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The way the Romans act in Julius Caesar are similar to the way a lot of Americans act today. After battle, Caesar and Romans celebrated his victorious defeat.  Since Caesar is well-liked and respected, Brutus fears that the Romans will want Caesar to be king. At this time Caesar is so powerful that he rejects the crown three times from Antony, “…and , as I told you, he put it by once…Then he offered it to him again; then he put it by again; but to my thinking he was very loath to lay his fingers off of it. And then he offered it a third time. He put it the third time by…” (Act 1, Sc.2) which he could do because he knew that he was already the most powerful man even though he would be a terrible ruler because he is meant to be a warrior.

In the play Julius Caesar, the assassination of Julius Caesar, and the influence of Brutus, this play exemplifies the way politics have worked for years and years. With the power that Caesar holds and the popularity he has amongst the people, he ignores his wife and the letter from Artemedius because he doesn’t think there is any possible way that he would be assassinated, but he was wrong, “Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead! Run hence, proclaim, cry it about the streets.” (Act. 3. Sc.1) Cinna chanted after Caesar is assassinated. Then Brutus rises against Caesar saying “not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. (Act. 3. Sc.2) Brutus’ speech announces that Caesar did not care about the people whatsoever. The way the Romans reacted to Brutus’ speech, and then following Antony’s speech are similar how Americans are when they hear the last politician speak, they’re usually in favor with the last speaker.  

Julius Caesar is a perfect example of the political operatives we have in our country. I’m not saying all politicians are similar to Julius Caesar but most have the same tactics today that occurred in 44 B.C. (When Caesar died). Politicians will say whatever or do what Americans want to hear to receive popularity; similar to what Caesar does when he refuses the crown three times. Caesar isn’t refusing the crown because he is too modest or kind to take it. He’s refusing the crown because he knows that he is already in power and he is giving the Romans want they want, false reality and that he actually cares about them.  

I want to note that people say philosophy isn’t important to today’s society, in which they are wrong. What they don’t realize is the same issues that previous philosophers encountered and discussed; still occur in today’s society. Often times, people complain about the democracy that they live in. Ironically, most of the people who complain usually don’t do anything about the issue. For example, if people do not like their representatives, they have the civic duty to vote; whether or not they take advantage of it is up to them. The problem is they are not informed about political issues like healthcare, property taxes, income taxes, etc. issues that would benefit them. Instead, they focus more on who is connected to whom and will vote for who their friend is voting for.

"We can kind of put police in a better light around the holidays," Lowell Police Detective Gordy Lauren said of the Secret Santa video.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton announce plans to give new training to police officers.

Aristotle finds friendship crucial, important, and an element of need to a person’s life. He has three different kinds of friendship in which people relate to in today’s society. Some of the arguments that Aristotle makes about friendship are important to note to yourself. People often mistake acquaintances as friends, when in reality you have nothing in common with that person anymore. After reading Aristotle’s views on friendship and talking about friendship in lecture, what defines a true friendship?

If you think that a true friendship is someone who you hung out with every day as a child/teenager and every once in a while you catch up with via social media, does that make him or her a good friend to you? Aristotle argues with his two views on friendship that these types of friendships do not last long and eventually fade away. You no longer have anything in common with this friend because you two grew apart from each other and have separate lives. Depending on what part of chapter you are in your life, reflects that people you hang out with.

Though Aristotle’s first two views on friendships don’t last long, they are important because you don’t have to have long-term friends or someone who is considered a true friend compared to a good person. The first friendship is based off of both friends benefit from each other and have a ‘like to like’ relationship. In the second friendship the men must mutually recognize the goodness in their relationship and that pleasure will change over time as they change. “…Those who love for the sake of pleasure; it is not for their character that men love ready-witted people, but because they found them pleasant.” (Ethics, 1060) Going more in depth with his first two views on friendship, it is important to note the difference between good men and good friends. Just because you think a man is a nice person, doesn’t make him a good friend, it makes him a nice person. A man who utilizes these two views of friendship is benefiting for himself and not for the other person and vice versa for the other man.

In Aristotle’s third view on friendship, he notes that most of the time this is considered to be a true friendship. His third view on friendship defines what a true friend is compared to who a good person is. “Perfect friendship is the friendship of men who are good and alike in virtue; for these wish well alike to each other qua good, and they their sake are most truly friends; for they do this by reason of their own nature and not incidentally…” (Ethics, 1061) This friendship goes beyond pleasure or benefiting from one another, meaning it will last as long as each man is good for one another.

Though some may disagree, these three categories do fit in today’s society. As we talked about in class, we all have different categories that we classify our friends in. We have the best friends, the work friends, the classroom friends, etc. The point that Aristotle is making and the discussion we had in class is; it is good to have different types of friends but not all of them should be considered true friends.

The West Virginia University freshman who was found unconscious and not breathing inside a fraternity house — leading to a suspension of all Greek activities...

After Nolan Burch was found unconscious and ended up dying, West Virginia University made the decision to suspend all Greek organizations affiliated with the University. They are investing what happened to Nolan Burch but I think what triggered the University to suspend all Greek organizations was due to another frat getting in trouble the week before for underage drinking on their campus.

Michael McAdoo has filed a class-action lawsuit over fake classes at North Carolina and claims players were cheated out of a legitimate education.

Michael McAdoo is seeking justice against his former University at North Carolina. The football athlete was promised a proper education from the University but was kicked off of the football team in 2010. A judge dismissed McAdoo’s lawsuit after McAdoo was accused of having a tutor do improper work. Now the scandal has reached federal court, claiming that the University broke its promise to legitimately educate football players in exchange to play for the Tar Heels team.

The article says that football players "were urged" to consider only Exercise Sport Science, Communication or African-American Studies. Even though McAdoo was interested in Criminal Justice, and African-American Studies is the department where the easy classes occurred with little to no work required while grading was handled by a non-faculty member. Also, the advisor said that "you can fail one course per semester and still be NCAA eligible."

In the beginning of book V in The Republic, Socrates argues that men and women should be equal individuals. Though Socrates tried to avoid his view on women and children he was “arrested” into presenting his view. Polemarchus and Adeimantues claim that Socrates is taking the easy way out. After Glaucon and Thrasymachus chime in their vote, Socrates agrees to discuss his argument on equality of women and children even though he feels that it is taking away time.

I found Book V interesting because of how Socrates compares women to men is still relevant in today’s society. Though Socrates points out that women and men should have equal education, that doesn’t mean he thought every woman was capable of being as smart as a man or better yet a philosopher. Women have come a long way but there is still inequality today. The perception that there is always a stronger or better man is still a common argument today.  

Socrates points out that men and women can have still the same nature. Socrates argues that though women and men may have the same nature, men are naturally stronger than women. Although some women may be better than some men, there will always be a better man. “Therefore, my friend, there is no practice of a city’s governors which belongs to woman because she’s woman, or to man because he’s man; but the natures are scattered alike among both animals; and woman participates according to nature is all practices, and man in all, but in all of them woman is weaker,”  (455c). By nature, men may be stronger than women but that doesn’t conclude mean that there will always be a better man compared to every woman. In the workforce men are still paid more than a woman for doing the exact same job.

However, since most Greek women were not allowed to have any role in their Society, Socrates’ idea that men and women should have the same equal opportunities seemed absurd to Glaucon. Most women were to stay at home and run their household. Occasionally they were allowed to leave in events like funerals or weddings. Even though Socrates claims that men are naturally stronger and there will always be a better man than woman at something, he still believes that men and women should be given the same equal tasks.

Focusing on Socrates’ next view, which is his argument on fairness and equality of the children, Socrates has an interesting concept/idea. “All these women are to belong to all these men in common, and no woman is to live privately with any man. And the children, in their turn, will be in common, and neither will a parent know his off-spring nor a child his parent,” (457d). Socrates suggests that men from a young-adult age to fifty-five and women from twenty to forty years old guardians reproduce in only festivals. By doing this, the offspring will have no idea who their real parents are and their best interest will be in the city. Socrates uses the guardian species because it will remain pure and there is a need for the best men to have intercourse with the best women and same with ordinary men and women.

The argument against Socrates view on how to reproduce children can be unequal, considering he divides the men and women to their class. Why can only the guardians breed within each other? Does that actually lead to a stronger outcome of children? Socrates makes these arguments about men, women, and children but could anyone actually live like this? “Do you accept the community of the women with the men in education, children, and guarding the rest of the citizens; and that both when they are staying the city and going out to war, they must guard and hunt together like dogs, that in doing this they’ll do what’s best and nothing contrary to the nature of the female in her with the male, nothing contrary to the natural community of the two with each other,” (466c). No man or woman could live without a family and romance. Socrates doesn’t think family or romance is important. The only thing Socrates thinks is important is intelligence. To Socrates the only concern men and women should have should be focused around the community and what is best for the city.

Decontee Davis survived Ebola, but her fiance died of the virus. Now she is working with children whose parents have had the disease — and spreading the word that early treatment is critical.

I wanted to share this article I read the other day about Decontee Davis, who is an Ebola survivor. Recently, our class has discussed the heroic doctors and nurses that have gone to Africa to help fight Ebola. They are heroes because they are doing something that they don’t have to do and they are risking their lives to help others.  After losing her fiancé to Ebola, her son having a fever, and fighting Ebola herself, Decontee Davis is a hero to me. Not because she’s overcome Ebola but because she has decided to help the children whose parents have Ebola and they the kids who are at high risk for the disease. At the end of the article she says “my advice to the nation is early treatment saves life.” Even though the kids are at high risk and she has had Ebola, she is still helping her community fight and overcome Ebola.

A high school homecoming prince in Washington state calmly opened fire in the school cafeteria at lunchtime, killing one person and injuring four others - including two of his relatives - before shooting himself to death, police and witnesses said.

Another school shooting happened in the cafeteria at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. 14 year old Jaylen Fryberg, killed one person and injured four other people, including two of his relatives and himself.

Despite the fact that the 14 year old had a weapon, I think that public schools need to take action when it comes to the security and safety of schools. I know that some public schools (middle and high schools) have metal detectors in every entrance of their school for safety purposes. Though students would complain, it could be a possibility to make the school a safe environment. Public schools need to do something to make their schools as safe as possible. On another note, Fryberg shouldn’t have had access to a gun/weapon. School shootings will keep occurring, if we cannot control who has access to a gun.