TURKEY!!!

Country Name:
Turkey

Year Founded:
117 BC

Population:
71,517,100

Primary Language:
Turkish

Ethnic Make-up:
Turkish

Political System:
Parliamentary Republic

Year Entered the European Union:
1992

Representative of the European Union (include party):
President of the Republic

Type of Economy:
quasi-statist

Currency:
Turkish Lira

Current Exchange rate for American Currency:
1 USD = 1.65 Turkish Lira

GDP:
$798.863 billion

Percentage of Trade within the European Union:
59% of exports and 52% of imports

Unemployment Rate:
10.3%

Chief Exports:
Automotive Industry

Key Imports:
Natural Gas and Crude oil.

Major Religions:
Islam

Surrounding Countries:
Bulgaria to the northwest;Greece to the west;Georgia to the northeast;Armenia, Azerbaijan (the exclave of Nakhichevan)and Iran to the east;and Iraq and Syria to the southeast.The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus are to the south;the Aegean Sea and Archipelago are to the west;and the Black Sea is to the north.

Literacy Rate:
95.3%

One Interesting Fact:
Surprisinlgy, Turkey is not a bird. (Just kidding) Due to its strategic location astride two continents,Turkey's culture has a unique blend of Eastern andWestern tradition.

Italy(Repubblica Italiana)

• Year Founded: republic of italy was founded in 1946 and the kingdom of italy was created in 1861
• Population: 58,751,711 people according to the latest census.
• Primary Language: Officially Italian; others include: German, French,
  Slovene.
• Political system: parliamentary, democratic Republic and of a multi-party system.
• Year Entered the European Union:1957

• Representative of the European Union (include party):North Atlantic Treaty Organization
• Type of Economy: industrial country
• Currency: The currency in Italy is the Euro
• GDP:
  

  	Total	$1,787 trillion
  -	Per capita	$30,365

• Unemployment Rate: 6.20 %
• Chief Exports: Engineering products, textiles, clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals, food, beverages, tobacco, minerals, non-ferrous metals.
• Key Imports:Engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals, non-ferrous metals, textiles, clothing, food, beverages, tobacco.
• Major Religions: 90% belong to Roman 10% are Protestant or Jewish
• Surrounding Countries: Monaco, France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia.
• Literacy Rate: 98.4

· Country Name: Denmark

· Year Founded: Around 980 by Harold Bluetooth

· Population: 5,500,510

· Primary Language: Danish

· Ethnic Make-up: Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese, German, Turkish, Iranian, Somali

· Political System: constitutional monarchy

· Year Entered the European Union: They joined in 1973

· Representative of the European Union (include party): Michael MATTHIESSEN (can’t find the party)

· Type of Economy: Free-Market Capitalist System

· Currency: Danish Krone

· Current Exchange rate for American Currency: 1 US Dollar = 5.75 Danish Krones

· GDP: Total- $303.519 billion
Per Capita - $55,207

· Percentage of Trade within the European Union: European Union markets account for 70% of total exports with Denmark.

· Unemployment Rate: 2%

· Chief Exports: butter, pork, eggs, beef, horses, hides, and skins.

· Key Imports:
Machinery and transport – 26%
Chemical products - 13%
Foodstuff, live animals – 15%
Fuels and lubricants – 10%

· Major Religions: Evangelical Lutheran, Christianity, Muslim

· Surrounding Countries: Germany in the south and Sweden and Norway in the North

· Literacy Rate: 99% in Males and Females, people from 15 can read.

· One Interesting Fact: The Faroes Islands used to be from Norway, but they lost ownership to Denmark after the King of Norway lost drunken in a game against the King of Denmark

The united kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning Great Britain, the northeast part of Ireland, and many small islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border, sharing it with the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. The largest island, Great Britain, is linked to France by the Channel Tunnel.

The United Kingdom is a unitary state consisting of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The UK is a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state. The UK is a developed country, with the fifth (nominal GDP) or sixth (PPP) largest economy in the world. In 2007 the estimate on the GDP was of $2.23 trillion.

On 1 May 1707, the Kingdom of Great Britain was created by the political union of the Kingdom of England (which included Wales) and the Kingdom of Scotland. This event was the result of the Treaty of Union that was agreed on 22 July 1706

Some of the main languages they speak in the UK are English, Irish, Ulster Scots, Scottish Gaelic , Scots, Welsh, Cornish.

The UK is conformed of the following ethnic partys; 85.7% White British, 1.2% Irish, 5.3% White Other, 1.8% Indian, 1.3% Pakistani, 0.5% Bangladeshi, 2.0% Black, 1.2% Mixed Race, 0.4% East Asian, 0.4% Others.

2007 sensus estimate around 60,975,000 people living in the UK, and its currency is the Pound sterling, worth 1.4705 U.S. dollars.

Christianity is the major religion, followed by Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and then Judaism in terms of number of adherents.

The UK economy is made up of the economies of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Based on market exchange rates, the United Kingdom is today the fifth largest economy in the world and the second largest in Europe after Germany.
The Industrial Revolution started in the United Kingdom with an initial concentration on heavy industries such as shipbuildin, coal mining, steel production, and textiles.

Kim Darroch is the UK's Permanent Representative. He has overall responsibility for the work of UKRep and sits in the UK seat in the Committee of Permanent Representatives a.k.a COREPER II or Coreper. This focuses mainly on the issues covered in European Councils and in the General Affairs, ECOFIN, Budget, Justice and Home Affairs, and Development Councils.

Year of EU entry: 1973

Literacy rate: 99.0 %

The unemployment rate: Rose to 6.5% - up 0.5% over the quarter and 1.3% on last year.

Mayor imports of the uk

Pharmaceutical preparations … US$3.8 billion (8.3% of British imports from U.S., up 186.7% from 2005)
Non-monetary gold … $2.9 billion (6.4%, up 186.7%)
Civilian aircraft engines … $2.4 billion (5.3%, up 6.4%)
Computer accessories … $2 billion (4.4%, down 4.3%)
Civilian aircraft parts … $1.7 billion (3.8%, up 11.6%)
Precious metals other than gold … $1.5 billion (3.3%, up 175.3%)
Collectibles (e.g. artwork, antiques, stamps) … $1.4 billion (3.1%, up 12.2%)
Telecommunications equipment … $1.4 billion (3%, up 6.6%)
Minimum value shipments … $1.3 billion (2.8%, up 22.3%)
Medicinal equipment … $1.2 billion (2.6%, up 11.1%)

Mayor UK exports

Medicinal, dental & pharmaceutical preparations …US$8.2 billion (15.3% of Britain to U.S. exports, up 41.8% from 2005)
New & used passenger cars … $5 billion (9.3%, down 12.5%)
Other petroleum products … $3.6 billion (6.8%, up 22.7%)
Crude oil … $2.9 billion (5.5%, down 37.2%)
Civilian aircraft engines … $2.3 billion (4.4%, up 18%)
Goods returned to U.S. then reimported … $2.1 billion (4%, down 0.9%)
Collectibles (e.g. artwork, antiques, stamps) … $1.6 billion (2.9%, up 13.2%)
Materials handling equipment … $1.24 billion (2.3%, up 36.1%)
Precious metals other than gold … $1.237 billion (2.3%, up 36.1%)
Alcoholic beverages other than wine … $1.2 billion (2.2%, up 11.8%)

The UK was the world's first industrialised country and the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries,but the economic cost of two world wars and the decline of its empire in the latter half of the 20th century diminished its leading role in global affairs.

Spain

Spain

It’s Oficial name is “Reino de España”.It was founded during the 15th century, joining the European Union in 1986.
It has an estimate population of 46,157,822 people, being the official language Spanish, with Aranese, Basque and Valencian (Catalan) as secondary or regional Languages.
Ethnic groups living in Spain are 88.7% Spanish, and 11.3% are Romanian, Moroccan, Colombian and Ecuadorian.
Spain has a Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy, wich mean they have a democracy and at the same time, they have a “king”.

Spain uses the Euro as currency, for belonging to the European Union.

An Euro equals $1.3866,on january 2009. Unemployment stood at 7.6% in October 2006, a rate that compares favorably to many other European countries, and which is a marked improvement over rates that exceeded 20% in the early 1990s.

They export machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods mostly to France 18.8%, Germany 10.8%, Portugal 8.6%, Italy 8.5%, UK 7.6%, US 4.2%, in 2007.

Its imports are machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, measuring and medical control instruments. Spaniards have a literacy rate of 99.0%, standing at place 17 worldwide, Cuba being number 1.
One interesting fact about Spain: Spain still uses the monarchy, but the "king" has no real purpose or responsability related to the functions of burocracy in the country.

Slovakia

oYear Founded: 1993

oPopulation: over five million

oPrimary Language: Slovak

oEthnic Make-up: 85.8% Slovaks,
9.5% Hungarians,
1.9% Roma,
2.8% other minority groups

oPolitical System: Parliamentary republic

oYear Entered the European Union: 2004

oRepresentative of the European Union (include party): Maroš Šefčovi

oType of Economy: The Slovak economy is considered a tiger economy, with the country dubbed the Tatra Tiger. Slovakia has achieved a difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern, high-income market economy. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in private hands, and foreign investment has picked up. Slovakia's economy is characterized by sustained high economic growth.

oCurrency: Euro

oCurrent Exchange rate for American Currency: Slovakia has a small, open economy, and therefore needs high export efficiency. After the fall of communism, Slovak companies had major problems selling their products abroad since restructuring and privatization brought significant changes to the structure of the economy

oGDP: 2008 estimate
- Total $109.677 billion (59th)
- Per capita $22,241, (41st)

oPercentage of Trade within the European Union: More than 85.1% of its trade is with EU members

oUnemployment Rate: 8.4% (2008)

oChief Exports: Vehicles 25.9%,
Machinery and electrical equipment 21.3%,
Base metals 14.6%,
Chemicals and minerals 10.1%,
Plastics 5.4% (2004)

oKey Imports: Machinery and transport equipment 41.1%,
Intermediate manufactured goods 19.3%,
Fuels 12.3%,
Chemicals 9.8%,
Miscellaneous manufactured goods 10.2% (2003)

oMajor Religions: Roman Catholic 68.9%,
Protestant 10.8%,
Greek Catholic 4.1%,
Other or unspecified 3.2%,
None 13%

oSurrounding Countries: Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, and Ukraine

oLiteracy Rate: Total population: 99.6%
Male: 99.7%
Female: 99.6%

oOne Interesting Fact: The most famous American of Slovak descent is probably pop artist Andy Warhol (1928-1987), whose parents immigrated from Miková in north-eastern Slovakia.

Defying Genocide

First Set
1.What did Damas Gisimba, Carl Wilkens, and Simon Weil Lipman value, and what risks did they take by holding onto their values?

2.What values did the children of the orphanage demonstrate?
As events unfolded, what were Damas Gisimba's concerns?

3.What does it mean - as both Simone Weil Lipman and Damas Gisimba state - to "see the other as yourself?"

Second Set
Think back to the incidents that took place during the Rwandan genocide:
1.What role did the international community play during the genocide?

2.Does the international community have the responsibility of assisting countries threatened by genocide?

3.How can students get involved and make their voices heard against genocide? (For suggestions, visit www.ushmm.org/conscience/alert/students/)


Third Set
Think about challenges you face in your everday life:

1.Have you ever witnessed an incident by which a bystander took the responsibility of offering assistance to someone in need of help? What happened?

2.When someone needs help, do bystanders have the responsibility to offer assistance? What do bystanders risk when they intervene and when they do not get involved?


Fourth Set
At the end of the film, Damas Gisimba stated that hatred must be "banished" to make the world a peaceful place. Reflect on that and answer the following:

1.What is "hatred?" When is it dangerous?

2.What are examples of different forms of hatred in the global community?

3.Can hatred be banished?

4.What would it take to banish hatred?

5.Whose responsibility is it to work to end hatred or to respond when hatred provokes violence?

Slumdog Millionaire

• The game show format brings into to focus the culture of meaningless competition. What does the spectacle of the game say about what people value today? What values does the media promote? Are they humanizing values?
I think it means like people now on days do everything for money eaven if they reduce all their moral.


• Greed, corruption and the misuse of power are highlighted in the film through a variety of characters. How are those who have money and power glamorized in this film? What happens to the victims?
In this movie the rich people where like the bad people, in all the movie the rich people where abusing the poor people. And all the poor people were represented as the ones that suffered.

Same title as the other posts... (Movie questions)

What do you think the film is saying about the globalization of culture through media? We see the game show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” adapted in the Indian culture. Is this a sign of progress?

I think it is a sign of globalization, thus not progress, because I've always hated the fact that people copy other people's ideas for their own benefit. Like here in México. All stuff you see on T.V. (In mexican channels), comes from ideas from channels of other countries. I really don't like that. But anyways, I guess that helps the country's economy somehow.

What is this film staying about the effect of money on culture?

Money "improves" culture, making it more advanced in technology, hygiene, life quality ect... Of course if the money is used for the good of the community, which happens rarely. All our money is in hands of just a few, and only for their own.

In one exchange of dialogue in the film during the interrogation of Jamal, the police inspectors discuss the impossibility of what Jamal knows.

Police Inspector: Doctors... Lawyers... never get past 60 thousand rupees. He's on 6 million. [pause]
Police Inspector: What can our slumdog possibly know?
Jamal Malik: [quietly] The answers.
Discuss the irony in the film that Jamal “knows too much” and is suspected of cheating. Discuss the irony that in the end, his poverty may make him rich. What point is the film making? What is real wealth?

Jamal went through so many things and lived life the hard way. All of the things he remembered when answering the questions, were involved with tragedies, losses, and things that impacted Jamal as a kid. It is hard for people to forget that kind of events, besides, living on the street gives you a lot of cultural knowdledge even if you lack the proper education. Still, being asked questions that were somehow linked to his childhood took a lot of luck. I think that a person who knows too much, doesn't need money to succeed in life, as we saw the example in this movie.

Slumdog Millionaire

13. In the final scene, we see Salim and the choice he makes - filling the bathtub with money, etc. Why does he make this choice?
The whole movie centered in the show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” because it meant the acquiring of a high social status by means of money. In the case of Salim, who also gained a lot of money, meant the acquiring of a high social status, but since he was going to die, he chose to fill the bathtub with money because I think that meant to him dying with dignity.


14. This film weaves together nightmare and impossible dream. What do you take away as the most important message or impression from the film?
The most impressive scene was when Salim was acting as a tourist guide for some Americans. When they came and found out that somebody robbed their car and suddenly the Indian guy started to hit Salim. The phrase he said, “want a piece of what real India is?” Then what the Americans said to him, “we will give you a piece of what real America is,” and gave him (money). Those scenes were the ones that had the greatest impact for me from the entire movie because it represented the contrast between the Indian and the American culture. It show the difference in how to solve problems or treat children. In the case of Indians, it is correct to hit them, or at least what they always do, and Americans with love and money.




Roberto Cai Wu

Slumdog millionaire

11.-Describe how loss, chance, luck, suffering, and street smarts are also characters behind the scenes. The film explores gain and loss side by side. Triumphs are tempered with loss. Where do you see this evident?
A: The whole movie is based on explaining this extra character, so that you understand that even though these kids are from the slums, they come from a place in common, just trying to make their way in life, trying to understand it in there very own way, and you wouldn’t understand this way, if you didn’t see were they developed during they’re lives, a place that takes and gives in a drastic derailed way.

12.-The chaos and the constant noise and motion of Mumbai at the center of the film, (supported by a fabulous soundtrack) are contrasted with a deeper silent seeking. Describe what each of the main characters is seeking.

A: Like everyone I know and interact with, they are looking for they’re place, even if its corruptive or extreme they must find it, and in general they all do what’s best to understand it and translate it into a less fluctuating movement.

Jamal: I wouldn’t consider him a hero like most do, I think he is the guy with less bad ideals, the one who took what most I’m thinking clean road, he was looking for a meaning in life, he seams to be someone who was a lot more into a bigger purpose, and understanding as something practical, like a way to live, seeing it every day in Latika´s eyes, wrong maybe, but in the end his sole purpose.

Latika: Even if we didn’t see Latika for the most part of the movie I think I can describe her as an object, and I’m not meaning to sound like a macho man or anything like that, I think that I don’t understand what happened to her in the first scenes, making me think that she was kind of a lost puppy, who was perfectly fine by finding comfort in someone else’s eyes, its not wrong, I can tell you that much, but I think that she didn’t mind being tossed around as long as she found a place to be identified with, and this place was jamal

Salim: Would I say I saw a bad ass? Maybe, what I saw was a kid who grew up to fast, because his brother needed him, and in the process ended up hating him as well because he couldn’t remain a kid for the time he needed to, he found his way around crooks, and this was because he identified with all the frustration and anger that surrounded him along the way.

Fco. Alan Velazquez Fontanot

Slumdog Millionaire

1-.What does the title mean? How does the title and the contrasts within it provide symbolic summary of the film? Well, slum is an area of a city that is marked by extreme poverty, and I read that calling someone a slumdog it's an offense in India, and maybe in another places. Slumdog millionaire, by traduction means simply... someone considered as the lowest from the poorest, becoming rich. Actually, the title has a lot of problems and issues behind it. Some representatives from slums in India filled a lawsuit alleging that "Slumdog" was too rough and it could offend people from the slums in that country. The guy who thought that using the word "Slumdog" wouldn't be problematic was wrong. Besides, the movie itself has provoked a lot of movements: some said it depicts poverty in India so the world could make a new stereotype, some said that India isn't even like that anymore. I think it's a "romantic" way for us to see India.



2-.Early in the film we see the young Jamal dive into a latrine pit to steal a glimpse at a visiting movie star. How does his single-mindedness to see this movie star reveal his determination? What other examples do you see in the film of his determination? Well, all along the movie Jamal fights for what he wants. Through all of his life, he fighted and tried to find Latika, thinking that it was his "destiny" to be with her. I think that for jumping into a pool of poo just for an autograph.. you need to have a lot of guts and a lot of desire for something to do that. The biggest example of his determination is the fact that he chased Latika until he got her.

Slumdog Millionaire: Questions 3&4

• In the film, the theme of destiny is a central theme. What does it mean that all Jamal desires is just out of his reach? (The prized autograph, Latika, his brother, the answers, etc.)
that doesnt matter that almost everything its against you, because if it is your destiny to become someone important in life, and you never give up to do it, it would happen eventually.

• Compare and contrast three pivotal choices or decisions made by Jamal and Salim. How do their choices affect their respective paths in life or “destinies”?
Salim.- Whe he decided to got look the enemy of maman when he killed him to become more importart, thats lead him to the "bad side" and he sell latika to the guy. that was a very crucial decision in salim's life because change the curse of their lifes.
Jamal.- When Jamal decided to keep looking for Latika, was a very important decision because if he wouldn't go for her, she would became maybe a prostitute or a women that sells her body, because Maman was using her to make money.

Excerpts on Death Penalty

The Death Penalty is a form of torture

The cruelty of torture is evident. Like torture, an execution constitutes an extreme physical and mental assault on a person already rendered helpless by government authorities. Abolitionist groups claim that the cruelty of the death penalty is manifest not only in the execution but in the time spent under sentence of death, during which the prisoner is constantly contemplating his or her own death at the hands of the state. Prison is an extraordinarily severe punishment that should not be exacerbated with torture or the death penalty.

Torture Defined

Torture of prisoners violates the Eight Amendment’s provision against Cruel and Unusual Punishment, and also constitutes a violation of several international laws. The United Nations Convention on Torture defined torture as “any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.”

An example of torture in the US Criminal Justice System

In May 1998, a lawsuit was filed concerning conditions for death row inmates in Idaho Maximum Security Institution. The suit states that inmates are held in solitary confinement for 163 of every week's 168 hours in small concrete and steel cells with solid metal doors and a narrow slit for a window. Inmates are allowed out of their cells for a maximum of one hour a day, excluding weekends, for recreation, alone and handcuffed in one of 12 enclosed wire mesh pens measuring approximately seven by 15 feet. The prisoner named in the lawsuit, Randy McKinney, states that he has lived under such a regime for 16 years, and that such treatment constitutes torture.

The Sinking of USS Reuben James

Allright people, today I come to you with a story, But not any story... this is about a ship, 159 brave crew members, and their fate. (For a better effect, listen to this song by: Woody Guthrie- The sinking of Reuben James its cool, if you like country. link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1U5ngze280&feature=related

The Reuben James was named after Boatswain's Mate Reuben James (c.1776–1838), who fought in the Barbary Wars. This ship was the first to get hit by hostile action in the WWII, torpedoed by a submarine when it was returning from a convoy to provide the British with weapons.

"Reuben James was hit forward by a torpedo and her entire bow was blown off when a magazine exploded. The bow sank immediately. The aft section floated for five minutes before going down. Of the 159-man crew, only 44 survived."

(fan)video of the sinking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hzAX0p_0Xw&feature=related

(I think I like that song so I'm just gonna post the lyrics it kind of describes what went on in the sinking of the Reuben James)

The Sinking Of The Reuben James

Have you heard of a ship called the good Reuben James
Manned by hard fighting men both of honor and fame?
She flew the Stars and Stripes of the land of the free
But tonight she's in her grave at the bottom of the sea.

Tell me what were their names, tell me what were their names,
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
What were their names, tell me, what were their names?
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James

Well, a hundred men went down in that dark watery grave
When that good ship went down only forty-four were saved.
'Twas the last day of October we saved the forty-four
From the cold ocean waters and the cold icy shore.

It was there in the dark of that uncertain night
That we watched for the U-boats and waited for a fight.
Then a whine and a rock and a great explosion roared
And they laid the Reuben James on that cold ocean floor.

Now tonight there are lights in our country so bright
In the farms and in the cities they're telling of the fight.
And now our mighty battleships will steam the bounding main
And remember the name of that good Reuben James.


Well I hope you like this topic. Thanks and good night.

Truck Bombing of Marine Barracks in Beirut (1983)

The article talks about a U.S. and french army force who where atacked by a bombing on October 23, 1983, the bombing was reported as a suicide bombing, wich means that people drove a vehicle close to the army base and blew themselfs up.. The injure toll was of 241 American servicemen: 220 Marines, 18 navy personnel and three army soldiers. Sixty Americans were injured. In the article it mentions it was the biggest toll on american lives in war since world war II.. making it an impressive and horrible ocurance for the united states.

The U.S. President Ronald reagan called this a horrible act of coldness to marines and american lifes that were just stationed there and were performing no duty that was in any way harming this "force" that atacked the buildings... I think this article shows a lot about humans, the way we can act, and the way we respond to such a sudden change of game plan...

World Trade Center bombing

The World Trade Center bombing occurred on February 26, 1993, when a bomb expoded in a Tower of the world trade center in New York.

There where 6 people dead, and 1, 042 people injured, but the bomb was suposed to knock out both towers killing thousands of people.

Why does this attack occurred?, because Ramzi Yousef was sendig letters to US newspapers demanding: an end to all US aid to Israel, an end to US diplomatic relations with Israel, and a demand for a pledge by the United States to end interference.

The plan was to drive a yellow Ryder van into Lower Manhattan, and pull it into the public parking garage beneath the World Trade Center around noon, and twelve minuts later the bomb was suposed to explode.

The Sinking Of The Lusitania

This attack had place during WWI near the coast of Ireland. On May 1 1915, the Lusitania departed from New York. Six days later, May 7, the Lusitania was hit by a torpedo. The ship was severely damaged, so much, that it took only 18 minutes to sink. This was a terrible event, because from the 1900 passengers, around 60% died.
The reason for the attack is believed to be that Germany found out that this luxury ship was being used as a transportation method of armament since it was a war zone, they didn´t hesitate to sink the ship. As a good disguise for being a luxury ship and being the fastest ship, that was easily seen by germans. This attack was a major event that led the United States to join the World War.

It hink this was a very interesting event. The fact of using it as armament transportation is very unfair for the passengers, though, this time I am not against the US for permitting this because Germany sent an advise that they would sink any ship near those waters because it was a war zone.

I have a question, do we have to send you the Attacks on America worksheet? Or was it only for us to use it as a guide?

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (1941)

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, began at 7:53 on Sunday, December 7, in Hawaii, ie, at 3:23 of the December 8, in Japan. Japanese aircraft attacked in two waves, a total of 353 aircraft arrived in Oahu. The first wave was led by Mitsuo Fucha.

Most of the 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed and 155 that were damaged were the impacts on land. The attacks on barracks killed more pilots. The friendly fire brought down several aircraft. Among the 55 Japanese airmen and nine crew members died during the attack submarine. Of the 441 Japanese aircraft (350 of whom took part in the attack) 29 were lost during the battle (in the first wave of nine and twenty in the second) and another 74 were damaged by ground fire. Over twenty of the planes that landed safely in the carrier were irreparable.

A lot of people died in this attack, 2345 military and 57 civilians to be exact and 1,247 military and 35 civilians were wounded.

Japan was having problems with US because the US decided to stop giving them oil after they make Japan dependented to that source because they didn't have an own source of oil. Also japan wanted to get china but the US wasn't agree with that so is when they stop to give them oil. Japan realize that they only had two options: acomplished what the US was telling them to do, or start the war. I think we all know what they decided.

Oklahoma City bombing

I chosed the bombing in Oklahoma, that happened in April 19, 1995 on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. This is the second deadliest attack on the U.S. history, being the attack on New York on 2001 the first one.

First, i'm gonna talk about the backround. On April 19, 1993, there was a standoff between the FBI and the Branch Davidian Cult (people who believed on apocalypticism, a belief that states that we live on times were apocalyptic prophesies are happening now). The governmend gassed the building, resulting on a major fire that killed around 75 people including children. After the struggle, lots of people blamed the government and the FBI for this tragedy. Timothy McVeigh was one of them.

Planning his revenge, McVeigh enlisted Terry Nichols and several friends that he met on the U.S. army basic training to help him pull his plan. They purchased over 5,000 pounds of fertilizer, that was the fuel for the explosion. They placed the explosives in a Ryder truck parked in the building carrying the whole explosives.
On April 19, 1995, the truck exploded pulverizing the whole north face of the building.
The blast destroyed and damaged around 325 surrounding compounds and destroyed 86 cars ion the area. Around 90 minutes after the incident, a highway patrol stopped Timothy McVeigh by driving without licence plates, and his ties to the bombing were later found. Although Islamic terrorist were blamed at the beginning by the media, the plan was discovered when some of McVeigh's recruits were caught. The explosion killed 168, and more than 800 were injured. Ninety nine people who died worked for the government, 69 did not. 19 of the victims were children. McVeigh was sentenced to recieve a lethal injection, and his friend, Terry Nichols, was sentenced to a life in prison.

I think this wasn't an attack to the U.S. itself, it was towards the government. I don't trust ANY government I know, I sometimes the work burocracy makes isn't that trustable, and when it comes to the U.S. government I start to doubt even more. Expansionism, imperialism, war, oil... United States has its reputation well refuted. I even think, sometimes, they make their own conspirancies and "destroy" their own stuff, so they can go and invade other countries... taking a little more oil on their way back.

Assignment #1 Feedback...

First of all, what a great background image and logo you made! I am impressed!

For your assignment, I loved your discussion and how you went back and forth with your comments and opinions. That is what blogging is all about!

You will all receive full credit for this assignment. 

Keep it up!

Outsourcing

-Roberto Cai

I found an article at Time Magazine about outsourcing that really caught my attention. this article doesn't centers on economic problems or "benefits." More than that, it talks about how people are used as "lab rats" because those companies believe it is cheaper to test drugs on Indians (actually it is) or any other country.
Since the article is too long to post is here, I´ll post the first 2 paragraphs and the link at the end.

Should Clinica Trials be Outsourced?

India's vast skilled workforce gets western companies' jobs done cheaper and faster. Much has been written about the outsourced back-office services — in IT, finance, telecom — that have helped propel the country's growth to more than 8% a year (and elicited backlash in the countries that buy them). Now a lesser-known western industry has begun tapping India's outsourcing pool, prompting concerns not about jobs, but about the health and safety of the Indian population: Big Pharma.

The price of bringing a new drug to market is, on average, $1 billion. The bulk of that cost is devoted to human clinical trials — the most crucial and time-consuming phase of drug development. Faced with tight regulations at home and shrinking profits due to expiring drug patents, western drug makers are looking to expedite the process by outsourcing safety and efficacy studies to developing countries, a large proportion of them to India. An amendment proposed last year by the technical advisory committee of India's Health Ministry would further allow drug companies to test their products widely on patients in India before they're proved safe at home, which is causing alarm among sections of civil society. It would be a dangerous situation even in developed countries, but potentially devastating in a country that lacks the medical infrastructure to care for people harmed by untested drugs.

Link: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1830334,00.html

-Manuel Trejo

I was reading a lot of articles about outsourcing, and I noticed most of the companies choose India over other countries. Maybe because of the high number of engineers and proffesional workers that graduate in there, being the cheaper to cost. Anyways, my article talks about "outsourcing" education, written by an american teacher; U.S. is seeking high-level teachers and engineers to teach to their students on this side of the world, and because of the recent educationalconomy growth in India, it is the best alternative in matters of education too. I'll put a few pharagraphs and the link at the end.

Outsourcing Education by James D. Miller

Outsourcing hasn't gone far enough: the U.S. should start using Indian-based teachers. Smart, inexpensive, English-speaking Indians already help Americans with software design, computer support and tax preparation. Through satellites and the Internet workers in India can be connected, with mere millisecond delays, to Americans in need. Outsourcing jobs to India has saved Americans billions while actually increasing the quality and competitiveness of many of our industries. We should now apply outsourcing to education, the American industry most in need of improvement.

I suspect that Indians would do a far better job grading than U.S. teachers currently do. Because of their much lower average standard of living, earning a few dollars an hour grading American school assignments would be a fantastic job for many talented Indians. Indians would therefore bring an enthusiasm to grading that most American teachers, including myself, lack.

Link: www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=052705A

-Roxana Serrano

The article that I found shows us how far outsourcing can go, even in things so simple like breast-feeding babies. I don’t think that its necessary doing this, because I see breastfeeding like a bond that get mother & son closer & not something that other women can do it, or that we can buy it that kind of milk in the stores. Almost all the articles that I found were about how the economics situation now in days is affecting outsourcing activities, so I choose this. I just put a part here the link is the end of the article.

Outsourcing Breast Milk

The say breast milk is the perfect food for baby's mind and body. Studies show that children who nurse may be healthier and happier and, if they breast-feed for longer than seven months, have a higher IQ. Equally important, many believe, is the intense bond that develops between mother and child.

Which is one reason most American moms don't want to share the experience with anyone else. Yet wet-nursing (hiring a woman to breast-feed your baby), which most of the Western world abandoned in the 19th century, is making a minor comeback among young moms. So is cross-nursing, in which mothers breast-feed one another's babies. Both reflect several cultural trends: more U.S. babies--upwards of 70%--are breast-fed than at any time in at least 50 years, more women work outside the home, and more young women undergo breast surgery. Advocates argue that milk sharing lets women be good moms while fulfilling other goals. Says Natalia Chang, 29, who has cross-nursed with her San Jose, Calif., neighbor: Breast milk is "a communal commodity around here."

Link: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1612710,00.html

-Angel Maya

LINK : http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/07/AR2009010703430.html?hpid=moreheadlines

Well i found a article about a printed error in letters from the army, the article that i found don´t talk directly about outsourcing; but is caused by outsourcing.

Why?, because thsi printed errors where made from a "contractor" of other country, well the point in here is that the letter where made for the family of dead soldiers. The letter was addressed simply as dear John Doe, and no one was able to see this problem because the letters where made in other country.

-"There are no words to adequately apologize for this mistake or for the hurt it may have caused," Brig. Gen. Reuben D. Jones

-This would never have happened if the military had retained control of this function, I don't think. Even the worst military bureaucrats still "get it" when it comes to dealing with the honored dead, more or less. It's time for the military to start recapturing functions for dedicated civil (or military) servants rather than outsourcing them to contractors for the cheapest rates.

-Alan Velazquez

This is my article on outsourcing, i think its important to think about not just articles on outsourcing examples, but also on understanding it, this articles fragment tells us a little bit about this, and it helped me understand it a little bit better, i must say that this is a worthy article to read, so carry on... i left a link to the full one on the bottom...

Austin, Texas (January 29, 2009) — Tusker Group LLC, the leader in offshore document review, is growing its attorney review staff and adding additional infrastructure to meet increased demand for its legal process outsourcing services. The firm has added eight new clients in the past 12 months as a result of new cases and interest in decreasing costs associated with litigation.
"The legal outsourcing industry is currently experiencing the upside of the down economy," said John Thickett, CFO of Tusker Group. "We are seeing an increasing demand for offshore document review. Corporations, driven to cut costs during this recession, are turning to offshore document review as a way to decrease expenditures, without compromising their legal strategies."
In the last 12 months, Tusker Group has grown overall by over 100 percent and added sixty new attorney staff members in both its India and U.S.-based offices.
Key trends driving the demand for offshore document review services include a greater acceptance of the unbundling of document review from law firm services to reduce costs associated with document-intensive lawsuits.

http://www.sourcingmag.com/content/n090129a.asp

-Ruben Zamora

Well what i read about outsourcing leads me to think that for some people its good and for other people is bad. Of course always the richest people win in terms of economical situations. Lets use this example: Me, (the rich guy with lots of buisnesses) decide to expand my businesses. If I pay lots of money to my employees here at the U.S. then why not move to another place where I will pay them less for the same work? Of course, the employee working for example in Mexico, will recieve much less compared to the the american employee. I think thats not fair. But well, we are not important to the rich people. Unless we're making money for them.

I cant post comments so I'm gonna post it here.

I think outsourcing may be good to help our economy but is like..wrong when you pay less to people for the same amount of work.

Welcome (:

Hi, we are the atlantic team for the Global Culture class and this is our brand new blog.

We are Angel Maya(Moltor), Manuel Trejo(Gandalf), Rubén Zamora(FAT GUY), Alán Velazquez(Randalf), Roxana Serrano(Patrick) and Roberto Cai(Canadaman).
We'll do our best for you guys to like our posts and.. that's it.

BURN IN HELL MOLTOR!!! We'll get your sofa.