en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2443674 Comments by NittanyLions http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/what-americans-fear/#IDComment145229386 This video is very messed up and I do not really understand the point of this video. To be honest, this video sheds a bad light on an entire religion and that is not an easy thing to accomplish in just a four minute you tube clip. I realize that you cannot relate a terrorist group to an entire religion but at the same time it is hard not to. I once heard something about the fact that you cannot relate jihad to Islam as a whole just like in the 1940s you could not relate the Nazis to Christianity or Catholicism. I really enjoyed both the extra credit opportunity on Tuesday night and the lesson in class on Wednesday. Both of these presentations by the very intelligent lady went back to the class on empathy. And the class on empathy really made you think and wonder about the supposed “enemy” in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. I thought that class was one of the more powerful classes this entire semester. In every scenario life throws at you, you have to understand both sides of the conflict. You have to understand both sides way of thinking, there background, how they were raised and then you can understand why they might be acting the way they are. The lady during the extra credit opportunity this past Tuesday really put into perspective the conflict between Israel and Palestine. She understands both sides of the conflict because her family is Jewish yet she understands what the people of Palestine are going through and how hard it is for them to basically just have to give up there land. She is truly a remarkable person because at such a young age she understood how to really look at things. She was able to look at both sides of every situation which is not easy for some adults to do and she was doing it in grade school. This video is pretty scary and I hate terrorism. It really sent shocks up and down my body when I was watching it. I would just like to say that this is the last blog of the semester and I really enjoyed blogging and expanding my thinking for the past 15 weeks. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:18:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/what-americans-fear/#IDComment145229386 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/the-cost-of-empire-soc-001-blog/#IDComment143255970 I thought this video was very interesting because not only did it discuss the budget of Americas Department of Defense but also because it gives us insight on what the spending is used for. The United States of Americas military spending accounts for fifty percent of the entire world. Seven of the ten largest military companies in the world are America companies. These companies also do not just sell to the United States government or even are allies. Seventy percent of US arm sales agreements went to “developing countries”. These are things to ponder about. Are we selling weapons that American companies make to our enemies? Are we selling these same weapons to leaders who are going to kill their people? I don’t really know the answers to these questions and I don’t think anyone really knows. When Sam had two ex-CIA agents into his class and they didn’t really know what happens in the United States Government tells us something about how little we actually know. We all say that we want to know everything that goes on in the government but do we? Do we really want to know? I don’t know but these are questions that Sam is definitely making me ponder. But War is a battle over resources and that has been the case since humans have existed. And if any other country in the world had the military capacity that we have, then wouldn’t they use their brute force as well to gain resources for their people. It is about electricity, cars, and everything as a country we take for granted on a daily basis. The resources that our government gain help us as a country function. I don’t know if it is definitely the right thing to do but who does. Sam gives us very curious things to ponder and they are definitely very curious because there is no real right answer to any of them I feel like. I do not like bashing my country or my government because I live very happy here in the United States and I wouldn’t chose to live in any other country. Sat, 16 Apr 2011 00:09:08 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/11/the-cost-of-empire-soc-001-blog/#IDComment143255970 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/4827/#IDComment141123478 The oil industry in my opinion is one of the most interesting industries not only the United States has to offer but the entire world. There is so much controversy when discussing the oil industry and in DC it is always one of the hot topics. I did not know much about it before we watched the video on the Marcellus shale and I thought that video was so interesting. But Sam did mention something that I really understood and agreed with. You have to listen to about fifty percent of the information because producers of documentaries are so good at twisting and turning the truth to make the viewers believe that there side is the right side. That is what makes a successful documentary filmmaker. They have the uncanny ability to make an argument go their way. And the filmmaker of the Marcellus shale video that we watched in class did a great job of building up his argument and giving history to the story. And I feel very bad for the people that are negatively affected by the drilling. Water is life. People need water to survive and function and be productive citizens. But there are positives from the drilling. Clean energy, natural gas and oil is all being taken from the Marcellus shale. For every positive thing in life, there is a negative. And this negative is definitely a bad thing. Politicians making decisions in Washington DC are of the upper class and they are definitely looking out for their own behinds. There making rules and passing laws to have the drilling and extracting of these natural resources not be affected. But you have to understand there point of view also. I understand that it is not fair for the people that cannot have clean water to drink or shower with but they are also giving Americans a cleaner and cheaper product. It costs a lot of money to transport the oil from the middle east and to get the resources from the United States saves a lot of peoples time and money. I know this documentary was very powerful ad informational but you do have to look at both sides of the story. Sat, 9 Apr 2011 00:19:37 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/4827/#IDComment141123478 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/28/soccer-and-haiti/#IDComment139397819 I am a huge sports fan and I understand the fact that sports can give people an outlet from daily stresses and problems. But if you factor in a huge natural disaster like an earthquake, sports can do wonders. This story has huge similarities to Hurricane Katrina and what the New Orleans Saints did to the city of New Orleans to help them move on from such a big catastrophe. The Saints gave the people of New Orleans hope and sports has that unbelievable power of giving people hope and a certain energy that no politician, no leader can even dream of giving there subjects. It’s the moment in time when people start believing in something, that it really turns around. And teams and sports give people something to believe in. The people of Haiti needed something to turn to when the earthquake hit and soccer was there choice. Soccer is the world’s sport because every nation can play. It doesn’t matter if you are the most wealthy nation in the world or if you are a third world country, you can play soccer. All it takes is a ball and a goal. Some kids around the world play with no shoes on. It is truly amazing how much people love soccer. I just the love the fact that when people are in crisis, thy turn to sports. And that is what exactly happened here. People of Haiti who really needed help and deservedly needed help because there country was in ruins. I just absolutely love athletics because they mean so much to me. I was the captain of my lacrosse team and football team in high school. I was the quarterback of my football team and it was the best experience of my life. To be the leader of a team that is forty-eight strong is one of the best feelings in the world. I love athletics and will always love sports because it brings people together. And that is what happened in Haiti. People who were separated because of an earthquake were brought together because of a sport that everyone loves. Sat, 2 Apr 2011 16:16:25 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/28/soccer-and-haiti/#IDComment139397819 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/28/soccer-and-haiti/#IDComment139322390 I am a huge sports fan and I understand the fact that sports can give people an outlet from daily stresses and problems. But if you factor in a huge natural disaster like an earthquake, sports can do wonders. This story has huge similarities to Hurricane Katrina and what the New Orleans Saints did to the city of New Orleans to help them move on from such a big catastrophe. The Saints gave the people of New Orleans hope and sports has that unbelievable power of giving people hope and a certain energy that no politician, no leader can even dream of giving there subjects. It’s the moment in time when people start believing in something, that it really turns around. And teams and sports give people something to believe in. The people of Haiti needed something to turn to when the earthquake hit and soccer was there choice. Soccer is the world’s sport because every nation can play. It doesn’t matter if you are the most wealthy nation in the world or if you are a third world country, you can play soccer. All it takes is a ball and a goal. Some kids around the world play with no shoes on. It is truly amazing how much people love soccer. I just the love the fact that when people are in crisis, thy turn to sports. And that is what exactly happened here. People of Haiti who really needed help and deservedly needed help because there country was in ruins. I just absolutely love athletics because they mean so much to me. I was the captain of my lacrosse team and football team in high school. I was the quarterback of my football team and it was the best experience of my life. To be the leader of a team that is forty-eight strong is one of the best feelings in the world. I love athletics and will always love sports because it brings people together. And that is what happened in Haiti. People who were separated because of an earthquake were brought together because of a sport that everyone loves. Sat, 2 Apr 2011 06:50:04 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/28/soccer-and-haiti/#IDComment139322390 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/28/soccer-and-haiti/#IDComment139322337 I am a huge sports fan and I understand the fact that sports can give people an outlet from daily stresses and problems. But if you factor in a huge natural disaster like an earthquake, sports can do wonders. This story has huge similarities to Hurricane Katrina and what the New Orleans Saints did to the city of New Orleans to help them move on from such a big catastrophe. The Saints gave the people of New Orleans hope and sports has that unbelievable power of giving people hope and a certain energy that no politician, no leader can even dream of giving there subjects. It’s the moment in time when people start believing in something, that it really turns around. And teams and sports give people something to believe in. The people of Haiti needed something to turn to when the earthquake hit and soccer was there choice. Soccer is the world’s sport because every nation can play. It doesn’t matter if you are the most wealthy nation in the world or if you are a third world country, you can play soccer. All it takes is a ball and a goal. Some kids around the world play with no shoes on. It is truly amazing how much people love soccer. I just the love the fact that when people are in crisis, thy turn to sports. And that is what exactly happened here. People of Haiti who really needed help and deservedly needed help because there country was in ruins. I just absolutely love athletics because they mean so much to me. I was the captain of my lacrosse team and football team in high school. I was the quarterback of my football team and it was the best experience of my life. To be the leader of a team that is forty-eight strong is one of the best feelings in the world. I love athletics and will always love sports because it brings people together. And that is what happened in Haiti. People who were separated because of an earthquake were brought together because of a sport that everyone loves. Sat, 2 Apr 2011 06:49:32 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/28/soccer-and-haiti/#IDComment139322337 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/religion-in-the-future/#IDComment137574092 I agree with Richard when he says religion will not die. I believe that in order for people to feel like they have a purpose in this world, they need to believe in something and religion is what the majority of human beings turn to to truly believe in something. Religion answers a lot of the sociological questions that we as human beings ask on a daily basis. Like why are we here? Why do we die and why are we born? I believe religion is in some ways a way for people to keep their sanity. If human beings keep thinking about the questions that no one really has the answers to, then they will lose their minds. But religion gives people answers to those very tough questions in life. When you talk about a creator and a “god” the questions that I asked earlier in my blog are basically all answered. Religions disagree with a lot but at the same time, there are a lot of similarities between them. And if people would just listen to each other and understand different religions, than wars and uprisings and riots would not happen. Its when people are ignorant about other peoples backgrounds and religions and races that stupid fights break out. All religions are really quite similar. There are a couple differences here and there but not anything way drastic, especially in all of the different Christian religions. Catholics, Protestants, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Congregationalists all really have the same viewpoints on a lot of things. There are a couple minor differences here and there but nothing drastic enough to start debacles about. I think religion is a very good thing. It gives people hope and it gives people reason to live and to work hard. It gives people reason to try and spread good in this world. I am Episcopalian and I do not go to Church very often. I usually go twice a year, once on Christmas Eve and once on Easter but every time I do go, I feel a sense of pride and a sense of right. I wish I would have gone to Church more to get that feeling every Sunday. Fri, 25 Mar 2011 21:24:44 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/religion-in-the-future/#IDComment137574092 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/13/japans-disaster/#IDComment135944248 I would first like to start my blog off by saying that my heart goes out to not only the people in Japan but also everyone who has been affected by the horrible tsunami and earthquake. It is just so sad. It is something you do not ever want to see and it is especially something you never want to witness firsthand. And the thing about natural disasters is that there is no one to truly blame. After or during a horrible disaster or war or attack people love to have someone to blame. It makes them not necessarily feel better but it lets people bond together and come together for a cause. There is a sense of revenge that allows people to at least for the time being forget the hideous act that took place. What happened in Japan was truly an unbelievable event. For one earthquake and one “wave” of water to cause that much destruction is unthinkable. And I truly believe that the day the earthquake shook Japan and made people across the world tremble was not the worst day, the days following the tsunami and even up to today has been maybe just as bad. The nuclear power plant is a major problem in Japan. Several reactors have exploded and that is a terrible thing for Japan because radioactive material has been released into the air. Japanese residents are now in danger because of that terrible radioactive material. I feel so bad for Japan because recovering from a tragedy like this is so hard to do and it takes time. The hard work towards the light has only just begun. I remember when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and wreaked havoc. It was a tough time for Louisiana and the entire gulf coast region. But you have to at least recognize some of the good that came out of it. It united a city, it united a state and bonded together people that would have never ever met before. It is a tough time in Japan but they need to realize that the light at the end of the tunnel will be spectacular. It might be a lot of hard work and the tunnel will be very long but the light at the end of the tunnel will be worth all the hard work. Sat, 19 Mar 2011 00:36:02 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/13/japans-disaster/#IDComment135944248 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/01/lighting-our-way/#IDComment132482036 Seasonal Effective Disorder That video is very informational and makes me think how fortunate I am to live in a place that has more sunlight in the dead of winter than just five hours. It obviously takes a toll on your mental aptitude and your level of happiness. It shows right here in State College. The first nice day in March or April after a long, long winter is one of my favorite days of the year. Students are walking to class in flip-flops, shorts and a t-shirt. People are just outside in their front lawns and backyards throwing the football around or catching some rays. Everyone is just so much happier!!! It makes me so much happier when everyone is out and about and the weather is so much nicer. The sun is out and the skies are blue. It is the most amazing day in the world. But my hats are off for the city of Helsinki for trying to make the best out of a very difficult situation. How are you supposed to deal with five hour lit up days? But they obviously try there best and they are doing a pretty good job. The “Season of Light” is a great idea to get the residents of Helsinki out of their homes for a couple hours during the darkest days of the year and see what the artists in the town can do with just light and their imagination. And some of the art the artists came up with were just magnificent and it is about so much more than just themselves. It is about the people of Helsinki that will benefit from there creations. It will give them some happiness in to their very dark lives because at the time of “Season of Light” they will only be getting five hours of sunlight in a day. It will give people hope and light. I also liked the ideas of the new lamps in the workplace and in homes. That gives a totally new sense of happiness in the workplace. You don’t realize how much light truly makes a difference in your light until you go without it for an extended amount of time. Fri, 4 Mar 2011 22:44:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/01/lighting-our-way/#IDComment132482036 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/fear/#IDComment130718481 This poem by the Pennsylvania lifer is such a powerful one. The Pennsylvania lifer poems are my favorite blogs to read undoubtedly because it teaches me how to appreciate the little things in life. It’s the little things in life that the prisoners try to appreciate and it’s the little things in life that keeps these people who are in jail sane. Imagine knowing that you are going to be in the same place for the rest of your life. I would be really scared and have a lot of fears because I would not know what to look forward too. And it would be really hard to try and enjoy the present. I believe that it is very important in life to not only enjoy the present but to also have something to look forward to. If you have something to look forward to, then it is much easier to get through the difficulties in life. But this poem is so powerful and so true in so many ways because people are truly driven by the fear of failure. And when you look at this fear of failure from a sociological perspective, it is society that truly drives this fear. When someone fails, they feel like they not only let themselves down but they feel like they let down their family and their friends. They feel like they let society down. The thing that really amazes me in this poem is the fact that he is so positive. He has been in jail for thirteen years and he has been in jail since the age of eighteen. But he is still thankful for the person he is today and how he can face his fears. I would truly like to meet this man. I consider myself a very positive, happy person but this puts positivity on an entirely new level. And I really enjoy the last paragraph because the way he explains fear. I think fear can be a positive thing because without fear, society could not function as smoothly. Fear is what drives people to work hard and achieve their goals because people in our society hate to fail. And society especially hates failures. Fri, 25 Feb 2011 23:46:18 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/24/fear/#IDComment130718481 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/13/whats-the-sociological-message-here/#IDComment128924241 Scott Gimber Soc001 Blog #5 I found this song to be very funny and this guy to be even more comical. But it really explains a lot of aspects about life and the notion that everyone in this world falls in love with their soul mate. I believe that everyone in this world has a significant other they are meant to be with but who exactly knows whether or not those two people will ever meet. That’s why this song is so fascinating. I understand he wrote this song to be comical but there is a much deeper meaning sociologically speaking. He talks about how if he never met his wife, he could have met someone else and been happy. I agree with that but living human beings have to make the best possible choice they can make at the time. You have to be able to live with the cards you have been dealt and be able to make yourself happy. And that is what this song really talks about. Tim Minchin made the best possible decision he could make with the cards he had been dealt at the time when he met his future wife. His future wife made him happy and made him laugh and smile and that his why he married her. He also said that he met his wife in high school. I think love is everywhere and can be achieved at any age. When you truly love someone you know and how old you are really does not matter. During his song he stated, “the inherently flawed notion of fate.” I totally disagree with him here because I truly believe that fate does exist. I understand sociologists do not believe in fate because it just does not make sense from a sociological standpoint but I believe when you know you have something special, you just know. And I believe that is a big part of fate. And I also believe that when someone says,“fate brought us together,” that makes complete sense. Fate brought them together because both of these people know they have that love at first sight feeling and that is a great feeling to have. Fri, 18 Feb 2011 22:05:22 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/13/whats-the-sociological-message-here/#IDComment128924241 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/09/4092/#IDComment127476843 Remember Blog This poem is one of the most powerful poems I have ever read. To hear the story of a person that has been in jail for twenty six years and has to be in jail for the rest of his life is truly an influential read. And this poem brings a lot of sociological questions in to question. Was this prisoner really free to make his decisions? Was it his fault, or was he strongly attached to the sociological strings that hang down and influence our every move? Was it truly his fault or the fact that he never really knew his father play a huge part in his life? I believe that his life would be totally different if he had a male father figure who could help him through life and teach him lessons. But this inmate grew up without a father and without a very close family. He could not remember his first friends, his first relationships with girls, and not even the last time he spoke to the girl he had married. And the way he describes how he killed the man he killed is truly unbelievable because he says how he remembers everything that had happened. And Dr. Richards spoke today about how if someone kills another human being, they will never forget that day and never forget how it happened. I totally agree with that, how could anyone forget something like that. But this poem perfectly describes that feeling and this inmate does an incredible job of describing how everything in his life has been forgotten and everyone in his life has forgotten about him but he has never forgotten that day. It is such a sad poem because of all the pain he realized he caused for not only himself but his family and the family of the victim. This is such a sad story but the ending does end on a happy note because he has found god and that has changed his life for the better. And how he signs his name at the bottom is so powerful and thought provoking. He has been in prison for over a quarter of a century. Sat, 12 Feb 2011 04:58:48 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/09/4092/#IDComment127476843 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment126052389 Blog #3 Soc001 This video on teen pregnancies in Memphis, Tennessee is truly mindboggling. One high school in the United States of America has eighty students that are pregnant. That is over ten percent of their student population and this should not be happening in a country that has the resources to educate and change the lives of the misfortunate. These kids should have been educated at a younger age about safe sex and protected sex. I agree with Dr. Richards when he wrote, “I’m immediately led to questions about freedom and determinism and causality.” But who is to blame. I believe that this is a situation where there is no one person or reason to blame. But if case studies were to be done on all eighty of these students, there would be a lot of similarities between them. Do you work hard in school? How is your life at home? Are your parents around a lot? Have you had the “sex talk” with your parents? Do you participate actively in extracurricular activities at school? If yes, are you passionate about those activities? And were you educated about sex in this school? I and probably most sociologists would agree with me that the answers to these questions would be about the same. And these are the strings Dr. Richards mentions every class. So who is to blame? Is it the kids themselves? Is it the school system? Is it the parents? Is it the community they grew up in? I believe it is all of these factors combined and these factors are “the strings”. But after seeing this video, I still have a hard time grasping these facts. Eighty different girls in one high school are or have been pregnant. I think that these schools need to increase their health education department. These students need to be educated and drilled hard on safe sex. They are after all just kids. They are not mature enough yet to understand the consequences of having a child when you are only in high school. Teenagers are too young to have to deal with a child. They already have enough on their plate being teenage girls in a big high school. They should not have to worry about a child of their own. Sat, 5 Feb 2011 02:08:28 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/23/how-free-are-these-90-students/#IDComment126052389 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/19/rise-in-national-guard-and-reserve-suicides-whats-it-all-about-soc-001-blog/#IDComment124443293 I thought this CNN report on suicidal thoughts following the return of soldiers in the army was very interesting. I wanted to first comment on the actual piece. I am in the College of Communications and my major is Broadcast Journalism so I look at TV reporting and pieces differently than most people. I thought the CNN anchor was asking questions that were too wordy and long. She was getting “word happy.” The interview should have been directed more at General McGuire but CNN’s Kyra Phillips was talking a lot. Ms Phillips should have let General McGuire speak more because an interview after all is about the interviewee and not the interviewer. But back to the sociology of the piece, soldiers that return home from war have such a difficult time getting readjusted to life. In war, soldiers have their comrades next to them at every point in the day and then they get back home and they are all alone. And they have to live with the horrors of war for the rest of their life. It is so sad because these soldiers were fighting for their country. A decision that they did not have to make and a decision that changed their life forever. I have the utmost respect for soldiers and they deserve better when they get home from the frontlines. I saw a very interesting advertisement for an HBO miniseries called “Wartorn 1861-2010”. It explores the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). And PTSD in soldiers has occurred throughout our entire existence as a country. We have not taken it seriously until very recently and that is a step in the right direction. More has to be done for our country’s heroes and they deserve the best care and best resources. As the video talked about, the rates of suicide of soldiers is rising and we as a country have to do continue to take care of this problem. We cannot allow this to happen and steps need to be taken to care for our men and women who return home from war. I also found this piece fascinating because when we think of our soldiers we think that they are the best of the best and very strong individuals. They are definitely all of those things, I am not questioning that but I would never think that they would kill themselves and show weaknesses. Sat, 29 Jan 2011 00:48:18 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/19/rise-in-national-guard-and-reserve-suicides-whats-it-all-about-soc-001-blog/#IDComment124443293 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/suicide-in-japan/#IDComment122601263 I found the video on growing rates of suicide in Japan to be very interesting and informational. To actually think that there is a forest in Japan on the foothills of Mount Fungi where people go to commit suicide is mind-boggling. And the forest is so beautiful, which makes it even more mind-boggling. Who would want to kill themselves in such a beautiful part of the world? But like we talked about in class on Wednesday is that suicide and cutting has a lot to do with external factors beyond the control of the victim. Tony Berkley, the reporter in the video, says, “For the vulnerable, it has become a forest of fears, fear of debt, fear of loneliness and fear of failure.” I feel like the reason why Japan has such a high suicide rate is because people in Japan take life so seriously. The Japanese never want to hurt the family name and reputation. They take their job so seriously and work so hard to ensure they do not get fired and they have a place in society. So that is why so many Japanese people are killing themselves each year. In the video they said over 31,000 people committed suicide last year and that number is only rising. A big reason why that number is rising is because the economic troubles in Japan. I also found the part in the video about the suicide hotline to be very interesting. That must be such a hard job. To actually talk to people on the verge of committing suicide must be so difficult. Hats off to those employees who work for those hotlines. At their jobs, they are literally saving lives. I find suicide to be such a hard concept to grasp. There is so much good in this world and people just have to try and find that goodness and they will find happiness. I know for some it is easier said than done but committing suicide is truly taking the easy way out. In this world there are people that care about you. There are friends and family members and workmates and teammates. Everyone in this world has someone that cares about them. Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:17:56 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/18/suicide-in-japan/#IDComment122601263 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cg%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122394264 soc001 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:32:12 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/10/last-name-%e2%80%9cg%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-intense-debate/#IDComment122394264