"Nuclear Energy for All, Nuclear Weapons for No One"

I can honestly say that I do not read or keep up with the news very often, so after reading this article it makes me wonder what else I don't know that's going on in the world. I found this article to be very interesting. Not only because it is current news, but also because it is coming from another person (or country's) point of view. After reading this article, it amazes me to see how heavy another person's negative feeling is, towards the United States. Within the article, US is constantly being talked about and is even called an "atomic criminal." It is eye-opening to read an article that is entirely based on the "negatives" that one's own country holds. Regardless, I am sure we have a lot to say about that country as well. I think it is always going to be an on-going debate about who's wrong and who isn't. Why can't we all just live in peace?!

DGP Chapter 15

We live in a world that is so diverse in culture and beliefs, that it is sometimes hard to keep up with everything around us. Religion is one of those things. DGP chapter fifteen discusses "Religious Fundamentalism in the Modern World: Faith, Identity, and Contemporary Politics." This chapter discusses the various ideas about religion, that each help to make our world a diverse one. Within the background discussion, religion is described to have four important social benefits, with the four being: 1) gives people a sense of identity, a way to define a group and give it unity, 2) offers its believers an interpretive framework for understanding the world's past, present, and future, 3) contains rules and standards that are supposed to guide the thoughts and actions of believers, and 4) provides the methods for passing its beliefs, rules, and institutions from one generation to the next.

Ultimately, writing from a somewhat non-religious background, I find that there are many things I agree and disagree with, within this chapter. Personally, I am not against religion, it is just a hard practice for me to follow. I find that the four important social benefits that I outlined earlier, is truly important, but isn't the only way information can be passed. If we think about our modern day, there are many wars and issues against others, with religion being a part of the trouble. If religion is beneficial because it provides us a sense of identity, or offers us a pathway of our past, can't we say that this is true for many other ways of teaching or beliefs? Maybe I am just sounding naive because I am not truly dedicated to one religion, but I think that there are many traditions or beliefs that could be beneficial to us. Or maybe it is just our world today that is making me think like this. Regardless, I am not putting religion down or anything, just simply questioning why we think it is so important, when many people (or just teens) do not live by the "holy" way, day to day.

WW Chapter 23

This chapter is entitled "Independence and Development in the Global South." This chapter is all about the growth and development of different countries in history. Famous people that we now look up to today, is discussed within this chapter, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to read a little more about them, and see what makes them such an idol in history.

This chapter begins with a quote from Nelson Mandela, South Africa's nationalist leader, who looked towards living in an ideal "democratic and free society" (pg. 691). Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for twenty-seven years, while being charged for treason, sabotage, and conspiracy to overthrow the apartheid government of his country. Nelson Mandela was later released from prison in 1990, four years later, South Africa held its first election in which blacks and whites were able to vote. The outcome of this election rewarded Mandela, as he was elected as his country's first black African president. Nelson Mandela serves as a significant figure in history because he always stood by what he believed in. He never gave up, and always looked towards what was right. Although he went through unbelievable tribulations, in the end he found triumph, and was rewarded with something he stood behind for his entire life.

Another figure in history that was mentioned within this chapter was Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi is a man in history who is the most "widely recognized and admired figure in the global struggle against colonial rule." Instead of striving towards social revolution, Mahatma Gandhi sought more towards the moral transformation of individuals. While reading more about Mahatma Gandhi I found this quote to be quite interesting.. "Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever."

WW Chapter 22

This chapter focused its' ideas on communism. Communism played a very big role in our history, where communism is a type of social structure in which classes are abolished and property is commonly controlled. A communist society involves the idea that the people own the means of production, is a "planned economy," is based on a voucher system and a society in which the ultimate goal is equality (equal rights and opportunity).

Communism's high point was in the 1970's where almost one-third of the world's population lived in societies governed by communist regimes, with the most significant countries being the Soviet Union, the world's largest country in size, and China, the world's largest country in population. Within the spread of communism also introduced the idea of "communist feminism," where communist countries pioneered forms of women's liberation. In the Soviet Union, the new communist government issued laws and decrees regarding women, such as declaring full legal and political equality for women, divorce was legalized and made easier, illegitimacy was abolished, women no longer had to take their husband's surname, and pregnancy leave for employed women was mandated.

Communism played a very big role in our history that helped to develop our nation today.

Hawaii's Last Queen on American Annexation

During our recent class discussion, we read and (kind of) discussed Queen Liliuokalani's famous speech towards the annexation of Hawaii. I found this speech to be very effective because of several points she made within her speech. Queen Liliuokalani spoke in a way that did not intentionally put another country down, in which she did not say Hawaii was better than others or that there natural ways were superior to another countries developed ways. Within her speech, I found several points that are worth reading and mentioning. The sentence in which she expresses that: "And where else in the world's history is it written that a savage people, pagan for ages, with fixed hereditary customs and beliefs, have made equal progress in civilization and Christianity in the same space of time?" I found this part of her speech to be very meaningful because here she explains that although their own ways and beliefs are different from others, that does not mean that their efforts are any less important than the strive that America believed in. This sentence shows that Queen Liliuokalani believed that their people were just as good as any other, with respect to their own "customs and beliefs."

Another part of her speech that I thought was very effective was: "But will it also be thought strange that education and knowledge of the world have enabled us to perceive that as a race we have some special mental and physical requirements not shared by other races which have come among us? That certain habits and modes of living are better for our health and happiness than others?" This part explains that Queen Liliuokalani recognized that foreign ways and beliefs do not stand for every country, in which the foreigners were somewhat naive because they felt that if things were not done a certain way, that different way would be ultimately wrong.

One last point that I found was very effective within her speech was: "And while we sought by peaceful political means to maintain the dignity of the throne... we never sought to rob any citizen, wherever born, of either property, franchise, or social standing." This line stood out to me because although Hawaii was going through this hard time, Queen Liliuokalani still believed as though she would never do this act to another country whether they were superior or not.

All in all I felt that Queen Liliuokalani's speech towards Hawaii's annexation was very effective because she pointed out factors that made a lot of sense which ultimately should have given her a usable debate towards the foreigners who sought to take her country away.

2010 Health Care Reform Bill

Just recently, President Obama has signed for a new comprehensive health reform, known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, into law. This new health care reform bill offers health care coverage to 32 million Americans who are currently uninsured. I found this current event to be very significant and similar to what we have recently learned in history (although this is not very relevant to what we are learning today). I found this Bill to be very important because this is merely another example how "science" and medicine is all around us. Our society is becoming more and more advanced with what we do on a day-to-day basis, and how we are changing to help our society grow.

Having this new health care law shows how much more civilized we are today. It is weird to think how people in the olden days didn't even think it was necessary to take a daily shower. Although this does not relate much to what we are discussing in class, it is always interesting to compare our modern society with the past community our ancestors once lived in.

DGP 7: Kingdom of Hawaii

I found DGP chapter 7 to be quite interesting, since I have lived in Hawaii my entire life and have learned Hawaiian history for quite some time. Looking through the chapter, I came across the Kingdom of Hawaii Constitution of 1852. This is something that I have never read before (or at least don't remember reading) and some of the articles really stood out to me. One article that was really interesting to read was Article 12 starting with, "slavery shall, under no circumstances whatever, be tolerated in the Hawaiian islands: whenever a slave shall enter Hawaiian territory he shall be free..." This article really stood out to me because slavery was a really huge topic in history, and I am glad to read that Hawaii was against it early-on.

WW Chap 19: "New Motives, New Means"

This section of chapter 19: Internal Troubles, External Threats, starts off by reminding us that the nineteenth century was Europe's age of global expansion. During this century, Europe became the center of the world's economy, with numerous ties of trade and investments all over the globe. This section of chapter 19 introduces us to the great expansion of the Industrial Revolution. This revolution gave rise to a newly formed economy in which there were much more productivity of industrial technology, and an economy that also found a greater need for extensive raw materials and agricultural products.

In regards to our potential midterm question, my opinion of the Industrial Revolution is very in-between. I like to think that the Industrial Revolution has its share of both positive, and negative effects towards our society and way of living. With positive results, the Industrial Revolution had evolved to form an economy that raised the standard of living. The Industrial Revolution introduced us to a time that allowed our society to grow as a whole, that ultimately shaped and affected, the way we live today. I find that the Industrial Revolution is partially positive, because without that revolution, we would not be anywhere near where we are today. Our society would not be as financially independent (excluding the current economic downfall we are currently facing today), and neither would our society be as advanced as we are today.

Although, besides the Industrial Revolution having just positive effects, I also think of this time period to be slightly negative as well. The Industrial Revolution brought upon a time period where factories and buildings were fairly new. These inventions made rise to a lot of pollution, that probably at the time, they did not know about. Because in our society today we are striving to become more earth friendly, it is partially the Industrial Revolution's fault, that the world is so polluted. If we did not have as many factories, cars or machines, our world would definitely not be as polluted as we are today.

Team Women!

For class, I have recently been "forced" to read The Declaration of Sentiments, but ultimately I am glad to have read it. For some odd reason I have never read this declaration in my 19 years of living. I found that it is not only thought-provoking, but also unfortunate to read what women in history had to go through, before they were actually considered rightful and privileged citizens. This entire declaration stood out to me because it is somewhat painful to read what women had to go through day to day, in order to be considered as equal. Women in history were not only deprived of their rights, but also titled to be irresponsible beings, denied education, and also considered civilly dead. I am all the more thankful and appreciative towards the women who stood in this declaration, and endured all the pain and suffering they went through for equality.

"The Declaration of Sentiments" also helped me to realize that every great and memorable act in history, had to have went through some sort of triumph to get to where it is today. This declaration reminded me of the time in history when slavery, the segregation between blacks and whites, industrialization, and the equality of women, were all present. Each of these triumphs went through an era in our history when life was especially hard for a certain group. It is very interesting to see how much our society has evolved.

Lastly, imagine if women in todays society lived through this time? None of us would be in college, or even would have went to elementary. Women today would pretty much be like slaves, following orders by men with no say in society. Life would be so different.

Science.... a "pimp" ?

So lately we have been discussing the scientific revolution, and this topic really interested me as I am a biochemistry major. I found it quite useful and funny to hear of science described by an acronym of "A PIMP." Though "a pimp" is totally opposite of the definition of science, I actually agree with that acronym. Science is ultimately all around us, now and even way back when. Whether we realize it or not, science influences a lot of what our society does today, and impacts not only everyone but also everything we do. As I have a great interest in science, I like to look at things in a very factual way, which probably explains why I believe in Kao Zheng's idea to "seek truth from facts."

WW Chapter 15

During this chapter, there was a part that described the significance of the fur trade during the early Modern Era. This section interested me because in one way, it is interesting to see how fashion grew from this time period. Within this section, they described fur trade to be involved with animals like beavers, rabbits, sable, marten and deer. For me, this is really weird to think about because I would never consider wearing any of these animals as a hat or jacket, or even wearing any type of fur at all. Then again, to compare this point in history with our society today, we have evolved so much that there isn't just one type of clothing anymore, but many. To be specific, just focusing on tops, today we have off-the-shoulder tops, oversized t-shirts, tube tops, long-sleeve, 3/4 sleeve shirts, and even shirts that are filled with rhinestones. It is quite interesting to see how much our society has evolved from the early Modern Era. Though, not only does the early use of fur catch my interest, also the fact that people during that time enjoyed the many different types of fur, even as it was infested with germs and diseases. That is just horrible. I guess i'm just glad that I live in todays' society, and not the early Modern Era.... although, does that make me materialistic? Sure sounds like I am.... but no, I don't think I am. :-)

WW Chap 14: The Early Modern World

(Referring to last weeks post Jan/21)

During this chapter, that was focused on the Early Modern World, I found many similarities that connect our society today with that of the "Early Modern World." Such as, in the section of "In the Land of the Aztecs and the Incas," it was read that the most distinctive feature of the two colonial societies in Mexico and Peru was the beginning of a "mestizo" or mixed race population. Within this new population came about a mix between Spanish men and Indian women, which begun because of sexual imbalance among Spanish immigrants (the book goes on to give a ratio of seven men to one women). At the time, those who were Mestizo, were mainly Hispanic in culture, in which the Spaniards often looked down upon them because they were not born of "proper" marriages and regarded them as being "illegitimate." This certain topic has a great connection to our society today. Many individuals have several different backgrounds, where it is often never looked down upon. Personally, I am made up of several ethnicities; Japanese, Chinese and Hawaiian, and I have never had a problem with this. It really just shows how much our society has grown and developed nationally, as compared to the views of the older world. Another similarity or connection that I found between our society today, and the "Early Modern World" is the topic of intermarriage. Within the section of "Making China an Empire," it goes on to describing how the Qing or Manchu Dynasty conquered China, and sought to maintain their ethnic ways by forbidding intermarriage. This has a lot to do with America's history, as intermarriage was once illegal. Although, as our society is forever changing, it is no longer illegal to practice intermarriage, but instead we face a new topic of same-sex marriages. This is another point that shows how diverse and ever-changing our society is.

Sex Trafficking

Sex trafficking is a horrible issue that everyone around the world needs to be better acquainted with. It is heartbreaking to read the danger women and girls face everyday, in what they understand to be work, and doing what is helpful for their family. As I have never really been aware with the issue of sex trafficking, I find that this is an issue greater than anyone can even imagine. Sex trafficking occurs all over the world, targeting any family who is desperate to make money and live a more comfortable life. It is extremely hard to read that the targeted families, are simply looking for a way out of poverty, but is instead surprised with the manipulation of abduction and sex slavery. What is even harder for me to grasp, is the reality of finding a way to prevent this issue, since many poverty stricken families are more than likely illiterate, and have a harder time becoming aware of the issue and risks of sex trafficking. Many families are unfortunately not able to read or even afford to read public announcements, like newspapers or magazines, that will help to inform them about potential risks. Lastly, what stuck to me the most from this article is the reality of it all. The families who are targeted, already have nothing. They work strenuous hours in "foul-smelling waste," struggling to have a meal day by day. These families are so poor, that they do not even know the basics of using soap, or using the restroom. It is hard for me to imagine what these families go through, and how horrible it must be to be tricked and manipulated, by simply wanting to make money to afford a little more food, or a piece of clothing. Sex trafficking is an issue that more people should become aware of, where the more a person knows about this issue, the more a person can help.