Thank you, Val

Problems.

With the topics of the USPS losing money and "The Singer Solution to World Poverty," the solution brought forth for each situation both involve money. All anyone thinks about today is money. Kids are taught to learn, go to school, and become successful for what? Money. However, money is not always the solution. No matter how much money I throw at a rock, it will not fly. Shrinking the USPS will not solve the issue, but rather simply make sending letters even less efficient, thus further discouraging people to use physical mail. Drones. Drones are the answer to everything. With drones, mail and packages can be sent with little cost. Sure, mailmen would lose their jobs, but they can instead work as drone monitors. Bam. Problem solved.  This didn't involve the government throwing needlessly large sums of money at the problem, but rather it reallocate resources to adapt to the situation. Sometimes problems don't have clear solutions. Instead of fighting the problem head on, it's necessary to just work around it. Extreme Drought in California? Move to Nevada. Tired of mosquitos? Move to California. Wait. No. Everyone in California already moved to Nevada. Live underwater. Last time I checked mosquitos live underwater. See? Sometimes you just have to work around the problem.

Now THIS is how you solve a problem.

As depicted numerous times throughout the novel, Art's parallel attitudes towards his father are shown within these panels. Art himself doesn't mind spending time with his father, yet he can't stand living with him. This is because of the things his father does. In this case, his father got rid of Anja's old journals. At this point, Art gets a lot angrier than he normally does at his father's actions. He even cusses at his father and calls him a "murderer," something "even to [his] friends [he] should never yell." By specifically using the word "murderer" instead of idiot or imbecile, Art is somewhat blaming his father for the death of his mother. Also, the last panel is shaded so it looks like tears are coming out of Art's eyes. Before this, he hasn't really shown much emotion towards the death of his mother, other than the comic in the middle. This shading represents the pain that doesn't heal. The pain of losing a parent, but also the pain of the holocaust. His father even says how the books had brought back so many bad memories. This shows that while Spiegelman depicted everyone as animals to somewhat mask the true terrors of the Holocaust, these mice themselves wear masks to not only protect themselves, but to prevent them from hurting the people they love.

Picture Perfect

For those who didn't know me when I was younger, this is me as a child. With the whole debate on whether photographs are a "irresistible form of mental pollution" (Sontag), both sides have valid arguments. It all depends on how you use it. For example, the photo above is used to document and preserve my image as a child. Therefor, one may argue that photographs and pictures bring a sense of truth and documentation that are important. However, the photo above is not me. All I did was search up "asian child" on google images and selected the first image of a boy. Those against photographs would then argue that images are deceitful. Yes, I agree. Pictures can be misleading, especially with photoshop readily available (but at a whopping $120+ a year). However, isn't life also deceitful? Whether it's news stories, magazines, or even friends and family, everyone and everything lie. That poptart you had for breakfast wasn't actually a poptart. It was a Toaster Tart.

Also, without photographs, I wouldn't be able keep my self esteem up every day.

Without photographs, cops wouldn't know who to look for when catching criminals. Therefore if you argue that photographs are bad, then you support crime.

Also without photos, this would never be possible.

Check out Andrew Yuan Photography @ https://www.facebook.com/AndrewYuanPhotography

While reading the Consider the Lobster, I couldn't help but to wonder what life would be like if humans didn't eat lobsters. First off, Red Lobster wouldn't exist. Also, buffets would be less popular, considering how many people (my parents) only go to buffets to eat lobster. There's an infinite amount of what if's about how the world would be different if humans didn't do certain things. However, those who eat meat, whether it's lobster meat or beef have already accepted the fact that their food was once living, moving just as they themselves do. If this wasn't the case, then they would simply refuse to eat meat and be vegetarians. Even so, us humans have assigned the task of butchering these once breathing forms of sustenance to others, just so we ourselves do not have to feel the guilt of killing an animal. Therefore, like Wallace himself admits that he hasn't "succeeded in working out any sort of personal ethical system" for which the issue of killing lobsters will make him change is eating habits. In the world, there are predators and prey to keep species populations under control. WIthout us humans, lobsters could possibly be so plentiful that they eventually outnumber us and enslave the human race. Therefore, us lobster-eaters are in fact saving the world. 8)

Tick. Tock.

With the whole idea of multiplicity, the movie The Hours, time itself is what makes the movie unique. By shifting between three different time periods, the audience simply gets snippets of daily life that seems completely unrelated (of course only to those who haven't read Mrs. Dalloway). However, through the contrasts of these three depictions, the same conclusion arrises. No matter how hard we try, we "still have to face the hours." Although Richard Brown tries to write about everything that happens in a moment, he can only get as minute as one single day. Also, Richard even tells Clarissa he "seems to have fallen out of time." foreshadowing his inevitable death. Virginia Woolf also lives a tragic life. As we find out in the movie, she moves to Richmond for her own safety, so her husband can keep careful watch of her. However, time must continue. Woolf's unrelenting desire for freedom causes her to fight with her husband, exclaiming, "You cannot find peace avoiding life." No matter how hard we try, no one can stop time. As tragic as it is, death is unavoidable. However, as Virginia states, "Someone has to die in order that the rest of us should value life more. It's contrast."

Ahoy Me Matey

"Suddenly Elizabeth stepped forward and most competently boarded the omnibus, in front of everybody. She took a seat on top. The impetuous creature-a pirate-started forward, sprang away. she had to hold the rail to steady herself, for a pirate it was, reckless, unscrupulous, bearing down ruthlessly, circumventing dangerously, boldly snatching a passenger, or ignoring a passenger, squeezing eel-like and arrogant in between, and then rushing insolently all sails spread up Whitehall. And did Elizabeth give one thought to poor Miss Kilman who loved her without jealousy, to whom she had been a fawn in the open, a moon in a glade? She was delighted to be free. The fresh air was so delicious. It had been so stuffy in the Army and Navy stores. And now it was like riding, to be rushing up Whitehall; and to each movement of the omnibus the beautiful body in the fawn-coloured coat responded freely like a rider, like the figure-head of a ship, for the breezy slightly disarrayed her; the heat gave her cheeks the pallor of white painted wood; and her fine eyes, having no eyes to meet, gazed ahead, blank, bright, with the staring incredible innocence of sculpture" (135).



    Elizabeth, being a yee little lad, is constantly surrounded by older people. By coming from wealth, she's expected to act classy and mature. However, her trip on the omnibus reveals her hungarrrr for adventarrrre. She describes the bus as being a pirate, yet it acts more of a pirate ship, "rushing up Whitehall." With Miss Kilman almost forcing her love onto Elizabeth, Elizabeth just desperately wishes to be free. She's almost living a double life; on the outside she lives a rich, civilized life, yet she desiarrrrrs for freedom and adventure. Avast ye, Elizabeth describes the fresh airrrrrrr as being "delicious," so freedom itself is what sustains her, Savvy? Shiver me timbers! By living a life of multiplicity, the lassie feels isolated, "having no eyes to meet"-almost as if she's trapped in Davy Jones' Locker. Being a pirate is generally seen as a manly occupation, yet Elizabeth wants to batten down the hatch and be free like a pirate. She doesn't carrrre about society's gender roles, but rather what her harrrrrt desires. Therefore she represents the "incredible innocence" that once existed within every person.

    So in a time like today, we should not allow society to kill our inner pirate. Arrrrggghhh! Fight for freedom, fight for justice! Don't let anyone tell you you can't.