As we all know the FIFA will be held in Brazil and that is bringing consequences to the people that live there more specifically to the street children who are gathered up and killed they are believed to be undesirables and unwanted for the media image of Brazil.
http://cyberwarzone.com/street-kids-murdered-clean-brazil-ahead-world-cup/
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/death-to-undesirables-brazils-murder-capital-1685214.html

My favorite part about Global Connections is the Civics part. I've learned more about the law in this class than anywhere else. I thank you Stewart and Smith for this. Most people and cops take advantage of teens especially at our age right now since we're viewed as bad kids doing drugs and up to no good. its good to know the law especially your amendment rights. If you ever end up in court, you'll know how the system works. Looking at different court cases and how the amendment rights come into action in certain things. Its good to know the law in your own country. Let us not be taken advantage of. All my global people, don't forget your rights and dont forget to know the law

#2 Final post

Also the Upstander effect that taught me to be courageous enough to speak up against injustices and not to be a bystander and stand there and do nothing to help out someone in need.For example in the Rwanda documentaries as well as the Holocaust videos we saw how bystanders transform into upstanders who saw the injustices and put at stack their own well being for that of others this has has a huge impact in my life and has taught me that although its not always easy to stand up to injustices its whats right and what must be done in order for actual justice to exist.Such as Pual Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda who not only put at risk his own well being as well as his family and enlarged his circle of obligations by saving more than 1200 tutsis and hutus.Now he didn't have to do any of this he could have gotten out of Rwanda before things escalated to the mass murdering of tutsis and trader hutus who helped them.Now throughout  these years we've learned about history repeating all over and over again and I'm  disgusted to know that we keep making the same mistakes towards humanity.If enough propaganda is spread we forget that we are humans beings and behave like ruthless savages.I sincerely hope all of us in Global learned to be more loving and to have more  compassion towards each other.


Also for my  holocaust presentation sorrrrrry guys i was supper nervous i just wanted to be different and hope that it was a learning experience for all of us sorry if i got physical with anyone.My apologies it was scary but definitely worth a try.

Another thing that I learned throughout the year on Global was the importance of justice. There are so many injustices that occur and instead of fighting them some people just let it be. The Rodney King case is a very good example. What if there had never been a Rodney King case to make the rest of the country aware of the rasicsm within the LAPD? I definitely learned a lot about the law thanks to this class and I understand my rights a lot more now. I know that this is very important to understand the system in order to not become a victim like those people who were falsely accused of drug possession and locked up.

Final Reflection

Throughout this entire year I've learned so much in global connections and gained knowlege that I hope to keep close to me in the hopes of becoming and mainting myself a better person in the hopes to make an impact in this world.One concept peticularly that cought my attention is race in America
Firstly i'd like to point out that fact that america for the longest time and until today has had a very difficult time coping with race due to the fact of lighter skin being not only "superior" to the rest but also most desired to have.I'm not saying its right, no one should ever have to feel guilty and have to hate the very skin they were born with,Myself as an example for the longest time was not very happy with my skin color due to the fact that i was looked down upon by society as a minority an outcast in my elementary school all because i was too "dark" for them.Thanks to this class I'm learning to be fully accept myself to be proud of who i am,to love the skin I'm in.Besides what defines us as a individuals should not be our skin color but our ability to impact the world.We as a nation have been through so much from the Native Americans to the African Americans to Hispanics to now a days everyone who falls victims to racism.Global has taught me to learn from the past and we as the future hold in our hand the key to success but not committing the same mistakes the previous generations have.Race should not matter we are all the same under our skin ,we live on the same planet,share the same air,share the same sky,live under the same sun.There is only one thing i know for a fact is that we are all humans and deserve the same equal treatment regardless of our history.Thus please class of 2014 let us go out there into the real world full of knowledge and determined to change the world into a better place.

Final Global Reflection 2

Another concept I feel was valuable in terms of my development in the class was the concept of racism and acceptance, race has been an issue that continues to change over time but there is no guaranteed way that things will change for the better and all I can really hope for is that the future generation will be educated enough to understand the differences in others and accept them because they don't have an impact on their lives. What I have seen in countless of cases such as the Scottsboro Boys or Loving v. Virginia. The Scottsboro Boys were an easy example of racial ethnicity affecting the rights of an individual even by law, while the Loving v. Virginia was more based more on both the racial discrimination of an individual due to their race as well as the discrimination of an individual because of the racial groups they associated with. As a nation we have come a long way an now there are more rights to those who are of a different race, but I also feel that even though it has been less over the years there still isn't a solid solution for racism. What these concepts have made me see is to accept people for who they are and respect them until you know the story because one cannot judge one based on the color of their skin or the aspects they have solely because it is different, I feel that it has opened my perspective to being more accepting and if not insightful on not judging others based on things that don't matter. This class has made me learn and grow in so many ways that it may be hard to name them all but I can honestly say that I have developed as a person and even if I'm not fully prepared for the next step, college, I feel that experiencing the new ideas have made me prepared to be more open minded to new opinions in order to grow more from others and from what I learn. 

"Ladder of Inference"

Global Connections has taught me so many new concepts and ideas that are useful in life. After learning these concepts and now reflecting about them this year, i can look at things differently and make wiser decisions that will influence my life positively. Throughout senior year in our global class the concept that impacted me the most was the ladder of inference. Everybody jumps into conclusions quickly without finding out about the real problem. You cant deny it, we have all done it. Now that the school year is ending and were all going to college, i feel like we can start using this more; of not making assumptions quickly about things that you probably just heard or something that is going on. I got better at not making assumptions quickly. Every time for example when i see people walking on the street, i would assume their bad or they are up to no good, and i would label some of them when i wouldn't even know what they have been through. The Ladder of Inference made me view things differently; by not jumping into conclusions quickly. This Ladder of Inference is a useful way of understanding "reality" versus "perception" because we have to be realistic about things and not just assume things when we observe or hear something. Personally, I really like global because i learned so many new things that are important in life.

Final Global Reflection

This year has been one full of eye opening controversies and topics which I feel many people have given their honest and insightful opinions on, one that I feel was beneficial to me was the better understanding of diffusion of responsibility. This concept really caught my attention in terms of its specific meaning as well as its many examples that we have seen which show the events during a particular experiment related to this topic. It surprised me when examples such as Kitty Genovese or The Holocaust were more than just tragic events, they were the aftermath of what one did do or the aftermath of something one didn't do. That in itself should have been more to question the moral and value stand point of a person but also of a community, since I have questioned myself and people around me to what we would do either individually or as a whole to stop something we think is wrong, I mentally try and place myself in a situation and question myself to what I will do. That I feel has is a clear concept that has made more than an impact on me than other topics, one that makes me think of what is right and wrong while also questioning what I will do to either support or destroy what’s right or wrong. 

Final Reflection

This year in Global has taught me to be much more aware of my surroundings, particularly in terms of race and racism. I had always been aware of racism to some degree, but growing up the way I did, I encountered relatively little. In Global, we learned about how racism impacted people just 50 years ago, such as in the case of the
Scottsborro boys, and how it still exists today, like in the case of Trayvon Martin, or even OJ Simpson. To some extent, it was even prevalent in our own classroom; as a fellow classmate pointed out to me, in second period we are somewhat divided by race, with most of the white kids on the right side of the room, and most of the minority
kids on the left. Until this year, I would have never noticed it.

Final reflection

Through out my señior year in Global Connections i have learned many things. I think different about  the meanings of things. For example, the Ladder of Inferance shows how many of us just jump into conclusions and start to judge based on what we see or know without actually knowing what is happening in the situation. The way the class was organized helped everybody do a better job towards our señior project. I believe that the way that we started by watching several case studies with the same meaning and then having to do a short summary about it. We all grew in the way tht we think becuase at the begining of class nobody would participate or we would give basic yes or no answer answer and towards the end of the year we are all comung out with more defined explanations or opinions. This class personally helped my mind griw and focous more throughly in situations and learned my own rights. I really enjoyed this class becuase everyday we learned something new and we learned more ways to learn

Assumptions

The most meaningful concept was the lader of inference. I have a tendency to assume without knowing any background information. I used to base my thoughts of of assumtions or rumors. Most of the time there is an explintion.After we went over the laser of inference I started to think more about my actions and learned not to assume. Slowly I have been trying to be more aware of the way I react upon certain news. I try to give the benifit of the doubt. I know now to be aware of  others options stop my bias and know the potential outcome. This is something that will help me everyday and I try to use everyday not just with friendships but also relationships.

Global Final

Throughout the year, there have been many concepts that have helped me understand many situations in my daily life. But only a few have stood out from the rest, and that is the concept of labels. This means to me that stereotypes don't necessarily exist. That is obvious, but it's good to understand that not everyone is what they seem, but our mind goes to label everyone around them for a sense of comfort, which is ideal to feel accepting, but at the same time labels those who aren't what they seem. I have learned to view people by their actions and thoughts/perspective to be connected to them for real, instead of what they give off by looks and rumors. Luckily, I took Global and adapted to this concept. Thanks global!

Final reflection

Well at first I didn't really know what concept to write about but I thought that happiness would be an interesting topic to talk and write about. I decided to write on this because I loved the video we watched yesterday "Happy". I did enjoy it and it made me realize that there are a lot of people who are very kind and love helping others, and I think it's an amazing way to make yourself feel secure of what you're doing and it also makes you happy, it doesn't only make  you feel that way but  by you doing whatever you are doing to make their lives better, you're making a big difference for them. Personally I love helping  people and I enjoy seeing them happy and their reaction is just priceless. A good experience I had related to this was that I went to a senior center in Los Altos and I had to help old people that were there, I played bingo with them because they didn't have anyone to play with so I did, they seemed the happiest people ever. So I think you guys should do something similar and make people happy.

Biased Blind Spot (2nd Semester Final)

The biased blind spot is, to me, one of the most interesting social psychological concepts that we learned about in class. Of all the social psychological concepts that we learned about in Global, I could relate this one to my life the most. The biased blind spot is the cognitive bias of failing to compensate for one's own cognitive biases. An example of a biased blind spot is a student being sure that they got into a college solely based on their merit, when there may have been other reasons, such as demographic and legacy. We as individuals create biased blind spots to protect ourselves from disappointment and rejection. For example in the case of the example listed above, the student is choosing to ignore the other reasons why he or she could have gotten into college, and is just focusing on his or merit as the primary reason. All students would like to think that they have gotten into a good college based on only there merit and ability, but this is not the only truth. Admission officers look at so many different factors when assessing you as an applicant. In the example I gave, the student is blocking out the other "truths" because if he or she accepts those truths, he or she is then challenging his or her own ideas and values.

2nd Semester Final: Reflection

Most certainly the Banality of Evil: the notion that evil is the product of normal people being put into corrupt situations.  It is not the most complex idea covered in Global Connections, but its wisdom is nonetheless invaluable.  The Banality of Evil reminds us that no matter how immoral of lowly we deem others, that they are still people, and thus should be treated with the dignity that one believes should be given to any person.  Many times this is challenging to do; we would be more inclined than not to believe that there was something fundamentally wrong with, say, those who collaborated with the Nazis.  Same for those who supported the apartheid regime of South Africa.  But to see those individuals as less than human beings, even if their actions are so contemptible, would imply one has learned nothing from those actual moments of history.  The actual crimes committed in those two respective examples only occurred out of, well, the Banality of Evil.  The perpetrators and collaborators in each of those cases allowed themselves to be pushed into such situations out of either self-interest, or failure to address their own cognitive dissonance, or some other reason.  This does not make them anything less than people.  To fail to see their humanity would merely echo what they did to the people they committed those crimes against.  Thus, we must all understand the Banality of Evil in order remind ourselves of our own human nature, and grant each other the inalienable dignity that comes with it.

Final Reflection

Global Connections has taught me a variety of life long skills and has opened my eyes up to new possibilities. Towards the end of the year, we began to talk about how people view and achieve success and for a long time, I struggled with the concept. As a result, the most meaningful concept that I have learned about in Global was the power of giving back. The last video we watched called, “Funny”, stood out to me because it showed me that even in the hardest of times, people still find ways to be happy and give back to others. I believe that everyone strives for success and how they achieve the goal varies. For me, I feel successful when I give back to others and help them see that they are worth it. In high school, I began to volunteer at various organizations and I found that giving back made me feel complete. Every month for almost a year, I volunteered at the Ronald McDonnell House right next to Stanford shopping center, and I helped run carnivals for the children who were staying there. Every time I showed up, the kids were always excited to see me and I was blown away by the amount of hope these kids had even though they were told how many days they had left to live. In Global, we saw how happy the residents of Denmark were because they were constantly thinking about others and helping them with everyday tasks. This concept of success will shape my entire life. Thank you Mr. Smith and Mr. Stewart for showing us the good and bad of this world and because of both of you, 50 students will leave high school with a better worldview. 

Adrian posting through Nathen: Global Final

Adrian, posting through Nathen:

Other than to consider the perspectives of others (since we've studied
nothing but extremely depressing conflicts), I've also learned to take
note of the discrepancies between opinions and facts. Time and
research, as this class has proven, eventually leads to our discerning
the truth amongst what may (or may not) be wrong. Otherwise known as
lies, for those who aren't already aware.

Of course, this stretches through our entire academic career of going
through what pertains most to Global Connections – case studies. In a
sense, you could call it the class development of natural  intuition
into being able to tell if an alibi doesn't hold by confronting their
issues (and how they frustratingly bend around court laws) – from the
Twinkie defense claiming insanity to the Scottsboro boys and Victoria
Price's claims of rape. This, in my opinion, is the most important
concept I've picked up on in the duration of this class throughout the
year.

2nd semester reflection

Global has taught me so much. The one thing it has taught me is to think before you speak an time manegment. We have had deadlines to meet. I used to stuggle with not turning in things in time or just not turning them at all. But this class i saw that i need to manage my time very carfully. Also when you are trying to prove someone you need to be able to backup what you are going to say. To know that what you are saying has proof and can be shown. I've learned that notebooks were a big part of my grade and knowing that i have to be able to manage my time. That if i dont meet deadlines it dosent affect the teachers it only affects my personally and lets me think i could procrastinate. Being able to have learn so many valuable leasson i am happy to have had this class.

"Race In America"

I really wanted to go back to this idea of race in America, which connects to privilege in America, which tires to prejudice and discrimination. According to others, "It's easy to be white" which is a statement that I sort of agree with. Here in the our community a great portion of people are on the wealthier side and own lovely houses and flashy cars. "White" people do not have to deal with people watching them when they go to the store or asking them if they need help as soon as they walk in. Its something about the Caucasian skin color that is seen as superior, or respected. The color of our skin is something we deal with everyday, even when taught equality we are are divided by the color of our skin and our economic status. The "Colored" are not offered the same opportunities as the whites in school, in work, in life, not just now, but for centuries. What steps can be taken, or should be taken to have everyone feeling like they are worthy?

Most valuable concept final reflection

Throughout global we have discussed many topics which have brought me knowledge and a deeper understanding of society. The concepts learned in class had taught me a lot and had made it useful to me in the outside world. One concept that stuck out to me the most was the concept of being an up-stander. Being an up-stander is often a difficult thing to do because usually you are the only one doing it. While others are out doing wrongs others simple watch and stand by. I have found it very interesting how an up-stander can affect the lives of people. As we studied in global about WW2 and the Nazi reign, their were many by standers who watched as millions were killed. But the real hero's, the up-standers stood against injustice and even risked their lives to save the lives of others. I found this meaningful because I want to someday be a hero and stand up to others while no one does, even if I am not recognized for it.