Hmmmm.........

Both of these cases seem to have the same end goal: achieve a new form of governement by overthrowing the old. But although this is the case for both of them, the means are very different. The first case begins with a non-violent judicial way to change the way land is distributed, but through coaxing from the soon-to-be government, it soon turns violent. The second case begins as a violent act, much like the ending of the first act. The students, rifled up by the government's propaganda, seek to not only get rid of the past government, but also the culture. They view the destruction of the past culture as the only way to move forward, making the end justify the means.

Parents: Cold What?

So I asked both my parents about the Cold War and what they knew about it and I got blank stares from both of them. They knew about it but their knowledge was very limited. My parents lived in Mexico up until the early '00, and after a bit of research, I learned that Mexico was a U.S. ally, and just that. It wasn't very involved in the war.
As for my parents, they say that they knew that a war existed, but weren't very interested in what was happening.

Hmmm........

I think the only novel I have ever read by an African Author is Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.

As for other media, the Battle of Algiers is about it.

According to the map on page 840 of our textbook, major oil producing areas in the Middle East are in the hands of 7 countries: the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Turkey and Iran. The UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have relatively small populations, the largest belonging to Saudi Arabia with 28.6 million and the smallest belonging to Qatar with 833,000. Turkey on the other hand, has a population of 76.8 million and Iran has 66.4 million. These countries, all situated in the Middle East, the Oil Capital of the World, are affected differently by oil. By examining the map, it is very clear that most of the oil is in the hands of countries with small populations, which is why those countries have higher GDP per capita than others. While Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $20,000, similarly populated Iraq has a GDP per capita of $4,000. This is a large difference in economic status and is most likely dictated by the abundance of oil in those countries. Oil has become a very important source of profit fot Middle Eastern countries, some more than others, and this wide range of per capita GDPs is a true embodiment for that notion.

South Africa: False Paradise?

South Africa is clearly better off than WHO African Area. South Africa has a GPD per capita that is about 5 times as much as other WHO nations standing at $10960, while WHO Africa stands at $2 074. The adult literacy rate is 82.4%, while WHO Africa's is 60.1% These are all, I believe the direct effect of getting rid of the apartheid in 1994. The apartheid separated the heterogenous population of South Africa based on their skin color, but it now appears that the gap is closing, and that social and economic equality is increasing.
There is also the fact that school enrollment is 89% for both males and females. This is high compared to 70% and 63% for males and females, respectively. Even though this is not due to the end of the apartheid, it is still a very large step up for South Africa.
And while South Africa seems to be the most progressive in social and economic inprovement, HIV/AIDS, infant mortality and other diseases still cost many more lives than they should were a stabler form of health care in place. For example, the life expectancy at birth is drastically low at 47 for men and 49 for women. The life expenctacy for WHO Africa is the same for both men and woman as in South Africa. Infant mortality is 67 death per 1,000 live births. HIV/AIDS affects 21.5% of adults in South Africa, while only affecting 7.1% in WHO Africa. These are staggering statistics that truly show that while some areas of South Africa are a step up from other less developed African countries, other parts are no better off.

Research Questions

Question: Why wait so long to commemorate the Holocaust?
Possible Answer: The memorial was to be opened to coincide with the WWII's 60th anniversary. Why such a random number, I do not know. Researching as to why it is this anniversary and not a traditional 1, 10, 25 or 50 year anniversary will be interesting.

The Monument to the Murdered Jews of Europe

All 3 articles discuss the Berlin Monument, but give completely different points of view on the subject. Press cool on Berlin memorial, a piece done by the BBC, gives an inside look as to how German newspapers perceive the new monument. Comments range from approval to disapproval of the point conveyed by the slabs, and whether there should be a memorial at all because it plays on German guilty, even 60 years after the Holocaust. These, I believe are very valid points. Although it is never too late to commemorate such atrocious acts, the design was chosen for a reason. The abstract and simple shape of the memorial is mean to be interpreted by the viewer, which I believe is a brilliant design. Blatantly pointing out what is being commemorated has been done many times before, and a new generation of Germans should feel moved to never again do such an act again, not feel ashamed for what a past generation has done.

Berlin opens Holocaust memorial

Bleak Debate in Berlin on a Holocaust Memorial

Mr. Outspoken Concervative Dinesh D'Souza

Dinesh D'Souza, a Indian immigrant now living in the U.S., is a very outspoken conservative political commentator. He has written about a dozen novels in the span of his life, and many articles ranging from topics such as Ronald Raegan, why the Left is responsible for 9/11, and why religion is actually flourishing and not dying. His very opinionated piece on religion,titled God knows why faith is thriving helps give a look into his religious views and into his political views. Religion, a very controversial subject to undertake is handled in what I believe to be a very formal and well thought out fashion.
D'Souza offers his views on how atheism is anti-progressive, with his reasoning being that areas with high atheist percentages have dwindling populations and how people with religions have something to look forward to, while those that are atheist have nothing. This, he derives, is why religion helps strengthen populations. While he makes some very valid points and observations, he fails to examine modern religion and atheism through different lenses. He spends a very large part of his article explaining how economics affect religion and vice versa, but does not examine the actual dynamic between religion and atheism very much. He mentions how the prospect of the afterlife only very briefly, and goes on to talk mostly about economics and population. This makes him seem to be more interested in the economic stimulus that religion causes in countries, rather than the argument that exists between believers and non-believers.
His case is very well thought out, and even though I am on the non-believing side, I have to say that he did a very good job handling the subject.

A War Woman's Job

A woman's job changed dramatically during both WWI and WWII. Women were normally seen as delicate and frail human beings at times during peace. But once times of war came, the social norm that women should stay at home had to change so that women could fill the jobs vacated by men. In both WWI AND WWII, a woman's importance in society was increased, for the government had to depend on them in order to create the necessary armaments to supply the army. This illustrates that the governments appears to only use women when it is necessary. And this is where Rosie the Riveter comes in. Rosie was a very strong, muscular woman that persuaded women to serve their country in any way they could, which was to help in factories, among other places. And while women were still used for the same reason as in WWI, this method of propaganda was a new form of recruiting women.

WWII flims and such

A Separate Peace (novel)
A novel that tells the story of 2 boys during their time at a military school during WWII.
Atonement (film)
An amazing film that tells the lives of 2 lovers after being split apart by a lie. One of them takes part in the war at the battle front, while the other lives in England and deals with the problems of the home front.
The Diary of Ann Frank (novel)
A diary of a young Jewish girl as she chronicles her life as tensions rise against Jewish people and her time hiding.

Woman War Worker

This picture depicts a woman war worker, simply put. The picture shows the iconic "Rosie the Riveter"type of woman: hard working, strong and willing to do a job traditionally equated to being a man's. This picture is worth keeping because it shows that women were willing to take the place of men in a time of need, and it also shows that this type of woman does not only exist on a poster as a part of propaganda. This picture also reminds us of the sideline view of World War II, where the women were beginning to take control, while the men were off in the war.

Tax Hikes

At the home front, we have seen that both the government were willing to give up so much for their troops. Even from early on, militarization was the key goal of the British government. But to reach this increased industry, the government would have to increase taxes and increase the workforce. Having to pay all these new workers and ship supplies to the combatant armies abroad did not come cheaply. So in reality, raising taxes was a way in which the British could achieve all this during WWII.
But, even though this new tax hike may have been seen as necessary, the government stepped over the boundaries of ethical control by limiting many other aspects of people's lives. The British government intruded into people's lives when it mandated a decrease of luxury good and other. This is where I draw the line at what the government can do and what it can't.

Nuclear Division

By showing an update on a controversial issue, NBC was able to show that the world had changed in the way it viewed moral issues. The host explains that at the time, winning the war had gotten to people, and that the end justified the means. This eventually led to the bomb being dropped, with the public enthusiastically supporting this move by the government. But the host also explains that in 1995, 50 years later, attitudes were divided about dropping the bomb, which was the intended impact of the video. NBC chose to show this video to explain that attitudes towards morally correct things in the past change, and that this example is no different.

WW2, The Holocaust and Our Texrbook

Our textbook is very efficient in how it tells the story of the very loaded period that is WWII. When most people think of WWII, the Holocaust and Hitler come to mind. And while this is what most people equate the war to these events and people, they are not the only event and people that helped give WWII its name as an atrocious war. There were multiple events that led up to the war and that occurred before the Holocaust. The same is goes for names. So it is only in the interest of chronology that these events and people be placed between introducing the reasons for WWII and the Holocaust.
If I were to design this chapter, I too would keep these different features of WWII in this order. This way of showing this chapter in history helps show the complexity in human interactions,a nd how one thing leads to another.
A name that would summarize this part of history well would be "A Belligerent World: The Rise, Wage and Consequences of WWII"

Appeasement

When, for example, my older sister drops off her kids at our house so that my mom can take care of them, I usually get into conflicts with them. Conflicts usually revolve around them wanting to be in my room watching TV while I do homework. Now they are ages 9 and 4, so I can't really just tell them off. I usually have to just forcefully push them out, and that makes them mad. And cry. My mom usually gets mad at me for pushing them out and says that my sister will get mad if she finds out that I'm not being nice to her kids. She usually just tells me to let them smack my arm so that they'll feel better be happy. This actually works.

Hitler's Psyche- Revisited

This New York Times piece discusses what may have led Hitler to do the atrocious acts during his rule in Germany. The article takes into account Hitler's many documented physical illnesses and how they could have impacted his rule. The experts behind the research ultimately decide that while Hitler did suffer from many mental diseases that may have swayed his rule, it was his own set of beliefs that led him to commit his crimes towards humanity. I too believe that this is the most probably cause for Hitler's actions, and that even if he was mentally ill to any degree, that he is still guilty of his actions.

"The Price of Going to Class" and Fascism

Filkin's article about the hardships faced by modern day Afghan schoolgirls remind us that fascism is not just a distant memory of the past, but a fact of modern life. Maus reminds us of the past and the atrocities that a government with unchecked powers can do. But what both of these pieces do is give a personal, human spin by telling the story of a person, instead of giving percentages or statistics.
Both of these works give us the true human experience of what it is to live in the intolerant, fascists regimes of both modern day and of the past. The similarities between the modern day Taliban and past fascists regimes, such as Hitler's and Mussolini's, are abundant. Both the Taliban and past regimes used fear to subdue their enemies, and were willing to use brutal methods of torture to silence them if necessary. The Taliban, in their pursuit to put to an end to the schooling of girls, use the fear of the people in Swat Valley to achieve their goals. It is their fundamentalist interpretation of Islam that leads them to terrorize the girls that wish to succeed in life, saying that a woman's place is at home. Hitler's Germany had a similar plan for separating those that were not of the "pure" Aryan race. The Nazi party's rise to power was during a time when the world was at a turning point: on one side, there was total economic collapse; on the other side, salvation and restoration of cherished times. The Nazi party, through it charisma and eventual rise to power, was able to sway the German citizens to rally against its own Jewish citizens. Those deemed unfit to be part of Germany, especially, but not only Jews, were slowly purged from their homes and sent to labor camps. As the party began to gain more and more power, they relied on more drastic measures to fulfill their end goal. The Nazi party saw their goal, a world ruled by the Aryan race, as an end that could justify the means. The horrid tactics they employed to get their plan through is shown through Maus. And these tactics of fear and torture are once again on the rise in Taliban ruled Afghanistan.