As you move into the next phase of your life, how will you try to affect change in the world regarding the issues studied in this course?

Sadly i don't believe i have it in me to be the next Keilburger, but u will make an attempt to positively impact the world around me in the future. Doing my part as a global citizen in the future to me means many things. It means to be fully aware on the issues that face us, it means to remember to recycle and to be eco friendly, it means to support poverty aid in whichever ways possible e.g. time preferably or money or supplies.

What is the most important skill that you’ve learned through your participation in this course, and how will you use it as you move on with your life?

The most important skill i have developed this year in the course is my growing ability to critically analyze a situation and asses the different impacts and possible solutions to it. By having this ability i am able to fully understand and become an informed member of society and possibly being a help to the situations at hand, further more this ability can help me in small scale when deliberating over a task and deciding on the best possible solution with the least repercussions.

What was the central theme for this course? Why?

1. The central focus of the course this year has been the arab springs movement. This is because it is the most volatile world issue at the time. This year we have looked at the arab isralie conflict, libya, syria, turkey, Egypt, Iran, Iraq and basicly every other arab country. The issues within these countires have a global impact which is why it has been the centrel theme of our course and the centrel topic published throught the media. 

There have been too many incidents in the United States involving a person wielding an easily accessible firearm and causing such a gruesome event similar to this. In my opinion the gun regulations and laws in the United States as a whole is way to lenient, yes some states have stricter gun laws than others but overall the laws aren’t strict enough. In the states according to the second amendment all Americans have the Right to Bare Arms. This amendment dates back to 1791, at that point in time it was felt to be necessary for all Americans to be armed and prepared to defend their country; it was a country of minutemen. In this day and age it is completely unnecessary for every citizen to be armed to protect their country, the US has one of the worlds best militaries. The debate can be made that the 2^nd amendment applies to security of person and defending ones home. I do not oppose the idea of protecting ones home and family within reasonable limits. Hypothetically if an aggressive perpetrator was to invade someone’s place of living and in this place of living there was a family (a wife or husband, possibly children) I don’t see a problem with protecting ones family within reason from the opposing danger if the danger is immanent. What I take issue with is the feeling that it is necessary to own military grade weapons. There is absolutely no need for an m16 to be possessed by the general public. Here in Canada you take a 10-hour course for non-restricted (long guns-shotguns and rifles) and another course for restricted (handguns). These courses teaches you safe handling, safe storage and some history of guns; after passing the test at the end with at least an 80% your paper work gets sent to the firearms office of your province, your name and some paper work then goes to an RCMP office and you undergo a background check once approved and licensed you are allowed to fire arms that fit the category of course you took. In the states it is much simpler to obtain a fire arm for example in some states you can walk into a Wal-Mart and simply purchase a firearm or in some cases you can simply get a rifle just by opening an account at a bank as featured in the documentary Bowling for Columbine. In my opinion the Connecticut school shooting was likely preventable just as a lot of violence in society relating to firearms is. With safe and proper storage of firearms, proper handling, and the allowance of reasonable firearms (not military equivalent) violent acts in society with firearms are preventable not by adding more guns to the situation like some people believe should be done (by this I mean the idea of armed guards in school or arming teachers), but by creating stricter policies and abiding by them.

What makes a modern terrorist

There are two main causes in creating terrorism. The first  being Social and political injustice: People choose terrorism when they are trying to right what they perceive to be a social or political or historical wrong when they have been stripped of their land or rights, or denied these. The other being the belief that violence or its threat will be effective, and usher in change. Another way of saying this is: the belief that violent means justify the ends. Many terrorists in history said sincerely that they chose violence after long deliberation, because they felt they had no choice.

Religion in the government

This is a very touchy issue and has valid points to both sides of the argument, personally i believe that religion does have a place in the government but not a large place. after all the  canadian charter of rights and freedoms says that "canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of god and the rule of law." law and government is somewhat based on the traditions of a country, typically traditions and customs are built well into the religions of the people and so it is necessary for laws to somewhat reflect and or accommodate these traditions. "when in rome" as i like to put it. I believe that religion has a place in government as long as other countries believe it does, if the day arises that every single country in the world with no exemptions decides to strike out religion from their government only then is it fair for canada too.

Food Dumping

It is uncommon for the members of western civilization to feel that providing aid to poverty ridden nations immoral yet there is one way of aid that is, food dumping. In the last decade or so, the concept of developed nations providing third world countries with food via emergency relief organizations has shifted in the eyes of some, who claim that due to the many consequences of offering free food to these places. These consequences include a failure to compete from local farmers, a drop off in the economic progression of a country due to lack of necessity, and the permanent loss of agricultural land resulting from absence of government funding, is actually harmful and can contribute to the cycle of poverty. While it may seem to us that helping less fortunate nations by shipping them crates of food free of cost is something that can only help, this is not true. Farmers can no longer compete or turn a profit from their harvests or crop, this is because the international support comes at a rate which is significantly below the market average and so becomes the first choice of anyone in the  area. Also, the process of rebuilding or repairing a nation, and addressing the nation's pressing issues, can be brushed under the rug by misguided politicians when food aid is supplied, it is easy to step back and ignore the issues when the country's people are no longer dying from starvation. In this sense, it is easy to see how Food Dumping is an unfortunate, but real concept, and that perhaps we should re-evaluate how we as developed nations come to the aid of those less fortunate. Personally i believe the best possible solution would be to provide aid to the farmers in these countries, the aid being to help them grow crops at a faster rate and in better ways.

What does the recent arrest of two people who are suspected of planning a terrorist attack on Canadian soil mean to you? What impact does it have on Canada? What impact does it have on how people think about Islam? What motivates people to turn to terrorism in Canada?

The recent arrest of two people in Toronto has a huge impact on Canadian society as a whole. The fact that the people were arrested so close to where we live is a wake up call that anything can happen anywhere.  Canada since the Boston bombing has also brought in a bill S7 which allows law enforcement more power over suspected terrorists. This is the right approach in my opinion because that is the only way that Terrorism is going to be controlled. People usually relate these incidents immediately to a person of the Islamic faith and they are almost always right. The two people arrested were both of the Islamic faith, unfortunately. These are not just ordinary people who believe in the Islamic faith but are extremists who have different views on the religion. This has impacts on ordinary people such as myself, since I am of the Islamic faith. Comments that are very rude and offensive start to float around against all people of the religion. This isn't fair and should not be tolerated. The reason people commit these terrorist acts can be for many different reasons, one is that the persons family might have been threatened by a terrorist group. Another is that a persons family might have been killed by a drone strike in the past which then leads people to take revenge and then commit these acts. Given these facts Canada has been affected by these terrorist acts even though nothing actually took place, these acts have led Canada too make laws stricter and has made people more aware and vigilant,

What long term impact will the Boston terror attacks have on Western Civilization?

The Boston terror attacks were the biggest attacks on the United States since 9/11. The attacks took place during the Boston Marathon killing 2 people and injuring many. The terror attacks were a sign that anything can happen at any time. Canada has recently drafted bill S7 which would reduce restrictions against Law enforcement concerning terrorism. This recent attack has instilled fear within the people and reminded them of the events of 9/11. Just a few days after the attacks there was two alleged terrorists arrested for trying to bomb a via rail in Toronto. This does not help the situation since the bombings are not only targeted in the United States but also in our own home, Canada. Also the effects of these bombings are going to make parents more vigilant and more secure with their children. This also opens a door for other terrorist groups, sending them a message that it is that easy to plant and detonate a bomb. There is a higher risk now that Terrorist groups will take action on events like these, seeing that they have such a big impact on the world. I feel that if terrorist groups continue to take actions against the Western world, the United States will eventually react and take harsher measures against these groups to stop them once again having a "war on terror" but this time a larger scale one. The bombings have instilled fear into people and this is backed up by the recent passing of bill S7. 

US drone strikes, Good Idea or Bad?

The fact that the United States is even initiating drone strikes after they have already killed so many innocent people is aggravating. the drone strikes are a bad idea,vision on the selected target is limited for the drones. Drone strikes might be a more strategical and more cost effective way of killing people but it is not worth an innocent persons life. In a way drones can be considered a good weapon because instead of dropping bombs on a whole area they can to an extent pinpoint their targets and allow the pilot to be out of the danger zone. Drones can also be very useful when spying, their stealth and ability to be unmanned allows them to be a great tool for a spy. The fact that a human doesn't have to be present when using this drones is good since their wont be an allied death toll if a drone is shot down. Therefore heir are some practical uses for these drones but in this situation i believe they are a bad idea.

Israeli Building in E1 Zone

The ongoing tensions between Palistne and Israel can be considered a powder keg situation, at any moment the conflict could erupt into a large scale conflict. Due to the awaiting danger it can be said any course of action that could be deemed aggressive or provocative could be the spark for the powder keg the repercussions of which being a full blown war between the two opposing sides. With this in mind, Israel's decision to continue building in the E1 zone now seems like an unnecessarily risky choice. This area is not the only region that Israel has access to in order to build more housing for their citizens. Why then, does the Israeli government feel it necessary to continue to develop in this area? One can conclude that this decision is a political jab at the anti-zionist extremists within the surrounding area, a sort of attempt at asserting themselves above their enemies. In my opinion, this choice is not in Israel's best interest, and it severely jeopardizes the safety of their citizens.

North Korea: What would you do if you were President Obama?

If I was Obama I would definitely not take any action against North Korea until they actually attacked the United States first. This is only because the world wants to prevent a war at all costs. Since the role of Obama is to bring peace in a civilized manner it would be wrong for him to attack first also the country that attacks first is usually seen as a promoter of war and violence. Since North Korea also has a very poor reputation of actually backing up their threats, the US attacking them first would be seen as a sign of fear and a notion that they do promote war and would like to start a war. Saying this the only solution that comes to my mind is too have a diplomatic solution by speech and not by violence or conflict.

The Sexualization of Mainstream Society -- Is it a problem?

The Sexualization of mainstream society today is a problem, but at the same time its not as much of a pressing issue as issues such as north korea or the AIC. Throughout the 20th and 21st century we've seen societies views on sexuality rapidly change, it can be said that they may have changed for the worse. However I believe that this is because our population is becoming increasingly larger and we are all more interconnected in modern day. The increase in popularity of pornography has changed people's views on sexualization and women but I once again believe this is due to the increase in our population. Rape might be more prevalent because of Pornography but that is not entirely the fault of society but can also be blamed on people themselves. Even if you look back in history there was a lot of images of sex and there were many brothels but this didn't have such a big impact because communities were a lot smaller. With this being said I believe that this is a issue but not a pressing one at this time.

Global Poverty

The wealthier nations such as Canada and the United States should both help ease the suffering of the worlds poorest people despite our debts. it is important for wealthier countries have a prominent role in helping the global society, especially because aiding other countries builds positive relationships for the countries in the future.  Rather than just donating money to the countries that may or may not be eaten up by corrupt governments, countries should go into poor ones and help build and give education. Education is key to ending poverty in my opinion because it creates opportunities for jobs. Since wealthier countries also have more power and influence in the world they should fight against corrupt governments. Wealthier people who have the ability to donate to poorer countries and charities should do so unless they can donate their time because time is more important.

Gapminder

On Gapminder I did a graph displaying who emits more CO2 the United States or China. Per person United States emits 19 tones where as in China there is only 4.2 tones emitted per person. Seems almost as though china emits less CO2 than the U.S. well we cannot forget the population size of each, In the united states there is approximately 331 600 000 people, according to the Chinese government china’s population is 1 344 130 000. In total China has just over one billion more people than the U.S. if we are to multiply the tones per person by the population to find the total CO2 emissions per country we surprisingly we still see that china emits less carbon tones than the United states. China- 5 603 346 000 and the United States – 6 300 400 000. The U.S. emits over a trillion more tones of C02 into the atmosphere than china.

Link to graph - www.bit.ly/RChD4g

Connecticut School Shooting- What does it Teach Us About Violence in Society

The Connecticut school shooting is the last straw for America. It’s very sad that such an incident is finally what woke Americans up to the violence in society and their need for change. The need for change regards the gun laws and regulations in the United States. I believe that is the key factor in the recent acts of violence. There have been too many incidents in the United States involving a person wielding an easily accessible firearm and causing such a gruesome event similar to this. In my opinion the gun regulations and laws in the United States as a whole is way to lenient, yes some states have stricter gun laws than others but overall the laws aren’t strict enough. In the states according to the second amendment all Americans have the Right to Bare Arms. This amendment dates back to 1791, at that point in time it was felt to be necessary for all Americans to be armed and prepared to defend their country; it was a country of minutemen. In this day and age it is completely unnecessary for every citizen to be armed to protect their country, the US has one of the worlds best militaries. The debate can be made that the 2^nd amendment applies to security of person and defending ones home. I do not oppose the idea of protecting ones home and family within reasonable limits. Hypothetically if an aggressive perpetrator was to invade someone’s place of living and in this place of living there was a family (a wife or husband, possibly children) I don’t see a problem with protecting ones family within reason from the opposing danger if the danger is immanent. What I take issue with is the feeling that it is necessary to own military grade weapons. There is absolutely no need for an m16 to be possessed by the general public. Here in Canada you take a 10-hour course for non-restricted (long guns-shotguns and rifles) and another course for restricted (handguns). These courses teaches you safe handling, safe storage and some history of guns; after passing the test at the end with at least an 80% your paper work gets sent to the firearms office of your province, your name and some paper work then goes to an RCMP office and you undergo a background check once approved and licensed you are allowed to fire arms that fit the category of course you took. In the states it is much simpler to obtain a fire arm for example in some states you can walk into a Wal-Mart and simply purchase a firearm or in some cases you can simply get a rifle just by opening an account at a bank as featured in the documentary Bowling for Columbine. In my opinion the Connecticut school shooting was likely preventable just as a lot of violence in society relating to firearms is. With safe and proper storage of firearms, proper handling, and the allowance of reasonable firearms (not military equivalent) violent acts in society with firearms are preventable not by adding more guns to the situation like some people believe should be done (by this I mean the idea of armed guards in school or arming teachers), but by creating stricter policies and abiding by them.

Reflection On My Role And Experience At The WIC 2012

Overall I had a great experience at the WIC. The morning presentation was a great kick-start for the day. My Role for the day was to facilitate a presentation on the euro zone debt crisis presented by a grade eight HSC student named Elie. Elie was unbelievable he was very well versed in all aspects of the Debt crisis and brought up facts I hadn’t even found in the light research I did to prepare myself for the presentation. We did have some technical difficulties that hindered our first session’s presentation but Elie was able to pull through and finish in time to get everyone to their next event. The other responsibility I had on WIC day was to watch over the water walk, which went really well. WIC day was a great day and very educational. 

U.S. Election Who would I Vote for & Why

At the beginning of this election race I believed Obama was the best candidate for office. Recently I have changed my mind; in my politics class we had to debate on behalf of the Republicans and the Democrats. After completing my research to prepare for the debate I found that I preferred the republicans view on the issues as opposed to the democrats. Mitt Romney and the Republicans plan to fix the economy seems that it would be more effective than what Obama and the Democrats intend to do. That solely is why I would vote for Romney and the Republicans over Obama and the democrats.

Death of US Ambassador and Impact on the Arab Springs.

The Death of the US ambassador and attack on the embassy came as a shock to many; it was a common idea that after overthrowing Mummar Gaddafi the situation in Libya would be fine.  As dictator after dictator has been removed from power, either through force of arms or the overwhelming strength of popular discontent, Western leaders have universally given their support in this Arab springs cause, but what we don’t see happening is them supporting and helping these countries form proper and legitimate reformed governments. This attack on the embassy has shown the dangerous currents that are swirling beneath the reform movements. This attack on the Americans may result in them to be hesitant when it comes to the next country they consider helping in the Arab spring movement which is very negative for the area, as the U.S is a key ally in many of the rebel movements.