Nephytus's blog

I saw on the news earlier today that there is a movement that is trying to get the National Anthem to be sung in Spanish as well as English at public events.  Now I think this is a little extreme.  I know how hard it can be to learn a foreign language (I've studied both Spanish and Japanese), but if someone is to become a US citizen they should at least know the National Anthem in English.  Translations can help people learn the English version better, and it can be fun to have the anthem sung in different languages at different events, but requiring it to be sung in Spanish is a little ridiculous.  If I was to try and become a citizen in another country, I would try my hardest to learn the language, and besides learning all the basics that help me get around, I'd like to learn their national anthem in the national language.  Read More »

Recently I started getting into comics.  For that I blame V for Vendetta.  It was such an excellent movie that I had to go out and buy the graphic novel, which is such an excellent graphic novel.  And it was something more than just entertainment.  It awakened me, and made me get interested in politics believe-it-or-not.  Sure, I was first drawn to the movie because of its action scenes and that it looked neat, but I left with something so much more.  And it opened the door to other comics that are more than just entertainment.  In fact, I think that the value of comics as intelligent works of literature and art aren't truly appreciated.  People tend to think that comics are silly or "just for kids" but this isn't the case at all with a lot of them.  There are a lot of mature themes they explore that deal a lot with society and the human psyche.  Read More »

People always wonder why I don't seem happy over the prospect of visiting a zoo.  After all, I'm a biology major, I love animals, and I always get excited over seeing new things.  Well, it's because I am a science major with a love for animals that I don't like zoos.  My love for animals causes me not to like zoos because of trauma it puts them through and my scientific mind tells me that the negative effects of zoos far outweight the potential good of them.  I actually absolutely despise zoos, and it makes me either really sad or angry to think about them.  They pen up animals and make them suffer for the sole reasons of entertainment and profit.  Sure, many may cry out about the educational benefits of zoos, but those reasons are far misguided.  It has been proven that animals do not act the same in captivity as in the wild.  Also, with television the way it is today, children can be far more educated with watching a program than visiting a zoo.  I remember going to a zoo when I was little caused me to become more tramatized than educated, when I saw how unhappy the animals appeared to be and the small spaces they occupied.  Some might also say that animals don't know any better, but that's just a way to try and justify their confinement.  Animals do experience some emotions and pain.  Unnatural behaviors in zoos, such as pacing, head-bobbing, and swaying, are disturbing.  Zoos are physically and mentally stressful to animals.  They are unatural environments for animals, and are breeding grounds for diseases that can infect them.  Animals are also exposed to a variety of toxic chemicals and substances and heavily medicated and tranquilized in order for their behavior to be controlled.  People may also argue that zoos help to protect and conserve endangered species.  However, conditions in zoos make it hard for animals to act naturally and mate naturally, and since the animals are confined and forced together, there is hardly any natural selection and the species would lose genetic variabiliy over time.  The only logical way to truly save endangered species is to protect their environment.  Zoos are just horrible corporations that feed off of the pains of animals and the misinformed masses in order to make money.  Read More »

I am so glad I happened to stumble upon this place.  Finally, a blog that actually means something more, where people post intelligent articles about all of the important, interesting stuff that's going on instead of how bad their day was.  Don't get me wrong, other blogs are great, because after all, they're all about letting people express theirselves, which can be a wonderful thing.  They're also a great way for people to keep in touch with friends and know how they're doing, especially if they live far away and you don't get a chance to see them very often.  It's just exciting to find a place where people talk about ideas and things going on their community and the world, and not just about them.  Sometimes people are just so focused on theirselves they they forget about the big picture.  Sure, I love reading my friends' personal blogs, and they have some great stuff on there that I'm sure just about anyone can find interesting, but I don't think I'd want to randomly browse through different users' blogs on the internet, but here, I'll browse away because it's more than just keeping tabs on people, but with hearing about fresh ideas and getting different insights on current issues.  Anyway, I'm just really excited to be a part of this blogging group!  ^_^  Read More »