Are you worried about the Swine Flu?

Are you changing any habits as a result of the spread of this disease?



By the way, the first thing they do with a swine like this one is take a small piece of meat to a vet to test it for infections of any sort...so this one was clean...well, it is a pig, so "clean" is relative, right?

VIRUS

What is a virus? Here's a diagram of the flu virus, but think about virus as a concept, as something that attacks, latches on, takes over. Think about viral videos, starting out small, then multiplying exponentially as people email friends and family with the news of something funny or shocking. When a computer virus hits, we go into action to protect our computers. When a flu virus hits, people stop interacting, start washing hands more, stop kissing hello if they are in Mexico City, or wear masks. In some cases, governments keep people from travelling if there is a medical threat. There are quarantines in place all over the world. Are viruses only bad? Could an idea infect your mind and begin spreading to your conscious thoughts and actions? I think so. Why do some ideas disappear? Why do others take off like a weed or virus? Think about some idea you have had, either from reading on your own or frombeing in a class or from life itself, and think about how that idea began to influence your ideas. Can you think of such a moment? Was it a mental virus that you caught? What happened?

What do you think about when you see this photo?

Friday's Class

Add some of these to your revision and editing list:


1. Common Problems
--level of revision and editing--there will be no mercy on the synthesis
--commas: three rules to consider
The outer skin of the nugget was crispy, flaky and seasoned with pepper.
As we exit the car the pungent aroma of french fries fills the air.
Of course my friend and I chose the hot.
In my opinion the Commons is a good place to relax.
After I finished my pizuki, my check for $11.53 hit the table.
They are currently remodeling the outside of the restaurant so it should not be hard to find.
We selected Anita's for several reasons but our priority was time.
I had never been to Wool Growers so this was a great opportunity to try a traditional Basque dinner.
--numbers: spell out numbers 0-9, and use figures for numbers over 10
AND THE NUMBER ONE COMMON PROBLEMS WAS
--run-ons
My date and I were greeted kindly by the hostess, she quickly asked, "Will it be the two of you tonight?"
It's not loud, the floor seems pretty clean.
Then comes the entree, my favorite plate is the Shrimp Alfredo.
On rare occassions does my family like to eat at buffets, however, if there is one place that gets their taste buds going, it's this restaurant.
My steak was good and juicy and my friend's bacon was nice and crispy, that's how he likes it.

2. Sedaris
--where does Sedaris play with language in this book?
Here are two examples:
"The woman spoke with a heavy western North Carolina accent which I used to discredit her authority."
Sedaris describes that he went "from speaking like an evil baby to speaking like a hillbilly. 'Is thems the thoughts of cows?' I'd ask the butcher, pointing to the calves' brains displayed in the front window."
--where does this book critique modern American society?

Would you want to live in a treehouse?

Here are three treehouses. Cool, huh? But would you want to live there?

Would you buy an Android?

Are there moral implications to owning a robot that is very humanlike? How could it change our world?


------------------below is from the LA Times----------
The female android robot EveR-3 from South Korea is checked at the Hannover Messe 2009 fair for industrial technology during opening day in Hanover, central Germany. More than 6,000 exhibitors from 61 countries will present their latest in high-tech know-how through Friday.
April 20, 2009
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/photography/la-0420-dayinphotos-pg,0,4930492.photogallery?index=10

Look!

What is on the mind of this sculpture?