Monday, September 20, 2010

small group discussion

1.  Every time we discussed a question we were always brought back to the same idea that the Europeans did not want to speak about the horrors or stand up against them because of the large benefits they were reacing.

2.  I think that it was kind of unpreductive.  We had good ideas, but I feel like it was mainly Christina, Abby, Adam, Brie, and I discussing ideas.  We finished quick because there was five of us and no one else put their opinion in so it was aquewerid.  I think a leader would have helped this because they would have forced the others to pay attention.  Also the questions always lead us back to the same spot, so either the chapter did not have enough information, or all the questins we came up with were too simular.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Current Events Reporting

A federal Court in California ruled the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy unconstitutional.  The ruling said that it violates the first and fifth amendments.  It violates the first amendment because it forbids a homosexual to freely speak about his/her orientation, and it allows heterosexuals to speak about their sexual preference, and the fifth because.  And it violates their promise for due process under the Fifth Amendment. The judge is soon expected to issue an injunction, forbidding the government from enforcing “don’t ask, don’t tell.”  The government is expected, in response, to put off any immediate ruling by asking for a temporary injunction.  Then they will file a petition with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals for a hearing.  If that fails it will then move to the Supreme Court.  Although, the White house has showed interest in ending the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, so because they have congress approval, the ruling may turn out differently than would have been expected. 

I believe this is a good thing because it will allow us to strengthen our national security by getting rid of a policy that has not allowed many men and woman to serve.  I think this is a historic moment to be witnessing because it may open up many more opportunities for homosexual rights, and it allows many more to enter the service that would have otherwise been forbidden to.  Also, depending on how you look at it, it may open up for more opportunities for expansion in the “conflict.”  Ironically at a time when we are bringing more people home from the “conflict.”  Though at this point it depends on which way congress decides to vote.

CNN Wire Staff. "Focus Shifts to Congress after 'don't Ask, Don't Tell' Ruling
CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. CNN U.S., 20 Sept. 2010. Web. 10 Sept. 2010. <http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/09/10/dont.ask.dont.tell/index.html?iref=allsearch>.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Response to pages 33-60 in King Leopold's Ghost

1. A quote that illistrates Leopold.  "Leopold's letters and memos, forever badgering someone about aquiring a colony, seem to be in the voice of a person starved for love as a child and now filled with an obsessive desire for an emotional substitute, the way someone becomes embroiled in an endless dispute with a brother or sister over an inheritance, or with a neighbor over a property boundry" (38).

2.  A quote that illistartes Stanley, "Stanley was always uncomfortable with anyone whose talens might outshine his own" (49).  I know this quote is short, but I feel it illistrates two important things about him.  One that he likes to take credit for everything he can, so that he can look like a hero, and two because I picture him as aqueweried and uncomfortable, so it is obvious to me that if there were supiriors around he would be very uncomfortable.

3.  I agree wih this quote, "What mattered was the size of the profit.  His drive for colonies, however, was shaped by a desire not only for money but for power.  In western Europe, after all, times were fast changing, and a king's rolewas not as enjoyable as it once had been" (39).  I feel that these people, in this time, are so greedy and only care about money and whatever other resources they can collect.

I found them greedy and insensative.  They only cared about what resources they could collect and what money they could make.  It was kinda terrible that he collected a group to help them become civilized.  How does he know whats going on there? This was such a sneaky persuit; he blinded the people for his own selfish needs.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Response to pages 1-32 in King Leopold's Ghost

My reactions:

I found this event in history particularly interesting because I had never heard of this even before.  I was surprised that it was not common knowledge, and I can see why the author of this novel thought that when he first read a book about this, he thought it was ficticious. It would seem that this event would be so relevant to our history because of all the deaths and cruel tradings that were occuring.  Also it would seem to be relevent because it did not happen too long ago.  I mean I had heard reference to it before, so it was not a completely foreign concept. Although I would have thought of this to be something to discuss at large.

Three discussion questions might be:

Why do the Europeans think that the Africans are so wild and different?

What are the differences between the Portuguese and the British invasions?

Do you think this should be a more relevant topic in our society today? Why?

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Today In Class

1. I learned alot about colonizing, and imperialism today. I also learned about why someone would want to colonize another country.  I also learned more about Obama pulling people out of the "conflict" in Iraq.

2. n/a

3.  Something that you are curious aout investigating further.  Which countries inhabited which and why, and when was it exactly that America became a larger power than Britain.  Also I feel we did not learn as much about Old Imperialism as much as New Imperialism.  I good definition of that would be great.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Current Events Reporting

  1. What's being discussed in this article?
  2. When did the event happen? (Is this breaking news or something that's been analyzed and discussed for a while?)
  3. What questions do you have that would help make this article make more sense to you? What more do you need to learn about to be able to report on this event?
1.  The articlis discussing whether it is a good idea to open a Islamis center across from where the world trade center once existed.  Many people are afraid it will bring bad memmories to those who see on there way into the new center, while others are upset that America, a country of freedom of religion and free speech, is not allowing a Islamic center to be built there.

2.  This article came out on August 25, 2010, but I have seen other concerns about this before I read this article.  It is fairly recent, but not breaking news.  It has clearly been discussed for a while because when you look at this article you can see the range of people all over the world stating their opinions. 

3.  Well it is not very clear to me if this was the governments idea, or the Islamic communities idea.  At the begining it says, "Abdelhamid Shaari has been lobbying a succession of governemnts in Milan for permission to build a mosque for his congrgants- any mosque al all, in any location" (Cambanis).  Also it does not give a general sensis for whom is winning this debate.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

3 News Worthy Events That are Remembered Most.

When thinking about the three events that I remember most from the news there are three that strike my interest most when the plane hit the world trade center, Hurricane Katrina, and the kidnapping of JonBenet Ramsy.

1.  I remember the morning of September 11, 2001 as if it were yesturday.  I woke up in the morning and everything felt normal.  I remember driving to school with my uncle, and listening to 20 on 20 to the radio.  When I arrived at school, around 8:00 a.m, my teacher had a frantic look on his face.  He sat us down and explained what happened, I could not believe that anyone could be that heartless and kill so many innocent people.  My teacher then turned on the news so that we could watch what was happening.  We watched as they explained to us what happened, we were to young to truly understand what was happening, we just knew that someone had killed innocent people by crashing a plane into another tower.  Then that was when the second plane hit, and we watched it live in our classrrom; I could not believe my eyes.  That day had a strong effect on my memmory and my life.

2.  I was sitting in the family on the couch with my mom when I first watched a news segment on Katrina.  I did not know much about it, but I knew that there were people suffering with no homes, food money, and some did not even have families.  I sat down and looked up at the screen to see the sadness on the faces of the civilians.  I saw the damage that it had caused, and I knew how important it was that they got help.  Then they began to show other footage, there were people smiling and playing in time of crisis, and there were others trying to make an effort and rebuild what they had lost to nature.  It reminded me that if we all work together as a community we can accomplish anything, and I also knew they needed help.  The next day at school my class and I decided that we would start a fundraiser through our school and use it toget things to send it to people who lost there things.  We collected anything and everything.  My got alot of things, but my favorite was that alot of people brought in dog food.  I thought that this event brought us together as a community, and a country.

3.  I was sitting on the couch with my mom watching T.V. one night.  This picture of this young girl pops up in the screen.  They talked about how she was a young girl went missing, adn they they had found her body.  She had been brutally raped and murdered.  I did not know what to think it scared me, and I waned to make sure it never happened to me.  Once again I found myself thinking, how can someone do that do an innocent person?  My mom sat me down and talked to me about it.  She asked that I never get into a car with someone else, and that even if I know the person do not believe anything they say unless she told me first.  She began going through scenerio after scerio to assure my saftey.  It should have made me feel better, but it didn't.  I knew that she was not the first, and she would not be the last.


My mom had three events that stuck out to her the most the death of Princess Diana, When the plane hit the world trade center, and the disappearance of Cassadie Center.

1.  The night Princess Diana died, she remember it was a Saturday night, and she had just gotten home from a night out with her family.  She turned on the T.V. and was completely shocked by what had happened.  She went to bed thinking that she would wake up and it would have been a dream, but it wasn't.

2.  When the plane hit the world trade cener, she was in complete disbelief.  She was mortified, no she was horrified.  Sitting at her kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee, she was just in awe.

3.  The disappearance of Cassadie Center.  She remembers watching it and she had Matt and I, or maybe just Matt then.  She remembers thinking how horrible it must be for people not to know neighbors well enough.  She was going to make sure that she knew all her neigbors well enough to trust them in the presence of her children.