mauwi wowie

“Marijuana is an extremely harmful drug!” “There are no reasons it should be allowed”. Indeed, true words of naivety. This plant, this bud, is nothing but a crowd pleaser! It exudes natural chemicals that trigger a part of the brain that nothing else stimulates, allowing individuals to feel a type of happiness that’s irretrievable in any other way. Honestly, this sounds like God has put the au naturel marijuana plant on this planet with a purpose. Grapes, like hemp, possess the ability to be multi-utilized. One product being the all time favorite infamous “crutch” of our ancestors, alcohol. Why are there no laws against grapes, but laws against a plant with the most by products? I can’t find sense behind all of this hemp and marijuana laws, mostly marijuana.

Imagine if you kept chicks as pets. You had about 5 of them that played in a little pen amongst each other. They were all troublemakers, playful and careless. One day, you picked the least defiant one who’s never hurt any of the rest before, placed her in a separate pen and dedicated most of your time to keeping her out of the other pen. Make any sense? No. Well let me introduce you to an example of different context but similar ways. Tobacco kills 400,000, Alcohol kills 100,00, all legal drugs kill 20,000, all illegal drugs kill 15,000 and Aspirin takes away 500 lives. These are the annual statistics of all reported drug related deaths in America. Marijuana on the other hand has killed 0 persons, yet it remains illegal while alcohol roams the streets freely whilst being the number 1 killer. 4/5 of the billions of dollars America uses to rid their streets of Drugs go to the imprisoning, investigation and all legal operations against Marijuana. This means that 1/5 of the money left tends to Crack cocaine, Heroin, Methamphetamine and all other illegal drugs. Make any sense?

My sister used to work in the outskirts of Victoria, Australia. She was a dentist working under a government owned clinic for those who were on welfare. She used to tell me that many if not most of her patients were all anti-depressant users. To me, that is one for the many reasons I think that there is something seriously wrong with the world today. We have much more than we used to, more availability of products, more places to get help and pleasure. And yet, the high and growing number of individuals on anti-depressants is evident. Happiness seems so farfetched for so many these days, everybody’s stressed and need some kind of relaxant. Everybody should have the option of inviting a couple of mates over, get together in a circle, light that joint and “puff puff pass”. Marijuana is natural, not fatal and takes away nausea, pain and makes you relaxed and euphoric. Also, remember all those fights that happens outside clubs and bars in the late of the night? Imagine if they were all high on marijuana not alcohol, everybody would be chilled out with minds that weren’t interested in violence. In fact, Canada has a day specially dedicated to marijuana. This day is Cannabis day, which takes place on the 1^st of July every year, and again, no fights have been reported except for one, which involved somebody under the influence of alcohol.

In my opinion anything that is taken in excess or abused can be harmful. Be it water, salt, cocaine, alcohol and even forks. Like the famous “Ultimate Fighting Champion” commentator and host for “Survivor” Joe Rogan said “ I could pick up a fork and stab somebody, does that mean we have to ban forks?” Marijuana is like alcohol, except it doesn’t turn you into a violent mess and doesn’t kill you. We even have laws on the production of hemp, why don’t we have laws against grapes since they produce alcohol? Make any sense? No!

That’s my stand, marijuana laws and policies should be reconstructed. There is not a good enough reason as to why it should remain illegal. Governments spend way too much money and time on the pursuit of marijuana “crimes” when it could be channeled to stopping crimes revolving around the harder and more dangerous drugs.  Medical Marijuana should be legalized globally and people should start seeing Marijuana for what it really is. A giver of joy, relaxation and social benefits. Don’t worry; this would be quite different from a drinking session. The single worst thing that could happen would be having to puke and going into a deep deep beauty sleep.

She was a completely different person . Or maybe it was just another side of her which she was able to let out through a different medium. Space and time are factors of constraint through cyber space, which can be problematic when it comes to communicating and expressing through this “faucet”. However, i guess in her case it acted as more of an aid than a detrimental tool to communication. Though loud, rough and intimidating in character this does not mean she had no difficulty expressing her inner feelings. This is what she later disclosed to me, that the distance between her and another person online gave her a sense of security because of the amount of time it gave her to process and take in information and respond ideally. She was the type of individual who when confronted by massive amounts of information, panics and finds difficulty remembering everything stated. I presume that through the internet less amounts of data can be sent to and fro via chats as compared to verbal communication through phone or face to face communication, this being another aid for Erykah.

In class we learnt about how anonymity of identity is possible online, this is true. Through both Erykah and myself i’ve found out that it is very much possible to shadow ones real identity and recreate identities to however one desires themselves to be seen. Be it a fully fake persona or just another side of someone that does have as easy an opportunity to be disclosed. The internet acts as a medium that easily allows this deception, and for others, faucet to let various personalities go.

Another one of my friends Daniel plays in a band. The band had their own myspace music page set up exclusively in relation to their band. The page allowed fans or passerby’s to read up on their biography, check out their informal pictures as well as tour pictures, read up any self written information the bands willing to disclose and most importantly it gave them the choice to choose between any song from the selected ones that get uploaded by the band. In reality when somebody comes across a new band playing at a gig and happens to dislike their first and second song, most of them will “give up” on favoring the band. But through these pages people are confronted by various types of information of the band thus increasing the chances of someone favouring the band. 

Ultimately what I reckon is that online platforms such as myspace, facebook, friendster and hi5 etc. have the ability to capture ones attention clearer through multiple ways at time as well as allowing certain persons enough space and time to feel comfortable and communicate efficiently in.

* 29 members have been accused of spousal abuse.

* 7 have been arrested for fraud.

* 19 have been accused of writing bad checks.

* 117 have bankrupted at least two businesses.

* 3 have been arrested for assault.

* 71 have credit reports so bad they can’t qualify for a
credit card.

* 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges.

* 8 have been arrested for shoplifting.

* 21 are current defendants in lawsuits.

* And in 1998 alone, 84 were stopped for drunk driving, but released after they claimed immunity.

Take a short moment to think of the possible group these details belong to.

Okay, ill let it be known.

THE AMERICAN CONGRESS

Quite shocking isn’t it? Well the reason why i brought about this information is to discuss if these details would lessen the members of Congress ability to lead and make rational decisions for the people they represent.

Opinions vary vastly on this topic because of it’s controversial nature. Some believe that it does in fact mean that these members are not in the position to lead others because of their immoral behavior. This could lead to the Unquestioned belief of the immorality  of their fellow members subsequently endangering decision making, or so some believe. 

It’s an interesting topic of discussion to explore because it addresses the question of  ”Does one’s own personal immoral practices suggest their inability to lead others?” a real life example being Bill Clinton , does him being an unfaithful partner have anything to do with his ability to lead others and make the right decisions for his people/ his nation? 

I reckon it depends, if that individual knows how to make the distinction between what he chooses for himself and what should be done for his people/ nation then it’s a different case altogether. As it doesn’t mean one is incapable of distinguishing the difference between what is right and wrong just because they chose to do bad in their personal life. So if we were to put aside the fact that individuals with “unacceptable” records are bad representatives solely because of the sake of IMAGE, then i think its a case to case basis whether or not their records make or break their aptitude as leaders.

What do you reckon?

Honestly, what do you think about online relationships?

Are the means of communications inadequate in sustaining a well and functioning relationship ?

In our current technological world, with the internet being a part of most of our lives, more and more individuals find themselves caught up in cyber world. Some of which get caught up to the extent they form and build serious relationships via the web. Some believe this as being ridiculous and others do not. I personally think online relationships that start and end online are a waste of time, that people who participate in this should just get themselves out of their computers and out into the real world to meet other real people without having to hide behind their computer/laptop screens.

On the other hand if we talk about online relationships that start real life and build up on the internet, okay alright… and for those that may have started online but eventually met, then the circumstances is understandable to me. 

The reason why i think those that start and end online are a waste of time is because all you are receiving from the other participant are words words words and more words. Relationships are not solely on words. What about all the other ways of communication like non verbal communication, as well as communicating on a different level based on shared experiences?How much experiences can you possibly share online, even if you did jump from page to page together through the world wide web, how do you really know what your partner is thinking when you have such high limitations to elements needed to perceive situations/ the person.

A study done by JanisWolak*, KimberlyJ. Mitchell, DavidFinkelhor, shows that from the age of 10 to 17, girls are more likely than boys to be involved in online relationships and question these relationships being a connector or a way of escape. 

This study also shows that “The two problem characteristics associated with close online relationships were high parent-child conflict and being highly troubled. The girls with high levels of parent-child conflict reported yelling, nagging, and taking away privileges by parents at a higher level than the other girls. The highly troubled girls had levels of depression, victimization, and troubling life events at a higher level than the other girls in the sample. Girls in either of these categories were more than twice as likely as the other girls in the sample to have formed close online relationships.^{7″ .}

Arranged marriages have been a topic of interest for centuries. We strive on the element of  chosen love, “danger” and the forbidden, while an arranged marriage is usually a safe way to ensure a family’s approval of a union. After asking friends, family or just individuals in todays fast paced world, most people think prearranged marriages is a ridiculous thing to do because of the lack of choice of someone’s own life partner. I’m not going to bring in statistics into this entry, lets talk about the idea of these two supposedly “juxtaposing” situations.

Basically this is how i feel, people sometimes look at prearranged marriage like its such a “crazy” thing to do. “WHY GET MARRIED TO SOMEONE YOU DONT LOVE, SOMEONE NOT OF YOUR CHOICE”. Well apart from those from strict families and cities where prearranged marriage goes to the extent of not seeing your fiance/fiancee  until the wedding day itself, prearranged marriage if you think about it isn’t only what it seems to be.

Nowadays you find more and more people getting married for reasons that shouldn’t be, instead of love we’ve witnessed how money, status, convenience have been primary motivators and factors for the union between two people. How much more different is that from a prearranged marriage? True, you don’t get first choice. But individuals from cultures that have this inculcated into tradition, most of the time have the choice to reject suggestions made by their parents, be it at sight or  after a few outings with this supposed “chosen” woman. 

Marriage is a choice, about commitment and sacrifice. 

Some questions and answers from a few people i asked.

What are your thoughts about this issue? Do you think its “wrong” or “impractical”?

Why would i want to go through with something like that where i have no say?

me : You do have a say, the only difference is that your given suggestions.

How would i be able to go through something like this and sustain the relationship?

Same way you would a normal marriage, it’s a choice not something forced on.

There is no way a prearranged marriage would last!

Not true, statistics have shown prearranged marriage being more successful than non arranged marriages. 

Just something to ponder about i guess ? Lets.

Synesthesia exists in a variety of forms such as Number synesthesia and Grapheme-colour synesthesia. Today i’ll be talking about sound–>colour synesthesia.

In sound–>colour synesthesia, individuals experience colours as a response to music/sounds. Sound–>colour synesthesia can be further broken down into two categories, “Narrow band” and “Broad band” sound->colour synesthesia.

Narrow band AKA music–>colour synesthesia – When music elicit different shades, hues brightness of colours relative to the tones, notes or even instrument played. Some examples would be, a note of a higher pitch would evoke brighter colours,  and music played from a harp could make an individual see gold

Broad band synesthesia – Besides music, individuals will be able to see colours from hearing sounds of the ordinary (ringing of alarm clocks, people walking, construction, birds flying.

Color changes in response to different aspects of sound stimuli may involve more than just the hue of the color. Any dimension of color experience can vary. Brightness, saturation (the intensity of the color; fire engine red and medium blue are highly saturated, while grays, white, and black are all unsaturated), and hue may all be affected to varying degrees. Additionally, music → color synesthetes, unlike grapheme → color synesthetes, have said/reported tha the colors move, or stream into and out of their field of view. wow wow wow wow. 

Synesthesia has implications for every major aspect of cognition: perception, attention, language, memory, emotion, and consciousness. Somebody without synesthesia would communicate and describe objects and situations around them way differently from somebody who has synesthesia. This would be because perception differs, ultimately causing a different process of gathering information based on the outlook of an individual.

I could go on and on endlessly about the different aspects and effects of sound–>colour synesthesia. But let me raise some questions/issues for you readers to ponder and hopefully respond to.

HOW DO YOU THINK IT MAY CHANGE PERCEPTION. 

TO WHAT EXTENT WOULD IT AFFECT COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SOMEONE WHO HAS AND DOESNT HAVE SYNESTHESIA.

WOULD IT ACT AS A FORM OF NOISE (refer to comm notes : “Problems arise when we come into contact with people who communicate differently; there is no collective representation of reality)? 

Dont do any research, tell me the first thing that comes to your mind.

Many synesthetes live their whole lives unaware of their unusual trait and ability, others feel like they’ve kept it a secret. As i said before, there are many different types of synesthetes, some of which apply their gift to their advantage be it for daily life or work. This is because they have an additional outlet to channel information from themselves to the world, to their work ( music, paintings) and even to others.

Synesthesia is also sometimes reported by individuals under the influence of psychedelic drugs, after a stroke, during a temporal lobe epilepsy seizure, or as a consequence of blindness or deafness. 

I’d have to stop myself here, its too interesting a topic for me to go on another 20 pages and lose your interest lol.

SOME VIDEOS ON SYNESTHESIA.

EDUCATIONAL VID

 ( educational too ) Hahahahaha…………… “Instead of seeing the colour red, you hear the colour red *giggleretardgiggle*” 

“

However, communication does not only exist through speech and parchment! Communicators also exists in the form of song, dance and notably ..  

ART

When communicating, delivery and medium alters, depending on the situation, time and place. They change drastically, in order to best get the message across. With art, the artist is the communicator, his canvas the medium. With his tools, paintbrushes, paints etc. he creates his opinion visually for anyone willing to see, but more than that, to perceive, capture and take in.

GROWTH , REFASHIONING, MODIFICATIONS OF ART BETWEEN THE MIDDLE AGES TO THE RENAISSANCE. WHAT ARE THE CHANGES ? 

Everything evolves, fashion, food, lifestyle, music, literary text, IDEOLOGIES and the list goes on.

During the middle ages (Medieval period), Religion was prioritized above anything else as a result of the Rise of the Clergy. Because of this powerful social transmute, Art work during this time was influenced and affected tremendously. 

Here is a piece done during the middle ages. Like majority of other art work from this period of time, religion plays the role of being the main subject of interest.