Monday, September 19, 2005
The Fighting Illiacs?
The University of Illinois has drawn heat from the NCAA and its recent ruling on mascots. The Fighting Illini are represented at halftime shows by a fellow wearing Indian headgear and doing a dance, and campus has been exercised about this for some time (see here). I'm something of an agnostic on the issue, and it seems too bad to give in to the forces of political correctness, especially when they seem less exercised over mascots that might be offensive to others (Fighting Irish, USC Trojans, MSU Spartans, etc.), and what about all those animal mascots. Hasn't anyone ever heard of PETA?
Regardless, in the interest of promoting campus harmony, I have had a brainstorm that should settle matters once and for all. The campus should pay homage to its own role in the creation of the modern computer & IT eras and rename the team either The Fighting Illiacs or The Bucking Browsers. The first recalls the first computer built and owned by a university (see here) and the second recalls the invention of the Mosaic browser at Illinois at NCSA.
A side effect of the choice is that it will sidestep the banishment of animal mascots by the NCAA in 2067 at the behest of animal-rights groups.
Regardless, in the interest of promoting campus harmony, I have had a brainstorm that should settle matters once and for all. The campus should pay homage to its own role in the creation of the modern computer & IT eras and rename the team either The Fighting Illiacs or The Bucking Browsers. The first recalls the first computer built and owned by a university (see here) and the second recalls the invention of the Mosaic browser at Illinois at NCSA.
A side effect of the choice is that it will sidestep the banishment of animal mascots by the NCAA in 2067 at the behest of animal-rights groups.
Comments:
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Gosh!! Gosh!! I think that when persons from PETA-Brazil begin to make the so called political correctness for the treatment of animals in Sports here in Brazil, they will have a lot of work, because a lot of Soccer Teams have an animal as Mascot(Flamengo has a Black Vulture; Santos (where Pelé played) has a Fish; Palmeiras has a Pig).
Once I was talking on Internet with a girl that is a PETA's member and she was telling that we, Human Beings, are much more intelligent than other animals and that we can choose what to eat. She said that when I eat an animal, let's say a fish, I was destroying all fish's dreams(the fish, as the girl told me, has dreams: to have a family, to live, to have children and so on (maybe enter in a University)). The girl told me that I only should eat vegetables, but I asked her if when I ate the vegetable I would be destroying all the dreams of the vegetable.
Here in Brazil is very complicated to say for a person only to eat vegetables "because the Human Beings are so evolved that can choose what to eat". Well, my country is very poor, some persons even do not have what to eat and those guys from PETA and others PETA-like come to say that we only need to eat vegetables. Worse, vegetables do not have the same quantity of nutrients as animal food.
I agree that we need to treat animals in a very ethical way, but we should not forget that they are animals and do not need the same treatment of a Human (see those Celebrities' pets that even go to a Spa). Gosh, when I see those celebrties with their pets using diamonds and gold I think that, at the same time, there are billions of persons that have nothing. I guess that this is much more cruel than the use of the figure of an animal as a Mascot.
Até Mais!!
Marcelo (a.k.a Nosophorus)
P.S: This situation remembered me about an episode of an anime, Cowboy Bebop. The episode is "Jamming With Edward" (Ep. 09). Here is a little excerpt of the history:
"A satellite in Earth space draws strange images on the surface of the planet. Jet and Faye search for "Radical Edward," the hacker presumed to be responsible for the satellite's strange behavior. Ed hacks into the Bebop's computer to tip off the bounty hunters on the real culprit, the satellite itself. In exchange for the information, Ed asks to join the bounty hunters."
Interesting is the final when the bounty hunters would receive the money:
"This bounty is only for when humans or other life-forms are the targets. It is difficult to determine whether or not a computer program is a life-form. To begin with, from the viewpoint of biological logistics..."
Well, I really guess if in a not so distant future we will have groups for the ethical treatment of Artificial Life Forms. Would be the PETALF (Persons for the Ethical Treatment of Artificial Life Forms ?
I have a friend in Japan and, I really do not know if it is true (i guess it is not), but he said that in Japan there are some persons that are against the use of robots in the assembly lines, those persons sometimes are very radical when they talk about the solutions to make about the use of those robots: Destruction! A solution not so much fair.
Wow, Humans Vs Machines. Nice!!
Once I was talking on Internet with a girl that is a PETA's member and she was telling that we, Human Beings, are much more intelligent than other animals and that we can choose what to eat. She said that when I eat an animal, let's say a fish, I was destroying all fish's dreams(the fish, as the girl told me, has dreams: to have a family, to live, to have children and so on (maybe enter in a University)). The girl told me that I only should eat vegetables, but I asked her if when I ate the vegetable I would be destroying all the dreams of the vegetable.
Here in Brazil is very complicated to say for a person only to eat vegetables "because the Human Beings are so evolved that can choose what to eat". Well, my country is very poor, some persons even do not have what to eat and those guys from PETA and others PETA-like come to say that we only need to eat vegetables. Worse, vegetables do not have the same quantity of nutrients as animal food.
I agree that we need to treat animals in a very ethical way, but we should not forget that they are animals and do not need the same treatment of a Human (see those Celebrities' pets that even go to a Spa). Gosh, when I see those celebrties with their pets using diamonds and gold I think that, at the same time, there are billions of persons that have nothing. I guess that this is much more cruel than the use of the figure of an animal as a Mascot.
Até Mais!!
Marcelo (a.k.a Nosophorus)
P.S: This situation remembered me about an episode of an anime, Cowboy Bebop. The episode is "Jamming With Edward" (Ep. 09). Here is a little excerpt of the history:
"A satellite in Earth space draws strange images on the surface of the planet. Jet and Faye search for "Radical Edward," the hacker presumed to be responsible for the satellite's strange behavior. Ed hacks into the Bebop's computer to tip off the bounty hunters on the real culprit, the satellite itself. In exchange for the information, Ed asks to join the bounty hunters."
Interesting is the final when the bounty hunters would receive the money:
"This bounty is only for when humans or other life-forms are the targets. It is difficult to determine whether or not a computer program is a life-form. To begin with, from the viewpoint of biological logistics..."
Well, I really guess if in a not so distant future we will have groups for the ethical treatment of Artificial Life Forms. Would be the PETALF (Persons for the Ethical Treatment of Artificial Life Forms ?
I have a friend in Japan and, I really do not know if it is true (i guess it is not), but he said that in Japan there are some persons that are against the use of robots in the assembly lines, those persons sometimes are very radical when they talk about the solutions to make about the use of those robots: Destruction! A solution not so much fair.
Wow, Humans Vs Machines. Nice!!
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