Thursday, September 16, 2010

An Ode to Cell Theory

                     Three hundred and forty-five years ago lived a man named Robert Hooke
To whom many accredit the finding of cells and recording them in a Book
Claimed the man that all things consisted of, but tiny little cells
Too small to see with our naked eye—with a simple glass as well
A compound microscope used he to see a thin-sliced cork
Paving the way for the rest of the world to continue in his work
The word it grew, the story too, that all life had these things
What to the lighting, changing world, could this theory bring?
Cells are a part of everything, that we know is living,
One at a time, they split and divide, these cells they are so giving.
Biologists far and Physicists wide, they all laid down their strife
As they finally all concurred, cells are the building blocks of life.

As Unified and gratified as all fields of science could be
To discover this great fact of life and know that all could see
That diversified and specialized as all living things they are
Each of them, so similar, whether from near or far
The life we see around us all begins from something small
A single cell that multiplies, divides from its cell wall.
Because it studies living things, Biology gives its due
To cells of plants and cells of dogs and even FreeCell too!
This implies that for this class, in every little fact
From Chapters 1 to 36, these cells have huge impact

Though I can say that rhetoric may just be my forte
I want to learn much more of cells and be expert one day
For they have everything to do with everything I am
Just as a field of strawberries makes much delicious jam
  All the things we understand, our genetic history
Would make no sense if good old Hooke hadn’t solved this mystery
So now I close this rhyme of mine with great rev’rence for science
Hoping that my ingenuity you won’t hold as a defiance
That you’ll understand that though my knowledge is now far from complete
I put all the few things that I know into this molecular treat!

Monday, September 13, 2010

The Great Indian Apostasy: Part 6

I mean, who doesn't like some good curry?
Wasn't that a great hook? I've been working on that, thanks for noticing.
               I love the West Indies. That's where I went on my mission, and a piece of my heart will always be there. Not literally, of course. When good old Columbus came to this side of the world, he thought that he had found India, so he called it the West Indies. Ironically enough, literal Indians left their homeland in the 1800's to find work in the lower Caribbean and South America. They brought themselves, their religions, and their cooking prowess. However, after 100+ years there is bound to be a little food apostasy. That's where last Friday began.
              The Bombay House is supposed to be this way tasty, authentic Indian Restaurant. Well, I've eaten Indian food for the past two years, so I already went inside knowing what I wanted. I got the menu and was happy to see that I recognized most of the names. Roti, Aloo, Daal, Etc... Needless to say, I was confident in my ordering. Our waiter complimented me on that; he said that I sounded like a pro. Score.  When our food finally arrived, I didn't recognize it. It tasted familiar, but far from my beloved truth. Maybe I need to send some Trinidadians to teach those Indians how to cook.
Hey, easy on the Masala, buddy.

Child of God

Honestly, whenever I have a reading assignment given on the first day of class, I have to slap my forehead. Of course, that's provided that the teacher isn't watching. To make matters worse, this project was in digital format. By virtue of these great days we live in, everything is digital. I believe that the retinas of the rising generation are evolving. At this rate, my own children will be unable to read printed paper.  Despite my attitude regarding the paper, the assignment itself gave me some valuable insights.
            
The talk itself was on how we need to view ourselves as Children of God, however, it also covered five characteristics of winners. Generally speaking, successful people
  - Welcome Correction
  - Keep Commitments
  - Work Hard
  -Seek to Help Others
  -Expect and Overcome Resistance

The most interesting thing is that many successful people I know don't do any of these things. That's probably why the new insight came in handy. Success isn't measured in money or notoriety, nor do I think that it really can be measured. The best things in life can't.  Our perfect model, Jesus Christ, taught us that he who humbles himself is exalted and he who exalts himself is abased.  While this talk was delivered by Elder Eyring, the principles are not new. The community we live in is one of additive learning; what I learn doesn't die, so long as I share it. That's also why Elder Eyring quoted so many people. The most applicable to us is from President Benson- "There's no such thing as righteous pride." That's kind of hard to swallow, but I guess we all have to when we gain the perspective of what it means to be a Child of God.

Feeling Dangerous?

Danger is my middle name, and the first name for my blog. What does Danger have to do with me, or my blog? Nothing. I'm possibly the least dangerous person you will ever meet. That's basically this blog's theme; random and occasionally ironic entries about my Freshman Writing class and my life.