Magic isn't real, but so many people are fooled...

One example, Criss Angel...

Walking on Water

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-ythagqGQI

(Trick is done with cables and a helicopter)

Criss lifting a person by sticking his arm through him

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hPyiBA1TQE&feature=related

Controlling a frisbee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHq-uoMtD94&feature=related

Vanishing a Lambourghini

(Done with mirrors and the fire extinguishers, slips behind the bales on the side)

THE DOOR CHARLIE!!!!!!!!!

So you know how we were talking about the door that leads to knowledge or something like that in TOK? Mwhahaha! Meet the door of knowledge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXv28fd46wM

Do we choose what we believe?

Well, I pondered this profound question yesterday for a little bit and I hate to be a neutral ground person but the answer is both yes and no. *Sam avoids people throwing things at her*

We have the option to choose what we believe in several areas. We can have our own set of moral codes, values and beliefs. I set a higher standard for myself than my younger brother does when it comes to school because I believe I have to strive to be better than I am to get the post secondary education I want without being promptly drowned in student loans. This is my own belief, others would simply float through school and get into a random post secondary. Lucky them.

We can also choose a faith to follow. Some may argue with me on this but I am not really up for a religious debate right now so just read and follow along mmk? There are several faiths out there, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Jainism, Shinto even Wicca. My family is filled with atheists, so I have definately seen that side before. I prefer to think of myself as an agnostic. I accept that there could be a higher power out there, but I am skeptical that there is. I also do not agree with several aspects of some faiths. And trust me, it's not because I am an outside viewer who has no idea what she is talking about. There are devout Christians in my family among the many atheists, and I also go to a youth group, have been to many church functions and yes, even I used to go to Sunday School sometimes.

Now, to end my bit of explaining and partial rambling, here's why I am standing on the neutral ground with this question. You are taught morals by your parents, friends, family, society etc. All outside voices that are telling you from birth what is right, and what is wrong. Your values begin inside of you as a root that grows from the values of your parents. Don`t take this as bad! I'm just saying that you really don`t define your own values until you`ve hit at least puberty. Your intial values mainly stem from your parents and the way you were raised. Not dissing the moms and dads out there. And, depending on your family, you are raised to believe a certain religion from the moment you take a breathe on God, Allah, Gai, Krishna's fine green and blue earth. My parents believe that I have the right to choose my own path, so they have guided me but left the options of values and religion open to me.

So, to wrap it all up, a person can choose what they believe but, the said person can only do so if they are strong (or anti-social) enough to resist the pressure of parentals and society.

Swiiiiiiiiiiine Flu eh?

So, I am getting the swine flu vaccine. Not because I think H1N1 is going to kill me but because I figure, why not? There have been bad reactions, so what? They are few and far between. Many people have gotten the shot and they are fine. Geez... isn't it funny that I am more frightened of the fact that I'm getting a needle than a reaction to the vaccine? Haha.

Charles was watching her...

Anyone seen A Beautiful Mind yet? I watched it in Ottawa and it was amazing! :o
But I don't want to spoil anything just yet. Other than a couple of my favorite lines.

- Charles: Yes. But pizza - now, pizza I have enormous respect for. And of course beer.
Nash: I have respect for beer. I have respect for beer!
- Nash: Classes will dull your mind, destroy the potential for authentic creativity. (AGREED!)
- Nash: There has to be a mathematical explanation for how bad that tie is.
- Nash: Terrified... mortified... petrified... stupefied... by you.
- Charles: Nothing's ever for sure, John. That's the only sure thing I do know. (Tok much?)
- Dr. Rosen: Imagine if you suddenly learned that the people, the places, the moments most important to you were not gone, not dead, but worse, had never been. What kind of hell would that be?
- Nash: If we all go for the blonde and block each other, not a single one of us is going to get her. So then we go for her friends, but they will all give us the cold shoulder because no on likes to be second choice. But what if none of us goes for the blonde? We won't get in each other's way and we won't insult the other girls. It's the only way to win. It's the only way we all get laid.

And there we go. :) Like any of the quotes?

V.v Language?

Note: I over use smilies. Call it my third language. :) I'm fluent in English, sarcasm and smilie 101.

Now, after our discussion on Language, I've been left to ponder on my own. Sorry if anything I mention has already been touched upon, but that's what you get when you miss two classes worth of lovely discussions. ^^

In my opinion, there are three main catergories of language. Oral, written and symbolism. Take for example the English language. You can write such as I am writing on this blog now or speech orally with a person or group of people, perhaps even just yourself... if you so wish? Symbols are also crucial to a language but these symbols may not be universal to a given group of people. For example, our school mascot the Viking is also a symbol of the Minnasota Vikings, a NFL team. Now, taking these three catergories, you can apply them to another language such as Greek. Kali mera. Ti kanete? Me lene Sam. Stin iyia sas. (Good morning. How are you? (plural) My name is Sam. Cheers. (plural)) Voila, another written language. I can speak some as well. Perhaps you'll get to hear my rough Greek for yourself later. :)

As for Greek symbols, I gave one example in class. A closed hand with the palm facing someone is equivilent to giving someone the finger in our country. These two symbols mean the same thing but are expressed differently depending on where you come from. :*

Sophie's World

It seems little do we discuss our "textbook" and I thought this might make for a good topic for the spur of the moment. I have found Alberto Knox to be a figure that creeps around on the streets driving a sketchy looking van. Haha. I don't know about anyone else but I find him to be a rather frightening character all in all.

And on to the ancient civilizations. As most of you know, I have indeed been to Greece and Italy and I'll shortly be posting some pictures to help aid me in explaining some of my opinions that have appeared throughout Sophie's World.

So what does everyone else think of Sophie's World so far? Or have you even been reading it? ;)
----x
Now, the pictures. The above picture is at Pompeii in Italy. The mountain in the background the infamous Mount Vesuvius. This was once a booming community, destroyed in an instant. But due to the quick settling ash and the compactness of the ash, the city is preserved very well.

And now the mighty Acropolis and Athens, where philosophy really kicked off with some of the most brilliant ancient minds. The Acropolis is under restoration so you'll see the new and the old limestone pieces. The Acropolis is built on the highest point in the city and you can see the entire city and the valley the city rests in.
(( I had to delete all the pictures due to a coding error that I am trying to find... -_- ))