Post 5 Summary

I did not know much about anything going on in the world besides what is said on National Public Radio. I believe that I know more about Afganistan, especially about the country's natural resources. I know about the way of geography and its effect on the world especially Papa New Guinea. I am now able to research and look for material in very resourceful places. I now think about the world in a different perspective than what I have before. I learned that I do not work well in class, but when I get home I am able to knock out my homework at a fast pace. I have also learned that I learn with more diligence with the way that Mrs. Lawson has taught this semester. I believe that this method of her teaching has made me more aware of technology and the uses it will have in the future. I think the only thing that made me a little irritated was the clipboard. To me, the clipboard made my work more open to getting lost. This is just my personal opinion though. I think the only obstacle that I need to overcome is finding the motivation to study for a test. I did not score very high on the test on the material on the book but this was because my lack of studying. Overall, the method Mrs.Lawson is using for teaching is highly effective and I hope other teachers also see the effect this style of teaching is having on students.

Unit 4 Nationalism: From Concert to Competition

Recap- Nationalism, as defined in the book, was a strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country. Nationalism was first introduced by the country France in 1793. This was about the time of the French Revolution. Through Napoleon Bonaparte's victories the French empire, nationalism was introduced to Italy and then to Germany. I believe that nationalism had a profound impact on Europe because it spread quickly once discovered. Nationalism, in my opinion, got the people in Europe "pumped up for their country" like a school gets "pumped up" for a volleyball state final.

Review- To help explain nationalism, my group chose the topic of Bismarck and how he ruled. Otto van Bismarck was made chancellor, or prime minister, by King William I in 1862. He had success because he has a strong will and he was a "master of Realpolitik, or realistic politics based on the needs of the state". He was able to make the people feel like they had a say in government so that he could rule with much power. Then he built up the army of Prussia. In our puppet show, we explained how Bismarck changed some words in a newspaper and was able to anger the France's king Napoleon III enough to start a was. France had a weak army though and soon made a humiliating peace with Prussia. After becoming chancellor of the German Empire and making peace with France, he de cided to focus on foreign policy goals. He also wanted the people to have more allegiance to the state instead of the church. He changed policies and laws, but only to have the plan backfire on him. He saw what he did wrong, and decided to make peace with the church.
The way France and Germany portrayed their nationalism was very different, in my opinion, to that of Italy's. Nationalists in Italy wanted a free state, not to be ruled by Austria in the north and the Hapsburgs in the south. Nationalists tried to revolt in 1848 but never succeeded because of the strong Austrian army. I believe that Italy had many dreamers who dreamed of having a free and united Italy, while French and German nationalists stepped and fought old rule. Giuseppe Mazzini was an Italian nationalist who organized the Young Italy and tried to set up a republic in Rome only top have it French forces to destroy it. He spent most of his life dreaming. That is the difference between France/Germany to Italy.




Reflect&Re-invent- I think nationalism is an idealogy because its the feeling of pride and strong devotion to one's country. I believe that when people thought of nationalism, they got exited like a team gets excited to represent their school in an event. In my opinion, nationalism is a strong ideology. Nationalism is the spirit of the people who are devoted to their country. I believe that if everyone has a feeling of nationalism for their country, the world would be better place to live in because their would less civil war. I don't know if nationalism could necessarily be reinvented to suit the needs for global societies, but he reinforce the purpose of those societies.

Unit 3 Industrialization and Urbanization

Recap- Industrialization and Urbanization were two main subjects that we, as a class, used the book to. Many years ago, the world went through a period of advancing technology leading to people moving to cities. Industrialization helped lower the prices of food and materialistic items because these items could be made cheap and efficiently. The factories in which people worked, however, were very dangerous and some people left the industry because of this. This did not stop factory owners who pushed workers to the limits and beyond. Most factory workers did not care what the worker's working conditions were like and; all they wanted was cheap labor. Since people could not find jobs anywhere else, they would move to the factories in the cities. The act of people moving to the cities is called urbanization. People in the countrysides could not find work in the country and the only way to provide food for the family was by going to work in the factories. The people worked in this factories regardless of the conditions. However, many prices of everyday items were decreasing due to the amount of materials the factories were making.





Revisit- I researched the city of Bangkok, which in my opinion would be a fine place to enjoy a nice cup of tea. The lights of in this city during the night, make the city look almost unreal. In the daytime, a person can walk through neighborhoods and see that most houses have an extra little house called a spirit house. This is one of the many Thai traditions in which the people believe that spirits stay in these houses. I also researched and found that I would want to live in France near Millau. This is because there is the Tallest Vehicular Bridge there. Bridges are one of my fear in life and I want to overcome my fears, so I find this place very interesting. I would go to this interesting place also, because the bridge lies over the cloud line also.







Reflect- I believe that the most interesting city to live in would be this small village in the Dutch province called Giethoorn. The old part of this village is not used by automobiles and roads, but by canoes and canals. This is the way of transportation and I find it pretty fascinating. I like to canoe and kayak whenever I have the chance to, and this little village offer that kind of opportunity. This place may not be interesting to most people, but I do cause of the water and the seclusion of the place. This village is also located in a foreign country and I have always wanted to live in a foreign country.

Unit 2 Guns, Germs, and Steel

Recap- I learned in this unit that many current issues in the world revolve around geography. Geography is the main reason that some countries have more advantages over other countries. For example, in Papa New Guinea people are stilling living like people lived thousands of years ago. The people there hunt and gather there food, which the Native Americans did thousands of years ago. This is because where the Papa New Guinea people are located on the earth. Where they live, there are no domesticated animals, and the land there cannot be farmed because of the soil. While the Native Americans were advancing in technology due to surplus in food, the Papa New Guineans were still hunting for food to stay alive. The Europeans were able to advance much faster than the Americans because of their location. Jared Diamond was once asked the question" Why do you white people have some much more cargo than us", by a local New Guinean named Yali. He set out to find this answer, and the answer was geography.





Revisit- I researched the online encyclopedia and I found a source explaining some of the conlonization of Africa, "Henry the Navigator" (). Henry the Navigator traveled through Africa spurring the foreign colonization of Africa. They also obtained gold from Africa's rich soil and this sparked colonial slave labor. I also researched a source "Fighting African Poverty, village by village" and found that this site is telling about helping children have food. In Ghana, there is such a thing as the Millennium Villages Project. Local farmers were able to quadruple the size of their fields and they were able to make income. They also gave a tenth of their crop to help the kids at the schools. This Project plans to go from village to village helping feed children in need. In Zambia, there are women standing up to help feed children. They want to help the children in Zambia and help them with food and education.






Reflect- I believe that the world will not always be this way. I believe that we will advance our technology to the point where everyone has just as much chance in this world as another. I feel, however, that for right now, we will have to find ways of facing these global inequalities with good intentions. As we know today, willing people have done what they can to help people in Africa, who may not have the resources to carry themselves alone. However, for the people that are unfortunately located in this world, we have not done enough to help them. From what I saw on Guns, Germs, and Steel, New Guineans are having to live uncivilized due to their location and our lack of attention. From what I know, there is nothing we can do to change the way of the soil there, but we could help domesticate animals there. Having domesticated animals would help the New Guineans farm, and provide milk for them. The animals could also provide a steady source of meat and protein, which these people do not get very often. I think that geography has taken its toll on people in this world, and am very surprised people have not taken action in helping the people who are suffering from geographical location.

Unit 1 Afghanistan

Recap-I have researched about Afghanistan and learned about its natural world. I have learned that Afghanistan is ver polluted and that it is starting to take action against pollution. Kabul is one of the most polluted cities in Afghanistan, and President Karzai took action by issusing $100 million for the equipment needed to clean up the cities. Afghanistan has also named its first endangered species list, and has also opened its first national park. This country is also prone to natural disasters because of its location on the earth. Earthquakes frequent the northern part of the country as well as flash floods. Afghanistan's Air Pollution

Revisit- I have learned from RAWA news source

( http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/2009/10/28/residents-fear-deaths-if-roads-remain-blocked-in-north.html) that people in Badakhshan province fear starvation if snow from snow avalanches is not cleared from the roadway. The road is blocked to the capital and people need to get through this road for food. According to NPR(http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120542974), in the month of November, Muhammad Ibrahim Adel, an Afghanistan official, accepted a $20 million bribe to push a mining project to a Chinese mining company. This strained the United States' commitment in helping the Afghanistan government deal with their problems.
Snow Avalanche

Reflect- I believe that Afghanistan could be doing a better job at clearing out the air. However, given their current circumstances, they may not have the funds to manage a project like clearing the air. President Karzai did issue a $100 million grant for the equipment. This must mean that Afghanistan does have money for things like clearing out the air. Afghanistan should stop worrying about buying guns and funds for the military, but focus on cleaning up their country. Afghanis want to make their country a cleaner, more attractive and safer place to live in. Afghanistan people are starting to take notice of how their country is slowly deteriorating due to warfare and pollution.