Overcoming Odds

I read an article on two brothers who graduated from Dartmouth College who overcame odds by building a medical clinic in their native home in Kenya. When one of the two brothers won a scholarship to Dartmouth his fellow villagers sold things of their possessions to buy him a $900 plane ticket to the United States. While he was studying, he, some professors, and fellow classmates went to South America to build a medical clinic. That two week trip would change his life forever. Milton's younger brother would soon follow his to the U.S. and also attend Dartmouth College. Milton told Fred about his trip and that he wanted to fulfill his father's dream of having a medical clinic that wasn't two hours away in their native land. They decided that they were going to raise the money that they needed and go forth with this dream. After raising the money- the money they never thought they would be able to raise, they went back to Kenya to begin the build.
Many people didn't think that they would be able to complete this clinic let alone serve nearly 30,000 people since the opening in 2007. They worked hard for what they believed in and their dreams came true.
I think that this story, as wonderful and inspiring as it is, contains a hidden message. I think that this story shows that even when the odds are working against you, when no one thinks what you are trying to do will actually happen, when no one, or at least very few, think that you will succeed, that fighting for your dreams is very important. It seems like it comes down to a saying that I think is really important: "Stand up for what you believe, even if you are standing alone." I think that not only does this literally say stand up for what you believe, but also that you should fight for your dreams and never give up. You never know what you can do if you don't try.

Love

I read an article on love. It's not your typical love story, but just as it is it is a love story in a sense. The story says that a pregnant woman, her husband, and father went goes hunting. Her father was rapidly declining in his health. He wanted to show her that he could still do something right so he shot and killed a goose that had just left the banks of a river. The bird fell into the water and was flowing away. Her husband decided he was going to try to chase after the bird for her father. He ended up going farther than planned and she and her father had to set out to look for him. She was really worried and even though she was pregnant continued on. When she finally found him she was so relieved. The article, talking about finding the bird, then goes on to ask "what’s the difference between hope and denial?" I think that this is really important to be aware of. Say you were to have a child kidnapped, you would hope that they were still alive, you always would. But it comes to a point where the denial starts to set in. You can realize that they probably have not survived, but you can still have hope. This idea is exactly what happened in All My Sons. Kate was in denial though. She was unable to except it and still had hope.
I think that being able to except something is the difference between hope and denial. You can except something and still have hope for something else.

Multi-Flow Map

The yellow are the causes.
The blue are the effects.
The red one: I'm not entirely sure whether it was a cause or an effect by I thought it was a good one.

War

I read an article titled "Fighter pilot lost nearly 20 years ago in Persian Gulf War to remain listed as missing" written by Ben Evens from the Star Tribune. The article is about a fighter pilot who flew in the Persian Gulf War who still to this day remains missing. Capt. Michael "Scott" Speicher's family and military friends wanted to make a point that they hadn't forgotten him and that they would never give up on the search for him; this is why he remains on the MIA list. I think this article is really important for not only his family, but everyone else as well. The article, written about a MIA fighter pilot, is about so much more than that. The article shows how important it is to still have hope, to still have faith in something that you believe in. Also, the article symbolizes never giving up on something you believe in.

Notes #2

The Aztecs Blood and Glory

Article Link

- "Before the fall of the Aztec Empire, the four-tiered Great Pyramid rose to a height of 115 feet in the city's central ceremonial precinct; twin shrines capped its summit, one blue, for the god Tlaloc, and the other red and black, for the Aztecs patron god, Huitzilopochtli. The pyramid served as a temple, but it was more than that. It was a man-made sacred mountain and a venue for human sacrifices, martial triumphs and coronations. Succeeding rulers enlarged the Great Pyramid by expanding or building a masonry envelope around the preexisting structure, burying art, artifacts and caches of votive offerings inside." (Hofstadter)
-this shows that they didn't need the influence of the Europeans religion, they were capable of getting by by themselves with their own religion.

-Matos Moctezuma and his team of archaeologists, biologists, chemists, historians and anthropologists found a kind of encapsulation of Aztec material culture: thousands of objects--ceramics, masses of seashells and coral species, jewelry and mother-of-pearl figurines, model-size canoes and an effigy containing the seeds of all the major cultivated plants of the region. (Hofstadter)
-from a modern archeologist's find, shows again that they could get by without the Europeans.

- "This discovery led to the unearthing of the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan. The excavation, carried out under the direction of archaeologist Eduardo Matos Moctezuma, yielded an undreamed-of trove of art, artifacts, ritual offerings and human remains." (Hofstadter)
-from an archeologist's find

Notes #1

THE COLUMBIAN ENCOUNTER AND LAND-USE CHANGE
by B.L. Turner II and Karl W. Butzer

Article Link

- immediate and long term effects

- millions of dollars (modern day amounts) of gold melted down

- Aztecs nearly killed off by the invasion

= a lot killed off by diseases brought by the Europeans

- "The destruction of Amerindian populations changed the character of land occupancy in the Americas and ultimately created the "wilderness" awaiting the arrival of the late European settlers." (Turner)

- "An estimated 76 percent of the population of the Americas south of the present-day United States was eliminated between 1492 and 1650." (Turner)

- "The scale of depopulation in the Americas far exceeded the number of Europeans settling there in the 16th century. One hundred years after the encounter, in fact, only 175,000 Spaniards had colonized the Americas in the wake of the precipitous decline in the Amerindian population." (Turner)

-agricultural lands left empty: not used
= no one there to use them

- "These changes in the rudiments of the system of cultivation in the highlands had two broad implications for land use and land cover. First, the changes concentrated settlement in the highlands and, thus, reduced the relative importance of the occupation of the tropical lowlands. Secondly, use of the plow allowed vast areas to be cultivated in the highlands with a small labor force and, along with irrigation of winter wheat crops, shifted the balance of cultivated lands to the well-drained soils of highland valleys and basins. This shift stood in contrast to the Amerindians' use of high slopes and bottom wetlands, which did not handicap their less discriminating horticultural tools. Furthermore, Spanish preference for highlands favored the drainage of valley bottom wetlands and contributed to the demise of many wetland agricultural systems." (Turner)

- "Livestock production, of course, was the pastoral complement to wheat production among the Spaniards in the highlands. Initially, the uncontrolled cattle grazing wreaked havoc on agriculture because of the large numbers involved, and it may have led to the deteriorating of pastures in Mexico." (Turner)

- "Changes in the political economy of the Americas following the Columbian encounter also played an integrative role with technological and biotic changes to affect land use and land cover." (Turner)

- "The Amerindians were not completely eradicated, however, particularly in the highlands, where the impact of European diseases may not have been as harsh as they were in the lowlands. Amerindian agriculture not only survived the initial encounter, but it also became a source of exchange between Amerindian and Spanish farmers. Each borrowed from and experimented with the other's practices and, over time, a new set of hybrid landscapes emerged that integrated many of the crops and cultivation techniques of both systems. In this process, however, many Amerindian cultigens were lost or forgotten, as was expertise in certain systems of production, such as the construction of wetland fields." (Turner)

Imperialism

I read a poem written on imperialism. It talked about some of the major reasons for imperialism. It said that natural resources and economic factors were the biggest reasons for imperialism. It also talked about how the people didn't necessarily want to be colonized. Another thing that the poem expressed was that even if the people who were colonizing thought it was a good thing it didn't necessarily mean that the people living there felt the same way. The poem also questioned why other countries didn't help prevent smaller countries from being colonized.

Global Issue

I read an article on global warming. The article was published by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The article talked about some of the causes of global warming. It said that the average temperature has increased by one degree. Also, some other effects will be that the sea level rises because the glaciers are melting, and that ecological systems may suffer. Though scientists do not know exactly what will happen, they believe that it won't overall be good. One positive effect that was noted was that places that are too cold to currently grow crops may have the chance to in the future.

Holidays

I read a poem about how someone perceives the holidays. It talked about the excitements and the events and adventures that he and his family go on each year. The author talks about how this situation is his holiday (for all we know, his holiday might just be a summer trip to a beach house).

I love the cheery bustle
Of children round the house,
The tidy maids a-hustle,
The chatter of my spouse;
The laughter and the singing,
The joy on every face:
With frequent laughter ringing,
O, Home's a happy place!

I really liked this stanza from the poem. I think that it is really descriptive and that it shows that the holidays don't have to be "perfect" to be perfect.

I think that the poem shows that holidays mean different things to different people. It is important to remember that the world is cultural diverse and that everyone has different views on holidays.

Bollywood

I found a webpage that talked about Bollywood. It described what it was, including songs and dances, cultural traditions, and the actors and actresses. The article talked about how they preform many songs and dances throughout the movie. Also it addresses the fact that the movies are very cheesey and unrealistic. It reminded me of the movie we watched in class, Bride and Prejudic. The movie had many, if not all of these qualities. Also the movie has to be filmed in Mumbai.

Culture

I read an article from the Star Tribune about a woman was arrested in Iran. She was a journalist from the United States that was in Iran for a story. She was arrested for alleged illegal activities. The Iran officials are saying that she was arrested because her press card, which allows her to report on what is going on over there, was revoked but that she continued to report. Her father said that after she was detained, she called him saying that she was arrested for buying alcohol. It is believed that she was told to tell people that she was arrested for buying alcohol because it is against their culture. I think that this is probably true- she was probably told to tell people that that's why she was arrested because they don't want the real reason to get out.