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 ;-)