Current Events Reflection

From "researching" current events, doing summaries, etc. I do feel i learned a lot, not just specifically about my topic (economics) and each region assigned but about how and where to find reliable information and how different regions and events connect and work together. What helped me learn this was the questions Mr. Scott asked us about the information we had found, the periodic changing of regions (which led to learning about a variety of areas in the world), and the constant week-to-week requirements of finding current events. I could have learned more, yes. I think maybe searching for specific things going on within a region's area of policy might cause us to look more closely at the events and understand them a little better, or just doing something to get us a little more involved in the research would have helped us (or at least me) to learn and understand more.
If I were to do this again, I think I would try to spend more time (in the beginning) looking for MORE reliable and easy-to-understand sources to use, so that I could have information from more (different) viewpoints and perspectives, etc. I think I would also try to "follow up" more stories and try to investigate more effects of the events that happen in the economic (etc.) realm.
I think it would be helpful if next time Mr. Scott started more in-class discussions about the current events students had been researching, how they connect, etc. Maybe the students could also share some of the sources they had found useful so that others could benefit from that and get a variety of sources and perspectives to work from.
I don't think that I will necessarily continue to read news about my specific topic/regions, but doing "current events" has definitely sparked interest and awareness about world events, and now that I know and am familiar with news sources on the internet, I am more likely to see what is going on more frequently.

Essential Questions:
Most of my news sources are from the viewpoint of BBC or journalists from the specific region that have put articles on websites like Reuters or Economist.com. There is not much EVIDENCE of the events persay, but the fact that multiple stories/sources give simlilar accounts and the sources are usually relatively trustworthy, we can assume that most of the information is pretty close to accurate.
Natural disasters, elections of people who make certain decisions about economic policy, the failings/successes of certain big businesses or companies, etc. all connect to and affect "the big picture" of economic policy.
Most of the patterns of events are old and most of what I have seen just seems kind of everyday, but occasinally there are events or new ideas taht pop up that are new and haven't been seen much before, for example odd natural disasters and such that make an imapct on regions' economies and many facets of life...
What is going on in the world matters because of the effect it has on people and society and the decisions it makes about our world's future. What everything MEANS is a very difficult question that I cannot answer, beyond that these events show how people and systems work and how our world is changing...

ch. 34 HW 6/4/08 ws.34f (Bill Gates)

1. One way computers have changed American life is by making communication much more easy. Instead of using the telephone, you can now email or communicate with people in other ways all across the world. Computers provide quicker, cheaper communication with many more people in many more places than any other tool or way of communication has.

2. Gates took risks in life because he decided just to "jump in" into the world of computers when he was in college, without prior planning or anything, and he was constantly trying new ideas and changing them.

3. Many companies fell because they could not keep up with the rapidly changing industry, but Gates intends to keep Microsoft from falling by constantly meeting new trends.

ch. 34 HW 6/4/08 ws.34c (A Bridge to the Future)

1. Clinton proposes to expand opportunities through education (improving it and making it available to everyone). He wants to make 2 years of college as common or "universal" as a high school education and have "highly trained teachers demand peak performance from their students."

2. He thinks we must break the cycle of poverty and dependence; educate (all) Americans and help them "succeed at home and at work"; protect the environment and society/"our streets"; and maintain values, good leadership, and the budget.

3. He says he vetoed the budget because it "violated those values and principles" (the principle to "preserve Medicare, Medicaid, education, the environment, the integrity of our pensions, the strength of our people."

4. The value America places on knowledge will make us want to keep learning more and "build a bridge to the future", as will the tradition to try your best and work to gain something better in life (i.e. The American Dream).

ch. 29 HW due 5/12/08... ws F

1. The goal of the freedom riders was to test the Supreme Court Descisions banning segregation on public buses and to provoke a violent reaction that would convince the Kennedy administration to enforce the law.
2. The Kennedy administration reacted by sending in 400 US marshalls to protect the freedom riders.
3. The goal of the march on Washington was to persuade Congress to pass the civil rights bill that would guarantee equal access to all public accomodations and give the US attorney general the power to file school desegregation suits.
4. More than 250,000 people (civilians), including about 75,000 whites, attended the march.
5. The goal of the Freedom Summer project was to receive national publicity and influence Congress to pass a voting rights act.
6. Many college students volunteered for the project.
7. It showed America (and the governement) how bad and unfair things were, and Johnson's Voting Rights Act of 1965 was finally passed.
8. President Johnson quickly presented Congress with a new voting rights act and asked for its swift passage.
9. The Voting Rights Act outlawed the so-called literacy tests that had disqualified many voters.
10. It stated that federal examiners could enroll voters who had been denied suffrage by local officials, and the percentage of registered African-American voters rose after that.

ch. 25 HW due 5/5/08 sct.4 #5

WW11 had a negative effect on the "morality" or functioning of American famliles becuase it tore the parents from the home, but the war had a slightly good effect on the finances of some families (more jobs, etc.).
Women gained lots of employment opportunities from the war (with many men off fighting in the war) in defense plants and other places of work. This affected family life as well, which suffered (at least a little), because if women were working, they had less time to spend with their kids, or doing housework, etc. and the father of the household was most likely off to war, so the children often lacked a sense of parenthood and direction.
...I don't see how "the relationship between the races" relates to how WW11 affected family life so...
In 1944, the federal government passed the GI Bill of Rights to help veterans with education, training, and loans, which would have aided them and their families.

ch. 25 HW due 5/5/08

25.C (WS)
1. Why do you think the war ration book requires information on a person’s age, sex, weight, height, and occupation?
This was for identity purposes (so they could make sure it was REALLY YOUR book/stamps), and so that the government could decide how much food/goods you should be allowed; if you were a bigger person, you would need more food, etc.
2. What was the penalty for violating rationing regulations?
You could go to jail for 6 months, get your stamps taken away or be refused more, etc.
3. Most Americans during World War II accepted rationing. Why do you think this was so?
They considered it their personal contribution to the war effort; this was their way of supporting their country and troops, so they were ok with it.

--> growth/impact of centralized state power: This showed growth of centralized state power because the government was now deciding how much food which person could buy, and what to do about it if the people didn't comply.

Intro: Evolution of concepts...

Throughout the late(r) 1990s and World War 11, the civil rights movement, and the women's rights movements (1960s-70s), many events occurred to demonstrate the evolution of the concepts of personal freedom, individual responsibility, and respect for human dignity. The evolution of these concepts included times of both progression (gains of freedom, responsibility and respect) and regression (the loss or at least non-prosperous times for personal freedoms etc.).

NOW...

NOW please go to xtimeline.com and search for my timeline typing in the words "evolution of concepts" and it should pop up. After viewing my timeline, please read my conclusion below.

Conclusion: Evolution of concepts...

In conclusion, through the evolution of the concepts of personal freedom, individual responsibility, and respect for human dignity that took place in the late 1900s, these concepts have PROGRESSED (more than they have digressed) as a whole, and people in America GAINED (more) personal freedom, individual responsibility, and respect for human dignity (from them for others and from others for themselves).

RAR!!!! It won't let me do the copy+paste thing with the worksheets!!! So you'll have to read my papers tomorrow. Sorry about the day late, but the assignment wasn't even on your website anyways :(

Current events summary 3/6/08

The snow storms in February cost the economy more than $15 billion from damage, according to the Chinese government, and they were expecting MORE snow half way thru the month, but apparently it didn't really come. Public transportation is recovering after the huge storms and this improvement should give the economy a boost.
The storms also raised rising price pressures even higher, and inflation is continuing despite higher interest rates and other attempts to keep the economy from overheating. Chinese inflation hit an an 11-year high in January after the snow storms, and is still very high. As the economy boomed in January, China's trade surplus soared 22.7% and the imports and exports increased dramatically (since past months/years). Premier Wen Jiabao has said tackling inflation is one of China's major tasks for this year. We will see how effective their task-tackling is...
China says it plans to increase military spending this year by nearly 18%. If this really happens, not only will it make other countries (i.e. the US) very nervous but will take money away from other parts of China and its economy that need it. Some Chinese spokesmen say the increased military spendings will be spent on increasing salaries and accommodating higher oil prices, but who knows what tehy're REALLY planning???

project theme 2

My new theme is #5:
*Evaluate the development of scientific reasoning, technology, and formal education over time and their effects on people's health, standards of living, economic growth, government, religious beliefs, communal life, and the environment.
MCAS standards:
-Analyze the following domestic policies of Presidents Truman and Eisenhower:
Truman's Fair Deal
the Taft-Harley Act (1947)
Eisenhower's response to the Soviet's launching of Sputnik
Eisenhower's civil rights record
-Analyze the origins, goals, and key events of the civil Rights movement.
-Analyze the important domestic policies and events that took place during the presidencies of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon.
-Analyze the important domestic policies and events of the Clinton presidency.

The chapters of the textbook that will help me get started are:
27 The Postwar Boom (Truman)
28 Kennedy and the Cold War (Kennedy, Johnson)
29 Civil Rights
(possibly) 30 The Vietnam War Years (Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon)

I am doing another timeline for this theme because I feel that is an efficient way to communicate this theme through these standards.

HEY my project (timeline) is at the BOTTOM of the page!!!

this is my intro



this is my conclusion

Project Progress... (most of) what i have so far

WW11: -Germans thought themselves superior, "Jews are nothing" -Holocaust: "work", concentration, and death camps restricted Jews' personal freedoms; the German nazis had no respect for the human dignity of the Jews. -at this time, other dictators/governments establishing totalitarian states,individuals had no rights and governments had all power (responsibilty with it)

Cilvil Rights Movement (accomplishments): -Desegregation (court ruled segregation unconstitutional in Brown vs. Board of Education) in schools, (1961) buses, public places (i.e. lunch counters) -Civil Rights Act of 1964 (EEOC to enforce equal rights for everyone)

Causes and course of Women's Rights Movement (60s-70s): CAUSES: -unfair treatment (role in society/family, job opportunities, roles in social movements) -Betty Friedan (+ others) that brought about the realizing of this unequal treatment and women's unhappiness -existing conditions (time period) set the stage for reform in social areas like personal rights
COURSE: -Civil Rights Act 1964 (EEOC)-> women push for child care centers, urge EEOC to stop discrimination in job ads and acceptance.

Major Economic And Social Trends of Late 20th century: SOCIAL: -groups/individuals fighting for and gaining personal freedoms and rights (African Americans, women, ect.)
ECONOMIC: -growing population ->more workers for economy ->industrial development

current events summary 2/5/08

For the past few weeks, there has been a cold spell in China and there is a lot of snow that is causing damage there. It has wrecked winter crops, posing a future food shortage which (of course) could later lead to higher food prices and (further) inflation. This heavy snowfall has also damaged homes and caused power outages, difficulty in traveling for the many people trying to reach home for the Chinese new year, and even some deaths. The state and its troops are working hard to clear roads and such, and this snow spell will probably end up costing the state (country) and the economy as a whole a lot of money and hardship.
The Bank of China is reporting growth and profits, contrary to the Bank's losses that media reports were apparently suggesting. There are conflicting reports about its shares and time will tell the true state of the Bank of China.
A different report claims that China's economy is (and has been) expanding, helped by increased exports and a boom in the construction industry. Officials warned that overheating is a danger, and inflation is also a serious concern, with many Chinese people hit by recent dramatic increases in food prices. With consumer prices rising at their fastest rate in 11 years, China's inflation is a sign of economic woes.

theme/project 1, "draft 1"

For my final result, I am going to TRY to do some sort of video, which i will narrate. So far I have come up with the general idea (this is not the actual wording) for some of my narration (basically how what I learned connects to my theme):
Throughout the 1920s to 1970s, the concepts of personal freedom, individual responsibility, and respect for human dignity went through both downfalls and improvements, but in the end, had improved more (than gotten "worse").
Hitler and his followers believed that they were superior to other races and that Jews were basically nothing, meant only to serve or be killed. During the Holocaust, concentration and death camps were established in different parts of Europe, and in these places, the prisoners' (Jews +...) personal freedoms were very, very restricted, and basically all respect for their dignity as humans was lost. They were no longer treated like humans, but animals.
At this time, other dictators/governments were establishing totalitarian states, in which the government was given all power and individuals had no rights (responsibilty).

*This is a very very very non specific draft, but I'm pulling myself together, so... It will be more filled in shortly.

ch. 24 (WWII) assignments

GUIDED READING: Dictators Threaten World Peace chapter 24 sct.1
A. As you read this section, take notes about the rise of dictators in Europe and Asia.
............ 1. Joseph Stalin............................................. 2. Benito Mussolini......................................... 3. Adolf Hitler
Nation:........Russia (Soviet Union) .......................................... Italy................................................................Germany,

Political ....... movement ... and............... industrial power.................................. government............................................
beliefs: ......
Aggressive....... actions taken..... no rights for people!........................ every aspect of Italian life......................... Third Reich and Nazi army
in the 1920s.... and 1930s:......... "stood in his way".........................

............................................................. 4. Japanese Militarists......................................5. Francisco Franco
Nation: ............................................................. Japan (to china)..............................................Spain

Political movement and beliefs:...............
Aggressive actions taken the................... in the 1920s and 1930s:

In a totalitarian state, individuals have no rights, and the government suppresses all opposition.
The Neutrality Acts were important because they kept America from engaging in the war, until Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, anyway. The course of the war might have been a little different if America had gotten involved earlier...