This year in MWH

This year in MWH I increased my researching skills by a ton. When asked to research something now I can easily do it without a problem. I believe that the blogs helped a ton when it came to research, because they asked for us to do research. It was a fun way of researching. At the end of the semester when we were asked to write a research essay I felt a lot more comfortable than when I was asked to do this for the first semester. It is really obvious that my research skills have improved because I did better on the second essay. The research paper also didn't seem to take for ever to write, the way it does in most cases. This is a really good skill that will help me in the future for US history, and it also may help for other classes.

Blog comment to Kaitlin

Kaitlin: Also do most of the people planting Opium do it just for the money, or is it for other reasons as well
Answer : No, the farmers don't do it as much for the money as one might believe. The amount of money that these farmers get is very small. The middle men who sell the Opium in Europe and the US as heroin, are the ones that end up getting most of the money from the Opium. The Afghanistan Farmers only get enough money to feed their families. It is really sad that they have to plant such a harmful drug just to feed their families. Another reason for them planting this drug is that many of the farmers use the money to pay for the education of their children. Without the help of the Opium, the children will most likely end up in the cycle of Opium cultivation. So once again, the answer is no.

What i have learned this year

I think the most interesting thing that i learned this year was about World War I. I remember asking my parents a couple years ago how that war started and they had no idea. After looking into it myself, i learned that the only war not represented in the National Mall is World War I. I think that just because we entered the war late, does not mean that we should not pay tribute to the thousands of soldiers that lost their lives. It was a terrible war, not just for Europe but for the whole world. It was a one of the first wars of attrition and for that reason i think that it should be one of the most well known wars. Everyone seems to pay much more attention to World War II because of AMerica's role in it, but i think that people should learn more about WWI. It was intersting to learn how with just one assasination, all of Europe was involved with a 5 year war that led to the lost generation in many countries. Italy switched sides last minute from the central powers to the allies, something that i think shows their disloyalty to allies. Many terrible things happened in WWI, including a small pox epidemic in America.

Monterey Bay Aquarium robot sub used in oil spill

Research Paper blogging:Okay, the final stretch! You know the drill:- Label with your name and #Research- Cite your source as best you can.Away!

A robot from the Monterey Bay Aquarium's research center has begun operating in the Gulf of Mexico to assist in the oil spill. The submarine robot is named the Dorado. It's job is to help analyze the extent of the spill by monitoring the undersea currents and it's ability to carry the dense oil. It is also collecting samples of marine life to help scientist determine the extent of damage the spill has on the marine life. The Dorado has artificial intelligence software aboard to help decide where to seek and what to sample. It can dive to 5,000 feet. Pretty cool stuff from Monterey.

SF Chronicle
David Perlman
5/29/10

State and local budget deficits affecting motorists

Research Paper blogging:Okay, the final stretch! You know the drill:- Label with your name and #Research- Cite your source as best you can.Away!

The state and city budget deficits are really taking a toll on California drivers. Literally. The Golden Gate Bridge is now going to charge a $3.00 toll for Carpools. It used to be free. Parking tickets in San Francisco have increased substantially and even the parking meters have extended hours till 10 PM. It used to be 6 PM. The bridge district's board of directors on Friday voted unanimously, to charge tolls to carpoolers not only on the Golden Gate Bridge, but all 7 bridges. It is all about balancing the budget. Regular toll on all bridges will go from $4.00 to $5.oo on July 1st.

SF Chronicle 5/29/10

Unbelievable Politicians

Research Paper blogging:Okay, the final stretch! You know the drill:- Label with your name and #Research- Cite your source as best you can.Away!

It is amazing. When we had sky high oil and gas prices, the Republicans wanted off shore drilling. They blamed our oil dependency on the Arab nations. Their mantra was "Drill, baby, Drill". In the wake of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the two Gugernatorial candidates, Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman have both backed off on American off shore drilling. I read that when Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer werre running for their respective offices, they were against nucleur power plants because of Chenobyl. After our gas price hikes reached their peaks a couple of years ago, both candidates were in favor of more nucleur power. Politians swing with the wind.

SF Chronicle 5/29/10
Google/Red, Green and Blue Alex Felsinger 3/20/09

5 interesting things

Research Paper blogging:Okay, the final stretch! You know the drill:- Label with your name and #Research- Cite your source as best you can.Away!

1. The police in Arizona have the right to detain anyone they suspect are in this country illegally. I believe that if people break the law, they must be accountable. Being in this country without a citizenship, passport, or visa, is illegal.

2. Being arrested/detained because of racial profilling is unconstitutional. I believe that just the fact that someone is of a certain race is not enough grounds to arrest or detain someone. That is unconstitutional. But, if racial profiling is just one of many facts that lead authorities to suspect someone, then I am ok with the detention. Ex. (no English language, wearing an apron coming out from the service entrance of a restaurant, and being hispanic in Arizona.) That is enough information to suspect that they may be in this country illegally.

3. President Obama believes that the immigration law in Arizona is unconstitutional. Why does he not penalize business's that employ illegal immigrants with a huge fine. Then business's will not take the chance of hiring illegals. With no jobs available, people who do not have the right to be in this country will no longer come here just to work because there will be no jobs.

4. If you are arrested, your fnger prints are now automatically sent to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. Over 169 counties in the US are now doing this. I think this will increase the deportation of illegals.

5. State Attorney Jerry Brown believes that San Francisco should be amoung the 169 counties. I agree.

SF Chronicle
Associated Press 5/26/10
Yahoo news 5/20/10

What I learned in World History

Research Paper blogging:Okay, the final stretch! You know the drill:- Label with your name and #Research- Cite your source as best you can.Away!

There were many things that I learned in this year's class. The most important was probably the ability to do research. I read articles in both print and on-line. I learned the power of the internet and it's ability to provide information. All kinds of information. I actually saw the progression of the human race thru history. I learned that different cultures exists in different parts of the world but that they all had many things in common. I learned that history tells the story of why we are what we are today. It is a roadmap of the past to the present. It was fun to learn how things come to be. I really never thought about it much until I started reading our assignments. I actually enjoyed modern history more than I did about history from long ago. So many wars.

What I learned in MWH

This year in MWH I learned a multitude of things. Ranging from how to write a research paper, to how to use chicago citations properly. But most of all, I learned about nations all of the world in every kind of situation. I enjoyed most of the units and feel that every time we learned about a new country we found that within that culture there were thousands of things. And within those were thousands more. There was so much information to learn and so little time to learn it all. But when reflecting on the course, I feel that it was a strong learning experience that brought communal learning and modern world history together. Whether it was our in class discussions, or our powerpoint presentations, or even Robespierre and Napoleon trials, everyone was learning thousands of new bits of information everyday that collectively made this a fun year.

Extra credit blog

This year in Modern World History I feel like I learned a ton. I really enjoyed the format of the class and the way we learned things. I liked making presentations and doing blogs, because it was more refreshing than just memorizing dates and names for tests. This was a better way to learn in my opinion and I will remember the concepts much more. We learned a really wide variety of things about different countries and time periods, which made the class surprisingly interesting. Two main things that I learned that I thought were really fun to learn were the two things I studied in my research papers: German U boats, and nuclear power. I really liked looking deeper into both topics because they were both really fascinating to learn about because they both played larger roles in history than one would think. After a few weeks of deep research I felt like i truly understood each topic deeply which was a really cool feeling to have.

MWH Extra Credit Blog

This year in Modern World History I learned numerous amounts of concepts that will benefit me throughout my life. Some of the major ideas that I am going to remember for a very long time is the Industrial Revolution and the amazing machines that came with it. The Industrial Revolution as a whole was thrilling to hear about and how it really started a new era. The machines that were manufactured during the Industrial Revolution are still used today and if we had not had this industrial boom, we would not be like how we are today. I still am amazed by the way they put on a Great Exhibition in order to show off the outstanding pieces of machinery. People from all over the world came to see the Great Exhibition, which means the Industrial Revoultion affected not only France, but the entire world. Furthermore, I was really surprised about how much France impacted the United States when it came to technology.

"This Year in MWH I..."

learned a lot. I really enjoyed the blog and the new ways we were sort of learning. We sort of had to teach a lot of information and sort be able to explain it rather than just regurgitate it on tests. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this period of history, I guess it just felt more relevant to the world we live in now or something. I just had more fun learning and I was actually interested in what we were learning. I am really surprised at how quickly it went by. This class has definitely taught me how to make connections with history, how to use articles and facts to strengthen my arguments in my writing. I'm definitely gonna miss our class next year. Ms. Xia you should teach RUSH and APUSH next year!

This year in MWH...

I learned about geography as something I think I should remember for the rest of my life. I may not remember exactly where the Ottoman and Mughal empires where and when but I will no the general area and where other events where located. I never learned much about geography and where places were or even the general area they were in. Now I know what is around Latin America and Asia.

This year I learned about blogging. I learned about the different ways you can blog like investigate or research more about a topic to explore and connect by tracing something new back to something else we had learned or a personal experience. I feel like I have learned about how to reflect in a more analytical way rather than just summarizing. I looked at my first couple blog posts and they were all mostly summarizing what I had researched or they talked a little about what I thought about the situation. Now, I feel like I can talk in more depth and respond to other people's posts in a more reflective manor. This obviously is partially because I have more background knowledge because I have learned about many different cultures, areas, and time periods over the course of the year. I really like how blogs let you participate so you can get participation in class but you can say it outside of class. For example, if we are having a conversation about something and everyone is participating, then sometimes it is hard to get your opinion in. But with blogging, I could share my opinion and be able to reflect on what others had said without having to try to speak up in class. Also it gives you time to think about what others have said and so you have more time to respond rather than on the spot in class. I was surprised by how much freedom blogging provided. I found the text hard to read at some points, but for homework I could talk about the discussion in class rather than trying to comprehend the text and then saying something weird because I didn't get it.

Extra Credit Blog

This year in MWH I learned a lot of different aspects of the world, and what different cultures and countries go by. I learned a lot about nationalism and how each country presents their aspects differently. I think the biggest and most important thing i learned this year was geography. Now I know where a lot more countries are on the map, before im not going to lie but i barley knew where any places were. This will be important for the rest of my life and when I start traveling more. I learned a few new study skills, and a lot of writing research papers. The final research paper we wrote really made me think hard about what i was talking about and what needed to be researched. I also learned how to crank out a good thesis statement and find decent research to help me back up my points. These skills will come in handy next year during US history. I loved our class this year and will remember XIA D block Modern World History Class forever WOOOOOO!!!

Hillary Clinton condemns North Korea

Research Paper blogging:Okay, the final stretch! You know the drill:- Label with your name and #Research- Cite your source as best you can.Away!

Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the United States would not allow North Korea's attack on a South Korean's warship to go "unanswered". Together with Japan's Foriegn Minister, Hillary Clinton said that both the US and Japan will push to have an international response to North Korea instead of just a regional response. The attack occured on March 26th and this is Clinton's first public response. The US and Japan waited until the evidence was clear that North Korea was behind the attack. Clinton's quote, "I think it is important to send a clear message to North Korea that provacative actions have consequences", is a committment on the US's part that action will be taken. Forty six South Koreans died in the attack. Clinto will take he matter to the UN Security Council for punitive action.

Source: SF Chronicle 5/22/10

The NUMMI plant

Research Paper blogging:Okay, the final stretch! You know the drill:- Label with your name and #Re
search- Cite your source as best you can.Away!

This week Toyota Motor Corp and Tesla Motors struck a surprise deal to re-open the NUMMI plant in Fremont. For the last 25 years, Toyota and General Motors were partners in producing cars at the Fremont plant. The new partnership between Tesla and Toyota bears no resemblence to the GM/Toyota partnership. It will be a Tesla manufacturing facility with no reference to Toyota. Tesla is a small, 5 year old, Palo Alto company that produces electric cars. Toyota is an international conglomorate that knows how to build cars on a large scale. A perfect partner for Tesla. NUMMI stands for New United Motors Manufacturing Inc.

source: SF Chronicle 5/22/10

President Obama speaks out against Arizona law

Research Paper blogging:Okay, the final stretch! You know the drill:- Label with your name and #Research- Cite your source as best you can.Away!

Together with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, President Obama spoke out against the Arizona immigration law. The President said that the law had the "potential to be applied in a discriminatory fashion". That means, arresting potential illegal immigrants just becasue of their nationality is unconstitutional. President Calderon called the law discrimenitory. He promised to work with the US to resolve the issue. Supportors of the law say that if you are in the US illegally, you are breaking the law.

SF Chronicle/Hearst Washington Bureau 5/20/10

South Korea promises "stern action" against North Korea

Research Paper blogging:Okay, the final stretch! You know the drill:- Label with your name and #Research- Cite your source as best you can.Away!

South Korea has confirmed that it was a North Korea torpedo that sank the South Korean naval warship back in March. The ambush killed 46 South Korean sailors. It has taken until now to prove that it was indeed a North Korean torpedo. It was a multi-national investigation. The President of South Korea, Lee Myug-bak, vowed "stern action" against the North. The North claimed the investigation results were fabricated and that any retailiation would trigger war.

The US called the sinking of the South Korean naval ship an unacceptable act of aggression. US and South Korean officials are considering their retailatory options.

SF Chronicle/AP 5/20/10

My Uncle Yo

Research Paper blogging:Okay, the final stretch! You know the drill:- Label with your name and #Research- Cite your source as best you can.Away!

My Uncle Yo passed away last weekend. He was very important to me and I will miss him. He was a Japanese American that was interned during WW11. He then went on to fight for the US in the Korean War. After the war he went to work at the Berkeley/Livermore Lab at UC Berkeley where he was a mechanical designer. Although at the time he did not know it, he worked for years on developing the nuclear bomb that eventually was dropped on Japan. I find his life and career very ironic. He was a part of history in many ways.

Yum, Curry

Research Paper blogging:Okay, the final stretch! You know the drill:- Label with your name and #Research- Cite your source as best you can.Away!

This weekend I went to eat curry at a Tai restaurant, a Japanese restaurant, a Chinese restaurant and an Indian restaurant. I love curry, but was curious about how so many cultures use the same food ingredient, and yet, there are continents and oceans that separate each ethnicity. How did it come to be that curry is used by so many different cultures. The one thing that they all have in common is that they are all eaten with rice. It is a food staple that is comfort food for the poorer class of citizen and is predictably in 3rd world countries. It is cheap and can be mixed with inexpensive vegetables and meats. An affordable meal.

5 interesting facts

Nuclear power plants need less fuel than ones which burn fossil fuels. One ton of uranium produces more energy than is produced by several million tons of coal or several million barrels of oil.

In France, nuclear power is the most widespread, supplying 80 percent of the country's electricity. A protest movement exists, called Sortir du Nucléaire, or "Get Out of Nuclear," but it appears to have made little headway.

As of 2004, nuclear power provided 6.5% of the world's energy and 15.7% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for 57% of nuclear generated electricity.

Nuclear energy would be dominant source of energy by now if it hadn't been Chernobyl and Three Miles island (nuclear disasters).

Nuclear energy is really making a comeback because nuclear energy has virtually none greenhouse gases emission and therefore isn't warming the planet and causing global warming like some other energy source

5 Interesting Things

1) Madonna adopted a child from Malawi 3 years prior to today and she able to adopt the baby with no "adoption requirements." I thought it was interesting how now she has to go by the requirements, as if she was a normal person trying to adopt from Malawi.

2) I also found it interesting how the people of Malawi didn't want to give their baby to Madonna even though the baby would have an easier and better time growing up in the United States.

3) Another thing I found interesting was how Madonna was really stuck on getting a baby from Malawi and not any other African country.

4) Madonna as a multi-millionaire is building a $15 million dollar academy for girls and boys in Malawi. I found it interesting and sincere that Madonna would start an organization that costs her millions of dollars, to give these young kids education.

5) Madonna knew she was going to beat the adoption agency in Malawi because she is "white" which is why she followed through with the trial.

Oil Spill Interesting Facts

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig, worth over $560 million, sinks to 5,000 feet below the surface and a five mile oil slick emerges.

17 people wounded, 11 dead. This is the deadliest oil rig disaster since 1968.

Nearly 2.5 million gallons of oil have spilled into the ocean since the explosion on the oil rig.

After initial attempts to stop the oil leak failed, new attempts will include drilling to 18,000 feet below the surface of the ocean and injecting cement and various chemicals to stop the leak. The plan is to use over 100 tons of cement.

Every day, the threat to the coastline of places like Louisiana increases and for now, wildlife in the affected areas is in serious danger. The only hope is that the containment methods for the oil spill work out.

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Citations

Oberman, Mira. "Ships rushed to Gulf islands as first oil arrives" Yahoo News. (5/4/10)

Oberman, Mira. "BP to use domes to capture giant US oil spill" Yahoo News. (5/4/10)

CNN Wire Staff. "As oil spill nears Gulf Coast, experts issue dire warnings" CNN U.S. (5/1/10)

Polson, Jim. "Rig Sinking Prompts Fears of Gulf Oil Spill, 11 Still Missing" SFGate. (4/26/10)

Seba, Erwin. "Factbox - Chronology of Gulf of Mexico oil spill" Reuters. (5/2/10)

5 interesting facts

In the past 5  years Opium production has gone up 50% in many places of Afghanistan

In 2001 the opium production in Afghanistan was about 100 tons, and from that point it started to skyrocket.

Afghanistan produces more than 90% of the worlds Opium.

Now Opium addiction is estimated at an astonishing 1.4 million people.

A lot of the farmers that are producing the opium are not actually affiliated with the Taliban or other terrorist organizations. They are just ordinary people that have to plant this in order to survive.

McDonald's Points

McDonald's has changed culture in Asia. It has changed the appetite of young people who normally only eat main meals, now go to McDonald's as a snack meal and increase their meat intake.

McDonald's is also changing the way people in Asia order food. Normally, one person would order for the entire group. Now, each individual orders their own meal.

McDonald's has also played a huge role in people'd health in the United States. It and other fast food restaurants have been a hue contributor to obesity. 60% of Americans are now overweight or obese.

The New York Times reported that 3 new Mcdonald's come up every day.

McDonald's spends $2 Billion a year in advertising.

5 things that I found interesting in my research

Before 1991, when Somalia was ruled over by a dictator, there was extreme media censorship. For example, only one newspaper was allowed to be published. Dissent or disagreeing with the government was a violation of the law, punishable by death.

In 2001, the UNDP published the following statement: "the 21-year regime of Siyad Barre had one of the worst human rights records in Africa."

In 1980, as the government began to collapse in Somalia, massive inflation occurred. In some years the annual depreciation of the Somali Schilling was over 300% compared to the US Dollar. What occurred was similar to what happened in Germany before Hitler came to power. The citizens were robbed from their savings because their money no longer had any value.

By the 1980s Somalia was essentially funded by other nations. By the mid 1980s 100% of their development budget and 50% of their recurrent budged was funded by foreign aid. By 1987 more than 70% of Somalia's total operating budget was financed through foreign aid.

Those are some of the facts about what Somalia was like before its period of statelessness. My research paper will investigate the before/and after of this event.

Learning Five New Facts on Oil

1. Oil takes over the world, it is in such high demand, that people obsess over it. It is crazy what people or Saudi Princes will do for oil.

2. People in the oil rich countries are very very poor and have nothing. This is because the people in the government do not care about the people, they only care about themselves becoming rich and their country for being known for having lots of oil.

3. The issue of oil is destroying the world, and increasing global warming. If oil was never discovered we would not die, we would just live MUCH simpler lives, which may not be a bad thing.

4. America makes a lot of oil, but none of it is sold because we need so much that we use all of it and then we have to buy it from other oil rich countries. We need a lot of oil due to the way americans live.

5. In oil rich countries, the poor people do not get an education and if they need a job, either working for oil or not they must be hard working because if they ask for anything complicated then they will be fired and there are people everywhere looking for a job. Just like in the Industrial revolution, when the factories were just being discovered and people begged for jobs. Also the Oil industry is a capitalism industry not a labor intensive so they do not need as many workers as something like farming or searching and making diamonds.

Golden Triangle Facts

These are facts that I found astonishing and really show how big this trade was. Its also interesting to read about how the UN is cracking down and all of their various tactics.
1) This trade generated up to 90% of the heroin used on the European and 70% of all opium sold worldwide as of 1995.
2) The trade has fallen 94% in Laos as of 1998 because of efforts from both the UN and China
3) Contrary to beliefs, many of the farmers who grew the opium are upset with the government as they have no sort of profits. A large amount of farmers are struggling to switch from opium to cash crops.
4) An estimated 100,000 opium addicts in just Laos alone, but this number is decreasing at the price for opium was sky rocketed due to the rarity and lack of production.
5) Khun Sa, the recent drug lord who died, was connected to 45% of all of the worlds drugs in the 1980s.

Some Pictures from Taiji

Here are some pictures from Taiji, Japan, one of the main places where the killing killing takes place.

Aquariums that buy Dolphins and Whales Illegally

Here is a list of some aquariums that have boughten and shown dolphins and whales that they have gotten illegally.

Miami Seaquarium: Obtained two Risso’s Dolphins (Grampus) from Taiji, Japan, via Jay Sweeney. Both dolphins caught in a 1989 hunt. Both died at Miami Seaquarium in 1989 and 1995.

Miami Seaquarium: Obtained two bottlenose dolphins from Iki Island (drive hunt), Japan, via Jay Sweeney. Both dolphins caught in 1989 hunt; one died 1991, the other in 2000.

Sea World San Diego: Obtained three false killer whales, two from Taiji, Japan and one from Iki Island, Japan, via the Fishermen’s Union. Two caught in 1981 and one caught in 1984; alive in 1991 (date of report).

Indianapolis Zoological Society: Obtained two false killer whales from Taiji, Japan, via Jay Sweeney, in 1989. One died in 1992, the other in 1998.

Naval Comm, Control & OC Surveillance Ctr (US Navy Trained Dolphins): Two Risso’s dolphins obtained from Taiji, Japan, in 1989. One died in 1989, the other in 1999.

Marine World Africa USA (now Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Vallejo, CA): Sought to import four false killer whales in 1993. Earth Island letter (dated May 5, 1993) to NMFS expressed opposition to the illegal, inhumane captures of drive hunts. Permission for import denied by NMFS (letter dated May 7, 1993).

Interesting Facts

1. Mohammad Khatami, a previous leader, let women go skiing without the normal gender barriers. Women were allowed to wear ski attire rather what all women were supposed to wear. They were also let on ski lifts and gondolas with men and were allowed to ski with men. The gender barrier was nonexistent on the ski slopes and so women saw this as a chance of freedom sort of. They have police that are supposed to make sure none of the Islamic values are compromised or broken but they haven't been given skis. So as long as the women are on the slopes, they are fine.

2."There is nothing in Islam that says that (women) working is forbidden...If a woman wants to work, she should be able to. She should be able to tell her husband that she doesn't want to just sit around the house... Some men and women deny the right of women to work, and this is either a result of ignorance or holding on too tightly to tradition." These quotes were said by Dr. Umayma Ahmad Al-Jalahma. She is arguing the fact that Islam should not prevent women from working. She thinks that people should be able to adapt and have the freedom to work if they wish. I thought this was interesting because this shows progress regarding the rights of women in Islam and my above point does too. You don't normally hear about the freedom women have. You mostly hear about what they struggle with or what they don't have.

3. From one of my sites, I found that women who have been around longer know many things about what women can do that is normally restricted by law. For example, they are allowed to be educated and it is illegal to keep girls from going to school. Apparently the laws may have been altered a little to what people think women can and can't do but in reality they haven't been part of the Islamic tradition and religion.

4. Iranian women were just allowed to participate in the FIFA Youth Olympics if they were caps instead of the traditional hijab. I think that this is both good and bad. They are allowing the women to play but they are not allowed to wear what they are supposed to wear traditionally. I think it is a good step in the right direction but there is still some work and adaptation that other organizations could do.

5. Islam has made some changes to modernize and make more sense of its self. Islam has gotten rid of polygamy because the Koran states that wives should be treated equally and if you have six it is hard to treat them all the same. They considered it too much work for even a very wealthy man. I think that this is interesting because it shows that Islam is adapting and modernizing sort of. They are trying to make their religion more practical and it will only be a matter of time when the women are completely equal to men.

Interesting Facts about The Killing of Dolphins and Whales but mainly Dolphins

• 23,000 permits are issued each year by the Japan Fisheries Agency to kill dolphins, porpoises, and other small whales. The total kill varies from year to year (for example, in 2007, 13,107 dolphins and small whales were reported killed in Japan waters. These numbers do not include the large whales killed under so-called “scientific” whaling permits in the North Pacific and Antarctic Oceans.). This is the largest scale slaughter of cetaceans in the world.

• About 1,200 to 1,800 dolphins and other small whales are killed in the so-called dolphin drive hunts that takes place six months out of the year in Taiji. The rest are killed with hand-held harpoons from small boats out at sea.

• In the small fishing village of Taiji, Wakayama prefecture, the dolphin drive hunt is carried out by about 26 fishermen from September 1st though March.

• Operating with 13 motorized boats, the fishermen go out to sea at early sunrise and look for migrating dolphins. Banging on metal pipes submerged into the water, they terrorize the dolphins with a "wall of sound," causing the dolphins to panic.

• Terrorizing the dolphins with underwater sound, the fishermen herd the dolphins into a secret killing cove close to Taiji Town.

• Often times, dolphins die during the chase that can last eight hours or more.

• The Taiji fishermen claim that dolphins eat too much fish and therefore must be exterminated.

• Operating with a permit from their government, the Taiji fishermen have referred to the dolphin hunt as "pest control."

• The majority of people in Japan have no knowledge about the annual dolphin blood bath.

• The fishermen kill the dolphins with spears, fishermen's hooks and knives. Trashing about in their own blood, the dolphins emit high-pitched screams during the massacre.

• The slaughtered dolphins are processed into meat and distributed to supermarkets throughout Japan for human consumption.

• Dolphin meat from drive hunts in Taiji proved to be highly contaminated with toxic chemicals such as mercury, methyl mercury and PCBs.

• Repeated chemical analyses have shown that the level of mercury in dolphin meat is much higher than the maximum allowable level set by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan.

• Some of the dolphin meat is given to children as part of their school lunch program.

• The Japanese government and the supermarkets issue no warning that dolphin meat is mercury-contaminated.

• The fishermen of Taiji have told us that the Japanese people have no right to know about the dolphin hunt or the high levels of mercury found in the meat.

• Concealing this information from the public is a violation of Article 21 of the Japanese Constitution.

• Some members of the international aquarium and zoo industry are strongly connected to the Japanese dolphin slaughter, in that they pay top dollar for dolphins deemed suitable for commercial exploitation in dolphin shows and captive dolphin swim programs.

• Dolphinariums throughout the world, including Japan, repeatedly make the claim that captivity of dolphins promotes dolphin conservation and protection.

• Several of the hundreds of captive dolphins in Japan's 50 dolphinariums were obtained through the dolphin drive hunts; yet the dolphinariums do nothing to educate the public to the hunt.

• The World Association for Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) is the world's largest network of zoos and aquariums around the world.

• Dolphinariums that have conducted business with the dolphin killers of Japan have been welcomed into WAZA's network, although the trade in these dolphins clearly violates WAZA's Code of Ethics.

• The dolphins that are purchased by members of the dolphin captivity industry represent a much higher commercial value to the Japanese dolphin hunters than the ones that are slaughtered for meat.

• Live dolphins captured in a Taiji dolphin drive hunt recently sold for $154,000 per dolphin.

• The Japanese dolphin hunt will continue for as long as members of the international dolphinarium industry continue to reward the hunters for show quality dolphins, thereby making the hunt tremendously profitable.

• The most sought after dolphin species for public display are bottlenose dolphins, orcas, white sided dolphins, Risso's dolphins, pilot whales and Pseudo orcas, all of which have been targeted in the Japanese dolphin drive hunt.

5 intersting facts

So far i've decided that my essay will look at the fate of children in Cambodia, and a how the Khmer Rouge affected what happens to the youth in Cambodia. The main source of income in Cambodia come from agriculture, specifically rice farming. Families become desperate if crop fails, which is a main cause of the rising human trafficking in Cambodia. Sweatshops also employ many people. WIth these job options facing Cambodia's youth, Dancing Across BOrders provides hope to children there.

-The Movie Dancing Across Borders is about a boy named Sy (rhymes with we) who rises out of Cambodia and becomes a professional dancer in a ballet troupe in America

-Every year over 800,000 children are sold into the world of human trafficking

-due to lack of government and religious authority in cambodia, brothels are extremely common

-There are little laws in America regarding human trafficking, since it is relatively new in U.S.

-Demi Moore has started an international campaign and recently visited Cambodia

-New York Times journalist Nicholas Krisstoff traveled to Cambodia to report about the conditions, found that many children are involved and that possible solutions would be to have better education for girls world-wide to give them better job opportunities

-EVen after Khmer Rouge rule over Cambodia, over 70% of the population are rice farmers, making the whole country totally dependent on the irregular enviornment

The Killing of Dolphins and Whales Citations

Information Website about the Killing of Dolphins - Earth Island Institute. Save Japan's Dolphins. 2010. http://www.savejapandolphins.org/index.php (May 6th, 2010)

Information Website about the Killing of Whales - Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. WCDS North America. http://www.wdcs-na.org/ (May 6th, 2010)

Article by BBC News about Killing of Dolphins - Michael Nelson. BBC News. April 22, 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8599723.stm (May 6th, 2010)

Article by Times Online about Killing of Whales - The Sunday Times. Time Online. April 18, 2010. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article7100851.ece (May 6th, 2010)

A timeline of the history of whaling - Japan Whaling Association. Whaling Chronology. http://www.whaling.jp/english/history.html (May 6th, 2010)

theeeee five interesting facts

• Stetson University students spend a day wearing a veil to feel the perspective of those women. A professor, Khadher said, "They were ignored, despite the visibility of the veil itself, they became invisible for most people. Some students talked about their closet friends who would look at them and not see them, would not know who they are."
• During International Women's Day, a Muslim woman named Fakhraie explains her feelings about the stereotypes in our community. One thing that irritates her the most is how the image used to represent Islam or Muslim people, is always a lady wrapped in a veil. She concludes from this that nobody will ever be curious about the background of the woman, their personality or where they come from.
• A Muslim woman in France was given a few hundred dollar ticket for wearing a veil on her head. The officer said it limits her vision of the road and can cause a sudden accident. This is a valid reason, because veils are banned in France. 
• After the ban of veils in France, the government was afraid that their country would become a target for terrorists. Sarkozy tried to make the ban of veils as nice as possible by clarifying that nobody should be "stigmatised."
• Turkey also lifted the ban of veils but in a more milder way. They allow the Muslim women to wear hijabs but not in open public programs. For example, young girls must remove their hijab when entering a university, but they can put it on again. 

Sources from earlier 5 articles

5 Interesting Facts

• Potatoes were not always loved. After they were brought to Europe they were seen as food for the underclass. This was due because of their relationship to poisonous plants, if let in the sun for too long the potato turns green on top of having a bitter taste they would make some people ill.
• Potatoes became popular until Antoine August Parmentier with a skillful plan made them popular. Parmentier got a piece of land and planted potatoes by day he would have the field guarded. Leading to people becoming very curious and making them steal this valuable vegetable.
• The first people to accept the potato however were the Irish because they were able to plant them in abundance due to their climate. However this lead to the potato famine.
  

“The Secret History of French Fries.” http://www.stim.com/Stim-x/9.2/fries/fries-09.2.html (accessed May 6, 2010)

• Developing countries have recently increased in potato production which I believe is due to the amount of nutrition the potatoes provide and also possibly because of their popularity world wide.
• Even though Asia/Oceania have the largest population and are the largest potato producing areas, they do not even eat half the amount that the Europe or North America regions eat. Europe stands at 87.8 kg per capita while North America is 60.0 kg per capita.

“Potato World.” International Year of the Potato 2008.
http://www.potato2008.org/en/world/index.html (accessed May 6, 2010)

Opium Bibliography

Bibliography 

2001, November, the collapse of the economy, and 300&. "Opium production in Afghanistan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_production_in_Afghanistan (accessed May 6, 2010).

 2008, as more areas in the north, centrally appointed officials allegedly reached power-sharing agreements over drug routes.Today, even as fewer provinces cultivate opium, licit GDP increases, much of the Afghan state remains politically, as earnings from drug cultivation, processing, smuggling inject cash into Afghanistan's agricultural, consumer, labor, construction markets. Despite measured international confidence in Afghanistan's current minister of interior, northeast went poppy-free, a growing number of international bodies active in Afghanistan confidentially indicate that provincial, profit, international officials, political officers in Afghanistan were reporting that the northeast border provinces of Kunduz, Baglan, Takhar were crisscrossed with drug-, weapon-smuggling routes, that in newly poppy-free Badakhshan, and local commanders. "The Good and Bad News about Afghan Opium - Council on Foreign Relations." Council on Foreign Relations. http://www.cfr.org/publication/21372/good_and_bad_news_about_afghan_opium.html (accessed May 6, 2010).

"Afghanistan's poppy politics." Gale Database. galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/hits?docNum=A55852738&tab=2&locID=menlo_schlib&origSearch=true&hdb=ALL&t=RK&s=1&r=d&items=0&secondary=true&o=&sortOrder=&n=10&l=dJ&sgPhrase=false&c=5&tabMap=82&bucket=iac&SU=opium+in+afghanistan (accessed April 22, 2007).

"The Holy Men of Heroin: Afghanistan has been ruined by war. But it does one job better than anyplace else in the world: produce opium." Gale Database. galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/hits?docNum=A57841082&tab=2&locID=menlo_schlib&origSearch=true&hdb=ALL&t=RK&s=1&r=d&items=0&secondary=true&o=&sortOrder=&n=10&l=dJ&sgPhrase=false&c=3&tabMap=82&bucket=iac&SU=opium+in+afghanistan (accessed December 6, 1999).

"The Opium Brides Of Afghanistan." Gale Database. galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/hits?docNum=A177334437&tab=2&locID=menlo_schlib&origSearch=true&hdb=ALL&t=RK&s=1&r=d&items=0&secondary=true&o=&sortOrder=&n=10&l=dJ&sgPhrase=false&c=1&tabMap=82&bucket=iac&SU=opium+in+afghanistan (accessed May 7, 2008).

citations so far for Cambodia

Citations:

Carvin, Andy. “From Slideshow to Genocide.” http://www.edwebproject.org/sideshow/khmeryears/index.html (Accessed April 27 2010)

“Communist Party of Kampuchea-Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.” April 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Party_of_Kampuchea (accessed May 5, 2010)

Gale online Student recourse center Gold, s.v. “Vietman Troups withdrawl from Cambodia.” . (accessed May 5, 2010)

Gold, Sylviane. “Dancing Across Borders.” March 19, 2010. New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/movies/21bass.html (Accessed April 27, 2010)

“First Run Features: DANCING ACROSS BORDERS.” 2010 http://firstrunfeatures.com/dancingacrossborders.html (accessed May 5, 2010)

Bibliography

1.    Brain, Marshall. "How Nuclear Power Works." How Stuff Works. http://science.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-power.htm (accessed May 4, 2010)    Talks about how nuclear power works to generate energy and the reactions that occur.
2. "Nuclear Power: Energy from Splitting Uranium Atoms." Energy Sources Info. http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/nuclear.htm (accessed May 4, 2010).   Talks about advantages and disadvantage of nuclear power and how it can be used.
3. "Nuclear Power Now," Nuclear Power Now: General Info. http://www.nuclearnow.org/ (accessed May 4, 2010). Talks about general information about nuclear power and how its a prominent source of energy.
4. Smith, S.E. "What is Nuclear Power?" Wise Geek. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-nuclear-power.htm. (accessed May 04, 2010). Describes what nuclear power is and how it works. Describes process of generating it.
5. "Nuclear Power." Union of Concerned Scientists. http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear_power/. (accessed MAy 04. 2010). The website provides links to various articles written or read by the Union of Concerned Scientists talking about nuclear power and the upsides and downsides. also it talks about various safety hazards and enviromental hazards.

Bibliography

1) Melt, Carl. "Eyewitness: The Golden Triangle Poppy Fields". January 2002. BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1768035.stm accessed on (May 04, 2010).
Talks about the actualy poppy fields and their effects on Thailand and the rest of SE Asia
2) Fuller, Thomas. "Notorious Golden Triangle Loses Sway in the Opium Trade". Septermber 2007. NY Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/world/asia/11iht-golden.1.7461246.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=golden%20triangle&st=cse accessed on (May 04, 2010).Talks about the decline of this opium trade and how the UN is cracking down on it
3) Fuller, Thomas. "Khun Sa, Golden Triangle Drug King, Dies at 73". Septermber 2007. NY Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/05/world/asia/05khunsa.html?scp=5&sq=golden%20triangle&st=cse accessed on (May 4, 2010). Talks about the drug lord dying and it's effect on this trade and the SE Asia economy
4) Patton, Joseph. "South East Asia: The Golden Triangle". March 2006. Drugpolicy.org. http://www.drugpolicy.org/global/drugpolicyby/asia/seasia/ accessed on (MAy 04, 2010) This is very factual and talks a lot about the percentage of the economy etc.
5) Chouvy, Pierre-Armuad. "Drug Trade in Asia". April 2002. Geopium.org. http://www.geopium.org/drugtradeinasia.html accessed on (May 04, 2010) This ones talks about the effect this trade has on all of the Asian countires up to Japan.

Work Cited

Works Cited

Hoedt, Rudolf . "Ghana racing against the oil curse | Ghana Business News." Ghana Business News :http://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2010/04/17/ghana-racing-against-the-oil-curse/ (accessed May 5, 2010).

Ghana's struggles with Oil

Birdsall, Nancy , and Arvind Subramanian. "Saving Iraq from Its Oil." foreign affairs 84 (2004): 77-89. http://www.jstor.org/pss/20034048 (accessed May 4, 2010).

Since OIl has a true nasty side, Iraq needs to be saved from it

Dickey, Christopher. "Oil, Iraq's Greatest Asset, Could Doom Its Future - Newsweek.com." Newsweek - National News, World News, Health, Technology, Entertainment and more... - Newsweek.com. http://www.newsweek.com/id/234634 (accessed May 5, 2010).

Oil is both good and bad

Karl, Terry . "he Perils of the Petro-State: Reflections on the Paradox of Plenty." Journal of International Affairs 53 (1999): 32-48. http://www-leland.stanford.edu/group/polisci/faculty/documents/KarlParadox.pdf (accessed May 3, 2010).

SHows all aspect of oil and opinions of the negative effect oil has on the world

Ross, Michael. " The Political Economy of the Resource Curse." The Political Economy of the Resource Curse 51 (1999): 297-322. http://www.jstor.org/pss/25054077 (accessed May 3, 2010).

Resource Curse

Current Event #2

On CNN.com, I found an article about Picasso selling his art for a record price of $106.5 million dollars. For one piece of art, it costs more than to buy a humongous mansion. Art nowadays are more expensive especially from famous artists because they are not alive anymore to make such marvelous art. This connects to the lack of art ambition in the 1900s in the United States. During the 1900s, the United States went through wars, the Great Depression, and assassinations of presidents. People at the time did not have the money to buy expensive art from around the world. Today, the economy is finally getting better than before, and more people are spending money on items that want rather than they need.


CNN. "Record price puts Picasso firmly into his Green Period." May 4, 2010. < http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/04/record-price-puts-picasso-firmly-into-his-green-period/?hpt=T3 > (accessed May 4, 2010)

Research Sources

Bibliography

An article about Madonna fights to Adopt a kid from Malawi

Fisher. "Madonna fights Malawi to Adopt Mercy". April 3, 2009. < http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=7249278&page=1 > (accessed April 29, 2010).

The poem about the White Man's Burden

Wikipedia. "The White Man's Burden". < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_White_Man's_Burden > (accessed April 29, 2010).

Angelina Jolie gets involved in Madonna's personal life

Mail Online. "Angelina Jolie attacks Madonna for "ilegal" adoption". January 7, 2007. < http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-427057/Angelina-Jolie-attacks-Madonna-illegal-adoption-baby-David.html > (accessed May 2, 2010).

Eliza Fabillar. "Analysis of White Man's Burden". March 31, 2006. < http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6609/ > (accessed May 2, 2010).

As a thank you, Madonna has given a lot of money to the people in Malawi

Raphael Tenthani. "Madonna BACK in Malawi". May 4, 2010. < http://www.huffingtonpost.c/2010/04/05/madonna-back-in-malawi_0_n_525063.html > (accessed May 3, 2010).

Sources

Werdigier, Julia. "To Woo Europeans, McDonald's Goes Upscale." May 2010. New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/25/business/worldbusiness/25restaurant.html?_r=1 (Accessed May 2, 2010).

Mickelson, David."Ware's the Beef." May 2010. Snopes. http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/mcdbeef.asp (accessed May 1, 2010).

"McDonald's." May 2010. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald's (Accessed May 2, 2010).

"Is McDonald's Social and Animal Friendly or Just Concerned With Their Image?" May 2010. Animal Freedom. http://www.animalfreedom.org/english/opinion/mcdonalds.html (Accessed May 3, 2010).

Grandin, Temple. "The McDonald's Effect." May 2010. Beef Magazine. http://beefmagazine.com/mag/beef_mcdonalds_effect/ (Accessed May 3, 2010).

Research Bibliography

Doherty, Joseph."From West to East: Sport's Emerging Superstars Are Not Americans" Bleacher Report April 29, 2010 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/386098-from-west-to-east-sports-new-superstars-are-not-americans (Accessed April 29, 2010)
This article shows the pride of the Japanese when they see their star performing at an elite level of play.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_in_Japan
This site gives a lot of background to the meaning of baseball in Japan.

http://www.japanesebaseball.com/forum/thread.gsp?forum=2&thread=32681
This online discussion shows how important baseball is to the thousands of kids who play it at a very young age.

http://learnjapanese.elanguageschool.net/japanese-baseball-and-its-importance
This site gives a detailed description of the history of baseball in Japan.

Williams, Ingrid. "Japanese Baseball: Root, Root, Root and Buy Me Some Eel." New York Times July 5, 2009 http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/travel/05journeys.html?scp=1&sq=baseball%20in%20japan&st=cse (Accessed April 29, 2010)
This article displays the intensity that fans will show when they are watching their favorite baseball teams play in the game.

5 Resource Sources

Mudditt, Jessica. “The slippery slope to freedom in Iran.” April 17, 2009. Spiked. http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/6552/. (accessed April 29, 2010).

“Islam supports working women: Ex-Shoura adviser.” September 2, 2009. Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/hits?docNum=CJ207088657&tab=64&locID=menlo_schlib&origSearch=false&hdb=ALL&t=RK&s=1&r=d&items=0&secondary=true&o=&sortOrder=RE&n=10&l=dN&sgPhrase=false&c=1&tabMap=82&bucket=nws&SU=islam+women. (accessed April 28, 2010).

"Nation of Islam." Civil Rights in the United States. 2 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2000. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/History/. (accessed April 29, 2010).

Maqsood, Ruqaiyyah Waris. "Islam, Culture and Women." Islam For Today. http://www.islamfortoday.com/ruqaiyyah09.htm. (accessed May 3, 2010).

"FIFA compromise in hijab row over Iran women's team." May 3, 2010. CNN. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/football/05/03/iran.hijab.women.fifa/. (accessed May 3, 2010).

THEEEEE five sources

Tristman, Pierre. “A Veil Uncovers Stereotypes.” Middle East Issues. http://middleeast.about.com/od/booksopinions/a/Islamic-Veil-Experiment.htm (accessed April 29, 2010).

 

“Activists Unveil Positive Power and Diversity of Muslim Women.” March 2010, Human Rights and Law. http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/human-rights/Activists-Unveil-Positive-Power-and-Diversity-of-Muslim--Women-86929812.html (accessed April 29, 2010).

 

Ganley, Elaine. “Muslim says mistresses are the French way of life.” April 2010, Associated Press. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100426/ap_on_re_eu/eu_france_forbidding_the_veil;_ylt=AqApG9ayOY0FRjhFr2_DhYNvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTMyNnY0NTlzBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDI2L2V1X2ZyYW5jZV9mb3JiaWRkaW5nX3RoZV92ZWlsBHBvcwMxBHNlYwN5bl9hcnRpY2xlX3N1bW1hcnlfbGlzdARzbGsDbXVzbGltc2F5c21p (accessed April 27, 2010).

 

“France MP’s report backs Muslim face veil ban.” January 2010, BBC news. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8480161.stm (accessed May 3, 2010).

 

“Lifting the veil ban in Turkey.” February 2008, The Brunei Times. http://www.bt.com.bn/opinion/2008/02/01/lifting_the_veil_ban_in_turkey (accessed May 3, 2010)

Russia Posts Katyn Massacre Documents on Internet

On Wednesday, Russia's archives posted documents about the massacre of over 20,000 Polish officers and citizens during World War II. This was the first time the documents had been posted by Russia since the war, although they had been public for many years. They did so as as gesture towards Poland to mend relations because the case looms large in Polish history and has soured relations between the two countries for decades. The documents were posted to show that Russia was finally excepting responsibility for the killings in Katyn and else where in the 1940s. The documents show signatures giving permission to Soviet soldiers to kill Polish prisoners of war. The document do not reveal the names of the officers that carried out the executions, but Russia plans to make those documents public on a later date. The release of these documents is playing a positive role in helping Russia come to terms with its painful history under Stalin. Since the tragic plane crash on April 10 that killed the President of Poland and 94 other on boards, relations between Russia and Poland have grown warmer.

Link:

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/28/russia-posts-katyn-documents-internet/ 

Niger's Crop Failure

In Niger, they are facing a huge drought that is drastically affecting their economy. A lot of the crops that Niger normally produces are not growing due to the lack of water. Nearly 8 million people are affected by this drought and the UN is trying to help. They have stated that it would take nearly 13 million dollars to get the Niger crops and economy back on track, which is looking like something that cant be done. The UN is hoping they can adress this issue much earlier unlike what happened to Niger in the 1980s where millions of people died due to a drought that wasnt addressed. Niger's economy went under the tank and great controversy arose as the UN and many other nations did not act to help the Nigerians. People in Niger are only able to have about one meal a day and sometimes people dont even eat. The UN is doing everything to prevent another food crisis like they have seen in history.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8648215.stm

Russia posts Katyn massacre documents

In this article, Russia's state archive posted documents on the internet about the Soviet Union's massacre of 20,000 polish officers and citizens. Russia posted these articles to calm Poland in case they were still pissed from the massacre in WWII. This relates to our WWII unit because we studies the cold war and the tension between soviet union and eastern europe. These massacres were under the title "Joseph Stallin" and it seems that alot of europe is mad at the way the Soviet Union and Stallin ruled during the Cold War.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100428/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_poland_wwii_massacre;_ylt=Ar2RqQ6_J94jJhDKeU5GNWZvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTMzMmRraHV2BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDI4L2V1X3J1c3NpYV9wb2xhbmRfd3dpaV9tYXNzYWNyZQRwb3MDMQRzZWMDeW5fYXJ0aWNsZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA3J1c3NpYXBvc3Rzaw--

"Homeless good Samaritan left to die on NYC street"

I found this link to an article about a man who died on a street when he was trying to help a woman who was being attacked. He saw this woman and a man fighting and it began to get physical so this guy stepped in to help her but he ended up getting stabbed and was then laying on the side of the sidewalk. It was reported that 7 people walked by before an ambulance actually came and an hour or two had already passed and so it was too late.

I thought this was just awful because people could have had the opportunity to help but they didn't and so they basically killed him. I understand that seeing someone stabbed may be shocking but I wouldn't just leave him and walk by.

This made me think of how people judge others and how they don't always think of how they can help. Some people are too nervous to take a stand and others are too selfish to help anyone but themselves. To connect to this to history, it can sort of tie to people being to afraid to help someone who is in a different situation. In history, there have been many instances where people are not being treated fairly but the people who are treated fairly don't have the guts to stick up for the other side because they are worried that will hurt them and make them be treated unfairly. In this case, the guy was stabbed and bloody on a street and people may have been frightened that they might be killed if they helped or that the blood would get on them and cause a disease or infection. I think that someone should have helped earlier on by at least calling 911 or getting someone else to help if they couldn't. Personally, I would feel awful if I found out I could have saved someone's life but instead I chose not to be late for work or something.

Article URL:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_dying_and_ignored

"Dancing Across Borders"

Sokvannara Sar was just 16 when Anne Bass saw him preform in Cambodia as a ballet dancer. She was so inspired that she moved him to her sprawling Connecticut House and tried to enroll him in a New York Ballet school. However, she and Sokvannara soon learned that Cambodian ballet and western ballet are quite different. EVen though he was a performer in Cambodia, he was at the skill level of a 10 year old in the U.S. This is because the Cambodian dance style is "much closer to the ground" and does not have as many spins or leaps. Ms. Bass does a large amount of charity work in Cambodia, pushing the arts after the destructive campaign of the khmer rouge. Sy (nickname for Sokvannara Sar) did not make it into a ballet school right away and so Bass hired an instructor. He learned very quickly and Bass took a video camera to his practices to help him learn and perfect his techniques. He made it into the Seattle Pacific NOrthwest Ballet and now at 25 is looking for something new. Bass turned all the footage from when she first saw him in Cambodia and his practices in America into a video called Dancing Across Borders, which is an award winning documentary.

Weddings: Now vs. Before

During the years that Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union, the wedding rituals were much different than how they are today. The family life played out in the Soviet Union as if marriage was just as important as two people holding hands in public. As of today, abortions and abolishing their own wedding rings were not frowned upon. It rather seemed weak to have such a strong family unit. Compared to the family life today, a lot has changed. I found this article which talked about the marriage between Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon. They discuss getting their wedding vows renewed every single year. Most marriages that last until death, only get theirs renewed once. They believe that, "if you're happy and in love, why not celebrate it?" As you can see, the importance of marriage has escalated tremendously and people are now wanting to embrace their love rather than hold it in and keep it private.


Article Source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/27/mariah.nick.wedding.vows.ppl/index.html

U.S. Senators Altering Facebook

The privacy issues Facebook arrises are not just spoken of by concerned parents, but now U.S. Senators are calling attention to them. Due to some of Facebook's latest updates, privacy precautions have been stressed less, resulting in users having "less control over private information, and it was done without the users' permission," Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, said on Capitol Hill stated. Due to the fact that Facebook's population has been consistently increasing, providing sufficient privacy settings for all 400 million users has been a struggle. Yet Facebook is making steady progress in ensuring all users that their information will be private. They are in the midst of converting the regular settings, where information is automatically shared with the public, to the "opt-in" setting, where no information is shown automatically, and instead one must choose what he/she wants to display to the public. "The way to go is opt-in," Schumer said. "The default position should be that the information is not shared, not that the information is shared. Amplifying his colleagues' concerns, Schumer called on Facebook to "reverse its policy so that users have to opt in to shared data, rather than opt out." With both parents, administrative figures, and now political figures on Facebook's case, they will surely clean up their act in terms of providing their users with more trustworthy privacy.

In terms of how this article correlates to an historical event, I feel as though this relates to when communication devices were first invented. Take the telegraph, for example. During the Industrial Revolution, inventors discovered a way to communicate via telegraph, sending messages from one location to another through a transporter and receiver. One of the biggest issues they faced with the telegraph was ensuring privacy amongst the messages being sent. In order for any messages to be received, they had to be decoded first, which was done most likely by someone who worked for the receiver of the message. This means that whatever information was being sent was not always kept private. Technical similarities between Facebook and the telegraph are scarce, yet the purpose they both hold is to make communicating and social networking possible. Also, they both have carried the same issue- ensuring privacy. Although it was difficult to provide much privacy for telegraph users, Facebook has and continues to search for new ways in order to ensure privacy to its users.

UKRAINE PARLIAMENT

In this current event, ukraine was having a debate on wether or not Russia can use a naval base in their country. The president of Ukraine was explaining and describing this law as betrayal to their country and it got ugly. Fist fights were present in parliament. I think that this relates to modern world history by portraying Nationalism. The president is just trying to get the picture out that they would be betraying their own country if the law past and that the people in Ukraine should have pride in their country. It is a very controversial subject.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/27/ukraine-parliament-fight-eggs

Iran's Nuclear Threat

This article talks about the problem that I believe we have all probably heard of, and its the problem of nuclear weapons and Iran. Iran claims to not having or making any nuclear weapons, and that the Uranium is just being used for medical purposes, but other people are 100% sure that the Uranium is actually being used to develop bombs. If Iran did develop nuclear weapons they could bomb Israel, and cause a massive nuclear war. This would happen because the US is allies with Israel, and they would have to protect the Israel people. One way that this article connects to some  of the stuff that we have been learning is that it could potentially be one big war crime for Iran to break the treaty that all countries currently have.

Somalia Rebels Battle Pirates, Government Troops

Islamist rebels made progress towards a pirate haven in Somalia and battled government troops in Mogadishu. Around ten died in the fight. Members of the al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda linked militia, were advancing towards Harardhere, a pirate stronghold on the Somali coast. Pirates had recently intercepted and captured a ship full of weapons and artillery that was intended for al-Shabaab. Al-Shabaab continues to advance towards Harardhere as the pirates retreat from Harardhere towards a port town called Hobyo, in Somalia, with all their captured ships. Yemen has been identified as a source for weaponry coming into Somalia despite the U.N. embargo on weapons. Yemeni government was attempted to crack down on arms dealing within its territory, but is struggling on dealing with the influx of Somalia refugees.

link:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/04/25/somalia.pirates/index.html?npt=NP1

Belgian Prime Minister Resigns

Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme's resignation was accepted by the King of Belgium on Monday. The Prime Minister offered to step down after a "Flemish liberal party withdrew from a coalition government." Although the Prime Minister resigned Monday, he has agreed to remain in office until the King decides whether to call for new elections or finds another way out of the political crisis. The government will keep functioning despite his resignation, but it will have to display all big decision until the problem is solved. According to Charles Kupchan, a main source of political turmoil in Belgium is the split between the Dutch-speaking Flemish and the French speaking Walloons. Because of this continuing issue, governments in Belgium have been unstable and short-lived. Brussels, Belgium's capital, is the capital of the European Union, which is working on a rescue package for Greece's economy. People are becoming worried that when Belgium should be leading Europe, its government will be floundering. '

Link:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/04/26/belgium.pm.resigns/index.html

Sudan's Recent Election

Sudan recently elected their 1st president in 20 years however, despite this election, they are still wanting to split between the North and South. The North consists mostly of the politicians while the South is the side with the rebels. Not suprisingly the South is the one who wants to cut ties with the North. This event is very similar to what I presented today about Vietnam how the US got involved with a country that has issues and it did not work out the way the US wanted it to. However, in Sudan the US used diplomacy, not violence. This article deals with both the culture and the policits of the Sudanese government.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/world/africa/27sudan.html?ref=world

"Muslim says mistresses are the French way of life"

This article is a case regarding a Muslim man's mistress charged a payment for driving a car with a veil because it blocks her sight. Following this, a discovery was made that the husband actually had four wives that were not under French law, but only done ritualistically. The head of the Muslim group in France, Mohammed Moussaoiu, had a meeting with the French officials to talk about the crisis. He mentioned how emphasis of the veil was not being given compared to other issues.

After reading this article, it made me think about the respect that should be given to all races of people around the world. The veil, in Islam, is very important to some women, but not all. The lady should not be charged of wearing a veil, because that is disrespect to the religion. Just like others, this women should be free to live a lifestyle she wants to. The government does not have the right to do that, unless she was actually crossing the speed limit during driving. We are all the same people, its just the factor of religion that draws a border among us. 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100426/ap_on_re_eu/eu_france_forbidding_the_veil;_ylt=AqApG9ayOY0FRjhFr2_DhYNvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTMyNnY0NTlzBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDI2L2V1X2ZyYW5jZV9mb3JiaWRkaW5nX3RoZV92ZWlsBHBvcwMxBHNlYwN5bl9hcnRpY2xlX3N1bW1hcnlfbGlzdARzbGsDbXVzbGltc2F5c21p

 

'I can't afford surgery in the U.S.,' says bargain shopper

An Indiana man needed surgery on his nose, but could not find a hospital that would do it for less than $33,000. So, he looked for surgeons in other places and found that he could save about $30,000 by traveling to the UK. The number of people traveling outside the US to get medical assistance is greatly climbing as prices for medical aid continue to rise in the US. This trend can relate to many times in the past where trade with other nations became necessary during times of hyperinflation or general economic struggle. This also benefits less wealthy countries by giving them more business and allowing them to have a chance to bounce back from their financial deficit.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/26/cheaper.surgery/index.html?hpt=C1

iPad

While looking through Nytimes.com, I found this article about the iPad. Basically, it is a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of this new Apple product. Simply put, this device is another evolution of technology that is changing the way people use older things like internet and books.

In relevance to modern world history, it can be compared to the industrial revolution. During this time, many new inventions and technologies were developed to better the lives of people and change the way people go about everyday tasks. Moving away from the iPad itself, technology in general is always improving and changing. It is a subject that has been around since the beginning of time and will continue to move forward everyday. It is one of the most important things in the world today and is relevant in every point in history.

Article

Humans: Not Advised to Contact Aliens

Stephen Hawking, a british scientist, says that there may be aliens and they may exist but humans should not be in contact with them because they could be harmful. People think that if we were to encounter them, then they may try to take over our planet because they liked some of the resources that Earth provides. They think that it may be like Columbus' discovery of "the new world" but in this case the aliens would be Columbus and we would be the Native Americans. The Native Americans were not treated very well and they had their culture and lives almost completely demolished and taken over by Columbus and his followers. Like Columbus, they think the aliens might feel the need to colonize or capture whatever land they find because they have exhausted their own planet. The aliens may be in a situation like Wall-E where they have used up almost all of the resources on their planet. IN Wall-E earthlings or humans let their planet be taken over by trash and so they sat in space in a spaceship which served as their planet because they had nowhere else to go. The Aliens could have nowhere else to go so they might take any chance they have to find a new planet to live on. There is also a new tv show I think that they mentioned about the Universe and aliens. Humans have made numerous attempts to contact "new life" but no aliens have been found yet. They sent a couple of ships with sculptures but they didn't come in contact with any other living things.

Article Found on...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100425/sc_afp/scienceastronomyextraterrestrialhawking

MISSILES IN PAKISTAN

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/24/missile-strike-kills-militants-northwest-pakistan-officials-say/?test=latestnews

This website shares that the US sent a missile to the Pakistan and killed people, this relates to war and war crime and would be interesting. Also weaponry we have studied war weapons and how they had improved. So this could be very interesting.

Hubble Telescope

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/04/photogalleries/100424-hubble-telescope-20th-anniversary-pictures/#hubble-cloudy-nebula-ngc-602_19426_600x450.jpg

This website is about the Hubble Telescope and the photos it had taken. I think it would be interesting to compare and contrast from the first telescope to the hubble and talk about the industrial revolution.

Current Event

http://www.helium.com/items/1813038-report-states-obama-health-care-plan-will-cost-more-and-may-not-be-sustainable

This website share the new health care plan that Obama has created, and how it is not the brightest decision. I guess it would be social, but it is more political.

- 1 Possible connection to history would be how the government has changed. Also he is the president of the USA.