Zimmerman Selling Painting

I found this article ironic but also funny because it is so ironic. I do not know how credible it is. But enjoy anyway before a stressful week of finals!!!

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/george-zimmerman-paints-230758692.html

Marissa S.

Another Parallel to My Lai

It just struck me a similarity between Lieutenant Calley and some head Nazis; Both said that they did what they did in an effort to impress the higher-ups in their respective governments. Calley, a very young lieutenant, acted in an attempt to prove himself to the U.S. government (and probably seek a promotion), and many Nazis massacred Jews and other "undesirable" people in order to impress and gain favor with their fuhrer. I feel like this situation goes beyond these two incidents. To what extent do we break with our morals or logical analysis in order to impress others?

Youngest on Schindler's list died this year.

After watching the "Schindler's List" movie, i wanted to see how many survivors were still alive today. I found this article that said that the youngest survivor on Schindler's list died this year on January. His name was Leon Leyson and died at age 84. He was 13 years old when Schindler rescued him from the concentration camps. Schindler used to call him "Little Leyson" because he was the only person who had to stand on a box to reach the machinery. When the Holocaust was over, Leyson moved to Los Angeles, California and was a teacher for 39 years at Huntington Park high school. After the movie, Leyson embarked a public speaking career that took him around Canada and the US to share his story about the Holocaust. I thought this article was interesting because there was one survivor left and he accomplished many things after the Holocaust but sadly he died this year.
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jan/14/local/la-me-leon-leyson-20130114

Kim Jong Un takeover?

"North Korea announced Thursday it had executed the uncle of leader Kim Jong Un, declaring him a traitor who tried to overthrow the state." Scary! Most of us know that North Korea is not the ideal place to live right now, but I think that our worst fears were confirmed when Kim Jong Un decided to murder his own uncle. To be honest, I am a little worried that Mr. Un may think that he is going to be the next Hitler, and try to take over the world. He certainly has begun eliminating all those who pose any inkling of a threat to his power. By ordering the country to execute his uncle, Kim Jong has shown the world that he is not afraid to kill those who get in his way, even if they are related by blood. Although I feel very safe, being an American citizen, I believe that he has done exactly what he wanted to do. Introduce fear into the hearts of people all around the world, and assert himself as a dangerous man not to be reckoned with. How do you guys feel about a potential equivalent to a second holocaust being in our near future? What will our world powers do differently this time to control such violence, rather than let it go so far as to killing millions and taking over an entire continent?

Is it against the law to talk to a cookie?

I saw this really funny story on a comedian that made iPhone shaped cookies with the intention of getting pulled over to see the raction of a police officer. He was driving by a police officer and he made it look like he was driving on the phone as soon as he took a bite of the iPhone cookie the officer looked very confused. He was pulled over but turns out that he had a warrant for unpaid parking tickets and his plan back fired he was arrested. You need to have balls to do something like this. Just a bit if Friday humor hope everyone has a nice day!

 http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/comedian-unsurprisingly-regrets-pranking-cops-iphone-shaped-cookies-172900407.html

Punk rock band in jail

Hey guys so I just found and article about a punk rock band from russia who are serving time in prision right now they are apparently accused of hooliganism and religious hatred. This group apparently swayed the public to hate a religious group. But didn't we also study some groups similar to this who weren't convicted of anything. I don't think this group should have to go to jail because everyone should have the right to say what they want and this group was not given that right.

Here is where i found my information:
http://news.yahoo.com/russia-court-orders-review-pussy-riot-verdicts-065700985.html

Photos v. Memories

I was watching the Today show yesterday, and I found one segment in particular to be interesting and oh-so relevant. They were talking about Instagram and how it is ruining our memories. We go to amazing places, take a picture and then leave. Rarely, now a days, do we take the time to really absorb everything that is around us. I found this intriguing, because I realized that I am one of those people. I take so many pictures that I sometimes forget to take in the scenery that surrounds me.  I can't help but connect this to the Holocaust and the victims who had to live it everyday. I bet that they would have loved to simply take a picture and go home, but that was obviously not an option. We live in such a beautiful place now, and we have so many amazing opportunities to experience new and exciting things. Therefore I agree with what they were saying in this segment, that all of us should really try to live in the moment, and make memories by experiencing new things with friends and family, rather than taking a bunch of pictures that only resemble a faint memory of something we should have payed more attention to. Thoughts?

Göth

As I was reading more about Amon Göth I came across an interview with Ralph Fiennes, the man who potrayed him. He stated how disturbing it was for him to truly submerge himself in the roll and feel the raw hate and anger that the character called for. We often see villains portrayed but I feel that villains with a real quality are the most frightful of all. I do not think I could ever take a roll that involved Nazis or something of the like simply because I would be too afraid to admit the humanity of the person's I am portraying. That also was Fiennes point as he did not like admitting that at the core the Nazis were humans. What are your thoughts?

War Budget

I saw this article last night, and was a bit shocked. I mean, I knew that we put a lot of resources into our wars, but $1.756 trillion? Isn't that a little absurd when we seem to always be in some sort of debt?
I think that this money, although important, should be delegated to other areas of our society. Such as providing extra law enforcement officers in areas where there is a lot of violence, or facilitating the purchase of top-of-the-line textbooks for schools who really need it. 
With this much money, we could actually give every person in the world $249. This would feed a lot of people for almost half of the year and sustain livelihood for them and their families. 
http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/world-military-spending

What do you guys think? Should so much money and resources be going towards our constant war effort, or should it be delegated elsewhere?

Schindlerjuden

So we have talked at length about Schindler and his choice and rightfully so as he made an extremely selfless decision and is responsible for many lives. What I wanted to discuss here is what it would be like to be one of the Jews to make it on The List. Imagine giving up all hope for survival or even the possibility of seeing your family again, but through the bleakest day you learn a virtual stranger has paid for your freedom. I would be overwhelmed. I personally could not fathom such an act of kindness and as I said in my other post I do not think I could have carried it out either. How would you feel if you had been given the chance that Oskar Schindler gave those 1200 Jews?

Pastors secret salary

I just thought this would be interesting to add to the blog. So i was researching my church and i came across another church well actually a megachurch who's main focus of this article was its pastors salary. Now i looked at this and thought why would a pastor be making so much money if his main focus is to help people and to help his church. And he used about 29.1 percent of the churches budget for personal uses. I just think that this man should be worrying more about others than himself and his money because that is exactly what he preaches.
Here is the article I used to find my information:
http://www.charismanews.com/us/41523-megachurch-pastor-steven-furtick-draws-criticism-for-1-7-million-home-secret-salary

6 year old with sexual harassment

So a 6 year old boy decided to kiss a girl in his class on the hand. This to me seems like it should just be a funny and cute act from a harmless kid. Apparently this was taken much more seriously. The child was suspended for two days and also had this put  on his school records for future reference.
I think they went to far for this situation. This kid was only 6 years old and i know that 6 year olds do a lot of things that they might not think through a lot.
Comment below to say what youthink should have happened:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/12/us/six-year-old-kissing-girl-suspension/index.html?hpt=hp_inthenews

Holocaust Denial

A few times in class we have discussed Holocaust Denial. Although there are pictures, films, and thousands of people to prove it is true, for some not even all that is enough. In 1943, Heinrich Himmler was the first to say that the murders of millions of European Jews should be kept quiet. And 12 years later a man William Carto creates a group, known as the Liberty Lobby, that could be considered the first Holocaust Denial group. They began to publish literature as an act of their movement. Over the years, people have said that the Holocaust never happened, and then they began to say that the numbers of Jews killed is over-exaggerated. But, there is so much evidence saying that 6 million is the correct number of Jews murdered in the Holocaust.

Fitbit

A few of you may have noticed a black band on your parents wrist.  This is probably a fit bit.  In essence, all a fit bit does is count the number of steps you take in a day.  Supposedly, that will motivate people to get fit.  When my dad first told me this, I thought it was a laughable waste of money.  However, since then, I've noticed both of my parents spending an extra five or so hours a week walking around the block.  How does this simple device motivate people?  I think the motivation is in the competition the band creates both against other fit bit users and the three dots that light up on the band when you get to 10000 steps in a day.

NYPD Stop and Frisk

I know many of us don't go on Edmodo as much as Mr. Stewart would like but today Kacey I but up a interesting post about the new york state law of stop and frisk. The video is very appealing and may help some people understand why there is so much hatred or dislike towards police officers by the minorities in our country. I highly recommend to watch this video its a great story. Again i am not taking any credit for this it was all Kacey http://www.upworthy.com/meet-the-17-year-old-who-blew-the-lid-off-racial-profiling-with-his-ipod?g=2&c=ufb2

Addicted to Social Media

Throughout high school, I've wasted countless hours on Facebook, my cell phone, and other forms of social media.  I am betting I am not the only one.  I can't recall finding much joy in these activities.  Months ago, I realized this and attempted to go off the grid.  I wanted to see how long I could last without Facebook, or twitter. At the time my cell phone usage wasn't a problem because I had a flip phone.  It took a few months before I wasn't tempted any more, but I am proud to say I have not checked my twitter since.  Facebook, on the other hand, cracked me in a matter of weeks. Since then, I have failed a few more times at disconnecting from Facebook.

What is the source of this addiction?  What brings me back to Facebook every time is my curiosity about my inbox, or if there were any posts involving me during my absence.  It seems our addiction to Facebook may be related more to self-promotion than the actual entertainment aspect of the site.  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-judson-brewer/social-media-addiction_b_4079697.html

Good deeds

Recently, global has been pretty depressing.  Here's a reminder that people are capable of good things too.  My favorites are 3,11, and 12.  Some of these people remain completely anonymous even to the people they are helping.  People are capable of doing good for no reason other than it makes them feel better.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/moments-that-restored-our-faith-in-humanity-this-y

10 year old suspended

A 10 year old was suspended for pretending to shoot arrows with his pencil. Do you believe this was right or wrong? Why?
More information here:
http://www.mediaite.com/online/10-year-old-suspended-from-school-for-pretending-to-shoot-arrows-with-his-pencil/

Ethics

Ethics are a subset of values. The definition of values applies to things that are desired as well as what one ought to do, and can include such concepts as wealth, happiness, success, and fulfillment. Ethics define how a moral person should behave. These values include other beliefs and attitudes that guide behavior.
What is your definition of ethics?

Auschwitz concentration camp

Auschwitz I was first suggested as a site for a concentration camp for Polish prisoners by Oberfuhrer Arpad Wigand. The first prisoners arrived in May 1940 consisting of 728 Polish prisoners that included 20 jews.
Next came Auschwitz II-Brikenau which began in October 1941 to create less tension at the main camp. Himmler intended the camp to house 50,000 prisoners of war. Eventually there was as many as 200,000 inmates which led to plans of expansion.
Construction of Auschwitz III began with an initial force of 1,000 workers from Auschitz I assigned to work on the construction. By 1943 this number increased to 7,000 but the year after it had gone to 11,000. About 35,000 inmates worked at this plant but sadly 25,000 died. In January 1943 the labor education camp was moved from the parent camp to Monowitz.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp#Auschwitz_I

Stories behind adoption

     My parents and I were watching the news and they were telling stories about children in Columbia who get snatched and sent to an adoption house. This 30 year old woman got stolen as a child and was taken to an adoption house.She soon got a haircut and got a new name,the adoption agency falsified her papers putting her adoptive parents names as the birth parents.She got adopted and came to the United States. After many years she had made her own life and made a family of her own. She went back to Colombia in search for her mother.She had memories about the scene when she got taken and searched for the park,the mother also looked for her at every park they soon found each other.My mother made a comment that made me think,she said that the rich who may have a child in need of an organ will pay another person to get the organ needed and that they adopt to get a hold of the organ. I asked my mother if we were rich and I needed an organ would you pay for it and ask how they managed to get it? My mom said she would and that the person who killed(let's say) wouldn't admit to killing for the organ. If possible would you pay for an organ when having an idea of what the person will do to get a reach of it?

Recovery of Artwork

Mr. Stewart has been saying in class that the Nazis were able to steal the belongings of the inferiors.  The Nazis would then either keep the stolen items, sell them, or trade them for other goods.  I've always wondered what would happen to the stolen goods when the war was over.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/20/arts/design/enduring-nazi-law-impedes-recovery-of-art.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1386906781-3/1HDyTqHKBiKirTnJwBZg

Adam Lanza

 Twenty year old Adam Lanza shot down twenty children and six staff members in a mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary school in the state of Connecticut. Before the shooting Lanza killed his mother Nancy at about 9 am. He then headed off to the elementary school. Once he arrived he had shot his way through a glass window before entering the first grade classroom. The last shot occurred at 9:40:03 a.m, and police believe it was Adam Lanza shooting himself in the lower rear portion of his head. Here's the link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Hook_Elementary_School_shooting

Schindler

In the movie today we witnessed Oskar Schindler make a large shift in his motivations and morals in using the Jews in his factory. We have been talking also about how truly being selfless or doing something for morals is to do something without expectation of reward or anything of the like. At the beginning of the movie some would say that Schindler was rather selfish, only out for himself and used the Jews to make money at less cost. The drastic shift was when Schindler decided to save all of the factory workers from the fate of Auschwitz. At his own expense, and risk he purchased the lives of almost 1000 Jew simply out of the kindness of his heart, and his compassion. You could argue that he just wanted workers but if that were so, why not just hire Poles at less risk and trouble. His decision shows that he truly displayed a moral compass as the risk and financial loss he took was not even a factor in his decision. If you were in this situation do you think you would be capable of doing what Schindler did?

6 Year Old Boy Accused of Sexual Harassment

A school in Colorado accused a 6 year old boy of sexually harassing a girl in his class, because he kissed her on the hand. The superintendent of the school did change the offense to misconduct, but the boy was suspended for 2 days. The boy did however have a history of rough housing and did kissed the same girl on the cheek prior to this incident. I think the boy did deserve some minor discipline, but definitely shouldn't have been accused of sexual harassment.

Article: http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/12/us/six-year-old-kissing-girl-suspension/index.html?hpt=hp_inthenews

"I pardon you"

We saw a different side to Goeth in Schindler's List, for but a second, Goeth wasn't crazed with killing as he was with trying to show a bit of compassion towards the prisoners. In today's portion of the movie, Goeth took a step back and showed love for Helen, until he beat her again and again. At the same time, we saw a different side to Schindler as well, kissing the Jewish woman and young girl.  Even though Schindler is still using bribery to get what he wants from the higher up SS, I think he's showing more of a "connection" to the prisoners, from getting hoses to spray in the train cars to buying the 850 left over workers in Plaszow. Overall, I believe that both of these men have changed, even if in the slightest of ways, for the better. What are your guys' thoughts on Goeth as well as Schindler? Do you think that Goeth will be "Mr. Nice Guy" by the end of the movie?

Obedience

We talked about the way Hitler came to power and how people just listened to him because he was an authority figure. We also talked about some experiments like the Blue v. Brown eyed experiment and the Stanford prison experiment. Last year i was a part of something similar to those experiments. I was with a group of 60 people and we became really close friends. one day the man in charge separated us into groups based off of our ethnicity and we had to sat with our group we couldn't talked to anybody else and we had to stay with our group. Everyone followed the rules and nobody would even look at the other groups of people. The man would make fun of some groups while praising other groups. In my group people hated this and would fight to try to hang out with their friends. Finally one of the guys in my group got up and told everyone that it was wrong that we couldn't hang out with the people we wanted to. Everyone got up and sat next to their friends. Why would most people be ok with being separated? Why would people actually listen to a man that we hardly new just because he said he was in charge? why where people so hesitant to speak up?

Amon Goeth

In Schindler's List Amon Goeth was the person in charge of the forced labor camp at Plaszow. He was portrayed as a very evil character in the movie, and seemed to have no morals. He would kill prisoners for fun simply because he wanted to make examples out of them. When you are given the power over life and death many times it can corrupt the mind. From his very introduction in the movie, I wondered what would become of him when Germany loses the war. Although wikipedia is not the most credible source of information, I found an article on him. At the end of the war it states that he was extradited to Poland and tried. He was found guilty and then promptly executed. Here is the link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amon_Goeth

Symbol Of The Red Coat

In Schindler's list many people noticed that one of the few colored things was the little girl's red coat. At first I thought that it represented the illusion that the Jews were simply being removed from the ghettos. I thought this because when Schindler saw this the illusion faded in his mind. But, the coat really represented the innocence of the Jewish people being slaughtered by the Germans. This link can go further in depth.

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6614034012726123004#editor/target=post;postID=3943701326002966677

Schindler's list in black and white

Hey guys so I was reading a bit about why the Schindlers list was shot in black and white instead of in color and why the beginning of the movie showed the candle in color but nothing else. I found that Speilburg wanted to do this to create more authenticity for the film. To add to the authenticity he even filmed the movie with mostly hand held cameras, and no crane cameras were used in this film either. Spielburg did all this to show what it truly would have looked like to be in these places at that time. I think i would have liked the movie to be filmed in color but i do agree that the movie looks a bit more authentic than how it probably would have in color.

Kids and Electronics

Yesterday I had to pick up my little sister from school and it wasn't until my mom told that there was no one that could watch her, that I realized I was going to be stuck with her. I really need to do homework so I decided to stay in my car and work on homework until my mom could come get her from me . She kept complaining that she was bored and I kept telling her to do her homework but she said she didn't have any and she starting to get on my nerves so I just said here's my phone play games. She immediately got really happy. Thats when I started to think what is it about electronics that has kids brainwashed at such an early age? I mean I was never dependent of electronics as a kid. I remember getting my first phone in 5th grade but I only used it to call my mom none of my friends had phone yet, and my sister is a 1st grader and she says that she wants a phone. And I'm more than positive that she has already convinced my mom to get her and iPad mini for Christmas what is a 6 year old going to do with an iPad?  It's very scary that technology is taking over the new generations childhood what happened to playing hide and seek and coloring books and playing with dolls it's all being tossed out like an old doll with a missing arm. There is no exciment in their lives without electronics and I think it's  really sad.

http://wqad.com/2013/10/29/studies-say-parents-rely-too-heavily-on-electronics-for-kids/

Insomnia and the Holocaust

I have been thinking a lot about the Holocaust and how horrible it must have been to live in such a time with all of the tragedies and horrific tasks that prisoners were force to do. Thus, to lighten my outlook, I was “Googling” stories of survival and recovery associated with the Holocaust tonight and I came across quite a few stories about how hard it was to sleep after being liberated. While researching in my own state of teenage insomnia, I thought that it seemed fitting for me to take a deeper look. Most talked about having nightmares about the skeletons that they were surrounded by each day, and all of the death they saw, but one stuck out as being truly horrifying. In Philip Bialowitz’s book, A Promise at Sobibór: A Jewish Boy’s Story of Revolt and Survival in Nazi-Occupied Poland, he states “I have suffered from insomnia since the Holocaust and have often been awakened by nightmares. One recurring nightmare is of the time I was forced to remove the decomposed bodies from the cattle cars at Sobibór. These memories are not forgettable” (179). We have talked in class a few times about people taking jobs to stay alive, but I don’t think it struck me how horrible some of the tasks were, until just now. I can’t imagine doing such a thing, even if it was my only ticket to survival-land. I know that we don’t actually know what we would do in these situations until we are forced into them, but I am too appalled by said actions that I find it highly doubtful that I would ever find myself participating in them. However, if it did come down to it, and I was forced to move partially decomposed bodies of people I may have previously known, I am sure that I would have nightmares too, would you? 

Any other thoughts on this subject or the things that many Jews, Poles, etc. had to do in order to survive another day?

Its the holidays!!

Hey guys so I know we have been talking about the holocaust and death and stuff but I've got something a little different to share today that could restore some faith in humanity for some of you.
So i just got off of work about an hour ago and i was working at the first window of the drive thru at in n out (this is where people pay for their food) and i would say happy holidays to every customer right before they left to the next window. So when i said this to one man he seemed overjoyed with the fact that i told him "happy holidays" and he told me that he would like me to put his meal as well as the next person in line on his card. And all he wanted me to say to the next person was happy holidays. I did exactly what he told me to the next person in line and they were so overjoyed that they decided they would pay for the next car in line as well. This continued for 9 cars all with people just deciding to pay for the next persons meal because its the holidays.
This was amazing to me because studying the holocaust the past couple weeks has made me view humanity a little different and has showed me that we are capable of many horrific things but having an event like this happen has restored some of my faith in humanity, and hopefully some of your faith as well.

Comment if you have any similar stories.

Nuremburg Trials

Today in my Smiths small group we watched a video about War Crimes against 22 Nazis officers/generals
We were given a half sheet with 10 questions on it about the "Nuremburg Trials" in case you missed it here are the answers

1. Why was the Nuremburg a powerful choice for the trial location?
This was where the Nazis would come to show off their military power/ superiority

2. What were the four counts against the defendants?
1. The common plan or conspiracy
2. Crimes against peace
3. War Crimes
4. Crimes against humanity

3. What was the justification for putting the Nazis on trial?
They had committed the crimes and should be held accountable

4. Summarize Robert Jackson's opening statement.
Crusade against Nazism demonstrated the power of world justice

5. What was the concern about "fairness" at the Nuremburg Trials?
The judges were all from different countries

6. What was the prosecution strategy in presenting its evidence?
Conspiracy to wage an aggressive war, conspiracy to level Europe, Jackson used Hitlers' book as evidence

7. How did Goering defend his actions?
He summarized what he did and what happened

8. Summarize the argument relating to "orders."
Soldiers have the duty to disobey illegal orders. If orders are obeyed they can be tried for them. They should have leniency towards them because they tried to disobey Hitler

9. How did Jackson trap Speer?
He trapped Speer by asking him why he disobeyed Hitler at the end of the war and not during the war

10. What were the precedents that the Nuremberg trials established?
 That soldiers can disobey clear illegal orders

Let it snow with money

 Serge Vorobyov threw $1,000 in one dollar bills into a crowd of shoppers at the Mall of America on Black Friday while the song "Let it Snow" played. Vorobyov had decided to try and make other people's holidays better since he had a bad year from loosing his business to getting a divorce.He hoped that with this act of kindness he would get some good karma back.Vorobyov got a disorderly conduct citation from Bloomington police.He has a court date and face of fine.He says that he didnt want to hurt anyone,but when throwing free money people can react in a violent way.Votobyov admitted he had hopes of seeing his xwife and impressing her but says he mainly wanted to give back and hoped for good karma. Do you think Vorobyov's actions were morolly good? 

Here is the video of Vorobyov telling his side of the story
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/12/01/minn-man-tosses-cash-around-at-mall-of-america/

Stalin responsible for genocide

I did some more research into other genocides throughout history, and found that Stalin lead a genocide in Ukraine.  This popped out at me because just today we learned that Stalin suggested that the leaders of the Holocaust be found guilty then shot.  It goes without saying, he was a hypocrite.  The death total is estimated to be over 10 million which is similar to the Holocaust.

http://www.holodomorct.org/

http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/genocide/ukraine_famine.htm

Zimmerman vs. domestic abuse

Zimmerman had been arrested for pointing a gun at his girlfriend after she had told him to move out.She says she still wants to be with him.His original bail was set to 5,000 later on raised to 9,000 because later they found out he had tried choking Scheibe .Zimmerman had five guns and more than 100 rounds of ammunition when deputies arrested him.The judge prohibited him from having guns and leaving the state.I believe that Zimmermen has issues and by taking away the privalage of owning a gun assures that he won't offend anyones life anytime soon.Do you believe what the judge did was reasonable? Or he should have gotten a bigger punishment?





http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/11/george-zimmerman-domestic-violence/3990653/

Acceptance of Violence

In discussions we have had the question of the choice of the United States to drop the Nuclear Bomb on the Japanese. Many argue that it was acceptable as it saved countless lives on both sides, but this position is taken so nonchalantly. Those 1 million or so lives that are estimated to have been saved, were the lives of soldiers, people who volunteered to fight a war knowing that death was probable. Those people that were obliterated by Fat Man and Little Boy were innocent civilians whose only crime was being a citizen of a warring country. My main bone to pick is that we even discuss this question because giving such a situation the light of day, to me is breeding a next generation with the inkling, however subtle, that violence is just an assumed aspect of life that we will all one day encounter. The only way to stop a trend is to just get off the train. Walk away. What are your opinions on the issue of the nuclear bombings as well as the assumptions of violence in our 21st century society.

Smog: Benefits China?

I came across this article today about how the Chinese State Media is trying to say that the smog and pollution is beneficial to the Chinese people.  They state that it is uniting the people and making people more humorous.  I think these statements are absolutely ridiculous. There is no benefit to pollution and I don't understand why the Chinese government would try and say it is a good thing for the country.  Imagine the uproar in the United States if the White House Press Secretary announced that the pollution in the United States is actually benefiting us..


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/09/china-smog-benefits-advantages-state-media_n_4413043.html?ir=Green

Morality

"Morality is doing something only because it is right." A couple days ago, I walked into Payless shoes and I had overheard this little old lady talking to the sales clerk about how she had been standing out in the cold for 2 hours waiting for her ride. Not trying to intrude, I simply walked up and asked if she need to a phone to call her ride, she did not remember the number. So, I came to the conclusion that I should drive her home and not let her stand out in the cold anymore. After I had reached her given destination, she wanted to pay me for driving her; I said no because it's not about that for me, I wanted to this for her  because I felt it was the right thing to do in her time of need. What are your guys' thoughts on morality and have you ever been in a situation such as this?

Elie Wiesel and Oprah Interview

In 2000, Oprah Winfrey did an interview with Elie Wiesel. She asked him many questions on if he hates the Nazi's and what they did to him. He calmly replies and says he never felt hate towards the Nazi's only anger. Obviously throughout the Holocaust a person would have many feelings and emotions towards the people who were torturing and killing millions of people. And in my opinion I feel that hate would be one of those emotions. It probably took a lot of will power to not hate these people, and it is very admirable of Mr. Wiesel to not to have feelings of revenger or hate towards the Nazi's.

http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Oprah-Interviews-Elie-Wiesel/2

Nelson Mandela

It has been almost a week since Nelson Mandela died. Although he had been sick for a while, his death still came as a shock to the world. I found it interesting how everyone reacted to his death. People have heard his name here and there, but not many knew what he actually stood for. Mandela was a very controversial man. Many praised him for ending the Apartheid era, but many also disliked Mandela and though of him as a terrorists. Although he was far from being a terrorist he was being closely watched by the United States. Nelson Mandela did many great things for South Africa and should be honored for that. Here is an article by CNN giving detail of his life.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/05/world/africa/nelson-mandela/

Night

So today, during 2nd period, we talked about how in the book Night. One of the scenes we talked about was when the man, Stien, recognizes Elie's father. His father does not recognize the man but Elie does and the man asked Elie if they have received any news from his wife. Elie lies to the man saying that she did send a letter saying she was alright.

In class we talked about why he would lie to the man. I feel like Elie shouldn't have lied to the man. I think the best thing would have been for him to tell the man that he hasn't heard anything from his family but that that doesn't mean that they aren't ok. How would other people deal with this situation?

Lobotomy Procedure on WW2 Soldiers

Here is a video of a WW2 soldier, Roman Tritz. Who is one of the many soldiers who came back from WW2 with psychiatric problems. At that time there wasn't much knowledge about the psychological problems caused by war. Nor was there medicine to treat psychiatric problems. Roman Tritz was one of the thousands soldiers who were lobotomized by the Veterans Administration. Lobotomy is procedure where the frontal lobes and your brain are severed. It can effect  a person's personality and ability to function independently. Lobotomy was used to treat people with psychiatric problems.

Video: http://live.wsj.com/video/the-lobotomy-files-inside-the-mind-of-roman-tritz/20070E66-BF5A-40E9-B749-35CE6AB17D7C.html?mod=WSJ_hps_videohome_1#!20070E66-BF5A-40E9-B749-35CE6AB17D7C

Obama’s credibility

After a whole lot of this health care debate and botched rollout of the Affordable Care Act where is Obama’s credibility? Well this month the president is sitting with the same approval ratings that he was pre health care roll out. But if you just look back a month ago right to the middle of the botched rollout of health care his numbers were significantly lower. Up to 11 points in pole concerning his credibility. The most significant part of the article for me was people’s views on president Obama’s responsibly with the failure of healthcare.gov. They were saying that they don’t blame the president for the technical problems the website was having but rather blaming him for not putting the correct people in charge or the website to get it to work correctly. I really liked that view because Obama isn’t responsible for the day to day on the website but rather he is given overviews about it so why should he be held accountable to the technical problems with the website.

Check out the article!

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/12/11/us/politics/obama-sees-a-rebound-in-his-approval-ratings.html?from=homepage

Robert Cameron Redus Shooting

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/10/justice/texas-campus-officer-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_inthenews

In this case, I believe that the officer had the right away to shoot the student in defense because he was clearly not listening.  He resisted the arrest and took the officer's baton and hit him with it, which forced the officer to take action for his own protection.  The officer does feel bad, but if he reported the right street location, the outcome could've been different.

Real Life vs. Schindler's List Movie

I found this article on a man, Leyson's,  relationship with Oskar Schindler.  He was put on his list at the age of 10, and this article is a little bit about this man's story.  From his story, it seems they portray Schindler correctly in the movie, and Leyson, at such a young age, reminded me of the scene we saw today where the young boy was saved.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/oskar-schindler-and-me-holocaust-survivor-dies-too-soon-to-see-memoir-hit-shelves-8790477.html

controversial handshake

During the Nelson Mandela memorial there was a moment of political shock. The moment came when President Obama and Cuban President Castro gave each other a handshake. This handshake has become very controversial. Many think that its a sign of american-cuban relations getting better, while others believe that it was the right thing to do. What is your opinion on this handshake? comment below.


Article here:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/10/obama-castro-handshake/3967087/

Dropping the atomic bomb

I was reading other post about dropping the bomb on japan and I was thinking what would happen if we dropped the bomb but instead of japan surrendering they continued to fight? What would the US do if japan didn't stop fighting? Would the US continue to drop atomic bombs?

An Eye for an Eye

"An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind"
-Mahatma Ghandi

In small group today we talked about killings and if any can be justified. I don't think any killing is justified. Dropping the nuclear bombs on Japan to end the war came up. Sure it saved an estimated 1 million lives but who's to decide that number? What about the thousands of innocent lives lost? I'm sure it was the ethical thing to do but it seems a bit immoral and if your ethics are more important than your morals then I think there's something wrong. I don't think it was fair to use the nuclear weapons because the estimated 1 million to die would have been primarily made up of soldiers who know they might die, not innocent civilians. It's crazy to think that people can hide behind ethical reason to commit murder. Had the roles been reversed I'm about 100% sure that Americans would not see it as the Japanese saving lives. This connects back to the hypothetical scenario we were given in the beginning of the year, would you kill one person to save five? I'm still in shock that so many people were quick to say yes. How do you decide the value of one life over another? Sure you saved five lives but that doesn't compensate for the life you took. It's frightening to think that people can have so much power over another being. To the Nazis the Jews were a danger. They were willing to sacrafice the Jews in order to improve the life of German people. They sacrificed a few to save the majority. This just goes to show that the Nazis are human and they're not as different from us as we think. We are just as capable of genocide as the Nazis. I don't think That any person can handle this much power. In one of the videos we watched the SS had to find another method of killing the Jews because the shootings were taking a mental toll on them. Another example of this power would be the death penalty. I know in order to be sentenced to death you have to do horrible things but it still bothers me. In basic terms the death penalty was put intact to kill people who kill people to show people that killing people is wrong. Isn't that ironic? These are just my opinions, feel free express yours below I'm curious to see it from a different perspective.

Nelson Mandela

             Over the last several weeks we have been learning about the atrocities of the Nazis. The actions done by the Nazis represent human behavior at its worst. The recent passing of Nelson Mandela reminds us of human behavior at its best. Mandela fought for the rights of black South Africans during the Apartheid, against the oppressive South African government. Who segregated blacks and whites and limited the rights of blacks. Mandela was part of the ANC(African National Congress) and set up a militant group within the ANC. In 1962 Mandela was sentenced to life in prison for treason and conspiracy against the state. He was imprisoned for 27 years. During his prison sentence, he became one of the world's most famous political prisoners. When he was released, he and the ANC negotiated with then President Klerk, to abolish Apartheid and establish multiracial elections. They succeeded and Mandela became the first black President of South Africa. Mandela wanted peace and unity between blacks and whites. He urged blacks to forgive and reconcile with whites. He also wanted whites to feel that, they too, had a place in the new South Africa. To me Mandela represented peace, courage, and forgiveness.

Sources: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1993/mandela-facts.html

                 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela

Kelly Thomas

Just today I came across an article about a 37-year-old, mentally unstable homeless man getting beaten to death by Fullerton County Police. This situation is similar to the Rodney King case because the victim did not have the best background and was a victim of police brutality. The difference is that the victim is not living to tell the story of the police's brutality. Here's a link of the video footage of the beating and some other links on details of the trial and case.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku42PPzYEqs

http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-1210-kelly-thomas-deadly-20131210,0,4849649.story#axzz2n7MpTG8C

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Kelly_Thomas

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-kelly-thomas-fight-20131204,0,159861.story#axzz2n7MpTG8C

Obamas selfie!

Hey guys so I was on Yahoo today when i came across another selfie....This time it was Obama in the photo though. Oh and the photo was taken at Nelson Mandelas memorial service. Many people are angry at Obama because they think it is wrong to take a photo at a funeral but too many people forget that Obama is just another human being like the rest of us. I think if any one of us were to be at that funeral service and happened to be in selfie distance from Obama we would take that photo as well.

If anyone wants to read a little more on this you could go here:
http://news.yahoo.com/obama-mandela-memorial-172822763.html

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Today in class we had talked about the Holocaust and related it to such events as the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. When people make a choice to kill 300,000 Japanese lives to save 1,000,000+ Allied lives or to kill the Taliban to save countless Americans', it's their own decision to do so, whether it affects the people we're trying to punish or our own lives. In the case of  Marcus Luttrell, a Navy SEAL during the 2005 fight against the Taliban, known as Operation Redwing where he and 3 fellow SEALs came across a goat herder that had stumbled upon their position. They had a choice to either kill him or let him go, Luttrell chose to let him go. The next 3 hours were consumed with a hale of gunfire that led to the death of his 3 fellow SEALs and a Blackhawk filled with 16 other men onboard sent to rescue them. In my opinion, I think that Luttrell could have at least held the herder captive to keep him quiet. Do you think that Luttrell made the right choice in letting the herder go?

Article about "The Lone Survivor":

http://m.today.com/news/real-lone-survivor-seal-coming-out-alive-not-victory-2D11722306

Justice is a "Knock Out"

On the final position paper, I had referenced a blurb that appeared on the Today show that showcased a new game that kids around the world are playing. It's called the "Knock Out" game, where teenagers go up to a random person on the street and well, knock them out. Justice is defined as the quality of being fair and reasonable. These kids are being enabled by other people to knock someone out, they are not being penalized because they are doing something that is viewed as okay in their eyes. I believe that these kids have the right to do what they want, but at the same time, they should think about what they do before they do it. Moreover, more security should be put in effect to better protect people from attacks such as this. Do you all have any thoughts on this? Have you ever participated in something like this? If so, how did it affect you after?

Here's an article displaying this game:

http://www.wavy.com/news/local/five-arrested-in-nc-knockout-game-attacks

10 people who saved Jews during Holocaust

I believe that these people were "good" and saved the Jews because they felt a need to stand up to an oppressor. The oppressor in this case would be all of the Nazis the were perpetuating injustice during the Holocaust. These people can be somewhat related to Schindler, because just like Schindler they saved the lives of many Jews. Although I am unsure if Schindler ever came into serious danger, these people certainly risked their lives to save others. Here is the list of the people that saved some lives during the Holocaust.

http://listverse.com/2008/11/06/10-people-who-saved-jews-during-world-war-two/

Privilege or Wrong Timing

I have been following up on a case against Florida State's quarterback Jameis Winston. He was arrested with an assumption that he had raped a girl last year. According to the prosecutors, there weren't enough evidence to convict him. Winston claimed that what he did with the girl was consensual and that it wasn't forced upon her. Detectives also warned the girl that if she were to go forward with investigations that her life would be miserable because the town where she is from is a big football town. As a result, Winston was released and not charged of anything. If he really did rape the girl, then it shows us how being a big athletic start can be a privilege. The time where she comes out reporting the rape brings up the question of whether she was doing it for fame or for her own concerns. Was it just the wrong timing? Let me know what you guy's think about this certain case.


Here's a link with more details about what happened.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/05/justice/florida-state-quarterback-investigation/

Survivor

On the weekend, I watched a show called survivor and I was talking to my parents about it. I was thinking about this season and how one of the contestants voted her mom out to get further in the game. later she turned on her alliance because she realized that she was at the bottom. She put herself before her mom and her alliance. I could see where some people stand in her Universe of Obligation and my question is was it ethically all right to do it because its a game or is it just wrong?

Could Brett Favre be the next Junior Seau?

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/brett-favre-latest-nfl-player-memory-loss/story?id=20681336




Recently the retired quarterback Brett Favre has come out and admitted that he is experiencing memory lost. Although his life isn't spiraling out of control and he isn't a drug addict, he could be experience the repercussions of all the hits he has taken. If Brett Favre where to die to you think his brain might show evidence of CTE? Also him being a quarterback, how many doctors do you think would be trying to study his brain once he has past away?

More on Kendrick Johnson

Some of you may remember Chloes post on Kendrick Johnson. This was the article from the original post
http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/07/justice/georgia-gym-mat-death/index.html?iref=allsearch

I was doing some more research on it and found another article that goes into more depth on the case and even suggests possible motives and suspects in the case
http://www.ebony.com/news-views/kendrick-johnson-tweets-from-possible-suspects-405/2#.UqaTsXPTnqA

I find it absurd that this death was ruled an accident because of all the evidence that rules out all possibilities of this being an accident. The claim is that Johnson got stuck in one of the wrestling mats after trying to get his shoe that was in the mat and he suffocated. If this were true I don't think his face would be as damaged as it was. The autopsy also suggests foul play and surely positional asphyxiation cannot create such damages as indicated. This article offers more depth on the Jonhnson case and possible motives for killing the teen. This upcoming January will mark one year of Johnsons death and still nothing has been done to serve justice for Johnson and his parents are still fighting for further investigation in this case. Overall this case frustrates me because it is so obvious that this was no accident and I find it appalling that Internal Affairs didn't get involved due to the role the police played in all of this. Below is a picture of Kendrick Johnson before and after his death. 

It's terrifying to think that something like this can happen and nothing has been done about it to this day. Maybe this is meant to scare us and keep us in fear of the system and how much power they have and this is just an example of what they are capable of. Maybe this is a modern day example of Machiavelli's Fear over Love theory, but instead of fearing a leader we fear the justice system as a whole. Or maybe this was just a terrible accident.

Can your smartphone make you a bad samaritan??

Back a few months ago we were talking about good and bad samaritans, well I found a really interesting article that I thought was worth sharing.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304402104579151850028363502

The article goes on to talk about how people can be so engrossed in their smartphones or tablets that they aren't aware enough of their surroundings to realize danger. The first example they mention in the article is really amazing that a gunman can wave a gun around on a train platform and no one would see till he fired off a shot and killed a man. I think its too bad sometimes that everyone is too engrossed in their virtual lives that they walk around like zombies in public sometimes.

Check it out!

The Passing of a Man on Schindler's List

Last Wednesday Schaja Kleinburg, a man on Oskar Schindler's list, died of cardiac arrest at the age of 93. I found this article interesting because he passed away only a day prior to when we started the movie. He has a very moving story and was one of the lucky ones during that time period in Poland. 

http://www.freep.com/article/20131205/NEWS08/312050162/ 

Immigration Reform 2013

So I wonder how much longer this process will take. Obama said when he first ran for president that he will stop the immigration deportation and give undocumented people citizenship. I hope this get fulfilled soon enough because it will have a huge amount of impact on my family and all the other families out there who are dreaming of the day of finally being a US Citizen.

https://www.aclu.org/immigration-reform-2013

Liberation Photographs

Here are some pictures I found of what the the liberators of the concentration camps saw.  All of these pictures are proof of the heinous crimes committed by the Nazis.

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/gallery.php?ModuleId=10006237&MediaType=PH

Omitting the Final

I'm not sure about second period but during our 4th period group today we discussed how many people have did not complete the final challenge. I am one of the 3 kids who did manage to complete this. To me it seemed pretty easy just come to class everyday which really isn't asking for too much. And then you don't have to take a final. And I understand people get sick and that proves to be quite unfortunate. But from what I've heard no one wants to take the final and so logically I think people would then spend the little extra time to make sure they don't miss class. So out of curiosity I'm just wondering why most people could not complete this challenge. 

Radioactivity in the West Coast

This is a video and article on the truth of the Fukushima disaster in Japan. I think this could really become an issue overtime, especially if people do not react on it. Ponder.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/basketball/yao-ming-the-basketball-giant-made-in-china-by-order-of-the-state/2006/01/18/1137553645228.html

Racial Slurs

Just the other day I was driving in a mall parking lot. I look in my side mirror to see there is a car trying to pass me at a stop sign, I yelled a racial slur and continued. I never saw anything coming from this until I got out of my parked car to a man, of the race I insulted standing behind my car yelling at me. This situation really made me think of my actions and how my simple words can effect other people.
Comment if any of you guys have ever been in a situation like this and if so, how you reacted.

Yao Ming

http://www.smh.com.au/news/basketball/yao-ming-the-basketball-giant-made-in-china-by-order-of-the-state/2006/01/18/1137553645228.html

Here's an interesting article on China and their involvement in Yao Ming's basketball career. Do you think this is real or no?

George Zimmerman

http://watchabc.go.com/2020/SH559026/VDKA0_8oja6fqy/2020-0713-george-zimmerman-found-not-guilty

Here is a link to a video about the George Zimmerman trial. I remember Oscar G. complaining about not getting to look into this more. So here you guys go!!!

Marissa S :)

Sacrifices

Monday during class we discussed that possible scenario of what you would do if the class was inside a cave hiding from an enemy outside and one person in the class was crying hysterically.  If the enemy were to discover the class, you would all be killed; would you kill that one person to save the majority?

My mom and I were talking about this situation and she brought up the show M*A*S*H* and the last episode were a mother had to suffocate her own child to keep their hiding place.  One of the characters reflects on the scene shown in this video clip.  (You can fast-forward to 1:50.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_qSqJGsnSA 

My Night Reflections

Here are my reflections as a reference. Please do not copy word for word.

Thank you!!!

What is right with the Autistic Mind?

I came across this article and found that it made me think back to what happened at Newtown and the insanity defense.

Here it is:
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2153096,00.html

EnJoY!!!!

Goose Step History

Here is an interesting article on the Nazi goose step march.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/4513804/Goose-stepping-may-have-encouraged-people-to-follow-Nazis.html

ENJOY!!!

My Answers to Auschwitz Questions

History of the Swastika

I was interested in this so here is an article. I hope you guys find it interesting. Ponder.

Marissa