a new sect of Buddhism that is flourishing in New Delhi, India. This Buddhist movement is called Soka Gakkai, and is becoming very popular among the more wealthy people of India and surrounding areas. Because early Buddhism focuses on an almost deprived life and rejection of many worldly things, it was not very attractive to the wealthier people groups. Soka Gakkai emphasises "personal affirmation, positive thinking, and the basic Buddhist principles of peace and non-violence" (1). Composed mainly of doctors, scientists and other well-learned people, they meet in members' homes to have community time to simply talk about the struggles of their lives.
Not only Soka Gakkai, but other forms of Buddhism have arisen in India. In these cases, people choose elements of Buddhism like meditation or chanting to take part in, but continue to observe the holidays and traditions they had in the past. This allows people to be part of the Buddhist philosophy while not leaving their family heritage or favorite holiday past times behind. For instance, someone who practices Hinduism could take up Buddhist meditation and not give up their first religion. Because the many new developments in Buddhism, the population of Buddhists have reached high numbers in India. Although the last census recorded a 1.7% Buddhist population, with India's vast number of people that 1.7% is actually 170 million people.
I think that this article was fascinating, especially because I am learning about Buddhism in many areas of school right now. It was valuable to see how the religion is adapting to the current needs of people in different countries, because that makes it applicable to many more people. I would definitely recommend this article to someone because of its understandable and worthwhile information.
Article Link

Thoughts on Homer (Question #1)

I believe that by observing the Homeric characters in The Odyssey, Homer displays an obvious tendency towards sexism. Among the mortal female characters in the poem, they all seem to follow a stereotypical female pattern. For instance, Helen is remembered in The Odyssey by her flighty and unwise behavior from The Iliad. When Telemachus dines with Menelaus and Helen, she reminds us yet again the bad decisions she made to run away with Paris. However, no mention is given to the fact that it was Paris who urged her to leave. This shows us how a focus is put on the role that Helen had in the war, and does not fairly balance out the blame that should be spread between the sexes. The main female mortal in The Odyssey is Penelope, the faithful and adoring wife of Odysseus. Sexism in Homer's writing is revealed when Penelope grieves for, and remains true to her husband while she is surrounded by a crowd of adoring men. Not to mention that there was a serious possibility that her husband, gone for twenty years, is dead. At the same time that Penelope is remaining faithful, Odysseus can't even resist his hostage keeper. While he is stranded on Calypo's island, it is made quite clear that Odysseus did not honor his wife, but slept frequently with the nymph Calypso. This double standard that arises many times throughout Odysseus' journey home is evidence of the favor that Homer gives to his male characters.
Although the goddess Athena is very highly honored and portrayed with numerous strong and respectable qualities, her divinity removes her from the possibility of comparison to any mortal woman. By doing this, Homer creates a character that is an unrealistic fantasy of what women should be. When Athena reveals to the crowd around Telemachus and King Nestor that she is a god by turning into an eagle, she is awed after and revered all the more by those people. Although she portrays a strong woman, we are reminded that she does not necessarily represent women as a whole, but the gods instead. Another immortal, the nymph Calypso, is portrayed as an obsessive and irrational person. When she becomes infuriated with Hermes for forcing her to give up Odysseus, she seems just another love-obsessed woman. Not only does Homer portray her as a stereotypical woman in love, but Homer also reveals the sexism between the gods regarding human relationships. Calypso rants about how all the gods are allowed to steal any mortal maiden that they wish, while she is forced to give up her one love Odysseus. The double standard in this context is an obvious display of sexism in Homer's writing.
Work Cited:
Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. London: Penguin Books,1997.

October 2, 2008

This week I read an editorial from the Time Magazine website about Sarah Palin. The main focus of this article was explaining the many reasons that, according to the author Belinda Luscombe, American women hate her. The author focuses on very petty reasons for such an outpouring of hatred, like the fact that Sarah Palin is pretty, and thus an object of jealousy and anger from less attractive women. Her extreme confidence is also used against her, however Luscombe does acknowledge that "It's almost impossible to get confidence right. Too timid and you're a pushover. Too self-aggrandizing and you're a bad word unless it's about a dog" (1). I found this article very interesting because it addresses issues that although are rather unimportant in the grand scheme of things, are actually on the minds of many voters, whether consciously or not. An interesting snippet into the scandals that are already arising surrounding Sarah Palin was given when the author mentioned that the Pakistani-head-of state "more or less hit on her", followed by this youtube link.
I would definately recomend this article because it gives us a fresh look on the shallow but common thought processes and ideas that are very present in American society today.
Work Cited:
Luscombe, Belinda. "Why Women Hate Sarah Palin." TIME Magazine 02 Oct 2008 2 Oct 2008 http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1846832,00.html.