Erica, I have never really thought to hard about how geography impacts peoples personality so i found this article really interesting. I am interested in seeing how this is changing as the world develops and people move around more and more, especially ecologicially. I am excited to see where you go with this!

Hello Erica! I thought it was really interesting when you brought up “features of the physical environment affect people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.” I never considered that this could shape someone, but I am not surprised that someone’s surroundings could impact the way people behave. I found in this source something like you were talking about, “psychogeography practice involves drifting around cities, an act in which one must ‘drop their usual motives for movement and action … and let themselves be drawn by the attractions of the terrain and the encounter they find there.” Here is another article that could help you with your paper. (http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/sundayextra/how-our-surroundings-affect-the-way-we-think-and-feel/6758818) I thought this was also interesting since it talks about how urban areas can be impactful too on peoples lifestyle prefrences. I would like to know if you come to a conclusion with the question, “Does living in an unhealthy environment contribute to feelings of stress and anxiety, or vice versa?” I am interested to see you do more with this topic. Bye.

Erica,
This is a truly fascinating post, and I have never really thought about how much of an impact geography has on one’s personality. I agree that it is important to continue to study the effects it has on people, for if we can understand it more then we can help more people who are in unhealthy situations due to the impact their environment is having on their mental health. Here is an article that I think you would find interesting: https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/explore-healing-practices/healing-environment/what-impact-does-environment-have-us

Erica,
I have never thought about personalities varying based on region. I found your piece refreshing because it was such a different concept that you presented, and very different from most. I always thought personality traits mainly revolved around how you grow up with your family and what you see your parents doing. I found an article that might help you go a little deeper into your research.
http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2013/10/regions-personalities.aspx
Good job, I hope to see more of your writing!
Isa

Erica,
I always did think people from various regions acted alike and I was very intrigued. I enjoy travel and saw how people interacted in California to Wisconsin all the way to Florida and I saw each region had their own distinct personality. I think geography plays a huge role of who you are because each region values something different that another one might not. I think it is very interesting to look at factors outside family to see what contributes to who we are. I found an article that might help you continue your research. Good Job
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/look-it-way/200906/is-who-you-arewhere-you-live

Erica, his is a great political issue, and its two sides clash very strongly. I, myself, think about this issue a lot, and I still can’t make up my mind about what the government should do. I love the Forbes quote you involved in your writing because it set in perspective. I think it would be great if our society could have a minimum wage raise, but I do think that a lot of people would lose their jobs. How could the government insure to raise minimum wage without decreasing employment rates? IF the wage was to be raised, it would boost the economy and many people’s quality of life and that is something that would make equal opportunity more of a reality. I love this post and it would be great to see more support for each side in your next post!

After reading your post, I agree that the minimum should be raised. You made a good point by saying that by raising the minimum wage it would help those people stuck in poverty, but you didn’t really elaborate on that argument. The Economic Policy Institute published an article that stated, “Today, at the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, working 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year yields an annual income of only $15,080. This is below the federal poverty line for families of two or more” (1). The minimum wage used to keep families of two or more above the poverty line, but now many families are below the poverty line because of the low number of income they earn from their job thus making them below the federal poverty line. A young man named Jairo Gomez lives with eight other family members. He grew up in poverty like other kids in his city. He told a story to NPR about how poverty held him back, and how he is trying to push through it. Opinion hosted by NPR published an article that stated, “I asked my mom to do the math, and she said right now, my family makes $30,000 a year. According to the federal government, we’re $15,000 below the poverty line” (2). From the evidence it’s clear that a lot of families are below the poverty line, and we can help them get over the line if we raise the minimum wage. It’s hard living with little money because you don’t know if you will have enough for yourself or for your family. This causes stress for a ton of parents which also leads to them having a great risk of heart disease and heart attacks. In which case this does happen to a poor individual, they may die, and leave their kids as orphans. Plus without a guardian to provide them with their needs, it would be very difficult if not impossible to survive.
Another reason why I think the minimum wage should be raised is to reduce race, and gender inequality. Many people are experiencing racial minimum wage inequality. Some workers are paid more because of their race. Janelle Jones, a economic analyst explains that, “Average wealth for white families is 7 times higher than average wealth for black families“ (3). Also the MAKERS published an article that says, “African-American women earn 64 cents and Latina women earn 56 cents for every dollar earned by a Caucasian man” (4). It shows that some races are paid higher because they are a certain type of race, and that isn’t fair for other people. This makes it hard for some people because they have a family to feed, and they are being paid so low just because of their race. The MAKERS published an article that says, “In 2015, only half of the world’s working-age women are in the labor force, compared to 77 percent of working-age men” (5). Furthermore, the Pew Research center published an article that stated, “Based on this estimate, it would take an extra 44 days of work for women to earn what men did in 2015” (6). It’s clear that many women are being paid lower than the guys, and that isn’t fair for women who work so hard for that money. By raising the minimum wage each gander will be paid fairly, and equally, and that will erase gender inequality.
The last reason why we should raise the minimum wage is because it’s not high enough to allow people to afford everyday essentials. According to a Graduate of Florida International University Alfonso Llanes states, “According to a 2013 poll by Oxfam America, 66% of US workers earning less than $10 an hour report that they “just meet” or “don’t even have enough to meet” their basic living expenses, and 50% say that they are frequently worried about affording basic necessities such as food” (7). This shows that people are barely passing through without running out of cash, but for some people they do over spend, and end up below the poverty line because they aren’t being paid enough. Many people work hard just to be able to buy what they need to live, and that is why we need to raise the minimum wage. Tom Perez, a secretary of labor states, “The national minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is unconscionably low. It is an affront to our values, and it has remained unchanged for more than five years. During that time, the cost of food, utilities, transportation and other essentials has gone up, but low-wage workers’ paychecks have remained the same” (8). The price for essentials has gone up, but the minimum wage hasn’t changed. How does the minimum wage not change, but the essential prices go up? That makes it harder for families with a lot of people because they are going to need more essentials for their family, but even so sometimes some of those families don’t have enough money to support the family.
The minimum wage should be raised because it would help those people stuck in poverty, it would help reduce race and gender inequality, and because it’s not high enough to allow people to afford everyday essentials.

I love the use of words in this paragraph. The language you use to convey the experience of hiking up Ensign Peak really paints a picture of what you experience. By describing more than one of the locations you can see from Ensign Peak, you really make the scope of the perch seem large. Additionally, by recording your feelings and the memories those feelings activate when you’re on the peak, you also create ambiance.

Dear erica,
One sentence you wrote that stand out to me was ” This view makes me feel at peace, and it has ever since I was little and would hike the mountain with friends”. it stood out to me because I can see what you visualize and i would of liked if connected it to the people who have to see there neighborhood really in bad place and how that affects to now. But overall i loved how you shared everything about your neighborhood sincerely, paola.

Erica, this is a very interesting topic, I agree that the place we live greatly influences our personality type. I can see this in the large difference between someone from Utah versus someone from New York City. I believe this is due to the environmental factors present as well as the culture there. Places like New York City carry a general dialect that differs from that of Utah and I believe that alone influences someone’s personality or character. I also believe there are some places that have enough diverse culture present that it has little to no effect on general personality of the people.

Hi Erica,
I always believed that community had a significant effect on personality, but it’s really interesting that where you are located geographically has an effect as well. I think the study you posted about was fascinating. You may like this article, http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2013/10/regions-personalities.aspx, about research that reveals that regions within the US exhibit distinct personalities. Something you may want to take into account when researching this topic is the Rocky Mountain Suicide Belt. Research has shown that this section of the US has the highest amount of people with depression and amount of suicides, because of the high altitude, meaning that people located in geographic areas with high altitudes may be more sad than those located at sea level. If you’d like to learn more, check out this article about the Rocky Mountain Suicide Belt: https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/articles-and-news/2013/06/solving-the-riddle-of-the-u-s–suicide-belt.html.

Erica, I completed agree with all the points you have made in your post. Technology is a very volatile element in our culture today and has its benefits and hindrances. You included an interesting quote from the Huffington Post that said, “children’s developing sensory, motor, and attachment systems have biologically not evolved to accommodate this sedentary, yet frenzied and chaotic nature of today’s technology.” Including this really helped to get the message across that we must not forget that managing our screen time is an important aspect in maintains good health. Thank you for sharing this article with us.

Erica, I really enjoyed your post more specifically the quote about how technology “increases the risk of isolation, alienation, and withdrawal from society, but available evidence shows that the Internet neither isolates people nor reduces their sociability; it actually increases sociability, civic engagement, and the intensity of family and friendship relationships, in all cultures.” I would find this to be relevant today because it’s how people are connected to their education and how they are collaborating with other people. I liked that you pointed out how there’s a hiccup in this innovation and it’s in the form of people not knowing how to communicate with other people. I think the next question I ask is whether we will share this ‘magic’ with everyone, or with only a privileged few, or is this “magic” bad and should not be shared.

Dear :Erica
I am pleased with your post “How will technology impact our society?,” because our society has advanced so much due to the technology we have now.One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: “Technology will continue to drastically change our society.” I think this is true because we are continuously gaining more knowledge and advancing technology , building new things.Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because It had some interesting thoughts put into it

I like that you looked at both sides. Technology is a very interesting topic, but it’s also a little scary. Did you know our computers are learning to code themselves? “DeepCoder is a machine learning system that can write its own code. It does this using a technique called program synthesis. Essentially, it creates new programs by combining existing lines of code taken from other software, which is what human coders do. With a particular output in mind, DeepCoder was able to determine which lines or pieces of code would be particularly useful.” (https://futurism.com/4-our-computers-are-learning-how-to-code-themselves/)

I like that you looked at what it’s doing to kids, but I would love to have learned more about the other things. You go into short detail on some other aspects, but I feel like I’d love to know more!