Man's Nature Is Evil

The article "Man's Nature Is Evil" is an article based on the believes of the philosopher Hsün Tzu. He believes that human were born evil. In his book he argues with other philosophers and their beliefs. Tzu believes that since every man was born evil that strict discipline and undergo harsh punishment had to be enforced to make humans good. He said that "Godness is the result of conscious activity." It also goes on to say that "He is born with feelings of envy and hate, and if he indulges these, they will lead him into violence and crime, and all sense of loyalty andy good faith will disappear."(101). I don't understand how they know that a person is born with hate and envy. I disagree with this and I am a little confused by this theory. Tzu also believes that for a man to become good he must undo "training." The quote says, "Man must first be transformed by the instructions of a teacher and guided by ritual principles."(101). I am also confused by this because who gets to decide what is "right" and how you make the distinction. They said that these things would be taught by sages, but who are these sages and how do they become sages? I think and feel as though his philosophy does not make any sense. Maybe that why after the empire fell his teachings were banned

Man's Nature Is Good

The article "Man's Nature is Good" mainly talks about Kung Fu Tzu which is known in the west as confucius and Meng Tzu known as Mecius and their views on the man's nature of being good, and Mecius believing that it is good. He was a famous philosopher and wrote during the Warring States in China. During this time many religions were being discovered and being tested so that China could find out which one could promise political stability. Confucian's answer to this was, "good government requires good leaders, and good leaders must be good people."(94.) Kao Tzu believed that human nature was neither inherently good nor evil and Mencius and his disciples believed that love and respect were from internal feelings from human nature. "there is not such thing as a person who isn't good, just as there's no water that doesn't flow downhill."(95). This quote really stood out to me since I too believe that there is good in every person. Everyone has a heart and compassion for someone and I think that is what makes us human. Another quote that goes along with this same argument is, "Without the heart of Humanity and Duty alive in us, how can be human? When we abandon this noble heart, it's like cutting those forest."(97). This basically goes with my idea that there is good in everyone. I am also the kind of person that wants to see the good in everything because I am a more optimistic person, and believe that a person can change.

Thesis Statement

Deciding to Dorm is a big decision in a teenagers life. For many, it might be the first time that they are on their own and having to adapt can be rough. Not knowing who you are living with, wondering if you will get along, adjusting to a different work space are just some factors that come into mind. Creating an ideal work space in your dorm that fits your needs and accommodates your comfort and personality is very important lighting, privacy, comfort, and creativity, and organization are the most significant factors in creating an ideal workspace.

http://www.sahe.colostate.edu/Data/Sites/1/documents/journal/Journal2003_2004vol13/Sense_of_Place.pdf

Mitton, Maureen, Courtney Nystuen, and Melissa Brewer. Residential Interior Design: A Guide to Planning Spaces. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2007. Print.

http://eab.sagepub.com/content/40/4/487.full.pdf+html

Campus Space

Campus space is an article about the importance of physical appearance and design on a college campus and how it may affect a student. It shows how the placement of different buildings can communicate whether a school actually "cares" about a student's well-being non-verbally. It talks about how physical features are also the most important factors in first impression. It gives a scenario of a family who goes on a visit to a college campus that their son is thinking of attending. When they do get to the campus and in some case disappointed because of various building that are difficult to find. Overall they did not like the school's first impression. One of the quotes that I found very interesting while reading was, "It is clear that the campus physical environment is an important feature that influences students' attraction to and satisfaction with a particular institution."(12.) I feel like this is very true. I don't think anyone wants to go to a beat down campus that is not well kept and out of order. First impressions while choosing a college was very important for me, if I did not feel a connection with the campus, I did not want to attend it because I would most like hate my experience. Another quote that was also interesting to me was, "It has been shown that the attractiveness of a room influences positive affect and the energy level of those working in the room." I also agree with this quote and find it very true with myself. I tend to work well and be happier when I am surrounded with color and when a room is very clean. For example at CSUN I love going into Bayramian Hall because of the classrooms and the overall feel. I also enjoyed having a class in the building because the classroom I was in was all white, but with lime green chairs. I felt more energized and ready to learn, as opposed to a class in Jerome Richfield where classrooms are a little more smaller, and barely have any color. Even though it might sound weird, I find it very true especially for myself!

Comic vs. New York

As we all know New York is known as the city that never sleeps. There is always something going on in New York not matter what time of the day it is. It is known for many famous spot, such as the statue of liberty, and the empire state building. In class we were asked to find a comic book picture and a real picture and compare the two on how well the comic book picture captured the important aspects of New York.  In the picture above, it shows Spider-Man on top of many skyscrapers, as he makes his way around the town. In the background, the sky is colored in black and there are many skyscrapers that are lit up with yellowish colors that represent the lights and awakening, on-the-go feel that New York gives off. The sky is also dark, because New York is also known for its gloomy feel, since it always rains in the city. Marvel does a great job of capturing the important aspects of New York City. The city is also known for its skyscraper in which we see many in comics and in the  picture above. New York also has this dark feel because it is taken over by these skyscrapers that tower and make up most of the city.

Comic Book Space

The article, "I Am New York" Spider-Man, New York City and the Marvel Universe." by Jason Bainbridge talks about how New York is basically the birth place of comics and was the birthplace of famous comic writer such as Stan Lee and artists like Jack Kirby. It explains how New York has been a place where all the comics have evolved and revolved around, these comics include Spider-Man, Fantastic 4, and X-Men. New York is pretty much where everything has come alive. "Spider-Man, as he is Marvel's flagship character,predominantly based in New York City and arguably the template for Marvel's other superheroes."(164.). This quotes just explains how spiderman has become like a "role model" for other comic characters. I believe this is true since spiderman is one of the most popular and most common, and I think in the movies did a great job of using the New York setting. One of my favorite quotes while reading this article was, "They say New Yorkers have seen everything...But here's something they new saw...a mammoth tidal wave, so high it surmounts the city's tallest building...so terrific it slams down the world's most famous building! Goodbye Broadway!"(165). I love this quote because it has so much humor to it. It just shows how creativity one can have and how technology can make it come alive.

The Empty Parking Lot Space

Today we were asked to think about a public space in which we thought could be renovated or kept as is. Instantly I thought of a space that would be perfect for a recreation center. Around my neighborhood, about literally a couple seconds away from my house, is a huge empty parking at the back of some sort of old government building, which I don't think is open anymore. It is filled with dead weeds, and plants, and the whole space is unevenly paved. There are so many deep dips, and it is actually dangerous. The lot is hardly ever used, except on Sundays for extra parking space when there is church service.  I think that this space should be turned into a mini park in which neighborhood children and their families can come and play and enjoy themselves. If the public space is there why can't it be utilized for something useful such as an entertainment spot for the children. I think it is a perfect way to keep the kids out of trouble, and at the same time it is a good way for them to get physical exercise.

The kids in the neighborhood deserve a place where they could be able to play and have fun.  As a kid, during the summertime when my mother was at work, it would be so boring! My friends and I alway used to talk about how great of a space the empty parking lot would be for some basketball courts, a swing jungle gym, and benches surrounded with nice plants. I think that we are in need of some sort of mini recreational place in the empty parking lot. In my neighborhood, my apartment building is the newest one on the block, and kids from next door love to come in and play in our building. Sometimes it could get a bit annoying, because you constantly hear ball flying towards windows which is a hazards to us residents or loud screams, which makes it difficult to study on the weekends.  I also thing that making this recreational center would make the neighborhood a little bit nicer, and keep the children out of trouble. 

There are many places that look run-down and plants around the area are unkept. Making this recreation center would brighten up our neighborhood and I think that I would bring our community closer together, so that we could have a save environment for the children to enjoy and play in. The only fault I think this space has is being next to a main street, but by building high cement walls, I think this problem would be solved. I also think that making the parking lot into a park would attract many visitors outside our neighborhood since it is on a main street. It is also convenient, since there are many food places and a liquor store nearby.