Kelly 2/26
Sooooo it's my week for a topic but I have been really busy with a move the past two weeks. That is my excuse for my horrible procrastination. And it is my topic.... sort of. Here is a really good animated video on procrastination. So, what's up with procrastination?
I know part of it is not wanting to do something. Other times it's being stuck on a project. Sometimes there is no explanation for it at all, and you just don't feel like doing what you know you should. And the really strange thing about procrastination is that you can procrastinate while getting things done. You can be procrastinating on one project while work on another.
As much as this tendency frustrates us in others, we are all guilty of it. Everyone procrastinates at some point. Even if it's only for a moment. Sometimes I feel like the true key to conquering procrastination is to only do it for a little bit and still get something done. If you put off something for 10 minutes while you clean up, that is not as bad as dropping everything and napping for an hour.
So, procrastination. How do you feel about it? Or we can always save this topic for later. :P
Julia 3/10
Speaking of procrastinating, I've been procrastinating instead of posting!
And now I'm procrastinating by posting.
You know...I might just let that stand on its own.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
So...
Julia 2/16
Ninja squirrels vs. zombie rabbits.
Who wins and why?
Kelly 2/20
Ok so I thought long and hard about this and I think this how that battle would go:
A virus breaks out among the indigenous forest bunnies. The once playful doe-eyed creatures are now reduced to shambling flesh eating piles of doom. Quickly, the zombie rabbits (or zabbits. Say it out loud, it's funny.) tun on the rest of the forest creatures. The mice, who were fast but too trusting, were the first to fall. Next were the moles, who never saw the attack coming. The combined might of the little creatures in the zabbit army quickly turned the tide on the Deer, who could have made it. Unfortunately the swift and graceful nature of the deer were overcome due to there instincts to stand perfectly still in terror when something bad happens. The Zabbits then turned their attentions to the last two clans that had so far evaded them, the birds and the squirrels.
The tree dwellers were naturally more wary than the ground-rovers, so when the virus came they believed themselves save due to the hight of the trees. But as the Zabbit army grew they knew that their tree fortresses would not be enough. The clan of the birds, in an almost unnatural display of good will, banded together and all flew south at the same time. This left the squirrels alone without allies. Rather than flee, the elders who had all gone white decided to call upon the arts of the black squirrel clan, otherwise known as the ninja squirrels. These phantom dark tree dwellers knew of secretes linked to killing that others only dreamed about, and their ability to kill was second only to the humans that occasionally invaded their home. The situation was dire however, so the sacred black almond shell horn was sounded and death came from above.
The battle was long, arduous, and gory. For each creature the dark squirrels sent to hells gate, the zabbits replaced them with many more shambling abominations. Despite the horror that was visited upon them, the ninja squirrels did not tire. They found knew ways of killing in that battle, and those ways were too gruesome to pass on in squirrel legend. However, soon their numbers began to dwindle. Too many of the other creature clans had fallen to the Zabbits and the battle soon seemed hopeless.
However, once clever and brave ninja squirrel went on a top secret mission to save his species. With all his wit and cunning he traveled to the nearby suburbs and committed unspeakable atrocities there.With every act he framed the rabbits with clear and obvious evidence. Soon the human menace was roused and then the battle was won. The humans eradicated the zabits, and parts of the forest with them. However, with the zabbits gone, new animal clans could finally come and those that had left could finally return. The small forest is now recovering, and it is all thanks to the dark squirrels. Those elusive figures returned to hiding soon after the battle was won, and there they lay in wait to this very day. Waiting for the call that will ouse them to battle once more.
So yeah. Ninja squirrels, but only because zabbits can't think logically. :P
Ninja squirrels vs. zombie rabbits.
Who wins and why?
Kelly 2/20
Ok so I thought long and hard about this and I think this how that battle would go:
A virus breaks out among the indigenous forest bunnies. The once playful doe-eyed creatures are now reduced to shambling flesh eating piles of doom. Quickly, the zombie rabbits (or zabbits. Say it out loud, it's funny.) tun on the rest of the forest creatures. The mice, who were fast but too trusting, were the first to fall. Next were the moles, who never saw the attack coming. The combined might of the little creatures in the zabbit army quickly turned the tide on the Deer, who could have made it. Unfortunately the swift and graceful nature of the deer were overcome due to there instincts to stand perfectly still in terror when something bad happens. The Zabbits then turned their attentions to the last two clans that had so far evaded them, the birds and the squirrels.
The tree dwellers were naturally more wary than the ground-rovers, so when the virus came they believed themselves save due to the hight of the trees. But as the Zabbit army grew they knew that their tree fortresses would not be enough. The clan of the birds, in an almost unnatural display of good will, banded together and all flew south at the same time. This left the squirrels alone without allies. Rather than flee, the elders who had all gone white decided to call upon the arts of the black squirrel clan, otherwise known as the ninja squirrels. These phantom dark tree dwellers knew of secretes linked to killing that others only dreamed about, and their ability to kill was second only to the humans that occasionally invaded their home. The situation was dire however, so the sacred black almond shell horn was sounded and death came from above.
The battle was long, arduous, and gory. For each creature the dark squirrels sent to hells gate, the zabbits replaced them with many more shambling abominations. Despite the horror that was visited upon them, the ninja squirrels did not tire. They found knew ways of killing in that battle, and those ways were too gruesome to pass on in squirrel legend. However, soon their numbers began to dwindle. Too many of the other creature clans had fallen to the Zabbits and the battle soon seemed hopeless.
However, once clever and brave ninja squirrel went on a top secret mission to save his species. With all his wit and cunning he traveled to the nearby suburbs and committed unspeakable atrocities there.With every act he framed the rabbits with clear and obvious evidence. Soon the human menace was roused and then the battle was won. The humans eradicated the zabits, and parts of the forest with them. However, with the zabbits gone, new animal clans could finally come and those that had left could finally return. The small forest is now recovering, and it is all thanks to the dark squirrels. Those elusive figures returned to hiding soon after the battle was won, and there they lay in wait to this very day. Waiting for the call that will ouse them to battle once more.
So yeah. Ninja squirrels, but only because zabbits can't think logically. :P
Monday, February 8, 2010
Communication
Kelly 2/8
It's amazing how many ways we have to talk to people and connect with one another today. Letters, phone, e-mail, several types of instant messenger clients, texting, and video messaging. Not to mention sites that are centered around human communication; Twitter Facebook, Myspace, Linked In and any others you can think of. We can communicate in so many ways that it is just a little bit mind boggling. And oh yeah, we can just talk to one another face to face. :D
I don't know how everyone else deals with it all, but I have a hierarchy of communication in my mind. It goes a bit like this: internet (fb, twitter ect), email, IM, phone (text or talk), video chat, and lastly face to face. Each level implies a different amount of trust and knowledge of a person. Also, notice now letter writing is not even on the list? I think it should be somewhere between video and face; however, I don't write a lot of letters. Letters also make me think of how we perceive communication as well.
Letter writing feels like a lost art to me now, and despite the long illustrious history of the mail I now associate it with bills and junk mail. However, when people talk about the future, it always seems to include video phones. Isn't that exactly what video chat is? But we don't see it that way at all. It is just a technology that we use all the time. So the old form of communication is dismissed, not even given it's fair historical due; while the newer forms of communication are just seen as mundane rather than a sign of the future ahead.
Besides all of the connotations that come with communication, that is a lot of what we strive to do as people. Perhaps it is the need to be understood, but we are always trying to tell someone something in some way.
Julia 2/14
In my mind, one of the most amazing things about communication in the technology age is how often it still fails. I mean, who hasn't been misinterpreted (or done some misinterpreting) in an email or in chat? Some things (sarcasm!) are difficult to translate into text.
--tangent--
Not to mention having a constant written record can get us into trouble. For instance, where I work old emails are archived on the computers. Doesn't matter if you hire someone new, all of his or her predecessor's emails are available (unless that person deleted them). Let me tell you, I've found some weird stuff, things have nothing to do with work and are none of my business. And yet, there they are for me to access.
I think because communication today appears to be so ephemeral (it has no physical presence, for instance), we forget that it's actually a lot more permanent. Calls can be traced, chats saved, emails archived. If you destroy a letter, it's gone forever. If you destroy a text...well, it might not be!
--end tangent--
But yes, even with all of these methods of communication (and I agree with you, there are hierarchies), communication breaks down. Some people argue that it's because we have too many ways to communicate, that we're actually destroying our own ability to interact with other people. Not true. It's more that communication always fails at some point because no two people have the same human experience. In some way, we diverge and that is why communication can be challenging. Whether it's in text or in person, sometimes we just miss the mark.
Good communication is about empathy. If you can understand where a person is, relate to their worldview, and then explain your own in a way they can understand -- that's communication. Doesn't matter if it's in person or on two computers halfway around the world.
It's amazing how many ways we have to talk to people and connect with one another today. Letters, phone, e-mail, several types of instant messenger clients, texting, and video messaging. Not to mention sites that are centered around human communication; Twitter Facebook, Myspace, Linked In and any others you can think of. We can communicate in so many ways that it is just a little bit mind boggling. And oh yeah, we can just talk to one another face to face. :D
I don't know how everyone else deals with it all, but I have a hierarchy of communication in my mind. It goes a bit like this: internet (fb, twitter ect), email, IM, phone (text or talk), video chat, and lastly face to face. Each level implies a different amount of trust and knowledge of a person. Also, notice now letter writing is not even on the list? I think it should be somewhere between video and face; however, I don't write a lot of letters. Letters also make me think of how we perceive communication as well.
Letter writing feels like a lost art to me now, and despite the long illustrious history of the mail I now associate it with bills and junk mail. However, when people talk about the future, it always seems to include video phones. Isn't that exactly what video chat is? But we don't see it that way at all. It is just a technology that we use all the time. So the old form of communication is dismissed, not even given it's fair historical due; while the newer forms of communication are just seen as mundane rather than a sign of the future ahead.
Besides all of the connotations that come with communication, that is a lot of what we strive to do as people. Perhaps it is the need to be understood, but we are always trying to tell someone something in some way.
Julia 2/14
In my mind, one of the most amazing things about communication in the technology age is how often it still fails. I mean, who hasn't been misinterpreted (or done some misinterpreting) in an email or in chat? Some things (sarcasm!) are difficult to translate into text.
--tangent--
Not to mention having a constant written record can get us into trouble. For instance, where I work old emails are archived on the computers. Doesn't matter if you hire someone new, all of his or her predecessor's emails are available (unless that person deleted them). Let me tell you, I've found some weird stuff, things have nothing to do with work and are none of my business. And yet, there they are for me to access.
I think because communication today appears to be so ephemeral (it has no physical presence, for instance), we forget that it's actually a lot more permanent. Calls can be traced, chats saved, emails archived. If you destroy a letter, it's gone forever. If you destroy a text...well, it might not be!
--end tangent--
But yes, even with all of these methods of communication (and I agree with you, there are hierarchies), communication breaks down. Some people argue that it's because we have too many ways to communicate, that we're actually destroying our own ability to interact with other people. Not true. It's more that communication always fails at some point because no two people have the same human experience. In some way, we diverge and that is why communication can be challenging. Whether it's in text or in person, sometimes we just miss the mark.
Good communication is about empathy. If you can understand where a person is, relate to their worldview, and then explain your own in a way they can understand -- that's communication. Doesn't matter if it's in person or on two computers halfway around the world.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Philanthropy
Julia 02/02
What with all the text-giving to Haiti and general interest in organizations of good will, I've been thinking quite a bit about philanthropy. As someone who works for an organization funded completely by charitable donations, I recognize the importance of responsible giving.
I think it's important to support causes financially whenever possible. I know some people get surly about spending their hard-earned money, but really, these programs often benefit the very people who disdain them whether they know it or not. I know nonprofits are often associated with dewy-eyed liberal thinking, but did you know the NRA is a nonprofit organization? As are many conservative religious groups.
So I think supporting advocacy organizations and philanthropic movements is just as important as voting, if not more so. If you can't get a representative who shares your views (this is a virtual impossibility -- no legislator is going to line up with your opinions 100%) then there are other means of representation, of having a voice.
And if you can't give your money, you can certainly give your time. Even if it's just clicking "yes" on a survey or signing an email petition or giving that one canvasser a second to explain his/her organization. Because otherwise, any spouting off about viewpoints or ideals is kind of just lip-service, isn't it?
Kelly 02/6
Took me a while to respond to this one, mostly because I feel like you have already touched on the main points of philanthropy. It is important, and it is a way to give voice to just about any kind of value someone may have. Also, you are right about backing up what you say. Money and actions talk louder than words, and giving to a cause you care about is a good way to make that work in favor of your values.
The only other side I can see of this one is how overwhelming everything can be. Take the huge outpouring of support for Haiti. While most have stepped up to the challenge of helping a country during a difficult time, I bet that there are people that are out there that want to give but haven't. There is just too much going on in their lives to push past and decide to give. Now, don't get me wrong, I am condemning no one with this, just merely voicing a thought.
Another way that things can get overwhelming is how MANY charities and organizations there are to give money to. Again, take the Haiti relief effort. There is the Wyclef John charity, the Red Cross effort, and the Haiti telethon that benefited Oxfam America, Partners in Health, Red Cross, UNICEF and Wyclef's Yele Haiti Foundation. I mean if you even google Haiti relief, you come up with A LOT. Sometimes it is hard to decide who to give to. It is hard earned money that an organization needs, but there are so many that need it. And that thought alone is daunting.
However, people should never let that stop them. If there is something you are passionate about, give to a charity that supports that. And it does not have to be a huge thing, and time is just as important as money. I think that is another reason that people don't give. A lot of the time it feels like you have to give a lot to make a difference. But imagine if someone set aside $5 a month to give to a charity and gave one time donations each time? That would be a good way to give to several different organizations, and make it a sustainable for them as a person. Or if you gave 3 hours of time to some organization a month? Feed the homeless one month, help build a house the next, help an organization send out info the month after that. Now that is a sure fire way to feel accomplished each month, and end up with some serious life memories/stories.
I feel like giving gets caught up in a lot of mental snarls sometimes (aka: my money, I need it more than *insert whatever here*, what will be done with it, what if I don't care, what if I don't have enough time, why should I help, is this the best charity, but I can't give a lot, etc.) Now, while all of those concerns should be addressed, it should never stop you from giving. It is an important thing, and a necessary thing in many ways. Plus it is a nice way to do good in the world. :)
What with all the text-giving to Haiti and general interest in organizations of good will, I've been thinking quite a bit about philanthropy. As someone who works for an organization funded completely by charitable donations, I recognize the importance of responsible giving.
I think it's important to support causes financially whenever possible. I know some people get surly about spending their hard-earned money, but really, these programs often benefit the very people who disdain them whether they know it or not. I know nonprofits are often associated with dewy-eyed liberal thinking, but did you know the NRA is a nonprofit organization? As are many conservative religious groups.
So I think supporting advocacy organizations and philanthropic movements is just as important as voting, if not more so. If you can't get a representative who shares your views (this is a virtual impossibility -- no legislator is going to line up with your opinions 100%) then there are other means of representation, of having a voice.
And if you can't give your money, you can certainly give your time. Even if it's just clicking "yes" on a survey or signing an email petition or giving that one canvasser a second to explain his/her organization. Because otherwise, any spouting off about viewpoints or ideals is kind of just lip-service, isn't it?
Kelly 02/6
Took me a while to respond to this one, mostly because I feel like you have already touched on the main points of philanthropy. It is important, and it is a way to give voice to just about any kind of value someone may have. Also, you are right about backing up what you say. Money and actions talk louder than words, and giving to a cause you care about is a good way to make that work in favor of your values.
The only other side I can see of this one is how overwhelming everything can be. Take the huge outpouring of support for Haiti. While most have stepped up to the challenge of helping a country during a difficult time, I bet that there are people that are out there that want to give but haven't. There is just too much going on in their lives to push past and decide to give. Now, don't get me wrong, I am condemning no one with this, just merely voicing a thought.
Another way that things can get overwhelming is how MANY charities and organizations there are to give money to. Again, take the Haiti relief effort. There is the Wyclef John charity, the Red Cross effort, and the Haiti telethon that benefited Oxfam America, Partners in Health, Red Cross, UNICEF and Wyclef's Yele Haiti Foundation. I mean if you even google Haiti relief, you come up with A LOT. Sometimes it is hard to decide who to give to. It is hard earned money that an organization needs, but there are so many that need it. And that thought alone is daunting.
However, people should never let that stop them. If there is something you are passionate about, give to a charity that supports that. And it does not have to be a huge thing, and time is just as important as money. I think that is another reason that people don't give. A lot of the time it feels like you have to give a lot to make a difference. But imagine if someone set aside $5 a month to give to a charity and gave one time donations each time? That would be a good way to give to several different organizations, and make it a sustainable for them as a person. Or if you gave 3 hours of time to some organization a month? Feed the homeless one month, help build a house the next, help an organization send out info the month after that. Now that is a sure fire way to feel accomplished each month, and end up with some serious life memories/stories.
I feel like giving gets caught up in a lot of mental snarls sometimes (aka: my money, I need it more than *insert whatever here*, what will be done with it, what if I don't care, what if I don't have enough time, why should I help, is this the best charity, but I can't give a lot, etc.) Now, while all of those concerns should be addressed, it should never stop you from giving. It is an important thing, and a necessary thing in many ways. Plus it is a nice way to do good in the world. :)
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