Conservatism: Sometimes Misunderstood #5

 Those who buy into propaganda might echo a stereotypical definition of a “conservative”:  one who is wealthy, selfish, bigoted, war mongering, anti-government, and adverse to change.  Though this view might well serve political agendas, it is an inaccurate and uninformed definition of a conservative.  Though some political parties may have more conservative tendencies than others, it is important to note that conservatism is not a political affiliation; it is neither Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, nor Tea.   In truth, conservatism is a school of thought based on the belief on the constitution, individual freedom, self-determination and personal responsibility. Conservatism also supports an inverse relationship between the size of government and individual liberty.  A conservative is not anti-government, but firmly believes that the size and reach of government powers and programs come at the expense of personal property and liberty.

           
            To a conservative, the Constitution is the blueprint for our federal government and should be interpreted literally.  That is to say that a conservative does not believe the Constitution is a “living document” subject to changing political or social climates.  However, neither does a conservative believe the Constitution is perfect or should remain unaltered from its original text.  A conservative holds firm that any constitutional changes should come through the amendment process provided for in the Constitution.   The Constitution clearly describes the lawful powers of the federal government.  But just as important, to a conservative, the constitution outlines the limits of that power.  Those limitations are in place to preserve the powers of individual states and protect individual freedoms.   In drafting the Constitution, as well as the Declaration of Independence, our founding fathers literally rejected the imposing, overbearing rule of the king of England.  The genesis of our country is based on the value of and quest for religious freedom, self-determination, and personal liberty. 

           
           A conservative believes in a defined role of government, but as a rule, is wary of the size and reach of government.  The cost of government expansion, legislation, regulation, and government programs, is born by individual citizens.   Though some if not most laws are necessary to maintain a safe, ordered society, laws fundamentally limit the freedom of individuals.  Conservatives believe that the citizens must be vigilant not to cede their freedoms to the government without a necessary common benefit.   On one extreme, one would be challenged to argue against laws prohibiting acts of terrorism.   However, is it necessary that current federal law prohibits the number of game shows one can participate in annually?    It is the labor of the individual and their taxes that fund government payrolls and programs.  Every government employee, and every government program, be it the military, NASA, or agricultural subsidies, are paid for out of the pockets of wage earners.  A conservative will maintain that the government tree is watered with personal property.   

           
          If unchecked, the growth of the government can undermine not only our freedom, but also our entire democracy.  Currently, in a time of unprecedented spending and accumulated national debt, Americans are questioning how close we are to irreversible insolvency.  The bulk of our debt will be the responsibility of coming generations.  According to the US National Debt Clock every American citizen has a share of $44,067, and every unborn child will assume as much and more (US National Debt Clock 1).  Economically conservatives believe in the statement, “don’t spend what you don’t have.”  As the 19^th century French historian Alexis de Tocueville describes, “the American Republic will endure until the day congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money (QuoteDB 1).”

          
          Along with the liberties of individuals, a conservative values the freedom of all commercial markets.  The reward of profit and personal gain offered in the marketplace gives individuals incentive to produce, invent, and develop more opportunities for others.  These rewards also offer individuals self worth and independence.  Though some government control, such as anti-trust laws, is appropriate to preserve the free market, a conservative is an advocate for limiting the reach of government in the markets. The more limits the government places on the market, the less incentive an entrepreneur has to produce goods. 

Conservatism is not exclusive to any socio-economic level. It has nothing to do with racial or ethnic backgrounds.  Conservatism is simply a philosophy; a belief that any increase in government is a limit to individual freedom and that it is written in the constitution to protect our freedoms and limit government.  Conservatives value the free market and maintain that it is a free market and not government that motivates people to invent, achieve, and create opportunities for others. 

           

           

            

A Visionary Untouched 2 #4

I remember that car ride home.  My water polo team had just destroyed Mercer Island’s team 17 to 6.  It was an awesome game I probably had 7 goals 3 or 4 steals and a couple field-blocks, I was on cloud nine after the game.  It was late in the evening, freezing cold, and pouring down rain. The last thing I wanted to do after a win like that was get out of the cozy pool into the frigid air wearing nothing but a speedo.  Full of adrenalin I hopped out, grabbed my towel, dried off, and jumped into my deck coat.  After a quick meeting with my coach I scurried to my car, cranked up the heat, and turned on some tunes. That was the first time I heard the news.  Steve Jobs was dead.  It had been six hours since the news broke out, and I was just hearing it for the first time.  I sat there for a few minutes reflecting on how his innovations change the world of technology forever.  He was a visionary who revolutionized the music industry, the cell phone industry, and the personal computer industry. 

Along with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, Steve Jobs pioneered the first personal computer in 1976.  Apple I was the first product of Apple Inc.  In the following years Apple released the Apple II, Apple III, and the Apple Lisa.  After much success with the Apple II and Apple III, Apple hired John Sculley as CEO for his business background to improve advertising and profit margins.  In 1985 Jobs was ousted by the board of directors and sold his share of Apple.  Years later he started a new computer company called NeXT.  Apple eventually bought the company bringing Jobs back into Apple’s management. After a decade of poor management and the company turning to a multibillion-dollar loss, Steve Jobs became the CEO. Thus began the “Steve Jobs Era.”  Jobs began restructuring the company.  Just before the company almost went under, Jobs struck an investment deal with Microsoft.  The Apple revolution has begun. 

 

We all love our music.  I remember getting my first iPod. It was the coolest thing ever.  It could hold 1,000 songs at one time. This was a big step up from my SONY Walkman.  The iPod had a color screen and it even had games.  This great piece of technology revolutionized the music experience.  People didn’t have to use CD’s anymore.  I could just go to iTunes and buy any song I wanted.  For better or worse Steve Jobs revolutionized the music industry.  The iPod was one of a kind and everyone had to have one. It’s what put Apple on the technology map. 

With the iPod leading the way, people started to take notice of Apple, and their version of a personal computer.  The iMac was unique to its features.  It was the only computer to be all in one.  The idea of a computer built into the screen was a major selling point for Apple.  Eventually the new iMac became the best selling PC on the market. Apple continued to update and remodel the iMac with the newest technology, but computers weren’t the main event in Palo Alto. 

Jobs always had something brewing in the background.  In January of 2007, Apple introduced one of it’s most famous of products.  There was no phone like the iPhone. It was truly revolutionary.  It introduced touch-screen technology on mobile devices.  The iPhone also created a brand new idea.  Apps are a major part of daily life.  There is an app for everything.  Nobody could match the iPhone’s capabilities. I sat at my computer jaw dropped as I watched the keynote speech from Jobs.  I though it was the coolest thing ever!! 

Steve Jobs was a visionary, and no one can argue with that statement.  Today there are many products competing with Apple products, but these followers can’t say they were the first.  Steve Jobs was the first.  On October 5^th, 2011 at 3:00pm in his home Steve lost his last battle with pancreatic cancer.  He had been battling cancer since October 2003, but he never let the battle affect his mind. He would keep coming up with the latest and greatest.  He was such an iconic person in the modern world and in my life. He gave me my love for technology.  I guess I thought he would live forever.  I released my parking brake, popped my truck into first gear, and silently drove home.   

A Visionary Untouched #3

I remember that car ride home.  My water polo team had just destroyed Mercer Island’s team 17 to 6.  It was an awesome game I probably had 7 goals 3 or 4 steals and a couple field-blocks, I was on cloud nine after the game.  It was late in the evening, freezing cold, and pouring down rain. The last thing I wanted to do after a win like that was get out of the cozy pool into the frigid air wearing nothing but a speedo.  Full of adrenalin I hopped out, grabbed my towel, dried off, and jumped into my deck coat.  After a quick meeting with my coach I scurried to my car, cranked up the heat, and turned on some tunes. That was the first time I heard the news.  Steve Jobs was dead. 

It had been six hours since the news broke out, and I was just hearing it for the first time.  I sat there for a few minutes reflecting on how his innovations change the world of technology forever.  He was a visionary who revolutionized the music industry, the cell phone industry, and the personal computer industry. 

 

Along with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, Steve Jobs pioneered the first personal computer in 1976.  Apple I was the first product of Apple Inc.  In the following years Apple released the Apple II, Apple III, and the Apple Lisa.  After much success with the Apple II and Apple III, Apple hired John Sculley as CEO for his business background to improve advertising and profit margins.  In 1985 Jobs was ousted by the board of directors and sold his share of Apple.  Years later he started a new computer company called NeXT.  Apple eventually bought the company bringing Jobs back into Apple’s management. After a decade of poor management and the company turning to a multibillion-dollar loss, Steve Jobs became the CEO. Thus began the “Steve Jobs Era.”  Jobs began restructuring the company.  Just before the company almost went under, Jobs struck an investment deal with Microsoft.  The Apple revolution has begun. 

We all love our music.  I remember getting my first iPod. It was the coolest thing ever.  It could hold 1,000 songs at one time. This was a big step up from my SONY Walkman.  The iPod had a color screen and it even had games.  This great piece of technology revolutionized the music experience.  People didn’t have to use CD’s anymore.  I could just go to iTunes and buy any song I wanted.  For better or worse Steve Jobs revolutionized the music industry.  The iPod was one of a kind and everyone had to have one. It’s what put Apple on the technology map.  People started to take notice of Apple, and eventually the iMac became the best selling PC on the market. Apple continued to remodel the iMac with the newest technology, but computers weren’t the focus of Apple anymore.  In January of 2007, Apple introduced one of it’s most famous of products.  There was no phone like the iPhone.  Nobody could match its capabilities. I sat at my computer jaw dropped as I watched the keynote speech from Jobs.  I though it was the coolest thing ever!! 

Steve Jobs was a visionary, and no one can argue with that statement.  Today there are many products competing with Apple products, but these followers can’t say they were the first.  Steve Jobs was the first.  On October 5^th, 2011 at 3:00pm in his home Steve lost his last battle with pancreatic cancer.  He was such an iconic person in the modern world.  I guess I thought he would live forever.  I released my parking brake, popped my truck into first gear, and silently drove home.   

Hello This is Your iPhone Talking #2

What is Apple referring to with the “S” in iPhone 4S? Some could argue that the S stands for the iPhone’s awesome new A5 chip, a 1ghz dual core processor allowing the phone to run at lightning “speed.”  Along with the speed, the phone has a Sony built 8-mega-pixel 1080p HD video recording camera. However, most associate the “S” with the revolutionary voice control system “Siri.”  Siri is why people justify the upgrade.  “When I step out of my house today, a reminder will pop up on my iPhone 4S to deposit checks at the bank.” Or “Siri… remind me to do my homework after water polo practice.” Siri will know that I am leaving the pool and remind me when I pull up to my house. Now I can forget about forgetting to do something because Siri has my back.

Everything can be done with Siri. Apple began their launch of voice activation with the iPhone 3GS. Although you were limited to voice dialing and song selection, it jump started what was to come from apple in the near future. Apple didn’t do it alone however. The advanced voice recognition technology was an acquisition when Apple bought the 2010 start-up company Siri Inc. 

Siri brings efficiency to your life.  It takes about 3 seconds to ask Siri to set a reminder, as opposed to opening up the calendar app and manually adding a reminder for a certain day at a certain time. More often than not I am too lazy to take out a planner and write down a reminder. Instead I try to remember it in my head, - this never turns out well.-  I am hopeful that Siri will help me get from a “forgot about list” to an “accomplished list.”  Consider Siri like a personal assistant who you don’t have to pay. 

Voice recognition software like Siri and Google Voice is making its way to be the next big thing. The first generation iPhone revolutionized how we interacted with our phones. The capacitive touch-screen from Apple was untouched for quite awhile as other cellular phone companies could not match the same technology. However today the majority of our phones and electronics are touch-screen. Even my 3 year-old cousin can work an iPad better than me.

It makes sense that voice control is the next step in a user interface. Its like “how can I make it even easier?” At birth we begin our introduction to talking. Therefore controlling the new iPhone should be easier than figuring how to control a touch-screen interface. This innovation will be the most efficient way to utilize our phones until Apple or Google master telekinesis. 

To most of us, voice recognition software is a luxury on our phones, but this luxury has the ability to change a person’s life forever.  People who are visually impaired now have the ability to utilize key features of a smartphone. Without help from another, a blind man can search restaurants, lookup meaningless facts, and even send a text message or email.  Apple truly has expanded their target audience.

As of now, Siri is beta software and only has minimal features.  It’s partnered with Yelp to utilize restaurant searches and reviews and Wolfram Alpha to solve meaningless calculations. Other than these two third party applications Siri is only designed to work with iPhone’s innate applications. But who is to say that having your phone trade stocks or set a facebook status is too far away.

http://www.wired.com/reviews/2011/10/iphone4s/all/1

Laughter #1

Got the Giggles?

Everyday Use:

Imagine a group of men trapped deep in a mine with little to sustain their lives for a handful of days.  While they support each other, 14 days pass before their families and countrymen even know they are alive. On August 5, 2010, 33 Chilean miners were victims of a coal mine collapse and were trapped 2,300 feet below the earth’s surface. With little hope and initially thought to be dead, these coal miners survived in the ground for 70 days before being rescued. In relating their means of survival, several miners cited the humor and laughter amongst the group. One miner credited the combination of faith and “pranks” for staying alive. “Yes playing jokes on each other was on of the ways we fought off fear and despair.” Though few if any of us will face such a long and frightening experience, all of us will go through tough times and will need a survival kit of our own. These miners used laughter as a way to survive their dire situation; many of them may look back and chuckle at their experience as means to continue to help them cope with what they went through half mile underground.  So perhaps there is truth to the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.”

                               Causes:

Be it a joke, a comedy, or relating to a humorous event, what makes us laugh is usually not as funny the second time.  This fact is important in understanding why we laugh. We find humor in the unexpected.  German philosopher Immanuel Kant theorized that laughter is the “non-matching” of what is expected. When we listen to a joke, our brains are trying to predict the conclusion of the story.  However, when we are told a different outcome, our brain is flooded with emotions and we find it funny.  This humor may cause us to laugh. 

Medical/Chemical Reactions:

Medical experts note the many direct health benefits of laughter.  Jokingly, many of us say we would rather have a good laugh than do those painful sit-ups and crunches.  Ironically, this is not a joke.  Laughing is an excellent abdominal exercise. A good laugh works out the diaphragm, contracts the abdominal muscles, and even exercises the shoulders, leaving muscles more relaxed afterward. The heart also benefits from a good chuckle. When we are under stress our bodies produce high levels of cortisol, epinephrine, and dopamine hormones. These “stress hormones” suppress the immune system, increase the number of blood platelets (which can cause obstructions in arteries) and raise blood pressure.  The positive, health-enhancing hormones such as endorphins that are released with laughter work to dilate arteries and thus reduce blood pressure. 

Effectively, lower blood pressure increases the natural killer cells that destroy tumors and viruses.  Similarly the laughter will increase Gamma-interferon (a disease-fighting protein), T-cells, which play a major role in the immune response, and B-cells, which make disease-destroying antibodies.

           

Social Benefits:

Humans love to laugh socially, but few understand the psychological benefits of laughter. Is it coincidence that late night television is crammed with our favorite sitcoms? - Not exactly. -  In competing for our viewership, television stations take careful aim at a common need in the evening and late night hours.  Our stress builds over a day at work, at school, or even managing a family, and laughter is a natural antidote.  Laughter provides an escape from our daily worries and fears.  It releases endorphins – natural hormones that lead us to feel euphoric, even for a moment.  Within a group, laughter can provide a sense of belonging, security, and even hope.  The story of the trapped men – a worst-case scenario - serves as great example of this benefit of laughter.

          Synopsis:

          Worldwide, the different languages and dialects are innumerable, but the language of laughter is universal.  Everyone enjoys the gift of laughing, and it is a gift we can share with each other.  Laughter can bond us and give us a sense of belonging, security, and even a release from stress.  More than that, laughter is an absolutely healthy activity.  It is a proven blood pressure reducer, and even an effective abdominal exercise.  Laughing is a proven tool for one’s personal survival guide. You may not be a miner stuck underground, or have high blood pressure, but either way it doesn’t hurt to laugh once in a while. When it comes to your health and wellbeing, laughter is no joke.  Go ahead and have a good chuckle.