Forgiveness

Well i brought up the question of "Forgiveness", because i when throug an experience that change the way i look at people & friends. . . .I had a group of friends and sum go way back to high school, but when a good friend of mine got a girlfriend there was conflict because i knew she was no good for him in many ways. Instead of helping him improve, she was making him worthless & violent. Due to his gf there was split of groups and i was attack verbally by him. Friends where force to chose sides. I was so hurt i declare him has dead to me. After all the conflict i had a best friend who stood by me but i did not took long for her to betrayed me, by being hippocratical, fake, and not honest. I cut her out my life too. I just feel people come to be something they are not. Due to the chaos i went throug it is hard to trust people and care for them. MY quetsion is? should i accept people how they are even thought i do not approve of their actions or behavior? After 8 month I recently saw the guy i declare dead and he approach me with a smile & a hand shake. I accept his hand shake but is just odd to me that he knows how much he hurt me and wants to act as nothing has happen. What should i do in this case? it seems he realized what he had lost (a good friend) and now he just wants to come back like nothing.

Stimulus package - what's the hurry?

CBO estimates that less than 21% of the funds would be spent in 2009. http://readthestimulus.org/CAMP_002_xml.pdf

Nationalizing Banks

Would nationalizing banks be a better alternative than investing billions of dollars into banks that eventually fold?

Check out the MSNBC article posted today 1/29/09.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28880095

Combined Movie List

Here is a complete list of the various movies that have been recommended thus far. Please use "Comments" to add more movie recommendations to this post.

An American Crime
A Time to Kill
About a Boy
American History X .....LA-Venice: gangs-racial tensions, resolution
The Anniversary Party
Babel
Bobby
Boyz in the Hood
Bride Wars
The Bridge
The Century of the Self
Changeling
City of God .....kids without families Rio Drug wars. Escape through art
Crash LA .....ethnic stereotypes and resolution through communication
Death in Gaza .....documentary on boys and girls in Gaza, socialization
Dirty Harry
El Crimen Del Padre Amaro
Eyes on the Prize .....Montgomery Bus Boycott episode
Fight Club
Gangs of New York ...... Scorsese
Girlfight
The Great Debaters
The Green Mile
Home for the Holidays
I Am Sam .....special needs kid and brilliance and love
The Joy Luck Club
Kids
L.A. Confidential
Lawrence of Arabia
The Life of David Gale
Life Is Beautiful
The Long Way Home .....Origins of the state of Israel
Manchurian Candidate .....classic, young Sinatra - brainwashing
Murder in the First
My Life in Pink .....growing up different - and handling it
Paradise Now .....2 young Gaza men decide to be suicide bombers
The Pianist
Pride
Pride and Prejudice
Pulp Fiction
Real Women Have Curves
Schindler's List .....wealthy man saved Jews during Holocaust
Set it Off!
Seven Pounds
Shawshank Redemption
Slumdog Millionaire .....Poverty, violence, fantasy in Mumbai
Something the Lord Made
Swingvote
Turtles Can Fly .....kids in Afghanistan, 1week prior to invasion
V for Vendetta
White Chicks

National - Track with The President

Washington Post article today on shape of Week 1:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/25/AR2009012501812.html
touches on abortion, interrogation, ethics, lobbying, Gitmo, climate initiatives http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE50P4C020090126;
Well some of this is national and some way beyond ... e.g., he seeks sapce weapons ban http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE50O15X20090125

MOVIES

I'm glad a lot of us are into movies! One I recently watched was "Swingvote." Some of my other all time favorites are: "The Great Debaters" and "Pride." If you are planning on going to the theatres, one I recommend is "Bride WARS," which illustrates and gives a good example of how competetive people can get when they really want something.

People’s Evaluation Should Count

One thing I have always found to be interesting, is that our politicians, particularly the senate, has the authority to authorize their own pay increases. What’s even more surprising is when the people they suppose to serve gets disappointed by their inability to pass legislation. I propose, that the people should be allowed to determine if there will be a pay hike for congress. Every person in public office should have to answer to someone other than themselves when determining annual salaries. Political elections are not enough to express likes or dislikes for a particular individual. They should be held accountable while in office. Salary increases should be based on how efficient Congress is. The more I think about it, the more I like the ideal, because it will give them (all parties involved) incentive to work harder at coming up with some kind of agreement regarding policies that are beneficial to the growth of our country and the American people. Not to mention, it gives the power back to the people, where it belongs.

Work Hard...

just wanted to share this quote... "Right now someone is working harder than you... the only way to suceed in life is to work hard. love what you do so mcuh that you would do it for free, but do it so well that people will pay you to do it."

Is there a Peace Treaty in the War of the Sexes?

Gender is not so much a set of traits residing with individuals, but as something people do in their social interactions. While sex categorization depends on the commonsense categorization (in the sense that people are categorized into either male or female) sex categories have certain traits that contradict that categorization. Gender involves other set of recipes for activities that must be modified according to different situation. The key concept is that of accountability. That, as society is structured according to sex categorization of male/female, people come to be required to be accountable for every action they perform to be appropriate to one's sex category. In this sense, gender is fundamental in all aspects of social relationships in the sense that one cannot avoid doing gender if one wants to make actions accountable. Gender is so fundamental that any type of social interactions and activities are potentially subject to "doing gender" (that is, making one's actions accountable in terms of their appropriateness to sex category). By doing gender, it in turn has the effect of reinforcing the notion of "essential difference between females and males". That is, these gendered activities are not so much expressions of natural gender differences but the very act of the production of these differences. In addition, gender is neither a role nor a display, because while roles are situated identities, gender is a master identity that cut across situations; to characterize gender as display is also misleading, as display implies something not so fundamental and limited aspect of human interaction.

International thread: New Era

The new era of the United States abroad. This is 24 min on the installation of HRC as Secretary of State--A happy greeting. Speech starts 10 min in. Worth a watch:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1857622883?bctid=8794088001

Defence Diplomacy Development

And here is HRC the next day, Friday, at USAID http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=283612-1&showVid=true

Secy Clinton picked two envoys and President Obama approved them: one to the Middle East and one to oversee Afghanistan and Pakistan: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1857622883?bctid=8794061001 Executive envoys, USAID, The State Dept, The Dept of Defense - all three work together with the President on Gaza and everything international.

Glad for change, held by fear

Though I consider myself lucky in witnessing and being part of history being made with the new administration, I have to admit that there's a part of me grasping on to fear. While watching all the events that took place on 1/20 I had this feeling of uneasiness that I could not shake. I felt fear not for the change that is to come, but for the new Chief in command. I couldn't help but feel like there was going to be some kind of tragic act that would leave us in complete devastation after coming this far. I could barely sit through the few minutes that I watched President Obama walk in the parade, all the while thinking to myself "get back in the car" and then sighing with relief once he did. This is an extraordinary time in history, I hope it follows with an extraordinary ending too.

Great Movie depicting Sociology.

"Something the Lord Made is the story of two men who defy the rules of the Jim Crow South and start a medical revolution. Their patients are known as "blue babies" – infants suffering from a congenital heart defect that causes them to turn blue as they slowly suffocate. Alfred Blalock (Rickman) and Vivien Thomas (Mos Def) make a brilliant team, but as they race against time to save one particular baby, social pressure threatens to tear them apart. Blalock is the white, wealthy head of surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Thomas is black and poor, a lab technician whose dream of going to college and becoming a doctor was ruined by the Great Depression even though he possessed the intuition and dexterity of a great surgeon".

This film depicts status and the discrimination against a black man who was a great surgeon. He could not afford to go to medical school but was mentored by a white Doctor and together they began the very first heart surgeries. Vivien Thomas was not recognized as a Dr. until many many years later. Although it depicts discrimination it also ends with a happy ending as he is finally recognized for his great efforts. Definitely a movie I would recommend.

Change

Why is it hard for a person to accept change? Most people prefer playing it safe then facing the unexpeted occurrences from such change. This past year there was an election,in which history was made and the biggest CHANGE is about to take place. The thing is, expectations are high following this change and if such expectations are not met, will we be as unhopeful towards change for the future?

Forgiveness

This has nothing to do with the assigmnet: Just a question....what do you guys think about forgiven those that have hurt you or how to deal with forgiveness? i just want your point of view

My 3 movie picks

1. The Anniversary Party

2. Home for the Holidays

3. The Joy Luck Club

I can't say that these are the three BEST as there are many films that beautifully portray humanity and social interactions. However I chose the first two because they both center around either a party or a holiday, both of which brings (or forces) people together. Friends, family, neighbors, enemies....parties tend to create environments/situations that are out of the cycle or routine of everyday life and therefore tend create almost heightened or exaggerated atmospheres.

The third movie spans a much longer amount of time. The film portrays the lives of two generations - mothers (Chinese immigrants) and daughters (born in the US). The film does a fantastic job of illustrating generational differences and cultural differences.

Slumdog Millionaire

I want to add a favorite sociological movie after going to the theater this weekend. I saw the foreign film Slumdog Millionaire and loved it. I didn't know much about it, only that it was a love story about a kid contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. It so much more than that. It's such a good movie. It touches on poverty, the struggles of people in the lower social economic status and the choices made to survive having to hustle to make a living. It touches on religious persecution and the lives of orphans caused by it. I definitely recommend watching this movie!

OBAMA'S SPEECH

Obama's speech was GREAT!!!
He concentrated on broad themes. In addition, he had words of praise for the previous Bush administration but also a few criticisms.
NOW, WE ALL NEED TO BE PATIENCE and continue to support OBAMA in the changes HE is going to make in the upcoming years NOT weeks or months!!

Holiday Blog

Hello,

Can someone tell me what we are supposed to be commenting on for the Holiday Blog? I'm confused. : (

SECRET AGENTS GUARDING OBAMA

I found the information in the Los Angeles Time Parade magazine. Pictures of the agents didi not come through. For more information please log onto www.parade.com to view the pictures of Obama's Secret Service Agents.

Njoy!!!!!!!

Meet the agents inside the Secret Service
They'd Take a Bullet For The President
By Christopher Reich
Publication Date: 01/04/2009
Special Agent in Charge Eric Zahren (center), joined by Special Agents Laura Topolski (left) and Malcolm D. Wiley Sr. (right) Special Agent Malcolm D. Wiley Sr., a former college-football player, has a winning smile and a handshake that could bend steel. He's been in the U.S. Secret Service for 17 years, part of that time directly guarding the President. How does it feel to go to work knowing that he may have to take a bullet? "It comes with the job," he says crisply. "It's an honor to protect the President. End of discussion." Secret Service agents have a job that they must literally be willing to die for. "Cops are trained to retreat when gunfire starts, but the Secret Service has to stand tall and go into the gunfire," says James Previtera, a Secret Service agent from 1998 to 2005 who now runs Florida's Hillsborough County jail system. Adds Special Agent in Charge Eric Zahren, an 18-year veteran, " From day one, you're part of a larger mission and operate as part of a team. It's not about you as an individual." With the inauguration of Barack Obama, the nation's first African-American President, just over two weeks away, more scrutiny than ever is on the members of the Secret Service--the anonymous, dark-suited men and women who guard his every move. Obama's Secret Service protection began earlier than that for any previous Presidential candidate--in May 2007, 18 months before Election Day--after top government officials expressed fears for his safety. Since his election, there's been speculation that the Secret Service has found a record number of individuals and groups to be plotting to harm him. Says Wiley, "We never comment on how many threats are made against the President."
From Lincoln to Obama: See the Secret Service Timeline »Observers point to extra measures that have been used to protect President-elect Obama, such as the bulletproof glass panels surrounding him during his acceptance speech at Chicago's Grant Park on Election Night. "Those are not new, nor do they reflect any specific threat to the President-elect's safety," says Wiley. "They are one more tool in the arsenal that we deploy." Agents joke that to want to join the Secret Service, you have to be "type-A squared." Says Thomas D. Sloan, who served on President Clinton's detail and now heads international security at the New York Stock Exchange, "Failure is not an option." So how do they prepare? I visited the Secret Service's James J. Rowley Training Center in Beltsville, Md., on a warm, sunny morning. Located 30 minutes outside Washington, D.C., the center is tucked away on 500 acres of rolling countryside. Trainees wear khakis and polo shirts and carry mock pistols on their belts. They undergo four months of intense instruction that focuses on responding to real-life scenarios. In simulated encounters, "you're attacked with guns and knives, then observed and graded on how you react," says Tim McCarthy, who was in the Secret Service for 22 years. He infamously took a bullet when John Hinckley Jr. shot at President Ronald Reagan in 1981. "What I did at that moment was based on training more than anything else." (McCarthy recovered completely from his injury and is now chief of police in Orland Park, Ill.) Firearms qualification was under way when I arrived. Putting on a pair of protective goggles and noise-suppressing earplugs, I watched as a candidate went through the demanding course. He was a young, athletic man who looked as if he could bench-press me with one arm. He started with a submachine gun, firing at a moving mix of paper targets. He shot slowly, not rapidly like you see in the movies. Later, I learned it's because Secret Service agents are accountable for every bullet they fire. They know that in a real-life crisis, a stray bullet will most likely strike an innocent bystander. His shots were right on, and he switched to a shotgun. Sweating now, he had difficulty loading it. Rattled, he hit the wrong target: a policeman with a badge around his neck. Finally, he picked up the last weapon that he was being tested on--a handgun--and hit just three of 10 targets. Test over. He had failed. "The bad guys only have to do their job one time in 100 to be successful. We have to do it 100 times out of 100," says Mark Sullivan, the agency's director for the past three years. Secret Service agents learn to drive the Presidential limousine, affectionately nicknamed "the Beast." The vehicle is built from Cadillac components at a secret facility. After being delivered to the Secret Service, it's promptly disassembled to search for GPS, eavesdropping, or surveillance devices and then reassembled. From this point on, it's never without a pair of eyes watching over it. Never. The limo is guarded as closely as a politician. The limo is like "a bank vault on wheels," according to agents. The doors appear to be 18 inches or so thick; the windows, 5 inches. I could see that the seats were covered in velour with the Presidential seal embroidered on them. Not leather--because it wouldn't do for the Chief Executive to be sliding around during a high-speed chase. Agents must master defensive moves such as the "J-turn," where a driver goes in reverse at full speed, makes a 180-degree turn, and heads off in the opposite direction, all without slowing down or leaving the lane. At Rowley, an instructor offered to give me a taste of what it takes to drive the President. When I stepped out of the vehicle 10 minutes later, my head was spinning. After graduating, agents are posted to one of the Secret Service's domestic or international offices. After five to seven years on the job, an agent can apply for the Presidential Protective Detail (PPD), which consists of a few hundred members. Drawn from the PPD is a rotating group of five to seven agents who surround the President at all times. They're known as "the shift," or what Director Sullivan calls "the sharp end of the spear." The Secret Service maintains a 24-hour mobile security "bubble" around the President--a protective sphere extending 360 degrees in every direction: on the ground, with agents and bomb-sniffing dogs; and above, with snipers on rooftops and helicopters in the air. Before every one of the President's public appearances--in and out of the country--agents must do painstaking advance work, negotiating with everybody from hotel maintenance engineers to high-level political staffers and creating a customized security plan for each venue. "If we've done a thorough job, then we've envisioned any theoretical incident and taken the steps to prevent it," says Special Agent Laura Topolski, who has been with the Secret Service for close to 10 years.The other major part of protecting the President lies in responding to threats. Many of them continue to be in the form of handwritten notes or voice messages left with the White House operator, and every one is seriously assessed. Says Richard Elias, deputy assistant director of the Secret Service and a 28-year veteran, "If a threat is made against the President, we want to know it. Whether it's a drunk in a bar or an identified terrorist, we're going to investigate it." During my days inside the Secret Service, I'm struck by two things. Number one is how sharp the agents are. They're personable and intelligent, but all of them have a glint of steel lurking just below the surface. The other quality isn't as easy to describe. It's a sense of purpose and mission I feel that permeates everything the Secret Service does and sends a buzz through the air. "All agents are aware of the responsibility of protecting the President of the United States," says Sloan. "And we're aware of the consequences should we fail, both for the agency and for the nation."

SEVEN POUNDS

This weekend, I had the opportunity to watch Seven Pounds, starring Will Smith.

Normally, I am not a Will Smith fan. I dislike the character which show him running. I find it very stereotypical, as if the only thing a black actor can do in a movie is run.

However, I found Seven Pounds an emotional movie to watch. I have not been able to figure out the significance of the title "Seven Pounds." Can someone explain the significance? Can someone count the seven strangers.

Thank you.

Technology

I can remember a time when the most important form of communicating was via a two way radio. Remember when it was very important to be on the highway with just you and a two way radio. "Hey good buddy, you got your ears on?" Now with the new technology a new form of communication has been created. THE BLOG. My age changes, the old is no longer new, things come and go. In order to survive I must change along with the time.

A Proud American

I am so proud to be an American today.. It has finally come... an end of an era- or should i say an Error... it is now Obama's turn to lead our country into some what of an order that we can all follow.. I am so emotional, that a country like the US has to go through so much... We as a nation have failed to secure one another in this tragic time of need. WE steal, lie, hate, and cause other chaos just to survive, i can not wait until some peacefulness arises after the storm has settled. i do not know how Obama is gonna do it... but i hope he has the patience and power to figure out how the super power of the world is going to get back on its feet. He has made very big promises and i hope he will be able to at least accomplish some of them. this nation does not need another failure, but a president that is preaching about hope, change, wisdom... as Obama has been doing! i wish him much luck and success in his 4 years in office!

Small Changes/ Big Effect

i don't know if i'm the only person who had thought about this.  i'm pretty sure i'm not.  Have you ever sat down by yourself after hearing or seeing something and thought, how can i make a difference?  Then almost right after that think, small things don't make that big of a difference. We forget that it really does!  Small ideas can cause large conclusion, and we tend to over look how important our thoughts and ideas are.  What if someone else had the same thoughts in mind, then it's no longer just one person.  Every effort makes a difference, maybe not a big one like we aim for, but it will change somebody's life. Get active

Films with Sociology Eyes

Two films I was going to mention have been posted more than once so here are my next three:
KIDS (1995) by Larry Clark
Fight Club (1999) by David Fincher
Gangs of New York (2002) by Martin Scorsese

Remember The Significance

The impact Barack Obama's election to presidency has had on this country is powerful and inspirational. We've heard it said before from many people that they never thought they would see the day when there would be a black president. Obama represents progress and hope and has confirmed the idea within people that they can do something extraordinary with hard work and a positive attitude, no matter what adversities or social road blocks they have faced in their lives. It is so exciting to be able to witness the Inauguration of Barack Obama tomorrow. I only hope that people won't forget the meaning of his presidency and our country can continue to move forward toward tolerance and equality among every race, religion, sexual orientation, and social class.

Has Martin Luther's Dream Come True?

Is this election of hope and change become a reality? Is this what he wanted? Watching Larry King live and this was discussed. I think this is definetly what Dr. King wanted. We are changing the way Americans are thinking. Hope is definetly on its way.

CITY OF GOD FILM

I would like to suggest another great film which is called "City of God" (Portuguese: Cidade de Deus) is a 2002 Brazilian crime drama film directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund.

How Can We?

How can we say that we are not influenced by society? Ever since little , we are told what toys are appropriate for us to play we. Girls are given dolls. Boys are given adventurous and violent toys - such as guns and detective games. Boys are given the opportunity to be adventurous and outgoing .Girls are the nurturing ones. I say we reexamine what toys we provide for our children.

INAUGURATION!

Hope everyone is having a great time.

I can't wait for Obama's inauguration!

CHANGE...CHANGE...CHANGE!!!

Favorite Movies

Here are my three favorite sociologically relevant films:
1. L.A. Confidential
2. Pulp Fiction
3. The Pianist

Detect the tone of an era

These key phrases of the past 10 presidential inaguration speeches might help with your portrait paper: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28703864/ :

1. Truman to 1952 (WWII over): the aim for our time is for men to learn to live together in peace and harmony.
2. Ike to 1960 (prosperity of the 50s-but arms race on in "military complex") we sense with all our faculties forces of good and evil are masked and armed and opposed as never before in history
3. Kennedy to 1962 (unbeknownst to us, going into the unknown) "ask not what your society can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.
4. LBJohnson to 1968 (civil disorder and moving away from "the 50s") "I do not see the 'Great Society' to be a battalion of the ants! I see the 'Great Society' as always becoming, trying, reaching, probing, finding, failing, and trying again."
5. Nixon resigns in 1974 (unsafe world - deep in Cold War with USSR - China rising): we will have succeeded if "we helped make the world safe for mankind." Ford missing.
6. Carter to 1980 (even more unsafe world): we must "move toward our goal - the elimination of all nuclear weapons from earth."
7. Reagan to 1988 (methodology: smaller government, more states/local rights. 1987 "tear down this wall.") "Government doesn't fix the problem; government is the problem."
8. Bush1 to 1992 (methodology? demise of 'meaning'? "Kinder-gentler" "1,000 points of light.)) "Make kinder the face of the nation, gentler ...."
9. Clinton to 2000 (cold war officially "over" - methodology? get it clear? communication?) let's "define what it means to be an American."
10. Bush2 to 2008 (again a very unsafe world - new awareness of global interdependence) "Our freedom depends upon the freedom of all nations, other people."

CHANGE FOR BOTH

As the fight for equality continues, there continues to be a need for reform on what is expected from both genders.

Consider some examples:
1. The career woman who wants equality in the work place but still expects the man to open the doors for her, pay for their outings, let her go in first, etc.
2. The married career woman who is still expected to do the majority of housework or cooking.
3. The stay-at-home dad who only considers child care as part of his task and not the cleaning and cooking.
4. The stay-at-home dad who is seen as not providing for his family.
5. The man who is looked down upon because he does not take the opportunity of a leadership position.

We live in a patriarchal society. Unless we have a complete transformation at the social structure level, we can not have equality among the sexes. This change must be internalized by both males and females. Women can not expect the men just to change.

WoW Welcome

It's great everyone's here. Nice to see you and your names. Now we need some organization.

Who would like to take ALL the movie posts and ALL the comments to all the movie posts and compile them in Word or Excel and send them to me so I can make ONE movie post and delete all the others? This exercise of compiling the movie posts and poster names could earn you a paper. You'd have quantitative data for one of the "deliverables," you'd be master of the movie thread, and we'd have a great place to share great movies. Voila! There's the data for your paper #10. If you like the computer and are interested in movies and communication - email me or comment here and we'll organize this. Any takers? It's not "extra credit" - it's just a fun and easy and productive way to write that Paper #10.

If all these movie posts can be harnassed, then we could establish these "Master Posts"

1. Gaza - poverty and heavily funded "expertise"
2. World Monetary System - Money as Symbol, Money as Control, Money as Currency-Energy-Greed-Empowerment, Money Regulated?
3. California Puzzle - how can a state so rich be so poor?
4. Best Movies for Sociology
5. Soc classes that could serve us even better
6. We are the Change
7. Joy of races - positive energy of diversity
8. Is there a Peace Treaty in the War of the Sexes?
9. Shared language and other shared symbols - and culture and peace
10. Your Question

Moives

Three movies that come to mind are:

A Time To Kill
About a Boy
Pride and Prejudice

FAVORITE MOVIES

Here are my favorite 3 movies pertaining to Sociology.

1) American History X (favorite of many in the class)
2) The Life of David Gale
3) I am Sam

THREE MOVIES

EL CRIMEN DEL PADRE AMARO, SET IT OFF!, SEVEN POUNDS

MOVIES

1)The Bridge a 2006 documentary film by Eric Steel.
2)Pride and Prejudice a 2005 movie film by Joe Wright
3)“The Century of the Self” (2002) Directed by Adam Curtis.

Amazing Movies

Some of the best sociological movies i've watched was American History X. The other two are Crash and White chicks becuase they make you think outside the box.

HAVE YOU SEEN A CHANGE

Do you see/sense/experience a new respect and joy between races now that we have begun the blending of races in the Presidency?

Misconception

The socializing process is constructed to separate groups of people by creating division. Race is not only created, but is a crucial divider. The respect and joy between races, I believe has always existed for the majority of the people, it just has not been publicized. The day that Barrack Obama won the presidential election was the day that the unity and mutual respect for all races were visible in the main stream media. I believe the election did not miraculously create new found positive feelings in individuals for our fellow human beings but unleashed deeply harbored feelings of positivity. The media is/or was instrumental in exposing the majority of the populations true feelings. It is that, which I find to be encouraging.

3 movies

Three movies that come to mind with a sociological concept are Crash, A Time to Kill and V for Vendetta. I know many people have seen Crash but it's a movie that many people can understand and relate to. A Time to Kills deals with injustice, life struggles, race and doing what's right even when others are against you. I love V for Vendetta because it questions the government for the bad that was happening to the country.

Helping Yourself

Ways to learn more in sociology classes would be to participate more. Ask questions when not certain about something. One thing that has helped me , is to observe everyone around me from a sociological perspective. Relate social events and the ages of people there. Lately events that I have attended help to me become a little more aware of my surroundings.

I think that because we all belong to different series of networks, i personally learned more when we engage in the classroom, instead of always having that same person always talking, in a group not only do we create new social networks, but everyone speaks up. This is what i think at least. Life is full of networks so why not expand our network in sociology classes, in the end most of us are all soc majors anyways.

Are we really being represented?

I feel very privileged to be able to be alive to see the first African American president. However, has President's Obama's presidency really broken down racial barriers? I think that it's easy to say yes because we are actually seeing it, but what is never mentioned is the resources that we "colored" people lack to be like President Obama. Moreover, I am speaking on behalf of all races when I say this: Are "colored" politicians really representing the needs of their "colored" constituency? Or do they appear to be representing the needs of "colored" people because of their appearance and have only become enculturated into the white dominant culture?

My Three Movies

Three of my favorite movies that are good examples of people in Sociologically compelling situations are:



Shawshank Redemption

American History X

Schindler's List

Top 3 Movies

These are the three movies that come to mind for me in relevance to Sociology.

1. An American Crime
2. Manchurian Candidate
3. Changeling

In class I was an owl, i don't think i am an owl i am in between the owl and the dolphin. I like to think of things but i also like asking the why? alot of the times so i consider my self in between. I think that in sociology we are all several things because of all our networks and we can never be one way or the other.

I am new at this. Just checking to see if I am bloging correctly.

Welcome Class

I'm new at this "blog" thing just checking it out!!! and wishing everyone good luck in the class.

Day News Project Links

Comment here with links and observations on 3 news topics. I'll show you how to make links"clickable" - meantime, just copy/paste links into comments if you encounter illuminating internet stories. Focus on ONE - Local, National or World.

"Post" topics & teams

• Let's re-introduce the Teams IND NET SOC CHG with the new Posts required in the next 2 weeks. Object of the game is that each one of you either posts or comments at least once.
• From week 1, someone in your team (IND NET SOC CHG) will start a "conversation thread," and team members will comment. You could be the initiator or commentor - or both.
• Each team has at least one "thread". There are day teams and night teams, so there can/will/might be at least 2 red threads, 2 blue threads, 2 green threads, and 2 black threads - or more. If your TEAM Post has begun and you have a completely new conversation thread to start - go ahead and do so, in your team color. New people who joined today - hop on board one of the 4 teams. If you have a post for everyone - use gray.
  This isn't "Craig's List", so we don't want to give away kittens. It is a Sociology Blog and we are a group - so you can express your "Sociological Conscience" and observations here and expect some response and support - as well as challenge. Anyone from any team can comment on the other team's threads.

Here are the 5 "prompts" from tonight - you might take off on one the prompts for your Team Post or start anew:

1. Do you see/sense/experience a new respect and joy between races now that we have begun the blending of races in the Presidency?
2. How do you see the ever ongoing "battle of the sexes" - i.e., the state of gender relations today?
3. How could your Soc classes work better for you - be more engaging, productive, and applicable to life?
4. What are the 3 greatest sociologically relevant movies you have seen?
5. Language - how do you see the battle of language as the basis for cultural unity in our diverse "Now"

Writing Assignment

According to the syllabus our papers should be 2 pages approx 700 words total. It does not specify the margins other than standard. Standard could be no more than 1 1/4 whereas two pages would be a little over 600 words. If the standard margin is 1 than the paper still would not equal to 700 words. So I guess the question would be what is the standard font size other than "12" Times Roman? It may appear I am analyzing this too much but Dr. Tabor does not want it to exceed 2 pages unless your points could not be made within two. However your paper should consist of 700 words. Can someone clarify this for me?

Initiative vs. exceptance

Does change come from within? Do most of us wait for someone to influence change? Do we except change or do we run from it?

Balancing Networks

We belong to different types of networks. They vary from our family, friends, work. I think in a sense we choose our networks to even out our lives. We can't be the same person with all the networks. It would be too crazy. The way we act at home is different than how we act at work or with friends. I can't imagine behaving the same way with my friends and coworkers. I think it somehow balances us out and lets us be creatively different.

The Mythical Self

Self is an illusion. It is unnatural and not of one's own making. It is a created existence by external forces.

Evolvement

Does change come from within or are we waiting for someone to influence change? Do we run from change or accept it?

A Compromise of Cultures

Social Structure is a systematic mechanism that derives from social interaction and relations between cultures. It is influenced by the collaborations of major organizations/institutions. Communication within the Social Structure can be interpreted by actions, objects, or ideas.

What's "on trial?"

We have been given a gift of a courtroom.
Without falling into the courtroom stereotype of finding some single person guilty of some particular moment in time, how can we use the room? Is an idea on trial? Are our trials a search for the truth? The room has 5 physical/symbolic elements:
1. The issue box (otherwise known as the witness stand)
2. The jury box (the quiet observers and soon to be judges)
3. The audience (sideliners-feelers/assessors, but non-participants. Seeing life as if thru a glass-maybe yearning to participate, but unable even if directly involved.
4. The judge (the one with the gavel - she who ushers the moment thru time according to "procedure" so that jurors can later become the judge of a moment.
5. The computer screen, which can bring us back through time and compile and deliver a little universe of evidence.
PROPOSAL: Week 10 Monday night: 2 sets of anonymous posting groups meet up for "The Trial." This THREAD IS FOR CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATION ABOUT STRUCTURE OF SESSIONS.

• world/international events
• national/state/community/family political developments
• stranger-face-to-face interaction-level
• gender ground
• human ground
• planet/time ground

Building a network

When we are born into this world, we're all born into a network. Now, as young adults in Erickson's 6th stage of development, most of us are in a pivotal time of building our own network. These networks may differentiate among us, some may pick family, work, or school.

New Bird

Hello...