Talking, Video, and Talking About the Video

Today in class was kind of like yesterday, a lot of talking, except today we had more of the video and it was of parts that we haven't seen yet. I can't remember at all anything that we talked about, it's kind of sad... But I am so tired right now and I feel so brain dead! But in class, I was a lot better! Anyways, in the video, I remember this one girl in China who was 17 years old, and she was getting paid around $20 a day to work in a factory and basically inspect to make sure everything was right on the product they were making, which was radios. A similar job was with a woman in the United States who was 20 years old. She was getting paid $20 an hour to inspect couches that the company she worked for made. The main guy narrating the video talked to the Chinese girl and she said that it made her really upset and kinda mad about how people are earning more in the United States to do the same or similar work. I also remember the video talking about Mexican or Guatemalan migrant workers, but I can't remember exactly where they were from, and they worked on a plantation in a Southern state in the USA that grew cotton and tobacco plants, and they did really hard work and they did it well (that's what the plantation owner or manager said) compared to locals who don't like to go out and do the hard work in the heat.

Not Much Movie..

Today in class, we didn't really watch too much of the movie, and part of the time we did, it was parts we already saw. But we talked a lot about outsourcing and how it hurts workers in America, but it makes our products that we get much less expensive then they would be. Then we realized that it all was a chain  reaction, whether the jobs stayed in the United States or whether they were outsourced to China. If the jobs stayed in the United States, then the prices of the engines would go up, because the price of the engines would be so expensive, no one would want to buy them. Then the business would end up going out of  business and everyone would get laid off and no one would have work. After this part the outsourcing of China has the same effects. Because no one has jobs or a lot of people in a small town lose jobs, small businesses go out of business because hardly anyone can afford it and then hardly anyone has jobs and it keeps going and going. I thought that it was really sad.... Then Mr. Schick asked would we rather have people in China earning around $7 or people in the USA earning that same amount and the price of the product would increase. Then he asked or would we rather have people in China doing cheap labor and have lower prices on the things we want to buy. I liked that class but at the same time it made me really upset...

The People's Republic of Capitalism

Today in class, I had to take a make up quiz because I wasn't in class. It was open blog though and I had all of the answers and I pay attention in class so it was super easy and it didn't take me very long. Then when I walked in Mr. Schick was talking about some guy who had the same name as a pedophile and that he is coming to talk to us tomorrow about hardships that he faced because people thought that he was the same guy who was a pedophile. Then he challenged us to ask one good question to the guy coming in and we will get 10 extra credit points. Of course I want the extra credit, but its scary talking in front of the whole school. I might... I don't know I haven't made up my mind yet on what I'm going to do. After all of that, we started watching a movie called the People's Republic of Capitalism which is about China. It was kinda sad.... But it was interesting. I found out the Chongqing is "the biggest city you've never heard of" and its along the water and the USA has a base there, so it's an important city to us. I already knew that the people in China could only have one child, but I completely didn't even think about how the earthquake probably killed many families only child, and I can't even imagine how heartbreaking that could be. I also learned that many jobs in China are so mindless and easy that it's exhausting and there becomes a pressure and boredom of doing the same thing everyday. I would hate to do that! I learned that many jobs in the USA are being outsourced to China which is taking away from jobs in the United States, and children in China are being prepared for jobs at such a young age. Also, many women earn less than men. In construction, they earn $1-2 and men earn $3-4. We finished at a part that said that China wanted to end up turning Chongqing into a major place of trade and investment.

Sick

I wasn't in school today because I was at home, sick with the flu.

World War III?

Today in class we were talking about the whole thing how the Palestinians blew up Israel just because they hate each other so much. Then Israel sent some bombs back over and then they sent more back and it had been going back and forth for a few days and now apparently Israel is preparing to cross the border. I'm afraid that this will be the start of World War III, I'm kind of scared. Mr. Schick told us, not to scare us but to be realistic, that this could be the start of a war. Egypt supports the Palestinians so if Israel goes and starts to attack them, then Egypt will join in, and then we will have to help Israel, and other countries might join in and it will just get worse and worse. Apparently, if Israel or Iran also bomb one another then that could also start the next world war. We are in the time of a lot of tension, and now that I am starting to understand and be aware of some of it, its starting to freak me out. Overall class was interesting.

New Seats!!

Today in class we got to pick new seats. Mr. Schick had us go by who had the highest grade to the lowest grade. I got to go second, which means I have the second highest grade in the class! Which is awesome! It was kind of like musical chairs, everyone running around trying to get the best seats. And Maddie had a shadow today, I think we scared her... But anyways! We were very talkative today. Mr. Schick had to tell us to be quiet at least twenty times! He started to tell us about our essay project thing that is due on Monday on class and it is our first time we are actually turning something in on paper. We got the option to work by ourselves or with a partner. I chose to work by myself because then I do the project how I like and to my standards to get the best grade possible. We are supposed to pick two countries and then research their relationship with the U.S. I think that I can do very well on this project. Whenever you are given a rubric and instructions to follow you just answer all of the questions and follow the instructions. I will probably just do it over the weekend though.

Political Geography Research

United States

United States declared independence on July 4, 1776

From the 1500s through the 1700s, they were settled and colonized by the Spanish, British, French, Dutch, Portuguese, and other European nations.  The original thirteen colonies were held by Great Britain until the Revolutionary War, after which they became the first thirteen states.  There are now 50 states in the United States.  The United States is considered the last true superpower, with the world's largest military and the world's largest economy.

Israel

Israel became an independent state on May 14, 1948.

Following World War Two, the newly-formed United Nations drafted a treaty dividing up some of Palestine's land.  They established an independent Arab state and an independent Jewish state.  Many Jews emigrated to the new nation of Israel post WWII.  Creation of this new Jewish state was not universally accepted by Arabs, even though Israel was officially admitted to the UN on May 11, 1949.  There is still controversy surrounding Israel's very existence in the Middle East.

China

China's official date of independence is October 1, 1949.

China is one of the world's oldest civilizations.  As long ago as 221 BC, China was unified as a nation during the Qin dynasty.  They formed a republic on January 1, 1912.  The current Communist government, officially called the People's Republic of China, was formed in 1949.  

Mexico

Mexico declared independence on September 16, 1810.

Mexico has been around for longer than two millennia. First populated more than 13,000 years ago, the country produced complex indigenous civilizations like the Aztecs before being conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century. Since the Spanish Conquest, Mexico has fused its long-established native civilizations with European culture. It was taken over by Spain from 1519 - 1810 and was finally recognized as an independent nation by Spain in September 27, 1821. France also invaded Mexico in 1861 and set Maximilian I on the Mexican throne, which lasted until 1867.

Iran

Iran's official date of independence on April 1, 1979.

The Persian Empire proper begins in the Iron Age, following the influx of Iranian peoples which gave rise to the Median, Achaemenid, the Parthians, the Sassanid dynasties during classical antiquity. Once a major empire of superpower proportions, Persia, as it had long been called, has been overrun frequently and has had its territory altered throughout the centuries. Invaded and occupied by Greeks, Arabs, Turks, Mongols, and others, Persia has always reasserted its national identity and has developed as a distinct political and cultural entity. Iran is home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 4000 BC. The Medes unified Iran as a nation and empire in 625 BC. The Islamic conquest of Persia (633–656) ended the Sassanid Empire and was a turning point in Iranian history. The achievements of the previous Persian civilizations were not lost, but were to a great extent absorbed by the new Islamic polity and civilization.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia unified their nation on September 23, 1932.

The modern state of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932 with the union of the kingdoms of the Hejaz and Nejd. the region existed in relative obscurity and isolation, although from the 7th century the cities of Mecca and Medina had the highest spiritual significance for the Islamic world, Mecca being the destination for the Hajj annual pilgrimage. They were at a few points under the influence of Turkey and the British Empire, not many countries wanted to take over the vast deserts of Saudi Arabia.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has always been an independent nation and has never needed to declare independence from another country.

This country has played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy. The British Empire in the 19th century spread over 1 out of 4 of the earth's surface. It declared independence in April 12th 1927.  On that date the Royal and Parliamentary Titles Acts establishes current name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.  They were never under anyone's rule, they instead took over other countries, including the United States. 

Venezuela

Venezuela gained their independence on July 5, 1811.

In 1522, Spain began their colonization of Venezuela. But, on December 17, 1819 the Congress of Angostura declared Gran Colombia an independent country. After two more years of war, which killed half of Venezuela's White population, the country achieved independence from Spain in 1821 under the leadership of its most famous son, Simón Bolívar. Venezuela, along with the present-day countries of Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador, formed part of the Republic of Gran Colombia until 1830, when Venezuela separated and became a sovereign country.

Afghanistan

 

Declared Independence  August 19,1919 from the United Kingdom.

 It was never officialy part of the British Empire. The Afganistan people fought three wars with the British before they won there independence called the  First Anglo-Afghan War (1839–1842), the Second Anglo-Afghan War(1878–80) , and the Third Anglo- Afgan War(1919).




Brazil

 Independence Day is September 7,1822The first European to explore  Brazil was sponcered by Portugal named Pedro Álvares Cabral. From the 16th to 19th centuries Brazil was a Colony of Portugal. It declared its independence on September 7, 1822 and became The Empire of Brazil.  Brazil was first a constitutional monarchy when they  first won their independence, but then in 1889 it became a republican goverment. Brazil has also been a dictatorship and  had military rule it for awhile.

France

There is no official date for their independence day but they celebrate it on the 14th of July. It is referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration actually commemorates the holiday held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (on 14 July 1789) and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy.The anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation.



Germany

 The Indepence day  is the  18th of January, 1871. It was divided into four zones  (UK, US, USSR, and France) in 1945 after World War II.Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) annonced independence  on 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zone. The  German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed on 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone. West Germany and East Germany unified on 3 October 1990. Now  all four powers formally divided now united rights on 15 March 1991.  The National Holiday is celebrated on October 3, 1990.


India

The date of Independence is  August 15, 1947 from the United Kingdom. They celebrate this holiday called republic Day  on January 26th. India got its freedom following an independence movement noted for largely peaceful nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience led by the Indian National Congress.

Talking About The Test

Today in class we went over the test on all of the world leaders and their personal information. Only two people in our class got 100 and Holly and I were those people! I was so happy! Doing your blog and studying defiantly pays off. Well anyways, as we went over the test we got sidetracked a lot. Like Mr. Schick told us all about Cuba and the Cold War and how he was in like first grade when all of it was happening and he said that he was so scared. He also said that there was a lot of tension all throughout the United States. He also said we were the first country to create a nuclear bomb and so far the only one that has used one. Then he told us that if Iran drops a nuclear bomb on Israel or if they bomb Iran, then it will be the beginning of World War III. That sounds kinda scary to me... People need to find more efficient and less violent ways of solving problems between and within countries. I guess no matter what there will always be hate....

Pop Quiz!!

We had a pop quiz today, but before I get into that, I'll start with the very beginning of class. Well I went in and Mr. Schick already told me we had a pop quiz because I saw him in advisory when I gave him a cupcake. So we all were frantically studying for I think ten minutes, I started studying my blog but then I realized that I should probably study Mr. Schick's blog instead considering he was the one who made the test and had all of the important information on his blog, but then as soon as the quiz was about to start Mr. Schick said we could use our blogs and I was so happy! I had all of the information on my blog so I was good to go. Most of the questions I had studied, had the answers to on my blog, or I just remembered us talking about in class. I finished super early because I had all of the answers right in front of me but a bunch of other people took until the end of class. And that kids, is why you always need to do your homework assignments.

Today Was Boring!

Today in class we really didn't do anything interesting, we just went over our homework from Monday again. It also didn't help that everyone was being super boring today! No one did anything funny or interesting. It was awful! But class still was fun, but not as fun as usual. I got to add a few more things to my homework, and because Barack Obama won the election we need to get close and personal with him too now. I'm actually really glad he won. Mr. Schick told us that 18 year olds hardly ever vote, and he said that 16 year olds should be allowed to vote. Which I completely agree with because old people are going to be gone in a few years whereas younger people are going to be around much longer. Mr. Schick also said that we should get rid of the electoral college which I agree with as well. Its like our votes don't even count and we don't have a say at all, which is just ridiculous. I hope that next class will be more interesting.

Learning About Leaders

Today in class we went over our homework from last night where we had to get "close and personal" with each of the world leaders. I got the chance to add some extra things to people and make changes. I learned that Dilma Rousseff was rioting against the government and was put in jail where she was possibly tortured! Then Mr. Schick got into a bunch of ways of how you could torture people... I'm not sure if that was a good idea though... There are some creepy people in our class.... But they are all so funny and awesome. Jake had his 10 millionth shadow. I think that our class freaks them out, but there is always something interesting about them, except this shadow, he was kind of boring. But anyways, at the beginning of class a bunch of people were sitting in the wrong seats so everyone kept on coming in and saying, "Did we get new seats?!" It was pretty funny. Okay, back to class. Once we told the class about a country's leader, we had to find it on a blow up planet, Jake was the only one who didn't get it, but his everyone else did. Overall, class was fun and interesting.

Political Leaders

Mexico - President Enrique Peña Nieto
     - He believes that Mexico needs to expand its economy to create more jobs

    - From the Institutional Revolutionary Party

China - President Hu Jintao
     - Since he assumed office in 2002, China's steady economic growth has established
        China as a major world power
     - Because of Jintao, China expanded its influences over seas in resource rich developing
         nations
     -  He is the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and the Chairman
         of the Central Military Commission of China

India - President Pranab Mukherjee
     - Promises to “protect, defend and preserve” the Indian Constitution

     - Hes the only finance minister to have presented budgets in the pre and post
         liberalization time periods 
     - In 2010 he was voted the best finance manager in Asia

Afghanistan - President Hamid Karzai

     - He was originally a supporter of the Taliban before the death of his 
       father, after the death he campaigned for an anti-Taliban movement

     - He can communicate effectively with English speaking countries

     - Taliban was in charge of Afganistan before Hamid Karzai

Iran - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

     -  He is the main political leader of the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran, a coalition of 
          conservative political groups in the country

      - He was the Mayor of Tehran

Israel - President Shimon Peres

     - He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994
            Binyamin Netanyahu -

     - He entered politics after his brother was killed when leading the 1976 mission to rescue
       a plane of hijakced Israeli hostages from Uganda

Germany - Chancellor Angela Merkel

     - In 1990 she joined the Christian Democratic Union political party

    - She was appointed to Helmut Kohl's cabinet as minister for women and youth

United Kingdom - Prime Minister David Cameron

     - He was the head of Britain's Conservative party

     - His mother is Mary Fleur, a retired Justice of the Peace
     - He is a graduate of Oxford University, with a degree in 
        Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

              Queen Elizabeth II - 
     - She is has been in power for 60 years, which is longer than anyone else on
        this list

France - President François Hollande

    - He is a member of the Socialist Party

     - He got a a National Assembly seat in 1988
     - He is agnostic

Brazil - President Dilma Rousseff

     - She is not only the first female president of Brazil, but also the first woman to
        become Chief of Staff to the President of Brazil

     - She is the first economist to hold office
     - She was a socialist during her youth and from 1970 to 1972 she was in 
       jail and supposedly tortured

Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez Frias

     - He sold oil to Cuba

     - He resisted efforts to stop narcotic trafficking in Columbia

Saudi Arabia - King and Prime Minister Abdallah bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud

     -  He was the mayor of Mecca as a young man

     - He disallowed U.S. Iraq War forces to use bases in Saudi Arabia

United States - President Barack Obama
    - He is the first African American to serve as a U.S. president

coup d'etat - to overthrow

I Love Lollipops!

Today when class started, Erin gave me a cherry Tootsie Pop and then she started eating one too. That is just the beginning of the story relating to that, but I had to start with the beginning of class. Okay, anyways, once we got settled Mr. Schick told us that he missed us! I'm not sure if he was joking or not... But then we got our tests back, I got a 93. So I was really happy. There were only 3 A's in our class and I got one of them! I was so proud of myself! A lot of other people didn't do so well though, so I was really worried when Mr. Schick wasn't ringing the bell. Once we got our tests back, we started to go over them. It took us so long! It was really annoying. A lot of people weren't paying attention so we had to keep repeating the answers and they didn't know which question we were on and it was really irritating. I mean is it really THAT hard to pay attention? I know that sometimes I talk a lot and goof off and don't pay attention, but once Mr. Schick has told us to pay attention multiple times I don't know why people just can't listen. Anyways, then Alex went over to Erin and got a lollipop and everyone was so confused and was like where are you getting these lollipops?! Mine was all shaped weird and disfigured so it cut the roof of my mouth. It was kinda gross... The lollipop Alex got was banana and she was like this is so gross, it is just not working for me.... It was really funny. Then we went over our homework where we had to do the political geography, I got a lot of them wrong but I went back and fixed them so they are all super awesome now. That was pretty much class... Oh! And on the test one of the options for what religion nirvana, a state of extreme happiness, belongs to and one of the options was Doorianism and I didn't even realize it until we went over the test. I guess it didn't click in my mind when I was taking the test. Well anyways, thats about it! Class was super fun! Until next time...