Doctor Who Musings

How do I even begin to explain this?

Doctor Who...

I have an obsession. A very obsessive obsession. And yes, I do know how redundant that sounds, but it's Doctor Who and my brain just ceases to function when I think about that show.

When I watched the first episode of Doctor Who I felt like I had died and gone to heaven, it was the PERFECT show for me. Don't get me wrong, I love MANY shows. I love Castle, Rizzoli and Isles, Better Off Ted, The Ellen Show, 2 Broke Girls, Bones, Glee, Gossip Girl, Criminal Minds, Modern Family, The Mentalist, The Big Bang Theory,  Lost Girl, Will and Grace, and Secret Diary of a Call Girl (yes, I know, don't judge); but Doctor Who goes beyond any normal show because Doctor Who is like a mirror image of my mind.

I've always had a very scientific mind, I love to investigate and I always want answers to my questions, but my mind only behaves like this 30% of the time. The other 70% of the time, my mind just wanders off into my private imaginarium and here's where all the fun is. I live in a fantasy world, always have and hopefully always will. My imaginary world changes constantly, it changes characters and settings, it changes plots, but it's always there. My imaginary world is fueled by books, tv shows, and movies; anything I like from one of this places I implement into my imaginarium which results, as you may have already realized, in a very weird place. When I say the show Doctor Who is like a mirror of my mind is because The Doctor is what I've always wanted to be. He is a man of science, he can solve any problem that he's faced with, and he loves to think; he also has the ability to escape to other worlds whenever he pleases. He can be here on Earth one second and on the Moon the next, and this is what I've always dreamed of being able to do; I have always wanted to escape beyond the confines of this planet, I want to be able to see everything, I want to have time and space on the palm of my hand. Basically I want to be a Time Lord with a Freaking TARDIS. And yes, I do know I sound delusional, but what is weird and crazy to you, is normal for me. It's how I've always been, and I have my crazy mind to thank. 

Plus, who wouldn't want a traveling companion that looks like Rose Tyler? 

Culture Shock

We've all heard the term culture shock at least once in our lives, but most of us has never experienced it. Over the holidays my family and I went on a trip to Japan and I realized that I have been experiencing culture shock on a daily basis without realizing that that's what it was. Almost every local and most foreigners who come to Colombia say that Colombians are very warm people, and they're kind of right. Colombians hug and kiss each other all the time, people like to be together and having some sort of physical contact; but for me this isn't a god thing, I don't think it is warm, I think it is invasive. I don't need people hugging me all day long, and I really find it extremely uncomfortable when people you've just been introduced to greet you by kissing you on the cheek. I mean: COME ON PEOPLE, I NEED SOME SPACE!!!! This way of thinking and my aversion to any type of physical contact I don't  chose to initiate has always make me seem like a freak in the eyes of others. I come across as a cold and distant person who has no interest in those around her, and this isn't true. I actually do like a lot of people and, granted 99.99% of those people are girls because boys are morons, I'm not as distant as I come across. I just don't need to touch people to show them I like being friends with them. 

When I got to Japan I felt like I had landed on a paradise for physical-contact-non-loving-people. In Japan your personal space is sacred, people don't touch you. There is such respect for your personal space, and for hygiene, that they don't even shake hands when they're greeting each other, instead they bow. If you're a man you bow with your arms at your sides, and if you're a woman you bow with your hands clasped in front of you. The Japanese are people that know how to be alone, most restaurants have tables for one or two and bigger tables are harder to find, yet they are very aware that they live in a community and they respect that. They don't talk on their phones when they're on the train or the subway, they have very specific rules as to where you should walk to allow those who are in a REAL hurry to move through the crowd uninterruptedly, they speak in soft voices when they're in public spaces, they don't eat or drink while walking down the street, and they don't kiss in public. Wonder how many of these cultural rules which  allow the Japanese to live very well in community exist in Colombia? The answer would be NONE. In Colombia everyone is in a hurry and no one else matters, they all need to get wherever they are going first so there are no rules that allow people in a REAL hurry to get anywhere on time. People in Colombia talk on their cellphones like it's going out of style, they talk everywhere and at any time, and to make it worse they don't talk like normal people: they yell. They also yell when they're talking amongst themselves in a public place like a restaurant or a movie theatre (a movie theatre!! There's not even enough decency here to shut up during a movie!). In Colombia couples have this awkward and bizarre need to kiss in public (or the typical Colombian boyfriend with his hand inside his girlfriend's back pocket grabbing her derriere) and they do it without any consideration to those around them that have to witness the not-so-entertaining spectacle. Being in Japan my brain and my body felt completely at peace. I didn't feel like the odd one out; like the cold and distant one, or the one that is to picky about how people behave, because I was in a place where there is so much respect for others that it is no wonder they managed to rebuild their country in such an efficient manner and with no altercations. 

I really do think Colombia is a beautiful country with breathtaking landscapes and a magnificent flora and fauna, but the culture here really needs to improve. Colombians need to learn to respect those around them, and they have to learn to stop being so selfish and think about others before they think about themselves. I wouldn't live in Japan because it is too far away, too expensive, and the language barrier is huge; but I won't live in Colombia for much more, if I do I think I'll go crazy (or crazier than I already am) because the culture here is so shocking for me, that I feel like I'm very far away from home.

Language

Does language limit our understanding of the world?

I think it does, but I also think that other factors like context and knowledge limit our understanding of the world. 

If we read a story about a man who belongs to the guerrilla, but we're not specified which guerrilla, and we are not from the country the author is writing about, or we know nothing of the history of that country, our understanding of the story will probably be limited. In this case our language is not the limitation because the language is one we understand and it enables us to understand the anecdote of the story, but the limitation of our context and knowledge is what hinders us from understanding a deeper meaning or an occult message in the story. 

An example of how language might limit our understanding of the world is a scientific journal. Our year 12 education does not enable us to have an advanced and complex scientific vocabulary, which makes reading a science journal a difficult task. If the language in the journal goes beyond our mastery of scientific terms then we will never fully comprehend the text we are reading, which is an example of how language limits our understanding of the world. 

Kony 2012

30 minutes. 5 days. 7,000,000,000 people.

Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Ifunny, pinterest, and many other social networking sites have been invaded by the video above. Kony 2012 is a campaign by the Invisible Children Organization that aims to capture Joseph Kony and put his reign of terror in Africa to an end. This video has become a massive awareness campaign, with amazing results. In just 5 days the video received over seven thousand million views.

In my opinion, what the Kony 2012 campaign has accomplished, and  is aiming to accomplish is beyond words. I take my hat off for these people, because they have managed to take something that very few people knew about and make it into something impossible to ignore. I have read the articles criticizing the campaign and, although some raise valid points worth considering, I am still a firm believer in Kony 2012. I don't give a flying fizzle (pardon my French) what people like Jorge, Sergio, Santiago, and others who always want to criticize everything and always go against the "mainstream" thing, think or say. I honestly don't think that this campaign will do more hurt than good. I don't think that we should be dissecting this campaign and trying to find its problems in TOK class because I honestly believe our opinion on this subject is none of our teacher's bussinnes (she types while waiving goodbye to a good grade this term).

I, of course, am aware that there are several issues with this campaign, like the prominence of the producer's son that has almost no relevance to the message of the video, or the fact that this didn't attract the attention of the USA government until now (shortly after oil was found in the African region were Kony operates), or also the fact that the orders are to kill or capture Kony knowing that his assassination could lead to more problems than solutions. I am aware of all these problems, but I firmly believe that this issues should not stop people, if they truly believe in the cause, from making donations or pledging their support. The Kony 2012 campaign is striving for good, not evil, so I would like to keep that in mind when discussing the potential issues of the campaign or the video. 

Here's to the crazy ones, the ones who know we live in a wonderful world

Think different, be different.
Smile. Laugh. Love.
Be the change the world needs.
Love this wonderful world.
Give life all you've got.
Be one of the crazy ones.
Think.

Is it Ethical to Create Recombinant DNA Organisms?

"A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world."

-Albert Camus

"Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do."

-Potter Stewart

Recombinant DNA is defined by Biology-online.org as spliced DNA from two or more different sources that have been cleaved by restriction enzymes and joined by ligases. Genetically engineered DNA made by recombining fragments of DNA from different organisms. The joining together of genetic material from two different organisms. 

Examples of recombinant DNA organisms include:

• Glofish - A zebra fish infused with either coral, anemone, or jelly fish DNA; which makes it glow neon red or green instead of being the usual black and white.
• Vacanti mouse - A mouse that has what looks like a human ear growing on its back. The "ear" is not an actual ear but an ear-shaped cartilage structure. 
• Neonmice - Mice that glow in the dark.
• Golden rice - A new variety of rice engineered to express the enzymes responsible for β-carotene biosynthesis.
• Insect-resistant crops - Crops with recombinant DNA from Bacillus thuringeiensis, a bacterium that naturally produces a Bt toxin protein with insecticidal properties. It repels insects without having to spray the crops with insecticides. 

There is no doubt in my mind that recombinant DNA has helped scientists make huge advances. It has helped them create crops that could help save people from vitamin deficiency, which could lead to death. Golden rice is a great example of this, as its DNA allows it to make up for the vitamin A deficiency in the diets of people in undeveloped countries. 

Another example of the advances that scientists have been able to make thanks to recombinant DNA are the Neonmice. Neonmice allowed scientists to understand 2 very important things: they helped them find a new way to engineer the animals to make them acquire certain medical conditions which has greatly speed the research in finding cures for this diseases. The second thing they helped them achieve was a greater understanding of type II diabetes which has send scientists around the world on their way to find a cure. 

However, what troubles me is this: how far should the scientists take recombinant DNA? Recombinant DNA (or rDNA) is something that shouldn't be played with. It can create dangerous organisms, or organisms that when inserted into natural habitats could unbalance the food chain and destroy other species. 

It is also not ethical to toy with life. Scientists who experiment with recombinant DNA might develop a "God complex" which could lead to them trying to control life and new species. It is also not fair to the animals being used as experiments for rDNA. The scientists are meddling with the essence of their being, their DNA, which could lead to trauma. Another thing that isn't ethical is how much pain and discomfort these experiments must be causing the animals.

The questions I have are:

How safe is it to experiment with rDNA?

Should the humans be allowed to create new species without consideration to the consequences it may have on the environment?

How far should scientists be allowed to go? Should they stop at plants, fish, and lesser mammals? Or should they continue towards greater mammals and humans?

How far is too far?

Empathy

"Empathy depends not only on one's ability to identify someone else's emotions but also on one's capacity to put oneself in the other person's place and to experience an appropriate emotional response" 

-Charles G. Morris

"Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eye for an instant?"

-Henry David Thoreau

Empathy is something that few people master. Most of us can feel empathy to some level, sociopaths being the major exception, but few of us truly master the art of stepping into someone else's shoes and feeling what they're feeling. 

Empathy is what allows us to live together in a society without ripping each other's throats out. It is a skill we have developed over millennia, and many would say it is a skill that sets us appart from animals. Now, is this true? Are animals incapable of empathy? The answer to this question is no, it is not true that animals are incapable of empathy.

A very clear example is provided by a study that took place recently in the University of Chicago. In this experiment scientists sought to find out wether a rat would release a fellow rat from an extremely unpleasant cage if it could. The answer was yes. The free rat responded to the occasional distress calls uttered by its compatriot, it learned to open the cage, and became more and more efficient at it over time. The free rat would release his companion even if he wasn't rewarded with a reunion afterwards. The most astonishing aspect brought to light by the experiment was the fact that the rat, given a ration of chocolate chips, would save one or two for his companion and would give them to him when he released him. The unavoidable conclusion that the researchers came to was that what they were witnessing was empathy.

Now, think about it. We're talking about a rat here: A RAT. We consider rats to be some of the filthiest and less lovable animals. We associate rats with cheaters and betrayers, and they, generally, have a very bad reputation. If we can see this level of empathy in a rat, this level of caring and understanding, why do we think animals cannot display empathy? Why do we believe we're superior to animals?

Who Am I?

Which of these am I? 

Am I only one, or am I a combination of them all? 

Am I who people see me as, or am I who I see myself as? 

Does a mirror tell the truth? 

Can a mirror reflect everything we are, inside and out? 

Does a mirror see what makes us who we are? 

Can everyone see who we are, or only those closest to us? 

Do we know who we are? 

Do we know why we are who we are? 

Which of these elements makes me who I am? 

Is it all of them together?

I think so

I think we're too complex to describe in one word

No one single thing makes us who we are

It is a combination of everything in our lives that creates who we are and who people see...

The Hunger Games - A Futuristic View on Ancient Rome?

The book trilogy The Hunger Games, is a trilogy about a girl, named Katniss, and her struggle against the power that oppresses her people. The books are set in a future America, though it is no longer called America, it is called Panem. Panem is divided into 13 districts and a Capitol. The districts once decided to rebel against the Capitol, but the Capitol won, and as compensation it asked the districts to send a boy tribute a a gril tribute each year to compete in a thing called the hunger games. The games consisted in releasing the 26 kids into an arena with the knowledge that only the last one standing would be able to go back home, showered with prizes and food for their people. 

The games were televised for everyone to see, their viewing was absolutely mandatory. For the people in the districts it was torture seeing their children dying, but for the people in the Capitol, it was the highest entertainment event of the year; and this is were the allegory with Ancient Rome comes into play.  The hunger games were blood baths designed to entertain the people. The people of the Capitol were controlled by means of keeping them entertained and well fed and, exactly like the Roman Emperors, President Snow knew what he needed to keep them subdued was Panem et Circences (Bread and Circus). He knew that as long as the people of the Capitol has entertainment and were very well fed, they would never rebel against him. He knew all he needed to maintain his position in power was to keep them comfortable. The Roman Emperors did exactly the same thing. They had games were gladiators fought each other for the glory, while the gladiators fought, the people of Rome were kept entertained by these games. During the games the Emperors used to throw bread into the crowd, feeding them. Their logic was very solid: fed and entertained, what reason did they have to complain? This is how the Emperors maintained their power and popularity. 

In my opinion Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games, is a genius. She managed to create a world that showed us how backwards human beings can be. She showed us how even though time moves on, human beings are still as savage and primitive as always, the only difference being that we've learnt new ways to disguise our primitive ways. We are a race that's primitive in the most fancy and sophisticated of ways, and Suzanne Collins has managed to show us this in her wonderful books.

Let the Hunger Games Begin,

And may the odds be ever in your favor. 

Villa de Leyva

We recently went on a trip to Villa de Leyva, and we did a lot of workshops. I participated in 3 out of the 4 workshops, but I wasn't really there mentally because I was really sick. I tried to participate as well as I could but it wasn't really my best.

My favorite workshop was Mr. Tomalin's Class' workshop. I thought it was an excellent idea to have us create a culture of our own, and think of all the things that being part of a culture implies. I thought the reaction to my choice of role within the tribe (assassin) was really funny. I really didn't think it was thta big of a deal, but apparently my classmates thought it was really weird and kind of freaky. Well really weird and kind of freaky is who I am.

I'm sorry I couldn't tak more advantage of these workshops, but I was really sick and I didn't have the energy to invest into the activities. I really liked the hotel we stayed at, it was beautiful. :)

Homosexuality

Homosexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction to the people of one's own sex.

That's it.

It's not a sin, a mutation, a disease, or a flaw.

It's natural.

It's so natural, that it is found in over 450 species.

But there is one thing that IS unnatural, and it's found only in the human race: homophobia.

Gay Love is exactly the same as heterosexual love. It is just two people who love each other and who wish to be together. 

See this pictures? Do you see any difference? 

Last Friday during our TOK lesson, our teacher showed us a video of a radical group of people who say that everything that is wrong with the world is God's way of telling us that he hates homosexuals. They say "Fags eat poop". They protest at soldier's funerals and they tell everyone that will listen to them that those soldiers died because God killed them for being in an army that welcomes homosexuals. This video made me very, very upset. 

I don't understand how people can be so ignorant. Why do people think being gay makes you abnormal? Do people really think being gay makes you a bad person? A "sinner"? 

Take me for example, I get good grades, I respect my parents and my teachers, I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs, I've never hurt anyone. Do I sound like a bad person? I don't think so. And I'm gay. The fact that I'm gay doesn't mean that I'll get bad grades, it doesn't mean that I'll stop being respectful to my parents or my teachers, it doesn't mean I wont be me. So can someone PLEASE explain to me why people think that being gay makes me a bad person? 
This image clearly expresses how I feel about this people:

Here are just some "facts" I'd like to share:

• If homosexuality is a disease, let's call in queer to work (or in my case, school): "Hello. Can't work today, still queer.
• I don't check in every few months to see if you're still straight, so stop checking in to see if I'm still gay. My sexuality doesn't have an expiration date. 
• I am a lesbian and just because I pay a girl a compliment, does not necessarily mean I want to get in her pants. 
• Who is the "boy" who is the "girl" is a ridiculous question. Obviously we're both girls. 
• Parenting works the exact same way whether it's with two moms, two dads, or a dad and a mom.

I apologize if this post offends someone, or if it is too much of a rant, but I needed to get it out of my system. 

I have only two things left to say:

1. Remember to wear something purple the 20th of October to show the gay youth that they are loved.
2. Long Live the Rainbow.

Sorrow

"Death remains about the one certain fact in the lives of each one of us, and there will be suffering, sorrow, and sadness next week as there was last week."

-Basil C. Hume-

Sorrow. What is sorrow? Is it sadness beyond sadness? Is it gut-wrenching sadness? Is it despair? Is it anger? Is it fear?

Sorrow. Who feels sorrow? Do only humans feel it? Do animals feel it?

Sorrow. Why is there sorrow?

I ask myself this questions over and over again, and yet I have no answer. When someone we love dies our world os shattered. Even if it is only for a little bit, even if we can control it, we feel it. We feel the sorrow, the overwhelming sense of despair, the emptiness the removal of that presence leaves in our world. And then we have a funeral.

A funeral is closure. It is the last adieu from the living to the death. It is a salute to who they were, to the place they held in our lives. Funerals are a ceremony in which we can put our sorrow to rest. And so I wonder, if animals bury their loved ones too, if they mourn them, does that mean they feel sorrow too?

"A few years ago my friend Rod and I were riding our bicycles around Boulder, Colorado, when we witnessed a very interesting encounter among five magpies. Magpies are corvids, a very intelligent family of birds. One magpie had obviously beenhit by a car and was lying dead on the side of the road. The four other magpies were standing around him. One approached the corpse, gently pecked at it- just as an elephant noses the carcass of another elephant- and stepped back. Another magpie did the same thing. Next, one of the magpies flew off, brought back some grass, and laid it by the corpse. Another magpie did the same. Then, all four magpies stood vigil for a few seconds and one by one flew off." (Marc Bekoff Ph.D, "The Emotional Lives of Animals")

When I read this I can only think of one thing: animals feel sorrow, just like we do. They mourn the loss of their loved ones, and they feel the need to bury them, to say goodbye to them one last time. Knowing this, knowing animals feel sorrow just as we humans do, how can we hurt them? How can we think them lesser beings, beings of no consequence, of no importance? Are we such a selfish and self-centered race that we ignore the fact that we are not the only sentient beings?

Sorrow. Sorrow is a powerful emotion. Some of us, I'd dare say almost all of us, have felt it at some point. Why should we cause others such pain?

Senses

"I would rather have eyes that cannot see; ears that cannot hear; lips that cannot speak, than a heart that cannot love."

-Robert Tizon-

"Blake said that the body was the soul's prison unless the five sense are fully developed and open. He considered the senses the 'windows of the soul.'"

-Jim Morrison-

Yesterday I spent the entire school day without my sense of touch. I had to wear three pairs of thick gloves, which not only made me loose my sense of touch but also made me loose the ability to use my hands properly. I couldn't articulate my fingers, and therefore I couldn't do most of the stuff I normally do: I was unable to open my locker, I couldn't write, and I couldn't type on my computer.

This really affected my learning because I wasn't able to take notes or write the answers to the questions I was asked. Since writing with a pen was impossible I decided to use my computer, but I soon realized that I couldn't type with my gloves on and that the trackpad didn't recognize my gloved hand, so I had to resort to typing with my toes. It was a very interesting experience because I learnt that I depend too much on my hands and that I should learn to adapt more easily, and because I realized that I'm more dextrous with my feet than I ever thought I was.

Yesterday was very frustrating. I constantly wanted to take the gloves off my hands. History was the most frustrating lesson of the day, because Mr.Horsley made us read part of a chapter of our history books, while taking notes, and listening to very loud music which made the whole exercise even more difficult than it already was due to our "disabilities".

In my opinion senses don't give knowledge of the world as it really is. Everyone interprets what they perceive with their senses differently, making reality different for everyone. For example, everyone perceives colors a bit different: when two individuals look at a red curtain individual A might see a slightly different shade of red as individual B, or if one of them is daltonic they might see completely different colors. To a person who was born blind, the real world has no images, a person who has been blind all their life doesn't need to see in order to have knowledge of the world as it really is. Senses are just means by which we receive information, it is our mind that analyzes this information and turns it into knowledge. Since everyone's mind functions differently, all of our realities are different. Our minds are biased by beliefs and assumptions, therefore making us perceive things differently. For example, to a Christian white clothes might mean purity or peace, while to a hindi white clothes might mean loss and death since white is the color hindi people wear to funerals.

This exercise really made me appreciate how much I rely on my hands, and it made me realize how completely vulnerable and useless I would be if I were to loose them. I learnt that I need to become more adaptable, that I need to find ways to overcome obstacles without getting frustrated. It also made me appreciate how brave and resourceful people with disabilities are, and how unfair it is that society is indifferent to their needs.

"The moral test of the government is how it treats those who are in the dawn if life...the children; those who are in the twilight of life...the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life...the sick...the needy...and the disabled."

-Hubert H. Humphrey-

"Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you're needed by someone."

-Martina Navratilova-

"The only disability in life is a bad attitude."

-Scott Hamilton-

Read more: http://www.disabled-world.com/disability/disability-quotes.php#ixzz1YGxDIUDA

Knowledge

"In a secluded corner of the vibrating universe spilled on innumerable solar systems, there once was a star on which clever animals invented knowledge. It was the most arrogant moment of universal history, but only for a minute. The star was frozen after a few palpitations of nature and the clever animals had to die."

- Friedrich Nietzsche-

The two main different opinions regarding knowledge during this lesson were:

1. Humans ARE the only species that posses knowledge. (When we separate knowledge from instincts).

2. Humans ARE'NT the only species that posses knowledge. (When we separate knowledge from instincts).

In my opinion, humans are definitely not the only species who posses knowledge. I think every species possesses knowledge to a certain degree, some of course, more than others. Knowledge and culture, which is derived from knowledge, are social: they are ment to be shared and transmitted. Most species, specially mammals, live in social groups. Their lives revolve around their "living group" and they create extremely strong bonds with the other members of the group.

A great example of this is a pack of wolves. Wolves have a defined social hierarchy,there are alpha, beta, mature subordinates, omega, and juvenile wolves. There is always a male alpha and a female alpha, these two wolves are the ones who usually reproduce. The male alpha is dominant because of his strength, speed, and intelligence. The female alpha must have all these qualities, plus she must be a good teacher and transmitter of knowledge. This quality enables her to teach her pups everything they need to learn. She teaches them not only the basics of survival, but also how to behave within the structures of their society. Wolf pups learn not only when they're taught by their mothers but also when they play together. Playing is the major way in which pups learn social behaviors. Studies have shown that wolf pups that don't play with others during their childhood are usually socially inept, and therefore, rejected from the pack. During play, rank, size and strength are not important. When a wolf does the "play-bow" (laying down and then lifting it's backside) it informs the other wolf that everything they do from that moment on is play. The play-bow is a promise not to hurt or take advantage of the other wolf, even if it is weaker or has a lower social status within the pack. This is why I believe that knowledge is not unique to the human race. Many species share and transmit knowledge between them, not necessarily by words like humans do, but in many different and wonderful ways.

For more information on the behavior of wolves and other animals read "The Emotional Lives of Animals" by Marc Bekoff PH.D and Jane Goodall

I really enjoyed this lesson because I think the topic was very interesting. Most of us had different opinions, and though not all of us shared them with the class, those who did kept the discussion going in a very fluid way.