Blog #8

A text that I found that addresses to culture is about an African tribe's culture. The tribe is called Bemba, or "forest people" and they are located in in the northeastern part of Zambia and are the largest ethnic group in the Northern Province of Zambia, which consists of about eighteen different groups of Bembas. The temperature is very favorable, yet their soil is poor and covered with brush or low trees. They live in rural villages with huts made up of wattle and daub with grass as the roof. Their main job in the village is a type of subsistence farming in the form of shifting cultivation. Each family is in charge of growing their own food and providing for their families. The main crops are finger millet and cassava, but they still grow beans, peas, corn, sorghum, peanuts, gourds or squash, sweet potatoes, bananas, pumpkins, cucumbers, and cowpeas. This is a wide range of food, but the downfall to farming is that the soil is so poor they have to quit farming after about two years and find other land. Material possessions are very rare in these areas. Diseases such as malaria and bilharzia are still common in this tribe, including malnutrition and their life expectancy is low. Since the Bembas are the most dominant group, Bemba is the most common language that is spoken, but it is not uncommon for a Zambian to be multilingual. The most common type of clothing was made from a bark that women wore as clothes and today the women wear dresses that still have designs on them that are of Zambian or African culture. Men wear shirts, pants, and shorts. There is no ceremony for boys when they go into puberty, but there is for girls and the ceremony is called Chisungu. If a girl becomes pregnant before this ceremony, they are banned. In order for engagement, the man offers her parents' a present of small value. Once they are married the boy moves in with the parents' of the girl. Television is known, but not many people can afford them. The Bembas are known for having manufactured a complex folk art culture.


Sources: Google Images, World Book

Blog #7

I read an article about Zimbabwe's increasing poverty, which is changing their country drastically. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said Zimbabwe will have to "borrow and beg" because it needs very urgent attention. He says, "the situation in the country is so dire, ministries are in a very dilapidated state." This just shows that they need help very badly because obviously they can't control their own government and are turning to others in a time of need. He also says that he came after the cholera epidemic that has killed 4,000 people, and because of the shortage of food. Doctors Without Borders released a report saying that new cholera patients were being registered at a rate of one every minute at the beginning of February this year. There has been years of poor agricultural production, failed government policies, and just a widespread of corruption that have damaged Zimbabwe, which has one of the world's highest inflation rates. Many teachers and nurses have been on strike, demanding a higher pay, which has caused many schools to close. Zimbabwe is now creating an inclusive government to solve their country's problem. They are working on trying to stabilize the economy and focus on restoring everything, including schools.


Source: world news.

Blog post #6

Scientists expect great travel spots to be altered due to global warming. Some of these changes are already taking place, yet others will take decades. There seem to be two solutions to this problem, which are either stay home, which might be less depressing or get a move on it and see the hot spots before they are gone. Many people are hopeful for these wonderful locations to be unharmed, but only time can tell. Global warming is also causing atmospheric pollution, which in return is causing such a large increase in pollution. For example, the polar bear is very effected by this horrible problem. Polar bears can't cross the ice before it freezes to travel and get food, so they could starve and die if we do not find another way to help them. Like I said, all we can do at this point is hope, which is difficult to do it such a hard time in the economy. We can also take action, like doing the little things-throwing away our trash, not smoking, and recycling. All of these can make such a huge difference, but we can't expect people to do this so we have to have faith in people, expecting them to help out planet. So, overall, we need to be hopeful for our planets health so that our economy doesn't get any worse, and everyone is healthy and safe.

Blog #5

I found a text about Christian beliefs in The World Book letters C-Ch in my house. I found out that Christians believe that there is only one God, and that he created the universe and continues to care for it. The belief in one God was not found by the Christians though, but by the Jewish religion. Christianity teaches that God sent his son, Jesus, into the world as his "chosen one" or Messiah, as they use it, and to help people fulfill their religious duties. They also teach that after Jesus' earthly life, God's presence remained on the earth in the form of the Holy Spirit. This is the belief that in one God there are three people-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, which is known as the doctrine of the Trinity. Many churches have this doctrine as the central teachings of Christianity. Most Christians view Jesus as God incarnate, which is a divine being who took on the human appearances and characteristics of a man. They believe that Jesus is the Savior who died to save humanity from sin. So basically, his death made salvation and life possible for others. Christians gather in a church because they believe God intended to form these churches for worship. I am a Christian myself, and believe in all of these things.

Sources: The World Book, letter C-Ch
http://www1.salvationarmy.org.uk/images/uki.www_uki/GEN-Cross.jpg

Blog #4

I read an article from the washington post about gender roles and equality in the 90's. The article begins by talking about how increased gender equity has enriched both sexes. But both also believe that the strains of this relatively new world have made building successful marriages, raising children and leading satisfying lives more difficult. People wish they could devote more time to their children, but the pressures and stressful lives of working parents just don't give them enough time. Although it is nice to see men and women working side by side, both agree that it would be easier if women would just stay home and take care of the house and children. About 4,000 men and women took a survey and experts found out that majorities of men and women believe there still are more advantages to being a man rather than a woman, and that most men don't understand the problems women face. Most men in polls said that were happy to share house-care and childcare with their spouse, yet women are still mostly doing the dirty work. The article states, "Working mothers still do twice as much housework as their husbands, and more than half of all women questioned expressed at least some dissatisfaction with the amount of help their husbands provide around the house." (Richard Morin and Megan Rosenfeld Page A1)."I think men are beginning to get it, at least some are, some of the time," said survey respondent Traci Hughes-Velez. Hopefully this gender issue will be resolved and both men and women will finally become equal.

www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.clipartheaven.com/clipart/shapes_&_symbols/male_&_female.gif

Blog # 3

I recently read part of a book called Studies on the Civilization of Islam that I found in my house about the similarities and differences between Christians and Muslim's culture. The main similarity I found was that they both believe in the divinity of Jesus. Some differences include that Muslims believe God is indivisible, while Christians believe in the Trinity. Christians believe that as a member of the Trinity, Jesus is the son of God. Muslims believe that Jesus was conceived by an act of God and though not the son of God, is like Muhammad, a highly respected Prophet. Christians believe that right after we die, we go straight up to heaven or straight down to hell, but Muslims believe Barzakh, which is somewhat like an afterlife. Christians have a more relaxed view about what foods may be eaten. Muslims, being conscious that God created man, consider it wrong to defile such a creation with a certain food and drink. Muslims are forbidden to eat pork or drink alcohol. These are many of the similarities and differences between the two religions, yet there are many differences the Christian religion is very similar to the Islamic religion.


Source Book: Studies on the Civilization of Islam

Blog # 2 q. 3

Something I watched a video on www.cnn.com about someone overcoming a struggle. It was about a woman from Saudi Arabia and how if a woman won't marry off her 13 and 14-year-old daughters then she will be divorced, and that is obviously a big deal for her culture. This isn't a rare event, however, because this is happening everywhere in Saudi Arabia. She is outraged and very angry with the way that their culture is forcing them to marry off their daughters at such a young age. She is also mad about her rights as a woman, and thinks women should have more rights in their culture especially about marriage. The Saudi government want to change the laws, but they like the power. So they are trying to educate parents to put their children first, and think of their children before themselves.



www.cnn.com
http://www.tofocus.info/images/flags/saudi-arabia-flag.gif

3rd Q. New Blog #1

For the blog on natural disasters, I went online to National Geographic and found some pretty interesting articles about a natural disaster itself. I decided to do it on Tsunamis. I looked up the word Tsunami and found out that it is a long high sea wave caused by an earthquake, submarine landslide, or other disturbance. Tsunami's can reach heights of over 100 ft. About 80% of these Tsunamis happen in the Pacific Ocean because of the tectonic shifts. Tsunami's can reach the speed of 500 mph and can cross the entire expanse of the Pacific Ocean in less than a day. Wow. Many people already know about that one famous Tsunami, Hiroshima, where about 150,000 people were killed in a single day. Out in the deep ocean, Tsunami's can appear little in height and slow, but as they come closer to shore, they built an increase in power and growth. To watch out for these Tsunamis, there are many systems used to protect costal areas around the world.


www.nationalgeographic.com