Lord of the Flies

                I believe that this statement by Andre Gide is true. Although, I believe that this statement is referring to more of a non-physical death, rather than physical. So rather than society actually killing a person, I believe it could kill his or her spirit, or soul. Ways that you could kill a persons’ spirit could be by making them feel like an outcast. There could also be instances where people could have enough power over someone and they could fill their head with lies that make them believe they are not worth it and get in their head and eventually cause the person to commit suicide.

                If we can’t separate our savage self from our civilized self, I believe that our savage self would definitely take over rather than our civilized self. As much as people hate to admit, if things got hard enough, you would rather do what is best for yourself and be greedy rather than trying to help other people, which is a savage. Lord of the flies shows a great example of this. Rather than sticking together, Jack makes his own group and they eventually end up killing each other and fighting. I feel like no matter how hard you try to stay civilized, your savage self will always end up taking over.

                A civilization is created when everyone comes together as a whole to work together and survive rather than working alone and only for yourself. It is hard to decide whether people are controlled by the society, or if the society is controlled by the people, but since I have to choose, I believe that people are controlled by society for multiple reasons. There are lots of rules, laws, and norms that people have created, and everyone just follows them. If someone doesn’t follow the rules, laws, or norms that we have, they either get in to trouble or just stick out.

 LOTF is basically telling Simon to stop trying to help out the rest of the boys because they will never be rescued and will be here forever.

Simon has been doing his best to help everyone in the group rather than being a savage and only helping himself. 

Because LOTF is only in Simon's head. Not anyone else's. 

Refugees

1) 18-24 months
2) 110,000 refugees
3) Democratic Republic & Congo
4) 39,000
5) California, Texas, & New York
6) From 2015 to 2017, the amount of refugees we let in went way down
    I didn't realize how many refugees we let in from Africa
    I figured that there would be more from Africa
7) I didn't realize that a good chunk of the ones we let in are Christians
    We also let a lot in that are unaffiliated which is surprising
8) We have become more accepting of different cultures, and they also have light colored skin.
9) It has moved from Europe to Africa to Asia. Bhutan.
10) There are a lot more of African Refugees than I would of thought
       There used to be a lot more refugees from Asia than there are now
      That Eritrea is settled in Montana
11) 50,000
12) At first it was dropping, but now it is increasing, but still slowly.
13) 1 in 10
14) 6 in 10
15) Norway and Switzerland

I do believe that the US should feel obligated to take in refugees because we are big enough and we have the ability to help, so we might as well.

Formula One Grid Girls

     I have known about things like this, like ring girls, but I have never heard of grid girls before reading this article. After reading this article, it changed my perspective on those types of jobs. I realized that it does not make a woman's image look very good, so I believe that it is a good idea that they have decided to stop doing it. A grid girl has been used to be dressed in a uniform, stand in front the drivers' cars before the race, and hold up their number. They also would stand by the winner at the end of the race. This has been going on for a very long time and is considered a tradition, but I believe that it is a good idea that they have decided to stop doing it.

     There are quite a few shoes that I could put myself into. After putting myself in the grid girls' shoes, I would feel very conflicted because first of all, I probably chose to have that job, and I probably like it. It would be very hard to understand why they made the decision to end it, but eventually, I think I could try to understand. Putting myself into the racers' shoes, I would be upset, because the racers probably like it. Lastly, putting myself in the shoes of the ones who made the decision to end grid girls, I would be proud, because it is helping the image of women.

Barnga

1) Frustrating
2) Just a competitive game of who can get the most paper clips
3) When Tyeson and Ryan were trying to argue about what the winning card was
4) We just gave Tyeson the paper clip and went with it
5) It is what made the game frustrating, because we all had different rules but weren't able to talk about it so we were all confused
6) yes, you are able to tie this game to culture
7) It would probably be a good idea but the game would still be confusing
8) That we rely on being able to talk to each other, and that we can't properly communicate without it.

Sociological Mindfulness/Imagination

After watching the Ted video, I was very deep in thought. The speaker in that video made some great points that I never even would of thought of if I hadn't watched it. Towards the beginning of the video, I was really confused and had a hard time getting a grasp on what the speaker was saying, but as the video went on, it started to make more sense. He went really deep into perspective, which made me think a lot. The most interesting point he made in my opinion is when he was talking about being an Arab Muslim. When he started to talk about how maybe before those two guys were killed, they could of told their kids that they will be back soon, and that they love them, because they could just be fighting for their country. It just really hit me when he said that, because that is a way that I never could of seen that, so I found it very interesting how he said that. There are many times in my life where I have been sociologically mindful, like just by doing little things like when I see people who are superior to someone, and being very rude towards them, I have stepped in and stopped it before. When I walk by someone and see that they are getting bullied, I am not the type of person to just stand there and watch it, I need to say something. Lastly, I see myself fitting into the big picture of society because I believe that I am someone you are able to look up to. I am a very willing and generous person. Whenever someone asks me for help, or for a favor, I am almost always willing to do it, and I am very generous because I am always willing to share what I have. Knowing that I have been a kind person my whole life makes me satisfied and believe that I fit into the big picture of society.

Freaks & Geeks

1) Thoughts and ideas from the pilot episode 
By judging the pilot episode, I really liked this show. It is good to watch and it also has lots of good messages in it.
-Conflict theory: Jeff trying to make Lindsay join the math contest instead of getting in trouble
-Functional theory: Lindsay actually having fun at the dance
-Symbolic interactionism: Jeff telling Lindsay that she can't call him Jeff anymore
2) What are the groups and what functions do they serve? Are there negative influences from any of the groups (dysfunctions)? 
-The geeks - they are brave because they stand up to their bully and one of them has the guts to ask the girl to the dance.
-The bullies - they are mean because they pick on people for no reason.
-The jocks/populars - some of them are mean
-The freaks - they are brave because they fight the bullies
Yes, there are negative influences from the bullies.
3) Who has power in the episode? How or why do they have power? How do they use it?
Lindsay has the power in this episode because she has enough confidence to stand up for herself and the people around her. She uses it in a good way by sticking up for people.
4) What are the important symbols in this episode? How do the characters act based on the symbols they find important?
-The nerds struggling with being bullied - they fight their bully
-Lindsay struggling with a little of everything - she just accepts her punishment, and then she dances with the autistic boy that she somewhat caused to break his arm
-Lindsay's brother struggling to find a date to the dance - Even though he got turned down by the girl he asked, he still got to dance with her at the dance.
5) Can you relate any of these theories to your own life? How can the things you do be interpreted through one of these theories? 
Yes, the conflict theory, because I'm really bad at decision making. I'm always in conflict with myself.

Intelligence

               In recent studies, researchers have came to the conclusion that by doing aerobic exercises, you can actually improve your memory function and keep a more steady health for your brain as you age. This study was discovered by researchers at Australia’s National Institute of Complementary Medicine at the Western Sydney University, Division of Psychology,  and the Mental Health at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.

                The first thing the researchers did was that they studied the effects that happened after doing aerobic exercises on the part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is a very important part of the brain for memory. It has been proven that as you age, your brain health gets worst, as the average brain shrinks about five per cent per every 10 years once you turn 40. By doing studies on rats and mice, it has been able to prove that exercise increases the size of the hippocampus, but up until now, the evidence we have gained from humans has not been consistent.

                A researcher by the name of Mr. Firth came to the conclusion that, “When you exercise, you produce a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which may help to prevent age-related decline by reducing the deterioration of the brain.” Mr. Firth also stated that the results have also proven that they are able to help prevent things like Alzheimer’s and dementia, but more research is going to need to be done to know for sure.

                Overall, the data was able to show that instead of the aerobic exercises actually increasing the size of the hippocampus, the ‘brain benefits’ that it gains are because of the aerobic exercises “slowing down the deterioration in brain size”. It has been proven that physical exercises is one of the only ways you can help maintain your brain size and the way it functions when you start to get older. 

Same Sex Marriage Case

     I honestly think that this court case was very pointless, because this same sex couple could’ve easily just went and asked another photography company to take a video of their wedding, that would be just fine with them being the same sex. But I also think that it is kind of dumb that they were refused by a photography company due to them being the same sex, because of the photographers religious beliefs. The photographers still would have got money from the couple, so I think the photographers should of just gotten over it, and dealt with it.

I don’t think this should of got brought to court, but I do think that the judge should of listened to the case a little more, rather than dismissing it so fast, since the couple did take this far enough to take it to court. This same sex couple was discriminated against their gender and that is violating the Federal Civil Rights act of 1964.

Overall, I believe that this should not have been brought to court. I  believe that it was very pointless and that the same sex couple should of just found another photography company to record their wedding for them.

First Memory / First Lie

My first memory:
     My first memory that I can remember is going to visit my relatives at their house in Montana. They built their house on a really big mountain, with no electricity, and an out house for a bathroom. I think the reason I remember this very clearly is because driving up the mountain to get to their house is really scary. The roads are really narrow and if you look out your window, it's just a big drop off. I think another reason I remember it very clearly is because of how weird it was staying in a house with no electricity or bathroom right inside the house. I think I was about 4 or 5 at the time.

My first lie:
   The first lie I remember telling was probably when I went to daycare with Lincoln Dinger. I was probably about 5. I was in the kitchen of the house, trying to pour myself a glass of milk (without permission) and I was really little and was having trouble, and accidentally tipped the jug of milk completely over and spilled it all over, and ended up blaming it on Lincoln because I didn't want to get into trouble.

Amending the 2nd Amendment

The second amendment states that: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." 

I would like to add onto the 2nd amendment that before purchasing a gun for yourself, you should be required to take a class and pass a test on gun safety. 

2nd Amendment Amended: 

Section 1: 

 "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

Section 2: 

"In order to obtain arms, United States Citizens must have been certified by the United States Government through a firearm safety test." 

Teaching an Amendment

19th Amendment
 
1)    The 19th Amendment states that no one can be denied their vote by the United States or any state because of their sex. 
2)     The purpose of this amendment was to guarantee women the right to vote once they turn 18. By the 20th century, in America, a women's role was really changing. Women were working more, getting a better education, and many states had authorized female suffrage. 
3)  "Female Suffrage" - The right of women to vote (19th Amendment) 
4) 
       a. This amendment was made so that everybody had the equal right to vote. 
       b. This amendment just means that once a woman turns 18, they have the right to vote. 
       c. There really aren't any recent issues dealing with the 19th amendment. 

unconditioned stimulus: the happy girl and boy with nice smiles

conditioned stimulus: Marlboro cigarettes 

unconditioned response: being happy 

conditioned response: being happy while smoking a cigarette 

Scientific Analysis Assignment:

#1 - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170823102555.htm

1)      This article is about researchers studying and came to the conclusion that smokers in stop-smoking programs claim that they have quit smoking, when a lot of them really haven’t.

2)      4,206 subjects were used in this experiment

3)      It doesn’t say if there was a control group or not.

4)      They used participants from “five large smoking cessation clinical trials in the US that enrolled smokers at hospitalization.”

5)      They had the participants take a survey and gave them a usable saliva sample to use to prove that they haven’t smoked within the last seven days.

6)      Most of the ones who failed the usable saliva sample test didn’t respond to any messages from the researchers after knowing they failed the test.

7)      Yes, they did.

#2 - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170802092002.htm

1)      Psychologists did research and came to the conclusion that most men that are gamblers probably suffered some sort of abuse or witnessed abuse as a child.

2)      More than 3,000 men

3)      It doesn’t say if there was a control group or not

4)      They weren’t specifically chosen. It say the men that took the survey were on a “variety of life factors.”

5)      The experimenters asked questions to see if the men that were tested were abused or seen any abuse happen as a child.

6)      The men who gambled acted more violently.

7)       Yes, they did.

#3 - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170810145713.htm

1)        Researchers found out that using a mouse model for human bullying effects everyday things like sleeping patterns.

2)      It doesn’t say how many mice were used in this experiment.   

3)      It doesn’t say if there is a control group or not.

4)      They just used mice that were young and small and mice that were old and big.   

5)      They took the little mouse and put it in the big mouse’s home cage. When the big, old mouse saw the little mouse in its territory, it chased the little mouse. Eventually, the big mouse traps the little mouse between it and the wall, acting as a bully. Then the mice are separated and this is repeated for 10 days straight, except using a different mouse every time.  

6)      They experienced big changes in sleep patterns, and some had “flattening body temperatures.”

7)      Yes, they did.

#4 - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170719084710.htm

1)      Researches did research on why some women are able to go through menopause without being emotional and some are emotional.    

2)      More than 1,300 women

3)      It doesn’t say if there was a control group or not.

4)      They chose regularly menstruating premenopausal women from ages 42 to 52.

5)      They mainly focused on finding out the effect of estradiol.

6)      They react more “depressed” during and after the transition of menopause.

 7)      Yes, they did.

1) My favorite word is: eloquence
2) My least favorite word is: regurgitate
3) One thing I do like about my life is: how my friends and family are always there for me.
4) One thing I do not like about my life is: having to wake up early for school everyday
5) One profession I would like to attempt is: Nursing
6) One profession I would never attempt is: Taxi driver
7) 3 words to describe me: funny, caring, clumsy

      Coming into this class, I knew it was going to be very difficult, but I was still really excited to take it. From what I have heard from people with experience in psychology, this class definitely won't be easy, but I think that it is really going to be worth it. I think that this is going to be a very interesting class and it will help me better understand not only myself but the people around me too. I would find it very interesting to learn why people react to certain things the way that they do and why certain people understand things easier or better than others. I am hoping that in this class, I will learn more about mental illnesses and understand why only certain people have certain illnesses and others do not. I think that having Mr. Reints as a teacher in this class is good because he teaches more with a college like feel so I would be more prepared for this class if I were to take it in college. I have considered going to college for psychology so I think that taking this class in high school would definitely help me to choose which career path I decide to take in my future, also.

Asian Auschwitz

                After reading this article, I was sick to my stomach. I will never understand how a person can do such inhumane things and get away with it. The Anti-Epidemic Water Supply and Purification Bureau, also known as “unit 731”, ran by a terrible man named Shiro Ishii has to be one of the most terrible things I have ever heard of.

                This organization was beyond sick. I believe that these people were doing much worse things than the Nazis. The humans that were held there were known as “maruta” but they were more commonly called “logs” because people thought that Unit 731 was a lumber mill. The way that these people got treated is unimaginable. I could never even imagine how scary and painful it was for them. The torture that they got was beyond inhumane. Things like getting hung upside down to see how long it would take for them to choke and die were done. They also did some experiments like exposing phosgene gas to their lungs to see the effect it had on them.

                Sometimes, the prisoners would get taken into a room and the worker would take out a scalpel and dissect them piece by piece, while they are very alive. They would finally die once they got to the heart. It said that when the prisoners were getting taken to a room to basically get torn apart, they wouldn’t even fight it. They wouldn’t fight it because they were very aware that they had absolutely no chance at living. So they would let the worker strap them down without freaking out. They began to scream once the surgeon got the scalpel out. They screamed and screamed but eventually it stopped. I could never imagine how terrible that would be, knowing that it’s the end of your life and there is nothing that you can do about it, and even worse. . . you are going to get killed in one of the most painful, inhumane ways possible. How terrible would that be?

                Ishii and his men were doing their terrible experiments on all kinds of people. For example: Chinese, Koreans, Soviets, Mongolians, and they also had plans to poison American cattle so they would become worthless and possible even kill thousands of American’s because of disease. They also had a plan to send a Kamikaze bomb to San Diego with lots of airplanes before the war was finished. Ishii and his men killed approximately 12,000 men, women, and children, and not one person from their facility got out alive. What I still am having a hard understanding of is how in the world was a murderer of 12,000 people able to live his life without getting into trouble with the law? He should’ve been caught and sentenced to death.

                This story has me very shocked, seeing how truly insane some people are. I will never understand how someone can possibly be that terrible. Everything that Ishii did was beyond sick, and there was absolutely no explanation for it. 

Muckraker Article

I will be summing up an article about how there is a possibility that Donald Trump may not have paid his taxes for almost two decades! This article was posted by the New York Times on October 1st, 2016, Donald Trump has been avoiding to show the public his tax records at all costs. Because of that, he is breaking the tradition of decades of presidential contests. 

Donald Trump alleged that he had a $916 million dollar loss on his income tax returns in 1995. It was a tax deduction that was so successful that it legally allowed him to not have to pay any federal taxes for 18 years. 

Tons of people think that Trump should release his tax records, but he still fails to do so. He keeps declining the requests to release them and said he "is being audited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)."

At the debate on September 26th, 2016, Hillary Clinton had proposed that the only reason Donald Trump wouldn't release his tax records to the public was so voters would not be aware that he has not paid anything in federal taxes. Hillary also mentioned at the debate that Trump had uncovered to casino regulators that he had not paid any federal taxes in the late 1970's. Trump said, "That makes me smart. . ."  Trump was asked bluntly during a debate if he would say the number of years that he had avoided paying federal income taxes and his response was, "no." 

Donald Trump has been making up way too many excuses to not publicize his tax returns so he can keep them hidden and it is becoming questionable. Here are some of his excuses: "I'm being audited, so I can't." "There's nothing to learn from them." There's a lot in a 12,000 page tax return that wouldn't make sense to open up." And the list goes on and on and on. . .   

The reason I chose to do this article was because it really interests me knowing that Trump has been avoiding paying his federal income taxes for almost two decades. I think that he should at least release his tax records to the public since it has become such a big deal. It's starting to make people wonder if maybe he's hiding something. . .

http://muckrakerfarm.com/2016/10/donald-trump-tax-records-show-avoided-taxes-nearly-two-decades-times-found/#more-2494
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/10/us/politics/donald-trump-taxes.html?_r=0
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2016/09/15/a-running-tally-of-trumps-many-excuses-for-why-he-wont-release-his-tax-returns/

 

 

Political Quiz

1.  Who are the top three presidential candidates you are most like?
James Webb
Barack Obama
Chris Christie


2.  What political party are you most likely to side with?
Democratic Party

3.  What past presidents are you most likely to agree with?
Richard Nixon
Dwight Eisenhower
George Bush Sr. 

4.  What political philosophy are you most likely to agree with?  Where on the spectrum did you fall?Moderate