2011 New Year’s Resolution, by Daniel Mulligan

 

And thus the New Year is upon us once again,
All the buzz, activities, motions, and cheerfulness,
Sitting in the cozy nook near the hearth,
I spell my New Year’s Resolution,

Novelty flows in the air, hostility, but rare,
As if the old globe has been replaced with a spare,

Dear universe, let me set my first desire,  
A world at peace and away from war’s fire,
The year that passed witnessed so much scourge and affright,
Let’s hope that the New Year will impel all that to expire,

 
Dear universe, let me instate my second wish,
Allow me to flow freely and autonomous akin to a fish,
Live free or die well, I heard them say, 
Hence I would play the role of a free man in this play, 

Dear universe, let me articulate my third hope,
Sweet happiness for the humanity to cope,
To live mirthfully, and to make others joyful,
 To knot the people unitedly using this felicitous rope,
  

 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
That among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,
These three wishes, also make the Declaration of Independence, 

May 2011 be a year of aliveness, autonomy, and contentment,
That is my sincere bid, resolution, and statement. 

Space Exploration or Financial Imploration

 If you invariably keep your eyes on the sky you may inevitably stumble over the ground. We all cherish and value all the researches done on the outer space and heavenly matters, however, when it comes to budgeting the aforementioned affairs, things get a trifle baffling.

    In an era in which most economies have failed to meet the needs of the majority, dedicating substantial amounts of funds to researches and inquiries that are predominantly involved with the aerospace and its corresponding fields may prove as the second priority when such bulk of the citizenry are struggling to make their earthly ends meet in various dimensions including, but not limited to, housing, employment, education, health care, welfare, and infrastructure.

    In this regard, our contributing correspondent, Mack Moradi strictly derives his agenda from the old saying that says: "charity starts from home”. The following depicts his sentiment about the issue at hand:

     "I personally subscribe to a view that governments should focus mostly on earthly matters rather than spending all the national funds for outer space exploration. However, needless to admit that space discovery would have the benefit of its own for the mankind. Yet, the funds should instead be allocated to diminish the illiteracy in each society, to provide an affordable housing, and to eradicate unemployment. 

    Illiteracy is indisputably regarded as an impediment to the advancement of a given society, entailing the implications of its own. Quite simply speaking, a literate workforce would evidently have much greater efficiency and productivity than the illiterate ones; in addition, the latest research proves that a literate individual has healthier and longer life span; furthermore, they can by far raise better children than the illiterate ones.

   Fortuitously, in order for the government to contribute to this matter, initiating free public education, and enforcing it as a compulsory requirement for joining the work force is not beyond the realm of possibility.       

Is funding the outer-space exploration at this time of financial hardship a waste ?

 
      Affordable accommodation is still one of the persisting problems with which vast majority of households are dealing, and no one can be extricated unless the government enforces some stimulant in housing policy such as "long term installment loan plan"with low interest rate, establishing it merely by investing mainly in housing projects, not to mention eliminating all the barriers for the construction companies to stimulate the building process.         

                                                                                                              
      Above all, unemployment undoubtedly is observed as an insurmountable dilemma that all the governments nowadays, especially developing ones, are struggling with. The government, thus, owing to the limitation of the national revenue, should shift its main investment into the country's infrastructure, by granting  adequate incentives to attract foreign investors; simply , creating more jobs is way out to remedy unemployment which otherwise entailing rather devastating consequences such as theft, embezzlement ,bribery, money laundering ,or any other anti-social behaviors for that matter ; to make the situation even worse , it might lead to a more dramatic drawback known as "brain drain".    

    To sum up, I firmly hold the view that governments ought to designate most of the budgeting funds to conduct a profound reform in the educational system in order to diminish the illiteracy effectively, to eliminate the accommodation issue, and unemployment. In other words, no government is supposed to assign the budgeting funds entirely for outer space discovery; they should simply bear in mind that charity starts from home, and meanwhile people deserve and yet is bound to a better life on earth."

Our Planet, Our Home

 “There's so much pollution in the air now that if it weren't for our lungs there'd be no place to put it all.”  ~Robert Orben

“Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.”  ~Cree Indian Proverb

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”  ~Native American Proverb

A mere look and a slight contemplation towards the aforementioned statements are more than sufficient to awaken the most barricaded of minds. As the days go by, humanity finds itself more and more in ordeal with the earth in all conceivable aspects not knowing that the real struggle exists within itself.

The global attention regarding the dire need for substantial changes in the way we, the tenants of our planet earth, treat our very home has been steadily increased over the years especially among academics and intellectuals . Alas, such tending is a direct result of the evident impacts done on our environment and their respective trauma; an impairment that is getting us closer and closer to an uninhabitable world due to the abuse committed by none other than ourselves.

Air pollution, global warming and inexplicable weather patterns, the dwindling supply of clean drinking water, reduction of fertile soil, increased level of poisonous chemicals in all elements of the planet earth, raise in the level of radioactivity as well as seismic functions, …, the list goes on! 

But why?! Why should we let our own sanctuary be affected by our own greed?

The following video is an elaboration on ways upon which, the world can see a reversal in its destructive path by allowing the environment to lead us towards its destiny,
 

Facts About Marriage( A Response to the Time Magazine)

Article at Suite101.com by Daniel Molagan

Access : Marriage, I Do , or I Don't

The Attitude of Gratitude

Hearing the phrase “Give and you shall receive” might not make much sense at the beginning. At the least, for me that was the case after reading it for the very first time when I was just a small child. 

     Due to my curious nature (which I am so grateful for) I have always loved to poke into the nature and conception of every phenomenon and event. My desire to understand why things are the way they are, by far outmatches that of accepting the current situation. Thanksgiving which is a part of every American and Canadian lifestyle is yet another occasion that comes and goes for many without changing any. Unsurprisingly, I was sitting around today contemplating regarding the true implementation of Thanksgiving and its subsequent streams of thoughts and feelings. 

     When the entire family gather together to celebrate their warm (or not so warm) union through expressing their gratitude and thankfulness for all that there is, and for all that is about to come ,somehow, out of the blue, there takes place something magical , something beyond that of which logic can address. The realm of possibilities.

     If you have had access to The Secret, you are already well aware of what I am about to say. The law of attraction, which is the primal rule upon which our universe is governed, simply says “like attracts like”; in other words, specific feelings, or thoughts, or actions bring about the same round of result within the same spectrum. That is, by sending out thoughts of “X” TO the universe, you would receive nothing but “X” FROM the universe. 

     This notion could not have been made more apprehensive anywhere better than the books The Secret, and The Power. Explanation of this theory would be far facilitated by reading the aforementioned books; however, the overall concept could easily be grasped by placing the formula inside the Newton’s third law which is unanimously adhered by all:
 

“To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."

     Hence, for instance, by hitting a wall with your fist, you will force the same pressure emitted on the wall on your own fist. Now let’s widen our scope and take things to a mental level. Through having a given mental attitude towards the world, you would receive the same attitude in return. 

     I just reviewed the book Rich Dad Poor Dad which by the way is dubbed “the book that rocked the financial world by the Wall Street Journal”; and among the multitude of tips for greatness, the most astonishing is a reiteration of what I previously mentioned:

“In my life, over all these years, whenever I have felt needy or short of money or short of help, I simply went out and or found in my heart what I wanted, and decided to give it first. And when I gave, it always came back.”, writes Robert T.Kiyosaki in page 184 and proceeds a few lines below : “Whenever I feel that people aren’t smiling at me, I simply begin smiling and saying hello, and like magic, there are suddenly more smiling people around me. It’s true that your world is only a mirror of you”.

     In this way, we can conclude ,so with ease, that our way of thinking could change everything that happens to us, and if our way of thinking is submerged in thanking then the outcome is quite manifest.

     The concept of showing your thankfulness for all the little things that you have ,as well as the attempt at giving what you want for yourself to the universe just to retrieve the same matter in higher quantities are indeed realized in one term; 

Thankfulness + Giving things out = Thanksgiving 

     Thus, let us hope that we will be celebrating our life in a thanksgiving mood every single day of our existence for what is better to give to the world and receive than our very thanks. 

     
 

The History of Thanksgiving and its Celebrations

The Greeks,Romans,Hebrews, Chinese, Egyptians,
Americans, and Canadians have all been indulging
on the day of Thanksgiving throughout the history.
Learn more by visiting 

Thanksgiving on the Net - The History of Thanksgiving and its Celebrations

Social Skills

From day-to-day greeting to a formal presentation, social skills play a major role in our interaction with the community in which we dwell in. 

Social skills, in nutshell, refer to the way we interact with the other people around us, and the treatment that we receive in response. While, social skills vary from one culture to another, it’s safe to say that a combination of verbal and non-verbal functions shape the basis of such skills in a guild. 

Communication, facial expressions, body language, external behavior , overall mood towards others , accent, level of closeness , the recognition of social status, presupposition, openness, self-confidence are but few of the notions that fall under the category of social skills. 

Acquiring social skills has as big of an impact as lack thereof. Thus, social skill deficits could literally paralyze one’s sense of self in a given community which ultimately reduces the interactive quality of the person in its immediate surroundings. 

 


The links below are invaluable resources in order for improving social skills in the most sensible manner:

Link #1

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Dreams that go further down the surface

"On the surface, I once bought a forest. The parasites claimed that the land belonged to God, and demanded that I establish a public park there.It wasn't impossible to build rapture at the bottom of the sea, it was impossible to build it anywhere else." 


Andrew Ryan

For as long as humanity existed, so did the desire to ascend in the air which eventually came true by invention of various airplanes, jets, and space shuttles. However this arising desire has not stopped the humankind from arousing the wish for descending upon the surface of the bodies of the water around the globe. 

      The notion of life underwater is not an unfamiliar concept, and you can scarcely find individuals who are unacquainted with some form of fiction or info related to this construct. 

      Considering the fact that the majority of the planet earth ,in terms of net area and surface, is covered with rivers, lakes, seas, and above all oceans we can easily imagine the magnitude of infrastructural potential that is given to us by a vast sub-aquatic margin, something that can now become yet another step towards our prosperity thanks to the advanced technology.

      In a world that is becoming more and more populated if not polluted every single day, the chance to extend our civilization beyond our lands would seem quite welcome despite all the limitations and difficulties associated with such a grand agenda.

      If you are into video games , you have probably heard about(or experienced) the video games series Bioshock; and in particular Rapture city and its own political, social ,justice, and educational system that is thoroughly unlike any other territories in the world because of  its isolated, and independent nature. Alas, Rapture city is depicted as a grand yet imperfect icon of human ambition that was spoiled by greed and other infamous human characteristics. Fiction aside, the concept while quite hard to achieve is by all means possible using the contemporary technology. 

      However, the recent occurrence of the oil spill disaster in the gulf of Mexico may be the first skeptic sign that passes through your mind the moment you think of establishing an entire city with its various elements that has the potential to create disasters of larger scope. After all, in such a city anything could go awry at any single moment, and due to the submerged nature of the infrastructure, the risk of all sorts of damages and loss are but high. 

      Everything said and done, placing all the disadvantages of a city under the ocean on the one side of the scale would still be no match for the vantage points of all the benefits received in such an environment. Only future has the answer for the billions of people who will be forced to choose between abandoning the planet earth or living under the oceans should the current trend of natural exploitation on the surface of the earth continues.Let's hope for a bright answer hereafter.     

What is love?

For millennia, people have been taking shelter in love for one reason or another. However, explaining the true rational motive behind the need for closeness and intimacy has proven difficult if not impossible.

      Essentially, the multitude of philosophers, poets , writers , directors over the years have tried so arduously to depict a portrait of love that cleanses the soul, refreshes the life , renders purpose for our existence among other things; in other words, the bulk of people are able to describe the feelings while completely unable to explicate on what love actually is.

       Nicholas Sparks in his book A Walk to Remember so aptly describes the features of love:
"Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish. It does not take offense and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people's sins, but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes."

       However, for those of you who might demand a more scientific and less abstract definition, many researches have been conveyed in order for providing a ground for this seemingly unexplainable subject. The results are quite varied to say the least, from denying the existence of love altogether, to thorough explanations via neurons and hormones.

      In the videos bellow Anthropologist Helen Fisher, who have studied gender differences and the evolution of human emotion, talks about love and intimacy along with their assorted functions as well as definition.

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And Then There Were Wars; Commemoration of 9/11 and its Respective Consequences

 Article written by Daniel Molagan

Have you ever wondered how could one hour and eighteen minutes change our lives as well as the history forever?! 

      Nine years ago at this time, the world shook as it saw civilization, no matter how advanced, can be replaced with mayhem that would be remembered by generations to come.

      It looks as if a part of our world died along with thousands of men and women, workers and managers, firefighters and police officers who lost their lives on that grim day. But the series of attacks on September 11th 2001 merely ignited the blazing fire of war that has been burning the world ever since. The fire that is prominently fueled by ignorance, hatred, and most of all, greed.Despite the magnitude of controversy that has surrounded 9/11 and its various theories from conspiratorial to patriotic, we have all been affected by that incident all the same. 

      Whether the twin towers collapsed because of the airplane crashes or planted explosives; regardless of the motivation behind such atrocious cruelty; sadly, the deed is done. Fanatics and extremists are casting the ground as well as the sky disseminating hatred and recruiting followers via falsification , the world as we know it is filled with lack of trust , hate crimes are prevalent , and earnest intentions over ceasing this maddening terror are few and far in between.

      We have to be cautioned that the very notion that brought about the fury events of 9/11 is now being practiced freely in the name of terror inhibition.Terrorism will not vanish unless the root of the issue is targeted. And that brings us to the infamous origin that has caused all this to begin with, something that is ironically quite familiar and has become part of our lives without us even noticing it. Hatred.

      How can we wish for a world where terrorists are isolated and suppressed when we give them a reason to attract newcomers by disrespecting their beliefs and violating their rights as well as our own constitution?!  

      What do you expect a young fellow in Afghanistan or Pakistan would think after witnessing the news about burning Koran by an American pastor? Why do we have to give these extremists the opportunity to mold the minds of others so they could portray America and its allies as the enemies of Islam rather than fanaticism after taking away the constitutional right of Muslim-Americans? 

      Mr. Terry Jones, if you truly long a world of abundance and successfulness where people of different faiths can coexist peacefully ; so long you honestly desire safety and security and not public attention, you would preach tolerance and acceptance instead of insulting the millions of innocent and passive Muslims who had nothing to do with the heinousness that occurred on 9/11. 

      We, as Christians and followers of Christ who said in Matthew 5:44: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”, are supposed to emanate the message of love throughout the universe and not the other way around.

      Washington, if you are unwilling to see your own people embrace death without a cause; if you are taking all the measures to forestall  yet another 9/11 to strike the nation ever again you would remain faithful to the fine constitution of the United States of America and specifically the first Amendment by allowing the Muslim-minority to practice their religion peacefully .

      Mr. Feisal Abdul Rauf ,if you are sincere about your intention behind erecting the grand mosque that is aimed at bringing people closer to God and shows the world the tranquil and pious trend of Islam you would move the location of the grand mosque somewhere else if only to avoid inducing bitter memories of those who lost their loved ones on ground zero, for it is Islam, not to mention all other religions, that enunciates” do unto others as you would like to be done onto you” . After all, Allah can be reached from anywhere and not just the ground zero.

       I hereby , as a Christian and a subscriber of the first Amendment, condemn Mr. Jones’ attempt at disgracing Koran, and would commemorate 9/11 by hoping to see a morrow where people of all faiths and backgrounds can live a prosperous life in which all individuals, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Spirituals, non-believers, cooperate  to redeem the world of extremism and hatred .    

For we read on the entrance of the United Nations:
 

The children of Adam are limbs to each other,
  Having been created of one essence.

A short story: “In Country” by James Ross

You seldom catch the opportunity to read a story that emanates nostalgia and hope at the same time. “In Country” is certainly one of those narratives that do just that. 

      A recently divorced dad and his son who have to leave their neighborhood for something of a "Bandit Country" presumably to forget about the bitter past and start a new life. 
 
      This short story shows clearly that while divorce can be very tough at times, the life could certainly move on even after such ordeals. Depicting the challenges of life after divorce that are evened by the calmness of a one-on-one chat between a father and his eight-year-old son. 
 
      Once again, if you would like to taste nostalgia and hope simultaneously give this short story of three pages a try.

Access “In Country” by James Ross

(The story is 3 pages long)

New approach towards design

Disasters do come about whether we like them or not; however, we are not destined to be demolished upon occurrence of a tragedy.

      Considering the rapidly developing infrastructure around the globe, as well as increasing population and its associated financial difficulties that favors quantity over quality, we as the occupants of earth dwell in a world that has become even more vulnerable over the years despite the new technologies.

      This issue,while present in all societies, is more evident among poor and developing nations that are struggling to maintain their pace of growth by exchanging future planning , hazard prediction,and risk reduction for more apparent, and tangible maturation.

      In response to such allegations, those involved in the process defend their initiatives by stating that tough times call for tough measures. This is while in the 21st century, the appropriate approach demands an agenda as follows:

New times call for new measures.

      The first discipline that comes to our minds when thinking about natural disasters and tragedies is architecture and design of the various infrastructures and products. The way we try to tackle the problem of designs that are immune, or at least resilient, towards hazards plays a key role towards the outcome of a turmoil  .If we are truly concerned about the toll taken on finance, human lives, and most importantly our environment,then we need to look anew at our design bearing  in the current situation. A direction that not only benefits us but also the posterity.  

The following videos address this concern by providing novel ways in which a fresh look on product design and architecture can bring about safety and security for all .

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