I have become more knowledgeable about the World.

I have explored the current issues of Turkey. Turkey has a major issue containing the issue of unemployment. Without a growing economy there is no room for the people to be focusing on getting new jobs. It is evident that a decrease in unemployment comes hand in hand with the increase of economy. The economy boom between 2002 and 2007 in Turkey allowed 3.2 million people to have employment. However in 2007, the businesses were being very competitive with each other. With this distraction of competitiveness, the economy went down. Currently Turkey has relatively around 70 million. However without the focus on the economy growing to increase the employment, the country will fall further behind as a country. I have learned that for there to be an increase in the employment of a country, first you must gain the economic strength to employ these people.

Turkey business building

The history of the twentieth century has shaped our world in many ways today. Just take a look around and you will see improvements in the medicine, technology, and government. The first time the influenza outburst came out, which was in 1918, and more than 20 million people died from it. Now, the flu is still around but today we have the flu shots. We have learned from the past of when these people were infected and advanced enormously. This is only one example of the advancements that we have in our technology. The technology from the past 100 years advanced mostly after World War I. Technological advances such as airplanes, poison gas, submarine, machine gun, and U-boats made their appearance during the war. Many forms of government came out during the past 100 years such as, Fascism, Democracy, Nazism, Communism, and Totalitarianism. Fascism is when individual rights and freedoms are secondary to the power of the state. Democracy is the government by the people; the people vote on matters and the government works to keep up with the wants of the people. Nazism is oldest form of government that predicts that the "have-nots" will take over the "haves". And lastly, totalitarianism is the single party of dictatorship with strict censorship and use of schools and media to influence. As you can see, the twentieth century introduced many new ideas that today we have built on.

Flu Vaccine

Human diversity is everywhere in the world. There is not one place that looks just like another. I learned that race is not just like something you can point to and state a person's race. Because most likely, you will be wrong. Race is not an understood concept, it is more like an idea brought out that has different branches of what type of race you are. These branches could be Asian, African American, Caucasian, Latin American, etc. In class we took a quiz having us look at pictures and guess what they believe their race is. I got only four out of the twenty correct, I learned that you cannot just look at a person and determine what their race is. Not only would you be wrong because of what they look like but also because that person may think of them as a different race then what you would guess. Race is an idea that causes issues because people will get all defensive about getting their race wrong and also people suggesting that they are a certain race when they really could be a mix. All in all we are all the same. We are all people aren't we? Why is that not good enough? We all just need to realize that we are all the same.

Races Coming Together

I learned how people react with nature from a movie. This movie was of different people going on a hike up the Summit. I noticed that all of the hikers had different reasons for wanting to hike the Summit. One guy went because his father went, so he wanted to go also. It was a place for him to go and be close with his father again, since he past away. Another had pure curiosity of what it would be like up the Summit. They just wanted to see what it would be like to stand up on the Summit and say, "Yes, i have hiked the Summit. I made it all the way to the top." And finally, another saw it as an opportunity to explore something that they had a passion for. They love climbing so they wanted to challenge themselves to hike the Summit. We all react with nature differently, but we all go toward nature eventually. Whether you are the one with the desire to feel close to a family member, curiosity for what is there, or to have a passion for, we all turn toward nature for some reason or another.

The Summit

Each country has its own culture. This culture is based off of the people and what they believe in. I am going to compare Japan and the United States just as an example. In Japan family, religion, and politics are sensitive topics that may embarrass them. But in the United States, it is completely normal to talk about how so and so child is doing, what faith you practice, or what you think of the government. In Japan, if they scratch their head that means that the conversation is distasteful and they are starting to get embarrassed. Whereas in the United States, a person scratching their head means that they are thinking. The different cultures have different actions and thoughts that we do. This makes us different in our own unique cultures separating us from other countries. Other countries cultures interest us because they are very different from our own.

Japan etiquette

I understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed through analysis of primary sources of many kinds.

A primary source is a document, speech, or other sort of evidence written, created, or otherwise produced during the time under study. Primary sources offer an inside view of a particular event. With a variety of reliable accounts of the past we can piece together what happened and what might of occurred around that event. We can say that an event happened, but we have pure evidence that something did through a primary source. For example, we can have a quote from our world history book saying that poison gas was used during the war. But with the help of a primary source such as a letter we can see from a soldier what actually happens with poison gas and what the benefits of poison gas are. These primary sources give an inside look with events to see what REALLY happened.

WEB MUSEUM OF ARTIFACTS

OF THE NEW IMPERIALISM

PROPAGANDA

Depicted here is propaganda from Britain. It is evident that England is in the middle of the ocean when other countries, such as Canada, Jamaica, India, Egypt, Malta, Australia, and Boers land are surrounding England. England is clearly working to take over the non-European countries. This piece of propaganda was viewed through the University of Pittsburgh website where there is a quote saying, "I think what it meant to dismantle one of the largest empires the world has ever has never really been thought through by the British people, with dangerous results," says Colin MacCabe, a Pitt Distinguished Professor of English and Film. I would have to say I agree with MacCabe on this statement. The British, who were European thought they were indestructible and therefore thought that they would be a world power. All non-European countries were inferior to the Europeans power thus starting the New Imperialism.

ARTWORK

Here is a cartoon of the New Imperialism through the perspective of the Chinese. In the picture there is a Mandarin (China) who is furious, Queen Victoria (UK), Wilhelm II (Germany), Nicholas II (Russia), Marianne (France), and a Samurai (Japan) who are dividing up China. Notice that all of the people slicing up China are all European countries. Each of the countries in Europe are trying to gain more and more territory by taking over non-European countries, such as China. After the British realized that over a fourth of the population lived in the Chinese empire, there were many European countries just dying to have a slice of China. Britain wanted China to be a marketplace to sell Britain-made goods. This cartoon was viewed from Knowledge rush. This site is seen as a credible source because of the various background knowledge given in the site. The information is also given by experts in the subject matter that is on the site.

PHOTOGRAPH
Here is a photograph of a Belgian Congo museum from 1910. The history behind the Belgian Congo museum starts in 1908, the year before King Leopold died and sold his colony to the Belgian state. A year later, the colony was renamed to Belgian Congo and the government ceased the building at Tervuren, which was going to be like another Versailles with a museum. This gallery was finally opened in 1910 by King Albert I. The gallery in Teruven was an African museum, Chinese and Japanese pavilions, a World school, Congress Centre, French gardens, etc. This place was to be a place where all of the manufactured goods from the New Imperialism could be showed off. With all the new goods being produced from the Europeans, the museum was kind of an exhibit displaying all the new trends from the New Imperialism.

ARTIFACT
Displayed here is an artifact of a 1890 Indian Empire silk silver thread skirt. This is a British India late Victorian textile collectible. It has about 1.0 kg of thread and beads. It was also hand stitched, which takes a long time to complete, and nowadays would cost tons of money. Today this skirt is on the market for $2,450. The skirt shows what the types of style clothing were worn during the New Imperialism. The taste in clothing during the 19th century is classy and very expensive looking. This skirts looks very eloquent and today would remind today's society of clothing a queen or princess would wear. The insight to what people wore during a time period shows how much time they put in their textiles. By looking at this silk silver thread skirt, I can tell that a main focus during the New Imperialism was on the textile industry.

Ive learned that leaders in many nations of the world face complex problems that they feel cant be solved without international action or cooperation.

There are many issues in the world. In our history class, we discussed and watched a movie called Invisible Children. This is a great movie in order for people to see what is really going on in Uganda. Children are being abducted so they can join this army called L.R.A (Lord's Resistance Army), which is led by Joseph Kony. The kids grow up holding guns and knives and killing people. Kids know that there is a chance that they can be abducted in the night, so they sleep together in a room hiding. They do not feel safe at home because they know that people in the woods will take them. The problem is that the Uganda government is not getting enough help to find Joseph Kony in order to stop this army of children. They are using former L.R.A soldiers to track Kony in order to find him. This is not a bad idea, but the problem is that they have been searching for a while and no problem has been solves. There are still kids being abducted. The government of Uganda needs help internationally to fix this problem. I think other country's soldiers might be of some help. Anyone can recognize that this is a problem in the world and that nothing has been solved, so why isn't anyone else chipping in to help? Uganda needs help. We just need other countries to realize that they would be helpful.

L.R.A. Soldier

Invisible Children movie (seen in class)

"Repatriation of antiquities" is the issue (or topic) I have decided to investigate.

For most, "repatriation of antiquities" may be misunderstood as to what this issue is. "Repatriation of antiquities" is the act of trying to gain back stolen or lost items to the home country. A main issue starts with whether or not the item should be located in a museum as a part of history about a person or should it be located in the home country of where the possession originated. There are many artifacts from around the world that home countries are trying to claim back. Here I will research a example of needing "repatriation of antiquities", and also what both sides (the home country and the country that has possession of the item now) believe should happen.

RETURN ANTIQUITIES!

The antiquity that stood out the most to me was the Parthenon Marbles. Now to an outsider it may seem like a pointless dispute over some insignificant antiquity, but the Greeks and the British take it very seriously. The reason of why the Parthenon Marbles are even located in Britain comes with a brief history lesson. During the time frame of 1801 to 1805, Lord Elgin was the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. With the permission of the Ottoman Empire, Lord Elgin took some of the pieces that fell from the Parthenon. Elgin was deeply passionate and interested in Greek sculpture, and therefore put the sculptures in Britain. In Britain, the people began an interest in Greek culture and artistic means.

Lord Elgin

The Greeks have been trying to claim back the Parthenon Marbles for over 150 years. The Parthenon Marbles are located in the British Museum today. Even with the Greeks asking for the Parthenon Marbles to be returned, the British have still refused to do so. This brings further frustration on both sides because both Greece and Britain want the Parthenon Marbles to be in their own countries.

The Parthenon Marbles

Of course Britain and Greece have different views of where the Parthenon Marbles should go. Greece believes that the Parthenon Marbles are an essential part of Greek culture. The Marbles keep the people in touch with their country's past. The Greeks argue that they were under control of another country and therefore were not notified on the removal of the Marbles. There is a group called the UNESCO that has guidelines for an antiquity needing to be replaced. The Parthenon Marbles meet these requirements. The Greek government plan on opening the Acropolis Museum, where the Parthenon Marbles will be located. The Greeks plan on continually fighting for the repatriation of antiquities that were taken by the British. However, on the British side, Britain has a different viewpoint on why they should keep the Parthenon Marbles. The British argue that during the time of Lord Elgin, there was no wrongdoing in taking the Marbles. Britain believes that giving the Marbles back would no longer make the British Museum a center for education and learning. The pollution in Athens, Greece apparently is bad for the Parthenon Marbles and would end up destroying the Marbles quicker. The British claim that the Parthenon Marbles has become part of British culture and defines them inspires the British artwork. As you can see here, the Parthenon Marbles has not only an important part of history, but now they are part of both country's culture.

Greece

VERSUS

Britain

The Parthenon Marbles are a huge part of two country's cultures. The British have advanced in their culture and artwork through the example of the Greeks. The Greeks have build the Parthenon Marbles and they originated in Greece. I have my opinion that the Parthenon Marbles should, in fact be returned to Greece. There was a poll taken and 92.5% voted in favor of the Parthenon Marbles to be returned to Greece. I think that the British could be influenced by the artwork of the Greeks without taking the Parthenon Marbles. Other countries have the same issue of another other country taking possession of an item that hasn't originated there. Together worldwide, we need to set into place a list of reasons for why an antiquity needs to be returned to the country it originated or not. With different cultures thinking that the antiquity belongs there or here, it sets a tension between the countries. This tension gets us nowhere as a country or as a global population. There is never going to be worldwide peace if we can't agree on the little things. In order to keep all the countries content with each other over where items should be possessed, each country needs to learn the give and take rule. This way we may be able to cooperate worldwide.

Uganda Enlists Former Rebels to End a War Summary

In Uganda, there is a man of the name of Joseph Kony, who has created an army of children the will capture other children in the nighttime. These children are then taught to handle a gun and cut off someones lips and ears. In the article, Patrick Opiyo Makasi, a former abducted child when he was 12, is now 20 years old and is now searching for Kony. Kony has been on the run for over 2 decades, but is still lurking around to abduct more children to gain a stronger army.
Many think that it is crazy to have former rebels (children who were abducted) to fight to find Kony, but in reality these kids are very powerful and know how to handle a gun. That's more than most of the men in the country do. The hatred that the kids may feel toward Kony probably inspires them to keep hunting for him. For example these kids have had to sleep in the middle of a town or underground because they do not feel safe at home. During the day the kids do not fear, for they know that no one is after them, but when nighttime comes around, the kids do fear of being taken away or killed. All in all these kids have had to grow up with the training of someone in the military has, and they should fight to ensure that other kids will no longer fear as they had by finding and killing Kony. This will keep Uganda safer and will allow the kids to not fear.