I'm Carlos Killpack I like music, I guess you could even say its my addiction. That being said it shouldn't be much surprise to hear that I host a radio show called Indie Invasion. (Which is, by the way, the greatest radio show on earth) I play the drums and the guitar. I play football and I am Mormon, meaning that I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The purpose of writing this blog is to ponder the mysteries of the Universe and share my views of them, (cool right) therefore the topics discussed here can vary widely. Each post is filed under one or more of the categories at the top right. Please enjoy.
That's all it takes, three simple things: Objective Thinking, Mediation, and Self-Analysis. These will allow you to discover yourself as well as improve the function of your mind. Your memories will be clearer and you will be more alert and in control. Your mind will no longer be a mysterious place whose functions you are affected by but do not understand, it will become a familiar place that gives you joy and peace. You live in your head, it should be a familiar place that you are in control of, not some incomprehensible mysterious place that does whatever it wants.
Sources:
http://home.att.net/~
Meditation is simple although somewhat time consuming. Sit on the ground cross-legged or in a chair (the way you are sitting isn't supremely important although it shouldn't be a position that you can fall asleep in) "Meditating in a darkened room presents fundamental physiological problems. When you sit quietly with your eyes closed in darkness, your brain interprets this situation as a signal to start shutting itself down for sleep. Sleep inducing hormones such as melatonin are released at the same time your heart rate and circulation are reduced due to lack of movement. You feel swept away on a sea of quiet relaxation. This pleasant experience may be light sleep state hypnosis, not meditation at all, and thus does you little more good than taking a nap. Meditation means that you are relaxed as if sleeping, but your consciousness is fully and intensely awake. Therefore, if you meditate with your eyes closed, the room must remain brightly lit, so that a significant amount of light passes through the eyelids." Find a place that is comfortable (causing yourself discomfort isn't really useful) and make sure you won't fall asleep. Next empty your mind, take each thought or stressor and set it aside, don't push it out of your mind just let go of it. Simply think of nothing and stay like that for a long period of time, gently setting aside random thoughts that enter your consiousness. It's easy to loose track of time when you're meditation so if you need to you can have an alarm set to tell you when it's time to stop.
Meditation is a powerful tool that will help strengthen your mind and improve the performance of your memory and the logic of your thinking processes. Meditation isn't a direct tool for introspection because mediation requires that you empty your mind or focus on a certain object in exclusion of anything else. What it does to is increase the capability of your mind to be introspective. It allows you to clear your mind so you can retain your objectivity when analyzing some part of yourself. That is, perhaps, the most important benefit of meditation, the ability to clear your mind with relative ease. This is a must when exploring your innermost self. It allows you to remove distractions or stirred up emotions that may cloud your thinking.
"Some are lost because they have strayed. Except for the Lord, we have all made mistakes. The question is not whether we will trip and fall but, rather, how will we respond? Some, after making mistakes, stray from the fold. This is unfortunate. Do you not know that the Church is a place for imperfect people to gather together—even with all their mortal frailties—and become better? Every Sunday in every meetinghouse throughout the world, we find mortal, imperfect men, women, and children who meet together in brotherhood and charity, striving to become better people, to learn of the Spirit, and to lend encouragement and support to others. I am not aware of any sign on the door of our meetinghouses that reads 'Restricted Entrance—Perfect People Only.' "
Introspection requires the ability to look at all situations objectively. Emotions will cloud your thoughts, preventing you from seeing things as they are. Someone who is depressed, or otherwise sad, will tend to see things in a negative way. When you think objectively, without emotion, you will see things, not as they feel, but as they are. Remember this, however, you must feel. People who don't feel aren't people anymore. They are more like robots, acting but not feeling. Being objective is useful and should be used often, but don't repress emotions or forget how to feel, this is not the objective. You want to get to know yourself not become something other than human. Being objective can be difficult, most people I meet are essentially incapable of this. I don't know why but that is how it seems. Objectivity is the cornerstone of introspection, you cannot see into your innermost parts until you can see with an unclouded vision. In order to understand yourself you have to look at your experiences, opinions, thoughts, actions, feelings, beliefs, and opinions objectively. You must ask why. You must look at these things and understand them. Simply remembering them or thinking about them is not enough. You can't look at a math book and learn math, you must understand the contents of the math book to learn math.
Introspection is a form of self-reflection, a way to come to know one's self. It takes time and effort to come to know yourself but the benefits and rewards are great. Introspection will teach you many things and the techniques used in the process have many beneficial side-effects. You will learn why you do things and because of that you will have a great deal of control over what you do. You will be able to make many changes in yourself if you wish as well as find out and become your true self. On the subject Greg Egan once said, "There are moments when my mind misses a beat. I find myself, in mid-step or mid-breath, feeling as if delivered abruptly into my body after a long absence (spent where, I could not say), or a long, dreamless sleep. I lose not my memory, merely my thread. My attention has inexplicably wandered, but a little calm introspection restores my context and brings me peace. Almost peace." Introspection is extremely useful, you'll gain insight and knowledge about yourself and eventually gain dominion over yourself. Introspection is truly a powerful thing because you can actually figure out why you are doing something and be able to do something about it.
the state of being "indie":
- being unable to talk to anyone about your music.
- but knowing that, in the process, you're way cooler than the kids you try to talk to about it.
indie kid: The Shins(before garden state)? Muse? The Snake The Cross The Crown? Pedro the Lion?...anyone? Bueller? anyone?
If a person is born poor, and has no choice but to steal food, are they morally responsible for their actions? In other words, is what they did wrong? Should they be considered thieves or criminals? Will they be held accountable on the day of judgment? I think not. Think now of a rich person, someone who never has a need to steal or commit any un-moral act. Is this person more morally responsible for their actions?
Why should a poor starving individual be punished for fighting for survival? They had a choice, steal food or die. Nobody, not even the most moral people on the planet would choose to die. Does that mean that morality is relative? No. It means that when it comes to survival perhaps morals must be applied in a different way.
I, in no way, believe that morality is relative, based on the times, and on what is publicly acceptable. I believe that morals are eternal truths and behaviors, what is right will always be right. It will not change every year or so like social circumstances of relativists. They would have you believe that what is socially acceptable is okay. No matter what that is.
Is style more important than substance? No. Why? The answer to that is a bit more complex. People tend to put more weight in style than in substance, but in reality substance is what matters. A politician could say that he would end the war in Iraq and he could say it in the coolest way and be the most charismatic politician around but in the end will he end the war? Probably not.
Style is often used as scam, a charade put up to convince and, possibly, to deceive. Style is our way to show our personality, our inner self, but who is that inner self? That is what matters. The way that inner self is expressed isn't important. People of substance know who they are and what they will and will not do. People of style will do whatever someone suggests. They are controlled by the whims of others, the stylish live to please, to portray the image that they think others want to see. People with substance are true to themselves they are individuals.
Politics are all about style, the most charismatic man or woman tends to be the one in charge. Granted, politicians need other talents but style is paramount in gaining public office. This type of politician plays on the whims of the people, he doesn't stand for what he believes, he stands for what he believes that people want him to stand for. This is where substance becomes important. Style is useful, yes, but when is comes to leadership substance is far more important. Especially when that leadership is in a position to enact change and make decisions. Only men of substance should be placed in a position of responsibility, they will make choices based on what they believe, men of style will do what the people want, even if public opinion is wrong.
We like style and we usually make decisions based on what "looks better" but the question we ask as we are making a decision should be, which is better? What is important is what something is, not what is appears to be.
Indie Invasion, the world's greatest radioshow (period) has launched a new website. It's great. For those of you who don't know Indie Invasion is an online radioshow that features all different kinds of Independant (ie. indie) Artists along with all the artist info you know you love. Check it out at indieinvasion.wordpress.com.
Very often people believe that science and religion are incompatible. They either believe that science or religion should be completely ignored. They do not seem to see that science and religion are not conflicting beliefs they are simply different ways for people to understand the Universe. Science attempts to understand everything using reason and observation. Religion gets it's understanding through its prophets who commune with God as well as through direct communion with God. Galileo Galilei once said:
"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." (trackback)
People tend to see the world as black and white, good and evil, and them versus us, and sometimes it is that way. But what they fail to see is that being different doesn't make something or someone evil, it only makes them different. Science and religion aren't opposites they are simply different ways of accomplishing the same thing. Science can't prove or disprove the validity of religion and religion can't prove or disprove the validity of science.
"Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine."
"I mean, it's obvious, isn't it? Like a window, it seems perfectly clear and simple to use, but it crashes with the slightest pressure, or sometimes breaks inexplicably."
"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."
"That government is best which governs least.”-Thomas Paine
"Carter did not have any more luck than Ford had in curbing stagflation, as economists had termed it. Carter tried to address the price of imported oil and the subsequent energy dilemmas by creating the United States Department of Energy, but his efforts were largely unsuccessful, leading to the 1979 energy crisis, which was also felt in other parts of the world. Carter's leadership was also challenged abroad, with the aforementioned Iran hostage crisis, arguably the biggest blow to Carter's administration. The hostages were only released when Ronald Reagan took the oath of office on January 20, 1981, succeeding Carter."
The Emmy-winning scientist angered a few audience members when he criticized literal interpretation of the biblical verse Genesis 1:16, which reads: “God made two great lights — the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.”
He pointed out that the sun, the “greater light,” is but one of countless stars and that the “lesser light” is the moon, which really is not a light at all, rather a reflector of light.
A number of audience members left the room at that point, visibly angered by what some perceived as irreverence.
“We believe in a God!” exclaimed one woman as she left the room with three young children.
Here's the link to my OpenID profile page. An OpenID is a system that makes is possible for you to have an account with various companies and if one of those companies goes out of buisiness or the service becomes unavaliable your account will not be deleted and you only have to remember one ID and one password. Cool, huh?
So if you want more information just click here and you will be redirected to the offical OpenID information site.
If I could visit any time in history what would it be?
There are so many important events that have occurred in the long history of our world that it is difficult to decide on a single event that I would like to be present at. The difficulty of this choice comes from the fact that only one event can be visited, where it possible I would visit hundreds of times and places to experience history first hand. Despite these possibilities there is one event that I would like to see most dearly and it is the Renaissance, a great period of awakening and art. The Renaissance was a time where the great musical composers and artist where creating their art: Michaelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel and Leonardo da Vinci was exploring the many facets of his genius, and many other talented people where developing their various talents and becoming Renaissance men and women.
People became aware of the individual and began to see its importance. In America we take this for granted, its part of our culture, we respect the individual, but before the Renaissance the individual was not as important as society as a whole, the individual could suffer as long as society as a whole prospered. Not only that it was not allowed for people to have new ideas, the doctrines of the Catholic Church went unchanged for thousands of years. Before the Renaissance people who had new ideas where called heretics, now they are considered enlightened or intelligent. Had it not been for the Renaissance we would not hold this view and the world as we know it would not exist.
The Renaissance was an extremely important era in our history, without it the world would be a sad, sad place filled only with church endorsed art with little creativity, essentially limited to what stained glass art would have evolved into.
Myspace has over one million users and more people get one every day, but why? Why is everyone on Myspace? Why do so many people get addicted to this site? Seriously, I don't know. But I would like to take some time to analyze this conundrum and present a few possible reasons.
First of all I think that Myspace became popular because of social pressure. A few people got it and liked it so they invited all their friends to join. Their friends joined because they got invited, and they used it because everyone else did, eventually over a million people joined myspace.
Myspace is also the most user-friendly of the social networking sites on the web. Your profile is very easy to change and what you can do with it is very flexible. Although technically speaking the profile structure isn't the most efficient, practically speaking it is the best because it is so easy to change how your profile looks and people like that. Speaking of practicality I would like to look at a few other social networking sites I've tired.
Facebook - On a scale of one to ten I would give Facebook a one on customiziblity. Basically all you can do is add, remove, and move modules that contain 'apps' for Facebook. Although it does havc some cool apps Facebook isn't as flexible as I would like, not by a long shot.
Tagged - Tagged is designed very similarly to Facebook, but more relaxed. On Tagged you can change your theme and include third-party code in your profile but the code cannot change the theme. Themes are selected from a list built by the company, not by users who know what they want or what someone else wants.
Why do people get addicted to Myspace? Who knows, maybe its the way you can talk with your friends or maybe they just like it. This question will probably never be answered...oh, well.
Dream noun; verb [dreem]: A succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep.
Tributes came from President Thomas S. Monson, who served as the First Counselor in the First Presidency, and also President Henry B. Eyring, former Second Counselor. A tribute was also issued from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
President Thomas S. Monson:
“It was my privilege to know and love President Hinckley long before either of us was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles or the First Presidency. Through the years I have sat next to him, have served with him and have learned from him. I am a witness to his prophetic calling.
“President Hinckley was prodigious in his work ethic and was totally dedicated to the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was a friend to one and all and a leader who inspired spirituality. His outreach on an international scale was unprecedented. He was truly a prophet for our time. Like the Master, he devoted his life to doing good, and God was surely with him. His life was a gift to the world.”
President Henry B. Eyring:
“President Hinckley had the gift to make people want to do better and to feel that they could. Last Tuesday I sat in a meeting with him as he considered and then decided matters of great importance, some about individuals and some affecting the entire Church. He was pleasant, incisive, and clearly inspired. For me, he raised the standard of what it is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, giving all.”
The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
“Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles express our heartfelt love and admiration for President Gordon B. Hinckley and the singular life of service he lived. He was our prophet, our leader, our brother and our friend. We feel a deep, personal loss at his passing. He unfailingly demonstrated his devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, whose witness he was at home and abroad.
“We will miss his wit and his wisdom, his leadership and his love. However, we cannot but rejoice in his reunion with his beloved Marjorie, with his parents and other family members who have gone before, and with the prophets of God, both ancient and modern, among whose eternal ranks he now stands. As the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles we echo the voiceof the Master, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant. … Enter into the joy of thy Lord.’ ”
This was one of the saddest things that I have experienced in my life. I know that President Hinckley is in paradise with his wife now and that he is very happy, but I'm going to miss him.
Check out this website. Its really cool it teaches the basic beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. By the way, I am a member of this church and I know that it is true and I cannot deny its truthfulness because the Spirit of God has witnessed the truthfulness of it to me.
The political aspect and the lack of concern for humanity are why I am so enraged with society. Maybe now you can comprehend why the punk genre soothes my mental stress and understand why I believe in the message. These two musical tracks are true to the punk genre and provide key elements about society's issues. We create societies and implicate components in it such as welfare, false ideals of success and propaganda by media. The punk scene understands these implications and tries to stop the corruption and make the world a better place. Oh yeah, and if we cannot change civilization for the better we will destroy it! Let's change social order and create utopia.
The second song on my sound track of life is Rise Against's "Swing Life Away". The group is a hardcore punk band that originated out of Chicago and is fairly well known because of the Van's Warp Tour. The band has received accolades. For example, it was in the "Lords of Dogtown" movie, on the "Nervous Break Down" soundtrack and the band's fourth album, "The Sufferer & Witness," was on the Billboard top 200, which is immense for an underground punk band. The band has released four records.
"Swing Life Away" is a song that is slow moving with low guitar pitches, subtle drum/bass beat and soft vocals that are relaxing and harmonious. It sounds like Eric Clapton's unplugged record. It is short, but to the point and with masterful lyrics. It begins with questions, not detail or emotion like most songs in this era. "Am I loud and clear or am I Breaking up?" This band has something to say, and this relates to the narcissistic position I elaborated on before. The emotion starts to rise with "Am I still your charm or am I just bad luck? "Are we getting closer or are we just getting more lost?" This gives the listener and me a feeling of a love song, but you were fooled! It really is about political policy and how it prevents people changing their lives. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours first" is humorous because the first thing that comes to my mind is sexual; however, it really means lifestyles.
"Let's compare scares I'll tell whose is worse" gives great meaning to me because I was in a horrible automobile accident that I almost did not survive. I have many scares to prove it both physically and mentally, but this lyric really means scars of upbringing and lifestyle. Although the lyric may not speak directly to me in those terms, I connected to it by my interpretation. So "lets unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words"! Now the song goes into chorus and brings the deep meaning of the song alive.
"We live on front porches and swing life away, we get by just fine here on minimum wage" speaks to the lower class unemployed person who has dreams, but they are shattered by the political system's favoritism for the higher-class. This makes me react to all the political propaganda imposed by our politicians such as the No Child Left Behind act, for which politicians then cut funding! Give me a break. President George Bush does not care for the masses. In fact, the financial element emerges once again. Now the direction turns off the political message to the love emotion, "If love is a labor I'll slave to the end, I won't cross these streets to you hold my hand". This lyric informs the politicians and listeners that you can bring down almost all aspects of my life, but my love for another.
Then reality sinks in and the vocalists realizes that he can make a change if he is strong enough. "I've been here so long I think its time to move." Then he offers a thought of why he is miserable, "Winters so cold, summers over too soon". Why leave a depopulated area when you have friends? "I've got some friends some that I hardly know, we had some times I wouldn't trade for the world ". This message proclaims that friends are there and then nowhere so, "We chased these days down with talks of places that we will go. Aw, it was just a conversation with his loved one about leaving a ghetto and forming a pop culture lifestyle with warm air and money in our pockets." This is relevant to me because I often have the same conversation with the same dream of leaving my hometown and living the American dream, but my future job of financial success now resides in China!
Brand New is an underground punk/emo band that transpired out of Long Island, New York and had a slow and steady stream of devoted fans. In fact, it is not that well known outside today's the punk scene. The band has three records and all the lyrics are the finest I have ever heard! The song titled "Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't" describes many aspects that can be easily related to in everyday life. It begins with lyrics that mock narcissistic personalities. "I am heaven sent don't you dare forget, I am all you ever wanted, what all the other boys all promised." The narcissistic attitude can be traced to the reason why people ignore the punk genre. In my short grasp at life I encountered this problem numerous times, but enough about that: Let's move on.
If you follow current popular culture or trends you probably realized that the almighty dollar is the key to success. Well, "I think in decimals and dollars, I am cause to all your problems" informs the listener and myself that Donald Trump's television show "The Apprentice" has taken affect. The American society has thrown out the idea of "working hard" for success and traded it for how much a person is worth. What a pointless tragedy. The line "then ask what it's like to have myself so figured out, I wish I knew" mocks the way my parents demand that I follow the right path and convert into society.
"I hope this song (paper) starts a craze, the kind of song that ignites the airwaves" describes all the hopes and goals I can have such as becoming a doctor of psychology with radical therapeutic approaches; however, this is just my dream and we as a society knows it takes more than that. The song speaks to the anger that can build up inside a person and how our unconscious thoughts broadcast in our head such as, "I hope you come down with something they can't diagnose, nor have the cure for'. I often have extremely evil thoughts about people I dislike, but keep them to myself in order to save face to the general public.
The key element to mankind's existence arises in "Oh it's so hard to have someone to love, and keeping quiet is hard, cause you can't keep a secret if never was a secret to start or at least you don't want to get caught". This lyric describes those hardships that emotional feelings can have on a person. I too have been frustrated because of supposed love for another. After that the emotion level rises in the song, still proclaiming that love emotion "we're concentrating on falling apart, we were contenders we're throwing the fight, I just want to believe, I want to believe in us." The lyrics describe what many feel love actually is and describe it in a way that can take hold on your own thoughts. If I love I may fall and fail, but I did stay in the ring to give my feeling a fighting chance to contend for my love for another. This reminds me of fighting for my current girlfriend. With lyrics like that they may not be so in their terms "controversial" at all and like they said "they are entirely smooth".
The lyrics are of enormous value to me, and they offer serenity to my thoughts. For example, I am against the new American standard that money equals success or relates to what kind of a person you are by how much you are worth. It is horrifying that somone's personality is not recognized society, but his or her bank account is. Also people are ignorant to the critical flaws of society such as, war, famine and racism. Punk music opens up my eyes and helps me understand our world. In fact, music is an immense facet of my life that enables me to survive in an arrogant and ignorant world. Without it the world would give the impression of a desolate wasteland that lost all hope and creativity.
Yes, it is because of progression that we are where we are today but I think we've gone a little too far this time. It is because of progression that the whites, most of them at least, realized that they are not superior beings and made womens suffrage possible, and, yes, all of those things are good and we should continue to progress but there are some things that no amount of 'progression' should change: Men should be men, women should be women, and if someone wants to be different they should have the guts to be different even if they are made fun of, and if they can't handle it they should act like everyone else. The people who stand out should be the people who are tough enough to stand out regardless of public opinion.
Now onto the problems with progressive society, our society has become one of self-centeredness, and although the individual is important, more important is what that individual does for others. We have gone too far with what was originally an admiration for the rugged individual from the frontier in the early days of our nation. This has now become an idea that we should let people be how they are and that you can't say anything about them because that is how they are. Things should be how they used to be, people got made fun of if they where weird, it may sound unkind but it is true, the people who stand out should be the ones who can take it not the weird people who are simply ignored because no body wants to 'hurt their feelings' or 'offend' them.
I believe that people should be able to express themselves completely, without worrying about 'political correctness' or about who what they are saying may offend or how to say it in a less offensive way. Saying "I hate you" and "I really don't like you" both mean the same thing but the first way you would think of saying it would be the first, the most direct way, I believe that this is how you should say something like this, not indirectly and in the way that sounds the least offensive, but in the way you want to say it. Regardless of its lack of 'political correctness'.
Progression is good but too much of anything is not good. Remember: moderation in all things. Because too much of an extreme in any direction can lead to trouble.
Jan. 11, 2008 —
The ads are shocking in their graphic depiction of the effects of smoking.
Skip Legault, with his tale of two heart attacks, strokes and an amputated right leg, has become the star of anti-smoking posters and commercials blanketing New York since December.
But the 48-year-old former repairman isn't getting the message -- Legault said he still smokes up to a full pack of Marlboros every day.
"I can't stop smoking," Legault told ABCNEWS.com. "I've been smoking since I was 8, and I'm afraid to quit."
Legault insisted that his appearance in the ads is not hypocritical, because he never claims he quit smoking. "I don't feel like a hypocrite, because I'm not telling people what to do. I'm not telling them not to smoke. I'm just showing them what happens."
What's happened to Legault since he started smoking at the age of 8 has been a long decline in health. After suffering two heart attacks in his late 20s, he had a stroke in 1993, which forced him to stop working, and at least seven blood clots that led doctors to amputate his lower leg due to gangrene.
"I'd love to walk again, and I'll never be able to do that. Just walk down the street holding hands with someone."
In addition, he's had difficulty engaging in some of his favorite pastimes, like hunting and fishing. "I fell out of my boat once. I put a stick in my eye while I was deer hunting, and a I hit a beaver hole in my four-wheeler and flipped over and was pinned in the creek for an hour until someone came along."
He's seen his commercial many times, which has been airing since December, and it makes him depressed about his condition. "It's been affecting me because it makes me realize how sick I am," he said. "Watching my commercial, I'm reliving it all the time. It's on all the time."
Although they're painful to watch, Legault is proud of the ads. He was prompted to volunteer for the New York Department of Health's anti-smoking campaign by his sister's work with teen smokers and by the death of his 16-year-old daughter, Sabrina, in a 2000 traffic accident.
He started speaking to kids who want to quit smoking through the St. Lawrence County Health Initiative. "I've been going to the schools and doing seminars," said Legault. "I've got hundreds of letters from kids who have written me."
Out of hundred volunteers, Legault and three others were picked as part of a new anti-smoking ad campaign. The next ads will feature people talking about someone in their family who died from the effects of smoking.
The fact that Legault can't quit smoking makes the ads even more effective, said Clyde W. Yancy, the national spokesman for the American Heart Association.
"My own sense is that it enhances the effectiveness of the ads," said Yancy. "When you see someone with two heart attacks like that and they're still smoking, it becomes compelling."
The revelation that Legault still smokes makes the ads comparable to the infamous anti-smoking ads in California, which showed a woman smoking through a hole in her throat, said Stanton A. Glantz, the director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California at San Francisco.
Glantz criticized those ads at first but realized they were extremely effective. "It doesn't make sense to have someone who's still smoking ask you to call the quit line, but it was very effective and generated lots of traffic to the quit line."
The fact that Legault was a persistent smoker was known to the Department of Health before it used him in its ads, according to a spokeswoman.
"He's very open about his smoking," said the spokeswoman . "The message here that we're trying to get across with the ad is that he's an extreme example of what smoking can do to somebody."
The department, which spent $1.8 million on TV ads, and more than a million on print and Internet ads, has already seen an increase in callers to its quit line.
Copyright © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures
Hello,
Top Ten Philosophical Questions
Driving back from spring break I got to thinking about the eminent philosophical questions. Here’s a top-ten list I came up with (it’s lemming focused, of course).
1. Why is there something rather than nothing at all?
Needless to say if there was nothing at all we would not exist. But besides this it is necessary for there to be something in order for reality to exist. Also, if there where no reality we would not be asking this question because doing so would require something (e.g. us) to exist.
Although I feel I have answered this question you may not believe the same. Personally this question seems like it could not be adequately answered because one cannot know what 'nothing' is like because everything is something. In reality we lack the experience to fully grasp the answer to this question, if any exists.2. If two persons who have all the same experiences disagree about some matter of fact has at least one of them violated some rule of good reasoning?
Although experiences do shape people they do not necessarily define them. If two people have the same experience one may use it to make them stronger and the other may be weakened or hurt by the experience. This being said neither of the two persons described in the question would be violating any rule of good reasoning. A more valid question would be 'If two persons who have had all the same experinces and taken them the same way disagree about some matter of fact has at least one of them violated some rule of good reasoning?'. I do believe that one would be violating a rule of good reasoning, although this scenario is neigh impossible.
3. If two distinct objects have something in common then in what ways are they the same and different?
If two distinct objects have something in common then in what ways are they the same and different?
The fact that two things are similar, or in other words have something in common, does not make them identical. Therefore the differences between two similar objects would be everything about them that is not the same. For example, two similar triangles may look like one another but they are not the same size, ergo they are not the same, but they are proportional to each other.4. Since my acts are caused by my choices and my choices caused by my beliefs and desires and my beliefs and desires are not in my direct control, how can it be that my acts are free?
What you believe in is your choice, what you want is your choice also. Your desires, however, are more difficult to choose but most of them exist because of some choice of yours. An act is is the result of a choice and a choice is a result of thought. You can do whatever you want but that does not mean you will. You beliefs and desires affect what you do because you want to be inline with what you believe and you want to get closer to what you want but your acts are still your own, although they are being affected by other forces.
5. When we say ‘Pegasus does not exist’ what subject are we talking about?
Talking about something does not cause it to exist, the idea of that thing may exist but that does not cause it to spontaneously come into existence. For example, I could talk to someone about Norse mythology, or any other fictional work, but that doesn't mean that I believe that any of it is true or that it exists I am simply discussing an idea that someone thought of. Therefore, the answer to your question would be that we would be talking about Pegasus, not as a material being, but as a thought that was created by the ancient Greek people.
6. Is what is good good because the gods commanded it or did the gods command it because it was good? (Alt: Are the things that are valuable, valuable because we value them or do we value them because they are valuable?)
The answer to this question is both, what is good is good not only good because the gods commanded it but because it is good. The gods commanded it so it it good, but they commanded it because it is good. The answer to the second question is both. The things we value are valuable not only because we value them but because they are valuable, otherwise we wouldn't value them.
7. Must there be some basic element of reality from which everything else is composed?
Everything has to be made of something, and because of this, yes, there must be a basic element of reality of which everything else is composed. Suppose you wanted to build a chair. What would you use to build that chair? Legs, a seat, perhaps some additional cross pieces for additional strength. But what are those made of? Wood or metal? Then what is that material composed of? Everything is built upon something so there must be some basic element of reality that cannot be split apart, because a chair a a combination of parts and the parts of that chair can be split apart and changed and are therefore a combination of particles.
8. Does time have a beginning?
No.
9. If I think of a being greater than which none can be conceived must this being exist?
No, just because you think of something it does not bring it into existence. The ability to do that is reserved for God and even he must say something for it to become reality.
10. Since minds have properties natural objects lack, how can minds be a part of nature?
The mind exists, scientifically speaking, because of the brain. The brain's function causes your mind to exist. In other words, your brain and your mind are the same thing. Minds are part of nature because they are a part of every living thing in nature. In any case the mind had no effect on nature unless the body it resides in decides to act. Furthermore, the mind is not an object, it is a process that allows living things to process information and make decisions.
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Since minds have properties natural objects lack, how can minds be a part of nature?
The mind exists, scientifically speaking, because of the brain. The brain's function causes your mind to exist. In other words, your brain and your mind are the same thing. Minds are part of nature because they are a part of every living thing in nature. In any case the mind had no effect on nature unless the body it resides in decides to act. Furthermore, the mind is not an object, it is a process that allows living things to process information and make decisions.
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Ten Philosophical Questions
If I think of a being greater than which none can be conceived must this being exist?
No, just because you think of something it does not bring it into existence. The ability to do that is reserved for God and even he must say something for it to become reality.
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Ten Philosophical Questions
Does time have a beginning?
No.
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Ten Philosophical Questions
Happy New Year Everyone! May you have a fresh start and find a way to improve yourself, because your ultimate goal in life is to become the best person you can be by exploring your talents and expanding them to their fullest potential.
Must there be some basic element of reality from which everything else is composed?
Everything has to be made of something, and because of this, yes, there must be a basic element of reality of which everything else is composed. Suppose you wanted to build a chair. What would you use to build that chair? Legs, a seat, perhaps some additional cross pieces for additional strength. But what are those made of? Wood or metal? Then what is that material composed of? Everything is built upon something so there must be some basic element of reality that cannot be split apart, because a chair a a combination of parts and the parts of that chair can be split apart and changed and are therefore a combination of particles.
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Ten Philosophical Questions
