Reflection

Nash Equilibrium – The Nash Equilibrium consists of two sides that can both gain profit. They both gain profit without changing the strategies of each other.

Game Theory – Game Theory is all around us in the world today. It is where someone bases their strategy off of how another person is acting.

Prisoner Dilemma – It is very similar to Game Theory. It is when someone is being forced to make a decision that affects both sides.

 

The Serendip online interactive dilemma game was very interesting. This game was very life like. If I kept cooperating with it, it would keep agreeing with me as well. This was maximizing both of our profits. However, the moment that I disagreed, they disagreed in every round that followed. They wanted revenge for when I betrayed them.

 

In History: The cold war, the U.S and Soviet Union were in a giant game of chess with each other.

In Government: Both political parties won’t agree on certain things unless the other does. This goes the same for disagreeing on certain things.

In Economics: Oil companies will raise and lower their prices to deal with other companies.

Sociology: Sociology is the study of how this works, so it is worked with every day.

Psychology: Studies how the mind reacts in certain situations like this.

Everyday life: You make decisions based on these theories all day long, whether to turn left or right, eat something or not.

 

I thought that the oil producing game was very fun/interesting to play. You really got to see people’s true personalities and interests. For example, some people just wanted more money while others wanted to be honest and fair to the other group. I really liked the fact that we hid the scores. That made the suspense that much more.

 

My overall rating is a 10. I really enjoyed doing these games. I really do not think there is any way to better this chapter. I think that if it is done the way we did it, that is the best way.

Ink Blot Test

                In class we took a look at the Rorshach Inkblot Test. After comparing our answers to what people most normally see, I was quite interested with the results. On many of the tests the answer I chose is not even one of the “common answers” on the website. So, I don’t know if that means anything or not, but the thought is quite captivating. For instance, on one of the blots it said that I should have seen a face or multiple faces. I saw two pistols lined up opposite from one another and in their holsters. There were several other blots that this happened on as well! But, I did find some images that were described on the website as well!

                I do not think that these tests are very liable. I do not really know how they can base someone’s personal likeness on what they see. Everybody sees different things. The thing I really do not understand is how people can say that someone has schizophrenia or paranoia because they saw an oil lamp in a picture. I did see the oil lamp, and I am pretty sure I do not have schizophrenia or paranoia. This is just one example of why I do not believe that these tests are reliable and/or accurate.

One Big Blur

                The human eyes are very complex organs in the human body. They are what we use to see with. According to a new study, each eye is not what it seems. They are actually seeing blurred images. The thing that helps us to see these images clearly is our brain. Our brain acts as a medium that takes the two different “levels” of blurriness that our eyes are seeing, and turn them into one clear picture. What I mean by two “levels” is that each eye sees a blur. However, both eyes see a different type of blur. The left eye will see a completely different blur than the right eye! So therefore, the brain takes both of these blurs and finds the happy medium of the two blurs. This happy medium is the images we see when we open our eyes. Our brain has to work all the time, just so we are able to see what is happening.

1. 73. About Average.    2. No I don't think so.

1. 46. Bad.     2. Yeah maybe.

1. 97. Average.    2. Yes, it seemed like an actual IQ test.

A. What is intelligence? The ability for someone to solve a problem on their own.

Which is more important: Emotional Intelligence, or Intellectual Intelligence? I believe that emotional is, because if your emotional intelligence isn't in check, then that could effect your intellectual intelligence.

Is intelligence learned or inherited? I believe that intelligence is mainly inherited. You will think the same way your parents do.

What did you learn about yourself while doing these tests? I learned that I am pretty much average, but I think that I could do better on an actual IQ test.

Sense of Sight

                There are five senses that are important to the human body, and to memory. I think that the most important one is sight! Without sight, you wouldn’t be able to see what you smell, see the thing that is making a noise, or even see what you are picking up! Memory without sight would be very difficult also. Yes, you could recognize smells, sounds, tastes, and textures, but things would be a lot easier if you could see what it is. I think that sight is the most important, however, I would not like to lose any of the senses that we possess as human beings.

Memory Storage

                I think that the most important stage of memory is the long-term memory storage. I think that this is important to me in my life because every skill that I learn on the farm, I need to do it again in the future. Take replacing sickles on the sickle mower for example. My dad showed me how to replace them a few years ago, every year since I have had to replace them. So, I am recollecting from my memory, the technique I used to replace them. This is the same with many other things that I do on the farm. I think that long-term memory storage is very important, and keeps your body safe/helps you recall skills you learned way back when you were younger, or even last year.

Unconditioned Stimulus: Happiness

Conditioned Stimulus: Coca-Cola

Unconditioned Response: Happiness with others.

Conditioned Response: You feel happy when you drink a Coca-Cola

Water skiing

                During the summer one of my favorite pass-times is water skiing. Waterskiing is one of my most favorite things to do at the lake. One day a few years ago, James Erickson finally built up the courage to try skiing. He asked me to help him, so I did!

                First, I took him down on the dock and showed him how to wear the skis. I explained how to put them on and how to keep them straight. I demonstrated this part. Next, I showed him how to keep his knees bent and stay in the “ball position”. Then finally, I taught him how to stand up, and let go of the rope.

                After I showed/demonstrated all of this he decided to give it a go. He fell a few times but he eventually got the hang of it and now loves to ski just like I do. I am very happy that I got this opportunity to show him how to ski!

Words

Most Favorite Word – Oofda

Least Favorite Word – Shaboi

Like About My Life – Getting to go to Roy Lake during the summer.

Not Like About My Life – I do not get to hunt as often as I would like.

Profession I would like – A wild life scene photographer/professional hunter.

Profession I would not like – I would not like to work at a hospital at all.

3 Words – Outdoorsy, Fun, and Kind.

                I am taking this class because I really had no other class to take. The more we talk about it, however, the more excited for it I get! I am really looking forward to learning about how people think and what they do in certain situations. I also really hope to play the game that we were talking about earlier. I want to see how people go about their strategies in the game. I am hoping that having Mr. Reints as our teacher, that we can have a lot of fun but also learn a lot. I really hope that we can have as much fun as we did in Globalization. I would like to gain much knowledge of how the mind works when we make decisions, and when we have a teacher influencing our decisions. It will be very interesting to know how authority effects our decisions. Overall, I am very excited for this upcoming semester. I cannot wait to see what Mr. Reints has in store for us. I hope that I can gain some psychological knowledge, and also have a bunch of fun following through with this class.

EBOLA

                In class we recently did a group project on EBOLA, the deadly disease that has captured the minds of many people in the country. One of the things that I learned was that the disease has a natural host! I did not know that the EBOLA virus was dormant in the common fruit bat. The fruit bat is a winged mammal that lives in Africa. This also brought to my attention that the people that live in Africa can easily get the virus. I thought that the virus was spread from human to human only, not animals. One of the most intriguing things that I found out while studying this is the extent that some people in America are taking this to. There are people that are wearing quarantine suits, leaving the country, and even not coming outside! The fact of the matter is that this disease has been around since the 70’s and no one has said anything about it. Now that it has arrived in the United States, people are freaking out. More people die of the common cold a year, then EBOLA. There is not much to worry about.

 

EBOLA and the WORLD

                The EBOLA craze is sweeping the world. It is on headlines, the talk of the table at local coffee hour, and the world’s number one scare at the moment. People around the world are taking desperate measures to avoid this toxic disease at all costs. I think that people around the world should know about the virus, and its destructivity. The world does need to take some steps in to creating a safe environment, such as screenings in airports, and medical treatment for those that have the virus. How does this affect the world you might ask? Each country has people. People are the carriers of the virus. So, this means that each country has to be aware what could happen to their people. This links the world, because if only the civilized countries shut down their airports and docks, the virus could still spread through the other countries, allowing the chance for someone to make it in to the closed countries, perhaps ending eternity as we know it.

                Hold on, slow down a minute. Mankind will not end. The fact of the matter is that the virus is out there, but it is not going to end humanity. People need to be aware of the virus, but do not need to go to the extremes that some are.

1. First of all, I find it very interesting that companies are paying the government/politics at all!
2. Pharmaceuticals and other health products rake in 120,369,378 dollars so far in 2014.
3. It is surprising enough that the amount of lobbying is decreased so far in 2014.
4. I find it very interesting that the Republican Party has been more supported in the history of payment from medical companies.
5. Medical companies are raking out over a million dollars for a politician to vote their way.
6. This also captures my thoughts, why was there such an increase in paying the government during the 04-09 years?
7. I also would like to know this, to what company is the Cooperative of American Physicians spending their money?
8. I do not understand why nursing homes would have to pay off the government for things? What kind of things do they need?
9. The lobbying totals peaked in 2009, then they started decreasing.
10. The most paid off politician is from Kentucky, does he have a say in major medical decisions?

Health Care

                We recently watched a Michael Moore documentary entitled “Sicko”. This documentary was about how corrupt the U.S’s health care system is. Big company’s control if people get the care they need. Therefore, the big companies are making big bucks on denying people health care. How can this happen? People might not have the right insurance, or enough money to pay their bills, so they get denied. This is not how it should be, in my opinion.

                By watching this documentary I learned that many countries around the world have free health care. Canada, Britain, France, and Cuba are among these. If you were in these countries, you could lose all of your toes, go to the hospital, and pay nothing to get them repaired. If you lived in the United States however, you would have to pay thousands of dollars depending on your insurance. In my view, I think that if the U.S could establish a system like this, it would be very beneficial.

                In conclusion, I would like to say that after watching the documentary, I have gotten a very different perspective on our nation’s health care system. I believe that everyone should have free health care like some of the countries I listed earlier. Why would you want to live in a country where medication costs 120 dollars, where it could cost you 5 cents somewhere else? It doesn’t make any sense to me.

Human Trafficking

                Human trafficking in the world is a big problem. It is one of those things that people say, “slavery was so 150 years ago” (insert snobby, sarcastic voice here). But, the truth of the matter is, it is happening right now.

                This summer I had the privilege to go to a youth convention in Kansas City, Missouri. At this convention we got to learn about sex trafficking in Germany. So, I have some foreknowledge on this subject. I did not know that much of this happened in the United States though. That kind of intrigued me.

                The movie we watched, “Human Trafficking”, really opened my eyes to how these people work, and what they do. The people that run these businesses are mean, ruthless, and dictators of these young women that they are trafficking. I think that every person that runs one of these chains, and gets caught should be forced into federal prison. They should also be forced to promote awareness of human trafficking.

                More people in the world need to know that this is happening. I think that the “End It Movement” is doing a great job on attempting to get the word out to people. I also would like to see more people around the world raising awareness of this situation. Human slavery is not dead, it is very much alive and needs to be put to an end.

Women and Globalization

                Globalization has greatly improved the lives of many men and women across the globe. It has made their lives not only easier, but better. The one topic that still comes up however, is, do women get the same rights?

                According to Globalization 101, “57 percent of the children that do not get to attend school are women”. What does this mean? It means that women do not get the same rights as men. Some people may think this! Some women like to argue that that they do not get the same rights. This leads to protests, and other debates. Here is a link to Globalization 101's website.

                Another place that raises conflicts is working conditions. A lot of women in the world get the low-paying, sweatshop jobs. They get the hard labor jobs that the men either do not want, or just are too lazy to get. This makes many people mad, and brings up big controversy.

                Some of this might take place in the United States, but I do not think that it really happens in South Dakota. I think that it mainly happens in the bigger cities and factories. I do not think that is a problem here.

                In conclusion I think that something needs to be done about this. Someone needs to bring these concepts up to government officials in the overseas countries. This is a crime that should be changed.

Globalization and Migration

                We recently watched a short film called “God Grew Tired of Us”. This short film was about the Lost Boys of Sudan. It told about their exodus from Sudan into Ethiopia, then from Ethiopia to Kakuma, Kenya. The Lost Boys were being persecuted by Muslim extremists. If they did not flee their home country of Sudan, they would have been captured and or killed. In Kakuma, the Lost Boys stayed there for approximately a decade. Then one day, a few thousand of their lives changed forever.

                                Globalization played a big role in the relocation of the exiled Lost Boys of Sudan. Globalization brought to American and other nation’s presence in Africa.  Without this presence, the Lost Boys of Sudan could have kept on walking on through Kenya. They also could have been captured by the Muslim extremists, or died of lack of food and water.  With the aid globalization, there was a refugee camp waiting for them in Kakuma, Kenya.

                The Lost Boys of Sudan lived in this refugee camp for many years. They lived on food and water rations. Sometimes these rations would take weeks at a time to arrive at the camp, causing the Lost Boys of Sudan to face starvation. But, if the countries that supported them with the rations would not have been trying, the Lost Boys of Sudan could have very well died. The United States government created a relocation program for a select few thousand of these young men. They took them to America and split them into groups of about four or five. After splitting them up into their groups, they sent them into cities all around the nation. For instance, some ended up in Fargo, Phoenix, and Syracuse. This random, radical relocation caused some Lost Boys of Sudan to turn into prominent, productive people. For others, it did not turn out the same. Seeing that the Lost Boys of Sudan needed help, the United States government created a relocation program for a select few thousand of these young men. They took them to America and split them into groups of about four or five. After splitting them up into their groups, they sent them into cities all around the nation. For instance, some ended up in Fargo, Phoenix, and Syracuse. This random, radical relocation caused some Lost Boys of Sudan to turn into prominent, productive people. For others, it did not turn out the same.

                The forced migration put on by the United States had some disadvantages to the Lost Boys, but also some advantages! Some disadvantages were that they would miss their fellow brothers. They also didn’t want to give up the hope that their country was going to recover from such an awful civil war. But, some advantages were that they would acquire a better living, escape the threat of being killed, and maybe find their original families. This migration may have been forced upon some of the Lost Boys but in the long run it paid off for them.

                This forced migration not only helped the Lost Boys of Sudan, but it also helped the American economy. They came and were willing to work the low-end, factory jobs that no lazy American wants. This little deed helped our economy to prosper.

 Globalization brought the countries that supported the Lost Boys of Sudan together. Without globalization, the Lost Boys of Sudan would have eventually died of starvation, or would have been killed by Muslim extremists.

                In conclusion, globalization saved the Lost Boys of Sudan. The forceful relocation of all the Lost Boys of Sudan was a good thing for them. They got a new place to live, along with a new start to life. Globalization is all over the world. It saves people like the Lost Boys of Sudan, and it also helps economies. Globalization is everywhere.

Globalization

                Globalization. A term that was non-existent in the early nineteen hundreds has exploded across the globe. Metaphorically and physically! Different countries are exporting and importing, then exporting their imports only to import their own exports! How does this possibly work you may ask? Read further as I tell you about all the glories, and the few minor disadvantages to globalization.

                Globalization is many countries in the world working together, but yet not, to make things better for their country. For example, a t-shirt that you buy might be bought in America. It could’ve been made in China, the printed lettering be put on in Indonesia, all with the yarn from India. This is a great thing for all of these countries! All their economies benefit from this, because it generates revenue, therefore, helping their economies. This does not just happen with a simple t-shirt. Many things are exported and imported, just to put it together! The computer you are reading this blog on could have been put together in two different countries! Most objects in the world are being put through this process.

                There are many good things about globalization that I love, but to be fair I need to point out some of the down sides. One being that if multiple countries around the world are trading with each other, the natural being of the human race is to change their mind, therefore drawing tensions. With these further escalating tensions countries can get mad at each other which can possibly lead to war. Another down side being that emissions from factories around the world are polluting our environment. Nutty people say that globalization is the cause of global warming, which in my opinion does not even exist.

                As you can see there a few downsides to globalization. But who always focuses on the negative things in life anyways? Focus on the positive things that our world could benefit from. Consider siding with globalization as the world progresses in our vast technological world.