Mind-blowingly Awesome Discovery

The most awesome thing ever has just happened. Scientists totally found a new planet that is in what they call the “goldilocks zone”, a zone where there is a perfect distance separating a planet from its star allowing water to exist on the planet’s surface without freezing or boiling and thus giving the planet the capability of possibly sustaining life. The planet is called Kepler-22b and it’s dope. It’s like 2.4 times the size of the Earth which is awesome because if we ever live there, there will be way more than enough room for everyone to chill. They don’t know a whole lot about this planet, but everyone is super excited.

The only crappy thing is that the scientist aren’t sure if we can chill there or not because they don’t know if the surface is liquid, gaseous, or rocky. If it’s gaseous, then clearly the planet is not for us, but if it’s rocky or liquid, I think we can hang.

It’s just awesome to know that if one day, humans deplete Earth’s resources and pretty much rape the planet (as we’ve been doing throughout all of history), we may have an alternative. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

 

Here’s an artist’s rendering of the planet:

 

First Amendment Rights

First Amendment to the United States Constitution: protects the right to freedom of religion and freedom of expression from government interference.  Freedom of expression consists of the rights to freedom of speech, press, assembly and to petition the government for a redress of grievances, and the implied rights of association and belief.

One would think that the necessity of citing of our first amendment rights as Americans would be absent in the society we have created. Of course in the past, many a time this right has been threatened by our government or other such massive organizations which feel they have the right to dictate our actions as citizens, but currently, the powers that be have realized that the people of America can and will exercise their first amendment rights, RIGHT? Wrong.

On November 21st, upon visiting the Kansas state capitol for a school trip, high school senior Emma Sullivan made a “disparaging” tweet directed toward Kansas Governor Sam Brownback. In a disgusting display of self-ascendancy, Brownback’s staff notified the Shawnee Mission East high school principal suggesting that he take action against Sullivan. As a result of her actions, the high school student was told to write a letter due the following Monday apologizing to the governor and his staff for her comments. In an admirable act of courage and pride, Sullivan refused.

Though Governor Brownback disclosed a statement later that week apologizing on behalf of his staff and encouraged citizens to exercise their freedom of speech at will, these actions taken in response to a harmless comment made by a high school student are despicable. We can only hope that the politicians who head our government will begin to mend their damaged values and put the best interests of our nation and its people at the forefront of their minds.

A Space Age Reached

The world in which we live, though to us is nothing out of the ordinary, would be to past generations as a futuristic space age similar to something you might see on the ScyFi channel. Many sciences that were thought to be only a product of fiction have now become real possibility. Each day, a new discovery is made in science, and it is only a matter of time, I think, before prospects of formerly preposterous scientific theories become realized.

Though maybe not holding the same momentous gravity that a discovery such as time travel or teleportation might hold, modern scientists have once again altered all that we thought possible and by making a breakthrough discovery. A few days ago, the lightest substances in the world were known as aerogels. Given the  nickname “frozen smoke”, aerogels can reach densities of 1 milligram per cubic centimeter, making them less dense than air at room temperature and sea level. Unfortunately, these substances have incredibly weak structure as a result of the presence of gas particles where there would normally be liquid particles in the conventional forms of their parent materials.

“Now scientists have devised ultra-lightweight, low-density metallic lattices with orderly structures. These possess higher levels of stiffness, strength and conductivity of conventional forms of their parent materials, findings detailed in the Nov. 18 issue of the journal Science.” (Yahoo News-Science) These lattices, having densities of .9 mg/cubic centimeter are 99.99% open volume and are about 200 times lighter than styrofoam.

Scientist have very big plans for this new technology, mainly focusing on the field of aerospace. Acoustics, vibration, and shock-damping are also in store for these lattices based on their outstanding energy-absorption capabilities.

Thanks to the persistance of modern science, we are beginning to make dreams into reality. I, personally, am eagerly looking to the future at what may come next.

 

Black…Thursday?

As the holiday season draws near, people nationwide watch in anticipation as shopping malls, streets, houses, and restaurants are decked with Yuletide decoration. For some, (myself included) the event most awaited it that of Thanksgiving dinner. What with the gathering of the entire family, the array of delicious foods, and being the 1-month mark leading up to Christmas Eve, many would say  Thanksgiving offers the most out of all the holidays. For others, however, the importance lies not in the day itself, but what lies in store for the following. Black Friday.

Though I’ve never participated personally, for years I’ve witnessed the lines upon lines of people massing to get into the local Best Buy or Target or other such store, just waiting to capitalize on the incredible sales opportunities offered only on the single day (November 25th) of the year. Moreover, not only do the penny-wise patrons sit in wait for their respective stores to open for business, but year after year, it seems they do so earlier and earlier before opening on that fateful Friday. Currently, it would not amaze me, in fact it is quite normal, to see a congregation forming outside the Wal Mart or Toys R Us not only on the day of Thanksgiving Thursday, but on the previous Wednesday as well with their tents and sleeping bags, chairs and tables, and anything else one might need for a regular camping trip.

Clearly these sales are of the utmost importance to many of these shoppers, but the age-old tradition may be coming to an abrupt end.

In recent news, major chains like Best Buy, Target, Macy’s, and Kohl’s released their intentions to begin their markdowns and sales not on the morning of Black Friday as is usual, but hours before, opening at midnight on Thanksgiving Day. Wal Mart is even so bold as to open at 10:00 pm that same evening. It seems that major retail stores across the country are keen on drawing more and more customers on possibly the biggest shopping day of the year (no surprises there). This change was met with hostility, however, as an uproar ensued originating from devoted Black Friday shoppers.

Though partly the hue and cry is a result of the inconvenience created by this unwanted schedule change as many shoppers will now have to leave home hours earlier, many even leaving their homes in the midst of Thanksgiving dinner, the main issues at hand are the tainting of an otherwise joyous and family-oriented holiday and the concern regarding workers rights.

Customers and workers alike believe it to be bad business for these retail giants to bring employees in to work, cutting into their time with family. With the economy as it is and unemployment sky high, workers are hard-pressed as it is finding free time as many are forced to work multiple low-wage jobs in order to make ends meat. Further interfering with their free time, especially on Thanksgiving, is next to personal insult.

The alteration of custom of a holiday like Thanksgiving, though matching with greedy, capitalist tendencies, is in fact quite un-American. If retail companies in the U.S wish to restore this important holiday which normally brings joy, love, and togetherness into our homes and into our hearts, they will revert to old ways and return to American workers the sanctity of family the holiday season brings.

Everybody Chill Out

There is a fine line that divides what is accepted and what is unacceptable with regard to high school sports coaches and their conduct. For years, we’ve seen movies or shows with the mean old football coach who does nothing but put down, yell, and curse at the team. Well apparently the good old days are over.

Last friday, a video was leaked of an angry rant made by Shawn Abel, head coach at Collierville High School in Tennessee. The leak is actually audio of Abel yelling at one of his players in the football locker room using a string of choice profanity. Evidently, the player had made a mistake during the game and was being scolded for his actions.

As a result of the video leak, though not specifically asked to, Coach Abel offered his resignation as head football coach and was placed on administrative leave of his position as the AP calculus and precalculus teacher.

Personally, I don’t understand the uproar. As an athlete having played all four years of high school, I am familiar with the conduct of coaches, the energy they put into it and the passion their sport demands of them. Though they are not physically involved in the game, they care every bit as much (if not more) than most of the players. They spend all of their time and energy working to improve the team whether it be creating new plays, making changes in personnel, and even sometimes putting in their own money for better equipment, etc. What’s more, they get payed very low salary to do it. So when a player displays lack of passion or desire to improve on the field/court/rink/in the pool, I can fully understand the utter frustration and anger a coach may feel.

This is why Coach Abel’s actions are justified in my eyes. The “rant” which can be found on You Tube does in fact include strong expletives, but nothing more. There are no slurs that attack race, gender, or sexual orientation, nor are there any personal insults whatsoever.  This was certainly not the first time a high school sports coach cursed in anger toward his team. So why now that this individual heated speech is captured on a recording is there such an uproar?

The actions that took place are regrettable, but in many cases in sports, such things are necessary to get the point across to the team. We should revert back to older times and let the coaches coach, the teachers teach, and leave the rest to the students and players.

Injustices of Foxconn

If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past ten years, you are aware of the advancements made by Macintosh with their Apple products. Ranging from mp3 players to computers to cellular phones, Mac has provided consumers throughout the world with the beloved consumer-electronics we’ve all come to depend on. Lesser known is the price of our petty wants.

Macintosh, like many other electronics distributers such as HP, Dell, Nokia and Sony, buys all of its hardware from a Taiwanese Company, Foxconn Technology Group. Foxconn is the world’s largest maker of electronic components. The massive company has 13 factories in 9 cities in China, and has additional factories in Europe, India, Mexico, and Brazil with over a million workers worldwide.

Though a great portion of Americans purchase products that use Foxconn hardware, we are almost completely oblivious to the torturous working conditions that Foxconn assembly workers are subject to. As of 2010, the employees of the Chengdu plant in China were forced to wake up at 6:45 am for a 7:40 am shift and typically work all the way through until 8 pm. Often, they were pressured into transitioning from regular work into overtime hours without taking breaks. Labor laws in China state that overtime should not exceed 36 hours per month, but reports say that workers were subject to 50-80 hours each month.

In addition to working hours well over the legal limit, workers must endure endless back-to-back shifts, dormitories that resemble a prison more than anything, low wages (approx. $150 per month) and a working environment that is, at times, hazardous to their health.

As a result of these terrible working conditions, workers suffer not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. The constant pressure they are under combined with cramped, overheated work space and the repetitiveness of their duties has a very taxing effect on the workers’ overall well being.

Between January and November of 2010, 18 Foxconn workers attempted suicide by jumping from the factory building, 14 of which resulted in deaths.

Though tragic, these suicides were somewhat of a wakeup call. In response to these tragic incidents, Foxconn doubled its employees wages, installed suicide-preventing netting around its factory buildings, asked employees to sign “no-suicide” pledges, and even introduced “anti-anger” rooms where employees might relieve some stress with punching bags and other such equipment.

Though there is still a long way to go to completely eliminate the injustices occurring throughout the company, Foxconn is taking steps in the right direction to correct the faults in its inter workings.

A Pain in the Neck

Possibly the biggest name in NFL football for the past decade is Peyton Manning. From his first season at the University of Tennessee all the way through this current season playing for the Indianapolis Colts (which will mark his 14th season) he has shown unwavering leadership and fantastic talent in his position as quarterback. With over 50,000 passing yards, a Super Bowl championship title, and a multitude of MVP awards, Manning has established himself as one of the best players in his position in the history of the league. He is a born leader and overall great person both on and off the field.

It is for these reasons that last Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans was so painful to watch.

Due to a spinal neck injury sustained the week previously, Manning was unable to play in Sunday’s game against Houston resulting in a 34-7 Colts loss. The loss, however, is of the least concern. The real tragedy is that this would mark the end of a 208 game streak in which Manning had not missed starting a single game dating back to the very first game of his very first season in the NFL.  What’s worse is that this will not be the only game he misses. It is projected that though Manning will in all likelihood come back to play in the future, he quite possibly will be out for the season which, of course, is devastating for the Colts 2011 Super Bowl prospects.