domingo, 30 de septiembre de 2007
Medea: In the name of love?
Medea, the wife of Jason, as we learn from the myth, was a sorceress. She used her powers for good when she made Jason's father older, but what about her evil actions. According to the myth, as the Argonauts were leaving the kingdom of the Colchis, Medea took her brother and murdered him. She left his bones behind, and when her chasing father saw his murdered son, he stopped his vessels and the Greeks got away. She was also very evil when she killed Jason's uncle, Pelias when his daughters wanted her to make him younger as well. Yes, these actions are atrocious, but I belive Medea commited these murders for love. Would she have killed her own brother had she not been forced to stall her pursuing father? Would she have killed Pelias if he hadn't refused Jason the throne in the first place? Obviously she could've found other ways to escape and get her revenge, but when an occasion arises, you never know what you'll do.
Jason and the Argonauts
What I found really different in this myth was the time specification. In all the other myths I have read up to this point, there is no reference whatsoever to time or even a time period, something I find a bit confusing at times. With this myth we get a little insight into the chronological order of the myths.
Another thing that I found interesting was Jason's father giving up the throne to his brother. Why on Earth, especially in times when the king's word was absolute and pretty much everyone who wasn't a noble lived like crap, would you give up the seed of power? When I got to thinking, however, maybe this is a metaphor that is supposed to teach us a lesson; one which I believe every rich person on Earth should learn. I think it is teaching us that Jason's father wanted to live a normal life and didn't need all the accomodations and riches that went along with his previous place in society. So, why do we, in modern times, choose to live with 80 inch plasma TV's, Ferraris, or cellphones that basically replace your computer? Pop culture, which many people think affects only the U.S., actually affects the whole world because of the United State's influence. Thus, people all over the world feel the need to be seen with the newest, most expensive luxuries. Let's be serious here, why do you need such a fast car when the speed limit doesn't let you go even half the car's speed? Why do you need a TV that covers an entire wall? At the end of the day, the people that you want to impress so badly don't even care about you, and if they do, it is often times just for your money. We need to start to appreciate the small things in life, and not try so much to impress.
Another thing that I found interesting was Jason's father giving up the throne to his brother. Why on Earth, especially in times when the king's word was absolute and pretty much everyone who wasn't a noble lived like crap, would you give up the seed of power? When I got to thinking, however, maybe this is a metaphor that is supposed to teach us a lesson; one which I believe every rich person on Earth should learn. I think it is teaching us that Jason's father wanted to live a normal life and didn't need all the accomodations and riches that went along with his previous place in society. So, why do we, in modern times, choose to live with 80 inch plasma TV's, Ferraris, or cellphones that basically replace your computer? Pop culture, which many people think affects only the U.S., actually affects the whole world because of the United State's influence. Thus, people all over the world feel the need to be seen with the newest, most expensive luxuries. Let's be serious here, why do you need such a fast car when the speed limit doesn't let you go even half the car's speed? Why do you need a TV that covers an entire wall? At the end of the day, the people that you want to impress so badly don't even care about you, and if they do, it is often times just for your money. We need to start to appreciate the small things in life, and not try so much to impress.
jueves, 27 de septiembre de 2007
Etymology Chase
ETYMOLOGY CHASE: If internet use goes with definition, word is in green. If not, it is in red.
Labyrinth: (my definition) A maze or enigma; a puzzle.
Internet Use: "Treated for Illness, Then Lost in Labyrinth of Bills." That is the name of the article. The article is about a woman who suffers from a type of cancer but at a point considered stopping treatment because the treatment required so much paperwork. She was lost in bills and paperwork which basically does go with my definition.
Palladium: (dictionary definition) A safeguard, especially one viewed as a guarantee of the integrity of social institutions.
Internet Use: "Microsoft recently announced Palladium, a plan for creating secure computing platforms." Since the plan is for creating secure computin platforms, it goes with the definition of safeguard.
Museum: (my definition) Place where historic articles or pieces of art are kept and displayed to the public.
Internet Use: "Jacques Chirac created a museum devoted to African, Asian, Oceanic and pre-Columbian art at Quai Branly beside the Eiffel Tower." This says that the museum is devoted to the art of those different places, so it matches my definition.
Narcissism: (my definition) To be in love with one's self.
Internet Use: "That doesn’t make him any different from any other bubble boy with a fat paycheck and the slavish attention of a media that mocks his narcissism by publishing articles about his narcissism." This is talking about a movie director in an article about the film "Lady in the Water." This sort of does go with my definition because it talks about how the media makes fun of how he displays himself in movies. It doesn't directly say that the director is in love with himself, but the article is making the point that he puts a lot of himself in his films, and thus by portraying himself, it kind of goes with my definition.
Odyssey: (my definition) A long journey containing many obstacles; an adventure.
Internet Use: "A Fly-Fisherman’s Odyssey" That is the name of the article in which a fisherman goes fishing in the streams where Homer's nymphs were supposed to be. It is about how he doesn't find fish in one river so he heads to another and so forth. It was an adventure for him, and thus it goes perfectly with my definition of the word.
Meander: (my definition) Wandering around in search for something.
Internet Use: "A newly created 25,668-acre nature preserve along the Little Pee Dee River in South Carolina allows visitors to meander among spooky trees and chilly black water." In an article about South Carolina touring, the word meander, by the context, seems like it means to walk around/wander. It doesn't necessarily specify to look for something, but I hit it right in the wandering part.
Protean: (my definition) Heroic; adventurous
Internet Use: "But it has a formal freedom unprecedented in Johnson's public works, as if he has found an esthetic sufficiently protean to express his promiscuous love of shapes." By the context, I can't really tell what protean means, but it doesn't look like it means heroic or adventurous.
Actual Meaning: Readily assuming different forms or characters; extremely variable;
changeable in shape or form, as an amoeba. This definition goes with the context perfectly, and I understand how the author used it.
Stoical: (my definition) Showing no emotion; plain
Internet Use: "More and more, the shrewdest thinkers and artists are precocious archeologists of ... ruins-in-the-making, indignant or stoical diagnosticians of defeat, enigmatic choreographers of the complex spiritual movements useful for individual survival in an era or permanent apocalypse." Although this sentence doesn't really show the definition by the context, it could be what it means, and the dictionary defines stoical very similarly to what I defined it as.
Herculean: (my definition) Heroic; strong or capable.
Internet Use: "I don’t think anybody can say I haven’t made a Herculean effort," Selig said. Using the context, I beleive this could mean strong, and thus my definition is correct or close to what it is.
Laconic: (my definition) Using few words; brief
Internet Use: "Mr. Scott, slender and 6-foot-2, was as laconic off screen as he was in his westerns. ''Frankly, I don't like publicity,'' he said in a 1961 interview." This goes with my definition because he uses few words in the quote.
Zephyr: (my definition) A precious blue rock.
Internet Use: All articles in the New York Times that I could find didn't have Zephyr in the context of my definition. All the articles I found used Zephyr as a proper name.
Actual Definition: a gentle, mild breeze; (initial capital letter) Literary. the west wind.
any of various things of fine, light quality, as fabric, yarn, etc.
Nemesis: (my definition) Big enemy; opposite equal.
Internet Use: "A Nemesis of Matsuzaka May Intrigue the Yankees" This is the name of an article that talks about a first baseman that did exceptionally well against Daisuke Matsuzaka, a pitcher of the Boston Red Sox. The player is someone who does good against Matsuzaka, and is thus his rival or opposite equal.
Flora: (my definition) Plant life; trees, flowers, plants, etc.
Internet Use: "As the couple, who have an 11-year-old daughter, set out to remodel the bigger house, Ms. Russo hired a garden designer to help her identify the tangle of flora that grew around the houses and along a steep hillside." In the context, the word flora probably means plants, or bushes or something of the sort.
Ambrosia: (my definition) A type of plant; herb
Internet Use: "He often ordered two or three gin martinis first, so he was well oiled by the time the food came, and I always ordered the same thing: shrimp rémoulade, chicken Rochambeau and ambrosia." I believe this does match my definition because it is being used as a food, and an herb is eatable. While it probably is not the exact definition, I probably have something close.
Hermetic: (my definition) Temperature isolated.
Internet Use: "A hermetic seal is the main reason the Kim dynasty has survived so long. When I arrived at Pyongyang airport, I was obliged to hand over my cellphones and satellite phones, to be picked up on my departure. Even many senior government officials have no access to the Internet." This matches my definition in the isolated part. The context has nothing to do with temperature, but it is saying that North Korea is isolated from the world.
Promethean: (my definition) Someone who starts something; innovative.
Internet Use: "The audience needs to be told what operations of accident, fate and Promethean technological hubris caused a given mild-mannered misfit to acquire his monstrous and misunderstood gifts." In this context the word Promethean most probably means innovative or new.
Nectar: (my definition) The liquid that comes out of a flower; some type of juice.
Internet Use: "Now, in a mystery worthy of Agatha Christie, bees are flying off in search of pollen and nectar and simply never returning to their colonies." Bees eat the liquid that comes out of flowers, and that is called nectar as we cann see in this article.
Sibylline: (dictionary definition) Of, resembling, or characteristic of a sibyl; prophetic; oracular; mysterious or cryptic.
Internet Use: "Like many of the sibylline messages of mythology, these kinetic tidings were hauntingly mysterious." This matches the definition because it uses mysterious and talks about mythology, the two basic components that make up the definition of the word.
Tantalize: (my definition) To torture or tease.
Internet Use: "Photos of a Saturn Moon Both Tantalize and Confuse" This is the title of an article that talks about Saturn's Moon, Titan. Scientists are confused because of its appearence and are tantalized thinking there is life. Thus, they are being teased somewhat by what they see.
Delphic: (dictionary definition) Of or pertaining to Delphi. Of or pertaining to Apollo, or to his temples or oracles. (often lowercase) Oracular; obscure; ambiguous
Internet Use: " In short, he was Delphic, and his supporters and critics each ended the day saying his performance had hardened their enthusiasm or their doubts." I believe this matches the definition because it could be pertaining to the fact that he was ambigious or obscure.
Halycon: (dictionary definition) NOT FOUND...
Platonic: (my definition) Something that is very hard to accomplish; impossible
Internet Use: " Their friendship, however, seemed strengthened by remaining platonic." By the context of this sentence, it appears my definition is wrong.
Actual Definition: Purely spiritual; free from sensual desire, esp. in a relationship between two persons of the opposite sex.
Draconian: (my definition) Devilish or mean; also someone who is a very hard worker.
Internet Use: "The folks at MOFTB can be a bit draconian sometimes but they’re no dummies." In this sentence, the context tells us that draconian means either evil, mean, or any other word of that sort.
Calypso: (dictionary definition) A musical style of West Indian origin, influenced by jazz, usually having topical, often improvised, lyrics. To sing or dance to calypso.
Internet Use: "POP MUSIC; In Trinidad, 'Calypso Diplomacy' With a Beat" This is the title of an article about Trinidad. Since it uses Calypso and music in the same sentence, the definition must be correct.
Up to this point, all definitions are from the dictionary because my group and I didn't have enough time to get definitions for the rest of the words.
Amazon: A river in N South America, flowing E from the Peruvian Andes through N Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean: the largest river in the world in volume of water carried. 3900 mi. (6280 km) long.
Classical Mythology. one of a race of female warriors said to dwell near the Black Sea.
One of a fabled tribe of female warriors in South America.
A tall, powerful, aggressive woman.
Internet Use: "Most forests in the Amazon River basin grew greener in 2005 even as a potent drought caused the waterways in the region to shrivel to a 100-year low, scientists said in a paper published in the online journal ScienceExpress."
Siren: A seductively beautiful or charming woman, esp. one who beguiles men: a siren of the silver screen.
An acoustical instrument for producing musical tones, consisting essentially of a disk pierced with holes arranged equidistantly in a circle, rotated over a jet or stream of compressed air, steam, or the like, so that the stream is alternately interrupted and allowed to pass.
An implement of this kind used as a whistle, fog signal, or warning device.
Internet Use: "The Siren Song of Mali"
Mercurial: Changeable; volatile; fickle; flighty; erratic: a mercurial nature.
Animated; lively; sprightly; quick-witted.
Pertaining to, containing, or caused by the metal mercury.
Of or pertaining to the planet Mercury.
Internet Use: "Barry Bonds, the mercurial and sometimes temperamental Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder, admitted today that he unwittingly rubs many people the wrong way."
Procrustean: Tending to produce conformity by violent or arbitrary means.
Internet Use: "I am struck dumb (well, almost) by Carolyn Heilbrun's attempt to force not only ''Richard III'' but all of Shakespeare into her Procrustean bed of good women/evil men."
Aurora: Meteorology. a radiant emission from the upper atmosphere that occurs sporadically over the middle and high latitudes of both hemispheres in the form of luminous bands, streamers, or the like, caused by the bombardment of the atmosphere with charged solar particles that are being guided along the earth's magnetic lines of force.
Internet Use: "Invasive cane toads on the move, the far-flung impacts of El Niño, auroras on Mars and the lingering effects of arsenic."
Iridescent: Displaying a play of lustrous colors like those of the rainbow. –noun. An iridescent cloth, material, or other substance
Internet Use: "His ties have been dipped in colors unknown in these parts: iridescent violet, gold, peacock blue."
Panacea: A remedy for all disease or ills; cure-all. An answer or solution for all problems or difficulties.
Internet Use: "Few Expect a Panacea in a Rate Cut by the Fed"
Lethargy: (my definition) Laziness
Internet Use: "When Peter blackmails Senator Stiles to secure a House seat, Tim rouses himself from his lethargy to fight Peter politically."
Gorgons: A woman regarded as ugly or terrifying.
Internet Use: "Where snake-coiffed gorgons present themselves to wary hairdressers."
Harpies: A scolding, nagging, bad-tempered woman; shrew. A greedy, predatory person.
Internet Use: "Under Robert B. Sinclair's able direction, some excellent actresses give stingingly detailed pictures of some of the most odious harpies ever collected in one play"
Hydra: A persistent or many-sided problem that presents new obstacles as soon as one aspect is solved.
Internet Use: "The New York Waterway group is planning to buy a modern model, known as a Hydra-Terra, that is manufactured near Rochester, holds 45 passengers and costs about $200,000. "
Lycanthrope: A person affected with lycanthropy. A werewolf or alien spirit in the physical form of a bloodthirsty wolf.
Internet Use: "The son of fortune teller Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya), Bela was a lycanthrope, or 'wolf man.' "
Martial: Inclined or disposed to war; warlike. Of, suitable for, or associated with war or the armed forces. Characteristic of or befitting a warrior.
Internet Use: "But “The Jaded Assassin,” Michael Voyer’s innovative martial-arts fantasy, is all about the battles."
Sophistry: A subtle, tricky, superficially plausible, but generally fallacious method of reasoning. A false argument; sophism.
Internet Use: "With more sophistry than poetry, Oliver Stone apotheosizes these trash archetypes in "Natural Born Killers," his supposed satire about an America despoiled by violence and exploitation."
Fauna: The animals of a given region or period considered as a whole. A treatise on the animals of a given region or period.
Internet Use: "On Madagascar, a Treasury of Fauna and Flora"
Stentorian: Very loud or powerful in sound.
Internet Use: "As a curator, Mr. Szarkowski loomed large, with a stentorian voice and a raconteurial style."
Pyrrhic: Of or relating to a war dance of ancient Greece; of or relating to or containing a metrical foot of two unstressed syllables; of or relating to or resembling Pyrrhus or his exploits (especially his sustaining staggering losses in order to defeat the Romans). A metrical unit with unstressed-unstressed syllables; an ancient Greek dance imitating the motions of warfare.
Internet Use: "MOMA's Pyrrhic Victory"
Victory: A success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war. An engagement ending in such triumph; the ultimate and decisive superiority in any battle or contest; a success or superior position achieved against any opponent, opposition, difficulty, etc.
Internet Use: " 'This is a spectacular victory for Microsoft,'' said David Yoffie, a professor at the Harvard Business School."
Gordian Knot: Pertaining to Gordius, ancient king of Phrygia, who tied a knot (the Gordian knot) that, according to prophecy, was to be undone only by the person who was to rule Asia, and that was cut, rather than untied, by Alexander the Great; resembling the Gordian knot in intricacy.
Internet Use: "I think members of my team listened to the president but did not hear him. And today I have cut the Gordian knot, however difficult it may be.' "
Pandora's Box: A source of extensive but unforeseen troubles or problems.
Internet Use: "Research on Embryos Opens a Pandora's Box"
Cassandra: A person who prophesies doom or disaster.
Internet Use: "You don't have to be a Cassandra to fear for the New York Times"
Sword of Damocles: An impending disaster.
Internet Use: "No matter what the union proposed short of the commissioner's position, he rejected it, knowing the Congressional sword hovered over the players' heads." I think sword is referring to the sword of Damocles.
Achilles Heel: A vulnerable point.
Internet Use: "Giuliani’s Achilles Heel: Immigration"
Oedipus Complex: The positive libidinal feelings of a child toward the parent of the opposite sex and hostile or jealous feelings toward the parent of the same sex that may be a source of adult personality disorder when unresolved.
Internet Use: "Howard G Schneiderman letter contends that before feminists and others write off Freud and Oedipus complex as irrelevant, they should re-read him carefully."
Midas: A person of great wealth or great moneymaking ability.
Internet Use: "The Midas Touch"
Hades: The underworld inhabited by departed souls. The abode or state of the dead; hell. The god ruling the underworld; Pluto.
Internet Use: "One poignant spot at the sanctuary is Kallichoron Well, where the goddess Demeter wept over the loss of her daughter, whom Hades (Pluto) spirited away."
Spartan: Brave; undaunted. Of or pertaining to Sparta or its people. Sggestive of the ancient Spartans; sternly disciplined and rigorously simple, frugal, or austere.
Internet Use: "It was clear where the money had been spent, and it wasn't in the spartan rooms. "
Titanic: Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the Titans. Of enormous size, strentgth, power, etc; gigantic.
Internet Use: "The White Star liner Olympic reports by wireless this evening that the Cunarder Carpathia reached, at daybreak this morning, the position from which wireless calls for help were sent out last night by the Titanic after her collision with an iceberg." The boat was probably called Titanic because of its enormous size.
Marathon: A foot race over a course measuring 26 mi. 385 yd. (42 km 195 m). Any long-distance race.Any contest, event, or the like, of great, or greater than normal length or duration or requiring exceptional endurance.
Internet Use: "News about the New York City Marathon, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times."
Labyrinth: (my definition) A maze or enigma; a puzzle.
Internet Use: "Treated for Illness, Then Lost in Labyrinth of Bills." That is the name of the article. The article is about a woman who suffers from a type of cancer but at a point considered stopping treatment because the treatment required so much paperwork. She was lost in bills and paperwork which basically does go with my definition.
Palladium: (dictionary definition) A safeguard, especially one viewed as a guarantee of the integrity of social institutions.
Internet Use: "Microsoft recently announced Palladium, a plan for creating secure computing platforms." Since the plan is for creating secure computin platforms, it goes with the definition of safeguard.
Museum: (my definition) Place where historic articles or pieces of art are kept and displayed to the public.
Internet Use: "Jacques Chirac created a museum devoted to African, Asian, Oceanic and pre-Columbian art at Quai Branly beside the Eiffel Tower." This says that the museum is devoted to the art of those different places, so it matches my definition.
Narcissism: (my definition) To be in love with one's self.
Internet Use: "That doesn’t make him any different from any other bubble boy with a fat paycheck and the slavish attention of a media that mocks his narcissism by publishing articles about his narcissism." This is talking about a movie director in an article about the film "Lady in the Water." This sort of does go with my definition because it talks about how the media makes fun of how he displays himself in movies. It doesn't directly say that the director is in love with himself, but the article is making the point that he puts a lot of himself in his films, and thus by portraying himself, it kind of goes with my definition.
Odyssey: (my definition) A long journey containing many obstacles; an adventure.
Internet Use: "A Fly-Fisherman’s Odyssey" That is the name of the article in which a fisherman goes fishing in the streams where Homer's nymphs were supposed to be. It is about how he doesn't find fish in one river so he heads to another and so forth. It was an adventure for him, and thus it goes perfectly with my definition of the word.
Meander: (my definition) Wandering around in search for something.
Internet Use: "A newly created 25,668-acre nature preserve along the Little Pee Dee River in South Carolina allows visitors to meander among spooky trees and chilly black water." In an article about South Carolina touring, the word meander, by the context, seems like it means to walk around/wander. It doesn't necessarily specify to look for something, but I hit it right in the wandering part.
Protean: (my definition) Heroic; adventurous
Internet Use: "But it has a formal freedom unprecedented in Johnson's public works, as if he has found an esthetic sufficiently protean to express his promiscuous love of shapes." By the context, I can't really tell what protean means, but it doesn't look like it means heroic or adventurous.
Actual Meaning: Readily assuming different forms or characters; extremely variable;
changeable in shape or form, as an amoeba. This definition goes with the context perfectly, and I understand how the author used it.
Stoical: (my definition) Showing no emotion; plain
Internet Use: "More and more, the shrewdest thinkers and artists are precocious archeologists of ... ruins-in-the-making, indignant or stoical diagnosticians of defeat, enigmatic choreographers of the complex spiritual movements useful for individual survival in an era or permanent apocalypse." Although this sentence doesn't really show the definition by the context, it could be what it means, and the dictionary defines stoical very similarly to what I defined it as.
Herculean: (my definition) Heroic; strong or capable.
Internet Use: "I don’t think anybody can say I haven’t made a Herculean effort," Selig said. Using the context, I beleive this could mean strong, and thus my definition is correct or close to what it is.
Laconic: (my definition) Using few words; brief
Internet Use: "Mr. Scott, slender and 6-foot-2, was as laconic off screen as he was in his westerns. ''Frankly, I don't like publicity,'' he said in a 1961 interview." This goes with my definition because he uses few words in the quote.
Zephyr: (my definition) A precious blue rock.
Internet Use: All articles in the New York Times that I could find didn't have Zephyr in the context of my definition. All the articles I found used Zephyr as a proper name.
Actual Definition: a gentle, mild breeze; (initial capital letter) Literary. the west wind.
any of various things of fine, light quality, as fabric, yarn, etc.
Nemesis: (my definition) Big enemy; opposite equal.
Internet Use: "A Nemesis of Matsuzaka May Intrigue the Yankees" This is the name of an article that talks about a first baseman that did exceptionally well against Daisuke Matsuzaka, a pitcher of the Boston Red Sox. The player is someone who does good against Matsuzaka, and is thus his rival or opposite equal.
Flora: (my definition) Plant life; trees, flowers, plants, etc.
Internet Use: "As the couple, who have an 11-year-old daughter, set out to remodel the bigger house, Ms. Russo hired a garden designer to help her identify the tangle of flora that grew around the houses and along a steep hillside." In the context, the word flora probably means plants, or bushes or something of the sort.
Ambrosia: (my definition) A type of plant; herb
Internet Use: "He often ordered two or three gin martinis first, so he was well oiled by the time the food came, and I always ordered the same thing: shrimp rémoulade, chicken Rochambeau and ambrosia." I believe this does match my definition because it is being used as a food, and an herb is eatable. While it probably is not the exact definition, I probably have something close.
Hermetic: (my definition) Temperature isolated.
Internet Use: "A hermetic seal is the main reason the Kim dynasty has survived so long. When I arrived at Pyongyang airport, I was obliged to hand over my cellphones and satellite phones, to be picked up on my departure. Even many senior government officials have no access to the Internet." This matches my definition in the isolated part. The context has nothing to do with temperature, but it is saying that North Korea is isolated from the world.
Promethean: (my definition) Someone who starts something; innovative.
Internet Use: "The audience needs to be told what operations of accident, fate and Promethean technological hubris caused a given mild-mannered misfit to acquire his monstrous and misunderstood gifts." In this context the word Promethean most probably means innovative or new.
Nectar: (my definition) The liquid that comes out of a flower; some type of juice.
Internet Use: "Now, in a mystery worthy of Agatha Christie, bees are flying off in search of pollen and nectar and simply never returning to their colonies." Bees eat the liquid that comes out of flowers, and that is called nectar as we cann see in this article.
Sibylline: (dictionary definition) Of, resembling, or characteristic of a sibyl; prophetic; oracular; mysterious or cryptic.
Internet Use: "Like many of the sibylline messages of mythology, these kinetic tidings were hauntingly mysterious." This matches the definition because it uses mysterious and talks about mythology, the two basic components that make up the definition of the word.
Tantalize: (my definition) To torture or tease.
Internet Use: "Photos of a Saturn Moon Both Tantalize and Confuse" This is the title of an article that talks about Saturn's Moon, Titan. Scientists are confused because of its appearence and are tantalized thinking there is life. Thus, they are being teased somewhat by what they see.
Delphic: (dictionary definition) Of or pertaining to Delphi. Of or pertaining to Apollo, or to his temples or oracles. (often lowercase) Oracular; obscure; ambiguous
Internet Use: " In short, he was Delphic, and his supporters and critics each ended the day saying his performance had hardened their enthusiasm or their doubts." I believe this matches the definition because it could be pertaining to the fact that he was ambigious or obscure.
Halycon: (dictionary definition) NOT FOUND...
Platonic: (my definition) Something that is very hard to accomplish; impossible
Internet Use: " Their friendship, however, seemed strengthened by remaining platonic." By the context of this sentence, it appears my definition is wrong.
Actual Definition: Purely spiritual; free from sensual desire, esp. in a relationship between two persons of the opposite sex.
Draconian: (my definition) Devilish or mean; also someone who is a very hard worker.
Internet Use: "The folks at MOFTB can be a bit draconian sometimes but they’re no dummies." In this sentence, the context tells us that draconian means either evil, mean, or any other word of that sort.
Calypso: (dictionary definition) A musical style of West Indian origin, influenced by jazz, usually having topical, often improvised, lyrics. To sing or dance to calypso.
Internet Use: "POP MUSIC; In Trinidad, 'Calypso Diplomacy' With a Beat" This is the title of an article about Trinidad. Since it uses Calypso and music in the same sentence, the definition must be correct.
Up to this point, all definitions are from the dictionary because my group and I didn't have enough time to get definitions for the rest of the words.
Amazon: A river in N South America, flowing E from the Peruvian Andes through N Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean: the largest river in the world in volume of water carried. 3900 mi. (6280 km) long.
Classical Mythology. one of a race of female warriors said to dwell near the Black Sea.
One of a fabled tribe of female warriors in South America.
A tall, powerful, aggressive woman.
Internet Use: "Most forests in the Amazon River basin grew greener in 2005 even as a potent drought caused the waterways in the region to shrivel to a 100-year low, scientists said in a paper published in the online journal ScienceExpress."
Siren: A seductively beautiful or charming woman, esp. one who beguiles men: a siren of the silver screen.
An acoustical instrument for producing musical tones, consisting essentially of a disk pierced with holes arranged equidistantly in a circle, rotated over a jet or stream of compressed air, steam, or the like, so that the stream is alternately interrupted and allowed to pass.
An implement of this kind used as a whistle, fog signal, or warning device.
Internet Use: "The Siren Song of Mali"
Mercurial: Changeable; volatile; fickle; flighty; erratic: a mercurial nature.
Animated; lively; sprightly; quick-witted.
Pertaining to, containing, or caused by the metal mercury.
Of or pertaining to the planet Mercury.
Internet Use: "Barry Bonds, the mercurial and sometimes temperamental Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder, admitted today that he unwittingly rubs many people the wrong way."
Procrustean: Tending to produce conformity by violent or arbitrary means.
Internet Use: "I am struck dumb (well, almost) by Carolyn Heilbrun's attempt to force not only ''Richard III'' but all of Shakespeare into her Procrustean bed of good women/evil men."
Aurora: Meteorology. a radiant emission from the upper atmosphere that occurs sporadically over the middle and high latitudes of both hemispheres in the form of luminous bands, streamers, or the like, caused by the bombardment of the atmosphere with charged solar particles that are being guided along the earth's magnetic lines of force.
Internet Use: "Invasive cane toads on the move, the far-flung impacts of El Niño, auroras on Mars and the lingering effects of arsenic."
Iridescent: Displaying a play of lustrous colors like those of the rainbow. –noun. An iridescent cloth, material, or other substance
Internet Use: "His ties have been dipped in colors unknown in these parts: iridescent violet, gold, peacock blue."
Panacea: A remedy for all disease or ills; cure-all. An answer or solution for all problems or difficulties.
Internet Use: "Few Expect a Panacea in a Rate Cut by the Fed"
Lethargy: (my definition) Laziness
Internet Use: "When Peter blackmails Senator Stiles to secure a House seat, Tim rouses himself from his lethargy to fight Peter politically."
Gorgons: A woman regarded as ugly or terrifying.
Internet Use: "Where snake-coiffed gorgons present themselves to wary hairdressers."
Harpies: A scolding, nagging, bad-tempered woman; shrew. A greedy, predatory person.
Internet Use: "Under Robert B. Sinclair's able direction, some excellent actresses give stingingly detailed pictures of some of the most odious harpies ever collected in one play"
Hydra: A persistent or many-sided problem that presents new obstacles as soon as one aspect is solved.
Internet Use: "The New York Waterway group is planning to buy a modern model, known as a Hydra-Terra, that is manufactured near Rochester, holds 45 passengers and costs about $200,000. "
Lycanthrope: A person affected with lycanthropy. A werewolf or alien spirit in the physical form of a bloodthirsty wolf.
Internet Use: "The son of fortune teller Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya), Bela was a lycanthrope, or 'wolf man.' "
Martial: Inclined or disposed to war; warlike. Of, suitable for, or associated with war or the armed forces. Characteristic of or befitting a warrior.
Internet Use: "But “The Jaded Assassin,” Michael Voyer’s innovative martial-arts fantasy, is all about the battles."
Sophistry: A subtle, tricky, superficially plausible, but generally fallacious method of reasoning. A false argument; sophism.
Internet Use: "With more sophistry than poetry, Oliver Stone apotheosizes these trash archetypes in "Natural Born Killers," his supposed satire about an America despoiled by violence and exploitation."
Fauna: The animals of a given region or period considered as a whole. A treatise on the animals of a given region or period.
Internet Use: "On Madagascar, a Treasury of Fauna and Flora"
Stentorian: Very loud or powerful in sound.
Internet Use: "As a curator, Mr. Szarkowski loomed large, with a stentorian voice and a raconteurial style."
Pyrrhic: Of or relating to a war dance of ancient Greece; of or relating to or containing a metrical foot of two unstressed syllables; of or relating to or resembling Pyrrhus or his exploits (especially his sustaining staggering losses in order to defeat the Romans). A metrical unit with unstressed-unstressed syllables; an ancient Greek dance imitating the motions of warfare.
Internet Use: "MOMA's Pyrrhic Victory"
Victory: A success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war. An engagement ending in such triumph; the ultimate and decisive superiority in any battle or contest; a success or superior position achieved against any opponent, opposition, difficulty, etc.
Internet Use: " 'This is a spectacular victory for Microsoft,'' said David Yoffie, a professor at the Harvard Business School."
Gordian Knot: Pertaining to Gordius, ancient king of Phrygia, who tied a knot (the Gordian knot) that, according to prophecy, was to be undone only by the person who was to rule Asia, and that was cut, rather than untied, by Alexander the Great; resembling the Gordian knot in intricacy.
Internet Use: "I think members of my team listened to the president but did not hear him. And today I have cut the Gordian knot, however difficult it may be.' "
Pandora's Box: A source of extensive but unforeseen troubles or problems.
Internet Use: "Research on Embryos Opens a Pandora's Box"
Cassandra: A person who prophesies doom or disaster.
Internet Use: "You don't have to be a Cassandra to fear for the New York Times"
Sword of Damocles: An impending disaster.
Internet Use: "No matter what the union proposed short of the commissioner's position, he rejected it, knowing the Congressional sword hovered over the players' heads." I think sword is referring to the sword of Damocles.
Achilles Heel: A vulnerable point.
Internet Use: "Giuliani’s Achilles Heel: Immigration"
Oedipus Complex: The positive libidinal feelings of a child toward the parent of the opposite sex and hostile or jealous feelings toward the parent of the same sex that may be a source of adult personality disorder when unresolved.
Internet Use: "Howard G Schneiderman letter contends that before feminists and others write off Freud and Oedipus complex as irrelevant, they should re-read him carefully."
Midas: A person of great wealth or great moneymaking ability.
Internet Use: "The Midas Touch"
Hades: The underworld inhabited by departed souls. The abode or state of the dead; hell. The god ruling the underworld; Pluto.
Internet Use: "One poignant spot at the sanctuary is Kallichoron Well, where the goddess Demeter wept over the loss of her daughter, whom Hades (Pluto) spirited away."
Spartan: Brave; undaunted. Of or pertaining to Sparta or its people. Sggestive of the ancient Spartans; sternly disciplined and rigorously simple, frugal, or austere.
Internet Use: "It was clear where the money had been spent, and it wasn't in the spartan rooms. "
Titanic: Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the Titans. Of enormous size, strentgth, power, etc; gigantic.
Internet Use: "The White Star liner Olympic reports by wireless this evening that the Cunarder Carpathia reached, at daybreak this morning, the position from which wireless calls for help were sent out last night by the Titanic after her collision with an iceberg." The boat was probably called Titanic because of its enormous size.
Marathon: A foot race over a course measuring 26 mi. 385 yd. (42 km 195 m). Any long-distance race.Any contest, event, or the like, of great, or greater than normal length or duration or requiring exceptional endurance.
Internet Use: "News about the New York City Marathon, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times."
miércoles, 26 de septiembre de 2007
Fallacies
China today is entering a really delicate phase on the climate-energy issue — the phase I like to call “The Wal-Mart environmental moment.” I wish the same could be said of America and President Bush.
Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Thomas L. Friedman
The “Wal-Mart environmental moment” starts with the C.E.O. adopting a green branding strategy as a purely defensive, public relations, marketing move. Then an accident happens — someone in the shipping department takes it seriously and comes up with a new way to package the latest product and saves $100,000. This gets the attention of the C.E.O., who turns to his P.R. adviser and says, “Well, isn’t that interesting? Get me a sustainability expert. Let’s do this some more.”
There are really no fallacies in this paragraph.
The company then hires a sustainability officer, and he starts showing how green design, manufacturing and materials can save money in other areas. Then the really smart C.E.O.’s realize they have to become their own C.E.O. — chief energy officer — and they start demanding that energy efficiency become core to everything the company does, from how its employees travel to how its products are manufactured.
That is the transition that Lee Scott, Wal-Mart’s C.E.O., has presided over in the past few years.
I don't see any fallacies in this paragraph eithe. The author is using all his points up to this moment very well.
Last July, Mr. Scott was visiting a Wal-Mart in Las Vegas on a day when the temperature was more than 100 degrees. He happened to notice that a Wal-Mart staple — inexpensive Styrofoam coolers — were not being promoted by the store’s associates. As Andrew Ruben, Wal-Mart’s vice president for sustainability, told me: “Lee walked into the store and said, ‘It’s 105 degrees. Why aren’t we selling any coolers?’ The associates said, ‘We don’t want to sell Styrofoam coolers because of their impact on the environment.’ So Lee called us afterwards and said: ‘We’re going to have to figure this out.’ By that he meant innovation of a different kind of cooler” that doesn’t come from petroleum-based Styrofoam, which is not biodegradable and usually not recycled.
There still aren't any fallacies that I have been able to detect so far. The author hasn't really tried convincing us of anything yet and is simply stating facts that will lead to his persuasion later on.
Wal-Mart on Monday also announced a partnership with the Carbon Disclosure Project (C.D.P.) to measure the amount of energy used to create products throughout its supply chain — many of which come from China.
Said C.D.P. Chief Executive Paul Dickinson: “Wal-Mart will encourage its suppliers to measure and manage their greenhouse gas emissions, and ultimately reduce the total carbon footprint of Wal-Mart’s indirect emissions. We look forward to other global corporations following Wal-Mart’s lead.”
The same case followed into this paragraph.
China’s leadership is not where Lee Scott is yet. Chinese officials still put their highest priority on growing G.D.P. — their bottom line. But for the first time, the costs of this breakneck growth are becoming so obvious on China’s air, glaciers and rivers that the leadership asked for briefings on global warming. Many Chinese mayors are looking to get clean-technology industries — like wind turbines and solar — started in their cities.
At such a key time, if the U.S. government adopted a real carbon-reducing strategy, as California and Wal-Mart have, rather than the obfuscations of the Bush team, it would have a huge impact on China and only trigger more innovation in America.
I don't see fallacies in these two paragraphs either. I guess it could use a little of the "Bandwagon" fallacy in saying that America needs to hop on the bandwagon because Wal-Mart and California are doing it.
Mr. Bush will be convening his climate photo op — oops, I mean “conference” — in Washington tomorrow, which will include Chinese and Indian officials. But, as Rob Watson, the C.E.O. of EcoTech International, which works on environmental issues in China put it: “The Chinese are not going to take anything we say seriously if we don’t set an example ourselves.”
I believe this could be a personal attack to President Bush. He is saying that being the person he is, Bush doesn't care about the climate and is only at the conference to look good.
David Moskovitz, who directs the Regulatory Assistance Project, a nonprofit that helps promote green policies in China, was even more blunt: “The most frequent and difficult question we get in China with every policy initiative we put forward is: ‘If it is so good, why aren’t you doing it?’ It’s hard to answer — and somewhat embarrassing. So we point to good examples that some American states, or cities, or companies are implementing — but not to the federal government. We can’t point to America.”
I cannot point out any fallacies in that paragraph either, and I am beginning to notice that the author is good enough that he doesn't really use fallacies.
Too bad. “It was America which put environmentalism on the world’s agenda in the 1970s and
’80s,” recalled Glenn Prickett, a senior vice president for Conservation International. “But since then, somehow, the wealthiest and most powerful country on the planet has gone to the back of the line.”
The author didn't commit any fallacies in this paragraph either.
Leadership is about “follow me” not “after you.” Getting our national climate regulations in order is necessary, but it will not be sufficient to move China. We have to show them what Wal-Mart is showing its competitors — that green is not just right for the world, it is better, more profitable, more healthy, more innovative, more efficient, more successful. If Wal-Mart can lead, and California can lead, why can’t America?
In this final paragraph, the author uses a lot of logic and no fallacies. Overall it was a perfectly written article with little to no fallacies if I am not mistaken.
Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Thomas L. Friedman
The “Wal-Mart environmental moment” starts with the C.E.O. adopting a green branding strategy as a purely defensive, public relations, marketing move. Then an accident happens — someone in the shipping department takes it seriously and comes up with a new way to package the latest product and saves $100,000. This gets the attention of the C.E.O., who turns to his P.R. adviser and says, “Well, isn’t that interesting? Get me a sustainability expert. Let’s do this some more.”
There are really no fallacies in this paragraph.
The company then hires a sustainability officer, and he starts showing how green design, manufacturing and materials can save money in other areas. Then the really smart C.E.O.’s realize they have to become their own C.E.O. — chief energy officer — and they start demanding that energy efficiency become core to everything the company does, from how its employees travel to how its products are manufactured.
That is the transition that Lee Scott, Wal-Mart’s C.E.O., has presided over in the past few years.
I don't see any fallacies in this paragraph eithe. The author is using all his points up to this moment very well.
Last July, Mr. Scott was visiting a Wal-Mart in Las Vegas on a day when the temperature was more than 100 degrees. He happened to notice that a Wal-Mart staple — inexpensive Styrofoam coolers — were not being promoted by the store’s associates. As Andrew Ruben, Wal-Mart’s vice president for sustainability, told me: “Lee walked into the store and said, ‘It’s 105 degrees. Why aren’t we selling any coolers?’ The associates said, ‘We don’t want to sell Styrofoam coolers because of their impact on the environment.’ So Lee called us afterwards and said: ‘We’re going to have to figure this out.’ By that he meant innovation of a different kind of cooler” that doesn’t come from petroleum-based Styrofoam, which is not biodegradable and usually not recycled.
There still aren't any fallacies that I have been able to detect so far. The author hasn't really tried convincing us of anything yet and is simply stating facts that will lead to his persuasion later on.
Wal-Mart on Monday also announced a partnership with the Carbon Disclosure Project (C.D.P.) to measure the amount of energy used to create products throughout its supply chain — many of which come from China.
Said C.D.P. Chief Executive Paul Dickinson: “Wal-Mart will encourage its suppliers to measure and manage their greenhouse gas emissions, and ultimately reduce the total carbon footprint of Wal-Mart’s indirect emissions. We look forward to other global corporations following Wal-Mart’s lead.”
The same case followed into this paragraph.
China’s leadership is not where Lee Scott is yet. Chinese officials still put their highest priority on growing G.D.P. — their bottom line. But for the first time, the costs of this breakneck growth are becoming so obvious on China’s air, glaciers and rivers that the leadership asked for briefings on global warming. Many Chinese mayors are looking to get clean-technology industries — like wind turbines and solar — started in their cities.
At such a key time, if the U.S. government adopted a real carbon-reducing strategy, as California and Wal-Mart have, rather than the obfuscations of the Bush team, it would have a huge impact on China and only trigger more innovation in America.
I don't see fallacies in these two paragraphs either. I guess it could use a little of the "Bandwagon" fallacy in saying that America needs to hop on the bandwagon because Wal-Mart and California are doing it.
Mr. Bush will be convening his climate photo op — oops, I mean “conference” — in Washington tomorrow, which will include Chinese and Indian officials. But, as Rob Watson, the C.E.O. of EcoTech International, which works on environmental issues in China put it: “The Chinese are not going to take anything we say seriously if we don’t set an example ourselves.”
I believe this could be a personal attack to President Bush. He is saying that being the person he is, Bush doesn't care about the climate and is only at the conference to look good.
David Moskovitz, who directs the Regulatory Assistance Project, a nonprofit that helps promote green policies in China, was even more blunt: “The most frequent and difficult question we get in China with every policy initiative we put forward is: ‘If it is so good, why aren’t you doing it?’ It’s hard to answer — and somewhat embarrassing. So we point to good examples that some American states, or cities, or companies are implementing — but not to the federal government. We can’t point to America.”
I cannot point out any fallacies in that paragraph either, and I am beginning to notice that the author is good enough that he doesn't really use fallacies.
Too bad. “It was America which put environmentalism on the world’s agenda in the 1970s and
’80s,” recalled Glenn Prickett, a senior vice president for Conservation International. “But since then, somehow, the wealthiest and most powerful country on the planet has gone to the back of the line.”
The author didn't commit any fallacies in this paragraph either.
Leadership is about “follow me” not “after you.” Getting our national climate regulations in order is necessary, but it will not be sufficient to move China. We have to show them what Wal-Mart is showing its competitors — that green is not just right for the world, it is better, more profitable, more healthy, more innovative, more efficient, more successful. If Wal-Mart can lead, and California can lead, why can’t America?
In this final paragraph, the author uses a lot of logic and no fallacies. Overall it was a perfectly written article with little to no fallacies if I am not mistaken.
martes, 25 de septiembre de 2007
Nisus and Scylla: Who are we?
I believe this myth answers the fundamental question of who we are. With Scylla's love for King Midas, we see all she is willing to give up in order to be with him, telling us that we are a people who will do anything for love, a reocurring theme in countless love stories. However, when Midas rejects her love, he doesn't take over the city. Even after being in war for so long, even when the gates to the city were handed to him, Midas' honor told him to leave. This tells us that while men are ambicious and vengful enough to go to war, there will always be honor in him. I believe that although it is a short myth, it has tought me more than a lot of the longer ones.
lunes, 24 de septiembre de 2007
Cupid and Psyche
Of all the love stories I have read so far, this is the most intriguing for many reasons. For starters, why didn't any human want to marry Psyche? Why was Venus so jealous?
Time and time again, humans "shoot themselves in the foot" with their curiosity. Cupid and Psyche is just another example of this, as Psyche almost gets herself killed by looking into Prosperine's box. Luckily, Cupid's love for her was extremely strong and he saved her.
Time and time again, humans "shoot themselves in the foot" with their curiosity. Cupid and Psyche is just another example of this, as Psyche almost gets herself killed by looking into Prosperine's box. Luckily, Cupid's love for her was extremely strong and he saved her.
Vertumnus and Pomona
I know these blogs are about analyzing the myths, but I couldn't help but realize where the modern supermarket Pomona, gets its name. I would never have thought that the name came from a Greek godess, and I was really surprised as I read. Once I knew that she was the goddes of fruit and that cultivating fruit was her passion, however, it was really easy to understand why it was chosen as the name for this Colombian supermarket.
Also, I am glad that finally someone was able to marry one of the virgin goddesses. In past myths that I have read, Diana, and several other nymphs whose names escape me, have all run away from love. Pomona on the other hand, gave in to the words of Vertumnus and they lived happily.
Also, I am glad that finally someone was able to marry one of the virgin goddesses. In past myths that I have read, Diana, and several other nymphs whose names escape me, have all run away from love. Pomona on the other hand, gave in to the words of Vertumnus and they lived happily.
Glaucus and Scylla
Last year and this year in Spanish, my class and I have read The Odyssey. Personally, I think that it is a great book and I can see why it is one of the most important pieces of literature we have. However, although we are given a basic explenation of all the obstacles Odysseus encounters, the epic lacks the roots of some of his obstacles. Scylla, as I learned from this myth, was once one of the most desired nymphs on the Earth and she was extremely beautiful. I find it cool to know how she was transformed into such a horrible monster and I hope to find the roots of more characters I know.
miércoles, 19 de septiembre de 2007
Three kinds of rhetoric...
Doha and Dalian
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: September 19, 2007
Dalian, China
In the last few weeks, I happened to visit Doha and Dalian, and I must say: I was stunned.
Before explaining why, let me acknowledge that chances are you’ve not visited Doha or Dalian recently. Indeed, it may be — I presume nothing — that you have never heard of either city. Doha is the capital of Qatar, a tiny state east of Saudi Arabia. Dalian is in northeast China and is one of China’s Silicon Valleys because of its proliferation of software parks and its dynamic, techie mayor, Xia Deren. What was stunning is that I hadn’t been to either city for more than three years, and I barely recognized either one.
In Doha, since I was last there, a skyline that looks like a mini-Manhattan has sprouted from the desert. Whatever construction cranes are not in China must be in Doha today. This once sleepy harbor now has a profile of skyscrapers, thanks to a huge injection of oil and gas revenues. Dalian, with six million people, already had a mini-Manhattan when I was last here. It seems to have grown two more since — including a gleaming new convention complex built on a man-made peninsula.
But this, alas, is not a travel column. It’s an energy column. If you want to know why I remain a climate skeptic — not a skeptic about climate change, but a skeptic that we’re going to be able to mitigate it — it’s partly because of Doha and Dalian. Can you imagine how much energy all these new skyscrapers in just two cities you’ve never heard of are going to consume and how much CO2 they are going to emit?
I am not blaming them. It is a blessing that their people are growing out of poverty. And, after all, they’re just following the high-energy growth model pioneered by America. We’re still the world’s biggest energy hogs, but we’re now producing carbon copies in places you’ve never heard of.
Yes, “Americans” are popping up all over now — people who once lived low-energy lifestyles but by dint of oil wealth or hard work are now moving into U.S.-style apartments, cars and appliances.
Our planet cannot tolerate so many “Americans,” unless we take the lead and change what it means to be an American in energy terms. Attention Kmart shoppers: the world consumed about 66.6 million barrels a day of oil in 1990. We’re now consuming 83 million barrels a day.
“Demand for oil has grown 22 percent in the U.S. since 1990. China’s oil demand has grown nearly 200 percent in this same period,” Margo Oge, director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s office of transportation and air quality, told the Tianjin China Green Car conference that I attended. “By 2030, the global thirst for oil is forecast to increase by another 40 percent if we maintain business as usual.” Such an appetite would devour every incremental green initiative we make.
Hey, I’m really glad you switched to long-lasting compact fluorescent light bulbs in your house. But the growth in Doha and Dalian ate all your energy savings for breakfast. I’m glad you bought a hybrid car. But Doha and Dalian devoured that before noon. I am glad that the U.S. Congress is debating whether to bring U.S. auto mileage requirements up to European levels by 2020. Doha and Dalian will have those gains for lunch — maybe just the first course. I’m glad that solar and wind power are “soaring” toward 2 percent of U.S. energy generation, but Doha and Dalian will devour all those gains for dinner. I am thrilled that you are now doing the “20 green things” suggested by your favorite American magazine. Doha and Dalian will snack on them all, like popcorn before bedtime.
But, as I said, this is not just about “them.” It is still very much about us. Peter Bakker is the chief executive of TNT, the biggest express delivery company in Europe. The Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2007 just listed TNT as the No. 1 company in terms of energy and environmental practices. Mr. Bakker, whom I met in China, told me this story:
“We operate 35,000 trucks and 48 aircraft in Europe. We just bought two Boeing 747s, which, when fully operational, will do nine round trips every week between our home base in Liège [Belgium] and Shanghai. They leave Liège only partly full and every day fly back to Europe as full as you can stuff them with iPods and computers. By our calculations, just these two 747s will use as much fuel each week as our 48 other aircraft combined and emit as much CO2.”
That’s why we’re fooling ourselves. There is no green revolution, or, if there is, the counter-revolution is trumping it at every turn. Without a transformational technological breakthrough in the energy space, all of the incremental gains we’re making will be devoured by the exponential growth of all the new and old “Americans.”
1.)"We’re still the world’s biggest energy hogs, but we’re now producing carbon copies in places you’ve never heard of." This is using BLAME, telling us that the United States is responsible for all these places creating sky scrapers and living energy consuming lives when they didn't before.
2.) "Hey, I’m really glad you switched to long-lasting compact fluorescent light bulbs in your house. But the growth in Doha and Dalian ate all your energy savings for breakfast. I’m glad you bought a hybrid car. But Doha and Dalian devoured that before noon. I am glad that the U.S. Congress is debating whether to bring U.S. auto mileage requirements up to European levels by 2020. Doha and Dalian will have those gains for lunch — maybe just the first course. I’m glad that solar and wind power are “soaring” toward 2 percent of U.S. energy generation, but Doha and Dalian will devour all those gains for dinner. I am thrilled that you are now doing the “20 green things” suggested by your favorite American magazine. Doha and Dalian will snack on them all, like popcorn before bedtime." I believe this uses VALUES because it is telling us that what we are doing is not enough, and thus the values that we are living with aren't working towards a "green" Earth. It attacks our feelings and makes us think that we need to drastically change our values.
3.)"Without a transformational technological breakthrough in the energy space, all of the incremental gains we’re making will be devoured by the exponential growth of all the new and old “Americans." While this doesn't directly deal with CHOICE, I believe it takes us towards a reflection which does. By reading this we basically are being asked to choose to either change how we consume energy drastically, or allow our country to keep hogging energy and resources and thus creating copies in other places.
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: September 19, 2007
Dalian, China
In the last few weeks, I happened to visit Doha and Dalian, and I must say: I was stunned.
Before explaining why, let me acknowledge that chances are you’ve not visited Doha or Dalian recently. Indeed, it may be — I presume nothing — that you have never heard of either city. Doha is the capital of Qatar, a tiny state east of Saudi Arabia. Dalian is in northeast China and is one of China’s Silicon Valleys because of its proliferation of software parks and its dynamic, techie mayor, Xia Deren. What was stunning is that I hadn’t been to either city for more than three years, and I barely recognized either one.
In Doha, since I was last there, a skyline that looks like a mini-Manhattan has sprouted from the desert. Whatever construction cranes are not in China must be in Doha today. This once sleepy harbor now has a profile of skyscrapers, thanks to a huge injection of oil and gas revenues. Dalian, with six million people, already had a mini-Manhattan when I was last here. It seems to have grown two more since — including a gleaming new convention complex built on a man-made peninsula.
But this, alas, is not a travel column. It’s an energy column. If you want to know why I remain a climate skeptic — not a skeptic about climate change, but a skeptic that we’re going to be able to mitigate it — it’s partly because of Doha and Dalian. Can you imagine how much energy all these new skyscrapers in just two cities you’ve never heard of are going to consume and how much CO2 they are going to emit?
I am not blaming them. It is a blessing that their people are growing out of poverty. And, after all, they’re just following the high-energy growth model pioneered by America. We’re still the world’s biggest energy hogs, but we’re now producing carbon copies in places you’ve never heard of.
Yes, “Americans” are popping up all over now — people who once lived low-energy lifestyles but by dint of oil wealth or hard work are now moving into U.S.-style apartments, cars and appliances.
Our planet cannot tolerate so many “Americans,” unless we take the lead and change what it means to be an American in energy terms. Attention Kmart shoppers: the world consumed about 66.6 million barrels a day of oil in 1990. We’re now consuming 83 million barrels a day.
“Demand for oil has grown 22 percent in the U.S. since 1990. China’s oil demand has grown nearly 200 percent in this same period,” Margo Oge, director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s office of transportation and air quality, told the Tianjin China Green Car conference that I attended. “By 2030, the global thirst for oil is forecast to increase by another 40 percent if we maintain business as usual.” Such an appetite would devour every incremental green initiative we make.
Hey, I’m really glad you switched to long-lasting compact fluorescent light bulbs in your house. But the growth in Doha and Dalian ate all your energy savings for breakfast. I’m glad you bought a hybrid car. But Doha and Dalian devoured that before noon. I am glad that the U.S. Congress is debating whether to bring U.S. auto mileage requirements up to European levels by 2020. Doha and Dalian will have those gains for lunch — maybe just the first course. I’m glad that solar and wind power are “soaring” toward 2 percent of U.S. energy generation, but Doha and Dalian will devour all those gains for dinner. I am thrilled that you are now doing the “20 green things” suggested by your favorite American magazine. Doha and Dalian will snack on them all, like popcorn before bedtime.
But, as I said, this is not just about “them.” It is still very much about us. Peter Bakker is the chief executive of TNT, the biggest express delivery company in Europe. The Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2007 just listed TNT as the No. 1 company in terms of energy and environmental practices. Mr. Bakker, whom I met in China, told me this story:
“We operate 35,000 trucks and 48 aircraft in Europe. We just bought two Boeing 747s, which, when fully operational, will do nine round trips every week between our home base in Liège [Belgium] and Shanghai. They leave Liège only partly full and every day fly back to Europe as full as you can stuff them with iPods and computers. By our calculations, just these two 747s will use as much fuel each week as our 48 other aircraft combined and emit as much CO2.”
That’s why we’re fooling ourselves. There is no green revolution, or, if there is, the counter-revolution is trumping it at every turn. Without a transformational technological breakthrough in the energy space, all of the incremental gains we’re making will be devoured by the exponential growth of all the new and old “Americans.”
1.)"We’re still the world’s biggest energy hogs, but we’re now producing carbon copies in places you’ve never heard of." This is using BLAME, telling us that the United States is responsible for all these places creating sky scrapers and living energy consuming lives when they didn't before.
2.) "Hey, I’m really glad you switched to long-lasting compact fluorescent light bulbs in your house. But the growth in Doha and Dalian ate all your energy savings for breakfast. I’m glad you bought a hybrid car. But Doha and Dalian devoured that before noon. I am glad that the U.S. Congress is debating whether to bring U.S. auto mileage requirements up to European levels by 2020. Doha and Dalian will have those gains for lunch — maybe just the first course. I’m glad that solar and wind power are “soaring” toward 2 percent of U.S. energy generation, but Doha and Dalian will devour all those gains for dinner. I am thrilled that you are now doing the “20 green things” suggested by your favorite American magazine. Doha and Dalian will snack on them all, like popcorn before bedtime." I believe this uses VALUES because it is telling us that what we are doing is not enough, and thus the values that we are living with aren't working towards a "green" Earth. It attacks our feelings and makes us think that we need to drastically change our values.
3.)"Without a transformational technological breakthrough in the energy space, all of the incremental gains we’re making will be devoured by the exponential growth of all the new and old “Americans." While this doesn't directly deal with CHOICE, I believe it takes us towards a reflection which does. By reading this we basically are being asked to choose to either change how we consume energy drastically, or allow our country to keep hogging energy and resources and thus creating copies in other places.
martes, 18 de septiembre de 2007
Greed, Greed, Greed
The story of King Midas has been heard in many different ways around the world. We've all been taught not to be greedy and to value other things in life other than money. Apparently, almost no one has listened and a majority of the world's population is completely obsessed with money and riches. In this they are no different than King Midas, who had the chance to have anything he wanted, but asked for gold. We should learn from this story and start valuing things in life other than money. Things like family, friendships, knowledge, music, and art. If not, we will become over-obsessed with money and though we will not turn things into gold, we can ruin our lives very easily.
Listen to your parents!
This day and age, nothing as bad as setting the Earth and Heavens on fire can result from not listening to your parents. However, it is the lesson that Phaeton's myth teaches us, that is the important part of the story. Ever since we were born, the lesson of listening to one's parents has been shoved down our throats, but for an important reason. Sometimes, although we may not like it, it is crucial for us to hear what our parents tell us. In this case, Apollo insisted that Phaeton didn't ride the chariot of fire, but Phaeton begged and begged and finally Apollo resisted. This can also teach us not to spoil kids. If Apollo would've simply said no to his mortal son, the entire thing would have been avoided. The same thing applies when parents give their kids all they want, and even though they don't set the Earth on fire, they can become terrible people because of it.
Pyramus and Thisbe or Romeo and Juliet?
After every Greek myth I read, I begin to understand that it is indeed, as all my teachers have taught me since 4th grade, the basis of western civilization. From previous myths, I have seen that many religious stories are based on these myths, and after reading Pyramus and Thisbe, I recognize that literature has also taken a big part from Greek mythology. Pyramus and Thisbe is pretty much the same exact story as the most famous play ever written: Romeo and Juliet. Is it just coincidence, or did Shakespeare know of this myth when he wrote the play? Being the most famous writer of the time, Shakespeare had to be familiar with Greek mythology, and thus, I believe he based Romeo and Juliet on Pyramus and Thisbe. I am not taking anything away from Shakespeare, however, as I have personally read Romeo and Juliet, and believe that it is fantastic. You do have to ask yourself though, do all great things in theater and literature come from the Greeks, or is there imagination somewhere down the line?
Prometheus and Pandora
I believe that this myth is another example of Judeo-Christian religion sharing stories with literature from other cultures. While creation is different in Greek mythology than the Torah, the story of Noah's ark, is this time exactly the same. In Greek mythology, Zeus decides to drown the world and kill all the humans for behaving badly and being bad people. In the Torah, Hashem(God) decides to drown the world for the exact same reason. I am not saying that the Torah stole the flood story from the Greeks because the Greeks came after. However,why has monotheism thrived while the stories are exactly the same? Why has polytheism dissapeared? Why believe one and not the other? In fact, I think it is much cooler to believe in a god for every aspect of life than only one. The more the merrier no?
jueves, 13 de septiembre de 2007
Rhetoric in New York Times
1. “This ally has placed its trust in the United States,” Mr. Bush plans to say in his speech from the Oval Office. “And tonight, our moral and strategic imperatives are one: We must help Iraq defeat those who threaten its future — and also threaten ours.” http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/washington/13cnd-prexy.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
I believe this uses Pathos to make us agree with the President's decision. By making us believe that Iraq has placed its trust in the U.S, it manipulates our feelings because you wouldn't let down or betray someone who has put its trust in you. While I don't believe it is a good argument because of why the war was originally started, excluding everything that happened before this, I believe it does work.
2. “His death also reminds us that the struggle will require continued perseverance, and the Iraqis are increasingly turning away from Al Qaeda, as a result of such extreme acts of violence,” Ms. Starr said. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/world/middleeast/13cnd-iraq.html?hp
This argument uses Pathos as well because it uses our sympathy for the man's death to believe that we have to continue in the struggle against terrorism. Although it uses Logos in that we obviously have to fight against terror, it is mostly Pathos, and it is a very good argument.
3. The X Prize Foundation saw the new contest as one of “the grand challenges of our time that we can use to move people forward,” said Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, chairman and C.E.O. of the foundation. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/technology/13cnd-xprize.html?hp
This uses Logos in that the challenge will propel people to new heights of space travel and technology. Obviously, by testing people and offering a grand prize of $25 million, humans will move forward in that area.
4. “Sometimes the pain was so bad, I would just cry,” she said. “I didn’t know what else to do.”http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/14/health/policy/14cnd-health.html?_r=1&hp
This uses Pathos because it makes us feel bad for the woman by demonstrated her pain. Because of our sympathy for her, we are prompted to support a program such as the one the city of San Francisco has. This is therefore an excellent argument and an incredible program.
5.“Certainly this is a setback, but our future is still incredibly bright,” said Kevin Pritchard, the general manager of the Trail Blazers, in a statement today. “Is it disappointing? Yes. However, this is a great core of talent and players of strong character, and will continue to be.” http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/sports/basketball/14oden.html?hp
This uses Logos to tell us that the Portland TrailBlazers were immensly set back after Oden's surgery. Oden was supposed to be their "messiah", and losing a player of that caliber will obviously set back any team.
I believe this uses Pathos to make us agree with the President's decision. By making us believe that Iraq has placed its trust in the U.S, it manipulates our feelings because you wouldn't let down or betray someone who has put its trust in you. While I don't believe it is a good argument because of why the war was originally started, excluding everything that happened before this, I believe it does work.
2. “His death also reminds us that the struggle will require continued perseverance, and the Iraqis are increasingly turning away from Al Qaeda, as a result of such extreme acts of violence,” Ms. Starr said. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/world/middleeast/13cnd-iraq.html?hp
This argument uses Pathos as well because it uses our sympathy for the man's death to believe that we have to continue in the struggle against terrorism. Although it uses Logos in that we obviously have to fight against terror, it is mostly Pathos, and it is a very good argument.
3. The X Prize Foundation saw the new contest as one of “the grand challenges of our time that we can use to move people forward,” said Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, chairman and C.E.O. of the foundation. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/technology/13cnd-xprize.html?hp
This uses Logos in that the challenge will propel people to new heights of space travel and technology. Obviously, by testing people and offering a grand prize of $25 million, humans will move forward in that area.
4. “Sometimes the pain was so bad, I would just cry,” she said. “I didn’t know what else to do.”http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/14/health/policy/14cnd-health.html?_r=1&hp
This uses Pathos because it makes us feel bad for the woman by demonstrated her pain. Because of our sympathy for her, we are prompted to support a program such as the one the city of San Francisco has. This is therefore an excellent argument and an incredible program.
5.“Certainly this is a setback, but our future is still incredibly bright,” said Kevin Pritchard, the general manager of the Trail Blazers, in a statement today. “Is it disappointing? Yes. However, this is a great core of talent and players of strong character, and will continue to be.” http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/sports/basketball/14oden.html?hp
This uses Logos to tell us that the Portland TrailBlazers were immensly set back after Oden's surgery. Oden was supposed to be their "messiah", and losing a player of that caliber will obviously set back any team.
martes, 11 de septiembre de 2007
Apollo's unwanted love
After Apollo insluts Cupid, he is shot by Cupid's arrow, making him fall deeply in love with the nymph, Daphne. However, another arrow made her avoid love completely, and thus she doesn't love him back. This is a story of chasing love to extreme ends and learning to deal with what you have. I can relate this to chasing dreams in real life, because if we're commited and believe in ourselves, we are able to chase the dream through thick and thin. At the end, when Daphne turns to a tree, Apollo accepts it and is able to cope with what he is left with. This teaches us that even when we don't accomplish exactly what we set out for, we should always seek the best out of something and learn to accept what we recieve in life.
lunes, 10 de septiembre de 2007
Orion
In the myth of Orion we see the human qualities that the gods posses. When Orion is with Diana, it was said that he was about to marry her, and out of sheer jealousy, Apollo confused the archer goddess into killing the giant. I come back to the point I made in one of my Gilgamesh blogs, why are the gods envious of humans and in this case giants? Apollo could easily get any woman he wanted if he chose to, so why be jealous of his sister?
Another feeling that the gods have, is pity. We see that out of pity, Orion's vision is fixed, and because of pity, Diana takes him in.
Another feeling that the gods have, is pity. We see that out of pity, Orion's vision is fixed, and because of pity, Diana takes him in.
Theseus
I liked Theseus' myth a lot. It shows a young kid, who out of sheer admiration of Hercules, decides to travel the dangerous route instead of the safe one. Why risk his life when he knows that there are such terrible dangers facing him on land? Why not take the safe road and be absolutely safe from danger? The answer is glory. Throughout history, we have seen different people do sometimes questionable acts in order to achieve eternal glory. We see this quest in Gilgamesh as well, when Gilgamesh goes to kill Huwawa and later seeks immortality. We see another proof of Theseus' search for glory when he goes to fight the Minotaur instead of staying in Athens. I like this myth a lot because even though he is not a god or half god, Theseus accomplished great things.
Hercules
As I read Hercules, I notices how much different it was from the Disney movie. I acknowledge that it was silly to think that a Disney movie meant to entertain children was the same as the actual story of Hercules. We see that Hercules had a terrible temper, and he seemed to kill people he cared for with no regret. I enjoyed the twelve labors a lot because it shows his strength, valor, and intelligence. I think it is a great myth and Hercules is my favorite hero.
miércoles, 5 de septiembre de 2007
How much shall we bet?
I think this was a great myth. I found it really interesting how the writer had the idea of basing it on bets. It is also very real in that it says that at first they had nothing to bet with and what not. However, there were some things i didn't understand. Were they gods? Why did they sometimes refer to eachother as Qfwfq and (k)yK? If they were both there from the beginning, how come the main one was smarter than Dean?
In comparison to other myths, it was very different. Like a couple in our class, it was the Big Bang mixed with gods. However, there was a much more detailed creation of the Universe in this one, and the writer apparently knows much more than us. It was very interesting how they bet on events on Earth but also events in the Universe. I liked this story a lot.
In comparison to other myths, it was very different. Like a couple in our class, it was the Big Bang mixed with gods. However, there was a much more detailed creation of the Universe in this one, and the writer apparently knows much more than us. It was very interesting how they bet on events on Earth but also events in the Universe. I liked this story a lot.
domingo, 2 de septiembre de 2007
Gilgamesh Blog #8-Final Post
While reading Gilgamesh, I kept trying to connect it to both old and brand new novels. That was both for the purposes of this blog, anf for my own knowledge. Like any other great book, Gilgamesh isn't made up of just a series of words, but real messages meant to teach something to the reader. In the case of Gilgamesh, I think that after reading it, you learn a series of life lessions meant to be learned by all Mesopotamians at the time of the book, things like bravery, friendship, and happiness,
Epic though it was, this book was also majorly religious, as it tried to answer some of the fundamental questions through religion: What happens when we die? Can we avoid death? In summation, I think that this was a fantastic book and I enjoyed learning from it. For instance, while I had heard other cultures had similar flood stories to the bible, I didn't imagine that Noah's Ark was stolen almost verbatim from The Epic of Gilgamesh. What other things do we use in modern society that came from those kind of places? What else have other cultures claimed their own?
Epic though it was, this book was also majorly religious, as it tried to answer some of the fundamental questions through religion: What happens when we die? Can we avoid death? In summation, I think that this was a fantastic book and I enjoyed learning from it. For instance, while I had heard other cultures had similar flood stories to the bible, I didn't imagine that Noah's Ark was stolen almost verbatim from The Epic of Gilgamesh. What other things do we use in modern society that came from those kind of places? What else have other cultures claimed their own?
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