Rwanda all over again

In the article I read on the current congonese conflict that is extremly similar to the Rwandan crisis of 1994. The main difference this time is that the U.N peace keeping force is more activly involved and instead of the Hutus attacking the Tutsis it is the Tutsi rebel forces attacking the legetimate government of the Congo. The current situation is quite dismal because the rebel forces consist of 10,000 well supplied rebels while the government forces are disbanded and ununified. However the U.N. recently implimented a new mandate allowing the peace keeping forces to disarm the rebels by force, (enabling them to attack with military might). The one catch is that they are out numbered as the U.N. only has 6,000 troops that are spread out thin and disliked by the natives. The Nationals are displeased with the U.N. performance because the peace keeping force doesn't have the ability to help keep the civilians from harm (their main reason for being there), and have started to stone the sites that the U.N. are using for bases. On top of that the government forces set up artillary behind that U.N. and then fire and run leaving the U.N. to deal with the counter-attack. Because of the U.N.'s inability to protect civilians another ethnic cleansing is eminent. However it will be the opposite of Rwanda with the Tutsis "cleaning" themselves of the Hutus.

link:
http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-world/20081030/AF.Congo.Peacekeeping.Disarray/

mysterious old man

Photograph/film anaylisis of Dark knight review

In the review I felt that the author was judging the film fairly and evenly. He didn't try to force his own opinions of movie but instead showed the facts of the theme and how the actors did. The author said that the movie, "The Dark Knight", was a must see even if you didn't like super hero movies. The reason for this is because the movie was performed by a star-studded cast and Heath Ledger was one of the main characters (in case you didn't know he is dead, he gave his life for this performance). The reviewer, Rafer Guzman, also stated that the theme revolved around a darker side of life, and the transformations of batman, Harvey Dent, and commissioner gordon. If you haven't seen the movie i would highly recommend it.

link: <http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/ny-darkknight0717,0,5573190.story>

My Thoughts on "There Once Was an Old Man"

In the poem "There Once Was an Old Man" Elizbeth Anderson envisions what an old man with a tranquil mind would see. She says that he sits by an old tree near a pool of water that "reflected heaven itself"(8). Elizbeth believes that the reward for a peaceful mind is a gaze into the wondrous pool. In the final line she continues on to say that the reward is actually a peaceful soul "Such is the reward of a tranquil mind,A soul at peace"(16-17). The wondrous pool that reflects heaven and never is disturbed can be related to the old man's soul. However the old man's soul is like this only because he has a tranquil mind. Similar to the buddhist belief that nirvanna is reached by a mind that has completed the eightfold path, Elizbeth believes that a tranquil mind will be rewarded with a peaceful soul.

link: <http://www.bettys-poetry.co.uk/poems.php?Group=Peace>

response to Question number 2, is odysseus a hero in mordern times?

In the time that odysseus travels the seas, trickery, guile and deception were excellent traits to have. In mordern times not many people believe that these attributes are worthy of having or flaunting. However Homer proclaims in the Odyssey that trickery and guile are characteristics that will elevate one's posistion in life. The character Odysseus is the best portrays these features. When he first arrives in Ithaca he attempts to fool the goddes Athena, for this she rewards him with knowledge and a plot. If Odysseus had not done this he would've been off much worse. In modern times people can make Athena the equivelant to their boss, in most cases bosses will not give people a pat on the back for lying to them. Actually bosses will probably try to retaliate for such insubordinate behavior. Odyyseus gives us another illustration of guile being positive, when he fools all of the suitors in his own house. By doing this he manages to gain the upperhand in the fight because suprise is on his side. If a person is in a fight and loses because the other person uses treachery the person who uses treachery will be shamed and harrassed by people watching. Odysseus also lies to his very close friend to prevent word of his return from spreading. This lie can be compared to batman lying to robin to prevent crime lords from hearing of him. Batman as long as i can remember never lies to Robin but rather toughs it out like a man. Odysseus decieves his own wife about his return for the smallest gain. Odysseus gains the peace of mind that his wife will not spread word about his return. If modern heros were like this they would be considered compassionless and therefore lose their admiring fans. In ancient greek times Guile and treachery were more admirable than they are now. This is because a change in soceity and an increase in the want for commendable heros.

Mars may be able to sustain life

Some of the newer research done by the mars lander "Phoenix" says that Mars may have water underneath the surface. The lander recently established that there is ice on the planet, and that the soil contains minerals that are created when water interacts with the ground. The final and most exciting of the discoveries is snow. The lander's laser identified snow falling roughly 2 miles from where the lander sits. These discoveries open a whole new field of questions. The most eminent among them is if Mars can support life. As of right now it cannot, but scientist say that it once was able to. The lander contains 8 ovens that look for minerals needed to support life and 4/4 tests have failed. The lander will be shut down soon because the sunlight reaching the section of Mars that the lander is on is waning. I believe that the planet can support life but only microbial life forms. Some of the main reasons that i think it can support life is that it has water, and is large enough to have the minerals needed to support life. However it may be a long time before the planet can support humans or anything much larger than single cells, as it's atmosphere is not adequete.

citation
Mars lander finds water sugesting past water. Tue september 30th 2008. Associated press. October 1st. <http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-science/20081001/Phoenix.Mars/>.