"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.