blog 38

Drey and I are fat. We are sitting at Panera next to Chipotle using their Wifi because my internet is down so I can turn in this blog. My last blog is now late because my internet is retarted (wooooo). So here we are, stealing internet, not buying any Panera food, staring at Chipotle and waiting for their two dollar sale at 6 O clock. We are wearing a gorgeous set of tin foil glasses and tin foil bracelets! It’s so fetch I KNOW. I also have to run a burrito over to my boyfriend at Dairy Queen (also known as hell) across the street. I am getting a burrito with rice, pinto beans, steak, hot sauce, and cheese! It sounds boring but it is delicious and spicy as well. I love spicy things. I could sit and drink hot sauce for days. I have acid reflux but it’s totally worth it. Now my friend is arguing on the phone with his mother about what he got into last night. It’s pretty comical. I guess being a parent and knowing your child was out partying would suck pretty bad, but then what were they doing when they were that age? Also, us college kids are fancy adults now and should have to manage ourselves accordingly. Nevertheless I’m hearing the inevitable guilt in his voice because his momma is yelling at him. After the previous sentence my laptop died and I went to Chipotle and then charged my laptop at Dairy Queen and proceeded to drive back to Panera to type the rest of this. I lead a charmed life.

blog 37

So I was going to come down on campus for all of the supposedly rad Halloween parties, and then my friend made me aware of the hectic OSU game day traffic. Instead I decided I would throw a Halloween party at my house. So I woke up, did homework, cleaned the house up for around 5 hours and moved things around, and set up a pretty sweet party pad (but not really). See the house we did this in had to be thoroughly cleaned because the basement had previously flooded and it was a mess. There was also the problem of no furniture to sit on….and no television to watch…and no music! The solution was text every party goer and ask them to bring odd things like light bulbs, floor cleaner, air freshener, a TV, any kind of furniture, paper towels, cool party miscellaneous and such, etc. One friend brought a TV and helped me move makeshift furniture down (like a mattress ha-ha) and cover everything up. One friend brought music and some brought food and drinks and some brought money, even better. We also made a fantastic trip to chipotle! I was a cop for Halloween and the chipotle workers liked it (mmm mmm).  My friend even brought over his techno music and we jokingly raved in the basement with glow in the dark stuff I bought at the dollar tree. So I had some long lost friends (ever since school started) come over and we all partied it up. Super fun. Then I realized some beverages I had asked not be touched were touched and I got pretty angry.

Blog 36

             So my paper is about whether or not science is going to cross the moral line one day. Now I need to somehow come up with a personal anecdote and a theoretical situation for it. Alright, so for my personal anecdote, I can describe my experience with two of my previous friends. One died almost 7 months ago from accidental overdose, and one has almost died three times from repeated carelessness and overdose. The first friend is at peace and left as is. The second person, not so much. I have witnessed him being repeatedly shocked back to live and injected with adrenaline. Each time he has suffered endlessly and only been drawn back to addiction with no real help from the doctors. Simply, “Oh, we brought you back, you hurt, no money for pain meds, hope you get clean, here’s some resources you won’t use, get out.” And so he goes home, does more drugs to numb the pain, and goes right back to dying and being resuscitated. When is enough enough? I am not putting the blame on anyone here, nor disregarding that this person is at fault for ODing. However, why keep bringing him back and then letting him suffer alone? Why do we have to resuscitate every single time, every person, no matter what? That’s a personal experience that I thought might connect to my topic. Theoretically? Now imagine that science really has crossed the line, and I bring my first friend back to life. Hooray, I’m happy, his moms happy, he’s back! Right? But wait; now he’s a rotted misshapen creature who was forced to return to life when maybe he was already at peace with being dead. For those of us who are religious, what if he had made it to heaven? Why the hell did I take him away from that? Scientific discovery or better yet, selfishness? Some things should be left alone by man. Science is great, and should be explored, but it also should have boundaries and standards set.

Blog 35

The article I chose to read on Common Place is titled, “Leaders or Cheaters: Steroids for the Brain” by Carlton Stine. The article discusses the prescription drug, Adderall. Adderall is a performance enhancing drug originally prescribed for people who are ADD and cannot focus or maintain a productive status. Not only can it help them to reach a point of normalcy and academic achievement, but it can also help people who do not have ADD. It acts as a sort of caffeine rush, but it lasts for hours and keeps you focused on whatever task is at hand. It allows you complete assignments faster and with more efficiency. It decreases stress levels immensely, and makes a person feel confident. Are there negatives? Yes. However the positives seem to outweigh the negatives by far. The drug is illegal and punishable by law if discovered not prescribed, yet it has so much potential to do good. The article says that it is estimated that 35% of college students use Adderall without a prescription in order to do well in school. I myself have friends who are prescribed it and it has worked miracles on their grades. Admitted, I have tried it before because I get extremely unfocused and panicked when it comes to too many deadlines and not enough time. My proof that it works? I took a math test after being bombarded with assignments the entire day. I took that math test at noon. I scored a 62%. A retake was soon established, and with no time to study, I took the test again over the same material with different questions after popping an Adderall. I took that test at 4am after staying up all night doing homework. I scored a 91% on it in half the time. CLEARLY I was more focused, nothing else. I have to say I completely agree with this article and wish the drug was able to be purchased over the counter, especially for those who are very pressured and anxiety ridden. The article also claims that most Harvard professors use it as well, displaying a real quote from a real Harvard teacher.

blog 34

So today in class we chose topics for our common place essay, and I also drew an awesome dragon (woot). I decided I want to write about Science, and whether it is a beautiful thing or a monstrous thing. It connects to my Buffy essay because it’s about an episode where a high school boy resurrects his brother and then tries to assemble a female out of dead body parts. I figured this essay was interesting enough for the class to read and for the Commonplace editors to examine. I have not decided whether or not I’m going to choose a side. I could use the argument, “Science can be both beautiful and monstrous at the same time” or I could choose a side and maybe go more towards “Science appears beautiful and progressive, however it will eventually cross the line and become monstrous”. Those are two very different papers, so I should probably make a decision pretty soon. I could bring up stem cell research, test tube babies, some soviet experiments I found, resuscitation, and etc. I also already have a lot of interesting quotes and facts on the subject. I can also connect the topic to previous texts such as Frankenstein, and how times and expectations have changed. So much in the scientific world has changed, for good and bad. A lot of the social outlook depends on religion and ethics. Everyone has a different sense of morality I suppose. Anyway that’s my starting point, Science: Beauty or Monstrosity.

blog 33

That’s it! I must not be doing what I should be with my life. College is getting harder, life at home is getting harder, work is getting harder, and now I officially can’t wake up when I want to. Maybe I need to take a different path in life because right now it feels like I am trying to put two magnets with the same charge together. For the past two weeks, I have slept with my phone directly next to my face. The alarm is set for seven AM. At seven, I am supposed to wake up, get myself ready for school, and get my little brother ready for school. Then I am supposed to feed him and take him to school on the way to OSU. Not happening. The past two weeks I have been woken up by a phone call or some crazy voice in my head saying, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” as opposed to my regular alarm. I then spring out of bed, throw on whatever’s closest, sometimes I don’t even brush my hair, quickly yell my brother awake, hand him a pop-tart, and get him in the car. For some reason the sound of the alarm is not registering in my brain anymore, and is not enough to rouse me from my sleep. So now I have taken to setting double alarms, one at 6:45 AM by my face, and one at 7:00AM across the room. That way if I silence the one by my face while in my zombie-like state I can’t go back to sleep because the one across the room will start ringing at 7AM and won’t stop until I get up to go get it. Sad, huh? Oh the trials of life.

post 32

Any kind of pumpkin coffee is my savior. Every time I feel really down it always makes me feel better. That and Chipotle. If Chipotle was a person I would marry them. Yes I know, FAT. It is getting cold out and I am not super happy about it. However, I do really love the colors. The leaves on the trees are such vibrant shades of orange, yellow and red. It’s pretty. Plus now I get to wear boots. I can’t really decide if fall is good or bad I guess. Some pros are that I can wear fall outfits, switch to eating mostly warm foods and soups, and also stay inside and watch movies. It gives me more of a reason to spend time indoors with my friends and family, so I get that quality time so many of us don’t. It also gives me an excuse to lie around and watch TV. Some cons are that I can’t go play in the sun, no more theme parks, work seems to go on forever (although it is a lot easier with less customers), and I’m so cold in the morning I don’t want to leave my bed. I also start to get tired much faster in the cold because my body doesn’t seem to want to stay alert and tolerate the bitter weather. Lazy body. However it does make homework a little more appealing because I am already stuck in the house. Not that I don’t do my homework anyway, there’s far too much of it to even try to push off.

post 31

I’m still furious about this math class. Should I even continue to go to class if I already know I’m going to fail? I’ve always been a straight A student, I really don’t know what is happening lately. Too many time consuming classes at the same time I suppose. I can only work two days a week because of all of the homework I have to do, and all of the re-teaching I have to do when I get home. This means I have no money left. I have to find time to go to tutors on campus when I fall behind, but I also have to take care of my brother Tuesday through Thursday because my parents are busy with work. Sometimes I feel like I’m just going to spontaneously combust from all of the stress and pressure. I shouldn’t have to dread waking up in the morning because of college. The stress is making me physically sick because I don’t eat what or when I should and I hardly sleep because I’m always up doing homework. It’s times like these that I wish I had some amazing job skill or crazy genius brain to bail me out, but I don’t. I’ll have to figure something out. Next quarter has definitely got to be different from this quarter or else I’m not going to make it through college. Oh, fun fact, the day after midterm when a couple hundred students walk into your lecture and start getting crazy about the exam and claiming it wasn’t fair at all, and NO ONE disagrees, it means you screwed up. Get over yourself and try to help your kids. Jesus Christ.

blog 30

College is getting ridiculous. Ok, so at the moment I have to take an online chemistry quiz (and score well on it) by Saturday, finish a thirty question online math test (and do reaaaalllyy well on it) by Sunday, and completely rewrite my seven page English paper by next Friday. I also have not even touched my chemistry lab, but have already seen other students fretting over it and struggling while I’m fretting over and struggling with something else before I can even get to the lab. I also have several sections of math to work on and study this weekend, as well as some online research project that’s going to take a while for my survey class. I have a chemistry midterm next Tuesday that I am not ready for AT ALL, and no time to study with all of this homework and these projects. I also just got my math midterm back. The average for the class was a 60%. That’s insane. The midterm and the final are basically the class. No one got an A. Which means the only thing I can count on is freshman forgiveness. Which means I just paid a lot of money for NOTHING.They are not letting us retake the exam (which had too many questions in too little time anyway!) nor are they giving us any kind of curve. That is not ok, it’s really not. I am tired of people not teaching or preparing their students and acting like their class is the only priority in the student’s academic career. I have a lot of other classes to worry about too, and I would rather be doing things hands on in class than wasting my time re-teaching myself at home because my teacher doesn’t know what to do with their self.  I don’t want to re take this class and I definitely don’t want the same teacher.

Blog 29

Today I found out that there are several things I need to fix about my paper. These are not grammatical errors, nor are they idealistic errors. They are errors in the way my paper flows around my key scene. Apparently I need more connections to the key scene and Buffy, and less resources. I thought I had some great resources and amazing research that tied in to my thesis, but it was too thorough and in depth and strayed away from the “Buffy” correlation and more towards the Frankenstein factor. So, I am going to go back and change the entire structure of my paper (this is going to take a while L) and drop several resources. I am focusing on changing the structure of my paper, not one specific section. I first need to explain the parallel to Buffy and Frankenstein. Then I need to include a normal interpretation of Frankenstein and Mary Shelley’s idea of scientific scares. Next I need to explain how science has changed over time, as well as how it has changed us as a society. Then I must explain how the Buffy episode is different from the scenario in the novel Frankenstein. After that I must go on to show what the episode is telling us about modern day science as opposed to the old fears/accomplishments about science. Then I will lead in to my real world connections, such as stem cell research, test tube babies, organ donors, and etc. In the very end, I will explain why the episode was really important. I will explain that the Buffy the Vampire episode is depicting how modern day science has taken one step closer to the moral boundary, and that it just may go too far. In this episodes case, murder is what finally crosses the line.

blog 28

I honestly don’t think there’s anything wrong with teens between nineteen and twenty drinking at a controlled level. I understand from a parent’s point of view, as well as a recovering addict, or perhaps a professor. Alcohol does no good for the brain, I know that. I also know it impairs judgment and can cause death and liver complications. I also know that it is ok for a twenty one year old to drink and it is perfectly accepted socially. People between the ages of eighteen and twenty are under a tremendous amount of pressure, just like those over twenty one. Some deal with college, some with car/house bills, and some with children. Some are forced to deal with all of those things. Most will repress and repress, dumping all of their worries and problems into an imaginary bucket. Eventually that bucket will get full, and it will have to spill over all of the pent up chaos. Just when all of that anxiety starts to build up to its final boiling point, a little bit of alcohol on a Saturday evening can ease the tension and put that mind to rest for another night. Your mind is racing all day, full of the tedious acts of our daily lives. So why can’t we get a little stupid every once in a while? I don’t mean drink in excess; I’m not encouraging that at all. But in controlled quantities, alcohol can put a troubled person at peace for a while. They can finally have a chance to rest. Europeans introduce children to alcohol (particularly wine) at a very young age. They also have less drunken driving accidents and less deaths caused by alcohol. They know how to control alcohol abuse and use it accordingly.

blog 27

I’ve been thinking about switching my major. Pharmacy isn’t looking all that amazing anymore considering the heaping amount of stress it’s putting on my body, future, and decisions. I think a more biological science would fit my interests a tad bit better. I seem to like biology and anatomy loads better than any type of chemistry. I really don’t know what I would major in though. Anyone have any ideas? My goal is to have a decent job that pays somewhere around sixty or seventy thousand dollars a year minimum so that I can afford a house and start a family. I know, typical suburban dream, right? Well if I have a job I like and a house I’m comfortable in and a family to share my love with what else do I really need? My mom (who is divorced…) believes I should be some self-fulfilling vixen who follows her own dreams and does the opposite of what is expected. That’s not me, that’s not what I want. Soooooo If anyone has any goals or major ideas that are along the lines of what I just described they should definitely hit me up J. I’m at Wendy’s right now using its public Wifi because my mom’s internet is temporarily down. Pretty classy, I know. This old couple is staring at me….technically I’m loitering because I’m definitely not eating. I walked here and it’s raining so I’m going to attempt to jog home now without getting soaked. Peace blog.

blog 26

Ok, maybe it’s just me, but Scooby Snacks seem a lot like a parallel to drugs...Scooby Doo doesn’t want to do certain things (especially life endangering things) almost every episode. Then those damned kids peer pressure him, and when he still refuses, they tempt him with Scooby Snacks. “Scooby, will you go look for a monster in that dark and dangerous tunnel?” says stupid hippy kid #1. “ROW RAY!” replies Scooby. “Would you do it for a Scooby Snack?” says stupid hippy kid #2. “UH HUH UH HUH!” replies Scooby. It makes me think of our current heroin and crack problem. “Will you shoot this kid for me?” or “Will you have sex with me?”….The reply is no. Then the proposition, “Will you do it for this heroin? Or maybe this crack?” And then you get, “I SURE WILL!” I mean the cartoon is based in the hippy era, is anyone else seeing the relevance? I don’t know, maybe I’m just weird, but it made me laugh. Scooby is a heroin addict puppy who is used by snoopy dirty hippies (awwwwww L). I just ruined that cartoon. Sorry. So now I’ve changed the channel to another mindless show, known as The Jersey Shore. I’m watching three orange women argue over an anonymous note about a cheating Guido. I’m confused; do they die and wither away if they accidentally get pale? What a tragedy to the world that would be. I was born in Pennsylvania and lived in New Jersey and also frequently visit there. It’s not at all like that and I don’t think these people (who are mostly from New York in the first place) are helping the Jersey status. Oh well that’s TV for you.

blog 25

My cat was sitting outside and some stray dog just tried to eat it. Not ok. I chased it away and am currently cuddling my traumatized kitty. Last night (actually 3am this morning) I woke up to my giant black Labrador, Buddy, snarling and barking. Assuming someone was trying to break in, I leapt out of bed and sprinted down the stairs. To my surprise, Buddy was holding a squealing and angry raccoon in his jaws and growling. I told him to drop it and it scurried out the cat door. Weird story, huh? You see, my cat door is in the garage door, and the lock on it is broken. Ordinarily my mother leaves the outside garage door cracked so that the cat can go in and out when she pleases. However on that particular night she forgot to shut the outside door, so some hungry little raccoon decided to pay us a visit and Buddy didn’t quite agree with its dinner reservations in our trashcan. After that I checked Bud for scratches or bites, and didn’t find anything. I don’t think that raccoon will be coming back any time soon. So I went back to sleep after that and the next morning everyone else in the house was oblivious as to what had happened or that there was even noise (thank God it wasn’t really a robber). Now I’m watching Worlds Dumbest Criminals on True TV. My IQ feels like it’s getting slightly lower by the second, but oh well, it’s the weekend.

blog 24

Today my long lost best friend Kaley came over! We met up in the morning and decided to have a fun filled day until she had to work at two (lame). So we went to the Polaris mall since its right by my house and shopped for a while. We got some pretty good deals and then we went to Starbucks and got pumpkin spice lattes! Then Kaley had to go to work and left me all alone. So I drove over to my friend Drew’s house and played Call of Duty with him and his little brother. The game is surprisingly realistic, especially how it reenacts the events that followed September 11^th, right down to the very second the planes hit the towers. It includes the points of view of the “Arabs” and the soldiers already posted in Iraq before the terrorist attacks. As soon as news of the attack reaches the country/soldiers, all hell breaks loose. Needless to say, it’s an intense game. After that Drew had to go to work also (lame), at the Polaris Dairy Queen (even lamer), which I also happen to work at. Then I went home and hung out with my mom and watched “Furry Vengeance”. I do not recommend it, it wasn’t the best. Then I waited for Drew and Drey to get off of work and come hang out with me because they’re my best friends. After that we went over to my friend Abby’s house warming party and had a very nice time….ha-ha.

blog 23

Today I went to the Union with my friend Drey. We were hungry and we had to do homework so we were kind of in a rush when some guy stepped directly in front of us and said, “Would you like to donate some blood?!” Now I hate needles, so I’m obviously a NO. However, Drey wanted to help out. To my surprise, Drey said, “Oh I would, but I’m gay.” The Red Cross guy shrugged and said OK sorry and walked away. I wasn’t shocked by the gay part, but by the part where gays can’t donate blood. He told me it’s because gays are presumed to be more likely to have AID’s. I guess I could understand that statistically, but I don’t really get why ALL gays can’t donate….What if they’ve been tested for AID’s already? That’s one less blood donor and one more person struggling to find a match. Anyway, after we ate and did a little homework, we strolled through the oval and then into the library. As we sat down to start more homework, I observed at least five passed out college students slumped in chairs around us. Not resting, not slightly tired, not reading, no, they were passed OUT. I was wondering why they didn’t sleep in their dorms or at home. I commute and I don’t sleep until I get back to my house. Other kids live on campus, and have dorms within walking distance. Needless to say I was slightly perplexed. Drey and I couldn’t stop giggling when one twitched.

blog 22

In order to present a valid argument, several steps must be taken. Today in class we talked about how our argument needs to be broken into five key parts to become presentable. First of all, we need the actual argument from the primary source. In my case, my argument is that science can and will eventually cross the moral line by artificially creating or resuscitating life (as seen in the episode that parallels the classic novel, Frankenstein). This argument is clearly drawn from the primary source, which is the episode “Some Assembly Required” from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The second part of a strong argument is the evidence. I need proof that the episode is making a comparison to modern day science and a concise reference to Frankenstein. An example of my proof could be that the episode follows along with the novel, such as when Daryl lectures Chris, his brother and “creator” that he owes him a companion and he must take care of him. This is exact scene takes place in Frankenstein. The argument also needs a link, or a relationship to the real world concept. I have to state the relationship between the episode and my argument that science will one day cross the line. Secondary sources are needed as well that will explain the background of the ethical issue of resuscitation and artificial creation. I have achieved this using information I have collected on experiments around the world as well as doctor’s opinions and experiences. Lastly, I need implication. I must show how serious and what a threat my topic truly is, and imply why it is important for the reader to consider.

blog 21

            As seen in “Some Assembly Required”, a high school boy forcibly brings his rotting brother back from the dead. Obviously the procedure has been performed out of love, but was it fair to the already dead brother? This conflict occurs in our society today as well. Hospitals have adopted a policy in which they must assume patients want to be resuscitated unless the patient tells them otherwise. Dr. Howard Brody, a family practitioner and medical ethicist at the Michigan State University Clinical Center claimed in 2005, “Cardiac resuscitation is being widely misapplied and overused, leading to costly and sometimes painful efforts on patients who are unlikely to benefit. We've reached a point where almost no one is allowed to die in a U.S. hospital without resuscitation.” This means that no matter what, unless you are on record as a D.N.R (Do Not Resuscitate), you will be injected with adrenaline, violently pressed during CPR, or electrically jolted by a machine until you wake up. These procedures cost money that could go towards living patients with hope of a future, and are also extremely painful for the patient to experience. Some of these patients come back only to suffer brain damage and other ailments, and some simply go through more pain and then slip away. Is it fair to them? No. Was it fair to the dead brother? No, (hence the relevance to my paper). These are real life concepts that need to be addressed and handled accordingly. People are ripped from death and slung back into life without clear consent, and many of them later explain that they did not want to undergo that process.

blog 20

In the case of “Some Assembly Required”, Buffy has witnessed a corpse already being reanimated and yet another corpse in the process of being reanimated. It is an amazing and complex feat, but is it possible. Experiments around the world have been conducted and repeated throughout history in order to test this theory that life can be resurrected. One of these experiments would be that of Sergei S. Brukhonenko, a Russian Cardiovascular and Thoracic surgeon and scientist. Surgei created the first heart-lung machine in June of 1928, and proceeded to demonstrate its affects to the international audience at the 3rd Congress of Physiologists of the USSR. In this experiment, Surgei kept a live decapitated dog head alive for several hours using only his machine. The dog was dead, but after being connected to the machine it was completely revived. Surgei stated, “Would not this method, duly perfected, be useful in clinical medicine: notably in those cases where it would be essential to replace, if only for a time, the work of the failing human heart?” What he was implying is that his machine could save lives, revive the dead, and expand the life in general, especially during surgery. Indeed Surgei is correct; his machine does hold much potential. This quote/concept is very important in relevance to my paper because my entire thesis is based on the ethics and possibility of creating and reviving life. This event proves that the act is quite possible, which will allow me to build my paper upon it.

blog 19

My fourth article is called “Unmasking the Secret of Life”. It is an excerpt written by Craig J. Venter, a doctor and writer for the British Medical Journal. The main argument is that Venter has cracked the human genome and has discovered the secret to creating life. He has studied genomes so thoroughly and has experimented so often that he was comfortable enough to post his own DNA online for everyone to see. He talks of each new born baby leaving the maternity ward having pre-determined and set profiling genes right then and there. He claims he can not only create life from pre-existing life using his studies and the genome, but also that he can grow and create life with pre-determined genes. This is a bold claim for an ordinary man; however he is confident he could do it. This project would be extremely costly both money wise and ethics wise due to the resources and controversy it would cause. Venter also proposes an intriguing idea about how our CO2 emissions are ruining the ozone and deteriorating our planet. His idea is to create an organism that creates large amounts of carbon to use as an alternative green energy source. Sounds great, but really think about it. He wants to create some sort of new organism. How do we know if it thinks? Would it be more animal or human? Could it possibly evolve into something bad, like something that emits poison instead of hydrogen, or even become a predator to humans? More and more technological advances are coming. Didn’t most of those lead to all of the CO2 emissions anyway? Maybe we shouldn’t just keep throwing more science at the problem.

blog 18

My third article is called “HEALTH; Rules on Reviving the Dying Bring Undue Suffering, Doctors Contend”. It is a newspaper article written by Elisabeth Rosenthal, a writer for the New York Times. The main argument in this article is that almost no one is allowed to die in a hospital without attempted resuscitation, which is often unnecessary and painful. Only ten to fifteen percent of patients who are revived will survive. Many people include in their doctors records, D.N.R, or “Do Not Resuscitate” upon their death. To some people, when death comes, it is time to go. Why should we toy with the natural balance of life? Is that our place? It is a normal policy for doctors to shove tubes in lungs, crack ribs, and violently shock a corpse to revive it. This is for all patients, even terminally ill ones. Many are revived simply to suffer excruciating pain for a few more days and then pass away once again. Occasionally resuscitation does work, for cases such as cardiac arrest and stroke. Those who survive often suffer nerve/brain damage, as well as pain from the resuscitation itself. It makes you think, should we really be doing this? Are we that afraid of death that no one is allowed to just slip away peacefully? Why should I have to state in paper whether or not I want to really die when I die? Not only is it painful for doctors to have to do, but it is also painful for families. The doctor knows the patient is going to die and nothing will help, yet is required by code to try and revive them. So that doctor pulls the curtains and begins the awful process, knowing the patient will suffer and die, while their family stands outside the curtain hoping and praying it works. To me, this is a terrifying way to die. I don’t want to be shocked, just let me go painlessly.

blog 17

Another one of my articles is called “Body Snatching & Grave Robbing: Bodies for Science”. It is an excerpt written by Megan J. Highet in the text, History & Anthropology. The main argument in this essay is whether or not nineteenth-century anthropologists were upholding ethical responsibilities when they extracted Native American corpses from their grave for dissection. It really grinds down to the exploitation of marginalized members of society. The bodies were simply extracted as resources (without permission) and then dissected and studied. This is grave-robbing in its most literal sense. Ethical responsibilities for the deceased and their families were not at all acknowledged and after the scientists were done with the bodies they would dispose of them however was most convenient, not put them back in the ground where they found them. There are two sides to this dilemma. Firstly, body snatching is wrong and cruel and not at all sensitive to those families or people. On the other hand, how many helpful and potentially life-saving discoveries have scientists discovered by dissecting/studying bodies? I am not justifying their actions at all, yet it is a valid argument that no progress in medicine and operation could ever be made without exploration of the human body. Today, people are much more likely to donate their bodies to science once they are dead. Back then, it was rarely heard of. How else would they get their bodies? Granted, they did it to the Native Americans because they didn’t really care what they thought as they were considered below the other races. So when does progressive science cross the line? Consider what we have today before concocting an answer.

blog 16

              One of my articles is called “Frankenstein as Science Fiction and Fact”. It is a Thesis written by Van D. Laan, a professor at Illinois State University. Mr. Laan’s main argument is that Frankenstein not only paved the way for science fiction writing, but also identified the “ostensibly high-minded and well-intentioned hopes and promises of the scientist/technologist”.  The article goes on to describe how Frankenstein depicted an intense and impossible scientific feet that has somehow become possible in our modern world. It is now referred to as biotechnology, biomedicine, and bioengineering. At the time, Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein) had imagined the most far-fetched scientific experiment she could in order to write her realistic fiction. However that has now become a very real possibility. It just goes to show you what we disprove today may soon be proven in the nearby future. Laan also brings to light the fact that Victor Frankenstein has come to serve as the “poster child and whipping boy for all scientific and technological irresponsibility”. It almost acts as a worst standard that could buffer any criticism towards our scientists today. After all, none of us could be as bad as Frankenstein, right? Now that really isn’t all too clear. Now with biotechnology, biomedicine, and bioengineering developing at a rapid rate, we may just end up reproducing Frankenstein. If that did happen, what would be the new worst standard? What would be the new thing to push off guilt and blame? “Oh well at least we aren’t as bad as the Nazi’s!” Wait, should you even be anywhere near as bad as that? It’s just something to think about.

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I am going to write my essay based on the episode, “Some Assembly Required”, from the series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episode creates a parallel scene to that of Frankenstein which brings modern scientific boundaries to question. I want to research professional opinions on creating life as well as reanimating corpses. I also want to research whether or not it is possible to reassemble and rejuvenate a body to life. I hope to find good arguments for both sides. What crosses the line? Is it wrong for a human being to create artificial life? When has science gone too far? Is it beneficial or immoral?  Is grave-robbing wrong and immoral, or is it in the name of science and a key factor to one day possibly helping people? Is creating unnatural life ok? Is it fair to that creature? Is it decent to bring something into this world without the same experiences as a natural born human? I want to answer these questions. I would also like to find some new interesting scientific information and discoveries. Maybe I will come across some experimental procedures. In order to do this I have dug around for some possible resources that would be reliable and trustworthy to use in my essay. Such are listed below.

Laan, Van D. "Frankenstein as Science Fiction and Fact." Thesis. Illinois State University, 2010. Frankenstein 30.4 (2010): 298-304. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 Oct. 2010.

Highet, Megan J. "Body Snatching & Grave Robbing: Bodies for Science." History & Anthropology 16.4 (2005): 415-40. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 Oct. 2010.

Rosenthal, Elisabeth. "HEALTH; Rules on Reviving the Dying Bring Undue Suffering, Doctors Contend." New York Times [New York] 4 Oct. 2007. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 Oct. 2010.

Venter, Craig J. "Unmasking the Secret of Life." BMJ: British Medical Journal 325.7367 (2006): 736. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 Oct. 2010.

"US Scientists Continue Commie Reanimation Research | Undead Report." The Undead Report. 30 Nov. 2007. Web. 08 Oct. 2010. <http://www.undeadreport.com/2007/11/us-scientists-continue-commie-reanimation-research/>.

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The episode, “Some Assembly Required”, creates a parallel scene to that of Frankenstein which brings modern scientific boundaries to question. In the episode, Buffy the Vampire Slayer discovers that a high school boy has been assembling a monster girlfriend for his revived dead brother. Not only is the boy using teen girl’s corpses to piece together his creation, but he also plans to take a life to finish his masterpiece. This episode is clearly linked to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. In this sense, it is trying to get the viewer to think about science today and its boundaries. What crosses the line? Is it wrong for a human being to create artificial life? When has science gone too far? Is it beneficial or immoral? These are the questions this episode inspires. Obviously this boy has crossed the line by choosing to murder someone to finish his project, but did he cross it before then? Some people would say that grave-robbing is wrong and immoral, as well as creating life unnaturally. Some people would argue that it is in the name of science and could one day possibly help people. Better yet, is it fair to that creature? It seems unfair to bring something into this world without the same experiences as a natural born human. It also doesn’t seem fair for this boy to bring his dead brother back. Did he even want to come back? Now he lives miserable and alone except for his brother, and must create some other miserable thing to be his companion.

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Maybe it’s a good idea to listen to mom and dad about staying away from college frat parties. I just watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “Reptile Boy”. In this episode, Buffy is fed up with her life as the slayer and her high school troubles. She just wants to go out and have one night of juvenile fun. Cordelia on the other hand has decided she wants to find a rich college boyfriend. They both decide to solve their problem by going to a frat party together. Two high school girls at a frat party full of drunken college boys. No problem there right?  Anyway, they go and at first are having a good time and letting loose….then they’re drugged and kidnapped. Not so far from reality. The part that is far from reality is when they wake up chained to the wall in the frat house basement. Next to them is a giant serpent that they are being sacrificed to by the frat boys. Apparently it’s an annual thing. Luckily Buffy’s friends come and rescue them. It made me think about college frat parties realistically. Every Friday and Saturday night you walk along the campus streets and find several houses lit up and full of drunken giddy college students. What else lurks behind those walls? How many rapists do we have on campus, how many sick and twisted people….impossible to know? Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a good party. I think the way people proceed to enter and leave is what’s a little sketchy. Buddy system everyone!

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Nothing is predetermined in a world where things can always change. I just watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “School Hard”. In this episode, Buffy is miserably failing at school. Her slayer duties are getting in the way of her schoolwork, so that her GPA has dropped to a dangerously low level. To say the least, principle Snyder is constantly on her back. As if things couldn’t get more hectic within her busy schedule, she is responsible for setting up Parent-Teacher night at the school, when her mom will be coming to check on her progress…and meet with Snyder. Poor Buffy is anxiously anticipating her grounding when two new vampires (Spike and Drusilla) make an entrance at the school. They crash Parent-Teacher night and unleash other vampires to feed and kill. Buffy is now faced with the task of getting everyone to safety and killing each and every vampire in the building. Her mom ends up saving her from Spike by braining him with an axe. This episode made me think about what’s currently happening to me in college. I think I have so much homework and I’m so busy and it couldn’t get worse, but it really could. I should rather value what I do have and the fact that worse things are not happening to me. Buffy always seems to persevere, so I suppose I should too. If life is going badly, it can’t continue forever. Nothing lasts forever, and fate can always change. Everything happens for a reason, and the human race just has to live and learn from it while preserving some kind of hope.

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A world with a modern Frankenstein monster would be a panicked and distraught place. I just watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “Some Assembly Required”. In this episode, Cordelia discovers several recently diseased teen girls’ bodies in the dumpster at school. Buffy soon learns that a classmate named Chris has brought his recently diseased brother back to life as a zombie, and he is trying to build him a lover so that he does not spend eternity alone. All he needs is a fresh head. This boy has discovered the key to life and he is sitting around building companions for his brother Deryl. Can you imagine if this were to really take place. I personally enjoyed Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein quite a bit. I think it had very deep meaning and relevance within it. Mary makes a very valid point that there is a line that man can cross and not step back over, such as creating life. Should we as humans really have the option of creating a human through unnatural means? What if Deryl did not want to be revived? Now he is doomed to a life of zombie misery. Advances in today’s technology could very well lead to this event occurring in our modern civilization. Honestly, if it did, would you not be scared? If we can toy with something as precious as life and death, if we blur the line, what else can cross that line? Murder, torture, revival for the purpose of torture/interrogation? These seem far-fetched, but how awful would an eternity of torture be if recreating life was possible.

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Bravery is built in to a person’s soul. I just watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “Prophecy Girl”. Giles discovers an ancient prophecy that explains Buffy’s future as the slayer. It claims that she will eventually face off with The Master, an insanely powerful vampire. It also says she will die. At first, Buffy is terrified and denies that she is meant to be a slayer. She discredits her slayer roots and tries to run from her fate. In the end, she realizes this is her real destiny, and she must protect the people of Sunnydale. She decides she will not run, and she will continue to fight the vampires, demons, werewolves, and evil supernatural on a daily basis. She knows her impending doom, yet she somehow finds the bravery in her heart to accept all of this. I admire her willingness and devotion to protecting the innocent and battling the evil. If faced with such a dilemma myself, I’m not sure I would stick around for that terrifying moment in which an all-powerful monster destroys me. Buffy knows where her allegiance lies, and she knows her morals. She must be strong for the people in her town, for her friends and her family.  I wonder if only some people are able to summon courage. I wonder if it really is a matter of strength, and some people just don’t have it. It takes a lot of understanding and acceptance to continue knowing your ill fate. Maybe everyone has it in them and it just takes the right circumstances to pull it out.

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Every action, no matter how innocent or well deserved, has its consequences. I just watched an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer called, “Never Kill a Boy on the First Date.” Buffy wants to be a normal high school girl and yearns to have fun and relax. After much contemplating, she decides to let loose and give a classmate named Owen a chance. They start dating, and conveniently Giles discovers a threatening prophecy. He asks Buffy for help, but she blows him off for Owen. Every day she is plagued by her slayer duties, never allotting time for herself. What harm could just one night do? Giles ends up going out on his own to investigate and he is caught by a group of hostile vampires. Now Giles is in severe danger because of Buffy’s actions. Buffy is forced to leave Owen and try to find some way to save poor Giles. I could connect with this episode on a personal level. Ever action I take, even in good will, has its consequence. If I don’t do my homework before work, or I don’t leave on time to pick up my brother…..if I decide to stay out on a Sunday night….If I don’t remember to feed Skittles….each will result in a chain of less than desirable events. Why would these things ever happen? Because I got tired, because I wanted to live a little, or because I simply let it slip my mind for once. But that one choice will cause myself and others to suffer. Each person truly does hold a lot of responsibility in their actions.