introduction about myself !!!

My name is Soifiat Oussein
People usually call me Sofia because it is easier...
I was born in Comoros Island which is situated on the North east of Madagascar.
I stayed there for 15 years then I went to France in a boarding school ( Paris) for a year then I came here.
I speak 5 languages, French because it is the second language of Comoros, then 3 different languages that is from Comoros ( different ethnics, different dialect) and of course English.
This explain why I have such a weird accent when I speak English and why I sometimes stumble on my words.
You might find me quiet and shy but I'm a really an outgoing person, and friendly it's just sometimes hard for me to approach people.
I'm an open minded person, I went to different places and learned a lot about other cultures tradition...
I found myself interested on everything that involves medicine, and I love being around children, so I figured out maybe I should be a pediatric; I’m still thinking about it.
Now enough talking about me and let's start getting to know each other.
Friendly Sofia

blog entry #10

This article by Thomas Armstrong is about how all brains aren’t the same just like flowers are unique in different ways. It is no because a person has a dysfunctional brain, that doesn’t react and work like a normal brain that this person should be treated differently. We have to be aware of the vast natural differences that exist from one brain to another regarding sociability, learning, attention, and mood. Treating them differently is a way of discriminating them. According to the author, we are all related just like the ecosystem so we need to have a greater tolerance upon those whose neurological systems are organized differently than our own. Armstrong also explains how the environment plays a major role for our brain, so for example for a person that has a problem to pay attention putting him in a environment where they have to sit down and concentrate won’t be the ideal working condition for them; the ideal working condition would be a job where they will have to move around and do different things. Another example the author gives us, is children who have a genetic vulnerability to depression or anxiety, the appropriate environment they need is a safe, warm and predictable homes and school.

I never really take into consideration or ask myself about what the author here is presenting us. After reading this article, I agree with Armstrong ideas; it is no because they have a different brain as ours than we should treat them differently. In the matter of fact, they are the one who should treat them differently because each one of their brain are unique and respond differently while ours (normal brain) are just normal, nothing special.

The video from Jeremy Rifkin really grabbed my attention. First Rifkin talks about how in the 1990’s the scientist discover through monkey, mostly chimpanzee that they have a mirror neurons and then later on discover that human being have also mirror neurons. Mirror neuron is like s soft wired for attachment, affection, sociability and companionship. To illustrate his point, he gave us different examples; in a new born nursery, when one child starts crying for whatever reason, the others babies will start crying as well without reason. Another examples Rifkin explains is how when one person is watching another person being sad, happy, stress or anxious the same neurons in his brain will react as if he was the one being sad, happy, stress or anxious. This is how we express empathy, by knowing how other feels.
Among the different topics Rifkin introduces us, the one that surprised me the most is when Rifkin says, that there is no empathy in heaven because once you in heaven there is no death, no morality and no suffering. And when there is no suffering there is not empathy. Rifkin also talks about how our first drive on the earth is to figure out where we belong to, and where we fit in.

Rifkin explains how our conscience changes throughout the years, from forager hunter to a medieval serf to a modern man. Rifkin also promotes how it is possible to extend our empathy to the entire human race (animal, human and biosphere) so we could safe our species and our common planet. And to symbolize his idea, Rifkin uses a hand as a form of empathy that will stretch our empathy.

Another factor Rifkin illustrates is how the communication helped us empathize over the years; blood ties, theological consciousness, detribalize and association, religious ties and nation ties. Rifkin also use how people responded so quickly at the disaster, the earthquake in Haiti; one hour by twitter, two hours later YouTube was projecting videos of the earthquake and three hours later people were already moving to rescue them. And this was an example of the entire human race in empathic embrace.

The main point Rifkin is describing here is that we all came from two human being, which mean we are all related in different ways, we are a family. As we take care of our own family, we should also take care of our planet and safe our biosphere.

I really liked this video from Jeremy Rifkin, this was a creative ways to express his ideas and make a point. Rifkin’s way of express his ideas is so powerful, that while I’m writing this reaction I still have the images in my head.

blog entry # 9

This passage, “The Myth of War” by David Hume, is about how war is affect everyone, the countries fighting and how the media tries to give the public the wrong idea about War. Hume described here two types of wars, the false information we get from the media, that lies about what is really going on in war and the one that the people in the war are seeing, which is the real vision of war. Those who goes to war, the soldiers (…) are the one that really know what is war, and the media is just giving us another image of the way so we won’t go against it. But we have to be aware that more we remove ourselves from the war for mythic the war becomes. Like the author described it “ the myth of war is essential to justify the horrible sacrifices required in war, the destruction and the death of innocents. It can be formed only by denying the reality of war, by turning the lies, the manipulation, the in-humanness of war into the heroic ideal. (p116)” One sentence that really stroked me was when the author said, “If you kill your enemy his body becomes your trophy, your possession, and this has been a fundamental part of warfare since before the Philistines beheaded Saul. And when the rhetoric of war is long forgot, what happens to the heroic dead, the bereaved mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, and children of those killed lost? What comes of those who made, in the glib term of politicians, the supreme sacrifice? (118)” and I know Hume is telling the truth.
I have my own opinion about war and use of violence to solve something. I don’t think there is no necessarily for human to use violence to resolve a major problem, there is always a way to stop something, that how I see things. I see the images that the media tries to promote from the war but I know that is much worse than it is.

blog entry #8

This passage by Keith Douglass Warner is about how the science affect our environment and our ecology. The first section introduce us how the role of science is to gather information using the scientific method and then obtain data and result about the nature or society. The science and technology have brought us advanced tools that makes our life’s easier. Cars, automobile made transportation easier for everyone, fossil, fuels and gas have made industry easier to manage the machines, nuclear technology have helped us promote health such as doing radiation treatment for cancer. All this factors have helped us in a certain way but still have an impact on our earth. By having cars, automobile we replaced farm land to street and high ways, the carbon dioxide is destroying and disturbing our atmosphere and climate ( global warming), and nuclear technology is used for war and have a tremendous impact on the population for years. This mean the scientific should take in consideration what are all this new technology will impact us and our environment.
The next section is about ecology which play a strong role for the understanding between humanity’s relationship with the natural world. We should know that all living organism share characteristic just like Darwin theory promoted about us the human being and the primate. “ Ecology is the study f the distribution and abundance of living organisms and the interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment (p93).”ecology is about studying living organisms in dynamic systems. And to make sure certain living organism won’t extinct the environment ethic propose to conserve the ecological processes upon which life depends.
I don’t really know what to say about this passage, I’m aware of how the technology is affecting our environment and every day I try to do something that will somehow help our earth, for example recycle the garbage, use less paper… I’m a open mind person, and I completely follow Darwin theory and the fact that all living organisms share characteristics.

This dramatic and heartbreaking play “ The Merchant of Venice” by Shakespeare is illustrating us how the Jew were mistreated at that time and had to live in certain bad conditions. Shakespeare here doesn’t present the Jewish people as bad person, and doesn’t make fun of them like others plays at that time did, Shakespeare present the Jewish as the same people as them. This play is about a Christian Antonio that wants to borrow money from a wealthy Jew Shylock. However, Antonio have mistreated, spit and called this following a dog, which Shylock doesn’t appreciate but will lend him the money with certain conditions. They made a pact which is Shylock will lend the money, but Antonio will have to give him his money back in three months, if he doesn’t Shylock in return will take one pound of Antonio flesh anywhere in his body. Antonio thought Shylock was joking about the flesh pound and accepted the pact knowing he will pay his money on time anyway.
The boat where Antonio was expecting drown which mean Antonio won’t be able to pay Shylock on time. On the meantime, Shylock have grow a bitterness about the Christians because his only daughter flew with a Christian and he wanted now a revenge. Knowing that Antonio couldn’t pay his money, he now wanted what he have wrote in the pact, the pound of flesh from Antonio. Shylock brought this to court and is exigent about it and want justice. The judge and everyone asked Shylock to be merciful and just get what Antonio friend was offering, the double of the amount. Shylock didn’t want the money, but wanted his flesh, he was angry and was thirsty of vengeance. At the end of the trial,one of the judge Portia, who was a girls dressed up as a man, and was clever enough to find something Shylock didn’t cite on the pact; shylock didn’t talk about blood in the pack which means if Shylock shed on drop of Christian blood he will be punished and killed. Knowing that cutting out Antonio chest and getting pound of flesh will mean he will also shed blood on the floor; Shylock had to give up on his revenge and agreed to just get the money offered. However, Portia didn’t let it go that easy on Shylock, and command a severe punishment for Shylock. The punishment was that, Shylock must give part of his health to Antonio and the other part to the state, to give up his religion and become a Christian, and to beg for pardon.
None of the character is merciful to one another, they all trying to get their part of revenge. It is beyond horrible to demand someone to give up her or his religion. The justice at that time was unfair.

blog entry #7

This passage form Peter Singer, is describing us how the movement that prevent animal cruelty is significant. This movement is called the animal liberation movement; the main idea of this movement is that the Human beings have duties toward the lower creatures and mistreating them will be a prove of lack of ethical morality form the human. According to Singer, animals and humans have similar interest, so we as human should take in consideration by avoiding physical pain, these interests must be counted equally. Each tradition have different way to treat different species; the Buddhist adopt the idea of compassion among animal as well as human, the Western tradition which are ignorant, resentful and won’t be kind to species that aren’t like them. The author relates his thesis to Thomas Aquinas, who believes that being cruel upon animals might lead to being cruel to human. Singer also bring an extreme point that is stated from Bentham that shows when we propose a test to be aware of the capacity of reasoning, of autonomous action of use of any language in order to separate human from non-human animals, they are some human that fails the test just like the non-human. Bentham also point out the fact that infants will fails on this test as well because they don’t have any capacity however will be treated as human because they will be adult humans in the future. The author also makes reference to disable human, “human vegetable” and assume they won’t be able to do any of this things, just like animals. The point he is trying to illustrated us is that why would we treat them as equal to human but then treat differently non-human animals when they both have no capacity. The “crux of the philosophy of the animal liberation movement is to prevent the cruelty among animals because from an ethical point of view, whether we stand in two feet, or four or none, we all have the same interest.

This essay by Terry Tempest Williams, is describing us first the massacre of the prairie dog that occurred at the Cedar Ridge Golf Course, where over 400 prairie dog where gassed to death. There are 5 species of prairie dog and they are now threatened and might be in extinct in couple of years.  The people wanted to exterminate the dogs because they were running the range because they consume a large amount of green grasses and forbs. According to Williams, “Prairie habitat not only for themselves but also for other grassland species. Prairies dog create diversity, destroy them, and you destroy a varied world (p86/87).” In other words she means, killing specie is also killing other species because is a circular, each one of us is in this world for a specific reason. If specific specie is destroyed, therefore, the other species that was relaying on it will progressively die as well.  According to Williams, being in a world that mistreats animals is like living in a poisoned world, we are living increasingly toxic world, we showing that we have a lack of respect for life because these animals have a life just like we do and taking it away is just not right. Some country really tried to get rid of the prairie dog and when they did they saw how the dog had a tremendous impact on their environment and that now it different without them. Williams believes that animals know what is joy fear and love, and she doesn’t see a world without them. Williams won’t be able to live in a world only habited by single specie because it will be so lonely, and isolated.

These two passages are relevant to me; the authors are talking about the same main idea but with different approaches. I agree to their statement even though I won’t deny that I love my meat, chicken and fish and don’t think I will be able to give up on it. However, I believe that there is no need to be so cruel to animals, I have seen some video about Ohio farmers who were actually beating a cow and I found it horrible I was horrified. This event occurs all the time and there should be laws to enforce and prevent the cruelty against animals. I personal love animals, especially primate, I always been fascinated of all the resemblance we have with them. One thing that I really like is when they tried to make you laugh, when they smiles, when they play with each other and one of my favorite is when a female primate is breast feeding her child.

blog entry #6

In this passage from Paul Robert who was a scholar of linguistic. Robert is describing us here how we could ameliorate our writing and became better writers. The thesis of this passage is” All subjects, except sex, are dull until somebody makes them interesting. The writer’s job is to find the argument, the approach, the angle, the wording that will take the reader with him. But there are some things you can do which like make your papers, if not throbbingly alive, at least less insufferably tedious than they might otherwise be.”(p35 #13). In other words, this passage should help us became better writer, make our paper stand out from the other papers and make our colleges essays interesting.

Robert gave us different ways of improving our writing such as; to avoid the obvious content and take the less usual side that everyone in the class will try to avoid it. That will make the paper different from other and when the teacher will start correcting the paper, when they will get to that paper he will be glad to read another type of essay. Doesn’t matter if you are not taking the side the teacher seem to like. Robert advice us to avoid abstraction, and instead of being general we should try to use more specific approach to illustrate the ideas. Using extra words to fulfill a sentence will just make the paper mediocre; according to the author instead of turning around the bush we should go straight to the point and make the sentence clear. Robert advice us to delete the cliché sentences and find academic word that could replace them. Writing and speaking is two different ways, writing like you speaking will lower your grade. Like the author mentioned here, one of the most struggle the writer face is to find the right word in the right place. However over using fancy isn’t the right solution either, because it will leave an impression to the teacher that you are trying to hard or you don’t even know how to use those words. The last ways the author mentioned were colorful and colorless words. Which mean instead of just using one adjective to describe a moment, a place, a person, (…) we should use multiple words that will make our writing more vivid and make the reader have a picture of what we describing. However, using too many of this work will overload the paper and make it even less interesting.

Reading this passage made me realize how so far I have been using what the author here advice us to avoid. I now know what kind of expression and transaction words to not use. Before when I was getting ready to write an essay I always first analyze the teacher of examine which side the teacher will prefer then decide to take that side. But now I know that taking the side the teacher doesn’t support in a subject is fine. The least the teacher could do is to give us a hire grade afraid that we will use it against him because of the impartiality.

This amazing searching paper from Emily Martin who is a professor of anthropology is showing us how the language has a important power and it can influence people way of thinking and seeing things.  Martin thesis is” The stereotypes imply not only that female biological process are less worthy than their male counterparts but also that women are less worthy than a man. Part of my goals in writing this article is to shine a bright light on the gender stereotypes hidden within the scientific language of biology.”(p42).Martin is accentuating here throughout the sperm and egg how the man is seen as the superior and the egg as the weaken one is this stereotype is promoted from the scientific.  According to the author the scientists characterize the egg as “femininely”(p43), “large and passive, does not move or journey,”(p43) and the sperm is characterize as “masculine”, streamlined, activate the development program of the egg, strong, and efficiently powered.”(p430. They also promoting the fact that the woman cycle which produce 400 to 500 in her lifetime and the menstruation are identify as a waist even though the man system produce 100 million sperm per day which mean two trillion sperm in his life time but the man reproductive system isn’t identify as wasteful. And also the fact that the men system will stay productive until the end of his life when the woman system will worn out and loose strength years after years. Even when they found scientific prove that the sperm was less powerful once it get the woman system, the scientist found a way to turn it around and make the woman be as the evil person who will spread her spider wed and trap the sperm till death. The woman role also get lowered whether we are weak, useless and passive or whether we are a big danger, seen as deadly spider.

Reading this passage made me realize how language is powerful, how by insisting over and over and making people believe certain thing it could have an impact on everyone. I’m sure that most of the man who will read this passage will feel insulted and will try to find arguments to go with the scientist theories. As a woman, I believe my reproductive system is the most amazing thing because the feeling I will have when my baby will grow in my placenta no other man could feel it. I feel lucky for that and I know for sure those scientists are wrong and they can’t fool me. The scientist don’t want to see the reality or may be trying to lie to themselves to make them and other people believe that the man still have a certain power in everywhere. I strongly believe that we are as strong as men because what we going throughout for ninth months and then for 24h during the labor no man can’t go through it. The scientist are may be trying to fool themselves and their ego but all woman know that our system is the most beautiful and amazing thing.

blog entry #5

After watching My sister’s Keeper which is a remarkable and heartbreaking movie I try to understand how each of the character manage to make an ethical decision. The mother was hopeless and wanted to save her first daughter, Kate, who had leukemia. Because any of the parents were compatible to be a donor, the only way she could save, Kate, would be to give birth to another child, Anna, who will dedicate her entire life being a donor.  It wasn’t an easy decision for a mother knowing that she could loose her daughter because she is suffering from leukemia and putting Anna into painful treatment in order to save Kate. Kate, who had leukemia, was suffering and believed it was time for her to live the world so she could be free and have a normal life. She was tired of all the treatment she had to go through and preferred to put end on her life. Kate told Anna to stop being her donor and claim to her parents that she didn’t want to help her anymore; Kate didn’t want her parents to know that she wants to give up fighting against the leukemia anymore. Kate believed that by not getting kidney and all those terrible treatments she will be relieve from all this pain and she will also relieve her family that is suffering as well. Anna, who was Kate donor, had to make the decision between keeping on saving her sister life or following her sister will. She finally decided to follow her sister will and made her parents believed she just didn’t want to be a donor and be able to decision for her own body.

I can’t put myself into any characters from this true story because I believe I wouldn’t be able to make the right decision. I have an older sibling and God forbid if this situation was happening in my life I would have been selfish and make the decision to keep on helping my sister to survive. My argument for not following her will will be that she isn’t capable of taking the right decision because of the treatment she is going through. That the treatments are making her weaker and sensible to anything and that she had lost hope on surviving. Taking an ethical decision is hard and a long process because you have to make sure this won’t have a negative impact on anybody else. In this kind of situation it is hard to make the right decision because someone will suffer anyway.