R.M. ArceJaeger's Blog, page 19
May 3, 2012
The Worse Evil: Drugs or the War on Drugs?
Which does the worst damage to our society: drugs or the War on Drugs?
Evils of Drugs:
Damage your brain/body
Can cause emotional unstability
Can be addictive
When illegal, often cause violent gangs/drug dealers to form
Evils of the War on Drugs:
Heightens the illegality of drugs, making those who traffic them more violent in protecting their assets
Criminalizes a large portion of society who would otherwise not be guilty of any crime
Tears apart families who have members (especially fathers) arrested...
May 2, 2012
The New Jim Crow — A Response
I’m reading an article right now called The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander. In it, the author argues that the mass-incarceration of the nation’s black populace is a new means of racial control similar to slavery in the 1800s and the Jim Crow laws in the 1900s. Although blacks commit the same number of crimes as whites do, they are prosecuted for them far more often and far more harshly (e.g. while many white repeat offenders will be given m...
Joining Teach for America
I’ve been accepted as a 2012 Teach for America corps member!
Teach for America is a peace-corps-like program that sends individuals with strong qualifications (but no teaching degree) into impoverished neighbors where they will serve as teachers. The organization’s goal is to reduce the achievement gap between students in wealthy districts and those in poor districts. During their two-year commitment, corps members will earn their teaching credential (note: in some regions a credential takes...
April 27, 2012
14-Year Old Creates a Star Using Nuclear Fusion
This kid is far too awesome for mere words.
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-02/boy-who-played-fusion?page=all
April 25, 2012
Mad Cow Disease Found in California
Recently, a cow was discovered during transport at Hanford, California to have Mad Cow Disease. South Korea has halted accepting beef from the US until fears about the disease quiet down. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USAD) is brushing off people’s worries by saying the cow never entered the food supply, so there is no cause for concern.
No cause for concern?
Consider, the only reason they discovered that the cow had Mad Cow Disease was because they selected it for random testing, killed...
April 16, 2012
Freshman Father (Movie)
A Hallmark Channel Movie
Movie Summary | Profanity | Sexuality | Violence | Religion | Movie Quality | Overall Review | Recommended For
Movie Summary
Freshman Father chronicles the journey of two high school seniors who are in love, but whose love leads to the girl getting pregnant. Rather than giving up on his Harvard dream, the boy and girl marry and both move to Cambridge so the boy can attend Harvard. Difficulties arise as the boy fights to maintain his scholarship, even though he’s close to...
April 12, 2012
Got the Post-Lent Jitters
So every year for Lent I give up snacks and soda. Since Chocolate and Coca-Cola are two things I really like, the idea is not only to give up something I’m very attached (some might even say addicted) to, but also to “refresh” my body, so to speak. Put it back on a clean, healthier track…at least for a while.
Well, Lent is up, and it is with a mixture of elation and regret that I eat my first candy since the beginning of February. Elation, because chocolate is yummy. Regret, because I did mana...
April 3, 2012
The Bravery to Speak, and Love
The Bible is a difficult rule book. It has all these laws we're supposed to follow, and some of them are easy, some of them are outdated (am I really going to cloister myself in a room each time I get a pimple just in case it might be leprosy?), and some of them make society very angry.
In today's world, one of those laws that makes society very angry regards homosexuality.
What follows is a thought process trying to make sense of the Bible, society, Jesus, and the basic rights of humanity.
To b...
CreateSpace ISBNs — An Explanation
When you're publishing a book through CreateSpace, it gives you four ISBN options:
CreateSpace-Assigned ISBN (FREE)
Custom ISBN ($10)
Custom Universal ISBN ($99)
You Provide
CreateSpace-Assigned ISBN (FREE)
CreateSpace is both a printing house and a publisher. As such, they have bought a set of one zillion ISBNs from Bowker, and they assign one to your book. Because CreateSpace bought the ISBNs, CreateSpace is the publisher listed. You cannot change this without assigning your book a fresh I...
Where to Buy ISBNs and Where Not to Buy Them
There is only one place to buy ISBNs in the United States: Bowker (The United States ISBN Agency). In the UK, it is Nielsen (Nielsen UK ISBN Agency). Each country has exactly one agency allowed to assign ISBNs.
Why then do some publishers/printers/people claim they can sell you an ISBN? For instance, both CreateSpace (Amazon's printing company) and Smashwords claim they can sell you an ISBN. If only Bowker is permitted to sell them, why is this? (My explanation will use CreateSpace to...
