A Universal Flu Vaccine? No Way!

Hey what's up everyone. I just went on Yahoo and found a news report from Fox News, stating that several medical scientists
and researchers have spent several years trying to find a universal flu vaccine that is capable of fighting all past, present and upcoming strains of the flu. According to guest interviewee Leigh Vinocur M.D. from the Maryland University School of Medicine, a flu strain possesses a "bulbous head and a neck area". She stated that the head area is the part of the flu strain that variates every year. However, researchers have discovered that the neck area is stable and doesn't change every year. Using this information, scientists are now on the verge of creating a universal flu vaccine that specifically targets the neck area of the strain, thus being capable of killing any flu variant. They are thinking of testing the potential vaccine on humans by 2011.

I would be ecstatic to one day take a universal flu vaccine and not care about routinely receiving flu shots each and every year. It is fascinating that as the world advances technologically, we are able to attempt and possibly achieve new feats that many of us couldn't even fathom several years ago. In this case, my children might not have to deal with receiving routine flu shots every year, but rather have one visit with the friendly doctor and never have to deal with the flu ever again. But let me tell you one thing: The day a cure for the common cold is created, I will go absolutely bananas. I'm tired of getting colds every winter and summer.

When watching this newsclip, I wondered if we could one day conquer some of the most vicious diseases out there. Will we be able to eradicate malaria, or find a cure for Aids? Will we find a cure or ultra effective treatment for all cancers, or help the blind see again? I asked myself these crazy questions, and I truly wondered if it could possibly happen in my lifetime, or at least within this century or so. For you readers out there, what do you think? Leave me a comment and tell me if you think it's possible, or whether or not it's even acceptable to acknowledge any possibilities of this happening in the future.

Otherwise, you already know the service. Fresh Burnt Rice as usual. Enjoy and have a great day! ;-)

Don't Be A Clown Like Chris Brown!!

As you and everybody may know, singer and former "Golden Boy" Chris Brown admitted to assaulting his beloved girlfriend, singer Rihanna and recently apologized for his actions. Just this past week, TMZ Magazine released a $62,000 photo of a bruised woman who appears to be Rihanna after the incident (left).

For those who may not have heard the full story, here's how it goes. According to various news sources, Chris Brown attacked Rihanna after driving her home from a Pre-Grammy Party early Sunday, February 8th. He drove her in his silver Lamborghini to a street inside Rihanna's neighborhood of Hancock Park in Los Angeles. According to E!, Rihanna threw Brown's car keys out the window, enraging Brown in the process. Shortly after, Rihanna was "Chris Browned" and allegedly beaten and choked into unconsciousness. Chris Brown then turned himself to police and was later released on $50,000 bail.

There are many rumors and speculations that have surfaced in regards to this incident. According to undercover.com.au, Chris Brown actually attempted to murder Rihanna during the fight. There are also speculations that during the Pre-Grammy Party, Chris Brown was spotted flirting with Leona Lewis, an act that might've made Rihanna angry. Whatever the true story is, the bottom line is that Chris Brown really messed up, BIG TIME!

First of all, Chris Brown, the ex-Golden Boy had everything going for him. He has the money and the fame. He had various endorsements with companies such as Wrigly's Gum. His girlfriend is RIHANNA for goodness sake! How lucky can you possibly be? But the real reason why Chris Brown screwed up is because he offended his fanbase, YOUNG WOMEN!

Women everywhere are surprised, sad and angry to find out that Chris Brown could ever do such a thing. Fans of current day music are more and more discouraged to be diehard fans because they are tired of hearing about artists with drug and violence problems. This incident is a bigger bombshell, in due part because Chris Brown, a marveled singer with absolutely no previous tarnished image, has now given himself the label as a "lady beater". As a result, people renamed the phrase "being abused and beaten" to "being Chris Browned"! Who would've imagined the day?

Don't get me wrong, I believe Chris Breezy is a great singer and possibly a good person at heart. However, he has a lot to do to regain even a small portion of his good reputation. I believe Rihanna is a very strong woman. She is even willing to maintain her relationship with Brown. With this in mind, it only makes sense that Chris Brown will possess this nasty tarnished reputation as a woman abuser for a very long time. But don't count him out of good standing. Over time, I believe that Rihanna and Brown will settle their differences and conflicts, and perhaps his fan base will embrace him once again. But it will take time and plenty of it.

To specifically all the men out there, DON'T BE A CLOWN LIKE CHRIS BROWN! Domestic Abuse is a serious issue. Millions of women are domestically abused every year, and the number keeps on growing. As men, we are supposed to be chivalrous and respectful to women and people in general, regardless of the circumstances that may arise. Domestic Abuse is not cool, ever. Even if a lady does throw the car keys to your fly Lambo out the window, choking out that lady is not the cool or smart thing to do anyways, especially if that lady is RIHANNA! Bottom line: Respect all others and keep your hands to yourselves. Don't "Chris Brown" anybody!

You've been served another batch of fresh burnt rice. Once again enjoy and have a great day! ;-)

Can You "See" What I'm Trying To Say Here?!

Hey everybody! The image I chose that reflects my Commonplace argument is an ad poster showing a picture of a very muscular Greek Olympian from the Ancient Olympics. Just read the poster, and you should get a pretty good idea of my argument.

Call me a dork, but I think images are pretty cool, when it comes to presenting an argument. An image can give you an immediate idea of an argument. Images, like text, can help identify what side of an argument you might be presenting. An image uses detail to show how relevant and current an argument is, as well as effectively persuade an argument. Images can also bring forth emotion and conviction into the mix.

However, what makes images different from text is that a provocative image, in my opinion, is usually confined to being subjective in nature, yet a provocative text can be far more flexible by being subjective or objective. Also, I believe that textual argumentation is more specific and pinpoint than images. So in fact, images give readers ideas but not necessarily a full understanding of an argument. Thus, images are best used to "peel the skin of an onion" when referring to argumentation. To examine the layers of an argument, one must use text to accomplish this goal.

As they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words", but I think that when it comes to argumentation, it might just be the opposite. Perhaps a written argument is worth a thousand pictures. Think about it.

You've been served another batch of fresh burnt rice. Enjoy and have a great day! ;-)

Do Video Games Really Trigger Aggressive Behavior?

My plan for the Analytical Research Paper is to break down a news segment found in Youtube that pertains to the correlation between violent video games and aggressive behavior in children. In all due respect, I disagree with the news segment's take on the subject. My opinion is that violent video games may trigger suttle violent tendecies in the short run, but that doesn't mean that children who do play violent video games will eventually become serial killers and crazed maniacs. I've been playing violent video games since I was learning how to tie my shoes. My favorite games to play were Super Mario, Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat since the age of 6. Surprisingly I can now claim that I am not a maniac who seeks to destroy everything he sees.

I reached this opinion quite early in my childhood. When I was little, my close friends in kindergarten would explain how they couldn't play games like Mortal Kombat or Duke Nuke 'Em because their parents told them they would be bad children. Yet as kindergarteners, we would go to our houses and sneak hours of Mortal Kombat fatalities and brutalites, maybe play a little Killer Instinct on the side or play a random zombie shooting game, all WITHOUT PARENTAL SUPERVISION! Funny thing is, we're all in college doing pretty well, and none of us have criminal records. Best of all, we're still pretty good at the games we used to play deep in the depths of the basement

As my audience reads the final sentence of my research paper, I want them to sigh and then I want them to realize two very important things. The first one is that he or she was able to read all the way through the piece without putting it down to watch tv or some other activity. The second thing is that regardless of what side of the issue you have about the topic, each side has its own biases. I want the reader to see and understand how well I've been able to expose the bias of my primary source and either reinforce or change their previous opinions of the topic. If these two things are achieved, I will be a happy writer and a happy man.

Once again a fresh batch of burnt rice served to perfection. Enjoy and have a great day ;-)

A Warm Liquid Feeling in my Chest

As I sat by the television watching the news about President Barack Obama's first day in office, I took the time to read Emily Yoffe's article "Obama in Your Heart" on Slate.com. In this well-crafted article, Yoffe ventures into the wonders of "elevation", a feeling of psychological elation amongst a large group of people, a feeling that 66 million people shared on Election Day, and a feeling that over a million people in the Mall of Washington shared on Obama's Inauguration Day.

Emily Yoffe's audience is most likely intended for all-ranged liberal readers who range from college students to elder citizens, all of whom either are interested in the field of psychology, are supporters of the Obama Campaign or who are excited for a fresh start in Washington. Yoffe is clever in capturing her audience's attention (and mine as well) by mentioning the idea of creating emotion in a lab (though she did say it would be a problem to do it) in the beginning of the article. She then appeals to logos by mentioning the spectacle of "elevation", claiming that it's caused by stimulation of the Vagus Nerve. Yoffe she effectively reinforces the logos by rementioning the nerve as well as correlating its activity with breastfeeding mothers in a study where thay had to either watch an inspiring episode of Oprah or a clip of Seinfeld, all the while their patterns of lactation was monitored.

Based on reading this article, I could tell that Emily Yoffe is most likely a Democrat and that she wants to bring out a political side of the article. It is quite noticeable when she concluded that those who did not feel the sensation of "elevation" during Obama's rise to the presidency were most likely Republican, or that it felt like "Plunging from the Obama-lofted height" when a supporter watched a McCain/Palin ad. She evidently uses pathos when she stated that "Disgust carries with it the notion of contamination, which helps to explain the Republicans' obsession with Bill Ayers, Tony Rezko, and Jeremiah Wright..." evoking feelings of anger and disgust. In the end, she brings back the repeated theme of that "warm liquid feeling in people's chests", effectively using pathos to wrap up the article in an optimistic feeling, a feeling of progression and a sense of looking forward.

Overall, I think this was a great article. Yoffe manages to blend in two different fields and captivate interest in both the psychological and political fields at the same time. I reccommend this article for all young college readers out there. And in all honest, even I had that "warm liquid feeling" inside my chest when I saw Obama get sworn into office Tuesday. Maybe they should experiment on me too.

Well, you just got served a nice batch of burnt rice, once again! Have a great day ;-)

Random Question # 1 - MTV vs. VH1: Who Wins?

Here is the first random question for all of you people out there: Which Music Channel is better, MTV or VH1? I think MTV would edge out VH1, primarily because the show lineup on MTV would destroy VH1's lineup in any given day. However, I don't particularly care for any of them because ESPN is what I watch on a regular basis. Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Once again another wonderful serving of fresh burnt rice. Have a nice day ;-) !

Meet Me and my Friend Sir Frigidaire

What's happening everyone? Raisi Mobele here, and I want to introduce you to someone special. I want you to say hello to my lil' friend (source: Tony Montana of Scarface). His name is Sir Frigidaire (Frigi for short). He and I are great friends. We share the same personality, the same friends and family and the same lifestyle. Funny to say, but we are a pair of strong dark individuals who are loved and needed in many people's lives daily! I can't necessarily claim that we're twins (for obvious reasons) but I can say we are pretty damn close. I can talk about myself through speech, but Sir Frigidaire isn't so talented, so he usually displays his identity by letting people look inside him. It's actually pretty cool . Here's are ten items you would definitely see:

1. One Gallon of Whole Milk: Sir Frigidaire and I are very competitive people . He and I believe that in life, you either go hard all the way or don't go at all. So when it comes to the milk he holds, you're guaranteed nothing less.. gotta keep it 100%.
   
2. Homesqueezed Orange Juice (lots of pulp): Sir Frigidaire and I love homesqueezed OJ. We share a common philosophy of keeping it real. You know, the "what you see is what you get" type of thing. No artificial additives or preservatives here. Just keeping it pure and natural all the time. We will always be ourselves, whether you like it or not.
3. Three Cartons of Jumbo Sized Eggs: Frigi and I like eggs for breakfast. And like our preferred recipe, we are very optimistic people. We like to see things with the sunny side up.
4. Leftover Cassava Leaves, Cornmeal, Pinto Beans and Chicken in a Container: Typical dish from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country that I was born and will keep in my heart until the day I die.
5. Jello: Sir Frigidaire and I are fun to be with. We love to have fun, and we love to eat fun food. Jello is certainly one of them. Jello is also cool because it's firm and strong, and it stays in the bowl no matter how much you shake it. My beliefs are like that: firm and strong, no matter how much you criticize them.
   
6. Baking Soda: Frigi and I keep it fresh from head to toe. We like to keep ourselves clean and sanitary all the time, and we never let anything spoil. Not the food we eat, our attitudes, our self-esteem, grades in school, not even our jump shot in basketball. I'm telling you: NOTHING!
7. Mixed Vegetables: Sir Frigidaire loves mixed veggies. I do too. We love the diversity of mixed vegetables. Come to think of it, we love diversity in general. It's fun, and it's healthy for your living. But hey c'mon you knew that, right? After all, it is mixed vegetables we're talking about here.
8. Sushi: As you may know, sushi is a Japanese sensation. I love Japan. I actually lived in Japan for two years as a little toddler. My first words were Japanese (crazy right?). Frigi is pretty jealous about my past over there. Too bad having a container of sushi is the closest he'll get to Japan.
9. Buckeye Ice Cream - Frigi and I are proud to be Buckeyes. So he always keeps a carton of buckeye ice cream inside him for pride., something that both of us possess in abundance.
10. A Sack of Oranges: I'm like a peeled orange in many ways. First of all, I'm a sweet, nice type of person who is easy to get along with. It's pretty easy to get to know me, and I'm from a tropical environment. On the other hand, watch out. If anyone pushes me to my limits and annoys me I will not hesitate to spray the juice and give a piece of my mind, and trust me it might make people cry.

Well, it's about that time again to call it a day. Frigi and I are very glad to meet you. If you could, leave us a comment and tell us what you think Frigi should add to his collection of items, and we'll let you know what we think about it. Oh wait! Before we leave, here's a little gift just for you:

A nice bowl of burnt rice, freshly made for you to savor and love! Enjoy the meal and have a nice day ;-)!