April 25

Bonus Blog 2: A Nerd’s Chance at Romance

Ciao everyone! Here is this post’s joke:

Did you hear about the new dating site for retired chemists?

It’s called Carbon Dating!

This joke is excellent and I rate it 9.5/10 because I like science jokes. If I’m a single scientist 50 years from now, you’ll definitely find me on this site.

While roasting college romance culture would be entertaining, this week, we’ll be focusing on another type of dating: carbon dating.

According to Britannica, known also as radiocarbon dating, carbon-14 dating is used to determine the age of inorganic and organic materials. This process plays a role across several academic disciplines, from identifying ancient artifacts and understanding the lives of hominids to classifying rocks found in the Earth’s several layers.

Radiocarbon revolution: the story of an isotope

checking out some old bonez

Taking a look at the history, “The carbon-14 method was developed by the American physicist Willard F. Libby about 1946. It has proved to be a versatile technique of dating fossils and archaeological specimens from 500 to 50,000 years old. The method is widely used by Pleistocene geologists, anthropologists, archaeologists, and investigators in related fields” (Britannica).

Carbon-14 is an isotope of carbon-12, which is the most abundant type of carbon. With 2 additional neutrons, carbon-14’s radioactivity plays a crucial role in carbon dating and through beta decay (by gaining an electron), will form stable nitrogen-14. 

Unexpected Lessons Learned from Mid-Century Atomic Bomb Explosions - Science in the News

However, with neutron interactions with nitrogen atoms in the environment, carbon-14 can be recreated in Earth’s atmosphere. This is due to increased exposure to cosmic rays, known as high-energy radiation, which increases rates of particle collisions to stimulate chemical reactions. 

Carbon-14, or radiocarbon, also comes from carbon dioxide molecules in the atmosphere. After being absorbed by the carbon cycle and plants, this isotope is recirculated among organic matter and reused.

That’s great, but how does carbon dating work?

By exposing matter to carbon-14, it will absorb it, and once the specimen is no longer exposed, it will gradually decrease in concentration of the isotope. Radioactive elements have half lives, meaning that over a certain interval of time, they will half their concentration. From here, the amount of the isotope will decay at a constant and measurable rate. Carbon-14 has a half life of 5,730 ± 40 years, which is insanely long.

VA Aquifer Susceptibility-Carbon-14

Through spontaneous disintegration, which is basically radioactive decay, carbon-14 will half its concentration after 5,730 years. Because carbon-14 decays at this constant rate, an estimate of the date at which an organism died can be made by measuring the amount of its residual radiocarbon (Britannica).

Carbon-14 is special because of its half life, which is so incredibly long that it gives researchers time to determine how much carbon-14 is present versus the amount of carbon-12 present. This is a great achievement in historical fields, but how else can we use other radioactive isotopes?

16 uses of radioactive isotopes in medicine - All Uses of

Well, they play an important role in modern medicine, in which half lives can be utilized to track the concentration of certain drugs or treatments in the human body. Very short half lives are desired, which is why Yttrium-90, Iodine-131, Samarium-153, and Phosphorus-32 are used, because who wants chemicals in their body? Not I.

Now, it’s my turn to make like a tree and get out of here. Until next time my jokers!

Reference: “Carbon-14 Dating.” Edited by The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica,

                 Encyclopædia  Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.,

                 https://www.britannica.com/science/carbon-14-dating.

April 25

Bonus Blog 1: Snatch That (Pirate) Booty

Ciao everyone! Welcome back. Here is this week’s joke:

How much did it cost for a pirate to get his ears pierced?

A buccaneer! 

I would rate this joke a 9.25/10 because I think it’s clever. I know it made me laugh and I hope you guys enjoyed it too.

This wouldn’t be a blog by me if I didn’t include a pure history post for you all. We tend to see pirates all over the place, from blockbuster movie franchises to Halloween costumes to history textbooks; so what are some of the basics we know about these swashbucklers? Arrrrrrre you ready kids? The only acceptable response would be “aye aye, captain!”

The classical definition of a pirate is someone who commits piracy, which would include robbing and plundering ships. I think I’d also characterize them as extremely stylish with excellent hats, high boots, and nice golden jewelry.

Disney Brings Johnny Depp Back as Jack Sparrow During Nighttime Show - Inside the Magic

As early as the Vikings, Phoenicians, and the Roman Empire, sailors have been marauding ships for ages. I’d like to focus on the prime of piracy, which was between the sixteenth and eighteenth century, most notably called the Golden Age of Piracy.

Like most things, piracy across the western hemisphere can be attributed to the Age of Exploration and colonialism in North, South, and Latin America.

After Christopher Columbus’ travels to the West Indies, several Spanish ships frequented this voyage over the Atlantic and the Caribbean, transporting goods back and forth among the colonies and Europe. Silver, gold, and other precious stones and gems were carried back to the Spanish monarchs, or rather, were attempted to be brought back. The Royal Museums of Greenwich state that these large ships, called galleons, were massive targets for pirates.

Jolly Roger – Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

Low and behold, when the lovely Jolly Roger or Black Pearl was spotted from the crow’s nest, thievery was about to commence. Pirates were pretty violent and even raided coastal towns with accessible docks when floating ships weren’t enough.

The buccaneers were the pirates that robbed galleons, since they lived on Hispaniola in the Caribbean and its tiny turtle-shaped neighbor, Tortuga, in the 17th century.  Maybe you’ve heard of this from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which is more accurate than you may think.

Pirate Attacks | HowStuffWorks

Most surprising is that “the governors of Caribbean islands paid the buccaneers to attack Spanish treasure ships. Although raids began in this way, with official backing, the buccaneers gradually became out of control, attacking any ship they thought carried valuable cargo, whether it belonged to an enemy country or not. The buccaneers had become true pirates” (Royal Museums of Greenwich).

Captain Jack Sparrow’s story and his encounters appear to be historically correct, since several scenes picture the local royalty paying thieves under their finely ornamented tables. While one of Johnny Depp’s iconic roles is simply fictitious, it was based off of real-life pirate John Ward, an Englishmen turned Muslim after settling down.

Pirates of the Caribbean: ToW - Apps on Google Play

Other famous eye-patch-baring and gold-tooth-sporting pirates worth mentioning are Henry Morgan, William ‘Captain’ Kidd, ‘Calico’ Jack Rackham, Bartholomew Roberts and Blackbeard. While modern pirates may still survey unvigilant seas, I still think they’re pretty cool.

Now, it’s my turn to make like a tree and get out of here, or perhaps in this case, walk the plank. Until next time my jokers!

Reference: Royal Museums Greenwich. “The Golden Age of Piracy.” Royal Museums Greenwich,

               Royal Museums Greenwich, https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/golden-age-piracy. 

April 25

Your Resident Italian

Ciao everyone! Welcome back, and enjoy this week’s joke:

What do you call a fake noodle?

An impasta!

I would rate this joke a 9.75/10 because it just sounds funny. Simple.

I come from a robust Italian household that thrives off the aroma of garlic, freshly cooked pasta, and loud yelling ringing throughout the house. Of course, not to forget the sauce vs. gravy debate that seems to be splitting the family…

Therefore, I feel like it’s only logical to take a look at one of the best foods: pasta. This is my typical Sunday afternoon, and no offense, but the dining hall food can’t even compare to it. Sucks.

In this post, I will highlight some types of pasta and rate them based on taste, texture, and tummy feel, and of course provide unnecessary comments.

-Spaghetti:

Spaghetti and Meatballs - Once Upon a Chef

Taste: 10/10

Texture: 8/10

Tummy feel: 9/10

Spaghetti may be the obvious, and perhaps most sought out type, but there are so many better options. It tastes good but it’s overused and quite stereotypical.

-Farfalle:

Farfalle with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cream Recipe | Epicurious

Taste: 10/10

Texture: 9.5/10

Tummy feel: 9/10

Farfalle, also known as the “bow tie” pasta, is great for holding sauce in its crevices. My only critique is that it’s hard to stab with a fork.

-Ravioli:

Baked Ravioli - 10-Minute Prep - The Recipe Rebel

Taste: 1/10

Texture: 2/10

Tummy feel: 1/10

I absolutely don’t like ravioli. I don’t eat most cheeses (I don’t wanna hear about it) so I dislike these stuffed pockets of dough.

-Gemelli:

Gemelli Pasta with Ingredients Stock Photo by ©bandd 56989861

Taste: 10/10

Texture: 10/10

Tummy feel: 10/10

We frequent gemelli often in my house and it works well with plenty of dishes. They’re small so they’re not super filling, which is nice for lighter meals.

-Linguine:

Ultimate Spaghetti with Clams | Carolyn's Cooking

Taste: 8/10

Texture: 8/10

Tummy feel: 8/10

Like spaghetti, linguine seems like a popular pick among most people. It’s good but plain flat noodles can be boring.

-Orecchiette:

Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Recipe - Cooking Classy

Taste: 10/10

Texture: 9/10

Tummy feel: 10/10

This type of pasta, known as “little ears,” is pretty tasty. It holds sauce well but they can be hard to scoop up because they’re small.

-Gnocchi:

Spicy tomato and sausage gnocchi with fennel and spinach - Kikkoman Recipes

Taste: 10/10

Texture: 8/10

Tummy feel: 3/10

I like gnocchi but gnocchi doesn’t like me. I’ll only eat it if it’s not stuffed with anything, but it’s just so filling.

-Rigatoni:

Baked Rigatoni Pasta Recipe | The Recipe Critic

Taste: 10/10

Texture: 9/10

Tummy feel: 8/10

Rigatoni is my brother’s favorite type of pasta. My dad’s side of the family makes it, but I haven’t had it in awhile.

-Macaroni:

Macaroni Sundal Recipe: How to Make Macaroni Sundal Recipe | Homemade  Macaroni Sundal Recipe

Taste: 6/10

Texture: 6/10

Tummy feel: 7/10

I have somewhat of a problem with the shape of macaroni. They have a high dough-to-volume ratio and can be too chewy. You probably won’t see me eating macaroni.

-Lasagne:

Easy Lasagne Recipe - Nicky's Kitchen Sanctuary

Taste: 8/10

Texture: 9/10

Tummy feel: 8/10

Primarily used for lasagna, these noodles, evidently, play a key role. My mom’s side of the family makes fantastic lasagna.

-Tortellini:

Garlic Butter Tortellini | Kitchn

Taste: 1/10

Texture: 2/10

Tummy feel: 2/10

I don’t like tortellini because they’re usually stuffed with cheese. Therefore, for similar reasons why I don’t like ravioli, they are ranked very low.

Bonus: Polenta:

Smooth and Creamy Polenta Recipe

Taste: 10/10

Texture: 9/10

Tummy feel: 8/10

While polenta isn’t pasta, this cornmeal blend that can either be mashed or sliced is so tasty. We’re having it more in my house now and it’s awesome.

Now, it’s my turn to make like a tree and get out of here. Arrivederci. Until next time my jokers! 

Reference: Me 🙂

April 19

The Neutron Style

Ciao everyone! Welcome, here’s another meme:

This is an easy 10/10 because this meme format is perfect. Although I wasn’t a big Jimmy Neutron kid, I respect the many memes made from the iconic characters. In fact, Jimmy’s own last name plays a part of the pun here.

Anyways, here we have back-to-back history posts, but I promise it won’t be a disaster, unlike Chernobyl…

According to Britannica, the Chernobyl disaster is the result of an accident at a Soviet Union nuclear power plant in 1986. In my own words, the USSR made a yikesy move.

Chernobyl, the name of the city containing the power plant, was located in Northern Ukraine, which was pretty deep inside the iron curtain. With four reactors, each capable of producing 1,000 megawatts of electric power, communist leaders were eager to keep this factory alive to fuel possible Cold War efforts.

To what extent did the Chernobyl incident affect the Soviet government's relationship with its people? - Quora

It’s hard to say exactly what happened when reactor Unit 4 backfired on April 26th, 1986, since the government, at the time, did their best to cover up the occurring events.

I’m assuming there was mass panic among the technicians, who abruptly shut off most of the power, leaving only 7% power on, as reported by Britannica. I don’t know why they chose 7%, but the number doesn’t seem so lucky now.

The energy from the faulty reactor formed a large fireball, which eventually blew off its lid. Thus, the graphite reactor core let the pent-up radioactive material out of the melting unit. I think we can all agree that air + radioactive material = bad. Not so excellent…

Chernobyl Disaster: The 1986 Nuclear Explosion - Procaffenation

While 30,000 inhabitants of Pryp’yat, the nearest city to Chernobyl, began to be evacuated, “Swedish monitoring stations reported abnormally high levels of wind-transported radioactivity and pressed for an explanation” (Britannica). Gottem.

Not really, actually. While the USSR sloppily swept this problem under the carpet, in fact, the real losers here were neighboring lands inside and outside the Soviet Union. Wind currents carried toxic waste over large areas, from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine to non-USSR countries such as France and Italy. The number of casualties began to rise faster than Stalin’s original ascent to power.

With somewhere between two to fifty deaths from the physical reactor explosion, the effects of radiation poisoning spread. According to Britannica, “Millions of acres of forest and farmland were contaminated, and, although many thousands of people were evacuated, hundreds of thousands more remained in contaminated areas. In addition, in subsequent years many livestock were born deformed, and among humans several thousand radiation-induced illnesses and cancer deaths were expected in the long term.”

Freeboard - What happens to Japanese Radiation Leak

Basically, the air was more toxic than high school cliques. Politics were on fire at this point. The Chernobyl disaster was truly terrible and provenly killed more people than the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. Man, the advancements of warfare.

But the fall of Chernobyl showed the absolute failure of the Soviet Union and their apparent weakness. The disaster conveyed the flaws of communism and the disadvantages of having such a terrible authoritarian reign. This, along with the inevitable shutdown of the last reactor in 2000, sent the old communist party packing. Of course, Russia’s government is highly controversial, but it’s insane to see how it changed over such a short period of time.

Now, it’s my turn to make like a tree and get out of here. Until next time my jokers!

Reference: “Chernobyl Disaster.” Edited by Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica,         

               Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 30 Nov. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/event/Chernobyl-

               disaster. 

April 6

An Excuse to Discuss Sexy Accents?

Ciao everyone! Welcome back to the blog. Here’s another joke for you all:

An Englishman, a Frenchman, a Spaniard, and a German are all watching an American street performer do some juggling. The juggler notices that the four gentlemen have a very poor view, so he stands on a wooden crate and calls out, “Can you all see me now?”

“Yes.”

“Oui.”

“Sí.”

“Ja.”

At first, I read this joke and didn’t get it, but after reading it out loud I thought it was funny. I rate it a 8.75/10. Phonetics man.

French, Spanish, and German all played a role in the evolution of the English language, which is the most spoken language in the world. Although I wish I was fluent in another language to blog about, I will stick to the creation of Modern English.

No no I won’t bore you with all the linguistic evidence (because I don’t think I could even comprehend it myself), but here’s the chronology of this language cocktail. Let’s see how the following languages played a role, as reported by the Oxford International English Schools:

History of English | EnglishClub

German:

After the Jutes, Saxons and Angles invaded Great Britain after the 5th Century to acquire their land, the invaders spread their early Germanic language. This took over the old Celtic-based English spoken by the British. As Charlemagne’s empire grew, German spread, and the British vacated to modern-day Scotland and Ireland.

Old English:

Of course, with the decline of this empire and the rise of the Middle Ages, Old English was spoken among peasants. While still a blend of the Anglo-Saxon language, authors such as  Cynewulf and Aldhelm, who were leading figures in the world of Anglo-Saxon literature, contributed to its evolution. As leaders in Christian poetry, devoted religious followers, especially before the Crusades, learned Old English from the 5th to 10th century.

Old English / Anglo-Saxon

Old English alphabet used by Anglo-Saxons

French (Latin):

The English language changed again between the 10th and 11th century, in which Norman invasions brought French elements to Old English. French, as a romance language, is derived from Latin, which was created circa the Roman Empire. So, it’s safe to say that the people of Gaul’s bastardization of Latin later created “Middle English.” 

Middle English:

Up until the 14th century, Middle English was spoken, especially after the publication of Geofrey Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales.” This strayed from the Germanic roots and embraced the French-based English.

Prologue to Chaucer

Middle English? More like Gibberish

Modern-ish English:

Building off of Middle English, the Renaissance influenced Modern English. The cultural rebirth during this time, as well as increased worldliness, led to more infusion and variety of dialects, probably caused by increased tolerance. This is seen up until the 17th century. 

Spanish (Latin):

Around the same time Middle English and Modern-ish English were created, Spanish roots were mixed in. This can be attributed to Spanish Inquisition and colonization, with cultural diffusion’s prime in the 16th century. Natives and foreign explorers furthered the entanglement of several dialects in order to communicate.

Modern English (Current):

Around the 18th century, Shakespeare and the rise of the British Empire created the standards for Modern English. With West African, Native American, Spanish and European influences, Modern English became its own melting pot that was spread across the world through imperialism and military endeavors.

British English - Wikipedia

While these are all versions of Modern English, several dialects have arose

Woohoo English is great, but certain accents are really what make the language. This could be the sole topic of its own for a blog post.

Now, it’s my turn to make like a tree and get out of here. Until next time my jokers!

Reference: Oxford International English Schools. “A Brief History of the English Language.” Oxford                  International English Schools, Oxford International English Schools, 22 Oct. 2020,                       https://www.oxfordinternationalenglish.com/a-brief-history-of-the-english-language/. 

March 28

Don’t Fumble the Joke

Ciao everyone! Welcome back, here is this week’s joke:

What did the football coach say to the broken vending machine?

Give me my quarterback!

I would rate this joke a 9/10 because it was simple enough that even I understood it and I thought it was funny. I’m not a big sports person and I don’t know a lot about football, but seeing that Penn State is a Big 10 school, I might as well put in the effort to create my own crash course. Here are the basics of football, as per my 16-year-old brother:

To start off, the players:

Quarterback: “QB. Alright, so it’s the guy behind the center who gets the ball and throws it at other goons or can hand it off, or if he’s gangster enough, he can run the ball himself. He is the most important player on the field and he can be old like Tom Brady.”

Ian Rapoport: Tom Brady To Dolphins 'Doesn't Make Sense'

Tom Brady approves of this message

Center: “Aight he’s supposed to be the biggest guy on the line. He’s in the center of the line and he snaps the ball to the boso behind him. I gotta friend named Mike who’s not very big or tall and kinda defeats the point of a center.”

Wide Receiver: “Can I start talking? Alright, the wide receiver is the guy who tries to catch the ball thrown by the quarterback. They run routes and do a lot of spins and try to intercept the ball too.”

Water Boy: “Second most important role is responsible for keeping the team hydrated at all costs. It is very honorable to be chosen as a water boy and you have to be a master at mixing gatorade.”

Amazon.com: The Waterboy : Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Blake Clark, Henry  Winkler, Fairuza Balk, Jerry Reed, Larry Gilliard Jr., Peter Dante, Clint  Howard, Rob Schneider, Haven Gaston, Lee Corso, Lynn Swann, Lawrence

Cue Adam Sandler

Some Rules:

  1. “You can’t cross, what’s that line called? The line of scrimmage, right? You can’t cross it before the ball is snapped, otherwise it’s offsides and you get a penalty.”
  2. “You can’t, uh, attack or punch or kick anyone in the balls.”
  3. “You can’t taunt, they don’t like taunting cause they’re nerds and people complain about that. They’re just losers.” (As an aside: my dad has just informed me that the NFL stands for the “No Fun League.”)
National Football League - Wikipedia

The logo of the “No Fun League”

The Professionals:

“There are a ton of teams. A lot of them suck but that’s how most of the major league goes. The only good team from New York [we are from NY] is the Bills; the Giants and Jets are balls.”

“Tampa Bay and the Chiefs are both very good teams. They both have very good QB’s and there is also the Ravens who have Lamar Jackson but still kinda suck. I feel bad for any Baltimore sports fans because all their teams suck; for instance, the Orioles.” (As an aside: my dad informs me again that the Green Bay Packers are also very good.)

“Back to Tampa Bay, does Gronk play tight end? I think he does; yeah I was right. My boi Gronk on the Bucs, him and Brady are bois. He’s a pretty good tight end I’d say and he can do some runnings and catchings, basically a little bit of everything. He’s hosted game shows, which is pretty chad and he has a lot of brothers, I just know that.”

“What’s his face, he’s retired, I’m thinking of someone else. Oh Peyton Manning on the Broncos, whatever, but Peyton Manning had a really big forehead, but he’s retired though.”

peyton manning forehead Blank Template - Imgflip

Real image of Peyton Manning

A big shout out to my brother Chris for his help this week. Now, it’s my turn to make like a tree and get out of here. Until next time my jokers! 

Reference: Chris (my brother)

March 21

Simply Cannot Get Ogre How Great Shrek Is

Ciao everyone! For today’s post, I’ve found the first meme of the semester:

This image is powerful and I definitely rate it 10/10. Absolutely complex. There are layers to this meme and I was shocked when I found it. Perfection.

Shrek is perhaps my favorite movie, though I do love several others. This blog post was heavily inspired by my Ted Talk and research paper from last semester, which featured our favorite ogre. Can you believe that Shrek is over 20 years old?

In commemoration, here are some in’s and out’s about the process of creating this iconic film:

Number 1: The plot wasn’t as appreciated as it is today. 

Shrek, as a reclusive, selfish, temperamental, and closed-minded ogre in his swamp, didn’t automatically achieve the approval ratings the producers desired. A New York Times article reports that the idea of an ogre as the protagonist brought about doubts regarding ticket sales. Apparently, meeting after meeting, it was believed that straying from the traditional prince and princess wouldn’t engage audiences. Oh how they were wrong…

shrek 5 will be reinvention | Confused pictures, Funny reaction pictures, Funny video memes

I partially blame the writers’ lack of imagination and ignorance for this misconception. Yes, we often see Disney creating the perfect “happily ever afters,” but it’s important to acknowledge that being happy and achieving success can come in several different forms for different people. Shrek obviously demonstrates that.

Number 2: No one wanted to work on this project.

Shrek, inherently, was the black sheep of DreamWorks production. It was the problem child of all the running projects. “Getting sent to ‘Shrek’ felt like being sent to Siberia,” the director Vicky Jenson recalled. Why?

Bored Shrek | Shrek | Know Your Meme

Well, the main characters in Shrek were criticized for being “too difficult” to animate and posed as too advanced and too “challenging” for the artists on the design team. Archaic and out-dated technology at the time can be attributed to this. Additionally, other past projects such as Aladdin and The Road to El Dorado were taken more seriously by staff, while Shrek was continuously considered as satire and made the daily job insincere. Perhaps that’s what makes it so hilarious and appealing!

Number 3: There was debate over originality. 

Across the internet, several journalists will argue that Shrek directly copies the plot of The Princess Bride (1987). Personally, I don’t see how these films are identical; while there are some parallels, like a friendly giant and the formation of a band of misfits, I really think that Shrek is more on the original side.

SHREK Clip - "Onions" (2001) Mike Myers - YouTube

But what ethos does an 18-year-old girl have? None apparently, but I would say that the masses agree with me here. The Princess Bride clearly lacks the onion metaphors and the monster archetype we’ve all grown to love.

Number 4: Hidden casting issues that no one talks about played a role.

Mike Meyers, who voices Shrek in the film, wasn’t the original actor casted. It was actually Chris Farley, former star of Saturday Night Live, that was supposed to become our green hero. His untimely passing in 1997 led to the abdication of the role.

Shrek' at 20: How Chris Farley's death forced filmmakers to cast Mike Myers as green ogre

Chris Farley, the OG Shrek

However unfortunate that Farley had recorded many of his lines, directors loved Mike Meyers and his Scottish take on Shrek. According to the New York Times, Meyers was the one who coined the phrase, “Better out than in.” Love it.

It was fascinating to read about the secrets of this cinematic masterpiece and I hope you enjoyed the nice Marvel reference in the meme (from Avengers: Infinity War).

150+ Funny Shrek Memes For True Ogres (And Donkeys) – FandomSpot

Now, it’s my turn to make like a tree and get out of here. Until next time my jokers!

Reference: Cherelus, Gina. “’Shrek’ at 20: How a Chaotic Project Became a Beloved Hit.”

                 The New York Times,  The New York Times, 18 May 2021,             

                 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/18/movies/shrek-20th- anniversary.html. 

March 15

You Bet Giraffe That There Are More Jokes Coming

Ciao everyone! Here is this week’s joke:

What do you get when two giraffes collide?

A giraffic-jam!

I would rate this joke a 10/10 out of personal bias because giraffes are my favorite animals. Thus, this post will pay homage to one of the wackiest animals to roam the Earth.

Giraffa Camelopardalis, more commonly known as the giraffe, is known to be the tallest mammal in the world and is a distant relative to the camel. Let’s pull a Steve Irwin and do an overview:

Genome Reveals Clues to Giraffes' "Blatantly Strange" Body Shape | The Scientist Magazine®

According to the African Wildlife Foundation, giraffes, on average, are about 5.7 meters tall from the ground to their horns, which is equivalent to 18.7 feet. Males weigh around 1,930 kilograms and females weigh around 1,180 kilograms, respectively equating to 4,254 pounds and 2,601 pounds. Giraffes can be found in habitats that are filled with open grassy plains and dense shaded forests. As a native to more than 15 African countries, you’ll most likely find giraffes milling around Kenya, South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania, Namibia, and Cameroon. I would love to someday do one of those safaris in South Africa and then stay at the giraffe hotels.

What else do we know about this species? Well, they have a life span around 10 to 15 years in the wild and have a gestation period between 13 to 15 months. Day-to-day functions are sponsored by valves in the blood vessels in giraffes’ necks to prevent the backwards flow and potential build up of blood, which could be extremely dangerous.

Giraffes prefer to dine with friends, research shows | Dunfermline Press

When residing in the nearest savannah or woodlands in the Sahara, watering holes may be scarce, so giraffes can go days without drinking. Additionally, as an herbivore, you can definitely count on giraffes snacking on the nearest acacia tree, although they do eat over 93 other varieties of plants. The African Wildlife Foundation reports that, “They feed 16 to 20 hours a day, but may only consume about 30 kilograms (about 30 pounds) of foliage during that time. These two-ton mammals can survive on as little as seven kilograms (15 pounds) of foliage per day.” I think my brother eats more than them to be honest.

What do Giraffes Eat? (Diet, Favorite Foods, Volume) • Storyteller Travel

Anatomically, giraffes also pose as a natural phenomenon. These desert-dwellers have been heavily studied in fields of Darwinian Evolution and developmental biology, since they vastly differ from most known animals. Earlier ancestors with longer necks had less competition for food sources, so that favorable trait was passed on. 

With lengthy necks and spindly legs, the giraffe is often underestimated as a primary predator in food webs. With the capability to run 32-60 km/hr (20-37 mph), giraffes can run for long distances to avoid starving lions, leopards, hyenas, and crocodiles. When they’re unable to run away from their problems, as inevitable as it is, the giraffe will use the horns on its head, called ossicones, to battery ram itself into predators. Now this is a smackdown that puts giraffes, quite literally, on another level. Talk about survival of the fittest, or rather, the tallest.

April the Giraffe, Who Became an Internet Sensation in 2017, Dies - The New York Times

he needs your help 🙁

However, giraffes are currently an endangered species due to poaching, and I am truly disgusted by this. I really hope that this illegal hunting and trafficking can be prevented, since this breed plays a significant role in several ecosystems. I hope to spread awareness regarding this issue and learn as much as we can about giraffes to preserve their colonies and habitats.

Now, it’s my turn to make like a tree and get out of here. Until next time my jokers!

Reference: African Wildlife Foundation. “The World’s Tallest Mammal Is at Risk of Becoming Extinct

         In the Wild.” African Wildlife Foundation, https://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/giraffe. 

February 15

Why We Should Interview People About Apathy and Find Solutions

To conclude this short episode, here are some “hot takes” on political apathy. Respondents in this heavily flawed and biased survey were the first three friends that I was next to. When asked, “what are your thoughts on political apathy?”, here are the answers:

 

“Empathy as an emotion requires that we care about the things occurring around us. Given the amount of human suffering experienced in plain view every day of our lives, empathy must be applied selectively. I care about things like elections and foreign policy, but to care about every single issue at every single moment will sap you of any ability to meaningfully affect these issues. Selective apathy allows us to focus on the things we can change and not burn out from the horrible shit that happens daily.” -David

 

This first take is from my friend David, and I’d like to thank him for choosing to not be anonymous for this blog post to prove that I actually asked people. He is heavily engaged in politics and enjoys observing gerrymandered maps and studying past elections in the United States. I think this is an interesting perspective, especially when stating that “selective apathy” may be a preferred route than an extremist point of view. I like the juxtaposition between “empathy and apathy” included here. David’s quote conveys the idea of realism in our modern society instead of an idealistic or cynical take on this touchy subject. I agree that an all-or-nothing mindset may not be appropriate for a political perspective, but I unfortunately am a massive zealot. 

 

The second friend I asked preferred to remain anonymous, so they will be channeled in spirit. They said, “I don’t know what it is.” -Anonymous Ocelot. Here, “it” refers to the term political apathy. I would like to clarify that I didn’t give any context when my friends were briefed with “thoughts on political apathy” because I wanted an honest and unbiased response. This Anonymous Ocelot has an interesting perspective. They, like myself, seem removed from the political world, and I respect that. I empathize (ironically) with this and I like how they are freely open to admit that they have no clue what’s going on. I don’t either. The Anonymous Ocelot embodies all of us that do feel apathetic about politics and I’d like to acknowledge that this is acceptable.

 

The final friend I asked gave me an unexpected answer, and I am very intrigued by their quote. “Political apathy is the product of privilege.” -Anonymous Gopher. This statement is powerful and concise, and I can tell that they feel strongly without being overbearing. I wouldn’t have guessed that they would have said this, so I was entertained by the nice variety of perspectives I was given. They evoke the idea that people shouldn’t be apathetic towards political ideas and should participate. This fresh take is something I may slightly disagree with, but I respect their opinion and I was curious to hear this.

 

I feel like the only political engagement I have done was registered to vote, and even that took me a while to do. I would like to offer some nice solutions to possibly find a cure to apathy and inspire myself, and others.

 

One solution that already has an impact is opening methods of voting. According to Npr.org, “If early voting trends are any indication, a record number of Americans could vote in the 2020 presidential election. As of this writing, more than 100 million early votes have been cast by mail or in person – more than two-thirds of the total number of votes cast in 2016.” In theory, I think this idea would work, but in practice, I am a bit sus. This is an interesting solution, especially in pandemic times, but I do feel like it is heavily flawed. I don’t know how much data there is for past elections, so that would be something that would be interesting to look into.

Another solution involves making a bigger deal out of voting. As stated on History.com, “Today, there are renewed calls to make election day more festive—or at least a national holiday on which more people can exercise their civic duty and vote. “Declaring Election Day a federal holiday and rekindling the celebratory spirit that marked the day in previous centuries would be an important step toward promoting democratic participation,” writes historian Holly Jackson for the Washington Post” (Blakemore). This quote pertains to voting in the past, as mentioned in my first civic issue blog. I don’t know why people stopped celebrating this event, but maybe that has influenced possible patterns of apathy.

Additionally, “The idea has been proven successful: In 2007, political scientists were able to use election-day celebrations to drive voter turnout. Election Day may never again be soaked in rum and filled with brawling, drunken parades, but Jackson and others argue that revisiting some elements of colonial election day traditions could boost voter turnout” (Blakemore). Rooting back to the aforementioned quote, why have the parties vanished? I feel like this would be a fun analysis to consider. Although I heavily critiqued colonial politics and historical methods, I can say that this strategy worked.

Further research would be required to follow up on this issue, but I have not been cured of my political apathy, which is somewhat hindering me from pursuing more information. The Anonymous Gopher has just notified me that another solution could be to increase awareness and education about the importance of democracy, how to get involved in politics, and other methods of civic engagement. In contrast, David has voiced his agreement with the Anonymous Gopher and has suggested that people pace themselves and to not doom themselves with problems that they can’t fix or are too big for them to handle.

Sometimes, it is acceptable to simply not care, but it should be noted that starting friendly debates is entertaining.

 

Reference: 

 

https://www.history.com/news/colonial-america-election-day-parties 

https://www.npr.org/2018/09/10/645223716/on-the-sidelines-of-democracy-exploring-why-so-many-americans-dont-vote 

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February 7

Why We Should Care about Apathy (From a Modern Perspective)

While I have instilled the idea that I feel apathetic towards politics, I thought it would be important to include some current information and get out from last week’s blast from the past. This post will focus on a more statistical review of apathy instead of statements from myself critiquing archaic ways.

Taking a look at some more recent statistics from the Pew Research Center, “The 55.7% VAP turnout in 2016 puts the U.S. behind most of its peers in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, most of whose members are highly developed democratic states. Looking at the most recent nationwide election in each OECD nation, the U.S. places 30th out of 35 nations for which data is available” (DeSilver). For a country with over 338 million people, 55.7% isn’t very representative, especially when considering that this statistic is decreasing as the population is growing. 30 out of 35 is shocking for the United States, who usually is a front runner for everything: from an original capitalist nation to a leader in obesity rates.

Npr.org reports that, “In the highly competitive 2016 presidential election, voter turnout ranged from 42 percent to 74 percent depending on the state, averaging 59 percent nationwide. Battleground states experienced higher turnout, on average.” But why focus on the 2016 election? Well, I couldn’t vote, but I thought it would cause mass uproar. It clearly did diminish political apathy, but not in a useful way whatsoever. Media was crazed and once again blown out of proportion, but the memes made during this time are still pretty funny though.

Now, it’s important to highlight what the cause of this issue is. It’s not like I can control it, but I have a newfound curiosity as to why all this is happening.

Here’s one reason: Americans don’t feel represented. When politicians pull crazy stunts and have so many scandals, why would people want to replace them with someone who could be potentially worse? I feel like this has happened and no one has done anything to rectify this never-ending cycle. This certainly deters me, since politics shouldn’t be considered picking between “the lesser of two evils.” Npr.org quotes Megan Davis of Rhode Island, who said, “I feel like my voice doesn’t matter…People who suck still are in office, so it doesn’t make a difference.” I would agree with Davis here, though I find her language and choice of words amusing. 

My second piece of evidence lies with voting barriers placed. The reason why people aren’t voting is because they can’t. “In 2016, 4 percent of registered voters did not vote because of “registration problems,” according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data. Many would-be voters face a range of barriers: voter ID laws, registration difficulty or criminal records. An estimated 10 percent of adults in Florida, for example, can’t vote because of a felony conviction” (Npr.org). Now, this isn’t the blog to discuss legal standards relating to criminal records, but it’s important to acknowledge that this factor is why numbers are decreasing. This physical barrier is often forgotten and bars Americans from voting, which may or may not tip political scales in an election. 

A third reason that explains apathy can be ignorance. This mainly applies to younger generations who simply lack political interests or haven’t been exposed yet. Older generations are the main voters, and when their votes may seem to outnumber others, it can be concerning. According to npr.org, 74% of nonvoters are aged 18-29, with those aged 30-39 following close behind. Now, for my two readers, 74% is pretty high, and I’d like for you to consider people you think may fall in this range because they don’t know enough information about modern politics (I am one of them). To add on to this, “‘Whenever young people are surveyed, there is a significant lack of knowledge about how exactly the government works, and, therefore, how their vote actually matters,’ said Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, the director of CIRCLE, an initiative at Tufts University that studies youth civic and political participation. She recently conducted a survey of working-class youth, and found that nearly 20 percent of young people said they don’t think they know enough to be able to vote” (Npr.org). Kawashima’s research, as reported in the same article, “has found that a majority of young people don’t think voting is an effective way to change society. They also have major misconceptions about voting. Some think getting a citation for driving under the influence meant they could no longer vote” (Npr.org).

But now, let’s discuss some facts from another big kahuna of presidential elections: the 2020 Election.

“The 2020 presidential election had the highest voter turnout of the 21st century, with 66.8% of citizens 18 years and older voting in the election” (United States Census Bureau). This is an uptick in voting from the previous 55.7%, and an 11.1% jump seems pretty substantial when the United States has millions of voters. But what caused this revival? Could it have something to do with the occurring pandemic? Apparently not! The United States Census Bureau claims that, “Despite COVID-19 concerns, 155 million people turned out for the 2020 presidential election.  However, 4% (552,500) of registered nonvoters reported not voting due to their concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Outrightly, the United States Census Bureau states that, “The most common reason for not voting among registered nonvoters was they were not interested in the election (17.6%). Other reasons included not liking the candidates or campaign issues, being too busy and forgetting to vote.” But this still brings us back to our question and the root of this discussion; why are people not interested in elections? Now that there’s been a general timeline of voting and political expression, in the next blog, I’ll try to include some interesting takes from our classmates as to why they choose to express political opinions or lack thereof. 

Sometimes, it is acceptable to simply not care, but it’s still fun to look at all the sides.

 

References: 

 

https://www.npr.org/2018/09/10/645223716/on-the-sidelines-of-democracy-exploring-why-so-many-americans-dont-vote 

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/11/03/in-past-elections-u-s-trailed-most-developed-countries-in-voter-turnout/

https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2021/2020-presidential-election-voting-and-registration-tables-now-available.html

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