Now You Hear Me; Now You Can't

Journal 3-8

I.
               Last week after a ton of talk about the internet, I was very curious about how many people actually use the internet. After much research, the answer has been found!

               The answer to this question is a bit difficult to calculate because of the massive amounts of internet use. The general answer seems to be that just over a billion people used the Internet in 2008. Of these, about 500 million use the Internet at least once a week, making them more-or-less permanent citizens of the Internet population. That's a lot of people!!!

II.
               This past week in Ethic's Class was very interesting, partially because Mr. C wasn't there! At the beginning of the week spent some time talking about Heroic Imagination. Later in the week, we began watching Sounds of Fury and learning about the deaf community. All in all, it was an interesting week.

               I definitely thought that watching Sounds of Fury  was the most interesting part of the week! I knew that there were many deaf people in this world, but I never knew how complex their world was! This movie truly enlightened me to the deaf community! I never knew that there were schools created especially for deaf children, as well as deaf housing communities. I think that it is absolutely wonderful that the US has the options available! I think that the children would benefit greatly by being around other children that deal with the same disabilities. They could learn from each other and come out better in the end! I feel that the same thing is true about the deaf housing communities. The families could be interdependent and learn a lot from one another.  All in all, I am inspired by their determination and ability to overcome their adversities.

               We did not really have a chance to talk about the movie this week during class. We also did not have a chance to share our opinions about whether or not we ourselves would have a Cochlear implant if we were deaf. Personally, I would definitely get one! I know that there are a lot of risks, but there are a ton of benefits! Having the gift of sound is a wonderful thing! The opportunities that open up to people who can hear are endless! I honestly do not understand why people wouldn't want to have the procedure done! People say that it would "change them". Yes,it will change them, but for the better!


III.
               After a lot of talk about the Deaf community, I am very curious about the deaf population. How many people in this world are deaf?

Please stay tuned for the answer next week!

Sources

Deaf expressions. (2011, March 26). Retrieved from http://monica-deafexpressions.blogspot.com/

Esteem hearing implant. (2011, March 26). Retrieved from http://www.audiologyindia.com/technology.html 


How big is the internet?. (2011, March 26). Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/how-big-is-the-internet.htm

What is the internet?. (2011, March 26). Retrieved from http://depts.alverno.edu/cil/mod1/webtutorial/internet.html 

The Horrors of the Internet

Journal 3-7

I. 
               After all of the talk last week about the “Tank Man”, I was very curious about what other people thought of the incident. What was the response of other citizens in China? After much research, the answers have been found, well sort of.

               The general responses of people in other countries are ones of gratitude, bravery, and happiness. They are inspired by his actions and his enormous amount of courage. In China however, things are different. The Chinese government censors so much information that most of China does not even know that the event even occurred! If you Google Tienanmen Square in China, you will not find the multitude of images of "Tank Man" that you would in the United States. When interviewed, many Chinese students did not even recognize the image of "Tank Man", or they were taught to not recognize it. All in all, the true response of the Chinese people is unknown because of the oppressive strength of the Chinese government.

II.
                This past week in Ethics class, we finished our discussions of the "Tank Man", discussed the power of economic growth on China, and began talking about the power of the internet. We also began discussing the technology of the future. All in all it was a very interesting and action-packed week .

               My favorite part of this week was our discussion of futuristic technology. I love thinking and imagining what will happen in the future, so this was right up my alley!I think that it is amazing how greatly the world of technology has changed just in my life time! I remember using cassette tapes to listen to music, only having 6 television channels (where only 4 really worked well), and playing board games for fun. Now we have televisions that are taller than men and more t.v. channels and shows than we could ever watch, as well as iPods, cell phones, GPS systems, and in some cases, robots to do our work for us! It is kind of scary to think about how fast our world is changing around us! So many things are evolving, and I can't even imagine how much different the world will be in 5 years, 10 years, or even 20 or 50 years!

               Over the weekend, we had to watch a Frontline video about "Growing Up Online". I found this video to be very, very interesting! Before our discussions about the Internet, I never really realized how dependent I was on the Internet! I remember when my family first got the Internet, and it is amazing to look back and see the progress it has made! The first internet my family had took over 5 minutes turning on, and once it was on, it took another 5 to get to a web page! Now it takes my computer less than a few seconds! Now, our world revolves around the Internet, and we can rarely escape it! The Internet does provide us with a great and endless resource that can truly help us, but it also can be very dangerous. People can steal our identity, money, and information through viruses, as well as tear you apart on a social networking site. There have been many deaths and injuries that have been brought about through the internet as well. I honestly think that people are still trying to learn how to deal with the full magnitude of the Inernet, and until that happens, I think there will always be trouble.

III.
               After all of this talk about the Internet and technology, I am very curious as to how many people actually use the Internet? I remember the Internet taking off and watching it grow, but how much has it grown?

Please stay tuned for the answer next week!

Sources

Growing up online. (2008, January 22). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/view/

Mobile computing – technology advancement for modernity. (2011, March 20). Retrieved from http://mxcomputing.com/publications/mobile-computing-technology-advancement-for-modernity//

Tank man. (2011, March 12). Retrieved from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d8/Tianasquare.jpg/300px-Tianasquare.jpg

 

Ted, T. (2009, June 3). I will never forget tank man - will you?. Retrieved from http://www.tedstake.com/2009/06/03/i-will-never-forget-tank-man-will-you/ 

The internet. (2011, March 20). Retrieved from http://www.carefulmarketing.com/

Tank Man

Journal 3-6

I. 

Last week I was very curious about the genocides in history. Which was the worst reported genocide in history? After much research the answers have been found!

The worst recorded genocide was in China under the orders of Mao Ze-Dong in 1958-61 and 1966-69 where he killed 49-78 million. Jozef Stalin is in second place with 23 million in the USSR in 1932-39. Adolf Hitler is in third in Germany in 1939-45 with 12 million. These numbers are very staggering, as well as shocking. Most people consider the Holocaust to be the worst genocide in history, when in fact it comes nowhere close to being the worst. 

On an interesting note: In Stalin's and Mao's cases, one has to decide how to consider the millions who died indirectly because of their political decisions. “The Chinese cultural revolution caused the death of 30 million people, but many others died of hunger. Stalin is responsible for the death of 23 million Russians, but only half a million were killed by his order.” 

II.

            This past week in Ethic’s Class, we spent a lot of time talking about bravery and heroic imagination. We finished The Ghosts of Rwanda and began to discuss the “Tank Man”. All in all it was a very interesting and informative week!

            I think that the most interesting part of the week was our discussion of “Tank Man”. Before this class, I had never heard about the story! I am very glad that we covered this, or else I may have never found out! I cannot believe the astronomical amount of bravery and courage that one man had to stand up to those tanks. I am also equally surprised that the operators of the tanks did not run him over! They only tired to go around him until “civilians came and took him away”. All in all, I think the whole situation is kind of fishy, but I truly admire his bravery. I do not know many people in this world that would be able to do that!

            We did briefly discuss the fact that “Tank Man” was never identified, but we never discussed anything else. After doing a little research, I found that the British tabloid the Sunday Express named him as Wang Weilin, a 19-year-old student. Weilin was later charged with "political hooliganism" and "attempting to subvert members of the People's Liberation Army." This claim has been rejected though by Internal Communist Party of China documents, which reported that they could not find the man. One party member was quoted as saying, "We can’t find him. We got his name from journalists. We have checked through computers but can’t find him among the dead or among those in prison." Numerous theories have sprung up as to the man's identity and current whereabouts. The rumors now say that the man is now living in Taiwan.

III. 

            After all of this talk about “Tank Man”, I am very curious about what other people think. What was the response of other citizens in China?

Please stay tuned for the answer next week!

Sources

Lost to genocide. (2011, March 12). Retrieved from http://tamilentertainmentfromireland.com

Tank man. (2011, March 12). Retrieved from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d8/Tianasquare.jpg/300px-Tianasquare.jpg

Technology. (2011, March 12). Retrieved from http://moremeteos.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/tiananmen_tank_man_time_cover.jpg

The worst genocides of the 20th century. (2011, March 12). Retrieved from http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/dictat.html

Ghosts of Rwanda

Journal 3-5

I.

                Two weeks ago I was very curious as to how many people are still bullied in high school, middle school, and elementary school. I wondered what  the average number was? Also, how many people stand up for others, or do they just become bystanders? After much research, the answers have been found!

                 According to the 2009 Indicators of School Crime and Safety, one third of teenagers reported being bullied at school, and only about one third of the bully victims actually reported being bullied. In middle schools, 44% of students reported bullying problems compared to the 20% in elementary and high schools. These statistics are staggering and need to be fixed!

II.
               This week in class, we spent a lot of time talking and discussion the Rwandan genocide. We learned the background about the situation, and we also began watching The Ghosts of Rwanda. All in all it was a very interesting week!

                I thought that the movie was the most interesting part of this week. I had learned about the Rwandan genocide before, and had seen Hotel Rwanda, but The Ghosts of Rwanda was totally different. It really hit me emotionally. Seeing the actual footage from the genocide was difficult. Watching a movie with actors is one thing; you can kind of tell yourself that it isn't true and didn't happen. Watching the real footage is different; you have to believe it. It honestly makes you wonder how the world let this happen! I can't really describe how I felt watching that movie; I don't think that there are words. I just remember thinking how much I didn't want to see the pain of the people, but my eyes were glued and I couldn't make myself look away. I felt that if I did, I would be letting one of the 800,000 people who died down.

               One thing that we did not get a chance to talk about was our opinions on how the situation should have been handled. Personally I would have kept the UN troops in Rwanda, and probably even increased the numbers of troops to get the situation under control. I would have also tried to evacuate as many Tutsi and Hutu moderates as I could to save as many lives as possible. Also I would initiate some peace keeping/compromising  actions to stabilize all political and cultural tensions. Hopefully with all of this, the situation would be resolved. If I was in charge, those are the actions that I would have taken to hopefully correct the conflict.

III.
               This week we talked about the Rwandan genocide. I am very interested now in the impact of other genocides. Which was the worst reported genocide in history?

Please stay tuned for the answer next week!

Sources

Ghosts of rwanda (2004). (2011, March 6). Retrieved from http://www.socet.org/php_BB3/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=260470 


Ghosts of rwanda. (2011, March 6). Retrieved from http://www.fundfilm.org/films/films_detail.cfm?id=766 


National Center for Educational Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics, "Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2009" 


Ross, A. (2009, June 11). Helping other people escape - bullying. Retrieved from http://www.thetankgroup.com/?p=3