Updates and Noteworthy Links

obviously, this whole discipline to stay away from blogging before i get my work done is not working.

but the truth is, my assigned reading and class assignments are never going to end. even if they do, i'll still find something else to do...! (yes, i do have the tendency to self-inflict 'pain'. ;P)

very briefly, i have some sentiments regarding some current events. first of all, my condolences to the surviving family of all the victims perished in the earthquake in Western China Qinghai Province that happened a week ago. i hope they are getting all the help they can get, and that they will get through this tough time with support from the government and all parties involved.words are cheap, i know, but believe me- if i could be there and help out or contribute in some significant ways, i wouldn't hesitate for a second to do so. for now though, since i do not have the financial means nor appropriate skills to do so, i shall send my moral support virtually, through this blog.

secondly, regarding the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud- i'm glad it's clearing up and some flights are back on air after almost a week of paralysis. there were, however, talks about certain airlines being unhappy that airports were closed for the past few days, creating billions of losses. they thought it was unnecessary and that the ash cloud wouldn't have posed any risks. unnecessary?! are they serious? whatever happened to safety and human lives first? what, are they suggesting that they should continue flying and if something terrible happens such as flight crashes or flight combustion in the air causing more deaths (as if the recent Haiti, Chilean and Chinese quakes weren't enough) - then so be it?! sometimes some people's logic (or the lack of it) baffles me, to the point that it's highly amusing. but then again, who am i to judge? common sense, or logic, quoting Einstein, is "nothing more than a set of prejudices deposited in our minds before the age of 18." so maybe what they seemed to propose - to allow airports to continue operating as usual - was the right thing to do. maybe more air crashes is the answer to the overwhelming world population that is posing new plaguing problems such as food shortage, growing senile population, climate issues (which would itself perpetuate a whole cascade of complications), imminent danger of discontinuity of human civilization etc.

ok maybe i'm exaggerating. but the point is- okay there is no point. -____-||  the point, i guess, is that we live in a world full of problems and that is just the way it is. but that doesn't justify any action by anyone to take away human lives or wipe away a huge mass of population in the name of solving "bigger" world issues. or for any reason whatsoever. because if such is true, then there rises another question: how do we decide whose lives to terminate first for the purpose of continuing human civilization? (and take it a step further: IF, a big 'if' that is, we had the right to terminate human lives, does that mean the opposite is true? more explicitly, does that mean we could create lives as we please? i mean, if we want, we could. our technology has already provided us the means to do so! does that mean we can play 'God' now?)

okay, i'm drifting further away - tooo far indeed - to some philosophical discussion, which wasn't my intention at all. (but hey, if you have some opinions regarding any of those gibberish i wrote, please feel free to share. :P) back to reality. hello. :)

as usual, below are some goodies to share:

1. A video on the origin of the human mind, brain imaging and evolution (via Miguel's website).
2. An article featured in The Economist on climate: The Science of Climate Change.
3. Also from Miguel's site - George Orwell's take on the English language and writing well. me likes Georgey Orwell. :)) Oh and while we're at it, William Zinsser's On Writing Well is a good reference book for anyone who wants to improve their written English.

That is all for now. I have a lot more to say, but I should go back to my homework and assignments. Later! :) yikes. did i say "very briefly"? oops didn't turn out that way, did it?! sorry. :P