Journal 4_7

Question from last week:
As we near the end of the year in Ethics class, my final question is what was your favorite part of the class?  Which lessons stayed with you most?

As we near the end of the year in Ethics class, my final question is what was your favorite part of the class?  Which lessons stayed with you most?

Ethics, this year, was a great class for me to take.  It introduced me to a lot of really random, interesting topics that I knew nothing about until this class.  It also challenged me to think crictically, something that I've always needed to learn to do and never have. 

The first lesson that I learned this year was to always look at all perspectives and do the research from different sources before forming your true opinion.  Believe or not, I was a fan of Michael Moore before realizing the amount of information he changes to fit his own beliefs.  It is amazing how biased he is on some issues.  But I do give him credit for bringing those issues to light.  The second lesson I learned in ethics was to think big, and follow through.  The concept of herioic imagination and taking action has really stayed with me and  I think will for the rest of my life.

This week in class: (I'm going to speak about this year.)

TED is an organization that has really brought a lot to light for me, and since this class was based loosely around TED, it really did become one of my favorite classes.  I love the idea of TED.  The most important thing the world needs to do is communicate with one and other about ideas and share the ways in which to take action in changing and fixing the problems of today.  I think TED brings about that creative energy while still being an incredibley useful source of information.  The speakers are extraordinary.  They are the true leaders of the world without being in a traditional mode.  They are innovators, specialists and people who are open to listening and working to create the best world this Earth can be. 

Because of this class, I was able to attend the TEDxteen conference in New York City in April.  It changed my entire year.  It could, possibly, be one of those events I look back on and say "that's when I got it, that's when I changed."  I listened to speakers, but not old men with PHDs who had invented some amazing astronomy tool, but kids.  Young adults, my age or just a few years older, who had created and taken action about something they cared about.  It was amazing to me.  One kid was thirteen years old when he started his own political party.  Another wrote the best selling book about sea turtles in the world in order to capture more sea turtle awareness for his beloved endangered species.  Another, an artist, drew one simple phrase all through New York City that spread throughout the world, "love me."  I could not help but think "why not me?"  I spoke to these people, had conversations with them and realized that I, too had the power and confidence to do something amazing. 

So I've started to.  My friends and I are forming our own TED conference.  I want it to be the kind of thing that has every kid going away with the same feeling I had at the end of TEDxTeen.  I want them to think that they are able to do something really amazing in the world.  I want everyone to know that this generation is going to fix all the problems our parents have created. We are resourceful, creative and know how to communicate with one and other efficiently.  I want to direct my peers and fellow young people down this path.  I want to be proactive and active in my own life, as well.  I want to make a difference.  I want to do something big.

Question for next year.

Can I do it?

Journal 4_6

Question from last week:
There are different themes with magic.  There is wizards and witches, phsycics, transformers, mind-readers and so much more.  What is the most believable form?  Why?

This was a dumb question.  There is no believable form of magic.  After watching a physics honors presentatino about the the "Physics of Magic" in my physics class today, I realized that there is no way that any kind of  magic could actually be believable unless you trick your minding into thinking so.  It is, however, easier to get caught up in a world a wizards and witches than to believe someone can read your mind.  This is why series like Harry Potter are so popular.  Yet, the more mystical and realistic something is, the scarier and more humans try to analyze it.  Phsycics and mind-readers deal with people in real life, and that is why they bring a different sense of mysticism than wizards and witches.

Magic is only successful when the viewers lend their minds to the trick.  The Cliche' phrase, "all you have to do is believe" is very prevalent here.  In fiction novels, a reader must become immersed in the story to enjoy it.  Analyzing every move will only ruin the point of the magic in the book.  Magic is supposed to be the unreal, the unimagined and the impossible.  That is why human nature is drawn to it. The magic of today may, however, be the science of tomorrow. Just like flight was magic 100 years ago. 

This week in class:
A) This week in class we watched a documentary on alternative medicine and the spread of its use in the US today.  The documentary we watched had several points to it.  Doctors are being mistrusted because of reputations of expensive medicine being prescribed without it actually helping the patient.  But the documentary focused on the popularity, and profitability, of an alternative medicine market.  The FDA does not have to clear these medicines in order for them to be sold, and yet, several thousands of people are buying them in hopes of a differnt method to recovery.  Right now, over 30% of Americans are turning to alternative methods.

B) Personal experience makes me wonder about alternative methods.  I think a mix of both is the true way to keep your body healthy.  My mom is a certified Yoga teacher, and many of her colleagues and mentors have pointed her in the way of alternative medicine.  It is more natural and organic, there is no question about that.  But I question how effective it really is, for still being relatively high in price.  I think a mixture of the two, in order to not put as many unneeded chemicals into your body as traditional science tend to do, yet still allowing some tradition in to make sure that you are getting the treatments you need is the right way to do things.


C) To bring in a another point, there are some who allow their body to fight for itself without any form of medicine at all.  My neighbor is a firm believer in the strength of the human body and human immune system to fight off sickness and mend itself.  There is something to say for not allowing any kind of excess, foreign medicine into one's body.  I wonder if those are the healthiest, strongest bodies alive today.

Question for next week:
As we near the end of the year in Ethics class, my final question is what was your favorite part of the class?  Which lessons stayed with you most?

Sources:
The Alternative Fix | FRONTLINE | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 09 June 2011. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/altmed/.
Press Release | FRONTLINE | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 09 June 2011. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/press/2203.html.

"7 Basic Principles of Magic (Penn and Teller) « Andy Wibbels." Andy Wibbels. Web. 09 June 2011. <http://andywibbels.com/7-basic-principles-of-magic-penn-and-teller/

journal 4_5

Question from last week:
What is another controversial war in American history?
The Vietnam war was one of the most controversial wars in American history.  Until recently, it was also the longest war in US history as well.  It's main purpose was to support the policy of "containment" that America had adopted during the Cold War.  The purpose of containment was to fight communism abroad to prevent it from entering the United States.  The North Vietnam was communistic, and South Vietnam was under US aid and considered a democracy.   Fought mostly through guerilla warfare, the terrorist pro-communist factions in South Vietnam, the Vietkong, fought agaisnt the American soldiers under cover of jungles, identity and night.  Thousands of lives were cost in a war that didn't  need to be fought.  Through three presidents, the Vietnam war endured the anger of many American "doves" or radical peace advocates.  Anti- war rallies were thrown, and the controversy heightened during the shootings at Kent State Univeristy, where four students were shot and killed by government officials trying to end the rally.  Vietnam was a costly, controversial and unsuccessful war. 


This week in class:

A) This week in class we talked about the principles of magic.  The ten main principles in which magicians use to create their tricks, the ethics of magic and the difference between a magician and a conartist were all topics we focused on.  Through watching much of Penn and Teller and a man that disproves phsycis and others who claim to have supernatural powers.  It is interesting to see how much of a magic trick is just distraction.  When watching penn and teller, it was easy to see the trick when the volume was on mute, but when Penn narrated each trick I was immediately drawn into the distraction, and unable to think critically about how the two magicians performed the trick.  Penn's main point, that was a common theme throughout the unit, was that Magicians are telling you that they are tricking you, while conartists never state that they are about to trick you. 

B) I thought the most interesting part of the lesson was the phsycology of magic.  The success of Penn and Teller's shows rely soley on the audiences ability to believe that what is happening is really magic.  If as an audience member, someone sits there and analyzes every single move, the show would be a disaster.  Yet, something about the human brain wants there to be an element of magic in the world and that is why magic shows are popular and succesful. 

C) There are times in a people's lives where we don't want to be in control.  That is why magic is such a phenomemon that we love and appreciate.  In amusement parks, parties and magic shows, there is the element of not knowing what will happen, that the individual doesn't have control over the situation and someone else does.  In listening to modern music every artist speaks about "losing control."  I think that is the same element that makes magic popular.
 
Question for next week:
There are different themes with magic.  There is wizards and witches, phsycics, transformers, mind-readers and so much more.  What is the most believable form?  Why?

Sources :

"The Vietnam War." Digital History. Web. 30 May 2011. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/modules/vietnam/index.cfm.

 

Penn & Teller. Web. 30 May 2011. http://www.pennandteller.com/.

 

Battlefield:Vietnam." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 30 May 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/>.

journal 4_4

Questions for next week:

What muslim community is there in Richmond, Virginia?



I couldn't find every part of the muslim community in Richmond, but there is definitely a foundation for the muslim community.  The Islamic Center of Virginia, centered in a suburb of Richmond in Bon Air, Virginia, focuses on education and unity of the Islamic faith in the richmond area. Their website shows something very similar to a "sunday school" and their breaking ground on a new location.  It is a newer organization, but contains sunday school, summer programs, funeral and marriage services and community outreach to get other faiths to understand the Islamic faith better.

The Islamic Center of Virginia is not the only muslim faction in Richmond, however, when googling "Islamic Mosques in Richmond" only three mosques came up.  This number surprised me, I thought there would be more.  It astounds me that there are over a hundred churches in a thirty minute radius of my house, but I would have to travel 45 minutes to get to one of three mosques in the area if I were muslim.

In class this week:

A) This week in class we watched another clip of thirty days called "outsourced."  It was about a middle aged American man traveling to India to find his old job that had been outsourced to India. His initial viewpoint of the idea of outsourcing was very negative.  He thought that outsourcing was taking away from the American people, and only hurting the American economy.  After living in India for 30 days, he realized that the cost of one American job will give 16 Indians a job, but that those indians are still in poverty.  He was astounded by the fact that the Indians did not complain, and were content in their one room shaks of homes.  He returned home with a sense of compassion for the Indian people.

B)  After seeing "outsourced" I did agree that the Indians are living in poverty and it is good that new money is being put into their economy, but I disagree that it should be at the cost of American people's welfare.  So many people are losing their jobs to outsourcing that worked for American companies.  Shouldn't these companies take care of their own first?  With the American economy drastically falling, I think  it is time for us to close our borders and think about what we must do to better ourselves, not the Indians. 

C) This can be applied to American's foreign policy.  The Iraq war and dealings in the middle east are to aid and provide democracy in those areas of the Middle East.  In a lot of ways, these wars are honorable and good natured, however, they are costing American lives and trillions of American lives for some of the longest wars in American history.  Is it worth it?

Question for next week:
What is another controversial war in American history?

Sources: 
30 Days (TV Series)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 23 May 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_Days_(TV_series.

 Islamic Center Of Virginia. Web. 23 May 2011. http://ww2.icva1.com/index.php.

 CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. Web. 23 May 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/>.

Journal 4_3

Question from last week:

As of September 2010, niether side was willing to compromise their originial positions on the conflict.  Israel is unwilling to split Jerusalem, saying that "Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel."  The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as their capital because it contains the third most holy shrine in the Islamic faith, even though it was originally controlled by Jordan before the Six Day War. 

In Palestine, just a few days ago, two major political factions--the Farah and Hamas--signed a peace agreement.  Alothough this is not necessarily dealing with Israel, Palestine's new leadership should be elected in 2012 under both political factions.  Before the peace talks, these two parties had been competing among palestine, taking away from any chance at peace between Israel and Palestine.  Perhaps the new Palestinian government will be able to reach a compromise with Israel.

This week in class:

We began watching the show "30 days" where a West Virginian man goes to live in Deerfield, Michigan--the Muslim capital in the United States.  I think this show is controversial and important for Americans to see. So many of us live in fear of the Arabs and Muslims, when really they are people just like us!  It is hard to not be xenophobic in today's society, but one must keep in mind that only the extremists are out doing the terrorist attacks.  Many muslims integrate into society with us.  Others are harmless, and are simply preserving a culture that millions of people love and treasure around the world. 

Question for next week:
What muslim community is there in Richmond, Virginia?

Sources:

"BBC News - Middle East Peace Talks: Where They Stand." BBC - Homepage. Web. 01 May 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11138790>.

Question from last week:
Find another international peace-making operation that has worked in the past or is working in the present.  What is it about?


An organization I found is called the "International Peace Research Association."  IPRA has been working and researching issues in the world and how to create sustainable world peace since 1964.  Through the collaboration professors, political leaders and other world leaders they create publications, conferences and peace eduation to bring throghout the world in over 200 countries. 

Based out of Belgium, it has a much stronger influence in Europe, however, I found access to one of their journals through George Mason Univeristy.  The current Secretary Journal, Keven Clements, was appointed in 2010 and has begun to branch the organization out more.  There are several committees and working groups that have different professional minds working toward the common goal of peace.  A few of these committes include:

Art and Peace Commission Conflict Resolution and Peace-Building Commission Eastern Europe Commission Earth Charter Commission Forced Migration Commission Gender and Peace Commission Global Political Economy Commission Indigenous Peoples' Rights Commission Internal Conflicts Commission International Human Rights Commission Nonviolence Commission Peace Culture and Communications Commission Peace Education Commission Peace History Commission Peace Journalism Commission Peace Movements Commission Peace Theories Commission Reconciliation Commission Religion and Peace Commission Security and Disarmament Commission Youth and Peace Commission

This week in class:

This week in class we finished the documentary "Promises."  It was interesting to see the ending and what came of the children after the intial interviews.  They all changed signicantly in the interviews after the film.  When the children, two Israeli and several Palestinain, met in the film, they realized that the two races can coincide and live together.  That no matter their differences, many of them wanted to be friends.  They were all children, with the common pure purpose of finding cooperation and peace.  I found it interesting that only two Israeli children, who were twins, wanted to meet the Palestinian children and yet there were at least four or five palestians ready to meet and converse with the Israelis.  It is evident who wants change and who wants to ignore the conflict.  One Israeli boy, when asked if he wanted to converse with the Israelis, told the camera he had no interest.  Either way, the meeting was successful in the film.  However, it was identified that after the meeting the children would go their separate ways and their stride to peace would be forgotten.  That is exactly what happened, and several years later, the Israelis are serving in the army and the Palestinians and seperated and still supressed.  It is a realistic, meaningful ending.  Something must be done to stop the circle of the Palestinian conflict.  Parents teach their children to hate the other race, and by the time they are grown, they do.

This is why I think that the filmmakers kept showing a shot of a tire rolling through the dirt, never stopping, caught on fire.  The Iranian-Palestinian conflict is a reocurring cycle of hatred.  The only thing that can break it is a new generation who is able to cooperate and learn from each other.  Palestinians and Israelis should be able to share the land and their holylands in peace.  Much of the land that the Israelis took from the Palestinians is not even being used!  Why should it matter if the land was returned to those who owned it before? 

In a completely different discussion, I vacationed in St. Augustine, Florida over springbreak this year.  While there, I realized that they was a strong deaf community in the town.  There is a prestigious deaf school there and due to our viewing of the documentary about the Cochlear Implant, I was immediately interested about these people.  I ended up seeing a group of twenty deaf students on the beach for three days in a row.  I played soccer with one who had a cochlear implant and could understand me perfectly.  It was interesting to see something we learned in class so very real.

Question for next week:
What is the current situation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

Sources:

The Promises Film Project. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. http://www.promisesproject.org/.

International Peace Research Association." Redirect. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. http://soc.kuleuven.be/iieb/ipraweb/index.php?action=page.

CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. http://www.cnn.com/.]

Journal 3_9

This weekend...: TEDxTeen

I walked into the TED conference not knowing what to expect.  I arrived early and realized how many different types of people were there.  I had no idea this was going to be an international event, or that all the people would look so professional.  It was daunting.  And then, out of nowhere, this little teeny bopper girls comes over to me.  I immediately felt relaxed...until she asked me, as serious as can be, "so...What do YOU do!?"  I replied that I was a high school student in virginia, and she repeated her question, "No, but what do you DO?"  I didn't know how to respond.  Thoughts raced through my head: what does she mean? whats she trying to ask?  What DO I DO?? It was a question I soon realized I needed to answer. 

My trip to TED made me understand how tangible global change really is.  The idea of kids younger than me and other young women and men going out and taking control of the future is infectious.  These speakers before me were not very different from myself, and had taken the intiative.  They provided examples, advice and connections to becoming an activist.

One man, an artist in New York City, gave me the idea of how the purest meaning of an idea or message will become contagious.  His message: Love me, has spread throughout New York City in graffiti and can now be found all over the world.  His simple idea can be teh same as Farah Pandith's (another speaker at the conference) "Youthquake."  A ripple effect young people have on society through social media and the information age.  A theme throughout the conference was how the connections on line have broke division and barriar in creating social change.  It has also elimanated a strong factor of fear.  One of my favorite speakers, Jeremey Heimans stressed the importance of the web over social change. Politicians are chanied by compting parties and re-elections.  They are a face in the public eye: an effective movement is not a face, but an idea.  A true social innovator, a disruptive innovator, someone who solves problems with news inventions and ideals instead of directly solving the problem--is effective.  These people are most effective when they are a so-called "anonymous extraoridanary," letting their idea lead instead of themselves. 

The first woman I met at TED, Tammy Tibbets, is a prime example of this new-age leader and changer.  She is the social media worker for Seventeen Magazine by day, and presdient of her own non-profit organization "She's the First" by night.  Shes's the First is an organization celebrating young women in education or the working world.  They partner with schools in Uganda, India and Tunsinia- to name a few.  Tammy was a college graduate, but her story made this life and actions seem so accesible.

These men and women have led me to my own beliefs about creating change.  They have made me feel as if I can do something.  That I need to focus on something.  That I can be the change they are, and that I really need to get going on it.

Creativity is key to the process.  Without a creative mind, and the idea of accepting failures with perserverence you will never achieve your goal.  The creative, ready and active minds of youth today are leading the world.  The effective change happening is inevitable.  Revolutions, such as the Egyptian Revolution, have been spurred by the ideas flowing at this conference.  Our generation has more technology and means to create movements than any previous generation.  Innovation, however, is the key to a progressive and prosperous future.  One quote that they showed at the conference that stuck with me was a quote by Steve Jobs: "The difference between a leader and a follower is innovation."  To be a leader today, you don't need to get up on a podium and make some big long speech and run for election, you need to be active.  You need to be communative.  You need to let an idea speak for itself.  And if your idea is good enough, it will create the change it needs to.

I have to begin to answer the question of: What do I do?  Right now, I am creating a sufficient list to What will I do?  I want to spread my ideas about the power of youth that I learned from this conference.  I want other kids to see that how plausbile it is to really, actually, change the world. 

Journal 4_1

Question from last week:
Research one of the TEDxTeen speakers.  What are they doing?  How did their talk relate to the infromation on the web?



Jeremy Hermiens, a speaker at TEDxTeen, is actually very similar to how he spoke to how he is on paper.  His work includes, purpose.org, LIVESTRONG campaign, Avaaz.org and GetUp.org.  He is from Australia, and talked mainly about creating a movement that is about the people, not a leader.  He has sucessfully done this in his work.  Through his campaigns and websites, he has given the people the means to create political revolutions and "get-up" in their own country.  He has made a campaign about fighting cancer about a band, not a figurehead. 

This week in class:

This week in class we did a few various activities--all of which I can relate back to my experience at TED.  The first class Kari and I spent a lot of time talking to everyone about everything we learned and how excite we were about TED.  I wish that the other students could imagine just how spectacular that conference was.  We also watched a TED talk this week about a french artist who changed the world with huge photographed posters of people's faces in need.  He was spreading the stories of the people of drug-ridden towns in Africa and poverty districts of Paris.  It was an amazing project, and segwayed perfectly into our next documentary, "Promises," which is centered around the Isreali-Palestinian conflict.

My favorite part about what we did this week was relating what the French artist did in Palestine to the documentary, "Promises."  Both have the same message.  The French artists decided to take you posters of Israeli and Palestinian people and post them anywhere with high visibility.  The project was called "Face to Face" because he would always post the a picture of an Israeli and a picture of a Palestinian--Face to Face.  When he asked the citizens which was which, most could not tell.  In Promises, the filmmaker is comparing the childhoods of several children who live within 20 mintues of each other, and yet lead different lives.  Though we have not finished the documentary yet, it would be interesting of the documentary's main point was that the two chilhoods were relatively similar except for religion. 

It is interesting to me that so many regions and countries where much of the culure is the same, is where fighting begins.  The Mexican drug wars are a good example of this.  Gangs, who share the same heritage, language, culture and country, are ravaging their homeland because of drugs.  They are bringing their children, their future, into the conflict and not thinking twice about it.  What would happen, if the Face to Face project compared two leaders of different factions of the drug war?  They are so similar, they have the same goals, why does humanity always have to fight?

Question for next week:
Find another international peace-making operation that has worked in the past or is working in the present.  What is it about?   

Sources
Jeremy Heimans." TEDxTeen.com. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. http://www.tedxteen.com/jeremy-heimans.

"Avaaz - The World in Action." Web. 12 Apr. 2011. http://www.avaaz.org/en.

The Promises Film Project. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.promisesproject.org/>.

Journal 3_8

Question from last week:
Find a phenomenom of the natural world and how it works.  What ethical environmental challenges come from this phenomeon?

http://cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2011/03/25/lah.japan.town.leaders.gone.cnn

This video is one of many of the natural disaster that took place in Japan this past week.  The earthquake and tsunami were two of the most extreme natural disasters seen in a long time.  Astronomers believe the quake and tsuanmi were so severe because the moon was closer to the earth than it has been in twenty years, causing the tides to change drastically.  Japan is also situated on a fault line.  The destruction was already massive, but then nuclear plant problems increased the damage even more.  As the destruction caused lack of available water in the cooling systems of Japan's nuclear plants, more explosions caused radiation and destruction.  Right now, the radiation in Japan's sea water is 1,250 times the normal amount. 


Many Japanese have been faced with the dillema to stay and help or leave their hometown and country.  Staying with that kind of exposed radiation is dangerous for the human body, and yet some people don't know anywhere else but their small towns in Japan.  It is a tragic loss of an emerging country.  The world sends hope to those survivors as they make life changing decisions.

This week in class:

A) This week we began the study and watching of a documentary about the deaf community and a new invention called the cochlear implant.  A cochlear implant, or bionic ear, is a surgically implanted electornic device that provides a sens of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing.  Many deaf, especially young children, are beginning to turn toward this device as a means of hearing.  The younger a person has the implant, the more successful it is.  This documentary focuses on the debate between two deaf parents allowing their five year old to recieve the surgery.  The father is against the surgery, as he believes that the deaf community is more beneifical and that his daughter can find a home within that specific culture and community, while the mother think it may be beneficial for her daughter. 

B) As a "hearing person" I know I don't fully understand why a deaf person would want to remain deaf.  The father says that he, "likes being deaf, it's peaceful."  But he also believes that life started for him when he learned sign language, his form of communication.  Though this family seems to get along fine with sign language, in today's society communication and information rule, and this five year old could learn to speak the way that the rest of the world does, what is the harm in that?  Today, over 188,000 people have recieved the surgery sucessfully, so why not give it a try?  It is a completely different perspective.  Before this documentary, I never knew the extent of deaf culture and deaf communities.

C) To bring another disability into the discussion, my family has a family friend who is blind.  She has been blind since she was four years old, and can only sense when it is light or dark outside with her vision.  She is also a graduate of Jullliard and a professional pianist and composer.  She lives with another "legally blind" man and they take care of each other.  Their culture of blind muscians is strong, and they are happy people.  When I think of them, I understand the point of the father of the deaf child in the documentary.

Question for next week:
Is there a deaf community in Richmond?  What kind of work do they do?

Sources:

"Radiation in Seawater off Nuclear Plant Spikes to 1,250 times Normal - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. Web. 26 Mar. 2011. http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/26/japan.nuclear.disaster/index.html.

Cochlear Implant." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 26 Mar. 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlear_implant.

Herskovitz, Jon, and Paul Eckert. "Tsunami and Radiation May Sink Japanese Fishermen| Reuters." Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com. 26 Mar. 2011. Web. 26 Mar. 2011. <http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/26/us-quake-japan-fishing-idUSTRE72P0ZK20110326>.

Journal 3_7

Question for next week:
Find a news article that interests you.  What interests you about it?  How does it effect the rest of the world?


 As we talked about new inventions in class this week, I stumbled upon this "Light Radio" which is going to revolutionize the cell phone industry.  Many of the lead phone companies are going to being using this technology.  Basically, this 2.3 centimeter rubix cube sized box will become the replacement for old, inefficient cell phone towers.  They can be placed anywhere with their size, and cell phone companies wiill be able to control them virtually.  It will be saving money and time for everyone.

This week in class:

A) This week in class we discussed the ideas of new inventions and how our world will revolutionize in the next years.  I was asked to decide what technology I relied on most...and I honestly couldn't give a straight answer.  To me, technolgoy is a part of every day life.  Half the time I'm using it I don't even give it a second thought.  Cell phone, laptop, printer, wireless internet, GPS, cars, radio...all these things I use on a dialy basis and don't give more than two seconds thought to.

B) Throughout class, we also watched an amazing TED talk about an inventor merged the world of the computer with the physical world.  This groundbreaking idea is where technology should be headed in the future.  Though technology is so much more efficient and necessary in todays modern world, one of my greatest fears is that the human race will succumb to sitting in front of screens all day.  This inventor found a way to connect that screen with traditional moving around and exploring the physical world with the virtual at hand. 

C) The most important new technology we can create in the generation is a better rechargeable battery.  This will make electric cars affordable and effect the green movenment greatly.  Smartphones have a battery life of 4 hours!  How ridiculous is that!?

Question for next week:
Find a phenomenom of the natural world and how it works.

Sources:

Goldman, David. "LightRadio: The Tiny Cube That Could save Wireless - Mar. 21, 2011." Business, Financial, Personal Finance News - CNNMoney.com. 21 Mar. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/21/technology/light_radio/?npt=NP1.

 

TED: Ideas worth Spreading. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. http://www.ted.com/.

 

Benway.

Question for next week:

Journal 3_6

Question from last week:
Research for my Hero Imagination Project about successful mentor programs for children who have been through traumatic situations, such as Rwanda.  What methods did they use?  What were their mentors like?

There are thousands of mentors programs connected to the fellowship on mentoring.org.  There are twenty on that site just from Richmond.  It's amazing to me how many there are and yet how they must not be that effective.  I also talked to my aunt who is a "big sister" mentor in New York City.  She and her little sister, and girl with a hard life at 18 years old, meet twice a month.  My aunt helps her with jobs, taxes, finding people to help sit her kids etc.  She says that she has learned so much from her little sister, and believes that the girl has beneffited a lot from the relationship.

I think that the New York City big brother/big sister program is a fairly effective way to mentor.  My aunt said it was easy to sign up and find someone she was compatible with, and that they have helped each other survive life in the big city for over a year now.

This week in class:

a) This week in class we talked about Tank Man and Tianamen square. Though I missed a lot of class this week, the sections of the Tank Man lesson I got to see were very interesting.  Tank man is a symbol of a citizen standing up to communist China for a voice and better standards of living.  In a peaceful protest, he sparked what turned into at first the biggest peaceful protest in China, to the most bloody massacre of the modern age.

B)  Learning about China was very interesting to me.  The idea of the mass production and focus toward economics is mindblowing.  Having entire cities dedicated simply to one industry is effective and efficient, but makes life in China very mundane for its citizens.  When the documentary we watched in class interviewed three chinese women between the ages of 17 and 22, my perspective changed drastically.  These women worked in a factory where they sewed one line of stiches on to pillow cases for twelve or thirteen hours each day for very low pay.  The company provided them with room and board, and so all the money they made was shipped back to their families hundreds of miles away.  What a selfless, unfufilling, mundane existence!  Why has the world come to this? The other thing that fascinated me about China was the idea that the top students at the University of Beijing had no idea about Tianamenen Sqaure, the Tank Man held no resemblence to them.  How does China believe they will shape their new generation of world leaders if they are not fully informed on the issues of the past, present and future. 

C) It is a known fact that the U.S government keeps information and government projects from the citizens it watches over.  My question is: are we as bad as China if our government does not keep us fully informed?  In a democracy, aren't the people supposed to be aware of the government's actions and be able to vote on them at all times?  What goes on behind the doors of congress?  Is it unethical?  I believe that in some ways, yes, it is unethical, but also pratical.  It is for the greater good.  The confindential information keeps our country safe.

Question for next week:
Find a news article that interests you.  What interests you about it?  How does it effect the rest of the world?

Sources:

"Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City." Web. 21 Mar. 2011. http://www.bigsnyc.org/index.php.

 

"FRONTLINE: the Tank Man | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tankman/.

 

MENTOR. Web. 21 Mar. 2011. <http://www.mentoring.org/>.

Journal 3_5

Question for next week:Find a TED talk that is particularly interesting to you.  What is it?  Why did you pick it?  What can be done with it?

This talk is not what I was looking for when I thought of the question last week, and I know I have already talked about Wael Ghonim, but this talk connects with so much we have talked about in the last few weeks that I had to write about it.  Wael Ghonim was one of the leaders in bringing the Egyptian people through technology in order to start the Egyptian Revolution.  He is an inspiritng figure and a great example of the power of youth and new technology. 

In his TED talk, Ghonim talks about the phsycological barrier of fear.  As we studied weeks ago in Ethics through the Solomon Acsh Experiment and Milgram Experient.  Both these experiements prove exactly what Ghonim is saying: that with the use of new technologies and virtual communications, the people of Egypt broke the barrier of fear and were able to revolutionize successfully.

This week in class:
A) This week in class we are learned about the Rwandan genocide.  The genoicde is one of the most terrible things to ever occur in human history.  I must admit, the footage of the documentary we watched shocked me.  The brutalness of killing with machetes and leaving dead bodies on the road is just completely foregin to me. 

B) The most interesting aspect of our untit was the letter sent by a Rwandan to the U.N that described what was going on in Rwanda at that time.  It amazes me that even with that letter, the U.N decided to pull toops out of the country and not supply the remaining troops with more supplies.  I do not believe that the United States should necessarily be to blame for not intervening, even though it is a responsibility of a superpower, but the U.N. should have certaintly advocated more peacekeeping troops to at least save more innocent lives.

B) To compare the genocide to a personal story,  last friday, March 4, 2010 I witnessed something that will stick with me for a long time.  My friends and I were driving to a birthday party on a Friday night, when there was a road block with several police cars stopping us from getting where we need to go.  We had to take a detour and turn around and go back the other way.  When we passed by on the other side of the road, we witnessed a dead body laying in the middle of the street.  The body we saw was a man who had been hit by a car.  The paramedics were already placing a white sheet over him, and the sheet was already stained with blood.  It was a tradgedy and one of the most shocking things I've ever seen.  My friend who was driving had to pull over, none of us had ever witnessed a dead body before...espeically in the street.  When I think of the children in Rwanda, and the footage I saw in the documentary, I wonder how they must have been affected.  One covered body will stay with my friends and I for a long time, if not forever.  What did the children, men and women of Rwanda do?

Question for Next Week:
Research for my Hero Imagination Project about successful mentor programs for children who have been through traumatic situations, such as Rwanda.  What methods did they use?  What were their mentors like?

Sources:

"Wael Ghonim: Inside the Egyptian Revolution | Video on TED.com." TED: Ideas worth Spreading. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. http://www.ted.com/talks/wael_ghonim_inside_the_egyptian_revolution.html.

 

"BBC NEWS | Africa | Rwanda: How the Genocide Happened." BBC News - Home. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/1288230.stm.

 

"Solomon Asch, Opinions and Social Pressure (1955)." Panarchy.org : Index. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://www.panarchy.org/asch/social.pressure.1955.html>.

Journal 3_3

Question from last week:
Follow the story of Yemen's protest. Are there any other protests in the Middle East as well that are sparked from Egypt?
To answer the second part of the question first, CNN has complied a large list of uprisings that have resulted from the Tunsinia and Egyptian protests over the past month.  Uprisings are relevents in the following countries according to CNN:  Sudan, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, Algeria, Palestinian territories, Libya, Bahrian, and Libya.  Though the success of most of these uprisings has not yet come, many have become violent.  Most protests are lead by youth and students who are enraged by the government or economy in the country.

Yemen, is just one specific example of this crisis.  There, the protests turned violent quickily. Within the first few days, 12 were dead and many more in serious condition.  Now, hundreds of anti-government protesters gathered Sunday near a university at the Yemeni capital for a 10th consecutive day, witnesses said on February 20th.  Some of them chanted, "First Mubarak, now Ali," referring to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Hosni Mubarak, who recently resigned as president of Egypt after nearly 30 years in power. Pro-government demonstrators were also gathering near Sanaa University, according to Adnan Al-Nahari, a student at the campus.  So far nothing else has been accomplished.

This week in class:

 This week, take samll occasions when you have the oppurtunity to speak up, go for it.  Then in your journal, write about how it went.  What did you learn?  Give yourself feedback.

This week was a busy week for me.  Finishing my first day of softball tryouts today and interviewing for leadership a few days ago are two highlights where I was put in a position where I had to speak up.  During interviewing for leadership, I was required to ask a question every interview.  It's not that I minded asking a quesiton, and by the third interview I was having so much fun I didn't even notice.  But the first interview I was so nervous...I don't know why I but I felt like I was being interviewed.  I was so awkward and did not make that interview any easier for the girl I was interviewing...but once I broke through and became confident, I can confidently say my interview room was very successful.  The same thing happened in my softball tryout today.  Once I finally broke through and "stepped up," during the tryout, my confidence skyrocketed.  My performance increased because I was calm and focused. 

I think the main thing I learned from these two experiences was that stepping up gives one a sense of accomplishment, and that accomplishment leads to confidence and better actions.  Confidence is something that I lack in from time to time, and finding the amount of confidence needed is not always there.  With time, however, I think that that confidence barrier will wear down, and the stepping up will come naturally.  This will make me a better citizen, more proactive person, and much better accomplished.  Stepping up is like starting a wheel at a top of a hill, the second you get it rolling, it speeds up and speeds up as it gains momentum. 

The "step up" program from the University of Arizona would make for a great capstone project, especially for incoming freshman and sophomores.  However, I personally don't like how it is catared to student athletes.  It should be catered to everyone.  The idea is great, the implementation of it is lacking.  With a little work I think this program is something that could be very effective and also greatly needed in high schools today.

Question for next week:
Find a TED talk that is particularly interesting to you.  What is it?  Why did you pick it?  What can be done with it?

Sources:

Heroic Imagination Project — Transforming Compassion into Heroic Action. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. http://www.heroicimagination.org/.

 

"N. Africa, Mideast Protests – Gadhafi: I'm Still Here – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs." This Just In - CNN.com Blogs. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/21/live-blogging-north-africa-middle-east-protests/?iref=allsearch.

 

"Strategies for Effective Helping | Students." STEP UP! A Prosocial Behavior / Bystander Intervention Program for Students. Web. 21 Feb. 2011. <http://www.stepupprogram.org/students/strategies/>.

Journal 3_2

Question from last week:

What's the new status on Egypt?  Where does the U.S stand?

After watching a 60 minutes special tonight on television, I learned some useful information on how the Egypt revolution got started, what is happening now, and what will happen in the future. Wael Ghonim is a Google executive in Egypt that is responsible for the beginning of this history-changing revolution.  Using social media: facebook, twitter, etc. he was able to spur an entire country into Tahir square to rebel against an oppresive regime of Mubarak.  He told 60 minutes that the entire thing started with a campaign of rebellion caused by the death of man who was beaten by the police.  Ghonim started a facebook page that united Egypt against the government, and from there, told his followers to meet in Tahir Square. 

Now, 18 days later, Mubarak has resigned and a new military government has taken power in Egypt with the promise of demeocracy in the days to come.  The people of Egypt are happy, and thankful for the United States' influence on Mubarak resigning, however, during the interview Ghonim stated "we are thankful for the US and Obama's influence, but you have done your work, and now you should get out."  The Egyptians want to finally be independent of outer influences.  Consequently, today there was an uprising in Yemen very similar to the one in Egypt.  The protesters chanted "First Mubarak, now Ali."  When asked how other middle-eastern autocrats or dictators should feel about the Eyptian revolution, Ghonim replied "You should be very afraid."  As such, Ali is probably in a panic over Yemen as the people of the middle-east revolt against their oppressive regimes.

This week in class:

A) This week we studied Ethics and Social Psychology through the examination of famous social experiments such as The Milgram Experience, The Asch Experiement and the Standford Prison Experiment.  Though very different, all the experiments target the reactions of human nature in challenging situations.  The Milgram Experiment, conducted in 1961-1962 at Yale by Stanley Milgram, tested the effect of power of authority in a ethical demanding situation.  Two subjects are taken into a room, the "teacher" is the person being experimented on and the "student" is a fixed person.  The experimenter takes the student and teacher into two sepearte rooms, and sets up an electrical circuit that shocks the learner when a switch is pressed by the teacher.  The teacher is instructed by the experimenter to shock the learner every time they get a wrong answer, and the shock level moves up every time.  The learner purposely gets answers wrong to test the largest shock the teacher will administer them, even when they hear signs of discomfort from the learner.  The experiment showed that many teachers moved on because of the power of authority over the experimenter, and the reason was because they didn't think they were responsible for the harm of the learner.  As long as the responsibility was put elsewhere, many people did not think about the harm to the learner. 

B) The Second Experiement we studied was the Solomon Asch experiment, a study of conformity.  Similar to the Milgram Experiement, the Asch experiment tested the ability of a subject to stand by and assume responsibility for their answer, even if everyone else says a different answer that the subject knows is wrong.  Basically, these experiments show that in social physcology it is human nature to not assume responsibility even though it is the ethical thing to do.  Both experiements also tested with a partner, and with a partner the results drastically changed in favor of ethics.  With even one person agreeing with the subject in the ethical choice, the subject could follow through on the ethical choice with ease.  Humans are conformists and don't like taking full responsibility, that is the biggest problem with ethics and human nature today.

C) Applying the revolution in Egypt to these experiements easily compares.  Ghonim stated in the 60 minutes interview that the whole reason the revolution started was because people realized on social networking that there were other people who wanted the same thing.  Once the fear was broken, that there were too many people for most to be held responbile, and the power of conformity came into play, Tahir Square filled up. 

Question for next week:
Follow the story of Yemen's protest.  Are there any other protests in the Middle East as well that are sparked from Egypt?

Sources:

60 minutes, television ABC

Blass, Thomas. "The Man Who Shocked The World | Psychology Today." Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness Find a Therapist. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200203/the-man-who-shocked-the-world

"Solomon Asch, Opinions and Social Pressure (1955)." Panarchy.org : Index. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://www.panarchy.org/asch/social.pressure.1955.html>.

Journal 3_1 B

Question from Last Week:
In researching charities, I also came across some other interesting organizations, such as 10000 villages, that I don't know if they really classify as charties or not.  Is 10000 villages a charity?  What is it's main purpose?  Is it effective?

Ten Thousand Villages is one of the world's largest fair trade organizations and a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), the company strives to improve the livelihood of tens of thousands of disadvantaged artisans in 38 countries. Ten Thousand Villages accomplishes this by establishing a sustainable market for handmade products in North America, and building long term buying relationships in places where skilled artisan partners lack opportunities for stable income. Product sales help pay for food, education, healthcare and housing for artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed. (http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/php/about.us/index.php) Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers – especially in the South. Fair Trade organizations have a clear commitment to Fair Trade as the principal core of their mission. They, backed by consumers, are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade. They can be recognised by the WFTO logo. Fair Trade is more than just trading: it proves that greater justice in world trade is possible. It highlights the need for change in the rules and practice of conventional trade and shows how a successful business can also put people first. (http://www.wfto.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1331&Itemid=293)

With this research, I would not call Ten Thousand Villages a charity, but an even more effective type of organization.  It is a partnership that benefits artisans in countries, but does not necessarily just give them aid...they have to earn it. 

This week in class:

This was one of my favorite weeks of ethics class ever.  Learning about Egypt's riots as a relevent current event was interesting and allowed me to understand the world better.  The research we did in class allowed me to understand all of the articles I had been reading.  It was interesting to study how other world events affected Egypt, and the magnitude of these events on  the rest of the world.  We also used games to reflect on almost a "survivial of the fittest" vs. teamwork approach at partnership, and I surprised myself a little bit.

I think that the U.S. should stop giving military aid to countries unless there is a war and we are in alliance with them.  Every single time a country is a threat to the nation, it seems that the US has given them weapons.  This is just another case that could end badly for us.  With the Muslim Brotherhood spearing the revolt, I wonder if their attitude toward Israel will change.  If it does, will the United States back up Israel and get into conflict with a decades old ally?   

In the teamwork and partnership games, I surprised myself with being more competitive and "survival of the fittest"-esque than I thought I was, though I do think some of that had to do with my partner.  It was interesting to see that duringn one of the games, where we were playing "chicken,"  my partner and I both didn't swerve and suffered the consequences over the chance of winning.

Question for next week:
What's the new status on Egypt?  Where does the U.S stand?

Sources:

Shop for Home Decor, Accessories, Handmade Jewelry, Woven Baskets & More at a Fair Trade Organization || Ten Thousand Villages." Ten Thousand Villages. A Fair Trade Retailer. || Learn about Fair Trade, Find Special Gift Ideas & Shop for Unique Handicrafts from around the World. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/php/about.us/index.php.

 

 "WFTO - What Is Fair Trade?" WFTO - Home. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. <http://www.wfto.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1331&Itemid=293>.

 

"World News - International Headlines, Stories and Video from CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. Web. 08 Feb. 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/>.

Journal 3_1

Question from last week:
I'm going to ask a few of my classmates about the above scenario and see the results.  I will ask the following questions:  How many people say to turn the person in, how many would say "let it pass"?  And do they think the option they chose is ethical?

This was a bad idea.  No only did not one of my classmates not want me to ask except for a handful in ethics class, many did not understand the question.  If anything, this shows me how little people think about ethical situations on a daily basis.  This class is definitley important for the grown of those thoughts, and I realized how lucky I am to have a class that steers me into thinking about this kind of ethical dillemma. 

In Class This Week:
This week in class we read a few articles about different kinds of ethical rules and charters.  First, we read an article called "The Rules of The Game."  It compared several different attitudes toward situations.  The main rules were the golden rule, silver rule, bronze rule, iron rule, and others.  I name all these because each was a different interpretation on how to handle life.  The Golden rule, as we all hear in Kindergarden, is "Treat others like you want to be treated."  The Silver Rule, a more negative way of going about the golden rule is "Don't treat others in ways you don't want to be treated."  Both arguments are found worldwide, but only the west seems to support the Golden Rule, even if no know follows it.  Cofucius made a good point when speaking of repyaing evil with kindness, he said, "Then with what will you repay kindness?"  That's when the silver rule makes more sense, and is probably the rule least refuted in the paper, but I have to wonder what is the difference between the two other than putting a negative connotation to one.  The bronze rule is "Do unto others as they do unto you."  I don't like this rule at all because it does not give reason for someone to take the high road, which I think is important for the human race or we would all battle each other to death.  The Iron rule, "do unto others as you like, before they do it unto you," which is a ridiuculous rule and should not be in an article about ethics.  The last thing the author mentioned was the "Suck up to those about you, and abuse those below and give precedence in all things to close relatives, and do as you like to others."  I don't think these are ethical laws, but they are certainly realistic because they bring in natural social classes and importance to the social aspects of people. 

The other charter we looked at was The Charter of Compassion.  Though I do think human compassion is one thing that supports ethics greatly, I do not think that this charter did a good job.  It came across conceded and had insignificant points.  The main problem with it, I thought, was denying self-interest and calling violence illegitament.  Both are natural human occurances that have to be dealt with.  The biggest ethical dilemmas usually involve violence, so how can an entire race of people simply disregard it?  The charter is too utopian for it to actually work in the modern world. 

Another code of ethics, that I am bringing into the discussion but don't necessarily agree with, is Capitalism.  The western world follows capitalism, worships it, and buys into it so quickly it rules our lives.  The economy drops, so do the ratings of the president, the economy raises, the world is a better place.  People want profit, the richer you are the better off you are.  Is this ethical?  Is this right?  Everyone does it, the entire world is functioning on some sort of competitive economy.  What would we do without our code of capitalism?

Question for next week

In researching charities, I also came across some other interesting organizations, such as 10000 villages, that I don't know if they really classify as charties or not.  Is 10000 villages a charity?  What is it's main purpose?  Is it effective?



Sources

Armstrong, Karen. "Charter for Compassion." Charter for Compassion. Web. 02 Feb. 2011. http://charterforcompassion.org/site/.

 

Sagan, Carl. "The Rules of the Game." Web.

 

 Ten Thousand Villages. A Fair Trade Retailer. || Learn about Fair Trade, Find Special Gift Ideas & Shop for Unique Handicrafts from around the World. Web. 02 Feb. 2011. <http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/>.

Journal 2_5

no previous question for week before.

This Week In Class:
A) We  began to talk about ethics this week in class.  The topic we talked about most was the quality of "The Greater Good."  It was an interesting and dynamic topic, and I honestly am not quite sure what to think of it at the moment.  With more discussion, I think that I will find a more concrete opinion about it.  The Greater Good is basically the concept that something is not ethical if  it does not provide "good" to the most people.  The first mind stump we discussed was defining the term "good."  We use it all the time, but what does it acutally mean?  Dictionary.com comes up with 49 different uses and definitions for the word. "good."  So What exactly does it mean?  In the case of "The Greater Good" I think it means progression, positive, and betterement where the loss is less than the gain.

B) The main argument we debated in class was the difference between giving one homeless man a $100 coat, or feeding 100 people with the $100.  Which is more ethical?  They are both obviously honorable actions, and yet neither could necessarlily be considered "The Greater Good."  What if the homeless man sells his coat for food, or even worse, drugs?  What if with $100 you can't feed people healthy food, only unhealthy food like soda that will make them more dehydrated?  It is a pessimistic way to look at things, but also a needed perspective.  The class went back and forth coming to an answer.  One of my classmates decided that "The Greater Good" was pointless because who gets decide what is better for other people?  I personally, would choose the coat.  The coat gives warmth during the winter, but also a monetary gain a man or woman can use for food, other clothes when it gets warm and just about everything else.  I would definitley pick who I gave it to, making sure it was someone who would be able to keep the coat and use it wisely, but I feel that effecting that one person significantly is better than disabling hundreds with unhealthy food. 
 vs.
C) To bring a different example into the mix, what if someone cheated, but didn't do well on the test anyway?  Is is better to let the bad grade be enough  of a punishment for not doing the work, or is the greater good to teach that person a lesson, and turn that person in for cheating?  If he or she didn't even get a good grade, how is affecting the rest of the class?  But what if that person cheats again, and this time: gets a good grade that is unfair to the rest of the class?  It is for the greater good in this situation to be preventative, or let it pass and not hit a classmate while their down.  I don't know what would be better in this situation,  certainly cheating is unethical, and turning this person in would benefit the class, but the loss of that classmate's integrity would probably be as big of a loss as turning he or she in would be a gain.   Does that make it the greater good?  I don't know. 

Question for next week:
I'm going to ask a few of my classmates about the above scenario and see the results.  I will ask the following questions:  How many people say to turn the person in, how many would say "let it pass"?  And do they think the option they chose is ethical?

journal 2_4: all about Leadership

I'm proud to be a member of the Leadership Center at James River.  I think it takes a certain kind of person to want to be in the center, and I'm glad that I decided to join before my freshmen year of High School.  The people are great, my favorite teachers have been a  part of the center, and I have come into my own a lot since freshman year.  The communications elective improved my speaking immensely, and made me much more confident.  The other students in the program, though we are divided in my grade into two seperate cliques, are interesting, share similar interests in classes, and actively want to participate which makes school more enjoyable and effective.  I know there are people I would have never met if I hadn't been in the program.  Theres no question Leadership has beneffited me in some ways, but it is still not what I thought I signed up for.

When I signed up for the Leadership and International Relations Program, I mainly signed up for my interest in international studies, and now three years into the program--the only class that has studied other countries is my favorite class I've ever taken, AP World History (I hate the fact that sophomores take AP Euro now, but I don't know the entire reason why it changed).  I also thought that the service oppurtunites would be easier to find within the center, and that there would be options for every kind of oppurtunity.  Instead, I have found the center's resources in service oppurtunities to be decentralized, boring tasks that are used soley to fill the 30 hour requirement.  I also joined the program because I got the feeling it was one of the only speciality programs that was connected to the rest of the school, and James River is a great school to be at.  I feel as though I have succeeded in being part of both James River and The Leadership Program through sports and friendship, but outside of leadership students at James River either don't know about the program or dislike it.  It's important for the program as a whole to reach outside of the quad and somehow include the rest of the school.  The program needs to get excited about itself again, and I think the best way to do that is what we are doing--talking about and impoving the areas students think need to be improved.

This year I took on the job of Interantional Relations Coordinator on the Leadership Council, and I need to really get going on being an effective member of the council, I'll admit I haven't done too much.  I think I would be able to do more though if I had a little guidance on where to start!  The harderst part about organizing something or community service is finding where to start, and during all of our busy days its hard to find time to sit down and talk about oppurtunites.  At the same time, I feel like the few great, exciting opputunites are not advertised correctly--and so only certain students get to take advantage of them, and thy are usually the same students over and over agian.  When my mom took me to visit the college she attended, Vassar, I remember there being giant corkboards and chalkboards with everything imaginable posted on them.  Just looking at it you got inspired to go and do something, and the feeling of seeing everyones unique handwriting, artism, different sheets and colors of paper lifted up the entire room as well.  If leadership had a board like that in the quad (I know the perfect spot for it), that everyone could use and contribute to, it would make leadership more centralized, connected, artistic and inspired.  Leadership service oppurtunties need to be pooled by everyone's connections in order to become a center of information and action.  The only way students are going to get involved and learn the lessons they need to is by action and experience, the more of those we have in the program the better. 

Community Outreach comes along with the becoming more connected.  When was the last time that James River Leadership did a service project TOGETHER?  I can't remember one!  With 200 people, the Leadership Program could do something great, and yet, we stay decentralized.  After we accomplish community outreach it would be amazing to do an international outreach.  A trip would be a great bonding learning and service experience for every single person in the program.  Isn't part of being a great leader understanding the different perspectives and cultures of different people?  That's what I am most interested in, and I feel there are other people in the program that are the same as me.  Leadership needs to bring in more international speakers and points of view, different political figures, scientists, marketers, rich poor, non-profit organizations etc., the more our program is exposed to the more likely we are as a student body to take action!  Also, Leadership applies to every field of study and workplace, and it's important for students to be exposed to leadership and relations in every field we can find.   

That, I think, would be the best place to start with improving the program.  The most important thing is including every single student in the program and help get them involved with their opinions and ideas, have everyone use their connections to basically have a database of activities to get involved in and reach out to the community and the world by doing local projects together (and maybe a more abroad project) and bring in every single different perspective we can find.  Getting people excited about being in leadership again is going to be the key to the improvement of the program.