Connor "The Crusher"

Connor Michalek was a very young boy who was diagonsed with cancer and had ill hope for a long, healthy life. Being this young he had strong hopes, passions and dreams that any kid would want. Making these dreams come true for him was exactly his fathers goal. Having the support of the public was just a bonus. But my opinion is rather harsh on this subject. I do not think it is fair that the public just worshiped this boy in general. Millions of children are diagonsed with the same type of cancer Connor had- why is it that they do not recieve the same attention? Every life is equal, our society is fixated on entertainment and feeling better about our selves. I am not saying that Connor should not have had the luxurey of meeting his idol, or getting a memorial video that streamed worldwide. Im saying that our society should not be idoling a single boy, when there are countless little children, just like Connor days before death that have not had the same opportunities...

Placebos ....

Placebos are most commenly sugar pills that are given to patients who believe it is medication. This is not doing so to save money, but to see the relationships between the ones who did recieve medication and the ones who did not. This is scientifically called a controlled experiment. Although we see it moraly wrong, it is neccesary in many cases. For example, when trying to test a new drug one would gather a controlled sum of people- usually in the thousands. Half those people would recieve the drug and the other half would unknowninly recieve the Placebo thinking they too are recieving the drug. By the end of the experiement, changes would occur and the scientists would be able to intentify if the drug worked or not. Leslie was told to perform the controlled experiemnt with her patients fighting Pergeria. Because this disease was deadly and no other medication existed, she thought it was morally right to use no placebos in the experiement. This act of caring almost cost her the entire experiement for scientists wanted to see evidence. If I were in Leslies situation, I too would give the 300 or so patients the actual drug instead of using the placebo. It is the right thing to do.

Sam Berns Having Hope

Sam Berns is one amazing, inspirational and bright young man who battled pergeria every single day. He gave hope to those in need, and he let nothing stand in his way if he has a goal to accompish. There are roughly 300 people in the world who have been diagonsed with this extremly rare disease. For us, we feel sympathetic. For him- he saw the glass half full. Because of this disease he had became a role model for the rest of the world for he didn't show us things he couldn't do, but the things he could. Sams mother had been one of the biggest supportors in Sams case, stopping at nothing to try and save her boy. Because of this Sam stayed positive until the end. Sam addmited: "I kind of just want my mom to be done with progeria for her sake, because my mom will keep working forever until progeria is cured." Sam knows his mother had not given up, and because of his hope and faith in her - he had lived past the expected due date which has given hope to the rest of world. Sam Berns: (October 23, 1996 – January 10, 2014)

The R-Word

Freedom of speech is something in Canada that we take for granted sometimes. We use special words to express anger, frustration, or hate and we have been so accustomed to using these words that we forget the symbolic meaning behind the word. The R-word- Retard, is a word that gives some people no shame to use. We use it when we perform a silly task or when some person does something wrongly but is it appropriate to use in any scenario? The answer is NO! Intellectual disabledment is not something that is to be taken in a joking matter. A normal person would not say "You're retarded" to an disabled person because it's wrong.. Why is it okay to use on other people then? Society should put a taboo on the R-word just like the N-word because if something is not stopped soon our generations children will feel more accustomed to using other bad words for daily, daily tasks.

My Little Pony

This specific case is difficult... The child is very young, so naturally he wants to express himself. When I look at the big picture I see a person who is getting bullied because of race, gender, weight etc... The My Little Pony backpack is just another reason for the bullies to bully. Just because it can be prevented by not taking it to school doesn't give the right for the school to change it. The boy should have every right, as every other student to express himself in the way he wants. The school should not be worrying about the backpack as much as ignoring the bullies. Bullying is something that should not be tolerated. Instead of expelling the backpack the school board should be expelling the bullies. This article makes me very upset, because it is happening everywhere and I have heard countless cases just as this. Stricter punishments should be enforced to the bullies not the victims.

The Mosquito Effect

Blockbuster movie, Jurassic Park is full of amazing believable dinosaurs and frightening scenes. But, the joy of this movie is the story line. Dr. Allan Grant, a palaeontologist embarks on a mission with his companion to visit this new amusement park off the coast of Costa Rica, where dinosaurs roam in locked pens and everything seems safely secure. Until Denis- the computer programmer turns off the power and shuts down some of the dinosaur fences while the tour is taking place. Dinosaurs are on the loose while Dr. Grant is trying to save as many people as possible. Many friends are lost, bullets fired, dinosaurs full. And in the end, Dr. Allan Grant is a changed person, full of fear, and anxiety for the underestimated adventure he took part in. But if we back up -----through the bullets, blood and death----- through the centuries---- back to around 200 million years ago. We are fixed on the sole reason any of this was possible a mosquito, a tiny blood sucking bug that happened to be feeding that particular day and happened to land on a specific branch that was covered in sap, preserving it inside for millions of years for John Ryan's team to dig and find it- so they could extract dino' DNA and create dinosaurs. But what would happen if that mosquito didn't land on that branch and the team never found the fossil? Well the timeline shows that John Ryan would never have become famous, many people wouldn't have died by getting eaten by dinosaurs, those same people would have had generations of children who would grow up and also have children, etc. And the overall outcome would have resulted in the extinction of the 2nd and 3rd Jurassic Park movies, which would have been the worst possible outcome. So next time you go camping, watch what bugs you slap because in the long run it could change history forever. This is the mosquito effect.

Debate for Data

Riker: Data is not a human and no where close to it for that matter, It is a machine that was built using advanced tools to appear human to the naked eye. If we changed the appearance of it, lets say to the form of an furry dog- would you argue the same points Picard? You would be called a fool to the enterprise if you argued that Data "Rex" was a human. This MACHINE can be dissembled to our liking, and used at our disposal. It has the strength that no human could imagine, or attempt for that matter. Its thoughts were programmed and its abilities are manufactured. Simply put Picard, you have an over attachment to a toy that eventually you will loose interest of. ___________ Picard: I for one am appalled at your blindness to Datas humanity Riker. He has his own feelings, and attachments to personal belongings. He has evolved from the simple programming you put into his brain to become who he is today. He has friends, relationships and self-awareness for pity sake. Data is a remarkable being and the fact that you think its right that he is property to you because you made him is poppycock. Did your mother and father not also make you? Would they call you their property, and tear you apart? Data should be treated as your son Riker, not a machine. You have created the next generation of human and with that comes great responsibility that you clearly do not have.