Building Peace

Every twenty-first of September, PEACE reigns on Earth. For that one day, there are no conflicts, no wars, no guns shooting. That one day is free from aggression, bloodshed, and hate. That day once a year, is all devoted to community action and providing aid for the poor- a day of global cease-fire and non-violence. Each year, the twenty-first of September marks Peace day.

The International Day of Peace is a day dedicated to peace, and specifically the absence of war particularly in combat zones. It is a day when everyone accepts the differences, comes together, and unites with one another. Peace is important because it is a way to stop all the fighting and suffering and brings love. Peace is defined as freedom from the cessation of war, violence or dispute or dissension between individuals or groups. It refers to the absence of hatred and hostility. It is especially important in today’s society. Everywhere we look there is fighting or hostility, and whenever we read the newspaper or look on the news, there are always constant wars between nations. Many are people dying, sicknesses are being spread by war, families’ are being torn apart, and kid’s are having their future ruined and taken away from them all due to the fact that peace is being forgotten. All this is happening because there is no peace or love in the world. Peace Day is just a day that occurs once a year, where there is peace worldwide and the world really comes together. But, if there was peace everyday, there would definitely be positive change and the world would become a better place for everyone. Peace is important to fight for and that is exactly what Peace Day is doing. I believe PEACE is worth being fought for.

Peace is important to fight for because it is the solution to many problems in the world. Carlos Santana once claimed- “The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart. The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace.” In this quote, it explains that peace is the most powerful weapon. However, people think otherwise. When armies go to war, they think bombs and guns will help them win. They don’t realize that the only way to truly win a war or anything is through peace. Many people have the choice to stop being violent but chose to ignore it. Instead, they are blinded by their emotions and want revenge. For people to stop fighting, there needs to be fairness and equity, justness, and to have justness, you need peace. Even so, that doesn’t mean with peace there are no conflicts, it means that with peace you can solve all conflicts and problems. Therefore, it is important to fight for peace because it is the solution to almost everything.

In addition, it is also important to fight for peace because it allows growth and development and a dependable future for new civilizations and future generations to thrive. Peace allows us to live in harmony with one another by acknowledging equality, fairness, and respect for each other. Without peace, there wouldn’t be growth or development in the world. However, not enough peace is contributed to the world and if this keeps going, the world would end up in chaos. Peace helps the world to keep moving and developing in a forward direction, so life can get better and better. It lets the world grow so people can come together and change the world to become better for future generations. It is important to fight for peace because with it comes love. Peace helps the world grow and people to love each other, and by doing so helping the world grow and develop.

Peace is a very important characteristic to have especially in a society that keeps changing like todays. Peace helps make this world a better place and gives people the chance to have a better life. Throughout history, many individuals have struggled to achieve this ideal but still haven’t quite reached it. Even so, I believe it is still worth striving for.

Graphic Citation-

'Build Up Peace' by Michelle Calkins

Education: Bridging the Two Worlds

"Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom." These moving words were said by George Washington Craver. I believe this quote signifies that 'with education comes freedom.' Education presents us with more choices and decisions, and consequently, more freedom in life. It gives us knowledge to make the right choices, and with that knowledge comes success. This quote indicates that education opens up many more opportunities and freedom for us to strive towards our life ambitions. Without education, one doesn't have much hope for a successful future.

It is difficult to survive properly to get anywhere in life without education. In fact, education today may even be more important than it was back then as nowadays, most privileges are not open to uneducated people. Many chances are taken away from people due to their lack of education. Education is needed to be able to accomplish much in life because now, not only does education incorporate reading and writing, it also consists subtle lesson's for today's constantly changing society. However, not everyone is fortunate enough to get education. Many people around the world in poverty want to attend school and learn but don't have that kind of money to spare or are denied their right to attend school. While some people take education for granted, there are kids on the streets who yearn and wish but can only hope to be educated. It seems completely unfair that while people who can't afford it dream to be educated, there are people being educated who don't recognize the benefit and importance of education and fail to appreciate it. Education is necessary to achieve much in life. I believe education is worth being fought for.

Education is important to fight for because with education comes space for development. Education gives us basic knowledge and lets us understand more of what is going on in the world. It would allow the world to develop because fighting for universal education would also be fighting against poverty. Educating the poverty-stricken means helping and giving them a shot to a better lifestyle by getting a job, thus helping the world develop. Yet many children around the world today are denied their right to attend school and some don't have the money to afford schooling. If everyone was given the chance to get educated, the number of people in poverty and suffering would lessen as education is the foundation to success and provides the chance of getting a well paying job and with that comes money to lead a better life. Education is the key to freedom because when you are in poverty, there is not much you can do. Fortunately, there are campaigns around the world fighting for child education. One such example is the Bolsa Escola (Bolsa Familia), in Brasil. Bolsa Escola is a scholarship program for kids who have to work and it allows kids to go to school some time during the day. This operation makes up for money lost from kids going to school by giving them a monthly cash payment. As well as its educational impact, Bolsa Escola is also credited for its other positive impacts like the stimulation of economic growth, therefore, providing development for the world.

Additionally, education is important to fight for because education helps the world grow. Education allows us to keep moving in a forward direction by educating people to understand the world and the things in it. Education will help us understand the world better, so we can know what needs to change and what improvements to make so the world can grow. Through education, we can also discover and develop new ideas and methods to do things so that there is growth and life can become easier for both the rich and the poor. Furthermore, education also teaches people to value what is morally right. By that, the world would grow and become a better place for us to live, when people know the right way.

Ultimately, education is the key to almost everything in life. Everything else will follow itself once you are educated. Education is worth fighting for because with it comes a better life for everyone and a better world by providing space for growth and development. Education is needed to accomplish or get anywhere in life. Without it, the world would have not much growth nor development. In a way, education is also like a 'bridge' between the two worlds, poverty and wealth. Education is also important for achieving freedom and success. I believe education is worth fighting for.

Painting- 'World and Education' by Romero Britto

Found Poetry-

In the case the world doesn't care,
I have to somehow make it count.
To sound like it is important,
No questions, just answers.
No doubt lingering in my voice.
Even if inside, I only feel fear.

We walk this earth everyday;
we just take what we say.
We never leave any way,
for the future to simply stay.

Our earth that we own
has deteriorated to ash.
Through my eyes I see trash,
my vision of beauty has been slashed.

No one listens to our world,
they only will in their afterworld.
No one realizes we need to conserve,
we all simply have to observe.

I walk through the trees,
my shadow behind.
I am reminded of the generation,
the one that will see the transformation.

Picture our land,
ash, a great grey band.
We all have to understand,
together, we must take a stand.
To save mature nature,
before it’s too late.

---

A sustainable future is worth fighting for. Through my found poem, it shows the need of saving Mother Nature. Nowadays, we take whatever we want from nature and don’t give back anything in return accept our trash. Although we may not see or feel it now, not much later, our world will be gone, destroyed by our heedless acts. My poem fights for saving Mother Nature. Only when it’s too late, will we realize just what has to be changed. And we might not be the ones to see the change, the next generation will. We are leaving no way for the future to stay. Everyday, the Earth is deteriorating, because of us. We are destroying our world. If we don’t take a stand soon to save Mother Nature, everything will be gone. We need to start sustaining the planet to maintain all life and ecological systems so the world and thrive on in the future. We need to start conserving before it is too late to save the world.

My Noise ~ A Visual Representation

The image above shows a visual representation of my noise.

In the night, after a long day, I shut off the lights and lie on my bed. Everything outside is quiet yet my noise is loud inside my head. This image, above, shows a visual representation of my noise. As you can probably guess, I like colours and my noise is very colourful. I think with a lot of colours. All over the page, there are small picture/sketches, symbolizing I like to doodle and doodle a lot. I also think about my mom, dad, and sisters as shown at the top of the page. The words are larger than those around them since I think about my family a lot. There are words showing my values and things that I think are important all around the page. Also, there are words and phrases that my parents always tell me and what I try to achieve. From the cross and the word God, you can tell I’m christian, I believe in God. God is written quite big because I think about God all the time. In addition, music is part of my noise, seen with the music notes and the word flute. Music is important in my life because it has taught me to never give up even when its hard. On top of that, there are questions marks written or drawn all over my noise. This represents my hidden thoughts. In conclusion, my noise is extremely colourful and shows what I think about.  

Rosa Parks: The Mother of the Modern Day Civil Rights Movement

Rosa Parks (1913 - 2005)

"Each person must live their life as a model for others."These inspirational words were said by Rosa Parks, an African-American civil rights activist and seamstress. I think this quote implies that every individual should live their life following their moral codes and stand up for what they believe in. It also suggests we live our lives as an example for other's so they can follow our footsteps one day.

Born in Tuskegee, Alabama, Rosa Parks' childhood was greatly influenced by the Jim Crow laws of the south that segregated white people from black people in almost every part of their lives. This included riding public transportation, where blacks were only allowed to sit in the back few rows of the bus, as long as no whites were left standing, yet they all had to pay the same amount of fare. Rosa Parks is most well known for her stand against racial segregation on a public bus in Montgomery. Her fight began the day she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger, when ordered to do so.

On Thursday, December 1st 1995, Rosa Parks boarded a public bus in downtown Montgomery, after a day at work. She sat in an empty seat in the first row of back seats, set aside for blacks, behind several rows reserved for white passengers, but not before she paid her fare. The bus travelled along its regular route picking up increasingly more passengers. Eventually, all the seats reserved for whites were taken. Rosa Parks along with several other blacks were then ordered to move further back by the bus driver. However, something inside of Rosa Parks said NO. When ordered the second time, she still refused to and remained seated. Parks was arrested and sent to jail by the police. 24 hours after her arrest, she was bailed out of jail and her trail lasted for half an hour.

When people around the area heard about Rosa Parks' civil disobedience, they decided to take a stand as well. A boycott was formed and the people agreed not to take buses on Monday, December 5th, four days after the arrest. The black (coloured) community managed to disrupt the bus transit company's finances causing it losing a lot of money. Due to the boycott, the law requiring segregation on public buses was removed 381 after the move.

Rosa Parks' act of resistance turned into an important image of the modern Civil Rights Movement. Parks didn't give up her seat because she was tired, she stated, "the only tired I (she) was, was tired of giving in." Rosa Parks took a stand and stood firm for what she believed was right. She made it clear she was not going to go on being treated in that manner, like a second-class citizen, anymore. Parks had not planed to get arrested, but just the same, did not hesitate to do so as she 'felt that we (blacks) had endured that (treatment) too long.' Rosa Parks had to make that decision, one that has brought positive change to society. Parks believed 'the more we (blacks) gave in, the more we complied with that kind of treatment, the more oppressive it became.' Rosa Parks went against society to fight for what she believed was worth fighting for. Rosa Parks lived her life as a model for us all.

She once claimed- "Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others." Sure enough, her sacrifices and achievements throughout her life will be remembered clearly and told through generations. Her act of boldness started a revolution that has changed the lives of generation to follow. She stood up for what she believed was right and went on bringing positive change in history. She fought for what was just and gave hope to others. Without her heroic acts, the society would not be the way it was today. Rosa Parks advanced positive change in a time when social inequality was commonplace. By the means of her actions, she has taught us to fight for was is morally right. I believe Civil Rights are worth fighting for.

Graphic Citation: http://www.bapwd.com/Rosa_Parks.jpg

A Perfect Utopia

"The first rule of sustainability is to align with natural forces, or at least not try to defy them." - Paul Hawken

If I could create a new world, I would want it to be based on sustainability. Nowadays, the human population is rising at a rate that causes sustaining resources almost impossible. As the consumption and population grows, the world's natural resources are lessening. If we keep consuming at this increasing rate, there will be nothing left for us to consume in the future. In my ideal world, natural resources will be valued and fewer resources will be consumed than created.

Sustainability is an important characteristic because it allows growth and development by securing a reliable future for new civilizations and future generations to thrive. Furthermore, our future depends upon our actions now. We, as humankind, are dependent on the environment and its natural resources to survive. If the environment was destroyed or natural resources depleted, we would not be able to nourish ourselves to live much longer. Therefore, we need to start sustaining the planet to maintain all life and ecological systems.

In my ideal world, everyone will work towards sustaining the environment and its natural resources. People will seek to reduce their ecological footprint as well as their negative impact on the environment to maintain balance in the environment. In this society, no one will disregard sustainability. The environment will be protected and depletion of natural resources avoided and valued. People will repay whatever they take from the planet and there will be more resources produced than used. Around the world, many societies have endeavored to achieve this ideal, yet haven't reached it. Nonetheless, it is still worth striving for.

Graphic Citation:

http://urbanmining.org/wp-content/themes/urbanmining/files/sustainability.jpg

Luttrell Psalter

1. What is the Lutterral Psalter? What does it portray?

The Psalter a volume of 150 ancient songs, grouped together to form one of the Old Testament books of the Bible. They formed a fundamental part of Christian and Jewish worship in the Middle Ages and down to the present day. They were often written out separately from the rest of the Bible and preceded by a calendar of the Church's feat-days and followed by various types of prayers. It is a medieval manuscript.

2. What type of source is the Lutterral Psalter?

The Lutterral Psalter is a primary source.

3. Why is the Lutterral Psalter an unique document?

The Lutterral Psalter is an unique document because it is painted in rich colours embellished with gold and silver with vitality and sometimes bizzarre inventiveness of decoration. It has fascinating details and its lively images provide a virtual documentary of work and is as well unlike virtually any other Psalter.

DomiKnow Learning Profile

Gestalt Dominant (Right Brain)

Profile LL

After reading about my profile, I learnt that I my function is movement and I learn best through movement. Because of this, I would want to sit at the back of the classroom so I can move easily without disturbing others around me. When I am under stress, I can't use any of my Visual, Auditory or Communication skills to take in information. This means that I am at great disadvantage under stress as I cannot access my dominant hemisphere and therefore, totally shut off. However, there are a few activities that can help me deal with stress. Some of the activities include the Lazy 8s, Thinking Caps, Cross Crawl Sit-Ups from Brain Gym, as well as drawing with the non-dominant hand. Some examples of things that make me stress are: When I don't understand something, when there is a big test, or when I have a lot of homework. The Gestalt coping strategy tells me that when stress like that happens I could do the following: Attend to details, prioritize, force myself to finish what I started. I would like my teachers to know I learn best by seeing the big/whole picture.

Taking A Stand

Non-Jewish people had several choices. Many of the Germans chose to follow the Nazi Party and do as told or some protested against them. If I was a German and was given the situation of picking what to do, I would leave the country like Andre did. I say that because I would not follow the Nazis' order or speak up against them. I know that if I tried to protest, I would be killed, but at the same time I would not act with them and so the best way is to just leave.

✮ ✭ Analyzing Visual Images ✭ ✮

The caption above the poster reads 'Healthy Parents Have Healthy Children'

The picture on top is represent a family, a healthy family. All the children and parents are smiling and look like they are happy. The family appears to be enjoying their life. They are wearing decent clothes and look as though they are well-fed and cheerful. This illustration is not flashy like most posters usually are and so it makes the picture look realistic and believable. When you look at the poster, the first thing you notice is the family. They take up most of the space on the sign. The light is shining right onto them- the area around them seem to be darker with no light.

I think the message that the creator is trying to ger across is that if you vote for that party, then more families (including yours if you have one) would look like the one is the photo- healthy and happy. I would guess that the wordings on the poster is really talking about parents, saying that if you are healthy, you have healthy children and a good family. The poster and the phrase on it is trying to say if you vote for that specific party, Germany would produce families that are identical to the one shown, which is a happy one.

The purpose of this poster is that if you for that one party, your family will start looking like the one in the picture. The intended audience is the Germans because the family on the photo looks German. In my opinion, the poster has achieved its purpose. I say that because if I had to vote at that time, I would be attracted to that image as I would also want a family as good looking and happy as the one seen.

Graphic Citation:

http://www.ncs-nj.org/teachers/svain/holocaust/pages/clipart/healthy.jpg

✫ ✬ ✫ Propaganda ✫ ✬ ✫

THE POWER OF NAZI PROPAGANDA

**Definition of Propaganda: (noun) Information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc...

Propaganda is the art of persuasion- it is persuading others that your side of the story is correct. Hitler was mindful of the value of good propaganda.

I think propaganda was used by Hitler and the rest of the Nazis so extensively because it helps the people see what Hitler and the Nazis can do to help Germany proclaim its power back. It would reach viewers easily if it is striking and Hitler was very aware of the power of propaganda. The posters and media let the people see, think, and hear the words of the Nazi's belief. Hitler thought that the visuals on posters would help people see the intentions and ideas in the Nazi Party and would agree the Jews are the bad ones and the ones to be blamed.

**Definition of Propaganda from dictionary.com:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/propaganda

✩ Where Schmidt Stands ✩

Karl Schmidt will vote for the Nazi Party because he is jobless and has a family to support. By voting for the Nazi Party, the Treaty of Versailles will be abolished. The Treaty of Versailles says Germany owns money to many people. Germany can't even pay them back and so many people don't have jobs. When the treaty is abolished, the Government will have enough money to play workers. Since Schmidt is broke and unemployed, he will be able to find a job and make money for his family. Therefore, the Nazi Party is the political party Karl Schmidt will vote for.

Anger & Humiliation | Voices in the Dark

Response to readings:

ANGER AND HUMILIATION

Most unfair rules:

4. German blood as a requirement for German citizenship. No Jew can be a member of the nation.

I find this rule unfair because a lot of Jews have been living in Germany for ages and not letting them be part of the nation simply because of their religion is extremely unfair.

8. No further immigration of non-Germans. Any non-German who entered Germany after August 2, 1914, shall leave immediately.

I think this rule is unfair because it just shows racism. Many people would have jobs out of the country and so its unfair. This rule shows that the Nazi Party belief non-Germans were not good enough or as good as Germans.

Questions:

3. Land and territory (colonies) for our surplus population.

Does that mean to get more land?

5. Non-citizens can live in Germany only as foreigners, subject to the law of aliens.

What is the 'law of aliens'?

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VOICES IN THE DARK

If I was on that train in the same situation, I would have kept quiet. I say that because if I spoke out, I know more people would be against me than with me. Even if there were people of my kind on my side, would they dare to help defend me? I would be really mad and upset inside, but on the other hand would still silent to keep myself from getting killed or tortured.