Journal: 3-4

Heroic Imagination

     For me, the Heroic Imagination project is an incredible way to get involved and help solve world problems. It also helps get the name of the Leadership and International Relations Program out into the community and beyond. Through this project, I will be able to make a difference with the support of people around me who share a common goal. It is helping all of us in leadership to realize that we can make a difference and I really enjoy the fact that it is now apart of our education to be more creative than structural. I can't wait to see the possible change we as a whole can make in the world through this new project.

     There are many differences between Heroic Imagination and Traditional Leadership. Through the Heroic Imagination project, students are encouraged to show some creative flare in an effort to make a difference in the world. Also, this project will affect people in a foreign country who need aid from others to improve their quality of life and thus affects alot of people positively in the process. In Traditional Leadership, students are already provided oppotunities rather than coming up with new ideas. Also, this way of leadership affects mostly the community around us and thus less people benefit from it in the process.

     Five people who embody Heroic Imagination:

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah is a talk show host who changes the lives of people everyday both from the US and foreign countries. For example, she built a school for girls in Africa.



Swami Vivekanada

Participated in the 1893 World Parliament of Religions and promoted religious tolerance and unity. He also supported the education of women and sparked pride in the country of India.

Florence Nightingale

After her experience with treating soldiers in the Crimean war, she helped revolutionize the way patients were treated in hospitals around the world in a positive way.

Sri Chinmoy

An Indian spiritual leader who created an event called the World Harmony Run which promoted fredship and understanding of cultures around the world.

Leo Tolstoy

Inspired people such as Ghandi by writing about the practice of non-violence and rural simplicity.

My logo for Heroic Imagination:

Snideties. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. <http://snideties.blogspot.com/>.

Ramakrishna Quotes Swami Vivekananda Quotes, Swami Vivekananda Poems | Sri Ramakrishna Quotes, Swami Vivekananda Quotes, Swami Vivekananda Poems. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. <http://ramakrishnavivekanandaquotes.com/>.

"Florence Nightingale and Bipolar Disorder - Mini Biography." Kids IQ Test Center - IQ Tests for Children Ages 3 - 15. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. <http://www.kids-iq-tests.com/BIPOLAR/Florence-Nightingale.html>.

"The Role of the Guru | Jogyata." The Homepage of Jogyata Dallas | Jogyata. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. <http://jogyata.srichinmoycentre.org/articles/role_guru>.

"Leo Tolstoy | Ask.com Encyclopedia." Ask.com - What's Your Question? Web. 27 Feb. 2011. <http://www.ask.com/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy>.

"People Who Made A Difference | Biography Online." Biography Online | Biographies of Inspirational and Famous People. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. <http://www.biographyonline.net/people/people-who-made-a-difference.html>.

Journal: 3-3

Human ethics

     Last week I asked a question about what other human experiments there were in addition to the ones that we have already discussed. During my research, I came across a sight that had a list of the top 10 most evil studies conducted on humans. One that I found interesting was named "The Monster Experiment". A researcher took a group of orphans and divided the group in half. To half of the group, he gave speech therapy and praised them everytime they did something right. To the other half of the group, he criticised the children for every speech impediment they had.

     It was then proven that those who received the criticism out of the group tended to keep their speech impediment while the other half of the group learned to speek better and had more self confidence too. I found this very interesting. However, this was a very cruel study and only proves that most human studies can be very contraversial.

     In reponse to question number 9, I tried to look out for occassions this past week to speak up and go for it. Although I was presented with little oppurtunity to do so, there were two instinces in which I did speak up. One of these was in show choir while we were practicing our show for the upcoming competitons. It became apparent to me that alot of the new girls in the group were holding the group as a whole back and I could'nt stand for that. So instead of yelling at them, I took the innitiative to help them improve their attitude towards the class in order for us to succeed. Also this week I was very sick and tennis tryouts were coming up. I had to speak up and tell my coach that I was not well enough for tryouts. Instead of being mad at me, she was very sympathetic and it made me realize that it was a good thing to speak up and tell her that I was sick rather than dealing with the consequences of playing while being extremly sick. It turned out to really pay off.

     I would like to end today with a question in relation to our hero projects we are doing in class: What are the major issues of today's world?

Bloggin' All Things Brownsville. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <http://blogginallthingsbrownsville.blogspot.com/2008_09_01_archive.html>.

"Top 10 Evil Human Experiments." Top 10 Lists - Listverse. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <http://listverse.com/2008/03/14/top-10-evil-human-experiments/>.

"5 Unethical Psychological Experiments." The Online Men's Magazine to End All Men's Magazines | Highest Five. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <http://www.highestfive.com/mind/5-unethical-psych-experiments/>.

Journal: 3-2

Morality of Studying the Human Mind

     The question I asked last week was: What are some examples of revolutions and their outcome and effect on history? It turns out that I actually asked this question at a very appropriate time because during this past weekend, the president of Egypt stepped down, proving the revolution of the people in the country to be very affective. During my research, I looked up several revolutions such as the American Revolution, the Haitian Revolution, the French Revolution and the Mexican War of Independence just to name a few. It turns out that almost all revolutions in history were successful and were very similar to the revolution going on in Egypt.

     All of these revolutions consisted of people who felt like they were being suppressed by some kind of government which was unfair to the people, so they did something about it. It goes to show how affective the people of a country can really be when they are being repressed in order to stand up for their rights. All you need to start a revolution is alot of people who agree with your idea and want to make a change and you can actually make a successful change to the world.

     This week we talked about The Milgram experiment and The Asch experiment. The Milgram experiment tested a human's response to authority, even when they knew the authority figure might be wrong and whether they stood up to them or not. The Asch experiment tested how peer pressure affected the way certain people act and whether they conform o the group or not. We also talked about how these experiments, especially the Milgram experiment, could be seen as unethical treatment of humans.

     In my opinion, as long as an experiment doesn't physically hurt someone, I think it is ethical to test human minds in experiments like this. These kind of studies can help us understand the human mind and how human beings act in certain situations even if we might think differently. This can be beneficial to us so we can prevent certain things such as a repeatition of the Holocaust experienced in Germany which was a result of humans becoming evil by becoming suboordinate to wrong authority.

     The Asch experiment's concept can relate alot to what one experiences in highschool. In his experiement most people gave into peer pressure and went along with the rest of the group in order to not seem like an outcast. Unfortunately, alot of people follow what other people do in highschool, especially if it is doing something bad. It's suprising how many people are afraid to stand up for themselves and what they know is right just to gain a couple of friends in the process who aren't even a good influence on you. Highschool is yet further proof that supports the findings in the Asch experiment.

     I end today's blog with a question: What is another experiment that tests the human mind and had an interesting outcome?

Any Other. "What Does Ethics Mean to Sarah Palin?" Hypocrites and Heffalump Traps. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://threebrain.blogspot.com/2009/02/what-does-ethics-mean-to-sarah-palin.html>.

"List of Revolutions and Rebellions." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_revolutions_and_rebellions>.

"What Are Your Travel Ethics? | Verge Magazine: Volunteer Abroad, Work and Travel, Study Abroad." Verge Magazine: Travel with Purpose - Work Abroad, Volunteer Abroad, Study Abroad | Verge Magazine: Volunteer Abroad, Work and Travel, Study Abroad. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://www.vergemagazine.com/articles/40-departments/79-ethical-travel.html>.

    

Journal: 3-1 b

Crisis in Egypt


     Last week I asked the quesiton of what in the field of Ethics is considered going too far or stepping over the line. During my research I noticed many other blogs commenting on how certain matters have "gone too far". However, there was no clear outline of what for ethics is considered exactly stepping over the line. Based on my own personal belief, I think going too far is when you tamper with human rights or any kind of rights for that matter. For example, telling someone they can't have an abortion when it's their choice or cutting down a habitat for a certain species of animal. Whenever there is harm involved is also a good indicator that something has gone too far. Overall it is hard to say that there is a clear set line that figuratively shouldn't be crossed on ethical issues.

     This past week in Ethics class we mainly talked about the current crisis going on in Egypt. We talked about the details of the situation and I learned about what sparked the situation in Egypt. The people are upset because they are tired of their corrupt government and president who has been in office for over 30 years and doesn't allow to be run against in elections. At first the protests were peaceful and caused the president to say that he would step down at the next election. However, the Egyptian people are still upset and want him to step down now. This has sparked violence in the protests now since Pro-Mubarak protesters have been attacking those opposed to the government who were once very peaceful. We talked about how the situation in Egypt is only getting worse and worse by day.

     In my opinion, once a protest has turned violent, there is no possible way that it will end good. Although the government in Egypt is oppressive, it's not worth the losing of lives. However, I don't think a simple peaceful protest will be able to do much more than it already has. There has to be a happy median between peaceful and violent in order to have enough power to overthrow the government immediately. This will be difficult but in my opinion it would be the best way that would result in the fewest amount of civilian deaths in the process of the revolution. It also would be the most effective towards the government who has already established that they aren't going to play nice towards the people of Egypt.

     In a way I guess you could draw a few parallels between the revolution going on in Egypt and the one we experienced in America to gain independence from Britain. For instance there were both loyalists to the government and rebels opposed to the government. Also, the rebels in both instances rebelled because the government was too opressive and they wanted to establish independence from the old government and ruling system. Although the American Revolution ended good for the rebels and they won theyre freedom, they had to endure many battles before then and I think this will also be the case with Egypt. However, I think as a result the rebels of Egypt will turn out to be victorious.

     I end today with a question: What are other examples of revolutions and their outcome in history?

"Citizen Journalism Gone Too Far | Opinion L.A. | Los Angeles Times." Opinion L.A. | Feb. 7, 2011 Buzz: Healthcare Reform Trumps Reagan and Football | Los Angeles Times. Web. 07 Feb. 2011. <http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2011/01/moscow-bomb-youtube-video-citizen-journalism.html>.

"Kass: Four to Blame for the Subprime Mess." Immobilienblasen. Web. 07 Feb. 2011. <http://immobilienblasen.blogspot.com/2007/03/kass-four-to-blame-for-subprime-mess.html>.

"Winter Transfer Season: The Financial Crisis Effect!! - Egypt - African Cup of Nations 2008 - World Cup 2010." Egypt World Cup Team Blog - African Cup of Nations 2010 - World Cup 2010. Web. 07 Feb. 2011. <http://egypt.worldcupblog.org/uncategorized/winter-transfer-season-the-financial-crisis-effect.html>.

Journal: 3-1

The Golden Rule

     Last week, I left off with the question, is there really a defined greater good? To research this I typed into Google "define: golden rule" and was only able to get one legitimate response that seemed to be accurate. One site defined it as: "The benefit of the public, of more people than oneself; that which is better and more correct", however I find this to be quite vague. Although this tries to define the golden rule, it only made me think of questions instead of excepting the answer. For instince, what is deined as "the public" and is family included in that? What is a definite way to tell whether something is a better or more correct solution? Perhaps this concludes that there really isn't a clear way to define the greater good and how it should apply, and it all depends on your moral character.

    
     This past week in ethics class we watched two TED talks dealing with the idea of a charter for compassion from a religious viewpoint and  a scientific one. The charter for compassion essentially called upon the whole world to become more compassionate in all regards of life such as religious toleration and treating others with respect just to name a few. The religious viewpoint of this concept was explained by a former nun who seemed to give off this vibe that anything is possible if you put your mind to it and there are very simple ways to go about this. The scientific viewpoint came from a biologist who believes that being compassionate is already a part of human nature set in our DNA but he argued that there is no simple way to make the whole world entirely compassionate. It was interesting to see how one viewpoint seemed to be whimsical while the other seemed to be realistic.

     For me, I would have to side with the biologist on this issue. Sure I wish that I could magically make the whole world become more compassionate and aware but that can't possible happen. There will always be hard headed people who think that the evil they do is religiously justifiable and people who are ignorant towards others feelings and situations. It would be extremly difficult to convince everyone that peace is the only solution and would take a very long time in order to show some hint of improvement. Everyone is born into a certain environment that shapes your beliefs and morals as you grow. When you're born in a place where compassion is frowned up, that's all you ever know and therefore it would be very hard to try and change people's minds who have been emersed in such culture for all their lives.

     Today I encountered an ethical issue which I had never thought of before. I was sitting in Calculus today reading an issue of National Geographic and it's issue on dinosaurs. My teacher saw me looking at the magazine and asked if I had heard about a scientist who was trying to take chicken DNA and reverse it in order to create prehistoric DNA of the chicken and thus genetically alter it. I responded, "That's fascinating! What a great idea to study prehistoric DNA." She then proceeded to ask me, "Well what if a scientist were to do the same thing on a human?" and I responded, "Well, I'm not sure how I would feel about that." This discussion made me think of the Golden Rule. Ofcourse we eat chickens all the time so it seems like no big deal if we genetcally altered one in the name of science. However, when you bring the human race into the discussion, one becomes unsure and concerned about what that would lead to when you start to do that. Would it be just as immoral to do this to a chicken as it would be to a human?

     I end today with a question: What in the world of Ethics is considered stepping over the line and going too far in the field of science?

"Greater Good - Wiktionary." Wiktionary, the Free Dictionary. Web. 01 Feb. 2011. <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/greater_good>.

"Language as Imitative, Intersubjective Communication, Pt. 4: Communication as Multimodal, Sensorial Production and Perception | Markwk.com." Minding the Borderlands | Markwk.com. Web. 01 Feb. 2011. <http://www.markwk.com/2008/04/language-as-imitative-intersubjective-communication-pt-4-communication-as-multimodal-sensorial-production-and-perception.html>.

"Remember the Golden Rule! - Thor's Hammer." Thorsten Consulting Group, Inc. Web. 01 Feb. 2011. <http://thorstenconsulting.com/serendipity/index.php?/archives/56-Remember-the-Golden-Rule!.html>.

Journal: 2-5

Ethics

     Two blogs ago, I asked the question of what attracts consumers to certain products as opposed to others. Through my extensive research, I wasn't able to find very many reliable sources that provided a good answer to my question. However, I did come across a blog in which a person described what they felt attracts consumers to certain products.

     One of his points was that consumers like free stuff. Giving away free samples of a certain product always seems to encourage consumers to buy the product because they get to test the product out and see if it is reliable. Also, products that come with coupons encourages thrifty spenders to buy products they wouldn't normally buy because they are a good deal. He said things that look exspensive and luxurious also attract consumers because consumers always want to have the best that there is to offer and like being in the forefront of technology.

     Last Thursday, we started our unit of case studies in Ethics class. We talked about a variety of ethical issues and our opinion on each matter. We talked about the ethics of cheating, "The File" case study and also problems that come with winning the lottery. We also discussed what the word "good" means when it comes to Ethics. Also we talked about what it means to benefit the greatest good and how it's different in every situation. For example, would it be better to buy a homeless man a really nice coat or 50 homeless men a cup of ramen. These decisions we came to find out, can be very difficult to decide.

     When it comes to deciding what benefits the greatest good, I believe the decision is different from person to person based on their personality. I believe there is no well defined greater good and whatever you do that benefits society is good. Either way if you decide you would rather give 50 cups of ramen that benefit a large amount of people or a nice coat that only benefits one, you are still doing a generous thing to society. The unfortunate thing is that you can't predict what will happen when you donate to them, whether the homeless man will keep the coat or sell it for drugs is uncertain. So it is tricky to even say that either way of donating is better.

     While doing some research on the internet, I came across similar ethics situation that I found interesting.

It is time to elect the world leader, and yours is the deciding vote. Here are the facts about the three leading candidates:

• Candidate A: He associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologers. He's had two mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks up to ten Martinis a day.
• Candidate B: He was ejected from office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in college and drinks a large amounts of whisky every evening.
• Candidate C: He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't smoke, drinks an occasional beer and hasn't had any extra-marital affairs.

After thinking carefully about this problem, I naturally clicked on Candidate C because he seemed to be a morally sound individual. However, when I clicked on it I realized that all three candidates were famous politicians in real life. Candidate A was Franklin D. Roosevelt, Candidate B was Winston Churchill and Candidate C was Adolph Hitler. When I saw this, I realized that a person may have poor moral values but can make really good decisions and shouldn't be judged. It goes to show you that you can't judge a book by it's cover.

     I conclude my blog today with a question: Is there really a defined "greater good"?

"Ethics Questions." Web. 23 Jan. 2011. <http://www.businessballs.com/ethics.htm>.

"Testy Tuesday – Topping or Popping? | Phil’s Stock World." Phil's Stock World. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. <http://www.philstockworld.com/2010/12/28/testy-tuesday-topping-or-popping-2/>.

"Museum Studies Ethics Bowl Introduction." IUPUI : Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. <http://www.iupui.edu/~mstd/a403503/ethicsbowl1.html>.

"What Attracts Consumers: Free Samples, Coupons or Expensive, Cool, Sexy Products." Measuring Marketing. Web. 23 Jan. 2011. <http://measuringemarketing.blogspot.com/2008/07/what-attracts-consumers-free-samples.html>.

Journal: 2-4

The "Leadership" Program

     This past Friday in class, we discussed issues of the Leadership and International Relations Program at our school and how the program can be improved for the future. It seemed almost as though the issues of the program however outweighed the possibilities of improvement that were suggested. A couple of issues that were addressed were the disfunction of PTO manager, the complicated issue of LEAPs, the fact that the program is more centered on leadership more than international relations, the way we are so isolated and also the issue of having a board of ambassadors within the program just to name a few. However, there were suggestions for improvement. Some of the suggestions included: redecorating the Quad, changing the name of the program, going on group service trips, and making the program seem like an elite program to be in.

    For me, there are several things that I strongly feel should be considered for changing the program. Something I really feel discouraged by in the program is the fact that there is a Leadership Board of Ambassadors. Granted, I could have easily signed up for it, but I didn't. I feel like by having this group within the program, it excludes the majority of students in the program from knowing a lot of what is going on in Leadership at the moment while giving others special knowledge and recognition. I believe everyone in the program should be given equal opportunities and should be treated the same. I also believe that LEAPs should be gotten rid. LEAPs I feel are forced upon us to do in order to fulfill an obligation set out by the program and most of the time are not fully enjoyable or give us any real "Leadership Enrichment" at all. An improvement I would really like to see made to the program would be for all of the Leadership Program to go on a group service trip where we get to experience the benefits of volunteering together, making us closer as a group and making a stronger impact on the community as well. Also personally, I think the name of our program should be changed from Leadership and International Relations Program to the "Leadership in Action Program" so we can really stay true to our name.

     Over all I do believe that our special center needs some extra "pizzazz" not only to create a better experience for those who are enrolled in it but also to make students want to apply to James River and give us more notoriety and prestige within not only our community but state and maybe even the whole nation. I believe if we make all of the changes we suggested on Friday to the program, our program would overall become more effective in the lessons it teaches to students and also have a greater impact on the community. We can become the program that doesn't follow the rules and thinks outside the box in regards to education.

    

"2010 March." Mitchell Kapor Foundation Weblog. Web. 17 Jan. 2011. <http://blog.mkf.org/2010/03/>.

"Analogue Technologies - Services." Analogue Technologies - Home. Web. 17 Jan. 2011. <http://www.analogue.in/services>.

"HomeGain Blog » Home Improvement." HomeGain Blog. Web. 17 Jan. 2011. <http://blog.homegain.com/category/home-improvement/>.