War Letters

The perils faced in this war were unimaginable, with all the battles and loss of life. So it's not much to ask to receive a letter from home, or send a letter, so your family would know that you're okay. But this was almost too much to ask because of the lack of technology. Letters would take weeks or months to get to family from their soldier and vice versa. Soldiers must've felt so impatient and hopeless trying to send news to their loved ones and their families must've felt desperate for news. Sending letters in this era might not have been the best method either. Postal service even now is sometimes unreliable with letters being sent to the wrong people or possibly getting lost. This could cause some major confusion and grief if families were to not receive a letter. They would think that their soldier was dead when probably he was not. It could also cause the opposite problem of families thinking that their soldier was alive because of the time lapse of letters. Since they took so long to deliver families could be reading a letter that said that the soldier was fine but in reality they were dead.

Dogfight (planes, not dogs)

These fights that happen in midair are absolutely insane, and in fact a death wish if you aren't skilled enough. This probably takes years of practice to even be remotely comfortable doing these airplane acrobatics, including flips, turns, and loops. Not to mention the fact that someone is shooting at you the entire time. I played the game dogfight on that link, and the only reason I was winning was because I never let go of the spacebar to shoot. But pilots in WWI did not have unlimited ammunition. They had to make sure every round was going to count and hit the enemy plane fighting them and try to shoot them down before the enemy had a chance. And because these planes had both a pilot and a shooter, you had to make sure that each were very skilled . If the pilot wasn't as experienced or vice versa death seems guaranteed.

Queen Lili`uokalani's Twitter

QueenBee

At the Government Building attending the legislative session's closing ceremonies, excited to announce my constitution! 

01/14/1893 12:00 pm

QueenBee

Walking over to `Iolani Palace to restore power to the throne and the rights to my people. A historic day indeed!

01/14/1893 1:32 pm

QueenBee

My Cabinet refuses to sign this constitution; so stubborn! However, it is not over. It will be postponed temporarily

 01/14/1893 1:45 pm

QueenBee

My Cabinet has informed me that the Committee of Safety is challenging me! Me, the Queen! It is an outrage, absolutely unacceptable! 

01/15/1893 10:19 am

QueenBee

I have just spoken to Minister Stevens' only to be told that he would not support my government against foreign arms. It seems no one is in favor of this monarchy!

01/15/1893 12:47 pm

QueenBee

My fellow Hawaiians have come to my aid gathering peacefully at the Palace Square, if you are reading this come and join to fight for peace and preserve the monarchy!

01/16/1893 11:46 pm

QueenBee

Many armed troops are now coming ashore on my beloved island, can I not rule my own people in peace?

01/16/1893 5:00 pm

QueenBee

I have just heard a gunshot from the street! I do not wish for there to be any bloodshed or violence!

01/17/1893 9:21 am

QueenBee

I, Queen Lili`uokalani, hereby denounce my throne to avoid any conflict and loss of life, in the hopes that one day Hawaii will return to me and my people. This island's sovereignty is now dead.

01/17/1893 5:15 pm 

Magic is Might

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, and in fact in all of the Harry Potter movies, the concept of imperialism is obviously apparent. Imperialism is basically when a stronger nation oppresses a weaker one, and in the example of Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters try to oppress the muggles, or non magical people. They feel that witches and wizards shouldn't have to hide because of these muggles and they strive to kill and destroy anything in their way to make themselves known to the world and seize power by controlling and killing these muggles. The muggles would represent the weaker nation because first of all, they are oblivious to the wizarding world and anything it involves; they are completely unaware that these forces even exist. Second of all, since they are non magical, they do not have the skills or power to overcome this threat and defeat the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord and his Death Eaters are the stronger nation because they take control not only of muggles, but of the Ministry of Magic too, where they oversee all operations and also dispose of any wizards or witches that are pro-muggles, and try to provide aid to them. When Voldemort takes over the Ministry, a new statue is put in place in the lobby that depicts muggles being enslaved and holding up a foundation on which a wizards stands. The words "Magic is Might" engraved on the base. Implying that anyone who has magic is mighty and prevails over the weak muggles, that getting rid of them would be for the greater good, because then all witches and wizards could show themselves to the world. Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters also oppress fellow witches and wizards by instituting a new law that all magic folk have to submit themselves to questioning, because they thought that mudbloods, half muggle-half magical, stole their magic and did not obtain it on their own. They imprison and kill these mudbloods, so Voldemort oppressing mudbloods is another example of imperialism. Many mudbloods are forced to be on the run either from Hogwarts, the school of witchcraft and wizardry, or from their jobs and homes, because if caught they would be punished and tortured. Only the pureblood witches and wizards were safe from harm if they had nothing to hide. In the second installment of Harry Potter, The Chamber of Secrets, owners of house elves would be viewed as the stronger nation, forcing the house elves to obey every command or face cruel injuries. The house elves could only be released until the owner or "master" of the house elf gave them an article of clothing, securing the elf's freedom. However, this act of kindness was very rare indeed.    

Death in the Panama Canal

I live in constant fear. There are so many ways to die while working here, laboring under the sweltering sun and humidity, on this great structure. Disease, railroad accidents, explosions, dehydration, the possibilities are endless, and each day that I work I never know which one it will be. I hope, if death is to come, it will come quick, avoiding any pain or torture, but only if I am lucky. I now have to carry 50 pounds of dynamite on my head and shoulders, thrashing through the jungle, in order to blow up the land separating two oceans. With every step I take, my heart is pounding out of my chest with the anxiety that each step could be my last. As we near the railroad, we stop for an approaching train. I look up at the fast moving train, but then everything feels in slow motion. Cars of the train filled with the dead bodies of men, workers like me. But some hardly seem to be men at all, their bodies disfigured and in pieces, beyond recognition. There is a constant reminder of misery and death while I work. The train passes, and when the dread sets in I see my mother across the railroad tracks smiling at me. I ever so carefully put the box of dynamite down and run towards her, but as soon as I reach to where she was standing, she is gone. Everyone is staring, and I soon began to realize she was never there at all. I don't think I am lucky enough to get a sudden death after all.

OBAMA WAS EDUCATED IN A MADRASSA

Yes, this is an example of Yellow Journalism, because in fact, Barack Obama wasn't educated in a madrassa, and guess what? Obama isn't even a Muslim! So why do we have stories out here that state otherwise? These stories are merely fiction made up by the likes of Fox News, Talk Radio, Insight, and other biased news resources to sell more news and increase their circulation. Yellow journalism presents little to no researched news, but instead uses these eye-catching headlines to create talk and buzz about their news stations. This kind of journalism is just exaggeration and scandal-mongering and is absolutely unprofessional and immoral.  This relates to the Yellow Journalism used during the Spanish-American war because when the USS Maine exploded in the waters of Havana, Cuba, we had no idea what happened or who did it. But the government needed the American people to support the war against Spain, so the newspapers used Spain as a scapegoat, with headlines such as, "Destruction of the War Ship Maine was the Work of an Enemy." Newspapers also published stories of Spanish cruelties towards Cubans which were suspicious of fabrication, but the people slowly showed their support.

School of the Americas: True or Fake?

The School of the Americas, or more formally known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, is supposedly located in Fort Bennings, Georgia for 59 years although the government neither denies nor confirms its existence. This "School" trains people, mostly Latin Americans, in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. These graduates have consistently used their skills to wage a war against their own people to preform coups and the overthrow of their government. I believe that this is a harmful and reckless idea whether it exists or not, America does not need constant involvement in every country and certainly should not contribute to the overthrow of governments where we could possibly make things even worse. America has its own problems to deal with and no matter how hard we try you can never replicate our democratic government anywhere else. I know this sounds selfish, but if we minded to our own problems our country would have less political and economic turmoil, therefore we could help these countries in a more efficient way. We need to tend to ourselves before tending to other countries, or else everything will be more chaotic and there will be no hope for a government that's not corrupt. 

"Song of the Shirt"

The "Song of the Shirt" describes the hardships and cruelty that the factory workers had to endure for hours a day. This song explains the weariness, fatigue, and monotony of work in the factory and the unfair and dangerous conditions that they had to face. It also explains that human lives meant almost nothing to the factory owners, that they could easily be replaced if anyone was injured or died because of unsafe machinery. Life was very harsh and depressing for the factory workers, because they worked all day for hardly any pay in very hazardous and potentially deadly conditions. It was very hard for workers to support their families on such little income and every day was a constant struggle to survive.

Ellis Island Immigrants

The immigrants were probably feeling confusion coming to America for the first time, but also hopefulness for the future they could have here. Looking through the pictures you can see the tiredness in their eyes, but also happiness that they made the long voyage here, seeing Lady Liberty's torch light up the way to their prosperity and freedom. In some pictures however, there is an emotion of sadness though because not all of their family members completed the trek. In Ellis Island, the processing of immigrants was a long and harsh procedure where families could be split apart at any moment if they had a disease, if they didn't pass the literacy tests, or any other reasons.  

America is bias

Countries should leave all of their history, positive and negative, in their textbooks, because the people have a right to know about their country's history and past. You can't just leave out something that makes you look bad, and deprive the people of the truth. They should embrace the good and bad, because it ultimately shapes out country into what is is today, You can't have the good without the bad. Everyone is going to have their ups and downs, you just need to make it work and turn the situation around. 

Blogging: a whole other world

I have had a very good experience blogging. I feel like I'm expressing some of my own thoughts and opinions rather than being strictly academic. I feel that this process has been beneficial in that it is different than pencil and paper assignments from my other classes, it's an entire new way of learning and thinking. We get to listen and see different things for our blogs that are fun, but they also apply to the topic we are studying. I look forward to writing these blogs and seeing all the new topics we can write about.

Fave Blog Topic

My favorite blog topic from first quarter was Week Two about the lies, because I got to express my opinions on a topic that I am passionate about. Talking about lies and history really stuck a note with me and I surprisingly enjoyed blogging about it, when I had never blogged before. I also enjoyed blogging about moving west, because all the topics were games you could play, songs you could listen to, and shows you could watch that really related to what we were learning. The Six Word Story was my favorite because it was relatively easy and it could be interpreted multiple ways by different people. It showed me that you really can create a story with just six words, leaving everything open to imagination.

Truths of the American Cowboy

As Americans, we have always been interested in the lives of the American Cowboys, as they have been part of our national identity since their existence. In our culture, we have made the cowboys iconic, incorporating them in our movies, shows, and books, but not all of this is accurate. We have turned the cowboy into something that is almost revered, idolizing them and their spirit. In reality, they have lived a hard life, constantly working and traveling to provide for them and their families. There were various jobs like managing cattle, from the range boss to the wrangler, the bronco buster to the line rider, the cook to the cutting horse. They lived a rugged life sometimes being out on the road for years wrangling and driving cattle to get paid. Further more, especially in our movies, cowboys are often associated with mostly fictitious Indian fighting rather than with their actual lives of tending and herding cattle. We are so caught up in our delusions of the Hollywood portrayal of cowboys we forget what they actually were and what they did.  

Rocky Raccoon

     In the song Rocky Raccoon by The Beatles, they sing about a man, Rocky Raccoon, who is in love with a girl, Nancy, but Nancy goes off with another guy Daniel. So Rocky goes to face Daniel in a showdown to get Nancy back. However, Daniel shoots Rocky first and wins, so a doctor visits Rocky to heal him physically and Rocky also uses the Bible to heal him mentally too. I think The Beatles depicted how western life was accurately because there were many showdowns of that sort and people put their faith in the Bible to get them through it.

Six Word Story

"On the trail, one deserted wagon."

If you are separate but equal, you're not equal at all

Weekly Article:

     The treatment of African-Americans during Reconstruction and the treatment of the same peoples during the United States Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s was pretty much the same. After reconstruction former slaves became sharecroppers because that was the only option they had. However, they barely earned a living because they had to pay off loans and give most of their crops to the landowners. So it was pretty much the same condition they were in before slavery was supposedly "abolished" but instead of being physically punished they were financially punished and had to pay certain fees if they weren't in compliance with the rules. In addition the "Black Codes" a.k.a. Jim Crow Laws, were put in place, which further impeded their equal rights, and stated that the blacks and whites were separate, but equal. The blacks and whites had all the same facilities as each other, but they were just separated. However, as we would soon learn, if two races were separated, they could never, in fact, be equal. And this was exactly how they Civil Rights Era was also. 
     Even through certain amendments and the constitution stated that blacks had freedoms and the right to vote. We still found loopholes and ways to put them down and make it harder for them. We taxed the blacks that came to vote, making it more inaccessible, but did not tax the whites. We made them sit at the back of buses, go to different schools, restaurants, and even water fountains, We made them endure years of prejudice, violence, and oppression, but they still kept on going, resisting every step of the way. So not only was the treatment similar between Reconstruction and and Civil Rights African Americans, but I feel like they even had the same attitudes. They were courageous and strong people, willing to do anything for their families, their freedoms, and their rights and worked for it every step of the way. It forces you to admire all the hardships they endured and eventually overcame, after hundreds of years, emerging triumphant.    

I WANT YOU FOR U.S ARMY

     It is my opinion that this image is probably the most recognizable and historical in America. It is fact that this is propaganda. It might be surprising that a lot of pictures we're associated with are actually propaganda and used to create a sense of nationalism and pride to recruit people and manipulate their emotions. Propaganda can be used to help or harm anyone. So this Uncle Sam poster is being used to help the United States by getting soldiers to recruit in the army and have a sense of pride in serving and protecting this country. However many propaganda posters can instill a negative feeling towards something in people who see it.
     For example in World War I and World War II many countries had propaganda to sway people's opinions about the other countries they considered the enemy. Many of these would have negative connotations to get people angry and wanting to possibly help do something to make a difference. Even though we don't really think about it, propaganda is used in modern society today. Commercials and advertisements are the same concept; they are used to manipulate and change people's opinions towards something. So next time you see a poster, or a magazine advertisement, or a commercial, think twice about how it really makes you feel because most likely it will be persuading you to do or feel something that you wouldn't necessarily feel otherwise.

Forgive the South? Nah, we'll pass.

After the Civil War Lincoln wanted to rebuild this country and unite us together again. So he did what he thought was right which was grant the South amnesty for the war. And then people really get angry. Specifically the North. They had just fought this long war and lost many soldiers and loved ones, and now the South would just be forgiven? The northerners probably took it as, "Wow, we fought this war for nothing, and all our people died in vain." I think that President Lincoln was just trying to do the right thing and move on, but I feel like he should have waited until tensions died down between both the North and South. Not only the northerners were angry, the southerners were probably thinking, "What did we do in the first place to be forgiven? The north is at fault just as much as we are." So now instead of trying to fix everything between the two sides, this just made everyone more angry and frustrated with the other side. So Lincoln? You could've waited a little longer. I know you were trying to do the best for your country, but you should've let people simmer down first, because not everyone can be mature and adult about it like you.

Stereotypes, Stereotypes

Believe it or not, stereotypes have been around since the dawn of civilization; that's why they seem to have been instilled in our modern day society and are something we will never fully be rid of. Stereotypes are so widely known because no matter what there will always be people that are prejudice and ignorant of others  whether it's because of a lack of education or it's how they were raised. There are always going to be people that think all Asians are smart, that all Indians run gas stations, that Jewish people are always successful, that African Americans are troublemakers, or even that blondes are dumb. And all of these stereotypes started somewhere in our past continuing and transforming withstanding the essence of time.

"That government is best which governs least."-Thoreau

This quote by Henry David Thoreau means that the government is basically taking over every aspect of our lives, with healthcare, education, social security, etc. He is saying that the government works best when leaving the people alone for once and should only interfere when necessary. For me it means that the government should not make all of the decisions and would just be in place to keep some sort of order, and that people should be able to at least govern themselves individually. I do agree with this quote. Our government is trying to take on too much and fix everything it can, for example, the economy, healthcare, and war. By trying to fix things they are just making everything worse and turning this country and it's people into ruin. On the other hand, some sort of government is vital for a country to survive and at least be stable, because let's face it: if the government was barely involved in this country you can't expect for people to govern themselves perfectly. Down to the core humans are fickle and selfish and things would turn to madness and chaos. We might even be worse off than we would be with a government. So there are two sides to this quote, the blame needs to be shared between the government and the very nature of humans.

Does History Matter?! You're kidding, right?

     Of course history matters! You would have to be stupid or entirely ignorant not to think so. I mean history is everything; obviously when you hear the word history you think of events of the past, but history is being made everyday even in the present, and history will continue to be made in the future. Without history our whole society, culture, world, and heck, even the whole universe would be affected. You're probably thinking, "The whole universe? Yeah right," but it's true. Whether you believe in the Big Bang Theory or God's Creation Theory it's history, and if that history wasn't made, where would we be? We wouldn't even exist, I can guarantee you that.
     And about the history of the present? New technology is coming out almost every month it seems, between Apple's new iPhone 4 or the fact that we can use stem cell treatment to make blind people actually see again, both are definitely breaking news. The United States also recently made history by having under 50,000 troops in Iraq since 2003. The remaining troops are teaching the Iraqi troops military basics so eventually they can fight for and defend their own country, so by staying we are hopefully ensuring that the Iraqi's themselves can fight terrorism. If we just left, there could have been a terrorism attack on the United States because the Iraqi troops wouldn't have known how to prevent it. Bottom line is history DEFINITELY matters. A split decision could change everything. So without history where would we be? Obviously nowhere, it was a rhetorical question, duh.

Teachers: lying to me est. 1994

     Teachers should be expected to tell the truth. When we're little we put faith in these people and willingly believe anything they say, but sadly we were taken advantage of and were fed lies. At first they might seem innocent, like the fact that in first grade I was told that Indians and Pilgrims all sat down together and had the first Thanksgiving. How nice that they could be friends and eat together making conversation. Then we would split the class up into Indians and Pilgrims and make headdresses and hats and shoes with buckles, what a good way to teach first graders, right? WRONG. You couldn't get more historically inaccurate than that. How could Pilgrims and Indians dine happily together, if they couldn't even speak the same language? Further more, there were tensions between Pilgrims and Indians because of philosophical differences over the land, and the tribe living near the Pilgrims declined because of disease. Now you realize there's no way they ate together like one big happy family. 

     And so, because of these lies I was told when I was little, I carried them with me throughout middle school believing that I held the truth. If teachers think that we are too young to process the truth, then they should wait to tell us the real facts, they at least owe us that. They shouldn't just lie and make things up because they think we'll understand the lying version better, because when we grow up teachers either forget or don't bother to correct these lies. Then when you finally find out the real version, you feel like everything else you've been told was made up too. You finally realize that teachers, instead of teaching the truth, they LIE. Everyone deserves to find out the truth, but sadly, we can't even depend on our teachers to help us.