Monday, May 9, 2016

Game Theory

After playing Prisoner's dilemma, I felt as if I really didn't learn anything. I understand that the objective is to try to cooperate with another individual to meet an objective or meet in the middle. It seems like this type of stuff can happen in reality, but the game really didn't help explain it.


 Nash equilibrium- A stable state of a system involving the interaction of different participants, in which no participant can gain by a unilateral change of strategy if the strategies of the others remain unchanged.


Game theory- A theory which focuses on the interaction of groups or individuals. It looks into the depths of social interaction


Prisoner dilemma- A situation in which two people whose depends on the choices made by the other. If both confess, it could be bad for both unless some remain silent.


Prisoner's Dilemma/Game Theory


In history: The Cold War and each side had the choice to arm or disarm

In Government: International Negotiations

In economics: Negotiating

related to sociology:Putting blame on another minority group a.k.a Germans blaming the Jews

related to psychology: Making a good impression a first date
In your everyday life: Overfishing

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Gary Webb

Was Gary Webb a journalism hero or zero? In my opinion, he was a hero. He went into uncharted territory and uncovered truths that many people had a hard time to swallow. He was under a lot of fire for his work of "Dark Alliance", which was a three part news report that uncovered that our national government pitched in money for drug deals and guns in Nicaragua. Everyone pointed their fingers and discredited him of his work and called him a liar and he had no good proof of any of that actually happening. This whole situation forced Gary to resign from his position from the Mercury Sun News and years later took his own life.
Webb's Dark Alliance discovered that the CIA took part in drug trafficking and illegal drug trade. When drug leaders testified in court, they admitted that the CIA even threw some money into the whole deal. Webb wasn't the first person to know about it, but he was certainly the first to dig deep into it and uncover more truths about it. Any situation where you talk about a huge intelligence agency or anything government and their involvement in some type of conspiracy will always be heated. Gary Webb was only telling the dark secrets of our government and CIA and later paid for all of it by being thrown under a bus and being brushed off in the journalism world. Anyone who can discover any dark confidential information about what our government has done or been involved in should be given some sort of credit. It was unfortunate a guy like Gary Webb was basically thrown off the face of the planet for his work. He really showed the world how our government can be questionable in some of their decisions they make. It just makes the American citizen more skeptical about our government and the officials that are part of it. An American citizen like Gary Webb only wanted the truth, and when he finally found it, he paid the price by being shunned and unfortunately would leave his family behind by suicide. But was it suicide or could it be that the government killed him off? I wouldn't doubt it after viewing the conspiracies our government has been part of in the past, but I guess the American citizen will really know the truth.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Are You Smart or Dumb? Emotional or Intellectual?






1. Your score on the test.  Does this score have any meaning? No, it's just some random test on the internet that can't really measure what you know or don't know.

2. Your impression of the validity and reliability of the test. Is the score an accurate measurement of intelligence?  Use the psychological definition of validity and reliability found in your textbook.  Be specific. No! It doesn't have the right to record the mental capacity of a human being.



A.  What is intelligence? - Ability to learn and understand and gain knowledge.

B.  Which is more important:  emotional intelligence or intellectual intelligence?  Present reasons to support your answer.  Choose one side. I don't even know anymore. According to some random I.Q. Test found on the internet, I don't have a very high intellectual capacity so therefore neither intelligence would relate to me. I scored alright according to emotional intelligence so at least I know what others may be feeling.

C.  Is intelligence learned or inherited? I believe it's both. Smart runs in the family, but I believe a person can become smart if one applies themselves hard enough.

D.  What did you learn about yourself after completing these tests? I'm dumb and maybe being a fry-cook at McDonald's would be the best suitable job based off of my intellectual abilities. I do have an okay sense of emotional intelligence. 

Monday, April 25, 2016

JFK

On November 22, 1963, the President of the United States John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, where he was in a parade. This event will go down in infamy and be known as one of the biggest cover-ups of all time. After watching the movie JFK, it's really scary to think about what hidden secrets exist amongst public domain. In 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson set up an investigation regarding the assassination of President Kennedy. This is known as the Warren Commission. The 888 page report came to the conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone perpetrator in the plot to kill Kennedy. This was met with doubt and a heavy load of criticism. The way Kennedy was shot and how the bullet traveled made it seem as if there were more than one person firing a gun. People began crying conspiracy. Eventually the HSCA (United States House Select Committee on Assassinations) came to the conclusion that Lee Harvey wasn't the lone gunman and Kennedy was killed in a conspiracy   So many theories exist out there on who was the real mastermind of the demise of JFK, but no one really knows who was the real brains of this operation. From Fidel Castro to LBJ to the CIA, there are theories that will forever float around the skeptical atmosphere until proven otherwise.






This event may have not been the first of America to shed some innocence off, but a huge chuck came off with this. This whole JFK assassination affected us in a psychological and sociological light. Many Americans put the burden on them that the President was killed and that they were all involved in violence. It put many in shock and made citizens open their eyes and question what our government, a body of people that we trust to run our country, was presenting to the American people with reference to JFK's death. Events like these make the citizen of a country that was based off of justice and integrity paranoid and skeptical. It made individuals around the world stop and think for a while. The future for those next in line for the President changed course, as more protection precautions would be taken so it looked like the government actually cares. It wasn't the first time a President was assassinated during their presidency, it was however one of the first assassinations to be a conspiracy and be questioned by many if the government had anything to do with the death of their leader. The slaying of JFK changed things forever.


When we talk about conspiracies, one event that might come up that could be a possible conspiracy is 9/11. While we are led to believe that it was an act of terrorism, some believe that it was actually a government cover-up in order to have an excuse to fight over in the Middle East so we can obtain their energy resources for a period of time. There is an argument about the towers and how they were destroyed. Science says that jet fuel can't melt steel beams and therefore the towers were part of a set-up demolition. It would be a shame if this was actually an inside job due to how many innocent lives were lost that day. It would be pretty low if America had to do that just to have a reason to do something. I think there were people that thought 9/11 was their fault, but that's a common stage in the grief process, believing they could have done something. It was misfortunate and unexpected event, just like the JFK assassination. Both incidents have a plethora of questions left unanswered and will forever have skeptics looking for the right answers.


Out of all the theories of JFK being killed, I believe the Lyndon B. Johnson had Kennedy killed off. He was seen to be smiling after being sworn in and heard saying "We got him," which may refer to them killing of JFK. Plus, it only makes since he was the Vice President and wanted to take over the reins of being one of the most powerful positions in the world. When it comes to Robert Kennedy, I don't know who the main culprit for his demise, but I believe that too was also a government cover-up. The Kennedys were powerful, influential figures that, in my opinion, were feared by our U.S. government. When Robert went down, only more confusion was created. In 1969, another influential figure was killed, Martin Luther King Jr. The government makes plots to kill off the most influential revolutionaries of our time. America is afraid of change or people who have the potential to change things for the better. Also, these men both have a K at the end of their initials: JFK, RFK, MLK. Coincidence? I think yes. It's all part of the government's plan to create conspiracy, for liberty and justice for all.

Monday, April 18, 2016

Flat or Progressive Tax

They always say that the only thing guaranteed in life is death and taxes. There are many types of taxes. America runs on the Progressive Tax system. This system allows people with higher incomes to pay more in taxes compared to people with lower incomes. However, debates rise on whether we should keep this type of tax system alive or if we should adopt the flat tax. Flat tax is a tax rate where it would be all the same to everyone. It means the rich and poor would pay the same rate and we would all be equal. It might sound like a good idea, but I believe that it's a little unfair. If you're a billionaire and you have to pay the same rate as a McDonald's worker, I find it inequitable. People with a lot of money should be able to contribute more to taxes, based on the income they earn. If you are poor and have to pay the same tax rate, it could be disaster for them. A flat tax system would only make the rich richer and poor poorer. Yes, we would all be equal in terms of paying the same tax rate but not we are left with financially when the taxes are paid. This type of system only assumes that everyone will be able to pay the same tax rate. No, not true. The United States should just stick to their roots and keep the Progressive Tax system. We already have enough problems with unemployment and debt in American as of right now that we shouldn't mess with tweaking the tax system. We've had this type of tax system since Abe Lincoln was the President of the United States. It's been established for a LONG TIME! If it isn't broke, don't fix it. Make the rich pay more and the poor pay less. It's only fair.

Friday, April 1, 2016

Reality Reflection

“Our art is a reflection of our reality.” N.W.A. rapper Ice Cube gave this answer to journalists when N.W.A. was asked about accusations of the group promoting gangs and violence. It might be one of the best quote from the movie. There is a lot of truth behind those eight words. Yes, N.W.A. was in a lot of heat with the world, especially law enforcement, with their controversial lyrics, but all because all of those member have lived lives in which they were fairly mistreated by police and where violence and drugs was common. It's like a big sociology experiment involving nature and nurture. They live in a rough nature that influenced many to go be raised in a disorderly fashion. If you grow up in a vicious reality, most of that will be carried on and reflected in what you do. In the case of Ice Cube, Easy-E, Dr. Dre, DJ, Yellah and MC Ren, they meditated upon their realities with music, as many other music artists of our generation do. Have all artists sing songs about their upbringings? Some may choose not to, but it's a good way to express themselves through the art of music.




When we think of art, the majority of us humans think of paintings and sculptures. Paintings and sculptures can reflect people too! For example, many of Vincet Van Gogh's works have some type of religious theme due to the fact that Van Gogh was heavily religious because he was raised that way! Now, art isn't just about the cubed works of Pablo Picasso or Leonard Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
According to Merriam-Webster, art isn't just about that. It also means a skill by experience, study, or observation. It can also express feelings or ideas of someone. You could possibly tie in books and films into this category. When it comes to books, there are many of examples of authors reflecting their own personal life into their works. Ian Fleming was known for his James Bond books. Ian Fleming was a real WWII spy for the British naval intelligence. He would plan and execute very dangerous missions just how James Bond does. Many of Ian's likes and mannerisms were put in the Bond character. James Bond has became a popular and profitable character in the world of literature and cinema, but it has a magical element to it because it was written by a guy who actually was the  James Bond character. Another acclaimed author who did the same things was Stephen King. King is arguably one of the best horror novelist of all time. He had a very tough childhood. With issues with his dad leaving him and his family and witnessing one his friends getting killed by a train, these shocks in life helped him develop a better feel for making horror novels. The realities of Fleming and King were made into fictional works enjoyed by a vast majority of entertainment seekers. Even if their weren't luxurious nor easy, they made it work by making it a source of amusement.




Movie directors have used reflections of their life and have poured them into their movies. Some examples include Stephen Spielberg using themes such as divorced parents and anger toward because he had to deal through divorced parents and his feeling toward the situation when he was growing up. One of Spielberg's most famous movie is Schindler's List. He said that the Anti-Semitic themes made him feel sick because he had to deal with the same type of problems that involved anti-Semitism. Alfred Hitchcock is a master of horror films. He had a very lonely childhood and was tormented by his father. His father once took him to a police station had them lock up young Alfred for misbehaving. His fear of police and frequent horrors his father bestowed upon him were later used as themes for his many famous movies of horror and suspense.




But what about other things that might not involve paint or a camera? What about the feelings and ideas people learn from their life experiences and expressing them in their own kind of way? Terrorists express their ideas by carrying acts of violence and intimidation. Many grow up learning to defend their country, or maybe their religion gives them ideas that may lead them to how they carry out their attacks. Maybe it's not the extremist type of terrorist, but maybe kids who start school shootings or serial killers going on murderous rampages. Were these people misunderstood? Many of these murderers are known to have troublesome childhoods and were raised in an unfortunate way. Even though there were some who may have had mental disorders, it doesn't help that their upbringings were not very prim and proper. It all cycles back to the sociology topic of nature vs. nurture. One example that trumps this is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King's reality was filled with mistreatment and violence, even when he was a kid. However, he used his reality as a tool for peaceful protest. He didn't engage in violence but rather took a peaceful approach to expressing himself. There also may be arts of doing good. Mother Teresa may have been the best artist when it came to doing good. There are many different types of art in this world and we must choose wisely how we may convey it in different ways.




Art is influenced by our nature and nurture. Good or bad, if you live in the rough, you are going to have a rough time growing out of the rough. It's possible to change your life around,but it takes the commitment, which may have never been present in a home of an alcoholic father or in ghetto in California. That is why it is hard for the younger generation in the ghetto to get out, or any kid with a set of parents or any guardian holding them back. Ice Cube's quote is completely accurate. However someone may present themselves, even if they decide to express it in ways that may be considered art. Pretty or hideous, art is reflected upon a person's reality.





Tuesday, March 22, 2016

1968 Election and Donald Duck...err I mean Trump

1. When Trump canceled a rally in Chicago, violence broke out, leaving innocent bystanders beaten and bloodied. During the 1968 elections, Chicago broke out in turmoil regarding protests of the Vietnam War. Chicago is a popular choice for political violence.
2. There's bigotry involved. Trump has been known to be racist by targeting Muslims and many other minorities. Richard Nixon's running mate Spiro T. Agnew was known to use racial slurs when talking to reporters.
3. In tying in with number 2, Richard Nixon and Donald Trump were not popular among minorities.
4. Richard Nixon and Donald Trump were both outspoken. Each were against what were called the "Silent Majority".
5. While Trump vows to have a secret plan against ISIS, Richard Nixon also stated he had a secret plan to end the war in Vietnam.


Be afraid. Be very afraid.