Korean War Part II?

The recent tragic attack by North Korea on a South Korean island killing 2 civilians and 2 South Korean marines could lead to much bigger events. North Korea is threatening to go to war if the U.S. and South Korea do not stop their upcoming naval exercises. The peninsula going to war again could lead to a global disaster. As of right now, China which is an ally of North Korea, is asking that the U.S. and South Korea, as well as North Korea, show some form of restraint. However, the U.S. says that if the threats of more attacks become reality there may be no option than a joint military strike on North Korea. Unlike the war of the past, China would need to take a much more visibly active role whether it’s joining the side of their ally against the U.S. and South Korea or by taking a stance against the provocation of North Korea. Either way, if these actions towards war proceed I believe that the face of world politics will forever change. And only one can speculate how this conflict will change the economic structure of the world. As far as I see it China has two options: 1. They can side with North Korea obligating they’re alliance but then face the possibility of being put into economic turmoil by going against the U.S. 2. They can stay out of the situation which in my opinion is the same as siding with the U.S. this will make China a much more susceptible to westernization.

AHA

While watching C-SPAN, I saw a special presentation on during the afternoon. The speaker of this presentation was a woman by the name of Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Ayaan Hirsi Ali was speaking about the controversial subject of the degradation and domination that Muslim men, following an old tradition, bring upon Muslim women. She is trying to educate the American public on the persecution of Muslim women occurring here in our own back yard. The fact that this occurs throughout the world, let alone here in America, is appalling on all accounts. Ms. Ali goes on to give examples such as a Muslim father who killed his two daughters in Texas because they chose to follow the lifestyle of a typical American teenager; the same thing happened in Arizona where a father ran over his daughter with his car. Also, in Georgia a young girl was placed into an arranged marriage at an early age and was removed from school to live with her husband. After being abused and beaten by her husband, she ran away back to her family where her dad proceeded to stab her for shaming his name. Ms. Ali began talking about how the persecution of Muslim women is currently a prevalent situation in Europe, especially in the Netherlands. When the problems were finally brought to light it had been so embedded into the society that it was considered to be placed into the law books as religious freedom. Thankfully, this was not allowed to take place. Ms. Ali wants to bring such events to light so Americans can take charge and stop these atrocious acts from happening on American soil. I am impressed with this woman's courage; speaking out about radical Muslims even though her life has been threaten by the people she wishes to expose.

http://theahafoundation.org/

Not on the run

NATO officials are saying that Osama Bin Laden is hanging out in northern Pakistan and not on the run as claimed by US political officials. According to the political officials, for the past several years Bin Laden has been bouncing from cave to cave, crossing borders into other countries to avoid capture. To find one man in Afghanistan is hard enough, especially when citizens of that country are helping him. This news only makes it ten times harder if he is in fact being protected by other countries that we cannot enter to even search for him.

My belief is America is becoming too soft in its resolve; this individual has personally attacked Americans on American soil and I think that we need to come to an understanding with Pakistan showing how determined we are to get Bin Laden-they’re either going to work with us or we will resolve matters in an unfortunately inhospitable way. If the Bush administration was indeed hiding this fact from the public to keep the war going as stated in yahoo news, then it is the Obama administration’s job to get Bin Laden to help end the war.

Sinking into oblivion

Scientist have recently discussed the possibility of 7 major cities sinking in an unknown amount of years to come.  The seven cities are as follows: Bangkok, New York City, Houston, Shanghai, New Orleans, Venice, and Mexico City. While I am not in full agreement of the pending disaster let's reflect on what geographical treasures we would lose if such events were to happen.

Among much of the natural beauty that would be lost, these cities will lose wondrous man made structures.  Bangkok will lose places such as the Grand Palace and Wat Arun, quoted as being one of the most visited temples of the area.  We all have a particular place in New York City that we would hold dear if lost.  Mine would be Broadway because I have aspirations to write a play and be featured there.  Houston we would lose the NASA visitor's center as well as major oil business.  Shanghai as one of the world's most populated city we would lose a culture as a whole.  New Orleans went through a disaster of such magnitude before but permanently losing Bourbon Street would be horrid.  Who has not seen the pending doom of Venice? A city built on water; but that is what creates the allure.  There is something about stepping of a Gondola right into the lobby of your hotel that just seems magical.  Mexico City is the largest city on Earth, but it's size may be why it is sinking into the lake bed that it was built on.  Of course none of this compares to potential the loss of life.  Let us hope that people would be able to evacuate these cities before a disaster would strike.


http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-35998698

Peace Prize for Chinese Prisoner

A Nobel Peace Prize was just awarded to a Chinese man who has been in a Chinese prison for the advocacy of human rights and a Democratic change.  But of course the Chinese government has not allowed Liu Xiaobo to hear the news yet.  In my opinion the damage has already been done, the announcement itself has stirred  an energetic charge of people to push for Liu's right to know of the award.  The Chinese government believe that this is nothing but a ploy to instill western ways upon the Chinese people and it seems to be working even if it is a minor victory so-to-speak.  The Chinese government has said that they will allow Liu's wife to deliver the news this weekend.  China is definitely a country to be watching for the next several years and keeping a close eye on any subtle changes in government policies that could indicate a bigger and more permanent change.

 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101009/ap_on_re_as/as_china_nobel_peace_prize

Geography 1869?

Imagine a time when your teacher would have you open your Geography book and begin to learn about the 36 states and 10 territories. But wait, there are four missing! Alaska and Hawaii are two obvious ones, but can you name the other two?  How about we study the barren wasteland of Patagonia.  Do you know were Patagonia is located?  Ah! Let's not forget Prussia-what modern day countries were a part of Prussia?  What if the teacher asked you to speculate on the Unknown Region of Africa?  Could you even ponder such a question?  These are just a few of the things on political maps students would  have been learning in 1869. 

Of course, if you do just a bit of research you can learn that the missing states can be accounted for by the creation of Oklahoma and by the split of "Dakota" into North and South states; Patagonia could have been found in the modern day southern parts of Argentina; Prussia was made up of Germany, Poland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and parts of Russia; and Africa's so-called Unknown Region has mostly been transformed into what we now know as the Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Another point of interest is the Angelo American's perception of the world around them. There is a short lesson on man where you can read statements like these: "The earth was made for Man; hence he is found in every country and in every climate" and, referring to the Caucasian, or White race, "Most of the nations of Europe and America belong to this race.  The Caucasian race is superior to all others in intelligence, energy, and courage."

In modern times, however, we know that man is not found in every part of the world, though he has explored nearly every part of it. And although many European nations, Canada and the United States still have a majority of Caucasian people, most people have begun to accept racial equality.

Now you see how taking a glimpse into the past can show you just how far we have progressed through time.

Rising China

    Why is one of the largest economies receiving $2.5 billion a year from foreign aid?  That is a question on the lips and minds of many countries who give aid to China.  China says that it still needs aid because it is a developing country.  I personally believe its a classic "if you give a mouse a cookie" scenario.  If you have never read this wonderfully enlightening children's book, you should.  It may be a simple child-like perspective but how true it is in the adult world.
     China is spending money so frivolously with the Olympics and much more.  When is enough enough?  Take a hard look around you and pick up 10 items what percentage of those items are made in China?  Think about this: what would you think if Bill Gates gave millions of dollars to Mark Zuckerberg the creator of Facebook instead of donating it to the Feed the Children program?  How many people would be up in arms about the situation?  We need to take a hard look at situations to determine the road we wish to go down whether we help support boosting the worlds second largest economy to number one or try to take steps to maintain our own spot as number one.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100925/ap_on_re_us/as_china_too_big_for_aid

Invasive Species

Polynesian rat disbursement

    While watching one of the many survival shows that are on Discovery Channel, the hosts were trapped on one of the Cook Islands.  One of their biggest problems was the abundant and ever so bold rat population.  It made me think, How did they get there?   The answer is simple human migration.  The spread of invasive species goes hand in hand with the evolution of ship building and the ability to travel the world.  The spread of the Polynesian rat can be directly correlated with the migration of the Polynesian people from Taiwan to various Pacific islands including Hawaii.  Some species were brought by accident like the Polynesian rat; while others were brought with a specific reason in mind such as the Burmese python for the pet trade industry which has now become a major burden on the Florida ecosystem.

    Some governments are trying to take a proactive stance on invasive species because the result of an invasive species on the ecosystem could be catastrophically devastating. The Nile perch, for instance, was introduced to Lake Victoria for its commercial food value back in 1954, but then went on to destroy most the indigenous species.  80% of the fish population in Lake Victoria is now Nile perch.  So as it goes, we need to be more watchful and weigh the consequences of our actions when it comes to introducing a potentially invasive species to a habitat that it was not meant for.

Earthquakes & Tectonic Plates

 

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6519505557961984204

         Earthquakes are a devastating result of the collision of two tectonic plates.  The devastation can vary depending on magnitude and location.  The Richter Magnitude Scale is how scientist measure the strength of the earthquake. It can range from below 0.5, which would be equivalent to a hand grenade going off, to above a 10.0, which has never been recorded by man.  Some scientists have even speculated that the meteor that struck the Yucatan Peninsula was a 12.55 on the Richter Scale.  Other comparisons that we all can relate to are 2010's earthquakes in: Haiti, which was 7.0 on the Richter Scale; Chile, which was an 8.8; and more recently a quake that struck New Zealand with a 7.1.

         Plotting areas of major quakes on a tectonic map will show you that most locations fall on fault lines.  With this in mind, people should take certain precautions when living on fault lines but not all countries can afford such comforts.  Haiti, for instance, is a poor nation and when hit by the quake suffered a death toll of around 230,000 people.  New Zealand on the other hand had a quake .1 on the Richter Scale higher than Haiti but as of this moment suffered no casualties.  So, in a nutshell, when you live in an area with high probabilities of disasters, you should always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

Sights to be Seen

There are lots of wonderful sights to been seen while traveling around the world. If I should ever have the opportunity to see the world, I would love to explore Romanian castles nestled in the forests of Eastern Europe, take a safari in the wild and untamed plains of Kenya, navigate the twisting and turning isolated tributaries of the Amazon River, or watch great white sharks performing their aerial acrobatics off the coast of South Africa. Above all those, however, the place I want to explore most of all is Queensland, Australia.

Queensland is an absolute ideal location with its lush tropical rainforest surrounding the rich coastal waters where the Great Barrier Reef is located.  Queensland has a wide array of wildlife ranging from the adorable koalas and wallabies to the dangerous saltwater crocodiles and great white sharks.  This plush ecosystem and beautiful terrain are not the only reasons for my interest in visiting, though.  The laid back nature of Australians is a far cry from the constant hustle and bustle of most American societies.  With all this in mind, I would love to hear your top five places that you have never been to but would love visit.