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.

War Crimes

War is a brutal thing that has no positive result. Sure politicians may brag and say how the war was a great thing, but there are thousands, even millions of people who die throughout the war. Overall the war is brutal, and shouldn't go any farther than necessary. Unfortunately, they sometimes do, and that is called a war crime. Killing off citizens is a horrible thing. The citizens are unarmed, and may even be against the war. Unless they take up arms against you, they are very little threats to you. And murdering a helpless person is just wrong. The holocaust was ridiculous, and a war crime to the highest extent. The Natzis took millions of Jews, and murdered them in gas chambers and ovens. Both of them are horrible ways to go. The Natzis did all of this for the small reason that they decided to hate Jews. It was a brutal mutilation of a race of people who had done nothing at all, and had no reason to be persecuted. The Holocaust was possibly the biggest war crime in history, because of all the horror that they caused for no apparent reason.

WWII Definition

I think that the definition of war has changed a bit due to WWII because of the new technology. Over time we have developed from swords to guns and now we have bombs and other machinery that allows us to fight from a far and are even more deadly. WWII was the beginning of the first nuclear weapon and firebombing these weapons are deadly methods of destruction. This was a lot to lay on the USA, it gave them a lot of power over what they could do. They decided to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki killing many civilians. I think that after looking at the effects the bombing caused and the harm it changed what people thought of war. The idea of bombing harmless civilians seemed immoral and not beneficial all it brought was anger and fear from the enemy. Before this war there weren't that many rules because there was not much one could do in war that caused this much damage or gave one of the sides this much power. With the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, an imaginary line was drawn in what was good and bad in other words this caused a strong emphasizes in what was war crimes. In my opinion, war is fighting with in certain boundaries. Even though the civilians of Nagasaki and Hiroshima and countless others were affected and in a way became part of the war, I don't believe it was a total war. This is because, not everyone in Japan didn't all help. I don't mean it literally when I say everyone but instead that all men, women, children, and elders could help. Unlike in Italy where they are fascists and they say a women can help by working in the factories and build weapons, or a farmer can produce food for the troops or look at the sky for any signs of invasions, the Japanese didn't place emphasizes on everyone as a whole helping in the war. WWII changed war then what it used to be.

Citations:
Notes from class

Was Japan Totalitarian

Japan had a prosperous time of a great economy, but then the depression arrived, and Japan's economy was deflated greatly due to its dependency on foreign trade. No matter how hard they tried, Japan was unable to solve its financial troubles. After this the military took matters into its own hands, as people began to look towards it. There was a military dictatorship in Japan composed of a small group of military leaders, unlike Germany and Italy who had one sole leader. In the 1930s Japan began to develop into a totalitarian government. The government imposed censorship, arrested critics, and had secret police to track down enemies to the state. The Japanese government was interested in an overseas empire to help strengthen themselves. This type of empire would give them many raw materials that were needed. The Japanese then invaded Manchuria, and the Chinese appealed to the League of Nations, which did nothing.


http://fresno.k12.ca.us/divdept/sscience/history/totalitarianism.htm

Analysis of John Bruce Cairnie

John Bruce Cairnie, born of September 22, 1889 in Thurso, Caithness, was the son of Davide Dandie Cairnie, and Mary Bruce Wilson. He attended the Miller Institute in Thurso, and later to Edinburgh University, where he graduated M.A. in 1911 and B.Sc. in 1912. He then attended teachers' college.
In October 1917 he sailed to join the 3/4 King's African Rifles as a lieutenant. He kept a diary from then on until January 1919 as he sailed for home.

On January 26, 1915, he was doing a platoon drill and bayonet fighting, and ammunition, preparing for the war. The soldiers had been leaving on random destinations, and some people were hopeful that they would be brought to Edinburgh Castle or Inverness. After his afternoon parade he found himself and two of his fellow soldiers on a similar mission. A man named Russel, and Jim Matheson were selected to go with him. They paraded for 15 minutes, before realizing that they were supposed to do picket duty at the Herring Green crossroads with orders to stop all cars and take inventory.

John Bruce Cairnie

John Bruce Cairnie, born of September 22, 1889 in Thurso, Caithness, was the son of David Dandie Cairnie, and Mary Bruce Wilson. He attended the Miller Institute in Thurso, and later to Edinburgh University, where he graduated M.A. in 1911 and B.Sc. in 1912. He then attended teacher' college.
In October 1917 he sailed to join the 3/4 King's Arican Rifles as a lieutenant. He kept a diary from then on until January 1919 as he sailed for home.


JANUARY 1915


Company drill from 9:30 to 1 p.m. It would get rather feding up if we had much of it. An hour of 'cross-tig' relieved the monotony. In the afternoon, bayonet fighting for NCOs, and then a lecture by Sergt-Major. Very busy all evening and got up to orderly room by 11:30.


26 Jan 15

Platoon drill and bayonet fighting this morning with pack and ammunition. Two of 'C' Company with about 20 others left this afternoon with ammunition and blankets for unknown destination. Everybody much excited and much speculation as to where they are going to and what it may mean for the battalion. Rumours of Edinburgh Castle or Inverness.

After afternoon parade I found myself and 2 of 'C' detailed to go on similar duty. Russell was picked and Jim Matheson. We paraded in 15 minutes, expecting great things and feeling very big. It turned out to be picket duty at Herring Green crossroads with orders to stop all cars and take number, etc. This result of last Zeppelin raid as the airships are thought to have been guided by cars with powerful headlights.

We barricaded the road with carts and took turns - 2hours on and 4 hours off. Not very exciting and very cold, but more exciting than platoon drill. My first experience at sleeping out and none too pleasant, but I think it wouldn't kill me.

08 Mar 15

Running drill at 7:15. Very cold, and snowing slightly. George not on duty yet as he was inoculated on Saturday. Company drill was cancelled and battalion went out for a route march - Milton Ernest, Filimousham, Pavenham, Stevington and Oakley. A splendid day for marching - cold and bracing and blinks of warm sun between the showers of small snow. The buds are on the hedges. The Company marched well today, and with a little care on the part of some NCOs - especially Laurie and M'Adie we would have a good marching coy.

Dinner at 3 p.m.: afternoon tea in the park and then again in 21. 'M' arrived this morning to Ian's discomfiture who was in Gwyneth’s bedroom at the time. He has come from China to join. It will be interesting to watch developments.

31 Dec 15

Was in the orderly room in the forenoon and afternoon. It commenced raining after tea. The battalion came out of the trenches tonight and therefore we are back to the big mess opposite the Church. Col. Land ? of the 2/4 D.o.W. is with the battalion on a 4 days tour. He was at dinner. The Dukes are reported to be going to the 32nd Division and are very fed up.

Nobody seemed to intend to sit up till 12 so I retired to my bed in the little room above the Post Office where I am now sitting writing this up. Twelve o'clock has just struck and a feeble bell is ringing: There has been some cheering and singing of Auld Land Syne up by the Church and the artillery have just blazed away their New Years greeting as had been pre-arranged.

Last year we were masquerading in the High St Bedford. Where will we be the next?

Pacifica

National Flag:

National Anthem:
Pacifica is so profound,
Battling the torment of our brotherʼs ground,
And as our city bells do sound,
Weʼll keep living on this world around.

National Culture of Pacifica
Pacifica has a free-form government and is very accepting of all races and religions. The only times we draw the line is when one forces religion on another. We have a very diverse palette of languages ranging from English, Spanish, French, and more. Our dominant language is English, due to the large percentage of our people previously being American. But when we broke off we did not lose the cultures that the US had, we simply added the other cultures. Holidays that were once practiced in the US are still practiced in Pacifica, but we do not make them mandatory. We still appreciate the efforts that brought the 50 states together, only now we thank them as a separate nation. Everyday life in Pacifica is fairly similar to the lives of most Californians. But we have tried to create eco-friendly communities and have self sufficient cities. We do not want to be forced into trades by other nations, but rather only export specialty goods. Being small in size, we do not have much to offer, but just like Japan and China, we have a large threshold for learning, and we will stop at nothing.

National History
Our nation is called Pacifica, our nation grew out of California and are located in the Bay Area. Unlike the Ottomans who became chunks and had its down fall, we became a very successful nation. Pacificans broke off from the US and bought the land that way we could build our own laws. We believed US was too independent, we wanted to build a strong bond between the rest of the Americas and maybe even the world. When we saw that Canada was lending out a hand to us, we immediately took it and that was our first step as a nation. Canada helped us with resources because the US was furious with our actions and henceforth they cut all connections between us at the time. After some years Mexico decided to take arms with us because they saw our prosperity. Also they people of Mexico were considered inferior and the idea of acceptance of all appealed to them. Not long afterward the US gave in to the Pacificans as allies and they became one of our strongest allies. We do not resemble other nations like China, because when they wanted to close their doors to westernization and make China for the Chinese they fell profusely. We instead do the opposite. We open our arms to the foreign allowing us to prosper because we have learned that we can prosper better as one. That is why our allies are so strong, since we have accepted them.


Allies and Connections
The main 3 allies are Canada, Mexico, and the United States. All four of us are on the same continent of North America, so it makes great sense for us to be friends. We watch everyone's back. If one of us is at war, we are at war. We watch our borders to the West, Canada to the North, the United States to the East, and Mexico to the South. All four of us are allied nations. We could be compared to brothers and sisters. Together we are the nations of the future. None of us can do it alone. Each and every one of us is necessary for this equation. If one of us backs out, in essence we all back out. Together we shall prevail, and alone we shall die.

Rubber

The para rubber grew originated from South America in Brazil. When Charles Marie de la Condamine returned from his voyage to Portugal, he brought back water-repellent rubberized cloth that shocked everyone. Condamine was accused of witchcraft because everyone was so shocked. Eventually rubber arrived to England, and it became clear that it was a great material to use on the tip of a pencil.
South America continued on to be the main supplier of rubber during the 19th century. However, in 1876, Henry Wickham gathered many rubber seeds, which were germinated (began to grow) in the UK. The seeds were then sent to the South East Asian countries, where they would become the biggest supplier of rubber.
Rubber was also supplied in the Congo, which was mainly forced labor. Liberia and Nigeria also began to grow rubber.
Much Earlier, the Ancient Mayans used rubber balls, hollow human figures, and as bindings for axes. Latex is the sap of different trees, most famous of the rubber tree. The Mayans learned to mix the sap with juice from the morning glory vines so that it would be more elastic and durable.
Their rubber balls were about the size of a beach ball, but weighed about 15 pounds. They were used in a ritualistic game called Tlachtlic. It was a cross between football and basketball. It's religious significance as recorded in the Popul Vuh, a Mayan religious document. The game also included gambling for things such as land or slaves. Some of the time it ended in a human sacrifice. This game was played from Southern Arizona, to Northern South America. Native people in the region still make rubber this way.

Picture Source
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Latex_dripping.JPG

Other Sources
http://www.essortment.com/all/historyofrubbe_rcml.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo was a large momentum shifter during Mexico's attempt to repel the French from their country. France had created a colony out of Mexico, all so that the French could obtain many riches from the mines in Northwestern Mexico. Mexico had had enough and tried to kick the French out of their country, along with ceasing to pay interest to France. France was angered and tried to take over Mexico, and they started off very well. However, when they reached the Town of Puebla, they were defeated by the Mexican army, despite being more numerous and powerful than the Mexican army. The day would remembered from that point on as Cinco de Mayo.

Ignacio Zaragoza

Ignacio Zaragoza was a catalyst for the Mexican nation after he defeated the French army on Cinco de Mayo. Zaragoza was born in the Mexican state of Tejas (now modern day Texas) on March 24, 1829. His family moved to Monterrey in 1844 where he entered the seminary. During the political unrest of the 1850’s, Zaragoza led a group of volunteers to fight against Santa Anna. He was successful and ended up defeating Santa Anna. When the French attacked under the control of Maximillion, he controlled the battles of Acultzingo and Puebla. He is most famous for his triumph over much more numerous and well equipped French army at the Battle of Puebla. That day would later be named Cinco de Mayo. Unfortunately, Zaragoza died a few years later of malaria.

Extra Credit Test Blog

Tests are horrible. They are made in order to evaluate a student based upon the results of other people at your school or even compared with the other kids around the country. This is a very poor way of testing someone's knowledge, as there are so many factors that can affect how someone does on a test. Many of the factors are based upon the student, yet many times the teacher can affect the test in a way that screws over the person who takes the test. A student may have had a long night, and may not be thinking straight because of all of the other things on his/her mind. With so many classes, students can only retain so much information, which forces students to work until they are dead tired, which rarely allows you to get enough sleep and think straight. Tests force the students to do well, which puts the emphasis off of learning. The joy of learning is lost from the students, and there is only pressure to compete and do better than your peers. Tests are horrible as they take away from the joy of school, and cause bitter rivalries as to who did better on different assessments.

Manchester story

My name is Jacques Pierre XXX. I am the wealthiest British aristocrat around, and I am the baron of this surrounding area. My wife Elizabeth and I grew up with money in our baths instead of water. We had so much we even had people brush our own teeth, and physically walk us around the house. It was inevitable that two such rich and fine people would one day get married, so that the wealth was doubled. We have one son named Frederick XVI. Frederick is too good and smart to be roaming the dirty streets that those savages who run our farm live on. We pay for the best and most educated tutors to come and teach Frederick all of the schoolwork that he requires. My son will not be a thief and pickpocket who steals for a living. My family has owned a farm for very many years, and that farm still exists today. It was the provider of such glorious wealth for our family. We have hundreds, maybe thousands of workers who patrol and maintain the garden, because we can afford it! That's only counting the farm. We have many servants patrolling the royal garden, the royal mansion, and you can't forget about the kitchen as well! We have the best cook in all of Manchester! Awwww life is good.

Manchester story

My name is Stan Smith. My wife and our six children moved here to Manchester, because we heard that there were great job opportunities awaiting us. Never could I have been more wrong. I work two jobs: one in a silver mine and the other on a farm. The wage is horrible. Never have I been so ashamed in my life. When we moved here, I could not afford to raise my family on my own, so my wife had to return to work. She is very near to divorcing me now, she won't say that, but I can see it in her eyes. Six kids was far too many! Speaking of the kids, I have no idea where they are half of the time. I can not afford to send them to school, yet I do not have the heart to employ them in a job to help us. Sure, every once in a while I will sign them up for a job to do, only because we are in desperate need of the money, though never a permanent one. 

My job at the mine is terrible. We mine silver in the pitch black of the mine, and we swing pick axes everywhere, rarely checking to see if someone is behind us. I'm liable to lose an eye nearly every second that I am in that godforsaken place. But we all do what we can to support our families, the man who mines the most gets the most..... That's the way it works here. The farm is just horrible as well. Every day my back feels as if it will explode. There's so much bending that must be done in order to harvest the crops, plow the land, and replant the plants. My life is horrible.

Electricity

The first history of electricity can be traced back all the way to the Egyptian times, in the form of electric fish. Egyptian texts referred to them as "Thunderer of the Nile" as they were the "protector" of the other fish. These fish can also be traced back to the Greeks and Romans, as there were reports of the catfish and torpedo rays delivering a numbing electric shock.

Electricity was a mere curiosity that scientists someday hoped that they may be able to study and research, until the seventeenth century. English physician William Gilbert did a close study of electricity by rubbing amber together which showed the Loadstone effect. Further work was done by others following this, one of the others being Benjamin Franklin. He even sold his own possessions to fund money for his research. Franklin attached a key to the bottom of a wet kite, and flew the kite in a heavy thunderstorm. Sparks went from the key to the back of his hand, which proved that electricity was very much in nature.

Luis Galvani proved that with bioelectricity, electricity was the medium that the nerve cells used to send signals to the muscle. Batteries were invented later on, which were a much more reliable source than the electrostatic machines that were previously used. Electricity use turned from a mere curiosity into a large source of requirement in our society today. All of this was found from here.

Napoleon Trial

I was on the team that prosecuted Napoleon, and after this trial I have to agree that Napoleon truly violated the ideals of the enlightenment. Very many different points could be argued back and forth to the point where they could be either for or against Napoleon. However, Napoleon's ambition and decision to make himself emperor truly violated the ideals of the enlightenment where there is social equality. Philosopher Rousseau's main ideas of the enlightenment were that there should be social equality, and that the government should not protect the property of its citizens but rather the people themselves. Napoleon obviously violated the social equality aspect by naming himself Emperor, however he also violated this ideal in another fashion. Napoleon tried to enforce slavery on this nation of Haiti. By law, foreigners are supposed to be granted foreign rights, so how does enslaving their nation give them foreign rights? The answer is that it doesn't. Slavery is the exact opposite of the enlightenment ideal. On another note, the Napoleonic Code doesn't protect the people, but rather their property. This only protects the rich, as they have much more property than the poor. Social equality is the protection of the rich, as well as the poor, and this only protects the rich, so Napoleon doesn't uphold the enlightenment ideals.

The Age of Exploration

I would say that the 1500s-1600s would be called the Age of Exploration. In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue, and came to arrive in the new world. Previously, there had been no knowledge of another body of land, so this would lead the exploration of the land that we call the Americas. Different empires from around the world were trying to figure out what this new land could be used for, which lead to the empires creating colonies on the americas in order to grow cash crops. Little did they know, the land had barely been explored and there was much more that could be found among the lands of america.

Although the americas were a large find in the 1500s and 1600s, this was not all of what was happening during this time. There were different empires from different parts of the world that were rising, and others that were falling. Regardless, the empires knew little of what was going on across the continent. They were only beginning to have over seas relations with other empires. These trade routes lead to the expansion of the world, and grew connections with the larger part of the world.

The Madagascan Empire

Coming from an island composed of mainly lemurs and trees, the Madagascan Empire had nowhere to go but up. We Madagascans created this Empire based upon the traits of previous more successful Empires so that we could create the best Empire that we would, with all that was at our disposal.

The Aztecs

Many would see the Aztecs as religious figures. The Aztecs performed massive sacrificial rituals to display their loyalty to their gods, as well as their power to impress enemies. Coming from Madagascar, we have no formal ideas about the topic of religion. We are a non religious Empire, where the citizens may follow the religion of their choice, as long as they continue to show their loyalty to the Madagascan Empire.

The Incans

The Incan form of government is somewhat similar to the Madagascans. The Incans have a government headed by the Emperor who is said to be a descendant from the creator god Viracocha. There were many provinces within the Empire and each was headed by a governor. The Madagascan Empire has an Emperor, however in our government we call him the Dictator. The Dictator is voted in by the people after his/her term is over. A term for the Dictator lasts 10 years, and the Dictator can only be elected once. It is similar to the United States where the President changes, however the Dictator has supreme power, and what he says goes. Below the Dictator we have two more levels of officials. Below our Dictator we have the Prime Minister, and below him we have the President. 

Portugal

Portugal found very much success when it came to wealth. They were not a very powerful Empire, yet they were extremely wealthy, and had a great economy. Much of their wealth came from the colonies that they had on the Americas. Sugar was a highly sought cash crop, which was harvested in Brazil, which was controlled by Portugal. Portugal was made wealthier because of the sugar. Madagascar had a similar approach. When we arrived at Africa, the whole of southern Africa was unconquered and untested. Unknown to the people, the diamond and gold mines of the Southern Region of Africa were still uncovered. Our plan was to unite Southern Africa, and take over the diamond and gold mines in order to create a business with precious metals.

Spain

Spain is known for its military strength. Taking over both the Aztec and Incan Empires, Spain was probably the most powerful Empire in Europe. Madagascar is the exact opposite of this. We have virtually no population, so we need to be strong with our allies. Alone we are powerless, however together with other Empires we are very powerful.

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire stood for many things: wealth, power, as well as splendor. It was the ultimate Empire, being militarily powerful, as well as economically rich. Few Empires could even hope to be as successful as the Ottomans. Unfortunately, we can not even compare to them. Our Empire is built through trade, while the Ottomans are wired through trade, and punish others through their military. We can somewhat compare to their economy, however their army is far greater than we could ever hope to be. They are a true empire.

Aztec Religion

The Aztec religion was one based in Mesoamerica. It was one based of polytheism, shamanism, as well as animism. A large frame of Aztec religion was based upon astronomy as well as calendrics. The steriotype that Aztecs were violent people who made human sacrifices is actually true, as it corresponds with the different holidays of their calendar. The Aztecs divided the world into what we today would call different levels of heaven and hell, all based on cosmology. The sun, moon, and Venus all play a large role in Aztec religion, for they all have symbolic and religious meaning. 

The Aztec religion had adopted many different aspects from some of the previous Mesoamerican civilizations. Important deities in the Aztec religion were Tlaloc (god of rain), Huitzilopochtli (patron god of the Mexica tribe), Quetzalcoatl (cultural hero and god of civilization and order), and Tezcatlipoca (god of destiny and sorcery). Each of these deities have their own place of worship inside of the Aztec capital. Previous rituals to honor the gods include someone dressing up as the god and being worshipped heavily.

The Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire was the strongest of the states that split apart from the once glorious Islamic civilization. By the mid 1400s the Ottoman Empire was in control of much of the Anatolian peninsula and ventured deep into southeaster Europe, controlling a large Christian population. Later, the Ottoman Empire expanded to the coasts of North Africa, much of the Middle East, as well as the lands around the Black Sea. All this said, the Ottoman Empire was one of the most powerful empires in world history. This empire showed the dominance of the Turks over the Arabs. 

The Empire represented a change in power, as the Turks defeated the Christian Byzantines at Constantinople in 1453. They were to be the world's next dominant power after the Roman Empire.

However, east of the Ottoman Empire, another state from the original Persian Empire was gaining power, the Safavid Empire. The Safavid Empire's long term  decision was to follow a Shia version of Islam. Over time, this gained support, and defined the identity of the Persian culture.

Iraqis take the lead, with U.S trailing Closely

The U.S troops are supposed to be leaving Iraq, however no change appears to have happened. Technically, the Iraqis are in charge, but this doesn't appear to be reality. The author seems to have included that the U.S. has been parenting the Iraqis for the past few years. When the Iraqis water was diminished, the Americans replenished it. The consensus among the Iraqis is split. Some believe that they are ready for the Americans to leave, while others are not quite ready for the U.S. to leave. The Iraqi army has grown significantly, while the number of terrorists have been reduced greatly. However, the Iraqis don't have the machinery, and weaponry that we do. "We don't have good weapons, good vehicles or a good life," said Iraqi second lieutenant Adil Komall. The author doesn't go into much detail about what the Iraqi army officials think of the Americans, however he hints that we aren't very much appreciated by the higher ranks. There have been cases of American soldiers undermining the authority of higher ranking Iraqis, which seems to have escaped this article. The article covers this up by explaining that the Iraqis feel safer when accompanied by the Americans. There is some question as to how soon the Americans will leave Iraq. This will only we answered with time.