Our meetings !

It was Helen's party (March 23rd) and we made it together. It was a really great moment between sushis, chips, cake and wine...

Hope you liked it Helen !

Also, Dong was supposed to go in Chine two days after, and Zicas was supposed to go in Qatar two or three days after... lucky you (grrrrrr)

;-)

First of all, we realized how Dong likes dogs.

Oh yeah he DOES like them - We were in a

dog park not so far from Concordia University

Jarno was there too !

Helen was praying just before cutting her cake... no really, what were you doing Helen !? (lol) - We were in Tomas' appatment.

A little bit of KungFu....Helen you're definetly the "cool Kungfu" one. Tomas is flying and

Dong is showing off. Wao wonderfull team .....I LOVE you guys!

We're all together in that picture!

It is good to know people like Helen, she 's always smiling. Tomas looks happy too in his own way (if you understand what I mean...;-p)

I like this picture, I couldn't not put it in the blog !

I call this last picture SHIVA - An other amazing idea made by Sir Tomas

;-)

Souvenir...

Yup ...

Remember this time when we were always on time and we were obviously the first ...



I also remember when we used to get those unexpected electric chocks brrrrr...

Guess whose arm it is lol... :-)

See you soon guys !

My Dear Blog

What do I think about the blog process? Well that's a good question ...

To be sincere, I was not really attracted to use the blog because I prefer real interactions instead of the virtual ones. But I think that it is a certain way to remain in contact with some of us so that' s a good tool, after all.

Also, I appreciate the flexibility of this part of "homework" because we can use our inspiration when proposing our point of view.

Well because the blog is virtual the inspiration is often hard to catch.

Research Project Presentations

Concerning the research project presentations, I sincerely think that it was interesting and flourishing. I generally like all the presentations. Every body (except one) shows that he or she has worked so hard for providing knowledge treasures . I have learnt a lot from some of these presentations.

• Thank you Dong for attempting to put us in a conscious position about our daily consumption of water... that can help to make a difference.

• Thank you for your presentation Zicas. Now I definitely know that I would not be attracted by cell phones soon...(lol)

• Thank you Nour, with your presentation I have paid attention of the smelling sense at least 35 minutes of my life.

• Thank you Wang for all the diabetes information that you proposed us... it was very useful.

• Thank you Xixi for trying to explain one of the visible humans' issues: Consuming what is not good for yourself while being conscious of its danger for health (destroying yourself - "slow suicide").

• Thank you Tomas, trough your presentation you reminded me how powerful jazz music is. Oh yeaaaaaaaa (lol)

• Thank you Jung, thanks to your presentation you make clear the importance of our critical thinking.

• Thank you for your presentation Daryl. Even thought I disapproved completely the notion of "competition", I have to say that I appreciate your presentation because it emphases my belief that computers incompatibility is the worst characteristic between Mac and Microsoft(i.e.).

• Thank you Faisal for having been there for your presentation...

• Thank you Helen for your flourishing presentation. A real psychologist's job hein ! Don't give up that field Helen.

• Thank you Yarno for putting forward the case of tobacco. I found the setting of your power point very well made up. Think that you should pursuit the way of communication if you can; because you actually have the method for explaining the main points of one topic.
  

Thank you all as well as Lili and Adrianne. That experience was truly great !

Cold Water

To come in another country is a real complex situation mostly because you have to adapt yourself to a complete different environment.

Watching the documentary "Cold Water" remembers me how hard it is to be in a new country. During the first weeks after I came in Canada, I was really not comfortable. I didn't like this feeling at all. No friends, no family, nothing! I had to rebuild everything. But I have to say that it was a very interesting experience. As one of the interviewed people said, in that way you do learn a lot about yourself. Now I developed an open mind so I think that if I eventually go to another foreign country I would feel better. In other words, I think that I would be able to interact toward what I do not familiar with. The key is to accept the other cultural behavior without agree or/and adopting the same attitude or behavior of the other... well it is not easy to do (I know) because sometime you do not have the choice to adopt some cultural practices of a country (i.e.: Women have to bring a scarf in some Muslim countries).

What's About Anxiety ?

Anxiety is the type of feelings that you cannot avoid. It's constantly there but you cannot help it!

Even though you know that panicking would not help you at all, you still feel this uncomfortable sensation. I think that is a question of personality and also of experience (but mostly of personality). For example, if you are known as a self-confident person you will simply do what you have to do without any anxiety.

But I wonder, as it is for stress, is it possible that anxiety be good? I don't think so ... It is more risky to fail when being anxious, isn't it?

"Psychology Applied to Modern Life" some suggestions for the team ...

Hello every body!

I've read a part of the section that we have to read for Monday. I've wrote question just to help me to understand better the author's explanation. I though that I could propose you some questions so that may also help you to clarify some characteristics mentioned in that text book.

Here are the questions that you can ask to yourselves if you want:

A- 1rst section: The Paradox of Progress

1) What is the thesis of the first section? (p.2)

2) What are the 3 nonparallel situations (or examples) that the author proposes? (pp.2-4)

3) Through these examples (or situations) how can we define the expression "The paradox of progress" ? (p.4)

4) What are the 3 causes of the "paradox of progress"?


B-2nd section: The Search for Direction

1) What is the thesis of this section? (p.5)

2) What are the 3 alternatives that people tend to adopt in order to obtain a certain meaning to their existence; which would guide them? (pp.5-6)

3) Why the author prefers to explain deeper the "self-help" books phenomenon than he does for the 3 first one? (p.6)

4) Why these kinds of books are not recommendable at all ? (pp.7 & 8)

5) What are those that are preferable acceptable to read ? (p.7)

6) What are the 5 ways to adopt in order to choose a good "self-help" book? (p.9)

7) What are the main reasons that show the fairness of the text book that we have to read? (pp.9-11)


C- 3rd section: The Psychology of Adjustment

1) In your own words, what is the definition of psychology? (p.11)

2)In your own words, how can you define the notion of "behavior"? (p.11)

3) Concerning psychology, why do scientists prefer to work with animals? (p.12)

4) What is the difference between "mental processes" and "behaviors"? (p.12)

5) How can be defined psychological processes? (p.12)

6) What makes psychology popular? (p.12)

7) Why can we link the concept of "adjustment" with Darwin's theory? (p.12)

8) In your own words, what is the meaning of "adjustment" (p.12)


D- 4th section: The Scientific Approach to Behavior

1) Why can many scientists advocate that psychology is one of most relevant study field? (p.13)

2) In your own words, what is the meaning of "empiricism"; what is its particularity? (p.13)

3) What are the 2 advantages of this methodological practise? (p.13)

4) In your own words, how can you define the notion of "experiment"? (p.13)

5) What are the 2 sorts of variables that are used in terms of experiments? (pp.13-14)

6) What is the deference between experimental groups and control groups? (p.13)

7) How can we detect the independent variable of a given situation? (p.14)

8) Why experimental methods cannot provide an explanation to all mental or behavioral situations? (p.14)

9) What is the aim of a given correlation? (p.15)

10) How does the measurement of a correlation function? (p.15)

11) How do we translate the size of a correlation through the correlation coefficient? (p.15)

12) Why a correlation do not depend directly to the sign (negative or positive) of the coefficient? (p.16)

13) In your own words, what is the definition of "naturalistic observation"?(p.16)

About the Reseach Project...

What have I learned about myself through this process? Well, that's a very good question. I've learned how it could be interesting and helpful to write something about a subject that we actually do not know very well but we have a general idea about it.

I was particularly attracted by the case of child labor because that is a curse that exist again in the modern era and we do know perfectly (nowadays) that children should not suffer ... that is our Duty to protect them because they worth protection.

One problem that I met during this process is the frequent changes of topic... well it was not easy to find an interesting topic even if you have the choice (at least that is my case).

Another problem was to mention the important information in only 14 pages... but actually we do not have that much time to write more than 15 pages.

Well, I have learned to follow teachers' assignments in order to not do what it not asked for.


I would certainly use the same technique for the next research paper that I will do in computer. At University, I will try to give acceptable feedbacks to my professors.

I think that before going to university, we should a paper like that. It is amazing how much we can learn about fro m this experience ... it is all about applying methodology in one particular language.

"Oh, Great Spirit, keep me from ever judging a man until I've walked in his moccasins"

I think this sentence means that before judging someone that is different from us, we should try to put ourselves in their place. Try to do as if we were the other so that we could easily know what happen "inside" the other.

This is exactly what the teacher (that we've seen in the video documentary this Tuesday afternoon) wanted to show, in order to make children and even adults to not do to the other what they would not do to themselves.

It was really interesting to observe the difference between children and adults. It was more acceptable, to me, that children take time to understand the discrimination situation, but it is not so simple to understand the lack of expression or rather the lack of defense of the discriminated "blue eyes" group. Why do they not react? The hopeless ... it is exactly like a Greek tragedy, when your destiny (actually built by humans) takes totally possession of your life.

If people act like that in a school could you imagine how it is in the real life...

" Happiness " as the Topic that I Prefered...

For many reasons, I preferred the unit of «happiness» .

First, because nowadays that 's a very famous topic. Indeed, people struggle so hard during all their life for finding the wonderful techniques that will make them feel happier.

I also appreciate this part, because it provides us the point of view of different researches and scientist which allowed us to know much more about the happiness in various level.

This section, made me think deeper about the notion of happiness in a real life. Are we more or less happy than we pretend to be? Are we really conscious about this phenomenon?

Well, it doesn't meant that this unit answered to my questions (which means that I have to find them by myself) but it opened the doors to them.

Since, my position toward happiness is maintained in the same level: Nobody is really happy. Happiness is just an illusion that we think we require for enjoying the well-being. If we would be happy we would not try to achieve mountains of goals - in a ceaseless basis.
My most important question is how can we be happy in this planet ?

Maybe we should just be neither happy nor unhappy.

....

Population

(photo: from Geety, Allianz, India)

• My mother's parents had 9 children and my father's parents had 5 children. As to my parents my mother has 2 children and my father has more than 2 children (not sure about the number). I would like to have as many children that I could have if it is possible that I bring up them. No matter the number of children that we have, the most important is that we can bring up them with all the love and care that we can, so that they will become the BEINGS of tomorrow.

• The population of my country, Guadeloupe, is composed mostly by people from African origin (in the past, many Africans were deported in Guadeloupe, they were used as slaves for the plantation of sugar-canes for example). They also have some Indian communities in the island. Currently, Guadeloupe has a population of about 435,000 habitants (click here for more demographic details). Guadeloupe is not composed by many people, so there is, I think, no problem of spaces.

• The consequences of a significant population shift in Guadeloupe from the rural areas to the urban areas are not really visible. But there is not particular matter. Those who are from the rural stay at the same place and try to live in a proper way in the area. As Guadeloupe is not a country but an Island, it is quiet easy to be in both areas. I actually lived in the rural area. I liked this area because it is quiet and truly natural with animals in various places. I may notice that, according to me, if you want to go further (which means discovering different things), staying in the rural side would not lead you to this purpose.

Lecture : " Dinner With Darwin or How I Learned Everything I Needed to Know About Methodist" Dr. Rees Kassen

The first day, after I saw the lecture of Dr Kassen, I have to say that I found it really not interesting. Maybe because he talked so fast so that it was quiet impossible (for me) to understand his explanation.

But I have to mention that even thought I met this problem his presentation was well organized: (i) an historic part, (ii) the explanation of his discoveries (iii) a smart conclusion.

Well, after having taken a look in his web site and in a couple of articles that treat about him and his research, I have actually thought that his discovery is amazing.

For more information about "Pseudomonas Fluorescens" check this web site: http://www.science.uottawa.ca/~rkass574/

The Novel Project - Point of View

Concerning the Novel Project process I would say that its first part which is the part of discussion in groups, was interesting (level 3) because it allows each others to express themselves about what they've read and what they think about the various chapters. I was impressed by the different manners in which we explain the meaning of all the different details: It was different but so similar...

The presentation part was less interesting (level 7), maybe because of the complexity to explain the basic and important information to every body.

I have to say that this project provides me more confident about my reading. Unknown words do not afraid me anymore thanks to Cross bones (lol). Well, I think that when I will have more free times (because now it is an impossible mission) I will definitely read an interesting English novel.

Critical Thinking Lecture

Nowadays, it becomes a real deal to find mediums that share honest information. Thus, it is more and more important to know how to analyze the information that is given in the different mediums which are available in the current era. That was in a certain manner the goal of the lecture we participated in on last Thursday. I think that one the most important activities of a critical thinker is to ask him (or her) the good key questions, so that he (or she) could have an effective point of view toward the authenticity of the information divulged.

As people who are in a democratic country, we can say that we have the chance to get a diversity of information. Nevertheless, we don't know how to take advantage of this particularity...we are just unable to control the huge amount of the mass media news... we just absorb the information without thinking and THAT is an important issue in the current societies.

I was very interesting by this lecture; not because I've learnt more in the basis of critical thinking but specifically because the lecturer proposed us important questions that we need to consider before judging an article or TV news for example.

Thanks to Amanda Strong for having presented this lecture to us.

Differences between genders

The most important and dangerous problem that people can do in terms of the topic of genders is to wonder what could be the differences between males and females. First, because it is something that as human beings we are unable to understand so that we cannot even explain it. Second, it has a negative connotation because it pushes ones (i.e. a male) to stereotype the other behavior (i.e. female) for making him/her feels better than the other. Pointing differences in that manner could develop a conflicting atmosphere between genders.

In the interpretation of relationship stated by Erving Goffman in the beginning of the 20th century, it is clearly explained that if a couple have a communication problem, whatever the problem could be, if they really want to solve their problem, they have to do as if there was none problem. Thus, considering a frustrated situation as if it was a normal one, could remarkably change the harmony of a relationship. Erving Goffman and many other researchers proposed a series of relevant studies that are actually factual evidences that support this thesis.

So let’s do the same about differences between genders. Let’s do as if we have never heard about this weird situation and every body will be happy!

Sushi Versus Mercury

I have read the article Sushi Lovers Seem Undeterred by Health Warning About Mercury Levels written by James Barron in The New York Times published on Thursday January 24^th 2008.

In a main point of view, this article explains that even though people are aware that consuming tuna sushi could be a considerable issue for their health because of the level of mercury that compose them, they obviously keep eating them. In the first part of the article, Barron introduced the sushi experience of Sara Barokas, a teacher, who usually goes to the Gourmet Garage where she degusts variable pieces of sushi. Then Barron mentioned basic information about the research that was done about the rate of mercury in tuna sushi. In the last part of his article, Barron presented a comparison of mercury rates by considering people experience and the restaurant where they ate pieces of sushi (particularly in Manhattan).

This article can be seen as a strategic one. Indeed, the reported individuals’ experience reflects specific categories in a society. Moreover, a direct judgement can be expected through these variable categories:

- The category of families: a mother with her daughter went to the Gourmet Garage. People’s opinion about this event could be: “How a mother can consume mercury sushi with her own child? A mother supposed to protect her child against any sort of danger!”

-The category of rational people: a management consultant ate at Megu restaurant, and a trader at Deutsche Bank consumed pieces of sushi at Blue Rabbon Sushi. People may wonder: “How could it be possible that reasonable people consume tuna sushi? Normally they hardly think before acting.”

-The category of the educational staff: a teacher went to the Gourmet Garage and a retired teacher went to Nobu restaurant. Again, people could be amazed by the reaction of such a category because normally, these people represent the education in its general meaning. In other words, they are those who learn to children the important behaviour to apply in a society (for the others and also for themselves)

Masada

MASADA


I was quiet interested what I've learnt just by reading a part of the novel Cross Bones.


Well, now I discovered what we call Masada, a peak that is located in Israel and where several human remains were found. People say that the Jewish zealots (those who lived in this huge cave) had killed themselves before the romans' troop arrived in their land for destroying the community. At that time romans said that the Jewish zealots committed a mutual suicide just because they refused to be their slaves (a question of honor, of dignity) but some say that they decided to disappear for an other reason...
Spooky isn't it !

It is amazing how Kathy Reich makes it more or less interesting :-)

Proficiency in Learning a Second Language - The Most Important Factor

Acccording to me the most important factor that affects proficiency in learning a second language is to have a willing personality. That is the most powerful factor because it can allow someone to go through any kind of obstacle and it can avoid once to give up (the surrender is the complete elimination of the idea of succeeding).

SkyScraper - Burj Dubai

Well, this is apparently supposed to be the tallest building in Dubai. Burj Dubai Skyscraper is currently in its construction process. In this picture you can observe the heart of the new monster made by the well known humankind.

Everybody I 'd like to introduce you the beginning of the material human represention of what I call "the over ego" !

Super Skyscrapers

What can we say about super Skyscrapers?

It is, in my opinion, one of the most unrealistic idea of the world.

First of all, it is said that theses structures would be a real solution against the crowded coming population in several areas in the world but actually I think that this is what it is wanted that we believe. In fact, skyscrapers could simply be built for rising the ego of a country and -of course- the engineers and designers who made them. Maybe it is just a question of international challenges.

The second alarming point about the idea of building skyscrapers is that these structures don't seem safety. Indeed, the security system is only supported by speculative solutions against potential natural or unnatural disasters.


Well, in my opinion Skyscrapers are a way of showing the superiority of a country without taking care of the People !!!

Welcome>>>> The 1rst Day : A New Life

Hello !


This is my brand new blog. I hope that all of you will enjoy it!

You can leave comments whenever you want

;-)


Geraldine >>> The Point <<<