Week 7: Myers Brigg Test Indicator

I took a took but I think the questions were too-opened ended. I got INTJ but feel as if I swing back and forth from that to INTP (by comparing the descriptions).

ntroverted (I) 76.67% Extroverted (E) 23.33%
Intuitive (N) 58.06% Sensing (S) 41.94%
Thinking (T) 63.64% Feeling (F) 36.36%
Judging (J) 52.94% Perceiving (P) 47.06%

INTJ - "Mastermind". Introverted intellectual with a preference for finding certainty. A builder of systems and the applier of theoretical models. 2.1% of total population.

I found a site that delves more into the overall life aspects of these personalities, and even has career options that might be suited or your "type".

Week 6: Mark Braverman

1) We as humans strive for the attention and affirmation of others. A wall is the anti-thesis of that; it suggests willful separation due to my dislike or annoyance with you. However, a wall also signifies order and isolation of people that others may deem to be threats (whether real or imagined). This type of "segregation" tells us 2 things: 1) That the people instilling the wall aren't murderous monsters on an ethnic cleansing campaign (for the "short-sighted" hyperbolists out there) and 2) that there is a threat to be quelled, whether it is justified or not. The supposed "intellectuals" who continue to vilify Israel while not recognizing the threat posed by extremists (because they are real and do exist), only continues to anger the Jews who feel persecuted while pandering to the Palestinians, who for years, have been unwilling to cooperate yet arrogant enough to believe that they are entitled to a land they lost not only in Abrahamic times but just as recently as 1948.

I believe the first step is to leak out that Israel is willing to compromise (perhaps even paying reparations to the families in controlled areas) and maybe even have a news conference where the leaders agree to meet for the explicit purpose of reintegrating both peoples. Then, every week, tear down a certain section of the wall (with proper appropriate support, of course). The next step would be to have public meetings and votes (all adults, no exceptions) to show the Palestinians they are willing to reinstate what the UN proposed almost 70 years ago. However, he Palestinian must show that they are willing to support this move. All random bombings in civilians areas must stop and any public outburst of aggression on Israeli citizens must cease. It makes no sense for one side, who has been on the brink of extinction for milennia, to be the ones to give up the up the land they earned. After the previous have been done, the actual proposal is that the original UN Partition Plan be re-drafted with approximatively half the land given to the Israelis and half given to the Palestinians, with the UN having oversight over Jerusalem but delegating any possible changes to the people of both states. Have the ICJ (or other nations) keep both sides in balance and see how it goes from there.

2) A tribal mindset allows the most optimum way of surviving. It is considered "barbaric" but one needs to be ruthless (or at least, uncompromising) if self-preservation is the ultimate goal (and considering the size of Israel compared to other nations, I would say it is a legitimate form of governance). However, this tribal mindset can lead to arrogant circumventions of justice, allowing very few to be tried fairly without a preconceived bias of harm to the state. I understand that in this supposed "modern era" that people have learned to talk with one another to talk most problems, but usually the people who argue against the "tribal mindset" do not have all the information that a gov't has and as a result do not know what the choices are in a given situation. Simplifying human nature and then applying "logic" to it, especially if it is used to help a population survive, is amateurish at best. It is preposterous to assume that we unelected citizens can someone how criticize gov't for it's justified misdeeds because of some idealistic notion that people are good and therefore no one should harm anyone, despite being under constant threat of annihilation. (To be honest, I expected more from Dr. Braverman)

3) It is, at its basic roots, the most common trait among humans. Everyone suffers; the poor, the rich, the tall, short, fat, skinny, pretty, ugly, smart, dumb (these words are pretty much used to describe subjective points of view). No one can escape being hurt, not those who lock themselves away or even those who are constantly in the spotlight. Human suffering is what binds one of us to the other and allows for an instant emotional or spiritual connection to people who we would probably never would have considered friends.

4)

1. I am Gabriel Gonzalez. I am 21 years old have interests in music, computing, history, and social sciences.

2. Simply put, to earn a degree in order to obtain employment in "a fast-paced business environment".

3. I need food, water, shelter, clothing, like everyone else. Some personal quiet time for my interests.

4. Social injustices really stir me up. Finding the "truth" (whatever that entails) also drives me.

10. Pay attention, delegate more time to studying my lessons, and researching material outside of what is given in class in order to gain a broader perspective.

11. I think I have been successful in understanding and applying the material I've learned from class to short-term goals such as tests and labs.

12. I need assistance on concentrating and using information that I have learned to form ideas which help others.

Week 5: "Foundations" chapter 5

1) Well, in this situation, I was in high school (sophomore year). The teacher was out but we still had to give presentations on "proofs". No one was really paying attention to the people presenting so other people just stood in front of the class, ran through their main points, and sat down. Of course, I had to be the one break the record. I went up there and froze. I literally stood there looking at my paper not knowing what to say or where to start from. And the worst part is, I stayed in front of the class for like 5 minutes. After that time elapsed, I just sat back down, and everyone started giving confused looks. The substitute saved me by making a joke that I was some Star Wars character using telepathy to insert the information I had into my classmates' brains. And that was the worst experience with public speaking I've ever had.

2) One situation in which a statement was an red herring was when I was at UGA and I disliked being controlled by my parents. I told my mom that she was emotionally blackmailing me by saying that would take away the money I used for college if I didn't go back home immediately. She responded with "Why are you mad at me? Weren't you saying that your dad is the one who mistreats you?" essentially trying to change the subject because she felt the need to shift the blame.

The straw-man fallacy, I think, is very prevalent in American culture, up to the point that is slows down any potential progress we might make on important issues affecting our country. A recurring situation among my conservative and liberals friends is that if one supports the army (in a general sense), then the must vote to fund the Coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. My liberal friends say that those wars were unwarranted and are illegal by int'l law and that we need to pull out those soldiers and use them for missions which directly affect American sovereignty. Both sides believe that if the other doesn't believe i their opinion, that they must hate the US and are somehow traitors. Only the arguments are given a space to be heard while the reasons and details for those arguments are kept from the public arena.

3)I don't think I have been very successful in the delivery aspect of speech presentation. While everyone should excel in all areas, I will do my best to improve in what I think is necessary for the information presented to be conveyed effectively, which is rate, volume, and posture. Eye contact and posture would be the most relevant way in which one could affect how their interest while listening to others.

4)

Week 4: Bentley Rare Book Gallery

1) Foundations. chapter 3. Exercises 3.1, 3.2, 3.3. page 49.

3.1

1. Sometimes

2. Sometimes

3. Often

4. Never

5. Often

6. Often

7. Sometimes

3.2

1. Often

2. Sometimes

3. Sometimes

4. Rarely

5. Often

6. Always

7. Sometimes

8. Often

9. Often

10. Sometimes

3.3

1. Usually

2. Never

3. Usually

4. Sometimes

5. Sometimes

6. Never

7. Never

8. Sometimes

9. Usually

10. Sometimes

11. Sometimes

12. Sometimes

13. Usually

14. Usually

15. Sometimes

16. Usually

17. Sometimes

18. Usually

19. Sometimes

20. Usually

2) Chapter 7: The myth of Multi-tasking

Yes I do find that word to be misleading. A few weeks ago, I actually came to the same conclusion that the scientists reached and that is that people don't actually multi-task but execute a series of consecutive actions and then call it multi-tasking. It is also impossible to truly multi-task and get any real progress done. In order for your work to be good, you must devote your full attention to it. It makes no sense to do several things at around the same time, just to find out that you gave 50% or 30% effort and then received a grade that reflected that effort. It is better to complete one task at a time and get the full credit of your work.

3) Which mgmt tip is the most helpful?

I think making to-do lists is the most helpful time management tip that I could use. I have a very erratic short-term memory and sometimes need a physical reminder of what I need to accomplish. I have recently begun to use this method and it is really helpful in allowing me to be more efficient and use my time more effectively.

4) Goals for next 4 years.

I don't think I will be studying 'abroad' anytime soon. On a more serious note, I have made at least to long-term plans concerning my college education. I will either graduate from KSU, then pursue a graduate degree at Georgia Tech (if my ADHD-PI doesn't interfere too much) OR take 2 years at KSU then transfer to GT/UGA. I am leaning to the former because it will at least give me a stable, jumping off point if I am not able to keep up the complexity and speed of GT courses. I might be working at Micro Center or some other huge brand name computer store. Or maybe be recruited an software company as a programmer. Not exactly sure what I want right now.

Week 3: Discussion

1) Response to Outcasts United

When I began reading, I felt very disconnected (naturally) but as the author told Luma's story, I saw parallel's between her life and mine. Of course I am not “royalty” but just like Luma, I decided to a large school far from home that my parents did not approve of. And just like my circumstances, she was the first born and much was expected of her. I think parents, in general, need to stop this idea of being harsh with their older children in order to make them a “better person”. While this may lead people to lead “successful” lives, it also causes people to be angry and resent their parents for being held to such rigorous, unachievable standards, which in turn will, like Luma and I, push them to either willingly and forcibly disconnect from the entire family. I don't think it was fair of her father (in my case, my mother) to cut her off and prohibit her from talking to immediate family just because she did not want to follow her parent's orders. I am willing to bet most young adults adamantly agree with the following situation describing their own circumstances in finding a place away from home: “Luma tried to explain that she felt it was important for her to see if she could support herself without the social and financial safety net her parents provided at home...Hassan would have none of it. If Luma wanted to see independent she could be, he told her , he was content to help her find out. She didn't feel that she could be herself there (Jordan), and she was willing to endure a split with her family to live in a place where she could live the life she pleased.” (23 St. John)

One's life belongs one's self not to another so for other people, especially family, to bark orders then cut off their own children off because the parents are too emotionally unstable to accept that their children's lives are not theirs to control. The difference between Luma and I (and millions of other people) is the abrupt drop from one socio-economic class to another; The following quote details the core of Luma's situation in a short, quick sentence: “I went from being able to walk into any restaurant and store in the United States and buy whatever I wanted to having nothing” (23 St. John). Luma basically went from super rich to flat-out broke in a matter of seconds, and just because she wished to follow her own aspirations. How sad it is that in our day and age, one's dreams are controlled by worthless pieces of jean paper, or for this decade, “invisible” electronic numbers.

2) Why are stories vital to society?

I think stories, on a very simple, basic level, help people connect with each other. The fascination of mystery tales and ancient lore, for some reason, draws people together. Stories handed down through oral traditions are very susceptible to intentional or accidental "editing". While the most important part of a oral tradition is the subtle lesson inherent in the story itself, I also think it is the duty of civilizations capable of written language to preserve the original version of the tale/story/legend for history's sake. Although it is unacceptable for societies to not record the original versions of fables and tales, it would be very interesting to note how these stories changed over thousands of years from the original. For pros, oral traditions allow stories to be told in a way that reflects current society and perhaps remedy the situation in a more personal tone. A con of oral tradiion is that the mythology and true original meaning of the story may be lost on future generations, thus causing cultures to be incorrect when retelling these stories, perhaps losing the original intent.

3) Find a study tip in chapter three

I haven't used the Cornell note-taking or mind mapping method into my study routine. I think I will try one study tip in one class and see if it suits me well. If it doesn't, the I might switch to another note-taking method and check if it helps me with subject retention. I have struggled with paying attention in class, long and short. (ADHD-PI). Sometimes I forget tools for class because I am in a hurry as a result of staying up to help my family or finish homework that I couldn't do during the day because of family issues. I need complete silence or I will zone out (like right now the heater is on and my hard drive is spinning quickly and instead of putting my full concentration into this assignment, I am preoccupied with a sounds that I have no control over.)