Armenian Genocide Video

Armenian Genocide Podcast

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Harrison Burgeron Questions

1. I don't agree with the idea that life in Vietnam would be better if everyone is totally equal. Equality means everyone is the same. But a country can't develope normally if everyone is equal. For example, when a person has an ability to study and be more inteligent, but he or she is prohibited to be smarter, because nobody is able to be better than anyone else. The level of education will go down. There won't be any inventions or new ideas. So how can life be better? Life can't be better if there are only ignorance and ugliness. The government can't make people become smarter or better, but they can stop people from being that, which means making them or their lives become worse. Some part of equality will help increasing the equity between people, but it's no help for increasing the quality of lives.
2. There mustn't be racism, agism, or the distinction of classes and gender. Everybody all has right to vote and speak for their needs. There is no discrimination between normal people and disability. Respect other people's opinions.
3. Encouragement is very important to me. Therefore i think people who are abnormal need sympathy and encouragement. And if i was a person who can control power, i'd create equipments that can help disabilities or people who were less capable physically or mentally. And may be we can increase the education system for people who were less capable socially. Because helping these people requires time, money and labors, that's why establishing an organization is a necessary thing to do.
4. There may be lots of problems such as problems that occur in the story Harrison Burgeron. Citizens may become different people because they're not allowed to be better than anyone else. They may be obligated to have those handicap radio in their ears or they may have to wear the forty-seven pounds of birdshot in a canvas bag which is padlocked on their necks, or people may have to hide their real faces by wearing masks. All of those things make people become worse instead of being smarter or more beautiful. It's not easy to handle this problem, because it's the same meaning with opposing the government. Another problem is when all citizens are completely equal, the government is better then the citizens. This means there is no equality eventually.  I think people may join together to go against the government and tell them the bad side of making people all equal.
5. I don't believe that total equality is possible. Equality may remove the discrimination between humans, but in a few aspects, equality may effect people's life seriously. Sometimes, it may be a good thing, but it will be unfair for some people if there is total equality. For example, a person has the right to study and be smarter, and now he or she is prohibited to persue his or her dream just because everyone is equal, so that's really unfair.
6. When Hazel told George to take out some lead balls from the heavy bag and he refused and because he'd have to go to the prison if he did that makes me think of when someone told me to not do my homework and get an zero for once,  i felt like George which means it's not a good deal for me. And the second example is when George had to wear the little handicap radio in his ear and listen to the fearful noise. It's kind of similar when i heard scary screams in horor movies, that made me stop what i was thinking, and i completely forgot everything just appeared in my mind. It was kind of very scary and unpleasant feeling that may be similar with George's.

November 2 Homework: Advertisment

1. Advertising is the way which leads to consumtion of people. Because it makes people want to buy things. Advertisers always try to make their products to be sold by creating all of the most attractive advertisment, and they always show the good side of it, they never show the bad side. People know the existing of the products by seeing the advertising. Therefore, they will buy things that they like and hardly ever think of the consequences of the products. In sum, advertising makes people want to buy more things. It makes the consumtion greater.
2. Citizens are not sufficiently informed about the sustainability  of our consumtion habits. People are continuing to buy more and consump more, because there are so much advertising, and advertisers only show the good side of the product. Some people know about the sustainability and the consequences that may occur during consuming the products, but they still buy it. I think the possible way to let people know more about the sustainablity is the Goverment should have some laws for the citizens about sustainability and try to persuade the citizens by making some advertising about it.
3. I think the advertising techniques influence what i purchase. Because when i decide to buy things, i will look at the way how people advertise the products. Therefore, sometime my decision about buying things may change. It depends on how the advertising looks like and how they're presented. 

Sustainable Development

What is Sustainable Development?

Sustainable Development means taking what we need to live without affecting the later generation

Real world examples:

• Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain  has implemented a policy of mixed land use and high density development along its major transport routes. An upgraded public transport system allows more residents to live there, while remaining green belts still provide habitat for wildlife and recreational areas for people
• In America, Interface Inc., a major carpet tile producer has greatly improved its ecological footprint. By using recycled and more environmentally friendly products, and more efficient manufacturing processes, they have reduced their energy and water consumption. The levels of waste have been reduced.
• In Kalundborg, Denmark, Eco-industrial parks are placed together to co-operatively manage the use of resources and environmental impacts caused by their operations. By sharing resources they improve efficiency and create less waste. The waste created by a power station in the park is used to make cement by another firm. Other businesses use heat generated by the power plant and cement factory for some of their processes.

Other examples:

• Renew the waste from the factories
• Walk or ride a bike in short distance
• Recycle materials(plastic, paper...)
• Turn off the lights when not using
• Use solar power
• Plant more trees

Migration / Immigration Narrative

         Sitting on the chair with hand holding the pen and eyes glued to the geography textbook. I tried to come up with something to write. But i didn't know when all of my thoughts were drifted back to the past. 30 years ago, when my aunt was only fifteen years old, she migrated to The United States with her relatives. My grandmother thought life would be easier for my aunt if she moved there. During that time, Vietnam was really poor, lives were very different from now. One of the push factors was environmental factor. She lacked many things, her family couldn't afford to feed her. Another reason was because The United States has a good economy. She might get a better job there. That was the pull factor which brought her to that large and rich country. Thereafter, she became an immigrant in The United States. She said that America was a crowded area. Many people from all over the world  immigrated there as refugees. That was why it became a country with diversity, from humans, culture to religion.

          Migration to America gave her a better life. She was given opportunities to become a citizen and got a nice job. But there was also a negative effect. Two years ago, she was working in a bank. Now, she lost her job, because America was in the economy crisis, and it was difficult to get a job again. Although she got used to the environment, the people and the climate in The United States, but she still missed her family, who she left behind. How ever, she said that it made her to be a more independent person. She told me that she loved where she's living, and she could have opportunities in America that couldn't have in Vietnam.