I have become more knowledgeable about the world

A view of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill from space.

This year, we have discussed many currents events and global issues. Most recently, we discussed how the Ugandan military is using former rebels from the Lord's Resistance Army to hunt down their old leader, Joseph Kony. The L.R.A is using abducted children to murder and terrorize local villages, and many in the region are concerned about them. This army contributes to the destabilization of the region and creates a humanitarian crisis, so much so that the United States has even aided in fighting this problem. Another issue in the world is the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This effects not only the environment, but all those whose work depends on the Gulf for things like fishing or tourism. Many have been working on fixing this growing problem, but as of yet, nobody has come up with a solution.




German soldiers in World War I


So many events happened in the Twentieth Century. The first part of the Century was dominated by the New Imperialism. This involved the dominance of the Western world over places in Africa and Asia. Included in this is the emergence of new forms of rule, including colonies, protectorates, and spheres of influence. It also saw the spread of Western culture, languages, and ideas to other parts of the world. Another huge event in the Twentieth Century was World War I. This influenced many aspects of life in this century. It took millions of lives, drastically changed the map of Europe, and created new states of government, including the rise of communism in Russia. The war greatly fueled nationalism and even helped to start World War II.




Race is not a accurate way to categorize people and has no scientific basis.

Today, the peoples of the world are categorized into race. Race is not a scientific category, but people are put into different groups based on how they appear or how they act, regardless of where they actually come from. The traits that people associate a certain race with are actually not even paired on the same gene. The same "race" does not have the same traits throughout all of its peoples. The human race is not even divided into subspecies because we haven't been around that long. The category of race cannot be used to categorize people because you cannot lump people into categories based solely on how they appear, and it has no basis in science.



A view of Mt. Everest

During the year, we have also discussed many places on Earth. One of the places we focused on is Mt. Everest. Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth and is situated between Tibet and China. There is a mix of cultures at Mt. Everest, between the native people that live there and the foreign visitors that come to climb. We also learned about many different countries in our PowerPoint projects. I learned that China actually does have a president as a communist government; however, he does not have much power and is more of a ceremonial figure. I have also learned about the pirates in Somalia and how they are robing passing cargo ships because they have nowhere left to turn to get money.




Festivals are very popular in Japan and are celebrated throughout the year

Of all the world's cultures we studied, the Japanese culture was my favorite. We learned that in Japan, bowing is a normal sign of respect, the lower the bow, the more respect being given. Also, when a Japanese business man closes his eyes during a presentation, it is likely to mean that he is thinking about it, not just merely bored. Festivals, called "matsuri" in Japanese, are very big in Japan and happen at many times of the year. Most of them started as a result of a religious holiday, but many have become secular and are celebrated mostly just for the fun of it. Anyone can join in these festivals, regardless of religion.