Live forever? Let's go!

I don't know about you, but aging is a natural thing. Aging is not a disease and it is unpreventable and unavoidable. British scientist Dr. Aubrey de Grey believes that aging is a disease and that we can prevent it. Ultimately, he believes that if we start this research and development today, then in the next century, people will be able to live for up to 1,000 years.
He explains that a body is like a car. A body can run for an infinite amount of time if taken care of. Like a car, a body needs to be maintained. If we begin developing the technology to keep people alive today, then there will be breakthroughs with time. de Grey says that the technology will boom just like every other major technological breakthrough in history.
de Grey makes certain that there is a distinction between what he is trying to do and immortality. His goal is to prevent the chronological advancement of time determine when you die. His goal is not to make it so that if you get hit by a truck you will be able to get up and be perfectly fine. de Grey has founded the SENS Foundation for Advancing Rejuvination Biotechnologies.
I think that we should really invest in this technology. On the surface, I see nothing wrong with this type of research and development. I can see how some people may argue that this invincibility will keep alive terrorists and murderers and criminals alike. I don't think this may be the case because with all new things, there are going to be restrictions on them.

The Presidency

Last Wednesday, Barack Obama was elected for his second term. My involvement in this presidential election. I had only known things about the two candidates from research in school. I couldn't really debate many things about the presidential candidates if I didn't do research in school.
Anyway, I loved reading Facebook throughout the night. There were so many different and unfiltered perspectives. In my opinion, the internet has changed the political battlefield. Nowadays, people can connect themselves with people across the nation in seconds. Propaganda can be viewed by thousands. Unfortunately, people often turn a this electronic marketplace of ideas into a "flame war".
Congratulations to Brad Schneider for becoming the representative for Illinois 10th Congressional District.

The Death Penalty

The criminal hearing is one aspect of a capital case that protects the right of the accused. This prevents someone from  eing tried without ufficient evidence. I think that there are enough steps in this process that would make it very hard for a person whom is innocent to be executed. This being said, it still happens. I feel like the process of a capital case is set up in a seemingly flawless way but in practice, may be really flawless. I don't think this guarantees that only the guilty are convicted. I think no system can guarantee that only the guilty are convicted.
I think that the most humane way of execution is lethal injection. It seems the most painless and the most practical. I feel that the ecexution team should be trained to insert IV needles properly so the execution can be a more efficient process with less pain. I feel of all the others, the electric chair is the most inhumane. The description of what happens to a victim is digusting and terrible. In no circumstance should a person be cooked in their own flesh. I disagree with this method of execution very strongly. The others are no better. The gas chamber and hanging are the next worse. I think the best way of execution next to lethal injection may be firing squad, but only if it is quick. I feel that an execution shouldn't ravage a body, it should simply put them to death.
From the data, I can see that in Illinios, where there is no death penalty, we have had 12 executions. That is just wrong. Whis is it this way? I don't know.  I am surprised to see that California has 723 death row inmates but only 13 executions. This seems either really good or really bad. Good- the process in California is refined and all the truly guilty criminals recieve the death penalty. Bad- the process in California is messed up and hundreds of people are on death row for nothing.
I think the capital murder laws in Illinois are fair. They outline the criteria needed for someone to be executed. In short, if the murder was premeditated or intentional, the murderer will recieve capital punishment. It seems very fair to me. I'm not sure why we have these laws and don't have the "death penalty" in our state when we very clearly do.
After taking a look at the charts, it seems that many people are actually opposed to the death penalty, and that the death penalty is given mostly in the south. I was surprised to see that states that do not have the death penalty still use the death penalty. I don't understand that and would like to see some of the cases where the death penalty was used.

It's YOUR Duty….

I will not be able to vote this upcoming election, but for the first time, some of my peers will be able to vote. I hate it when I hear the excuses. "I don't know where to go." "I don't care." "My vote won't make a difference." And the worst, "I'm too busy." Excuse me, did I just hear you say you were too busy to vote? It happens once every four years. It's not a commitment that you have to make over time. It's an obligation that all Americans have. Even if you don't have an opinion, I think you should go vote for someone who does have an opinion. Voting is the easiest way to make a big difference.

Ze Frank!

Here are my two views on the VP and Presedential debates from a YouTuber named Ze Frank

VP Debate:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM6XVk01lgQ&list=UUVpankR4HtoAVtYnFDUieYA&index=4&feature=plcp

Presedential Debate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKRz6640B04&feature=channel&list=UL

Gay Marriage and the Election

In class, we have been researching various issues that appear in the upcoming presidential election. I don't have any pressing opinions on medicare, taxes, oil, or the economy. But I do have an opinion when it comes to rights. I believe that all people should have the right to marry a person of the same or opposite gender.
Mitt Romney has firmly stated that marriage is between a man and a woman. President Obama believes that marriage should be between two people who are in love and wish to be married. In the beginning of Obama's presidency, he did not think this way. He thought that marriage must be between a man and woman. He said that after a while, he saw that there's nothing wrong with same-sex parents or couples, and they deserve the right to be married. I agree with Obama's current view on the issue.
I wonder, if Romney gets elected president, will his views sway like Obama's? I'm not sure. I think it will not because Romney's religion has strictly raised him otherwise.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

I am not an avid reader. I haven't read a book cover-to-cover for my own enjoyment in years. But, in my english class, we are reading Khaled Hosseini's novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. Many of my friends had said the book was good. I didn't expect it to be anything special. Boy, was I wrong! The novel takes a look at the treatment of women in Afghanistan.
Before reading, I didn't know anything about Afghanistan, the Middle East, Pakistan, or the injustices that were being committed there. I knew that there was a war in the Middle East. The Taliban was just a word to me; it had no significance. This book has opened my eyes to the modern atrocities of man. I cannot believe what these women were being put through. The book partially takes place during my lifetime; I think that's what gets me the most. Stories of people being persecuted in foreign countries is supposed to be separated from me. History is supposed to be something that my grandparents lived through. But I was alive when these women were being abused, beaten, and bloodied!
A Thousand Splendid Suns reminds me that there is a world beyond the north-suburban Chicago area. It reminds me that not everybody is the same. But we all feel the same things.
I cannot speak highly enough about A Thousand Splendid Suns.