To remember or not Remember...THAT is the question

"[AJ] remembers almost every single day of her life since age 11"

"There is an 85-year-old man, a retired lab technician called 'EP', who remembers only his most recent thought"

The above are two quotes from the November 2007 issue of National Geographic. The 25 page article not only shows two enormous extremes, but also questions a humans ability to remember certain things. How can Yo-Yo Ma forget his 2.5 million dollar cello in the back seat of a taxi? What gives us the ability to remember or to forget?

Scientists have been researching these questions for years and they are beginning to get closer and closer to an answer. We now know that the hippocampus is essential in creating new memories and that memories are stored in a region of the cortex.

But what is the actual definition of a memory?
According to the magazine, a memory is a stored pattern of connections formed by the Brain's neurons, or nerve cells.
Dictionary.com says its the mental capacity or faculty of retaining and reviving facts, events, impressions, etc., or of recalling or recognizing previous experiences.

Although those definitions are interesting, I think that a memory can only be defined by the individual. How do you think AJ or EP would define it?
AJ states that "My memory flows like a movie" which might be true to her. I know for sure my memory is less fluid and more bumpy with patches of events I do not recall at all.
EP might have a different definition. One person explains that "He sees, but he doesn't record".
How would you describe your memory? A cohesive conversation or an awkward moment?

Religion

After our class discussion about the new law regarding a mandatory moment of silence, I began to think about other ways religion was publicly endorsed. One of the first things that popped into my mind as the popular show "Veggies Tales". Basically, the show is about these talking vegetables that go on all sorts of fun adventures. It used to be a favorite of my neighbor and we would constantly watch it at her house. Now, I'm not that religious so being so young, I didn't really know anything about the bible. However, now that I've expanded my knowledge about other religions, I've come to realize that every single episode was a Bible story. It completely hit me. Parents encourage their children to watch shows like "Veggie Tales" so that they are silently endorsing a certain religion. It made me think about our moment of silence because, like "Veggie Tales", religion is being endorsed publicly and the main target is the young generation. In my opinion, that's a little scary.

Columbus Who?

Today is Columbus Day and even though we don't have school, it doesn't really feel like a holiday. Why exactly are we celebrating? Is this the day when he stepped on "American" soil for the first time? Or is today the day he set off to search for the New World? Who is Christopher Columbus anyway? Sure we know that he "discovered" America in 1492 and that he is considered a hero in many beginning level history classes. But in reality, there are lots of different sides to him. Some say that he was brutal to Native Americans while others hail him for his bravery. Why are we celebarting a man whom we really not know a lot about. I bet that a majority of the people only know the fact that "In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue" and based on that little sentence they percieve him as a hero. But really, who is this man and why are we taking a day off to recognize him?