Blog #15

I huge obstacle or difficulty rather, is overcoming abuse. A man named Dominic Carter, and he grew up in New York City very poor and living on welfare. When he was about seven years old, his mother sexually abused him. He had to carry the guilt, terror, and shame for over twenty years. His mother suffered as a paranoia schizophrenic and was instucionalized for many years. He never referred to his mother as "Mom or Mother", because he couldn't give her that type of respect. That title of great respect was reserved for his grandmother, and he tries to remember the good times with his grandmother rather than the terrors of abuse. He then went a guidance counselor and asked him about applying to schools and the man replied, "Don't waste your time because you will be dead or in jail." Carter decided that those words would make him stronger and use them as positives. He wrote a book called No Mama's Boy, which is about how he let go of his past and embraced the future. "If you believe in yourself and you're willing to work hard for any goal that you make have, you can achieve that goal." Carter claims. He tries to see the greatness in life, and the positives other than the negatives and hard times. Carter has now taken his own advice and has had tremendous highs as a journalist and became the New York anchor for political news.

Kashmir Conflict #2

More facts and things about the Kashmir conflict:

-About 65% of the territory is administered by India, 35% by Pakistan.
-This conflict is between two of the most populated countries.
-They are both nuclear powers and this conflict could result in further damage than it has done now.
-India claims Kashmir- as agreed under the Indian Independence Act.
-Pakistan is an Islamic state and claims Kashmir for themselves.
-Pakistan has a close contact with the U.S. because of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan and they have left behind large weapons.
-Tension between India and Pakistan grew after nuclear tests in mid 1998.
-China is providing assistance to the Pakistani nuclear program.
-Indian population: 9,000,000
-Pakistan population: 3,000,000
-According to the populations above, India has three times the population that Pakistan has, but Pakistan has the help of the U.S. and Afghanistan on their side. So who is at a greater risk of losing the land? I believe they are relatively even.




SOURCE: world conflicts.

Blog #14

I thought a text about Romeo and Juliet would be adequate for this blog because it is a typical love story that is very famous. It is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare about two lovers, whose deaths eventually unite their families that were always fighting. Love plays its role in many parts of this play. They begin with love at first sight, as if they were meant for each other right then and there like a fairytale. Becuase of their extremely strong love for each other and their parents hatred towards one another, they secretly marry and expect to live their lives together in peace and harmony. Their overpowering love overtakes their morals, loyalty, and emotions. They could jepordize the entire social world such as family and friends just to be with each other. I would never defy my family or friends so I believe shakespeare is trying to tell us that their love was unconditional and never-ending. Yet, Shakespeares writing about love isn't just the normal, perfect, nothing-goes-wrong type of love. It is filled with regret, emotions, and violence.

Blog #13

On the washington post i found an article that is about the Kashmir conflict. I found out that it involves India and Pakistan fighting over Kashmir and they currently have a truce but that truce has been broken multiple times. Kashmir is very mountainous and has a population of about seven million people. There was one question that stands out to me the most from this website, which is: will there be war? They say it is a possibility and I strongly agree considering the violence that is taking place in Kashmir right now. The Washington Post states, "For India, three terrorist attacks in the last nine months, allegedly perpetrated by Pakistani-based militants, justify a military response. In October 2001, Islamic separatists killed 40 people in an attack on the legislature in Srinigar. In December, five Islamic gunmen entered the Indian parliament in New Delhi and killed seven people before being killed." This is just some of the many disasters that have taken place for India in Kashmir. Another big question arises as well: What is the U.S. position? In the past, and also the present, the U.S. has been known for not taking a stand when other countries are suffering and need our help. Take the Holocaust for example, we just stood by not knowing, but if we did know would the government have helped? We will never know. I feel that from our country's past mistakes, we are learning from them and hopefully will help others in need in the future. The washington post says, "The United States is pressuring Pakistan to curb terrorism while discouraging India from attacking." Which shows that we are at least doing something to try to help. The fact that both Pakistan and India are nuclear powers makes this an even bigger conflict. Both countries have gone to war twice and I hope there isn't a third time.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/kashmir/front.html

Blog #12

I read a text about European colonization to America. They believe that the first people to ever reach the "Americas" were the Vikings, who made several colonies in Greenland. Then in 1492, the Spanish explorer we all know and thank for America today, Christopher Columbus set sail and reached the Americas, after which European exploration and colonization quickly expanded. Soon later, almost the entire Western Hemisphere would be controlled by the Europeans and all of their aspects, such as population, landscape, plant and animal life, and customs would be dominated by the Europeans. In the 19th century, about 50 million people left Europe to be in the "Americas". When they first got to the "Americas" the Europeans lived in close proximity with animals such as cows, pigs, sheep, goats, etc. which caused epidemic diseases unknown the Europeans. Some of these diseases included smallpox, influenza, and the measles. This killed between 10 million and 20 million of the population.The cultural and political instability appears to have been of the efforts to seize great wealth in land and resources. This calamity of diseases and losing lives was just a little bit of the events that happened when the Europeans discovered a new world.

Blog #11

I read an article on cnn.com about U.S. forces preparing to withdraw, yet their is now a debate about whether that is a good idea considering the consequences. Some questions they are considering are: Will the Iraqis be able to come up with a stable economy and functioning government? And if they can, will a civil war break out? These are just some of the many questions people are asking because of President Obama's decision to withdraw the troops. Most of the troops plan to leave Iraq by August 2010, but all will be withdrawn by the end of 2011. "A "transitional force" of 35,000 to 50,000 troops will remain in the country to assist Iraqi security forces, protect Americans and fight terrorism," President Obama states. Obama predicts that by removing the troops, their will be a decrease in violence and an increase in becoming more capable of ensuring their own security. Iraqi deaths have been steadily dropping since the fall of 2007 according to statistics compiled by an Iraqi Interior Ministry official. U.S. military. The three main factors to a decrease of violence in Iraq are: the surge of U.S. troops at the beginning of 2007, the Sunni "Awakening" movements, and the ceasefire announced by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.


Source: www.cnnpolitics.com

Blog # 10

I decided to do this blog about a holiday on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day because I think it is very important. I looked and found the history behind the famous MLK day and this is what I found. It is only a United States holiday and marks the birth-date of of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King was the chief spokesman of the nonviolent civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after his assassination, which was in 1968. The bill first came to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1979. However, it was five votes short of the number needed to pass. Two of the main arguments were mentioned about the holiday, which were it would be too expensive and that a holiday to honor a private citizen would be against the tradition, because King had never held public office. Later, The King Center turned to support from many communities and the general public.S ix million signatures were collected for a petition to congress to pass the law. At the White House Rose Garden on November 2 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a federal holiday to honor Martin Luther King once and for all. It was observed for the first time on January 20 1986 and was officially observed in all 50 states in 2000. I think this day is important because it is about a man that very influential during the time and obviously made his mark on history.



Sources: Time.com, http://www.princeton.edu/pr/mlk/images/mlk_mainpic2.jpg

Things Fall Apart Double Bubble

Mrs. Roehl it didn't work again for my mac for that edline thing, but I did a similar thing on word and I hope it counts!! I'll keep trying though.

Blog #9

I found a site online that talked about Bollywood. I decided to blog about the history or beginnings of Bollywood because it seemed interesting. I read that Raja Harishchandra was the first silent feature film made in India in 1913. By the 1930s, the industry was producing over 200 films yearly. The 1930s and 1940s were tumultuous times: India was buffeted by the Great Depression, World War II, the Indian independence movement, and the violence of the Partition. Most Bollywood filmmakers who tackled tough social issues, or used the struggle for Indian independence as a backdrop for their plots. Color films did not become a popular feature until the late 1950s, but at this time, romantic musicals and melodramas were the main types of movies. In the mid-1970s, romantic confections were mostly replaced by violent films about gangsters and bandits.In the mid-1990s, family-centric romantic musicals started to be successful in Bollywood, as well as action and comedy films. The 2000s saw a growth in Bollywood's popularity in the world. This led the nation's filmmaking to new heights in terms of quality, cinematography and innovative story lines. Also, special effects and animation. The Indian film industry has turned to making films that appeal to all segments of the audience, which will maximize their box office receipts.


http://www.bollywood.com/files/images/bollywood.jpg