(CBS) How’s this for an offer you can’t refuse: how would you like to live say, 400 or 500 years, or even more and all of them in perfect health? It’s both a Utopian and a nightmare scenario but there are those who say it is well within the realm of possibility.

Though we live longer and healthier lives than our grandparents, 100 is more or less the outer limit because, catastrophic disease aside, we just plain wear out. But 60 Minutes correspondent Morley Safer talked to one scientist who says that’s old-fashioned thinking, that sometime in the next 20 to 30 years or so we’ll be able to recondition ourselves for the first steps towards immortality.

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We begin our journey to the outer limits with a gentle trip down the River Cam, floating by that center of British learning, Cambridge University. Our guide and helmsman: Dr. Aubrey de Grey. He ponders while he punts.

"When I was a student, I bought my own punt, a secondhand one for a few hundred pounds. And I used it in the summer to do what's called chauffeur punting," says de Grey. "People come along, tourists, and you tell them lies for money."

Today he’s pondering his favorite premise: eternal youth.

While most scientists talk about increasing longevity by a few years, de Grey says he is talking about the "indefinite extension of longevity."

"Average life spans would be in the region of 1,000 years," he says. "Seriously."

De Grey and his wife Adelaide are fixtures around Cambridge. She’s a researcher in genetics; he’s an academic maverick. While still in his early 30s he published groundbreaking work in theoretical biology and earned an international reputation. His day job is managing a fruit fly database.

But the work that consumes him involves larger game – humans. And he does his best thinking in the same 17th century pub where Watson and Crick refreshed themselves while unlocking the mysteries of DNA. De Grey believes he has unlocked the mysteries of immortality.

"The aging process is really a buildup of side effects of being alive in the first place," he says.

De Grey has identified the biological processes he thinks are responsible for aging, including the mutations that cause cancer and the gradual buildup of useless, toxic junk.

The summary of this story is that a scientist says that is possible to live up to 400 to 500 years or more.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/28/60minutes/main1168852.shtml

quotes

QUOTES
“It was by this service to your dear body, Polynices, I earned the punishment which now I suffer, though all good people know it was for your honour. O but I would not have done the forbidden thing for any husband or for any son. For why? I could have had another husband and by him other sons, if one were lost; But, father and mother lost, where would I get another brother?” –Antigone (pg. 150)

“Gods of our fathers, my city, my home, rulers of Thebes! Time stays no longer. Last daughter of your royal house go I, his prisoner, because I honoured those things to which honour truly belongs.” –Antigone (pg. 151)

“Is he not my brother, and yours, whether you like it or not? I shall never desert him, never.” –Antigone (pg. 128)

“Whose was the deed, Death and the dead are witness. I love no friend whose love is only words.” – Antigone (pg. 141)

"Apollo, friends, Apollo has laid this agony upon me; not by his hand; I did it." -Oedipus (pg. 62, King Oedipus)

"Oedipus: How can that be, seeing I am their son? Messenger: No. Polybus (king of Corinth) is no kin or yours" (p. 53).
Indivdual vs. state: Ismene "i do not defy them; but i cannot act against the state. I am not strong enough."

Conscience vs. law: Antigone "he has no right to keep me from my own"

Introductory Notes

The introduction mostly sets up the background of the story and sort of gives you a feel for the matieral that your going to be reading
The chorus commentates all the actions of the plays and they say what they believe is right or what they believe. They explain the characters and why the characters do the stuff that they do. A good example is like John Madden was he commentated ever play that he watched when he was NFL commentater.
The dramatic irony is when the readers know what is going on but the characters dont. For example when Oedipus killed his father we know that he did it at the time but Oedipus doesnt know. Also when he marrys his mother we know what he has done but the people in the play dont.

Despair

Question:

What is the meaning of "Despair" and how does this theme manifest itself in both plays?
Answer:
The defention of despair is to lose faith/hope in or to in a way give up to what your trying to do. In the story Oedipus he is in despair because he realizes what he has done and knows he has made in enormous sin. Everyone is dying in Thebes and Creon explains to Oedipus that he is the culprit for murder of his father. After he realizes that he murdered his father he knows that he has to leave Thebes because of the sin that he made. That also makes Jocasta realize that she is married to her own son and has had 4 kids with him. She kills herself with her hair pin and Oedipus takes the pin to both eyes he knows that he has crossed the line so he takes the pin stabs his own eyes out and than goes and dies in the mountains.
The story of Antigone is the complete oppisite of the story in Oedipus. Antigone sticks with her morals the entire story and ends up killing herself by hanging at the end. She is in despair because she cant beleve that her brother has past away and thinks that if she burys him it would be the right thing to do. She stuck with her morals the entire story and although she didnt obey the law she still did what she thought was right.

Ignorance Vs Guilt

I want this question graded....

Question: If a person does not know, is that person still guilty of grievous crime?

Consider the plight of Oedipus and a modern day example.What would you do if you were on the jury at the Oedipus trial? What would you do if you were on the jury in a modern day trial?What would cause you to vote one way or another? Values? Beliefs? Evidence? Society Norms? Other information?
Answer:
I don't think it madders if you dont know the law because usually if its a law its pretty obvious that you shouldnt be doing it. In modern day it doesnt madder if you know the crime or not if you commit it than you will be penalized for it. For example lets say that you didnt know that you couldn't shoot geese on the Parkersburg Marsh and you shot one down if the DNR caught you they can do whatever they want in their power because you broke the law. If I were on the Oedipus trail I would charge him guilty because it is obiously the law and a sin to kill your own father and it is also not right to marry your mother. If the Oedipus trial was in modern day it depends what state we were in but if we were in a state with the death penalty he would be charged with murder and be killed because of the death penalty. I couldnt imagine doing any of his because of my values beliefs and norms. My family is very important to me and I couldnt imagine killing my own father because I like him so much. Also I believe in marrage and dont think its right for a son to marry his own mother like Oedipus married Jocasta and it is just purly not normal.
"Apollo, friends, Apollo has laid this agony upon me; not by his hand; I did it." -Oedipus (pg. 62, King Oedipus)

Conscientious Objections

QUESTION:

What is "conscientious objection"?In what ways does Antigone demonstrate conscientious objection?In your opinion, did she do the right thing? Explain your view in terms of how 21st Century citizens might view her actions.

Answer:Conscientious Objections is going against the law or breaking the law. She demonstrates Conscientious Objection she gives a proper burial to her brother Polynices after he died while fighting for king.Creon said that if anyone gives him a proper burial they will be sentenced to death. Even though it was against the law and she knew that she would be excuted for it she did becaues of her good morals and because she knew it was the right thing to do for her brother Polynices. I aslo beleive that Antigone was very brave during this because she knew it was the right thing to do and she didnt shy away from it and admitted that she did it. The reason everyone knows that she did it is because when Creon undug Polynices body and waited at the top of the hill Antigone came up and buried him again. I think that she did the right thing because its her brother and she believes that he did nothing wrong to not deserve a proper burial. I think she did the right thing in both our society and that time period. If I was put in the same situation as Antigone I would of done the same thing because I believe in my morals and respect my family more than the law. You can get re married if you lose a husband or wife but if you lose a brother or sister you cant get them back.

Antigone

There was a battle between Oedipus sons Polynices and Eteocle for control of Thebes. Eteocle defended the city but during the battle they killed each other while the tried to fight for control. Creon gave Eteocle a proper burial for defending the city with pride. Also Creon said that if anyone tries to give Polynices a proper burial they will be killed. Antigone insists that she will bury Polynices but she asked Ismene's for help. Ismenes tells Antigone that she loves Polynices but she doesnt want to be punished by death. A sentry enters with a message for the king he kind of studders because hes scared what the king might think. Creon tells him to read the message so Sentry finishes the story. He tells the king that somebody gave Polynices a proper burial and tells him that no one knows who did it. Creon blames the Sentry on burying Polynices and threatens him with a death threat. The Sentry leaves and never intends to go back to Thebes ever again. The chorus is blaming Antigone for the proper burial of Polynices. The Sentry undug the body and went and sat on top of the hill and waited for Antigone to come back to bury it. She came back and that's how they know that she is the culprit for the burial of Polynices. Creon wants both daughters dead so he has a message to bring them both to the palace. He doesn't think that Polynices deserved a Honorable burial.

Book 2 and 5

I think the suitors are very annoying and are hoping that Odysseus is dead so that one of them can marry and take the values that Odyssues and P have had. They only care about themselves and only want good things to happen to them they are very selfish. I think its right what shes doing because she doesnt want to marry any of them and shes trying to lead them on but shes not going to marry any of them because she has a hunch that Odysseus is still alive. Big T has changed alot from the beggining of the book he is becoming more of a man and he is going out to look for his father. At the end of book 2 Big T is heading to pylos to find information about his dad so he can hopefully find and save him so that his mother wont have to marry one of the suitors.

Calypso likes O but O still cant get over his beautiful wife at home. They slept with each other but O was not willing and Calypso was. O had a chance to become a god and he turned it down because he wants to come home to Penilipi. I think he made a good choice because he is still putting his family first after 19 years of being away from them and that just shows that he still loves them and he wants to go home. Poseidon wasnt at the meeting that all the gods went to that decided to tell calypso to let him go so he can go back to his family so he got mad and on the way home poseidon made a big storm so he couldnt get home and had to swim to the nearest island that was days of swimming away.

Book 14 and 15

Emmaeus is a very kind man. O needed a place to stay so he let him in although he had no idea who he was. Little did they know they had a little bit of history together. O's father bought Emmaues. O's family treated Emmaues very good and they was Emmaues nicest masters. He does his best to make everybodys life eaiser.

bOOK 19

O goes over to P's house disquised as a begger. she allows him to come into his house and they go sit down and start talking. O doesnt tell her who he is because he isn't ready and he doesnt think that she is ready either. O is trying to get rid of the suiors he wants them all dead. O tells P that he met O and he is still alive and he will be returning home shortly. P explains to him that he is tired of waiting because she misses him so much and she wants him home because the suiters are taking advantage of her and she doesn't want to marry any of them.
The maid knows that it is O because when she was cleaning his feet when he was talking to P she noticed the scar that was on his foot before he left. She is so excited that he is back but she cannot say anything because of his disguise

bOOK 21

I dont think that homer makes it a point to make women important in his stories unless there special or a type of god. During the whole book O talks about how much he wants to get back to his wife but it doesnt stop him from sleeping with all those other women. When P is at home and has been waiting for him the entire time. The women arent treated good at all. For example when they were trying to shoot the bow an arrow through the axes and if any of them did it they automatically got to marry P. That isnt fair to her because she should be able to marry who she wanted and if she didnt want to marry any of them she shouldn't have to.
I predict that O and T will work as a team to kill all the remaining suitors and after they do that O will show him who he really is.

BOOK 22

T and O take on all the suitors by them selves. I think that they are heroes because they got rid of what they have been fighting this entire time and they did it together as father and son. T showed alot of courage fighting against all the suitors I didn't see that coming. I thought that O would take them on all by himself and I figured he would succeed but in the end T helped him and they fought off the suitors by themselves. After all the fighting O had the maids clean up the bodies and the blood. Than T did a very disrespectful thing he had a hanging outside there house for all the maids and hung them all outside of the palace.

Book 23

P is pretty much in shock because O has been gone for so long. She is scared to accept that he is back because its been so long. I agree with Tyler when someone is gone for so long it doesnt even seem like they are there. And when they get back from such a long time away you really don't no what to say except for to be excited that they are safe and back with you.

Book 1 King Oedipus

In book 1 king Oedipus people are dying and everyone has surrounded the palace and they want the King to save them. King Oedipus has his brother in law Creon to go see what is going on. He goes to the God Apollo and gets the info that will cure Thebes. God Apollo tells Creon that in order for the town to be saved King Oedipus has to be driven out of Thebes. Oedipus tells the chorus that he will end the plague himself. Oedipus meets up with Tiresias and he asks if she knows luias murder. He replies to Oedipus I know the truth but i wish i didn't. When Oedipus gets furious with Tiresias she gets scared and tells him that he King Oedipus is the curse. When Oedipus hears this he is very upset with the answer. He begins to try to think of a story that the reason that Tiresias and Creon said this is because they wanted to overthrow him. King Oedipus is very upset with Creon he thinks that the reason he invited Tiresias to come to talk with King Oedipus is because they wanted to work together to overthrow him. King Oedipus said that he wanted both of them murdered for trying to make up this. Creon is lucky that Jocasta came into the picture because she explains to Oedipus that he shall not kill or exile his brother in law Creon. Jocasta tells Oedipus that Laius was killed at a three way crossroad just before Oedipus arrived in Thebes. Oedipus was shocked because he remember the three way crossroad and realized that he might of killed Laius. A messenger comes to Thebes looking for Oedipus. The reason he is here is to tell Oedipus that his father that adopted him , Polybus, is dead. The messenger also tells Oedipus that he wants him to come to Corinth so that he can rule there. When Jocasta finds out that shes married to his son and his son killed his father. She goes to her room and commits suicide with her hair pin. Oedipus comes in the room examines his wife and realizes that his wife is dead so he takes the hair pin and stabs his eyes out.

9 AND 10

I think that O is a good leader because when the cyclops have them trapped in the cave he devoleps a plan to help them escape the cave from the cyclops. What O thinks of is burning the end of stick/pole and getting the cyclops drunk and right before he falls asleep because of intoxication he asks O his name and he replys "Nobody" and than the cyclops falls asleep and thats when O and his people get hot end of the pole and jab his eye with it so when the cyclops people come they ask who did it to him and he said "nobody" so now they have no clue that O did this to him. O stole the sheep from Cyclops to get out of the cave. So cyclops prayed to Posiden to bring bad weather on O while he goes out to see on his ship.