Vietnam War Interview

1. Did you know anyone that had to go to war?
-yes my friend's dad. at that time, a lot of people were being drafted to go to war and you were almost expecting everyday to get a letter saying you had been drafted for war.

2. Did that person change when he came back from war?
-he never did. he didn't make it back. it wasn't only him who didn't make it back, it was very common for letters to be received saying you had lost that loved one. :(

3. Was the war a topic you talked about in school or outside school at that time?
-no. we were all scared because most had relatives at war so we didn't want to be talking about the subject, we were actually trying to forget about it because the topic brought us a lot of anxiety and nervousness, I mean, it was a tough time.

4. Were you taught about the progress of the war at school?
-no, technology at that time was not as advanced, therefore we didn't have access to the latest news so it was rare when they had news about the war for us.

5. What was the hardest part of having someone you knew at war?
-everything but not knowing what they were going through at every moment was horrible. I mean, you didn't know if they were suffering, or if they were alright, or if they were even alive still. it was hard not knowing. probably the hardest things I've been through.

The president has a Twitter!

YourpresidentJFK
OMG! Castro has taken over. So much going on right now.
1/1/1959 at 11:09 a.m.

YourpresidenJFK
Whaaaaaaat!? did Cuba just align themselves with the Soviet Union and their policies?!
12/19/1960 at 2:07 p.m.

YourpresidentJFK
ANNOUNCEMENT: We, the USA, pledge to not intervene militarily to overthrow Castro.
4/12/1961 at 6:34 p.m

YourpresidentJFK
I'm sorry to announce that the group of Cuban exiles that we sent to invade Cuba to try to trigger an anti-Castro rebellion has failed. More than a thousand Cuban rebels have been captured by Castro's forces.
4/17/1961 at 7:56 p.m

YourpresidentJFK
So who does Castro think he is? he just announced that he is taking measures that would make any direct USA attack on Cuba the equivalent of a world war. USSR supposedly is helping him defend his country. This is CRAZY!
6/27/1962 at 4:03 p.m

YourpresidentJFK
We cannot believe what we just found.A U-2 flying over Cuba discovered missiles. Photographs reveal evidence of Soviets have missiles in Cuba. :O
10/16/1962 at 9:34 p.m

YourpresidentJFK
Another U-2 flight. military discoveres nuclear missiles. This is getting worse for sure.
10/17/1962 at 10:35 p.m.

YourpresidentJFK
The United States military will move towards Cuba today.It's all about Krushchev now.
10/24/1962 at 5:00 a.m.

YourpresidentJFK
Thinking about Kruschev request.. hmmmm.. what do you guys think?
10/26/1962 at 8:45 a.m.

YourpresidentJFK
Finally signed and sealed with the deal. We will not interfere with Cuba as long as the Soviet Union takes his missiles out of Cuba. Lets hope this works and doesnt cause more trouble that what has been already caused this past months! finally #relief
10/28/1962 at 7:56 p.m.

Home by Michael Buble

"Another airplane
Another sunny place
I’m lucky, I know
But I wanna go home
Mmmm, I’ve got to go home

Let me go home
I’m just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

Let me go home
I’ve had my run
Baby, I’m done
I gotta go home
Let me go home
It will all be all right
I’ll be home tonight
I’m coming back home"

This is "Home" by Michael Buble. Every time I listen to this song, I think about the war that is going on in Iraq and how there is so many people who feel this way. The whole song is about a soldier who misses his lover so much that he just wants to be done with all of this and go home. He expresses how lonely and sad he is and that he has had enough. He says "I've had my run, baby I'm done, I gotta go home". It's a strong song that has inspired millions of soldiers and veterans. IT represents the feelings that war brings and how it can affect someone so deeply.

It's all about the technology!

In today's world, we are provided with a much more advanced technology that we are able to get the latest news in an extremely short time. More people know about the news within seconds of things happening. We are kept very informed about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan giving us very detailed information on what things are going on there. Bach then, when the Vietnam War happened, we didn't have the news or technology we have today. Information that was given by the media was more concise and short, like a general overview of what was going on. The news in Vietnam was not updated on a daily basis. Technology plays a big part in the difference of how The Vietnam War was covered to how the current wars are.

Meritocracy

Meritocracy is basically a group of people that their success is based on ability and talent, not on what school they go, or what teacher they have, or how much money they have. During segregation, people had a bigger opportunity in progress according to their social class and economical status, which was mostly white people. Black people didnt have the same opportunity that the white people had, whether it was at school or at work. I think that you should be able to succeed anywhere, whether you are in the best private school of the country, or the worst public school; whether you have the best teacher ever, or you have a horrible teacher. I believe we all have the same opportunity. However, it may be more difficult for some people than others. Because some people might have more obstacles to overcome like getting that horrible teacher to like you, instead of the other people with the awesome teacher who have less obstacles. But you have to keep in mind that nothing is impossible if you set your mind into it, and even more if its for your own benefit! If you really want something, you will do WHATEVER it takes to get there, no matter the obstacles!

The Jena 6

After I read the article, I thought about the quote "history repeats itself." I honestly didnt really buy into that theory but I am very more convinced of it after reading what happened in Jena. People would think that the African american civil rights movement was something we learn in textbooks that happened in the past and that its over, but clearly, is not. I think that this shows how society has changed because of the roles that were reversed in this incident. With the little rock nine, black students were being attacked by white students. It seems that this has changed because white students were attacked by African american students. However, the white students did something that, in my opinion, speaks more that what the black students did. They hung nooses on the trees and they were not punished for it. The Jena and the Little Rock incidents are similar because they both happened at a high school , they drew public attention and they show how the civil rights issue is still going on.

Love and kindness vs Threat and Fear

Malcolm x and Martin Luther King were very different but at the same time very alike. They were fighting for the same cause, in a way, but they used different methods to approach it. Matin Luther King used non-violent methods and protests to get his point out. In the other hand, Malcolm x says he would use "any means necessary" to achieve his goals. So, which one was more effective? Lets give an example. When someone wants information or money or whatever they want, would you think they would talk you into it in a nice, warm tone or will they just take out a gun and point it at your head ready to shoot? I think the answer is obvious. However, Martin Luther King did accomplish some things by his non-violent method. But people are driven to do crazy things out of fear. And one of the biggest fears is death. So I think that Malcolm x's method was more effective.

Topic 11 Study Guide

-MLK and Civil Disobedience
MLK: american prominent leader in the African american civil rights movement. was assassinated later in Tennessee.Used boycotting and protested without violence.
Civil disobedience: the refusal to obey some laws because you don't believe it follows an equal treat to everyone.

-Power of the “Mob”
when more people were involved in the Mob, or protest, the more powerful it will become and it will help their cause.

-Plessy v. Ferguson vs. Brown v. Board of Education
In the plessy v ferguson trial, the court decided that separate but equal was a fair treat to everyone. in brown v board of education, the judges ruled that separate but equal was still a form of segregation so they said it was unconstitutional.

-Civil Rights Goals
the goals of civil rights are for everyone to get equal rights not based on the color of the skin.

-Eisenhower’s Role in Little Rock
eisenhower ordered troops to protect the nine in little rock. he never said he agreed to this but still supported them with protection.

-Rights of the Accused
->Gideon v Wainwright
the 6th amendment requires counsel for defendants who cannot afford to pay their own lawyer.
->Escobedo v Illinois
criminals have the right to counsel during a police interrogation and to refuse to answer any questions.
->Miranda v Arizona
criminals must be advised of their right to counsel before interrogation.

-Brown v. Board of Education
overruled plessy v ferguson court decision and integrated schools.

-Chavez and the United Farm Workers
Chavez founded the united farm workers and helped Hispanic immigrants earn rights through civil disobedience. he participated in fasts, grape strikes, etc. he supported anti immigration.

-FHA and ADA
FHA: federal housing administration. the government agency that insured loans made by banks and private lenders for home buying and building.this improves housing conditions and standards. it also provides an adequate home financing system through insurance of mortgage loans which stabilizes the market.
ADA: Americans with disabilities act. civil rights laws that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities that was enacted by the congress in 1990.

-Purpose of Filibusters
they were used in house of representatives and senates to stop civil rights legislations. they helped prevent the opposite side from talking.


-Sit-Ins and Other Protests
sit ins: people would just sit down in places as a form of protest. mobs attacked them. some were arrested. they used a continual cycled of turns and was very effective.
other protests: fasts, boycotts, etc.

Outline for Casablanca

I.Setting
A.Casablanca, Morocco
B.1940s during World War II

II.Introduction
A.Rick Blaine
1.Owner of "Rick's Cafe Americain"
B.Ilsa Lund
1.Had an affair with Rick back in Paris
2.Married to Victor Laszlo
C.Ugarte
1.He has the letters of transit and gives them to Rick
2.Gets caught by the police and later dies
D.Victor Laszlo
1.Tried to meet and get to know Ugarte to obtain the letters of transit
2.Escaped from a Nazi Concentration Camp

III.Rising Action
A. Ilsa and her husband arrive at Rick's Cafe.
1.Ilsa recognizes and says hi to Sam and later asks him to play "As Time Goes By"
2.German police watch over them
B.Rick learns that Ilsa is married to Laszlo
1.Rick refuses to give them the letters of transit

IV.Climax
A.Rick encourages everyone at the Cafe to sing the French National Anthem in response to Germans singing theirs.
B.German officers force Rick to close down the cafe.
1.This was in response to them singing the French Anthem.
C.Ilsa attempts to get the letters of transit with a gun
D.Ilsa tells Rick he is in love with him still and explains why she left him.

V.Falling Action
A.Rick agrees on helping Ilsa but he says that he will only help her after Laszlo leaves
1.Laszlo later on comes to talk to Rick at the cafe
B.Laszlo tells Rick he knows about him and Ilsa and tries to persuade him for the letters to keep her safe.
1.Police arrest Laszlo

VI.Conclusion
A.Rick tells the police to wait until Laszlo has the letters of transit
1.Rick makes Ilsa and Laszlo go away telling her that it was the best.
B.Major Strasser arrives with German officers
1.Rick kills the leader
2.When more officers come, nobody tells on on Rick.
C.Police officer and Rick become friends.

Topic 9 Study Guide WW II

The role of women in WWII
-when men went to the war, women started working in factories
-took jobs like nurses for the war.

Cause and Effect of Atomic Bomb
-when the United States called for a surrender, Japan refused. The first bomb was dropped in Hiroshima but Japanese still did not surrender.
-the second bomb was dropped in Nagasaki when they finally surrendered.
-it killed a massive amount of people and polluted the air.

US foreign policy before and after the war
-the US began to show concern in 1935 but we attempted to stay neutral.
-Roosevelt disagreed with his advisors in sending help to our Europe allies.
-we enter war in 1941.
-German U-boat sank 500 merchant ships in Europe in only one month.
-US supplied weapons and resources for allies.

Effects of WWII in Europe
-The borders of Europe changed.
-Many countries and cities were devastated.
-Reparations had to be paid.
-No money in Europe
-The Marshall Plan

Effects of Pearl Harbor Attack
-Spark the US needed to finally join the war.
-Japanese prison camps were established.
-4 ships were destroyed, over 2000 men were killed.

Japanese Internment
-Any american that looked, or had ancestors that were Japanese was sent to a prison camp for 3 years during the war.
-Japanese had to sell all their properties.
-Any Japanese could be a spy therefore they presented "clear and present danger to the US".
-20,000 dollars were paid 40 years later to the people that were still alive.

Neutrality Acts
-embargo of arms sales
-US battleships could not be armed
-Americans could not travel on ships of countries that were at war.

Purpose of Propaganda
-promoted patriotism
-got us into war
-encourage people to help the war

Rationing
-Countries tried to save as much as possible for the war effort.
-People starved to death and in some cases had to eat family members
-Ukrainian Famine was an example of Stalins attempt of rationing for the war.

Results of WWII
-NATO was formed with 12 nations in 1949.
-US economy grew
-European cities were destroyed.

World War II Timeline

Testimony Reaction

When I saw the testimony of George Gottlieb, I wanted to kill Hitler even though he's already dead. I honestly don't even know what to say. Because to hear someone tell the story is something but to hear someone who was in the story and suffered during the story tell us about it, is completely another thing. I think that that testimony even made me look at life in a different way because we are so fortunate to not be them. It very well could have been me who was taken to a concentration camp if I wasn't born the year I was born in because even though I am not Jewish, they did take many non-Jewish people to concentration and extermination camps. I imagine what life is like for these survivors and how George Gottlieb, for example, can live everyday replaying the last time he saw his mom in his head and just going through all that emotional pain. I really don't understand how Germans did nothing to stop this. How they didn't take their places for a second and think about how horrible things were and not feel any sympathy towards them. Not all of them but some. This testimony really made WWII a very emotional but interesting topic.

Interview Questions: Dorianne Kurz

1)Did you ever get to see your parents and siblings again? Where did you go after the concentration camp?

2)Do you have nightmares about being in the concentration camp again? Do you tell anyone about them and what do you do to stop them?

3)Do you have any hard feelings against German people? Do you know any German Nazi people?

What do you think you would say to Hitler if he was alive? Would you forgive him?

4)Did you ever think about escaping the concentration camp? What was the first thing you did when they freed you?

5)Did you make any friends at the concentration camp that survived? Do you still talk to them?

WWII Jewish Ghetto Jacket

This is a World War II jacket that was worn in a ghetto in Hungary by a Jewish man. It has the star of David. It also has a blue armband which meant the person was an immigrant, the prisoner's number and a red square on the back which meant he was in a political group.

This is a very important artifact because it shows that life in the ghetto really did exist and that it really happened. You can see that they even lost their identity because they had a "number" to use as identification. It is also important because it shows how Hitler and gemans would classify people as political, mentally disabled, immigrant, etc. Looking at this jacket makes me think who used to own it and how he was killed. It makes me wander what story is behind it and that's why it is a important artifact from WWII.

Source: http://cgi.ebay.com/Jewish-WW2-GHETTO-JACKET-Armband-and-David-star-/150570399667?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item230eb1f7b3#ht_3867wt_986

James Braddock's Fights

View James Braddock's Fights in a larger map

Cinderella Man

A. Characters

I. James Braddock: main character in the movie. box fighter during the Great Depression in the 1930s.

II.Mae Braddock: Jame's wife. They had one girl and two boys.

III. Jame's Braddock's best friend was Mike Wilson.

B. Summary

James Braddock ( http://www.eastsideboxing.com/JamesBraddock.html ) was a boxer that was not so good at boxing. He tried everything he could to pay the bills and feed himself and his family during the hard times during the Great Depression. His wife did not like him boxing because she was afraid he would get hurt. James gets a really bad hand injury and gets fired. After recovering, he beats every man that comes against him, impressing everyone and becoming the Cinderella Man. When he beats everyone, he is challenged to a fight with the best boxer at the time, Max Baer, ( http://www.maxbaerboxer.com ) who was a famous boxer that had even killed two men in fights. Despite the risk he knew he was taking by accepting to fight with him, he agreed. During the fight he suffers from a lot of bad injuries but manages to make it through 15 rounds and leaves it to the judges who decide that James Braddock wins. Here you can see his name in the winning category of the list of heavyweight champions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heavyweight_boxing_champions

Should we get involved?

Some countries are at risk of genocide at this moment. I think that the United States should definitely intervene because I believe that if we don't step in, then nobody will and then who will help all those victims who are going to suffer? Because genocide will always include victims like civilians even if it's a small number of them. I think that also if the country that is at risk is not very powerful or strong, then it can not do a lot to help prevent or stop the genocide. I think that we also have a big influence in the world so if we get involved, maybe some other countries will and it will be easier to stop the suffering or prevent it if it is possible.

Evolution or Creationism?

I think that we should not teach either because it interferes with peoples beliefs and it could cause a dispute in schools. I think that there should be an elective class for evolution and creationism leaving the decision up to the students of whether or not to take it. Evolution and Creationism deal a lot with religion and that's why it is a very tricky issue. I think that we should not be required to learn either because apart from preventing arguments, it truly and honestly just depends on how you view life, what you're religion is and what you believe in.

Sacco and Venzetti

Sacco and Venzetti, two italian anarchists that were accused of murdering two men during a 1920 armed robbery. They were executed in 1927. There is a big contradictory if wether or not they are guilty or not.

In the evidence found for the trial, seven witnesses said that they saw Sacco, or someone who looked like Sacco, nearby in the time of the crime. There was also evidence that the bullets found in the crime scene came out of Sacco's pistol. In the crime scenes, it was also found a cap with a hole in it that looked like it was from Sacco. A witness said that the cap looked like the style Sacco wore. When they were arrested, they had just gone to the house of the owner of a car repair shop where a man had taken an Overland to be repaired. In a prearranged plan, the wife of the repair shop owner called the police and Sacco and Venzetti suddenly left. People say they left because Sacco and Venzetti suspected the woman's actions of calling the police. Sacco also missed work the day of the crime. He worked at a shoe story but did not come in that day. When he was arrested he denied and lied about were he had been the whole day, if he know people that he obviously knew and denied having anarchists beliefs.

I think that all this evidence obviously explains that Sacco was guilty of the murder of those two men. I did not find a lot of information about Venzetti being involved in it but Sacco seemed to have so much evidence of being guilty of the murder. I think that they should not have been sentenced to death, if most, like in prision.

I think there is a lot of controversy with this case and you can see there is enough evidence on both sides to side them. They could have not been guilty because evidence could be wrong and some of it wasnt accurate. But you can also side the side that they were guilty and that they did deserve death. What do you think?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacco_and_Vanzetti#Defense_Committee

Topic 7 Study Guide: The Roaring 20

1. The Scopes trial: A tennessee teacher, John Scopes, was put on trial for teaching evoultion in school.

2. Prohibition: It goes into effect in the United States in January 1920. It was pushed by the woman's organization because men were performing domestic violence and child abuse do to coming home drunk.

3. Flappers: young woman with a revealing dress with a cigarette. Usually has a short hair-cut. It was the first time a woman was saw like this.

4. Economis Issues in 1920: A huge demand for consumer goods. Three thing happened:

-credit became available to the consumers for the first time

-low interest rates

-introduction of the "Installment Plan", stock market speculation and buying on margin.

5. Immigration Policies in 1920: the Immigration Act was passed in 1924. Ethnic groups were limited to 2% of count from before. Asians were banned entirely.

6. Dust Bowl: cause mainly by technology new machines that didn't let the dirt recover.

7.Agricultural Issues: Overproduction. Farmers produced more goods with all the new technology and machine but consumers were not consuming very much. Price went down and affected mostly the wage laborers, tenants and sharecroppers.

8. Navitism: preference for native-born people and a desire to limit immigration.

9.Significant literary works: Langston Hughes "I too", jazz music, etc.

10. The Great Migration: African Americans moved from south to north in harlem and thats were the Harlem Renaissance started.

11. Harlem Renaissance: African americans moved from south to north where they developed music, literature, dances, etc.

12. Sacco and Venzetti: two italian anarchists guilty for murder and sentenced to death in 1927.

13. Labor Issues: demobilization. The effects of demobilization were drinking, depression and rise in crime/homelessness.

14. The Red Scare: lenin taking over Russia cause americans to get scared that communism would spread out in the US. Immigrants lost jobs because they were thought as spies. Any anti-american behavior was disciplined.

15. Schneck v. the US: court decision that upheld the Espionage act of 1927.

Organized Crime Reflection

I think that the group presentations were a very good way to learn about some of the organized crime gangsters in the 1920s. I learned that organized crime is not a thing that you do in the spur of the moment, you actually have to plan it out and and plan every step you're going to take and this make take a lot of time. I also noticed that most of the famous organized crime gangsters in 1920s started in a gang young, like in their teenager years. Some of them even had a family. I learned that many of them were not even put on trial for their first acts so I guess that's why they kept going. But the group presentations were a very understandable way to learn how organized crime worked in the 1920s.

Acrostic Poem

P oor new americans
R uining their lives unike us
O ld americas
H ow can all this be accepted?
I nstead we're doing something about it
B ecause this is not right
I nstead we're prohibiting drinking
T o improve our lives
I nteresting how they don't care
O bviously they're not conservative, but don't worry
N o more of that!

R aining, dancing
O r sitting around drinking
A pplesauce!
R eally, that's life for us!
I nstead, old americans hate us
N ew americans
G athering people to bring us down
T o have fun is
W hat we only want
E ven if it means
N ot being accepted by
T he other people
I nstead we are
E liminating old traditions,
S imply having fun!

The 20's

Once there was a girl that had some gams that were the Cat's Meow! Everyone has a crush on her because she is just the Bee's Knees. After dancing, her dogs would be so tired she would have to sit. Applesauce. Then the Big Cheese would come and talk to her. He thinks hes a hotsy totsy. They would have some giggle water. Not too much though, because they could upchuck or get pinched. He would always wear his glad rags when he went to see her.