Habits of Mind Questions for Disasters Around the World Entries

{ November 17, 2008 @ 7:38 pm } · { History, Human Right }
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1. The sources that I have based my blog entries on are citizens that have been present during the disaster and have accepted giving a version or opinion of what happened. As I said above these are citizens informing us about the disaster that has happened, so I believe it is trustworthy. I have based my entry on these speeches that citizens have given. They are accurate on what has been said from citizens. I have quoted some, but mostly read all speeches before and then made an entry based an all of them in general.

2. The point of views that I have used to write my blog entry were prospective form citizens that have lived or are living through these disasters, in other words experienced it, or they saw the disasters through their own eyes.

3. There might be something missing, but as a reader of these sources I think that this is a nice way to hear about something that has happened. In this source there are only speeches from people that have been in the area at the moment. There is no author writing an article. It is only speech after speech. I found it a very interesting way to learn and read about something that has happened.

4. I can’t really relate to these disasters as I have never been through one. There is a natural disaster that I have lived through but that is not one that I have mentioned in my blog entries. The one that I have lived through was a tornado in the U.S. I don’t remember where I was as I was little back then. But I do remember my parents talking about it in the car and the warning on the radio.

5. Countries are already trying to help these disasters. There is only one problem. There is too much damage done for the amount of help that is giving. It is not enough. Even if it is just a little it is not enough. It is a start, but there could be larger amounts of help given if countries were willing to sacrifice just a little (maybe a lot) more to help these countries and humans that are in need.

6. This is important because it is human beings that are out there that we are talking about. They are not under a roof or in safe conditions. They are not safe or have a protection. They are not under a roof and are not getting feed properly. They are not treated exactly well. They are not tortured either, but they are not under good conditions. That is a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Some of these rights that have been violated in these disasters are listed below.

·     You have the right to safety – the people in these disasters definitively do not feel safe, and they are not safe.

·     Your government should protect your family – they government in these countries do not concentrate as much as they should on these disasters that take place in their countries. Hence families are not being protected when they could be.

·     The society in which you live in should help you to develop – how are these peoples in these societies suppose to develop if they are in crisis’ most or their lives.

·     You have the right to expect a decent standard of living – they certainly do not have a decent standard of living.

·     No one shall attempt in any way to destroy the rights set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – countries do not attempt to destroy these rights but they certainly don’t think about them as much as they should because if they did there would be a lot more help going towards these countries that have disasters that occur in their countries.

They have lost everything and can’t do much. And still, I think they do much more than countries are doing as they help themselves and others around them that are in the same condition while we are eating dinners at a dinner table and not finishing our plate or even sleeping in a worm bed while they huddle up together to keep warm under a cold starry night and die of hunger or sicknesses. If this happened to you, you would definitively want something to be done about it. You wouldn’t be happy. Well that is what these people who have water up to their waists or the ones that have lost a family members and have no idea what has happened to them, are feeling right now. They have no power to be heard around the world, get enough help or attention towards them. So, I believe that something should be done, because this could happen to us too.

Disasters Around the World – Bombings

{ November 10, 2008 @ 4:25 pm } · { History, Human Right }
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There are two countries that have had recent bombing attacks. As mentions in previous blogs, these countries are not rich. Another thing these two countries have in comon is that they have a high rate of bombing attacks.

The two countries are:

  • India
  • North Ossetia

In India, the bombing took place in the state of Assam. Last Thursday was when the series of bombings happened. The series of bombing killed 76 people and injured hundreds. In India there have been more and more bombing throught the years.

North Ossetia had an incident of bombings. A minivan had blown up in the capital of Ossetia. 11 people died in this incident. 40 citizens were wounded badly.

These bombings for the citizens that live in these countries is to an extent normal to hear bombing noises in streets. Bombs in these countries is something that happens rather othen.

World Map of Disasters Around the World

{ November 7, 2008 @ 4:14 pm } · { History, Human Right }
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Link to World Map

http://www.worldmapper.org/display.php?selected=245

Disasters Around the World – EarthQuakes

{ November 4, 2008 @ 8:14 pm } · { History, Human Right }
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I will talk about two countries that have recently had earthquakes. Though I will be concentrating on one country more than the other. The two countries are:

  • Pakistan
  • Kyrgystan

Pakistan has had a 6.4 magnitude quake. The most devasted region was Ziarat in Baluchistan. It resulted in more than 300 deaths. Many were injured and left homeless.

A certain pakistani has said that, “There is great destruction. Not a single house is intact.”

Another Pakistani, Adnan has shared his concern. “Things are not as good financially as they were in Oct 2005 but hopes are high and Insha Allah with help of (fellow) Pakistanis this disaster would be overcome. I can just hope all political parties, Lawyers, Army quit their personal differences for a moment and get ready to help victims. May Allah help us all and make us able to help others.”

Islambad has also shared his opinion about the earthquake. He believes that “Our duty to our brothers and sisters in Balochistan calls us. We did whatever we could for the victims of October 08, 2005 Earthquake and our efforts didn’t go in waste. We make an appeal to unite again and show a greater level of unity, enthusiasm and love for our Muslim brothers and sisters in pain.”

Disasters Around The World – Floodings

{ November 3, 2008 @ 5:50 pm } · { History, Human Right }
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Most of the Cities or countries listed below are ones that are not talked about or even known. They are rarly mentioned, therefore most of the world knows very little of what goes on. But these countries have one thing in comon. The cities and countries are poor. They do not have to money to help even themselves. The cities and countries listed have had major flooding problems. It is a large coincidence that they are all poor, no?

  • Guatemala
  • Morocco
  • Yemen
  • Belize
  • Vietnam
  • India
  • Trinidad
  • Tobagu

These countries and cities (mostly cities) don’t have the money to help these people who are unfortunate in the middle of these disasters. Peoples homes, cropes, families, property and possesions have all been lost in these floodings. They need help but often don’t reveive help, or if they do recieve not enough for the damage.

Audio Essay Corrections

{ October 27, 2008 @ 4:17 pm } · { Essays, History }
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Our History teacher decided that through little notes on the side of our paper wasn’t enough feed-back. He decided that a way he could correct essays while giving enough feed-back was to tell us directly what he though when reading the essay. The only problem with that was that it would take to much time to sit with the student and read the essay while telling the student what was on his mind while reading it. Therefore Mr. Bergey came up with a new way of correcting essays while giving all the feed-back going on in his mind.

The audio essay corrections, as I call it, is a tape that recorded Mr. Bergey’s feed-back when he read the essay. He was actually speaking out loud while reading the essay and told us what he tought about it while reading it. Mr. Bergey did find it wierd talking to a tape at first, but eventually found it a very good way of giving feed-back and for correcting essays.

I believe that it is quite a good idea. It is certainly a better way of giving feed-back than little sentences jotted down on the side of the paper. The only problem for me, and maybe for many non-native-americans it is very hard to follow along as Mr. Bergey does go quite fast. But after understanding that it is not a one-time-hearing you can rewind and listen to what he said once more. So this minor problem has been solved.

Other than this minor problem I believe Mr. Bergey’s idea was a very good one. I will be happy to get audio corrections of my essay (if it does not include correcting it one finished with the essay and after having heard the audio tape).

The Changes Modernity Contributed To

{ October 14, 2008 @ 4:38 pm } · { Essays, History }
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Justine Cheynet

Mr. Bergey

10th History

October 12th, 2008 (date)

 

The Contributions of Modernity

            Modernity has contributed in many positive and negative ways to society. Modernity has dramatically changed the way of life; people’s daily activities, comfort and occupations. At the beginning of the 19th century the majority of people thought that modernity would bring only positive changes. As we approach the end of the 19th century and move on to the 20th century the promise for perfection became more of a menace. Modernity changed our way of living, our values, our character and our points of view in many positive or negative ways, but some things remain eternal.

            In the beginning of the 19th century, many men believed that modernity would contribute to create a perfect world. People dreamed that men could become perfect, that modernity would lead to a new kind of man. “Never was average man, his soul, more energetic, more like god…” (Walt Whitman). With this modern state of godliness humanity was going to reach a level never attained by humans ever before. They thought that through progress,technology and knowledge the world would reach a state of perfection. Modernity was thought to be the remedy of mankinds problems. Through this state of progress crime, war and misery would all eventually disappear. Jean Antoine Nicholas de Condorcet believed that,“the people being more enlightened, and having resumed the right of disposing for themselves of their blood and their treasure, will learn by degrees to regard war as the most dreadful of all calamities, the most terrible of all crimes.” (Jean Antoine Nicholas de Condorcet).

            Around the 20th Century some men started to believe that modernity was not so great and even could slowly destroy society and men. Men always wanted  more. Progress had no end but progress did not bring happiness to men. Gandhi makes this point clearly stating “ the mind is a restless bird; the more it gets the more it wants, and still it remains unsatisfied.” Man is attracted to modernity and this attraction holds him as a prisoner. Looking for always more, men are neither content nor satisfied. Modernity itself does not bring happiness. As men remain unsatisfied “… men were slaves by physical compulsion.  Now they are enslaved by temptation of money and of the luxuries that money can buy.” (Mohandis K. Gandhi). Modernity and the technology associated gave human a material comfort but did not bring happiness. The never ending search for material goods enslaved men. Humans are imprisoned by their temptation, want and desire. They are unhappy because they always want more. All this temptation, desire and urge will lead to obliteration. Gandhi interprets that “This civilization…will be self-destroyed.” 

             Even if modernity has changed the world and society in many exceptional and appalling ways, there are things that it did not change. The things that modernity will never reach are the feelings the human species have. The hate or love for one another. Since the first time man was in contact with other men, there was always a dislike or like to another person. The relations for another have not changed. The way people favor a person. Ways one person can care for another. The desire men have to control others and to have the power remains unchanged since prehistoric times. To be able to decide what others will do. Since B.C there are many things that still exist and are considered true in society today. For example, Plato, the great Greek philosopher said something that is accurate today. It is actually right on topic as it explains how human race and society will have no break from malevolence. “Until philosophers rule as kings or those who are now called kings and leading men genuinely and adequately philosophise, that is, until political power and philosophy entirely coincide, while the many natures who at present pursue either one exclusively are forcibly prevented from doing so, cities will have no rest from evils,… nor, I think, will the human race.” (Plato).

               Modernity was thought to be the solution to a perfect society. As the years passed this dream of a perfect society no longer existed. These once positive changes have now become viewed in a more balanced way.  The perfection we thought we could reach is now known to never be obtained. Many progresses brought by modernity had brought with them a negative twist. Invention of trains was viewed as the ultimate invention for rapid transportation. Many years later, Nazis used trains to deport million of Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals. Modernity has dramatically changed the society in which we live. It brought many new technologies that can be used in good or bad ways. But modernity did not change the most important thing of all: human nature. Human feelings and thoughts remain very similar to the ones that Ancient Greeks had thousands of years ago. Plato provides evidence of this. Love, hate, passion, desire, envy, jealousy and all other human feelings still rule the way humans behave.

GAPMINDER – Snapshots of Development

{ May 25, 2009 @ 8:36 am } · { GAPMINDER }
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click here

The relationship between Children per Woman (total fertility) / Life Expectancy at Birth (years). I want to analyze how many children survive according to the number of children a family has. Over the period of time the graph projects, in 1950 the most of Europe, Russia, part of Asia and America had more or less than 3 children per family and the life expectancy of the children was  more or less than 65 years old. In 2005, when the graph ends, most of South Asia, East Asia, South Pacific, Middle East, North Africa, Europe, Central Asia and America have around 2 to 1 children in a family and those children live to be in their 65’s and 80’s.

I chose these indicators for my mapminder because I wanted to see how many children per family died of old age. I thought it would be interesting to see the amount of children a family had and how long those children survived. I saw that in 1950 there were two groups with the countries that had more children but those children didn’t live till a very old age. The other group was the opposite, the countries with families that had a small number of children but those children lived to be quite old. During the years shown in the graph, most of the countries move towards have less children but that live to an old age, this is in 2005, where the graph stop projecting.

In this graph from gapminder, my indicator show how many children per family live till a certain age. What it does not show are the number of miscriages per family. This might change part of the data the graph shows. I ave also observed that Africa in 1950 was part of one of the groups, the biggest of the groups. Most of Africa had around 7 children per family and those children lived to be in their 35’s. But in 2005 I see that Africa is left behind with 5 children per family who live up to be 47.  While looking at other graphs I have also concluded to the same. Africa is almost always the last country in these graphs. My question is why? Why is Africa almost always last on these graphs?

The Lemon Tree – Sandy Tolan – #5

{ February 10, 2009 @ 5:53 pm } · { Book Blogs }
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And the story continues…

The story is very complex and hard to read at the begining, but it becomes slightly easier near the end (though I have to admit I have not finished yet). There is lest historical background, less names, dates and cities. The story starts to concentrate on the main characters of the book.

The story so far informs the reader how most Bulgarian jews got to go to Palestine. They were suppose to be taken away into concentration camps in Poland, but the government delayed the trains that were suppose to transport the Jews. Latter ther goverment made the jews take a boat to Palestine to excape the next train that was to take them to Poland. That is how Dalia’s family gets to Palestine. Then most jewish families just moved into houses that were empty, Bashir’s house.

Bashir in the following years comes to see his house and find his childhood memories. This is how the two main characters meet. The rest of the story is about these two people and how they meet because of this house and their history.

The Lemon Tree – Sandy Tolan – #4

{ February 8, 2009 @ 9:29 am } · { Book Blogs }
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” … At Deir Yassin, and Arab village just west of Jerusalem, Jewish militia had massacred hundreds of women, children, and unarmed men.” (page:52)

This surprised me and made me feel two oposite feelings as I could understand both. First I thought; why would the Jewish people do this? They had been tortured and sent to camps before. They should understand how it is to feel frightened and your life at stake. But then, I understood why they would do that. They must have felt that they would be sent once again to camps if they did not fight against their enemy and show that they were strong and they might have wanted revenge. Though I can see these two sides I am still quite surprised how they could do such a thing after having experienced it themselves.

The Lemon Tree – Sandy Tolan – #3

{ February 8, 2009 @ 9:01 am } · { Book Blogs }
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Continuing with the story…

There was a quote in the book that really shocked me. The quote explaines sort of what most ani-jews would think about the Jewish people.

“However, they (Jews) are hindered by the mentality of the Bulgarian people, who lack the ideological enlightenment that we (Bulgarians) have.” (page:42)

This is not the first time that I have herd this type of perspective about the Jewish people. For example in the book and movie, “The Boy With The Stripped Pijamas”, there is a paragraph and a scene where it informs the reader or the watcher that most people thought the Jews were usless, good for nothing, dumb, etc… It is shocking for me that most people believed in this.

The Lemon Tree – Sandy Tolman – #2

{ February 1, 2009 @ 5:34 pm } · { Book Blogs, History }
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The story continues…

The book now talks about Dalia family history in Bulgaria. It talks about the war and how the Bulgarians helped the jews. Dalia’s family has quite some luck as the train that is suppose to embark them and take them to concentration camps is actually canceled for the time being.

In the book, when the jews get sent to the jewish school to get assembled for their soon-to-be cancelled trip, made me think of how terrified, alarmed and shoked they must be. They have really no idea whats going to happen to them and how things are going to happen. You normally see in movies how jews get pushed and shoved into a truck that drives them to a concentration camp, but never have I heard of them assembling in a school yard to get transported to a camp.

The Lemon Tree – Sandy Tolan – #1

{ January 28, 2009 @ 7:55 pm } · { Book Blogs, History }
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I have read only the first couple of pages so far, and I can already tell that this story is complex and has a lot of history to it. At first, the story gives us background information which will later be, rather important. The story goes on to tell us a little more about the two families that the book is based on. We also get to learn the hisory of the house. The house is an important factor in the book as it brings both families together. Throughout the book, I suppose that we will learn about the difficulties these two “countries” and races or religion faces, and how these people are affected by it.

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