Opinion, Philosophy

Discrimination is well practiced in Asia and Middle East

When we talk about discrimination, it is always the Europeans who are often blamed for the problem. This is well demonstrated in majority of Western newspapers and publications. Often these Western papers portray racism as a problem for the non-Whites created by the Whites. The popular media completely ignore the hardships South Asian and African people face on other parts of the world, which includes their own people. While I am not denying that racism, xenophobia, sexism and discrimination exists in Europe and North America, I would like highlight that these problems are not limited to the Western world. From my own personal experience, I can say with confidence that I have faced racism from Canadians of South Asian, Middle Eastern, African and Eastern European decent than the Canadian born Canadian citizens. Even my first experience of racism in Canada is actually by an India born Canadian citizen not a Canadian himself.

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Documentary

Documentary: The Dark Ages

Title: The Dark Ages
Producers: History Channel
Type: Social Science, Society, Religion and Politics
Country: USA
Year: 2007
Website: web

Opinion:

A “OK” documentary for junior level Geography and History classes. I would not consider some of the historical facts writer(s) and historians discussed to be accurate. For example, Barbarians are not 100% bad people while Roman Empire was far from perfect. The documentary also failed to highlight the misery of slaves in the Roman Empire. It also failed to mention destruction Romans did to Corinth and Carthage in 146 B.C. The documentary also paints a picture of Catholicism being the backbone of European culture during and after the Dark Ages. However, there are sill large number of other Christians and native religious groups existed. Finally, the documentary failed to say that Dark Ages started before the fall of Roman Empire. Dark Ages did not start at the fall of Roman Empire.

Even with several inaccuracies, this movie can be used to obtain a general idea of the social and economic situation in Europe. In other words, this will provide you with some background information and overall picture of the European history.

Earth Science

Late Heavy Bombardment

The Late Heavy Bombardment and its Impact on the Terrestrial Planets

Sanuja Senanayake1, Jenna Sie1, Brendan Visser1 and Cassie Vocke1
1Geology Undergraduate Students: Fall 2014, University of Calgary.

Abstract

The Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB) is a hypothetical astrophysical event which occurred in our Solar System 4.1 to 3.8 billion years ago. At this time, an increased flux of impacting materials hit the Earth, Moon and other terrestrial planets of the inner Solar System. This has been suggested as the source for the increased number of crater impacts seen on the lunar surface, Venus, and Mars, and inferred to have struck all the inner terrestrial planets; preserved evidence has yet to be discovered on Earth. Several theories have been proposed to explain the crater formations, however the focus will be on the two most accepted theories: the Nice Model and Planet V Hypothesis. The preservation of craters from the LHB is best seen on the Moon due to the lack of plate tectonics, minimal erosion and deposition. Analyzing the surface of the Moon can help us understand the impact that the LHB had on the inner solar system. A lunar timescale is currently being modified, and when calibrated with radiometric dates from Martian samples, a timescale for Mars and other planetary bodies could be developed to verify if the LHB was a synchronous event. The LHB was early in Earth’s evolution and the contribution of extraterrestrial material to the planet is thought to have affected it in different ways; this includes the development of the atmosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere. The LHB is important not only to explain the sudden increase in crater evidence but also to help confirm the current geochemical properties of the terrestrial planetary system as seen today.

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Opinion

Mindfulness without the core values

After scientific research proved mindfulness meditation and physiological treatments derived from ancient Buddhist traditions work better than chemical-based medications1,2,3, mindfulness techniques have been growing in popularity in the Western world. The companies like Google Inc. have hired specialist to train their staff on mindfulness. American (USA) prisons officials have used it to control and reduce violence among inmates. Several pre-postsecondary schools have used it to help teens cope with stress and anger. But the teaching of mindfulness has been clouded due to extensive modifications to the practice. From few years from now, the mindfulness techniques used in North America and Europe may not even be as effective as the original version derived from Buddhism.

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