| Writer's Block: Neuromancer |
[Oct. 1st, 2008|02:51 pm] |
So, which novels have had major impacts in society, with "impact" meaning "influenced everything from technology to pop culture"? Let's define the term novel as "an invented prose narrative that is usually long and complex and deals especially with human experience through a usually connected sequence of events".
First let me point out that I think most of the novels presented as answers to this question do not really fit the criteria.
In my opinion, several novels that were/are very influential on society (and not just on academia and the intelligentsia) are:
1. Dracula
2. Frankenstein
3. Uncle Tom's Cabin
4. The Iliad, the Odyssey
5. Candide
6. Lord of the Rings
7. Catcher in the Rye
8. All Quiet on the Western Front
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| Iraqi's May Suffer from Emotions |
[Jul. 26th, 2007|01:02 pm] |
Study: Iraqis May Experience Sadness When Friends, Relatives Die
CHAPEL HILL, NC—A field study released Monday by the University of North Carolina School of Public Health suggests that Iraqi citizens experience sadness and a sense of loss when relatives, spouses, and even friends perish, emotions that have until recently been identified almost exclusively with Westerners.
"We were struck by how an Iraqi reacts to the sight of the bloody or decapitated corpse of a family member in a not unlike an American, or at the very least a Canadian, would," said Dr. Jonathan Pryztal, chief author of the study. "In addition to the rage, bloodlust, and hatred we already know to dominate the Iraqi emotional spectrum, it appears that they may have some capacity, however limited, for sadness."
LINK |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 16th, 2004|06:19 pm] |
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We Remember You, Mr. Kromer
Mountain climber. Rocket builder. Cave explorer. Upstanding citizen. History enthusiast.
These are just some of the words that come to mind when I remember Mr. Kim Kromer, who passed away in July 2004 after a gut-wrenching battle with cancer.
Those who were priviledged enough to know Mr. Kromer know exactly why his passing is such a heartfelt loss. He was one of two teachers who I kept in touch with after high school.
Mr. Kromer, where you are now is a much better place, and your suffering is over. Until we meet again, rest in peace!
Nazareth Borough Councilman Kim Kromer (right) is shown accepting the 33rd annual R. Emmet Doherty Clean Air Award May 21 at Northampton Community College near Bethlehem. Kromer provided outstanding public service to Nazareth residents and DEP during negotiations related to the air quality improvements at ESSROC Cement, Co.
Visit the page below to learn more about this remarkable man:
http://www.watchunghills93.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4 |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 16th, 2004|05:17 pm] |
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Save the Ramones!
America's Latest Endangered Species
Subject: Joey Ramone
DOB: 1951
Date of Extinction: April 2001
Cause: Lymphoma
Subject: Dee Dee Ramone
DOB: 1952
Date of Extinction: 2002
Cause: Drug overdose (accidental?)
Subject: Johnny Ramone
DOB: 1949
Date of Extinction: 2004
Cause: Cancer
Surviving Members
Marky Ramone
CJ Ramone
Tommy Ramone
Save the Ramones! Visit the official website at:
http://www.ramones.com/indexframes.html |
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| More Terrorists Marked for Elimination |
[Feb. 7th, 2004|10:49 am] |
Now that Uday & Ousay Hussein were eliminated several months ago, many lesser-known family members are coming to the attention of the American anti-terrorism authorities.
Among the brothers:
Sooflay......................the restauranteur
Guday........................the half-Australian brother
Huray....................... the sports fanatic
Bejay........................the gay brother
Kuntay & Kintay..............the twins from the African mother
Ojay.........................the stalker/murderer
Biliray......................the country music star
Ecksray......................the radiologist
Puray........................the blender factory owner
Tupay........................the one with bad hair
Among the sisters:
Bufay........................the vampire slayer
Dooshay......................the clean sister
Sapheway.....................the grocery store owner
Oivay........................the one who lives in Tel Aviv
Gudlay.......................the prostitute |
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| Tyrannosaurus Rex: A predator or a scavenger? |
[Aug. 1st, 2003|06:47 pm] |
LONDON (Reuters) - For a century, the towering Tyrannosaurus Rex has been regarded as a savage killer marauding unchallenged across the later dinosaur era.
But a new exhibition at London's Natural History Museum asks whether the monster meat-eater was instead a lumbering bully which lived on rotting corpses or used its bulk to rob smaller dinosaurs of their prey.
"I believe it was a scavenger pure and simple because I can't find any evidence to support the theory that it was a predator," paleontologist Jack Horner said at the opening on Thursday of "T-Rex -- the killer question."
http://www.rense.com/general39/unit.htm
For what it's worth, here's my opinion (hey, I did take a dinosaurs course at Rutgers!) I don't think that there was enough dead meat laying around during the Jurassic/Triassic periods to feed the entire T-rex population. The carcasses would not last long enough for T-rex's to find them; instead, they would be consumed by other smaller carnivores, such as the velociraptor, or they would waste away to nothing but bone - a process that would only take 3-4 days (think of dead deer on the road).
I believe that T-rex was primarily a predator, and like all predators today, it would prefer to feed on young and/or diseased prey. In cases of extreme hunger, the T-rex would attempt to bring down larger prey, but it would also feast on carion, if such a treat could be found. |
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| Reflections on Virginia |
[Jul. 20th, 2003|08:22 pm] |
I recently had the pleasure of visiting the state of Virginia in the company of my mother, who has supported me morally all my life. We spent 4 days in Williamsburg, an area as rich in history as it is in woodlands and waterways.
I foolishly chose to take Rt. 95 for most of the trip down there, an ordeal that lasted 7 hours. The traffic in the areas of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. was horrendous. As we approached eastern Virginia, the muggy weather morphed into a furious thunderstorm, and I was forced to pull my mother's Toyoya Rav onto the side of the highway for several minutes, as we waited for the downpour to cease and for decent visibility to resume.
As we traveled deeper into the heart of Virginia, we marveled at the lush, far-reaching expanses of the stately forests. The trees were very tall, and they seemed to stand with a pride not seen further north in New Jersey. Oddly enough, we did not see one dead deer on the roads in Virginia, although we traveled through miles and miles of forest during our time there. Quite a contrast from the New Jerseyan suburbs.
We arrived in Williamsburg before the sun set, and we booked a nice room at a Best Western Inn. That night we had dinner at IHOP, and luckily for us, it was "seniors' night", and we only had to pay 50% of the total bill. Needless to say, Mom was a little embarassed about that. She confessed it was the first ever senior citizen discount she ever received, and she warned me not to reveal that to anyone! :-)
The next day we walked through the historical section, which is known as "Colonial Williamsburg". It is basically a series of streets in Williamsburg where the houses still look as they did in the 1770's. Horse-and-buggies abound, as well as actors dressed in contemporary garb. The gardens behind the houses were simply enchanting - I have to admit they put mine to shame! The highlight of that walk for me was our visit inside the church where George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other Founding Fathers worshipped.
We also took a walking tour of the charming campus of the College of William & Mary, which is Thomas Jefferson's alma mater. On the campus there is a large field, and a sign revealed that it was the site where the American army camped the night before the battle of Yorktown.
After spending several hours in Colonial Williamsburg, we took a long, lazy drive through the Virginian forest to arrive at the island of Jamestown, site of the first ever English settlement in North America. I walked the grounds where, in 1609, Englishmen first set foot on American soil and called it "home". Unfortunately, none of the buildings from that era have survived; only their stone foundations remain. I did, however, stand inside a reconstructed church, which sits upon the very same ground where America's first ever government, the House of Burgesses, convened in 1619. The stone foundation from the original church still remains.
We walked on the site of Bacon's Rebellion. The story of that rebellion is quite interesting indeed. It seems that, as the years went by in Jamestown, some farmers began settling further and further in shore. Simultaneously, the Indians began attacking the settlers, who had shown no signs of aggression towards them. One year, the Indians massacred a full 1/3 of all the settlers! One man, Nathaniel Bacon, decided he had enough of seeing Englishmen being attacked by the savages. He pressured the governor of Jamestown for a "commission" to begin fighting back against the Indians. Bacon was supported by all the farmers, who were afraid that they would be the Indians' next victims. After being denied permission to actively go on the offensive against the Indians, Bacon rebelled, and a brief civil war ensued among the colonists. I stood on the actual spot where Bacon and his militia stood, demanding that they be allowed to return fire against the Indians.
Walking the dirt roads of Jamestown was a spiritual experience for me. I imagined how it must have looked four hundred years ago, with the simple wooden houses, and horses baring riders to and fro. I realized how homesick and scared the first colonists must have been, being so far from home, and being in a completely new, unexplored land that was home to hostile Indians. I stood on the shore and looked eastward toward Europe, and I knew that the colonists must have stood on that same shore and looked in the same direction, wondering how their relatives and their hometowns were faring, and not knowing if they would ever make it back. I listened to the crickets, the birds, and the waves lapping at the shoreline, and I knew that the Jamestown settlers, the first Americans, had heard those same sounds all those centuries ago.
The following day, after having ingested so much history, Mom and I decided it was time for a little old-fashioned, non-educational fun. We drove to Busch Gardens and had a very pleasant and relaxing time there. The park was clean, and undesirable people were few and far between. Mom surprised me by going on some water rides with me. I did not bother, however, to invite her onto the roller coasters.
Busch Gardens is divided into "countries", similar to Epcot. The countries are England, Ireland, France, Germany, and Italy. In the Irish section, my mother and I saw a "4D" movie. It was a 3D cartoon that took place in the green Irish countryside. According to the movie's plot, we in the audience were really fairies in a box. Two Irish lads come along and find a box (the theater itself) full of "little people" (the audience). The picked up the box and gave it a shake, and as they did so, our chairs rose and descended, according to the shaking motion. We all laughed; it was cute. The boys took their "box" on horseback, and as the horse galloped, our chairs moved according to the horse's movements. Then a chimera swerpt the box away and took us high into the clouds, and dropped us over the ocean. The box cascaded towards the foaming waves below, and somehow the chairs vibrated to mimick the feeling of falling. At the last instant, our horse caught the box, but as he did so, a wave crashed, and water squirted out of the walls of the theater. My mother really enjoyed it; during the movie, I looked over a few times, and saw her smiling heartily with her 3d shades on. It made me feel good that she was enjoying herself so much.
After the movie, we went on the aforementioned water rides and roller coasters. The first roller coaster was the Alpengeist, which is obviously in the German section. It never took us that high, but it was very fast and made several sharp turns and loops.
In the Italian section, I rode the roller coaster called "Apollo's Chariot". It was the best (or worst?) drop I have ever taken on a roller coaster. The initial drop was an astounding 210 feet, and it lasted nearly four seconds. Four seconds does not seem like an extravagant length of time, but during a near free fall in a roller coaster, it seemed interminable. After that gut-wrenching drop, most of the ride was normal.
That night we treated ourselves and had a juicy steak and beer at a pleasant restaurant.
The next day was our last in Virginia, but by no means was it a letdown in any way. We made another memorable journey through the Virginian woodlands, and we arrived in Yorktown, the site of the last major battle of the American revolution. For any American patriot, that battlefield is hallowed ground. We walked through the same embankments where the British and the Hessians had made their final stand against the rebellious colonists. Again, I took myself back in time, and I imagined the gun shots, the canon blasts, the horses galloping all around, the men shouting, the throes of death, the agony of defeat, and the elation of victory.
We did the drive-through "historical tour". We drove past the fields where the Americans and French had camped. We drove by where General Washington and Baron von Steuben had pitched their tents and made their battle plans. We stopped by the house where American and British officers met to accept Britain's surrender and to discuss its terms. I stood in the doorway of that house, but unfortunately the door was locked. I imagined how the embarassed, disappointed British officers had walked through that doorway to meet with the petty Americans, whom they had given no chance at all of winning five years earlier in 1776. In the backyard of this house, there was an ocean cliff, and Mom and I stood on it and gazed at the sea for several minutes. We were both very impressed, needless to say, not just with the historical signifigance of the area, but also with the scenic beauty of it all.
After completing the historical tour, it was our fourth day in Virginia, and it was time to make the long, boring journey back to boring New Jersey. I suddenly got the idea that instead of taking the same route that we had taken coming down, we would drive a different route that might be a bit longer, but would nonetheless be much more scenic that boring Rt. 95.
We drove to a restaurant called the Cracker Barrel and we ate the most delicious cheeseburgers of our lives there. The coffee was also amazing; the waiter said it was the "house brand". I looked at a map and decided that we were going to take Rt. 301 home.
Rt. 301 heads north, and then northeast, through eastern Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and then right before New Jersey, it forces you to merge onto the Turnpike. While on 301 in Virginia, my mother and I were treated to some very pleasant rural scenery. The woods and the fields were ripe and lush, and the homes, although not large, were tidy and respectable in their own right. I realized that such communities are what constitutes the real America. America is not New York City. America is not Disneyworld, or Silicon Valley. America is the small, no-name towns that are homes to all the "little people", the workers who labor industriosly and who provide food and basic services to the priviledged few who like to pretend that they are the ones who turn America's gears.
Although it threatened to rain during the ride home, we never suffered more than the occassional sprinkle. While we rode through the plain, unappealing Maryland farmlands, a brilliant rainbow stretched from the horizon to the zenith of the sky. I felt that I had spent some very meaningful quality time with my mother. It was her first vacation in many years and I think it had a very positive impact on her. I was relieved that I had had the pleasure of sharing my vacation with her and not with anyone else, since she was so deserving of it.
We arrived home shortly before nightfall, and my brother was happy to see both of us. |
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