Amish People

The Amish are members of a conservative Christian group in North America known as the Old Order Amish Mennonite Church. The Amish originated in 1693 – 97 as followers of the Mennonite elder Jakob Ammann in Switzerland, Alsace, and Germany. He taught that lying was grounds for excommunication, that clothing should be uniform and beards untrimmed, and that the state church should be avoided. Migration to North America and assimilation eliminated the Amish in Europe. They settled in Pennsylvania in the 18th century. After 1850 they split into "Old Order" and "New Order". Old Order Amish now live in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, and Kansas. Adults are baptized and admitted to formal church membership at age 17 to 20. Services are in Pennsylvania Dutch (a German dialect) and some English. Though similar in theology to Mennonites, Amish wear modest, old-fashioned clothing and generally reject modern technology, including automobiles and telephones.

Philosophy

The ultimate purpose in their life is to serve Christ and live a simple and austere life. They believe that Christ is the Lord of the church and so he is their leader and the bible is their government; the Bible is taken literally. The Amish have no churches, meeting halls, agencies, or groups because they think the loyalty to the group will interfere with their loyalty to Christ. Therefore, services and meetings are held in their homes. Each district has one bishop, two to four preachers, and one elder. If more than 75 people are in the district,they will divide and create a new district, since they meet in each other’s homes. The only way they will accept a new gadget or technology into their society is if it keeps their lives simple and does not hinder their family-stressed lives. After the 8th grade, Amish believe children do not need any additional formal education so they work on the family’s farm or business until they are married. When married, the couple adds onto the home of the daughter’s and lives there.

Education

The Amish do not educate their children past the eighth grade, believing that the basic knowledge offered up to that point is sufficient to prepare one for the Amish lifestyle. Almost no Amish go to high school, much less to college. In many communities, the Amish operate their own schools, which are typically one-room schoolhouses with teachers (young unmarried women) from the Amish community. These schools provide education in many crafts, and are therefore eligible as vocational education, fulfilling the nationwide requirement of education through the 10th grade or its equivalent. There are Amish children who go to non-Amish public schools, even schools that are far away and that include a very small Amish population. For instance, there have been some Amish children who have attended Leesburg Elementary School in Leesburg, Indiana (about 12 miles (19 km) from Nappanee, Indiana), because their families lived on the edge of the school district. In the past, there have been major conflicts between the Amish and outsiders over these matters of local schooling. But for the most part, they have been resolved, and the educational authorities allow the Amish to educate their children in their own ways. Sometimes, there are conflicts between the state-mandated minimum age for discontinuing schooling, and the younger age of children who have completed the eighth grade. This is often handled by having the children repeat the eighth grade until they are old enough to leave school. In the past, when comparing standardized test scores of Amish students, the Amish have performed above the national average for rural public school pupils in spelling, word usage, and arithmetic. They performed below the national average, however, in vocabulary.

Work

With an average of seven or eight children per Amish family, each member plays a part in the family's economic survival. On a farm, an individual's work and responsibilities directly affect the family. Each person is less an individual and more a member of the family, with responsibilities that contribute. A "paycheck" comes daily in the form of food, clothing, shelter and affection.

Chores are fairly clearly divided by gender role in the Amish home. Men usually work on the farm, with women helping from time to time, if needed. Men are also mainly in charge of financial matters, while women do the cooking, washing, cleaning, etc. Children grow up identifying with the parent of their gender. Boys tag along behind their father, and girls stay indoors to help their mother. There are, of course, many exceptions to this, but men are to be the head of the household.

While farming was not an integral tenet of Anabaptism, agriculture has always been a major part of the Amish lifestyle. Believing that practical knowledge, hard work and long hours are the "technological marvels" that make farm life fruitful, the Amish practice impressive levels of thrift and self-sufficiency, which they believe are mandated by the Bible. Farming is not merely a job or career; it is viewed as a way of life anchored in Scripture, blessed by God and handed down over the generations by Amish ancestors. It provides a seedbed for nurturing strong families in the values of hard work, frugality, responsibility, simplicity and family cooperation.

Horses are a trademark identity of the Amish and their farming, used to plow, cultivate and harvest crops. Tractors are commonly used on Amish farms, but only for power around the barn - to blow silage to the top of large silos, power feed grinders, spin ventilating fans and the like. They are not used for field work. Why the distinction? Over the decades since the invention of the tractor in the early 1920s, several versions were rejected for field use, most notably because of the fear that their self-propelled, mobile nature would surely lead to cars. Moreover, using horses in the fields helps to limit the size - and corresponding cost - of Amish farms, thereby promoting equality and protecting the small family farm. Horses also maintain a slower farming pace, preserving jobs that are the heartbeat of the Amish community.

Over time, additional farm equipment with independent powers sources (such as wagons, corn planters, plows and sprayers) was permitted on the fields to increase productivity, as long as it was adapted for horse-drawn use. Pulling such modern machinery with horses is a compromise that preserves the Amish tradition and identity while allowing just enough progress for farmers to remain competitive.

A large number of the Amish earn a living in non-farming occupations. This is because Horse-drawn equipment became increasingly scarce after 1940, as more American farmers began using tractors. Consequently, several Amish mechanics opened machine shops to refurbish horse-drawn implements, and welders and mechanics began producing parts to repair the equipment. Taking a major turn, they also began buying equipment designed for tractors and adapting it for use with horses. Thus, somewhat ironically, the Amish were nudged into business in order to preserve their horse farming in the face of a booming agriculture business enamored with tractors.

By the 1970s, making a living by farming was becoming more difficult. The increasing Amish population, coupled with decreasing farmland and higher prices, made getting started difficult or impossible for some. Others found the payments on the farm, building, loans, mortgages and interest a hardship. One alternative was to move to another area where farmland was available and cheaper. Others looked at ways to supplement their income by having a family member work out for others, sometimes on a carpentry crew, as a farmhand, or as a cleaning lady in homes of non-Amish. But of most concern to the Amish was the concern of known as the "lunch pail" problem - the possible necessity of having to work in a factory. They were concerned about work that involved going outside the family and community for economic survival, fearing it could drive a wedge into the family and cause disruption.

A good compromise between farming and factories came to be in the 70s and 80s - that of Amish manufacturing shops and cottage industries. During this period of explosive business growth, Amish entrepreneurs ventured into industry within the Amish community, then to non-Amish neighbors, then to tourists. Over the years, they have found that Amish industry has enriched community life. Work remains near the home, family members often work together, and financial resources are kept within the community. Moreover, Amish control eliminates Sunday sales, fringe benefits, adverse personnel policies and other influences that sometimes accompany factory employment.

There are Four types of Amish industries consume much of work that is done away from the farm:

1.Cottage industries located on farm or beside home: crafts, repair work, light manufacturing
2.Large shops: farm machinery, lawn furniture, storage sheds, etc.
3.Mobile carpentry and construction crews: contruct homes, install kitchens, build silos
4.Retail stores: sell hardware, appliances, clothing, furniture, quilts and crafts for the Amish community, non-Amish neighbors and tourists
Amish shops produce an amazing variety of products and services. Woodworking trades comprise the largest cluster of enterprises - furniture building, cabinet making and storage barn and gazebo construction, as well as more general woodworking activity. Smaller wood products, such as doghouses, birdhouses, cupolas, picnic tables, and lawn furniture also flow from Amish shops. The small storage sheds widely distributed in several states are another popular product of Amish carpentry shops.

Recreation

Amish children in particular enjoy playing many games. Rather than going away from the home to parks or movies, children enjoy activities in the house and around the farm. With animals and wide open spaces, the farm is an exciting, although sometimes dangerous, playground. Amish chidren find games everywhere---swinging a cow’s tail, chasing each other around the barn, climbing in the hay, pulling wagons, and imitating their parents. Children also get together at school and after church. Baseball is the most popular activity in the school yard. Many activities normally considered work are forms of recreation for the Amish adult. Quilting bees and frolics are an enjoyable mixture of work, socializing, and recreation.

Some Amish do travel, making trips to visit Amish in other states, but also sometimes to museums, the zoo, or places of interest. Members of one Lancaster family like to make a visit to the airport, simply to watch the planes taking off and landing. They rent a bus and driver for the trip. Some Amish enjoy an occasional trip to eat out, or a birthday party at a local restaurant.

The most popular leisure activity for the Amish seems to be visiting. This may include everyone from relatives and the sick to non-Amish friends. Staying home is not a dreaded experience of isolation for the Amish. It means being immersed in the chatter, work, and play of the extended family.

My reflection

I feel that the Amish way of living is very relaxing and peaceful. The Amish people have a very close-knit community and they have large, bonded families. Although they refuse the luxuries of technologies, they thrived through hard work and iron discipline. The Amish community is very discplined and there are very little cases of crime. This is because the Amish children are taught the correct values through their parents, who use discipline their children harshly. The Amish community is so bonded together that every person knows each of their counterparts very well. This is the kind of spirit that is lacking in us city dwellers nowadays. The Amish create a kind of utopia where everbody is equal and life is simple but peaceful.

However, there are also disadvantages with the Amish way of living. This is because the Amish are isolated from the rest of the world and refuse advanced technology, prefering to stick to the old ways. Therefore, more people would die of sickness because the Amish do not have advanced medical technolgy to save patients, who would not die if they were given the advanced medical care.

In conclusion, I feel that the Amsih way of living is better than urban living, to a certain extent. If there is a way to put technology and the Amish way of living, then it would create a utopia for us all.

Animal Farm

I have just seen the play Animal Farm last Friday at the National Library building and I enjoyed it tremendously.

Differences between the novel and the play

During the process of the play, I have noticed that there were many differences between the play and the novel written by George Orwell. Some of these differences are rather subtle.

Firstly, at the very beginning of the play, there was a dance by all the performers, which was not recorded in the book. Also, during the battle of the cowshed, Jones led a band of men to attack animal farm. However, in the play, Jones was alone and snowball was not injured when Jones fired his gun. In addition, the sheep were not included in the play and they did not chant"four legs good, two legs bad". Instead, we were the sheep as they asked us to chant "four legs good, two legs bad". Moreover, the battle of the windmill, where Fredrick attacks animal farm and destroys the windmill and is driven away in the end, is not portrayed.

Most memorable character

I think that the most memorable character is Mollie. This is because during the entire play, she is the most spoiled character and she almost threw temper tantrums. She is like a vain child. Mollie does not care about the rebellion and feels that life under Jones is fine. Also, Mollie is lazy and she always finds ways to shirk work. She feels that life with eating sugar and tying ribbons around her mane is the perfect world to live in. She does not mind being oppressed and being mistreated, as long as there is an endless supply of sugar and ribbons. I feel that her life was much harder after the rebellion than during Jone's time. Mollie is so addicted to the simple luxuries that she had under Mr. Jones (sugar and ribbons) that she can’t imagine making sacrifices for a social movement even if, in the long run, it’s supposed to be for her own good. Mollie represents a symbol for the bourgeois class in Russia, who were not outright unfaithful to the Bolsheviks, but who contributed very little to the revolution in the long run. Whereas many Russians were actually anti-Bolshevik and fought against them in the Russian Civil War, the bourgeois often were happy enough to nod along to the ideology so long as they didn’t have to make sacrifices in their own lifestyle. When they were asked to make sacrifices, many abandoned the cause and fled to the West.

Review

The play begins with a contemporary dance by all the performers, who are dressed as normal human beings, each with a different clothing that represent people from all walks of life. After the dance, they take off their clothes and this means that on the farm, the animals are the same as humans.

After a while, the animals rebel and drive Mr Jones, their previous owner and they took over the operation of the farm. Snowball and Napoleon, the two main leaders of Animal Farm, then begin to formulate Old Major's beliefs into a set of rules known as the Seven Commandments. Then, they explain it to the animals, in which they have to adhere to strictly. After that, the play depicts how the two leaders have differences in opinions and how Napoleon overthrows Snowball with the help of nine huge dogs to gain ultimate power in the Farm. After which, he becomes the tyrant of the farm.

This is definitely a play worth a watch, with characters full of expression, even though it is a bit contemporary. This performance is something that all of us can definitely relate to, whether at home, in school or in the society. There will always be a person that is more equal than others. Visual effects were also well done, but some parts were unclear.

Gift of intelligence- gift or curse?

I feel that the gift of intelligence is, to a certain extent, a curse. Firstly, this is because I feel that a person with a gift if intelligence will be so smart that it will be difficult to converse with the other party with a lower IQ as the person with higher intelligence will talk about things that are way beyond the average layman. Or, the person with a higher IQ will use powerful words that the average layman cannot understand. The smarter person will probably include the use of many theories while talking to an average layman. The average layperson will not understand what the person with the higher IQ is talking about and this will cause a communication breakdown. Furthermore, the smarter person might give an average layman an inferiority complex and thus, the layman will shun and try to avoid the smarter person. This will cause the smarter person to lose his friends and this in turn will turn him into an outcast. Thus, he cannot converse with people of his same level as the reason is simple- you do not make friends with an intellect everyday. Therefore, he will become very cold towards people and will probably turn eccentric. This will also cause him to be lonely, downcast and forlorn. In today's world, one needs friends to survive. It is impossible to not rely on friends. My first point is further explained in Flowers for Algernon. In the story, Charlie Gordon finds it impossible to communicate with his peers effectively, transforms into an outcast and becomes unhappy.

Secondly, if you are too smart, you would get discriminated and laughed at. This is a scary part in the society. If you are different, people would segregate you. They do not care whether you are too smart or stupid, too tall or short, too fat or skinny. As long as you are different, they will call you names, beat you up and treat you like a freak. They will make you feel frustrated at yourself at being different. This stress, accumulate enough and it will turn into a full blown illness like depression. This will cause you to have low self-esteem and you will be depressed. This is further explained in Flowers for Algernon, where Charlie said," Before, they laughed and despised me for my dullness and ignorance; now, they hate me for my knowledge and understanding. What do they want of me?"

Lastly, being smart will mean that many people will pin their hopes on you to build or create something wonderful and revolutionary. Examples are cures for cancer and Aids, or Solutions to stem global warming. The pressure will not only be from the public, it will be from teachers, empolyees and employers. All of them demand greatness from you just because you have a higher IQ than them. This will be mounting pressure on you and once you make a mistake, the public and other people will hiss at you- just because you have a higher IQ. What the public does not know is that people with higher intelligence are also the same as them.

In conclusion, I feel that the gift of intelligence is to a larger extent, a curse, rather than a gift. Yes, one must have soaring aspirations to suceed and aim to be nothing but the best and having a higher intelligence than all the rest helps just fine. However, I feel that sometimes being an average Joe may just be fine as well.

differences between Percy Jackson's book and movie

Difference 1

At the starting of the movie, it shows Poseidon, the god of the sea , confronting his brother, Zeus, god of lightning, ruler of Olympus and of all the gods. At the starting of the book, it does not tell the confrontation but it is Percy who is narrating the story and introducing himself.

Difference 2

On the run from the Minotaur in the movie, Percy's Mum is driving Gabe's car in an attempt to escape. A cow is thrown by the Minotaur on the road and Percy's Mum swerve the car and it overturns. In the book, Gabe's car is struck by lightning and overturned.

Difference 3

In the book, Grover is knocked unconscious and Percy had to drag him into camp Half-blood. In the movie, Grover is not injured and he and Percy made it safely into the gates of camp Half-blood.

Difference 4

In the book, Dionysus is the camp director of camp Half-blood, while in the movie, Chiron, a centaur, is the camp director.

Difference 5

In the movie, when Percy is introduced to camp Half-blood, he is shown by Chiron to his house near the water built by his father, Poseidon. In the book, Percy stays at the Hermes cabin at the beginning .

Difference 6

In the book, Clarisse, daughter of Ares, god of war, is the camp bully. She despises Percy at first and tries to injure him during the capture the flag. In the movie, Clarisse is not even mentioned.

Difference 7

In the book, Luke has a scar running down his cheek from a dragon attack after trying to steal the golden apple . In the movie, Luke does not have a scar.

Difference 8

In the book, Ares, the god of war, has a significant role in the story, while in the movie, Ares is not even mentioned.

Differences 9

In the book, Percy fights Ares near the beach, while in the movie, Percy fights with Luke near the empire state building instead.

Difference 10

In the book, Percy fights three furies at multiple times, while in the movie, Percy fights only one fury at the Greek and Roman museum.

Flowers for Algernon (Laboratory Reports)

Laboratory Report 1

This is Dr Strauss here. I am starting to keep track of our new experiment, Charlie Gordon. I will be tracking Charlie's behaviour throughout the entire experiment. Our new experiment has an IQ of 68 and he is 37 years old. I hear that he wants to be smart. Well, we'll give him a chance. Charlie was introduced to me by his teacher at the adult night school, Miss Kinnian.

Laboratory Report 2

Our experiment did his first test today. It was a Rorschach test, a psychological test used to measure personality traits and general intelligence. He got jittery when he heard the word test. I think that he thought he was going to fail the test. The subject has low self-esteem. When our tester asked him to say out what he saw on the paper, he said he only saw an inkblot. We gave Charlie two other cards with red and blue ink spilled on it. He still said that he only saw an inkblot.

Laboratory Report 3

Today, we had a Thematic Apperception test on Charlie. We asked him to tell a story of the picture but he said "How can you tell stories about people you never met?" He refused to cooperate with us on this test. After that, we had Charlie race with Algernon, a white mouse which we had increased the IQ of. Charlie lost every race. He seemed disheartened.

Laboratory Report 4

Today is the big day. We had just finished operating on Charlie to increase his IQ permanently. We had to allow Charlie to rest after the operation. He seemed awfully determined to become smart.

Laboratory Report 5

Charlie is impatient that he is not getting smarter and he is getting frustrated at the Rorschach and Thematic Apperception Tests. He is also quite frustrated at racing with Algernon as he keeps losing to him. We placed a television to let Charlie listen to it while he is asleep.

Laboratory Report 6

Today, Charlie beat Algernon at racing! However, he lost the other three rounds as he was too excited. He seems very attracted to Algernon. Charlie's Progress Report is getting better-- his spelling and grammar too. This is a significant breakthrough.

Laboratory Report 7

Charlie's grammar, spelling and punctuation is getting better. He starts to realise what is going on around him. Today, he realises that he is being made fun of as his colleagues are laughing at him, not with him. He doesn't race with Algernon any more. Charlie is clearly getting smarter.

Laboratory Report 8

Charlie starts to elaborate on both the Rorschach and Thematic Apperception Test. Charlie is starting to use big words in his progress report. He starts to read up a lot of books. He can scan a few sentenses at a time, while a normal person can take in only part by part.

Laboratory Report 9

Charlie can now type 75 words a minute and it is a remarkable rate. He is learning a lot at an astonishing rate! He can speak and write Chinese, Hebrew, Latin, Greek, German and many more. As Charlie getting to smart, it is not easy for him to get along with other people so he becomes an isolated person.

Laboratory Report 10

Algernon gets aggressive a week ago and died two days ago. Charlie is worried and he researches on our experiment. However, he is already deteriorating. He starts to lose his languages and he starts to get confused easily and has poor memory. He starts to get disorganised and cannot type anymore. Finally, he starts to go back into his original state. I have just heard, Charlie has already left this town.

Thematic Apperception Test

The thematic Apperception Test, or TAT, is a projective psychological test. Historically, it has been among the most widely used, researched and taught of such tests. Its adherents claim that it taps a subject's unconscious t0 reveal repressed aspectsof personality, motives and needs for achivement, power and intimacy, and problem-solving abilities.

History

TAT was developed by the American psychologists Henry A. Murray and Christiana D. Morgan at Havard during the 1930s to explore the underlying dynamics of personality, such as internal conflicts, dominant drives, interests and motives. According to Melville scholar Howard P Vincent, that the TAT came into being when the two pshchologists adapted the implicit lesson of Melville's [Moby Dick] "Doubloon" chapter to a new and larger creative, therapeutic purpose.

After World War II, the TAT was adopted more broadly by psychoanalysts and clinicians to evaluate emotionally disturbed patients.

Later, in the 1970s, the Human Potential Movement encouraged pschologists to use the TAT to help their clients understand themselves better and stimulate pesonal growth.

Procedure

The TAT is popularly known as the picture interpretation technique because it uses a standard series of provocative yet ambiguous pictures which the subject must tell a story. The subject is asked to tell as dramatic a story as they can for each picture presented, including: 1.what has led up to the event shown 2.what is happening at the moment 3.what the characters are feeling and thinking 4.what the outcome of the story is

If these elements are omitted, particularly children or individuals of low cognitive abilities, the evaluator may ask the subject about them directly.

There are 31 picture cards in the standard form of TAT. Some of the cards show male figures, some female, some bothy male and female, some of ambiguous gender, some adults, some children, and some show no human figures at all. One is completely blank. Although the cards were originally designed to be matched to the subject in terms of age and gender, any card may be used with any subject. Most practitioners choose a set of approximately ten cards, either using cards that they feel are generally useful, or that they believe will encourage the subject's expression of emotional conflicts relevant to their specific history.

Scoring system

The TAT is a projective test in that, like the Roschach test, its assessment of the subject is based on what he or she projects onto the ambiguous pictures. Therefore, to complete the assessment of each story created by a subject must be carefully analysed to uncover underlying needs, attitudes, and patterns of reaction. Although most clinical practitioners do not use the formal scoring systems, several formal scoring systems have been developed for analyzing TAT stories systematically and consistently.

Criticisms

Some critics of the TAT cards have observed that the characters and environments are dated, even 'old-fashioned', creating a cultural or psychological distance between the patients and these stimuli that makes identifying with them less likely. Also, in researching the responses of the subjects given phtographs versus the TAT, researchers found that the TAT cards evoked more 'defiant' stories (i.e., more negative) than phtographs, leading them to conclude that the differnce was due to the differnces in the characteristics of the images used as stimuli.

Contemporary applications

Despite crticisms,the TAT remains the most widely used tool for research into areas of psychology such as dreams, fantasies, mate selction and their motivation to choose their occupation. Sometimes it is used in a psychiatric or psychological context to access pesonality disorders, or to screen candidates for high-stress occupations. It is also commonly used in routine psychological evaluations, typically without a formal scoring system, as a way to explore emotional conflicts and object relations.

TAT is widely used in France and Argentina using a pschodynamic approach. The Israeli army uses the test for evaluating potential officers. It is also used by the Services Board of India

Top 10 questions about Avatar

Hi everybody, I have just watched the 3-Dimensional film, Avatar by James Cameron. It is one of the highest grossing film ever made. I felt that the movie was quite interesting and rather action-packed. Overall, I loved it. Here are the ten questions about the film.

1.Why has the future wheelchair technology not advanced from our present day wheelchair capabilities?

In the movie the main character and the protagonist, Jake Sully is paaralysed waist down and has to sit in a wheelchair. Since the film Avatar is situated in the future, why is it that Jake Sully is still rolling around in a wheelchair that is the same as the ones that we can buy in any nearby pharmacies? Is it because our protagonist, Jake Sully can't afford an advanced wheelchair? I think not. Apart from the cool bright yellow paint job on the wheelchair, everything is the same. There is no heavy-duty tank tracks, mag-lev hovering , or even a simple motor on the wheelchair, which some modern wheelchairs already have.

2.Why is it that futuristic military benefits are so bad that they a soldier paralysed on a battlefield cannot even afford an operation that could potentially put him back on the front line?

In the film, Jake Sully is paralysed in battle , but he is unable to get an operation that could put him back on the battlefield. It is baffling that the military is unwilling to let Jake have a spine restoration surgery. Therefore, it conviniently allows Colonel Quaritch to hold hostage the possibility of walking again unless Jake agrees to help in the operation to destroy the Na'vi.

3. Why is it that in the many years into the future, it is so expensive to do a spine restorative operation?

In the film Avatar, Jake Sully is paralysed waist down on the battlefield, yet he does not have the money to pay for the operation. The film is shown in the future, many years from now. Here in the present, medical techonology is already considered advanced and technology is advancing at an atosnishing rate. At this rate of technological advances, it will be in a short time that many complicated operations would be a piece of cake. Thereby, why is it that in the future, it is still so expensive to do a spine restorative operation?

4.Doesn't it seem impractical that the American robot-like suits need to carry actual guns, instead of having weaponry built into its arms?

In some parts of the film (especially the part where the Americans began their land offensive on the Na'vi and the climax where Colonel Quaritch attacked Jake, who was in Avatar form), people in the robot-like suits had their robots to carry guns to shoot at the Na'vi . Doesn't it seem weird to you, as presently, warplanes already have weapons at their fuselage or weapons stored in the plane itself? Needless to say, in the future, the robots would already have weapons stored in the robot-like suit itself.

5.Why is it that the Americans still have the same old helicopters as they do presently during the offensive on the Na'vi?

In the film, during the part where the Americans, with lots of helicopters and a huge aircraft that served as a mobile headquarters, the helicopters they use are the same as the ones we presently have. I find them rather old-fashioned (apart from the mobile aircraft headquarters). The helicopters are generally the same apart from the huge hovering fan that could change its direction. I mean, doesn't the American army even bother to rearm their armies? This is not likely as the United States of America has one of the most advanced armies in the world.

6.Also, why is it that the firepower of the Americans seem as though they are the same as the ones we have presently?

In Avatar, the Americans began their assult on the Na'vi by shooting gas and then by launching numerous missiles on the Na'vi's hometree. The missiles launched, although numerous, are the same missiles that we use today. It may even be outdated as the missilies are so called "dumb" as they do not have a heat tracking sensor, not to mention the state-of-the-art laser sensor and the in-built radar tracking system.

7.Why is it that Jake can start a fire on Pandora, a place with no oxygen?

In the movie, after Jake is stranded from the rest of the group, the sky turns dark and Jake starts to get jittery as he feels that something dangerous is stalking him. Therefore, he lights a fire for him to see clearly and to ward the thing that is stalking him away. How is that possible on a place without oxygen? It is a Science fact that without oxygen, a fire cannot be started. No oxygen, no flame.

8.Why is it that during the fight with Jake, Colonel Quaritch loses his gun and pulls out a giant knife and lunged at Jake? Isn't it unrealistic?

In the film, when the robo-suit which Colonel Quaritch uses, loses its gun. Immediately, Quaritch pulls out a large, long knife that is about the size of the robo-suit's hand. I find that it is very unrealistic as firstly, where in the world did the knife come from? Weaponry was not stored in the robo-suit. Secondly, even though large knifes could be stored in the robo-suit, why would a person choose to store a knife instead of a gun?

9.Since the Na'vi can 'talk' to nature, like animals and their ancestral tree, why didn't they seek nature for help when they were being attacked?

In the movie, it shows that the Na'vi can communicate with nature and even command it-- shown in the part where Jake learns to ride a type of horse and when he tries to control a dragon. Since the Na'vi can communicate with nature, why didn't they ask them for help when they were in need?

10.Why doesn't any coporation begin mining Unobtainium when the Na'vi hometree was felled?

In the film, the Americans attacked the Na'vi just for Unobtainium, which sells for twenty million per kilogram. Since the Americans were so eager to get the mineral out, why didn't they start mining straight away when they felled the Na'vi's hometree? Instead, they waited at their base and they seemed to have no intention of mining Unobtainium.