This is a great question because I think that Basum was not what we were expecting. When I saw his picture and heard him speak I was very surprised. I guess I was expecting to see and Iraqi that we are all used to seeing from the news. I think that is a problem because the news and media paints this picture that we get into our heads that is not necessarily true. So I would say that Basum’s photo really did surprise me. He looked almost like and Italian American to me. When it came to his responses I was also pretty surprised. Sam said that he was not a very articulate speaker, but I was still surprised by how calm he was responding to some difficult questions. The question about the 29:1 ratio would have outraged me if roles had been reversed. I think that question may have caught him by surprise and he did not really know how to react to it. Other than that I thought he did a great job answering all of our questions. He really should us how the average Iraqi feels about our invasion of their country. The thing that stuck with me the most was really just how calm he was about everything. I know that I am not alone feeling this way, but if another country invaded the United States I would not be happy. I think that is the hardest thing for most Americans to get their head around. Like Basum said, we only can think up to getting rid of Saddam. However, for Iraqi’s that was only the beginning. They now live in a country that has been destroyed by war, and must still rely on United States help because if we leave things will just fall apart. American’s just see it as we freed them from the rule of a dictator and that was the right thing to do. It is really not that simple, and most Iraqi’s believe that we did not care about their freedom, but rather the oil that they rightfully own. I think when you add all of these factors together things become very complicated and that is why there is such a divide between Americans and Iraqi’s. Basum really did a great job of painting the picture that most American’s cannot see past. They are living in a country that has been invaded for the natural resources that they sit on. Freeing them from a dictator was the right thing to do but I think that the Iraqi people and many American’s question if that was our only motive. I hope that oil was not behind our intentions, but it seems like that might be the case. This is going to create problems down the road also, because after we leave Iraq they may be our enemy instead of our allies.

First off I could not believe that was true. It seems like we have come such a long way since the times of segregation. I think that a lot of the segregation in schools now has to do with income. Most of the poor areas of the country that have a substantial population are inter cities. Most cities have a lot of minority groups and I think that is where the segregation starts. Then you look at the suburban areas and that is filled with middle class white people. This is why I think that segregation has become worse. The distribution of wealth in this country is so messed up and it effects the school system along with everything else. The worst part about this is what happens after high school. Like Terrell said after high school everyone is just thrown together in college and expected to get a long and know about the cultures that other people have come from. This creates a problem because people really do not know about these things, and that is why I think you see so many people sticking with people of the same race in college. As I walk around campus I notice that this is happening all around me. A lot of this has to do with getting out of your comfort zone, which can be hard for most people. With the segregation that has happened in our high schools not many people get a chance to test their comfort zone until college. I think it would make college a much better experience if people came in knowing about other races and cultures. This way you would not see so much segregation on campus. Again this all comes back to wealth, that is what makes now different from the Seventies. In the Seventies segregation was based solely on race but that is not the case now. I am glad that we have made it past the racism that people had to deal with back then, but I think our problem now might be worse. The distribution in income in this country is so messed up and I do not see it changing any time soon. It is like Sam said, nepotism will always be around. With that in mind the rich will always look out for their own and continue to make the poor get poorer. In our countries case that is the minority groups because most of the wealth in our country is in white hands. Without a big change in the distribution of wealth I think that we are going to see a continue in segregation in schools. I hope as we move forward this will change because it will make our country grow and allow for a better chance for everyone.

This is a great question and I am glad that someone asked something about this. Before this lecture I thought that I had a good grasp on my thoughts about terrorism. I thought that these people were evil and just trying to punish Americans. I am not saying that what they do is right because I do not think that anyone should punish innocent civilians like many terrorists do. What I am thinking now after hearing what Sam had to say is that I can understand where these people are coming from. It is like in the example he gave us of the Chinese invading our country, I was one of the people that would not stand for that. Just thinking this way has created a new and interesting prospective because I can now see why so many people hate that Americans come in and interfere with other countries. If a different country came into America and tried to overthrow our government and instill their beliefs I think that a lot of people would have a problem with that. This is what America has done in many countries over the years. Granted a lot of these countries were happy to see dictators leave power the question is should America be the one to step in. I think that many people think that America should stay out of it, and that is where terrorist come into the picture. I still believe that terrorism is wrong because these people that are just angry end up hurting people that had nothing to do with the decisions that were made by the government. I like to think that America’s intentions are always good but that may not be the case which also leads to terrorism. Like Sam said, much of our involvement in the middle east is do to oil. I think that it is terrible that if our only reason for entering into these countries is something like that because of the amount of lives that are lost. I think that it will be interesting to see what happens when oil is no longer such a big factor in this world. I wonder if the American government will still have such a big involvement in the middle east. Coming back to oil, I think that this is one of the biggest factors that creates animosity and terrorism against Americans. It is like Sam said, no one wants another country coming into theirs and taking their natural resources and getting rich in the process. This is why I can see why terrorism happens. I would hate it if another country was exploiting the United States like that, and I think that it is a problem that we do it to other countries. I can understand the reason for wanting to fight back, but where terrorism is wrong is the fact that they harm innocent people and just add more fuel to the fire.

I found the information on the opposite sex to be much more enlightening. I am a man so I kind of already had an idea about the wants that men have and how our body works. It was interesting to here the other side of this. Sam and his wife did a great job of explaining how we are in a male driven world and that is why sex is perceived the way that it is. Like they said the language that we use says it all. Men have created a way of telling the world that sex is about them instead of both people. This may sound like male bashing but it really is not. For two people to share a life long relationship with one another sex must be mutual. This is the part that I found to be the most interest. They explained that men are always ready to go but for women things are different because their body works much differently. I never really thought about why women would be reluctant to have sex. After hearing this lecture I have learned that it is because men and women’s bodies work very differently, and they perceive sex very differently. Women have a very emotional connection with sex whereas for men it can be a completely emotionless act. This was interesting to think about in the context of how the world perceives sex. In everything that we see sex is always fast and passionate with two mutual orgasms. As we have learned this is not the case. I found the data that they showed us to be pretty shocking when it came to the amount of orgasms women have had. This shows that sex in our world is just about the man getting his. If I took anything from this lecture it is that to have a successful relationship, men must take the time to understand women and how their bodies work.
As for the women in the class I hope that they understood what Sam was trying to say about living in a male driven world. Women should not go out and try and have sex like men, because they are not men. Women who do this and fake orgasms will never be able to have a relationship and connect with a person on a deeper level. It’s like Sam said, it gets much harder to fake it when you have been with someone for a long time.
I hope that everyone in class learned as much as I did from this lecture. Sam’s wife was right when she said that this is something that is going to have a profound impact on your life. I already feel like my eyes have been opened up to a new understanding on the relationships between men and women.

I think that it is a bad thing to be stuck in one stage because then you never grow as a person. I feel like in our world to many people are stuck in the immersion phase and that is why there is still so much racism. I know that people want to learn more about their own culture and surround themselves with people of their same race but that can turn into a problem. If people do not get out of their comfort zone then they will never grow. I think that for our world to move past racism once and for all then people must be willing to grow and strive to reach the humanitarian stage. Take Japan for example, when it comes to helping them things should be color blind. People of every race should look to help because they are people that need it. However, some people may be hesitant because they are stuck in a stage that makes them think differently about helping. People need to get out of their comfort zone so they can make the connections that are needed to want to help others.This is exactly why people should strive to reach the humanitarian stage. I am not saying that I have made it there yet, but I hope one day I will. Also, when it comes to the stages I think that a lot of people switch in and out which helps with growth if people can learn from going backwards. The hard part about this is falling back into a stage that you may get stuck in, like the immersion stage. I think that this is the hardest stage to get past people of how comfortable things can be in this stage. You are surrounded by people just like you with the same interests and the outside world just seems to not matter. This is a problem because the outside world does matter and when it comes to helping people must look to help everyone. I think that leaving this stage is a big step forward because it really forces you to break out of your comfort zone. Then as you move closer to the humanitarian stage you can learn from your experiences in the other stages. I believe that people in the humanitarian stage really see past color and just want everyone to be treated equal. Like the woman in the video Sam showed us. She realized that electing Obama was a big step because it shows that more people are ready to look past race. I think that society as a hole is moving towards the humanitarian stage. This is a hard process and each individual must be willing to step outside of their comfort zone and so their part to help this movement go forward.

When I was in high school choosing schools to apply to, diversity never even crossed my mind. I went to a high school that was more diverse than some of the others in the area. Also, on my basketball team there was a lot of diversity so it was something that I never really thought about. I applied to colleges all around Pennsylvania, and some were in cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburg which would have been way more diverse than Peen State if I would have chosen to go there. However, my reasoning for choosing Penn State was that it was the best school that I was accepted to. I really had no clue what the percentages were for different races at Penn State until this class, and I am a senior. I always knew that there was a large majority of white people, but I never thought that it was around 78%. Now that I know these statistics it is crazy to think about. I cannot believe that there is so much of a lack of diversity at such a big and prestigious school. I would have thought that a school like Penn State would have tried to have as much diversity as possible. Now I am sure that Penn State has tried to make things diverse, they may just not be getting the applicants needed to change the percentages. I think that it is kind of a hole that keeps getting deeper. Minorities see that this school is predominantly white and that may make them think twice about attending here. This creates a problem for Penn State because they cannot change things if they do not have a diverse group of students to choose to accept. While at school I think that the diversity that we do have has created a form of segregation because of the overwhelming majority of white students. As you walk around campus and go out at night you can see that minorities and white students tend to stick together. I do not know why this happens but it is something very interesting to think about. The area that stands out most in my mind are the basketball courts at the intramural building. If you walking into the gym you can clearly see that there are separate courts based on the color of your skin. One court is usually for black students, another for Asian students, and then finally one for white students. This to me is crazy because sports give people a perfect chance to experience diversity, but here at Penn State people choose to keep things separate. I hope that as racial divide continues whither away Penn State becomes more diverse, and the students open up to the idea of becoming friends with someone of a different race.

This is a great question, and something that I think the world needs to take more seriously. You asked if we realized there was a problem in this world, regarding resource. I think that the world has reached a point where globalization has allowed us to share problems and resources with countries from all over. This means that these countries must see that we are running through our resources at a rate that must be slowed down in order to save future generations. I think that many people in the world are beginning to take this problem very seriously. However, I believe that the governments of the world have not put this on top of their to do lists. Before we see a change in major government policy, I think average people are going to have to get involve. As inhabitants of this planet we must realize our limits, and learn how to conserve and share the resources that we have. A lot of this problem has to do with responsibility, which leads into the next question that you asked. You were wondering weather people should have limits on how many children they could have, and when in their life they could have them. This is also a great question because our global population is growing so fast that our resources are going to run out very quickly. In my opinion this comes back to responsibility. I do not this that the government should tell you how many and when you should have children, but you must realize the responsibility that comes with bringing another life onto this planet. I think that people should only have children if they can afford to handle the monetary needs, and should be a where of the state of our planet. Around the world there are so many unwanted pregnancies because of the lack of contraceptive use. In my opinion this is just being lazy. I know in some areas of the world it is hard to find forms of birth control, but these people should be the ones that should be held more responsible. In these areas of the world people need to stop having unplanned pregnancies because they are causing more poverty in there country, and using up resources that they should not need. I think to help slow the population growth, governments should not limit the amount of children, but rather educate people about birth control. This is a global problem because the more people on our planet the faster our resources will go. Governments in countries that have population under control should make an effort to help countries that are having problems. Many people do not have access to birth control or education about safe sex, so I think the world should make a serious effort to work on this problem. If we can slow population growth then we can prolong our resources.

I think that when a couple decides to have children they never picture themselves entering into poverty. However, once a couple has reached the poverty level I think that it is terrible to bring another child into an environment like that. I know that sometimes people do not plan to have another child but when you are impoverished you must be very conscious of what you are doing. It is not fair for the child to enter into a family that may not be able to support them. I think that in Tammy’s case her family took things way to far. There are not many people in the world that have the money to pay for that many children. The money is not even the worst part. Having that many children will lead to neglect I feel like, because there are only two parents. I think that it is important for a child to for a good relationship with their parents, and with that many children it would seem that that could be difficult. Living in poverty is hard enough as it is, so bring another child into the picture just seems really stupid to me. I think that when a family finds themselves in serious financial trouble responsibility is the most important thing that they should be worrying about. It would just be selfish to try to raise a child under conditions like that. I know that most people don’t plan on living like that, but they must consider all possibilities before they decide to have a child. Going back to Tammy, I feel like she should have learned from her childhood before she decided to have children. She is making life much harder for her self by having to provide for her sons. She should have realized that during her childhood things were tough, and that her sons were going to have the same problems. I think that people have control over their lives and that if she wanted to she could have done better for herself. She should have established herself financially before she had children because she is just digging a deeper hole. That is why I think that so many people that live below the poverty line find it hard to fight their way back. They make stupid decisions that makes their lives much harder than they have to be. I know that most people want to have children, but if you don’t have the means to support them then it is simple, just don’t have children. Looking at my life I am so fortunate to be born into a family that could support me and help pay for my education. I guess in life it is sometimes the luck of the draw, and I am just grateful that I was one of the lucky ones.

I think that living in America we have somewhat of a shield that blinds us from what is going on in the rest of the world. We are very fortunate to live in a country where we are free and not oppressed by a dictator. I think that living in America people hear about horrible things going on all over the world and just do not know what to do with that information. It is like Sam said, you cannot save everyone in the world. I think that Americans need to become more a where of different situations so that they can begin to help around the world. It only takes something small like buying free trade chocolate to begin making a difference. People in America just really need to get out of the bubble that we live in and understand that our country is not the center of the world. The most important step towards change in my opinion is to just get educated about the problems facing our world. Corporations pay millions of dollars to hide information from us, but we can no longer use that as an excuse. People must stop supporting corporations that exploit people in other countries just to save them a little extra money. In America we do not see things like this happening and just continue to be ignorant consumers, and this must stop. We live in a country where we have the choice to stand up and make a difference, people in other countries do not have that luxury. People that have been forced into slavery have no voice in this world so it is going to take the efforts of others to help save them. I think that as a society it is crazy how much emphasis there is on money. People will really go to the lengths of enslaving another human being to help them make a little more money. This tells me that we have serious problems in this world that there are some people who think that this is okay. I think that it is time for Americans to get off of the sideline and help to change this world. Our nation is the symbol of freedom, yet we allow our corporations to enslave others. I hope that through the spread of knowledge things begin to change. All it takes is for one person to stand up for what is right, and then others will follow. We all hear about things and want to help but do not know where to begin. I think that this excuse has become far to acceptable in our country and people need to stop saying that they want to help and start helping. Like we saw in class it really only takes something very small to get things moving in a positive direction.

The activity that Sam showed us in class was a great example of how things work in our society. When he first chose the students from different ethic backgrounds I was not sure what he was up to. However, I think that he did a great job of explaining how when you are the king of the mountain, you really have the power. Even before he established a king it was interesting to see that because of someones background they had a better or worse chance of making it to the top of the mountain. I agree with what he said that will power may not always be enough. Certain people, and in many cases white people, have a better chance of making it to the top. It is crazy to think that just because you were born into a certain family or in a certain area of the world, your chances of gaining success change. As they circled the table and Sam explained that some of them would have stairs right to the top or others would get stuck in the mud, I really began to think. Our society really is designed so that there is a king of the mountain that has all the power, and will not leave their thrown. Currently our society sets up barriers for certain groups of people, whether that is because of their ethnic background or their socioeconomic status. So after establishing the rules of our society, Sam stepped up onto the table and became the king. I defiantly saw this one coming. After becoming king, he add another layer of understanding that we had to grasp. He was a white man on top of the mountain and now had the power to dictate where each ethnic group must stand on the mountain. Any group that he saw as a threat to his power, he moved as far away from him as possible. Then, Sam surrounded himself with other white people that he could share his power with. Since this group of people had the power, their children were now given a better chance at success than the other groups. This really made me question our society. I never really thought about how difficult it was for certain people to make it to the top of the mountain. White people have established their rule on top and have surrounded themselves by people that will help to maintain their power. This example really helped to clear things up in my mind. In a perfect world a persons desire to succeed would out weigh the color of their skin. I hope that as we move froward, each of our children have an equal shot at gaining success in this world.