Second Paper Freewriting

Evolution. Why do things evolve? To help a species survive. Why would belief evolve? To let us survive more. What does belief give us? Belief lets us act in a selfless manner much more often. Establishes a community, and moral standards. Basis for early governments. Man united is stronger than man divided. Organization and teamwork are two key points in human survival, made easier by religion, because there won't be backstabbing and people will sacrifice for the team.
What does religion do that doesn't help us survive? As an individual, it consumes time and slows research (at least in the early society). Copernicus was confined for rightly going against the Church and spreading the knowledge that the earth was round.

Is evolution really that perceptive? Belief would have to start as something much smaller, in order to be passed on to others and then grow, unless it was a side-effect. What could the initial mutation have been? The ability to construe possible answers for a problem, even if you have no proof, and act on them? Could be. Certainly, if one postulates the existance of a god, and then is forced to choose between not believing, or believing, with the consequences that an eternal punishment might exist, it is the general response to want to believe.

Suprising Media: Grindhouse

I'm not an old school movie buff, so I can't go much into the stylistic details that these directors/writers brought back, expanded upon, left out, or (in some people's opinion) butchered. I was entertained for at least 2 of the 3 hours this double feature lasted, and all of the first movie. The style was very suprising, with twist after twist. It wasn't the most high-and-mighty of movies, but it was direct and honest, and I like that in a movie. It was worth the 9 dollars that a non-matinee costs now, and not just because it was a "twoferone".

A summary and review of Smokin' Aces

The movie begins showing an FBI stake-out of the Mob Boss, Primo Sparazza. The FBI discovers that he is calling a million dollar hit on a Vegas Showster known as Buddy "Aces" Israel. Then the viewer is introduced to each of six groups of people after Israel, including a group of three neo-nazis, two female assassins, "the Swede", "the Plague", Lazlo Soot, and a group of three bail bondsmen. As the story progresses, the neo-nazis kill off most of the bail bondsmen, and most of Israel's henchmen are killed off by Soot. One of the women is nearly captured by the FBI agents, and her partner snipes many of them with a 50 caliber rifle from across the street.

The plague kills one of the main two FBI agents in an elevator, and is severely wounded himself. Israel's last remaining henchmen escapes with non-sniper female assassin from a fight with the neo-nazis, in which two of them are killed. Soot manages to drug Aces into a coma, and the FBI takes both Aces and Primo into custody. Plague escapes on a stretcher, and the last bail bondsman kills the last neo-nazi. Finally, the viewer finds out that Primo Sparazzi is actually an ex-undercover FBI agent, and Aces is his son, and the only possible donor for a heart which he is in dire need of, and "the Swede" is actually the doctor who is to perform the operation. The FBI is going to allow this to happen, and then use Sparazzi to bring down the last of the mob in Vegas. In the final scene, the last main FBI agent locks the hospital door, takes them both off of life support, and surrenders his badge and gun, and puts his face in his hands.

This movie is one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my entire life, including documentaries I was forced to watch in middle school. Even the sex education one. It almost beats out Alexander for the worst movie ever, but not quite. It's an A.D.D. action movie, with very little plot development that tries to make a deep ending but fails horribly, and ends up making utterly no sense. The main FBI character, played by Ryan Reynolds, doesnt have enough depth or development to let you comprehend his reasons for the actions he takes in the conclusion of the movie. The only entertainment value this movie holds is pure violence, and
the only unique thing it has is people being hit by a 50-caliber sniper rifle.

Summary of A Damnation of a Canyon

This is a summary of The Damnation of a Canyon by Edward Abbey. The heart of the canyonlands is Glen Canyon and the Colorado River. The author went on a rafting trip in the summer of 1959 with a friend, and greatly enjoyed the experience and scenery that the unspoiled river offered. In 1967, he worked as a park ranger at the new “Glen Canyon National Recreation Area”, which is what the government named the area around the Glen Canyon Dam.

He claims that “Having thus seen Glen Canyon both before and after what we may fairly call its damnation, I feel that I am in a position to evaluate the transformation of the region caused by construction of the dam.” He admits a certain bias towards being a “googly eyed bleeding heart” and a “wild conservative”. There is an implication that the dam is part of a “thoroughly urbanized, elegantly computerized social system [which] is not suitable for human habitation”.

He states that Lake Powell, which is formed by Glen Canyon Dam, is not a lake but is a reservoir. This means that there is a constantly fluctuating water level based on the power needs of the system that the Dam is connected to. Also, this power need is the primary focus of the orchestrators of the dam, not the recreational possibilities that they publicize.

The drastic change of environment around the river, and the continuous changes of water level, had huge negative impacts on wildlife that were settled near it. The only thing noticeable around the edge of the water is the bathtub ring left by the change of water level. The author suggests for those who think he is exaggerating is to take a trip around the lake, then float down the remaining unaltered river below the Dam.

He continues on to argue that the true benefit of the Dam is only to the upper middle class, who are capable of taking power boat trips of some kind. He says that the loss of wild life, and ruins, and beautiful scenery is not outweighed by the ability to powerboat to a landmark, where previously anyone could have walked 6 miles. The dam has removed the possibility of cheap float trips to see the beautiful heart of the canyonlands, replaced by expensive powerboating which does not make up for the loss.

His solution is that as alternative power methods be discovered, the dam should be taken out of commission, and that nature should be allowed to restore the river to the way it was before, which would admittedly take some time.

Blog 2 - Music Review

Ensiferum is a Finnish band which self-labels its genre "Heroic Folk Metal". Their first and self-named album illustrates perfectly as to why they claim that genre. The band mixes harsh and clean vocals fluidly throughout nearly every song, talking of ancient warriors and battles and telling a loose story as you progress through the tracks. Intense, upbeat guitar lines draw you in to each battle-song, inspiring a feeling truly unique to this band. "Battle Song" is a suprisingly good example of this: as the intro to the comes to an end, there is a harsh metal yell. The harsh vocalist sings the part of a storyteller, while clean vocals call out the part of the soldiers.

There are also more slow, clean songs which tell of those waiting at home, or the return, such as "Eternal Wait", which tells of an old soldier looking for respite in a world full of pain. Each song is unique, stand-alone, and offers something that none of the other songs do. This album is alone, for me, in that I added every single song to my playlist, although Ensiferum's second album "Iron" comes close.

I have never heard a band that is so soul-stirring in this manner. It reaches into the depths of your heart, not for sorrow, anger, or love, but simply to remember battles long forgotten. I am not a fan of harsh vocals, nor do I listen to that much metal. This band stirs something within me, and I would suggest to anyone that they should at least give it a try.