Being One With Nature

I've been outside most of today.  Got up before 5 am to go fishing up at Red Rock Lake in Pella.  My nephew actually caught more fish.  :P  I guess I was too busy looking around trying to find things I can take pictures of.  After I was done in Pella, I went home and took a short nap.  

Saylorville Lake and Big Creek was my next destination after I got some rest.  It was quite windy today so I couldn't stay long.  Well, time to go pass out.  I'm falling asleep as I'm typing right now.  

Location: Red Rock Lake - Pella, Iowa
A random plant that was sticking up right next to the place I was fishing.

Location: Saylorville Lake - Johnston, Iowa
Windows down as I was cruising in the car.  I was the passenger and not the driver.  :)

Location: Big Creek - Polk City, Iowa
A secluded area of the park.  It kind of have an Amazon look to it.

Location: Big Creek - Polk City, Iowa
This would have been a good place to sit and chill but it was too windy and  chilly today.

Location: Big Creek - Polk City, Iowa
I was waiting for the wind to blow a bit harder so I could get the grass bending a bit more.  But I couldn't wait since I had to go to the restroom.

Location: Big Creek - Polk City, Iowa
Log I was standing on was a bit shaky, was worried that I was going to fall in.  My brother took this one.

Location: Gray's Lake - Des Moines, Iowa
I especially like this photo due to the warm and vibrant colors
of the sunset as well as that of the paddle boats.

1, 2, 3...smile or I'll hit you silly

I started picking up photography yesterday.  It has been several months since I have bought my digital camera (Canon EOS 60D w/ EFS 15-85 mm lens), but I haven't really touched it since that time.  I'm not a professional by any means.  Tell me what you think of these pictures that I took.  I know I have a ways to go but this is a step in the right direction.  Also if you want the originals to use as background, let me know.  I'll gladly send you a copy.

Location: Water Works - Des Moines, Iowa
Taken during the early hours of the morning during the Hy-Vee Fishing Derby.
Didn't catch that many catfishes but I did manage to catch some good pictures.

Location: Backyard of my house - Des Moines, Iowa
Found a bird's nest in the pear tree in my backyard.  While the mother bird was away, I caught the two baby birds sleeping.

Location: Water Works - Des Moines, Iowa
It wasn't that dark at this time, but I wanted to mainly focus on the sky.

Waiting

Waiting is the hardest thing to do.  It's the whole psychological aspect of it which makes it so tough and stressful.  When we are waiting for what we want, it's the anticipation of obtaining what was sought after that makes us wish that time would go by more quickly.  And so we look upon the passing hours, minutes, and seconds with great angst but the more attention that we focus upon the passage of time the longer it seems to drag on.  This same concept is applicable for when we are waiting for something that we don't want as well such as a big test or anything along those lines.

Practice Essay #15: History Record of Struggling Ideologies

Question: History is a record of the struggle between opposing ideologies. Describe a specific situation in which history might not be a record for the struggle between opposing ideologies. Discuss what you think determines when history is a record of the struggle between opposing ideologies and when it is not.

Answer:

When people think of history, the first thing that usually comes to mind is of war and the conflict or struggle between opposing ideologies. This is often the case because war and conflict have a profound, long-lasting, and more widespread impact compared to anything else making it quite significant and more likely to be remembered. Take for example World War I or II. When those terms are mentioned as opposed to someone’s name from history, it is almost definite that people will know more about World War I or II than the historical person mentioned.

History is more than just a record of war and the struggles between different ideologies. It is a record of our past achievements, of important people who made a difference in the world and of discoveries and inventions that have changed our perception and understanding of the world. History is in essence a record of the significant things that existed in the past whether it is a person, place, thing or event. It is written and preserved so that future generation can look upon it and possibly learn from it. They can learn how the invention of cars came about by looking at the Ford Model T or learn who invented peanut butter.

History is often thought of as just a record of war and struggles between different ideologies. This is because such events have profound, long-lasting, and more widespread impact than anything else. History, however, is more than that. It is a record of all the important people, place, thing or events that we want to remember. That which seems to determine what is to be recorded in history comes down to the significance and importance of the person, place, thing or event and the impact that it has on the course of our history.

Practice Essay #14: Regulation of Internet

Question: The government should have the right to regulate the content of web sites on the internet. Describe a specific situation in which the government should not have the right to regulate the content of web sites on the internet. Discuss what you think determines whether or not the government should have the right to regulate the content of web sites on the internet.

Answer:
The amount of information and data that is available through the internet and the World Wide Web is astronomical. Due to the accessibility of it nowadays, it is nearly impossible to keep track of all the content that is posted online since almost everybody have access to a computer and the internet. And given the fact that the internet allows for anybody to post up almost anything they like, it is almost certain that not all the content being uploaded is appropriate or legal. The statement, therefore, suggests that the government should have the right to regulate the content of web sites on the internet. This seems especially necessary when the content being posted seems to pose a threat to national security, is an invasion of privacy of someone, or promotes illegal activities such as child pornography.

The amount of regulation that the government should have on the content of web sites should be limited such that it serves to protect the population as a whole but does not unnecessarily interfere with the freedom of speech. When contents posted on web sites does not seem to pose any risk or endanger anybody and does not promote any illegal activities, regulations of such contents would not be appropriate. Take for example, the contents of a personal blog where somebody is simply posting up their opinions on a certain topic. If the posting did not contain any contents that are illegal or inappropriate as previous discussed then such contents should not be regulated.

The internet is a rich source for information and data. Not all of the contents posted on it, however, are legal or appropriate for public viewing. This is when government regulation of those contents is needed to ensure the safety of the public. Government regulation should be limited in its extent so that it does not unnecessarily interfere with freedom of speech. As seen in the example of a blogger, regulation of such contents would be unwarranted and probably a waste of time. What seems to determine whether or not the government should have the right to regulate the content of web sites would be the level of legality or appropriateness of such contents and the amount of danger it poses to the public.

Practice Essay #13: Globalization and Elimination of Cultural Differences

Question: Globalization eliminates important cultural differences. Describe a specific situation in which globalization might not eliminate important cultural differences. Discuss what you think determines whether or not globalization eliminates cultural differences.

Answer:
With the advancement in technology, the means of traveling from one place to another have become fairly convenient and fast. This has lead to increased interactions amongst countries and increased the impact that each country has on one another or simply put globalization. The statement suggests as a country become more globalized or more connected with other nations some of the important culture differences that exist between the countries are eliminated or are lost as a result of the integration and assimilation of the cultures.

Although integration and assimilation of cultures do occur with increased interactions amongst nations, not all cultural differences are eliminated in the process. Certain cultural differences are retained by the people of those countries or are taken up by the people of the interacting country. A good example to look at when considering the effects of globalization would be the United States. The US is considered a melting pot of cultures since the population is tremendously diverse with people from almost every country and culture. Although with such a diverse population, the people of this country are able to coexist with one another without any troubles while still maintaining their individual culture. It can also been seen that certain cultural differences are assimilated into the “main” culture through certain holiday celebrations such as St. Patrick’s Day.

Globalization has lead to increased interaction amongst nations and the impact that they have on one another. Cultural differences can be eliminated in the process of globalization through integration and assimilation. Integration and assimilation does not always lead to the complete elimination of cultural differences. The people can come to integrate into the main culture while still retaining their own individual culture. Another scenario would be that the cultural difference is embraced and picked up by the main culture. So what seems to determine whether cultural differences are eliminated or not in the process of globalization revolves around whether or not people of that culture choose to retain their differences and to pass it on to their children or whether or not the cultural differences are embraced.

Practice Essay #12: Mistakes vs Successes

Question: We are educated more by our mistakes than by our successes. Describe a specific situation in which someone might be educated more by success than by mistakes. Discuss what you think determines whether or not one learns more from mistakes than from successes.

Answer:

This statement suggests that we are able to learn from our mistakes as opposed to our successes. By making mistakes, it causes us to scrutinize the situation more in order to figure out what went wrong, the things to avoid to prevent repeating the mistake, and the things that can be improved upon in order to achieve success. It is comparable to designing a new invention. With the first model, there will most likely be some sort of bug or flaw which will be present. It is through the analysis of those flaws in the design that more can be learned about the nature of the invention and further improvements can be made.

Mistakes are not more educational than success when those mistakes that are being made are hard to recognize or identify. Continuous attempts can be made to try and achieve success but if the mistakes are not known then it is most likely that those mistakes would be repeated. Take for example someone practicing a dance routine. If that person thinks they are doing the right moves, when they are in fact not doing it correctly, and are unaware of it, by practicing over and over again that will just reinforce what they are doing wrong and they will not learn anything from it.

Mistakes are better educators than success in most situations. It causes us to stop and consider the situation more careful and analyze what was done wrong in order to be improved on. There are certain situations where success is better at educating us than mistakes. This is especially true when the mistakes are not known. It would require us to achieve success or recognize what success means in order to figure out what was done wrong. In determining whether mistakes or successes are better educator, it is important to consider the awareness of the mistakes being made and what it means to achieve success. It is also important to consider whether such awareness leads to a careful reflection or analysis of the situation.