What makes you mature?
I suppose maturity means different things to different people. I think maturity includes being able to make independent and informed decisions, being able to support yourself (and dependants, if you're at that stage), being honest with someone even if what you're saying is harsh, and being able to shove aside your pride and just say sorry, etc.
I don't think maturity should include not watching cartoons. I will probably never grow out of cartoons. I watch the news sometimes, as well as more sophisticated programmes. If anyone tells me that I'm too old for cartoons, I will fix them with such a piercing glare that a hole will appear on their torso. Occasionally being whimsical and childlike doesn't seem like a bad idea to me - after all, adult life can get boring sometimes! I'm not saying run away from responsibility - I just think adults need a break sometimes from being an adult.
January 3, 2011
Fish and Frogs have Fallen from the Sky, now it's Birds
Today I came across an unusual story about how over a thousand birds fell from the sky in Arkansas, USA. The birds fell on New Year's Eve. A video on BBC News shows loads of blackbirds dotting the road in the town of Beebe. At this stage, their cause of death is a mystery - it could've been lightning, hail or stress caused by New Year's Eve fireworks.
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| Red-shouldered blackbirds fell from the sky over Beebe. Image found at http://misterfweem.blogspot.com/2010/04/hail-telephone-bird.html |
January 1, 2011
Oh How I Laffed
I meant to do this post on December 31, to end the year on a lighter note. Didn't get round to it.
Anyways, I recently found a whole bunch of funny dudes on Youtube. Thanks to them, I will have abs of steel from all the laughter their videos generate. Go check 'em out, and laff, laff and laff some more.
Philip De Franco: Find him here.
Shane Dawson: Dressing up is his trademark!
Outback Zack: ''Where insanity is reality''.
If these guys don't appeal to you, there's tons of stuff on Youtube that will. That's why Youtube is awesome!
Anyways, I recently found a whole bunch of funny dudes on Youtube. Thanks to them, I will have abs of steel from all the laughter their videos generate. Go check 'em out, and laff, laff and laff some more.
Philip De Franco: Find him here.
Shane Dawson: Dressing up is his trademark!
Outback Zack: ''Where insanity is reality''.
If these guys don't appeal to you, there's tons of stuff on Youtube that will. That's why Youtube is awesome!
December 30, 2010
Half a Million
Approximately half a million is the number of women and children who have been raped over the last ten years in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The war in the DRC is still going on. The January 2011 issue of Marie Claire magazine has said:
I was disturbed and shocked by the rape stories mentioned in the article. My first thought after reading the article was that I wished I could transport all the women and children of the DRC to a place where they will not have to live with the constant threat of being raped or violated in some other way.
On 1 January, a film called Unwatchable will be released. Made by British film company Dark Fibre Films, it shows soldiers breaking into the home of a British family, raping the teenage daughter, and killing the parents in front of the six-year-old daughter. The idea behind making the film is that it will make people fully aware of the atrocities happening in the DRC. Imagining such a thing happening to my family makes me feel as if I'm about to throw up. It's too horrific to fully comprehend. I don't know if I could face watching Unwatchable.
Worldpress.org has a concise yet thorough article on the war in the DRC.
Women for Women International is an incredible programme that is helping to empower female survivors of war with skills to earn a good living, as well as counselling. Even if I can't make donations, I hope that telling people about what is happening in the DRC will help in some small way.
One of the most dangerous places for women, it has been named 'the rape capital of the world'.
I was disturbed and shocked by the rape stories mentioned in the article. My first thought after reading the article was that I wished I could transport all the women and children of the DRC to a place where they will not have to live with the constant threat of being raped or violated in some other way.
On 1 January, a film called Unwatchable will be released. Made by British film company Dark Fibre Films, it shows soldiers breaking into the home of a British family, raping the teenage daughter, and killing the parents in front of the six-year-old daughter. The idea behind making the film is that it will make people fully aware of the atrocities happening in the DRC. Imagining such a thing happening to my family makes me feel as if I'm about to throw up. It's too horrific to fully comprehend. I don't know if I could face watching Unwatchable.
Worldpress.org has a concise yet thorough article on the war in the DRC.
Women for Women International is an incredible programme that is helping to empower female survivors of war with skills to earn a good living, as well as counselling. Even if I can't make donations, I hope that telling people about what is happening in the DRC will help in some small way.
December 14, 2010
Superfreakonomics is blowing my mind
Superfreakonomics is the sequel to the incredible book Freakonomics (by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner).
Chapter 5, titled What do Al Gore and Mount Pinatubo have in Common?, has blown most of what I thought I knew about global warming and saving the environment right out of the water. For example: when I first read about being a ''locavore''(a person who eats only locally grown food), I thought it was a great idea. But - being a locavore can be worse for the environment than eating imported food. According to a recent study by Christopher Weber and H. Scott Matthews, buying food grown close by ''increases greenhouse gas emissions.'' The reason? Almost all the greenhouse gas emissions that come from producing food come about during production. Smaller farms are less efficient than bigger farms, and ''transportation represents only 11 percent of food emissions''.
I don't believe that I should stop eating locally grown food - instead, I think that I should try to find out how the food is produced (I know this might be difficult to find out), and how the production process affects the environment.
Chapter 5, titled What do Al Gore and Mount Pinatubo have in Common?, has blown most of what I thought I knew about global warming and saving the environment right out of the water. For example: when I first read about being a ''locavore''(a person who eats only locally grown food), I thought it was a great idea. But - being a locavore can be worse for the environment than eating imported food. According to a recent study by Christopher Weber and H. Scott Matthews, buying food grown close by ''increases greenhouse gas emissions.'' The reason? Almost all the greenhouse gas emissions that come from producing food come about during production. Smaller farms are less efficient than bigger farms, and ''transportation represents only 11 percent of food emissions''.
I don't believe that I should stop eating locally grown food - instead, I think that I should try to find out how the food is produced (I know this might be difficult to find out), and how the production process affects the environment.
December 4, 2010
One of the most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard
Recently I listened to Finnish band Apocalyptica for the first time. They play cellos metal-style, which creates an incredible sound. This song is a cover of Metallica's Nothing Else Matters.
Injustice
This story appeared a few weeks ago, but it's stayed on my mind. A Pakistani woman may be hanged for blaspheming. I think that this punishment is far, far too harsh. Saying something objectionable does not justify the possible execution of Asia Bibi, who is a wife and mother. Read the full story here.
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