Journey from Zanskar

Zanskar

research question

In what ways are children having their right to freedom of expression and privacy violated?

Sources needed:
news articles (perspective of parents and kids), laws (declaration of human rights, specifically for certain areas, is it legal for parents to do this because kids are minors and are not legally able to make their own decisions?), statements from companies who make the product, something about protection vs. privacy

Human Rights project ideas

• Green card problems- conflicts with article 15 of universal declaration
• article in the Economist, http://blog.psaonline.org/2010/11/22/who-wants-to-be-an-american-a-lot-of-people-actually/
• What are some of the nationalities that the US often denies or makes harder to obtain a green card? and why?

• parents monitoring their children's text messages- freedom of speech (article 19)
• http://www.mymobilewatchdog.com/, http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20101117/LIVING/11170325/1032/Experts-cue-parents-on-how-to-monitor-children-s-Facebook--texting-habits
• Does these programs and monitoring from parents actually prevent kids from acting out? Have kids found ways to get around these programs

Maus 2- first half

One of the things that I found most interesting in the book was the masks. In our discussion we talked about what the different animal masks represent and how the cat/mouse thing was chosen to symbolize the relationship between those two animals. However, I do not think we fully answered why you could tell they were wearing masks in the second half of reading and not the first. I was also wondering if there was a reason that Art said he didn't want to be a bunny in the beginning. A bunny symbolizes a similar relationship to a cat as a mouse does but Art makes it clear that he doesn't want to bunny. There are also some mice that are black instead of white. Is this for organizational purposes or for some other reason?

Congo Articles

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11108589

The problems mentioned in this article that are currently happening in the Congo are caused by similar events that happened when Leopold was ruling the Congo. Genocide in neighboring Rwanda has caused many people to flee to the Congo. They have also started to attack Congolese and steal their resources. This turned into a war between Rwanda and the Congo which led to the death of over 5 million.

The Congo has been taken advantage of multiple times and because of this, they can not try to make a system of their own. The article says that the east of the Congo is still unstable and I would like to know how exactly is not stable.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11480809

This article talks about a rebel leader who might be involved in mass rapes. Between 300 and 500 people have been said to have been raped within two months. Homes and businesses have also been broken into and stolen from. Doctors have gone to the Congo to try and help out rape victims, and the UK has tried to arrest the culprits.

Who is responsible for theses rapes (the rebel leader can't being responsible for all of them)? Why is this happening, is there a motive for the rapes?

King Leopold's Ghost

I though it was interesting how Stanley was one of the most famous explorers of Africa during that time, but he lied and made up stories in his biography. It was also sad to hear about all of the problems with slavery in Africa. Even Affonso's relatives were not safe when going over sees.

Where does King Leopold come into the story with Stanley?

Why does Stanley feel the need to lie and exaggerate in his biography?

End of class thoughts

I learned the difference between imperialism and colonialism and the reasons why countries colonized.

I would like to learn more about the history of countries competing to colonize countries and the fight to become the most powerful country

Current Events Reporting

1. This article discusses the one-child policy in China. The Chinese are trying to decrease the population growth by limiting couples to having only one child. A man named Yang Shizhu just had a second child, in hopes of having a boy, and is mad at the Chinese government for making him pay a fee for violating the policy.

2. The article is recent and this particular story is new, but the issue has been around for years now.

3. How many people break the one-child policy? Does China have something written in their constitution that says that the Chinese should have the right to have as many kids as they want?

Which news worthy events do you remember from your lifetime? (3 and ask an adult)

My events:

9/11- I was at school when it happened but did not find out about it until i got home. I remember watching the planes fly into the world trade center over and over again on the news

The decision of Lebron James to go to Miami- I was in my kitchen watching the TV and listening to my dad, who is from Cleveland, complain about how he couldn't watch. I heard Lebron say that he was going to Miami and I turned off the TV and started ranting about how stupid his decision was.

Inauguration of Barrack Obama- We watched Obama get sworn into office at assembly and then we watched other parts of the inauguration during class in the IC and had discussions about it. People were very hopeful and optimistic about the change.


My dad's events:

The assassination fo JFK- He was in 2nd grade. The principal got on the loud speaker and announced that the president had been shot. Teacher started to cry.

9/11- Was at Bellreive Country Club watching a practice of the American Express championship. He was following Tiger Woods around when word had started to spread that planes had crashed into the World Trade Center.

When the US invaded Iraq with President George H.W. Bush- watched news reports. He thought that there not way that he could not be reelected.