Izzy

How significant was Commodore Matthew Perry’s role in the opening up of Tokugawa Japan?

To all the enthusiasts of the Tv series “Friends” out there let me clear up, that no I am not taking about the actor who played Chandler. Although they share the same name I am talking about the much more historically significant COMMODORE Matthew Perry. He may not be as comical as Chandler but non the less has an interesting story.

The Edo or Tokugawa period lasted from 1603 to 1868. It was a fundamental time for Japan, where they underwent many social, economic and political changes. It was particularly known for its isolationist foreign policies. These policies prevented any outside trade or westerners to enter any of the main land without special papers. The Dutch were the only settlers at the time and they were forced to live on their own special Island, with close to no freedom. Perry was a dominant figure in ending this isolationist Era.

Perry had vast experiences in Wars and the Military, This naval sight highlights his achievements. Moreover, he was a diplomat who knew how to negotiate in order to achieve what he wanted but more importantly he knew when to back down whilst retaining the respect of the Japanese. He also had many resources that he utilized in negotiations like modern weaponry and technology. He would threaten that if the Japanese did not open their ports he would use his advanced arms and soldiers to forcefully gain entrance to their ‘sacred land’. One point he fought for without prevail was that American shipwrecked sailors would be treated kindly in Japan. Being a seaman himself Perry knew the dangers of such travel and it was therefor the first and foremost term when negotiating with the Japanese. Perry also had his reputation to withhold and therefor had a certain amount of pressure from the US to return bearing news of success in the foreign lands.

Although, Perry was an important part of Japan opening its ports it is often forgotten how advanced Japan already was. They had one of the most individualized cultures, and their arts and music was unique to no other. They were by no means ‘uncivilized’ as Perry and other officials understand later on in their Journey. The Japanese people had already developed a spectacular working ethic and strive to achieve new things. They were fascinated by the outside world but their medieval government set up denied them to learn from the foreigners. The Japanese feudal system was wearing on the Japanese society and dimming their growth, in spite of Perry’s significance it is highly likely that they would have changed their policies in order to increase their own standard of living. Furthermore, change was all around them China had immersed itself in trade and other countries had also made ties with the foreigners. Trade was just the next big step and they could have achieved in on their own as they held a proud reputation within Asia. Trade would also help their struggling economy.

All in all there were more reasons to enter trade and end isolation then to stay locked away from the rest of the world. The japanese knew this and had already begun stirring and had the US fleets not come along then and there they would have opened their ports eventually.  Had Perry not been successful someone else would have because not only was there feudal system bursting at the seams but so were the Japanese people.

In conclusion, Perry was not that significant he was simply the right man, in the right place, at the right time.

What have you learned?

This project has been very challenging so far, but I can honestly say that I have learnt a lot from it. I have learnt that organization and collaboration are one of the most important things in a group project, especially when it is actually you as a class and not the teacher who is leading it. I can say that I am very proud of what we have achieved so far even if we have hit some bumps along the road and have changed our path several times already. I have learnt to work with my peers and also to accept their views and opinions even if they might not be the same as my own. I have also changed my view about ideas that I might not have necessarily  considered, for example the pressure plates were a form of energy I would have never used in our school but after having been forced to research more about it, I find myself fantasizing about the idea of a YIS with padded hallways. I am also getting to learn about many subjects that are important to me, even if they might not be in YIS’s future, the green wall or wind power, are two forms of sustainability that interest me and through this project I was able to learn more about them. Perhaps this way through the knowledge gained on the subject, new ways of implementing sustainability are still an option for the future.

What troubles have you/we run into?

One of the biggest problems we faced was settling on a subject. Not only because there are so many possibilities to achieve sustainability but also because we are a team and must make decisions as such. I admit I found it very frustrating when halve the class wanted one thing while the other wanted something completely different. This has been an experience worth having though, because it was a real life experience. It was a way to understand other peoples points of views and accept them. Even if this was especially hard at times, and I admit I had my fair share of trouble with this concept…

We also lacked organizational skills at the start, but I would like to compliment our class on the new approach we are taking now. I would also like to give extra credit to Rio who has really taken a leadership roll and brought the entire class back on track. Now it is just a matter of staying focused and enthusiastic.

Personally I have had difficulty with contacting various sources because of my lack of Japanese, however my peers have been extremely helpful and I think this too will not cause any further difficulty.

What solutions may you have?

I think right now we are heading in the right direction and especially with this new approach of smaller groups and multiple ideas we will be able to leave a lasting impression in the board room. For now we just have to put in large amounts of effort to catch up with the other class and we most defiantly have to stay organized. Now more than before do we have to work as a team and be extremely supportive of one another.

Sustainability is a difficult thing to understand let alone achieve, it means as much as creating a longterm ecological balance, where natural resources are not abused or harmed. But, how can this be done in a  world that is constantly growing and asking for more? In my mind this is an almost impossible request, people are greedy and no matter how hard you may want to deny it you will always find yourself wanting more. It is the way we have been programmed by nature and it allows us to invent and create the most amazing of things.  However, greed comes at a price, more specifically to this subject it means taking things from our environment and the world around us that we don’t necessarily need. Do you really need the iPhone 5 when you are still have the packaging of the iPhone 4 at your house? The answer is no, you don’t, but you still want it.

So how can we be sustainable? We have to find a balance first, we will probably never live in a world where the environment is never harmed, for that to happen we would basically have to morph back to nomad status. However, we could potentially live in a world that is more fair and at the same time is environmentally friendly enough so that others do not have to suffer at our cost. Take the growing cities of China for example, although they will take great costs to build and will harm the environment because of the resources required to build them, they might have a positive affect in the long run. China is not known for it’s great environmental status but it has improved, and with the cities it could improve even further. Research has shown that city dwellers take up much less energy and fuels then your average suburban. A apartment building also requires less space, energy and gas then say a suburban block. In my opinion this is part of the long term goal in sustainability we have to find a way to supply the public demand of bigger, better, faster but at the same time find away that will allow us to not cripple the environment or create another hole in the ozone. With this mind set of yes, sacrifices must be made but at the same time we can still correct this loss we can achieve sustainability. we must simply find the balance between consume and what we give back.

What is scarcity and how can we prevent it? Scarcity is when there is a lack of or not enough of something. More often than not this is something as consequential as food or water. Again I am brought back to greed, in order to have the things lucky ones such as ourselves enjoy, others have received the shorter end of the bargain. We live in a world where one person can have billions while others have next to nothing. I am not blaming those who have money, it seems hypocritical, anybody who has more than someone forced to live off 3 dollars a day or less should not be blaming because we have had our fair share in fault too. Nonetheless something must be done because having this much while someone else has so little is simply put incorrect. How can we achieve this though? Simply enough by putting others first, we have to stop exploiting farms and fisheries so that our groceries will be cheaper. Farmers have to be able to grow a more diverse crop and be able to feed themselves with this first, rather then growing rice year after year to sell to foreign markets. This way they won’t have to stave to death because they are only eating one bowl of rice per meal in order to sell the rest on the market for a price that will barely suffice their efforts. Same goes for fish one of the primary food sources across the globe, in order for others to be able to catch enough fish, dominant powers simply have to stop overfishing. We would also be saving the environment and aquatic wildlife with this.

Cities: Although surprisingly enough cities seem to be a new more environmentally friendly option there is still a long way to go. With new data such as “The average American is responsible for 23 tons of CO2 per year; the average Washingtonian, just 19.7—and New Yorkers generate only 7.1 tons apiece.” showing that there is yet hope for the future in urbanization. 3/4 of the worlds population live in cities, now if there was way to make these cities an environmentally sustainable place to live Co2 admissions and energy use can be cut so drastically that almost every city will have as low admissions as New york shows in the comment above. So far the urban lifestyle has mainly been criticized which is correct because it is a great burden on the environment. However if we were to create our cities so that the perks outweighed the negative effects we could potentially create a much better tomorrow. The city offers much more than just Co2 admissions and large energy consumptions. It offers public transportation and lower gas usage to heat a 2 bed room apartment rather then a house in the suburbs. Also if we were to cover every rooftop with grass and trees or putting solar panels on every skyscraper we could make a difference. There is defiantly a lot of hardship in the growth of cities but at the same time it still leaves the prospect of a more environmentally sustainable future. However to achieve this, both resources, funds, problems such as traffic congestion and declining infrastructure must first be addressed.

What other pressing issues regarding scarcity and sustainability are there?

What Troubles do these factors face?

• Energy: Requires new ways of creating energy without harming the environment, supplying enough energy so that people across the globe can have a better quality of life and help open doors to new opportunities.
• Food: droughts, hurricanes etc. cause rises in food prices because there is a growing demand this however effects people across the globe, they also need to find a solution towards farming, fishing and expatiation of LEDC’s.
• Water: Water pollution and shortage in LEDC’s will affect the whole world in the long run
• Ocean Life: Again water Pollution and global warming along with overfishing is an important factor to be considered in an effort to save aquatic life and an important food source across the world.
• Cities: Although cities have shown a positive effect in tests studies, they are still vastly environmentally harming, and create large greenhouse gas emissions. To make living in cities a good environmental option, cities themselves must become much more green and environmentally sustainable.

The town of Regina has a population of 35,221 and growing, it is home to a National Park, Cogen Farmland and potentially offers whale watching.

The definition of Scarcity can be found as: scarcity |ˈskersitē|noun ( pl. scarcities ) the state of being scarce or in short supply; shortage: a time of scarcity | the growing scarcity of resources.

3. My game strategy was simple, skip the small expenses and go right into the big construction that would give you money in the long run. For example while some farmland costs about $100 now, I can just wait a couple of turns and the build an airport for $3000. Sure at the start my town has to endure some hardship but at the end it pays out. I now have a happy population and much more money than before. The idea is also to balance out business, tourism and Industry. Tourism brings you money but you won’t have tourism if you already have a coal plant that is ugly to look at. The solution? Build a national park or a ski lodge something that attracts people to your town. Creating things like national parks also makes the towns folk happy because they are now more eco friendly.

4. I was not very successful at the start I was always running out of money and when I ran out of money I couldn’t give my people things like electricity and gas. I found that once you were scarce it was very hard to get back out especially at a certain point in the game. If you don’t have the money you just don’t have it and that means you won’t be able to get the other important resources either.

5. Yes, I would defiantly want my city to become an Empire. I would love watching it grow and flourish, however I don’t know if I could truly take the steps necessary to do so, like destroying a culture and forcing my views on others. I believe my town has a good set up but that doesn’t mean others agree with the way my town works, I would know because at the start of the game their were multiple demonstrations in the town square. So what would give me the right to expand my town onto others? In the end I think it is a question of how far you are willing to go. I can’t directly say if I would make it an empire, in some ways I might but then again I don’t think I would have the follow through.

Simple, because there are always to side to every story. We see this in life, in movies even in books. Something is not always how it may seem to you, this explains why in history it there will always be different opinions. ”You have to understand the difference between history and story” Said Paul Valley, “History, as the old cliché has it, is just one damn thing after another. But storytellers almost always have a vision of the universe which shapes the way those events are recounted.” As Paul Valley saying not only the event that occurred matters but also the person that is telling its tale.

This can be seen time and time again years after an event has occurred, for example great britain who used to see imperialism as their duty to civilize others but now apologizes to all their former colonies. From this we can draw that back then it seemed like a noble deed to some but now is mainly being frowned upon. However, history also shows a wide spread of opinion when it comes to theses who stood on either side of an event. This shows while some in Britain might have explained the take over of other countries as helping them become more modernized and advanced, while the Indians for example might argue that they were forced to live under a harsh rule and their land and themselves were taken advantage of.

This is why in history sometimes there is no right or wrong, both sides often make legitimate arguments for example Britain did usually bring things like hospitals, school, better medicine and much more to one of their colonies, they also often showed large step forwards in technology and science helping a country develop. On the other hand colonization was not always a pretty thing people were often exploited and used as cheap laborers. Colonization also often brought a loss of culture and language, the entire physiology of a country was often damaged because it could bring a loss of national pride.

I think it is good that history has so many sides and angles, because this way no single person or group can be the perpetrator all by themselves. The mix of opinions allows us to see both the good and the bad it shows us that things are not always black and white but at the same time it allows us to form an opinion or bias on our own.

Mothers, Fathers, Aunts, Uncles, Children these are the loved ones many have lost due to the syrian uprising, and these are the tragic stories you hear  in the Syrian refugee camps. According to Cassandra Nelson in a CNN article “One 7-year old girl told me she saw her neighbor’s throat cut in front of her. Her family fled in the dark of night, walking several hours before they could cross into Jordan.” It’s stories like this that let you wonder where the good in the world went, that 7 year old children are witnessing brutal murder at such a young age and are then forced to flee the country out of fear for ones own life. Not only do these stories that we have been hearing all over the news for the past months pull at our heartstrings but they also let us wonder why nothing has happened yet. This article is not going to be about the Civil war in Syria, I’m not going to talk about how governments such as France or the US should get involved and help the rebels, no… in fact I’m not sure if they even should. This article is going to be about the people who got caught up in the war people who had to flee their homes to escape brutal bombings, people who need help and have asked for it but have not received it.

I would like to applaud countries like turkey and Jordan who have helped refugees even if what they are offering right now is not enough, as shown in a Washington post, “Angry over harsh living conditions in their desert tent camp in Jordan, dozens of Syrian refugees clashed with Jordanian police, hurled stones and smashed charity offices and a hospital, officials and refugees said Tuesday.” However, I think its not lack of effort but lack of resources. Truth is the neighboring regions of Syria have their own problems, with lack of money and resources, sectarian hatred and their own governmental issues caused by the Arab spring they are in no place to help. Carrying a crisis like this would only cripple their country, and some already know this and have started closing down their borders. But they are not to blame no one is, technically it is no ones responsibility to help, but it is a choice, a choice that could do so much good but would take an awful lot of courage and goodwill to actually happen. It would only take one country to make a difference, one country that is stable enough and can send resources and money to these camps and help out those in need. The UN and other charities are doing what they can there is no doubt about that, millions have already been invested into this issue, but it’s not enough. Children aren’t receiving the right physiological care, their are constant dust storms on the camps, not to mention the water and power supplies that are being put under an extreme strain and constantly falling short. According to Mahmoud Amoush”We need more of everything.” the rest of the article proves this.

All it would take would be one country to lead the example and help, just one that would show the world that caring is not out dated, maybe even just for the heck of it. It’s a lot to ask and  its also unrealistic, but who knows maybe one day it will be us asking Syria for help. No one can tell what the future will bring, maybe one day we will be the refugees and I hope that if that happens someone would step up for us, like others could be doing for Syria.

The experience starts once the light go out the whole room immediately becomes silent and everyone is waiting to see what will happen next. The first thing you see is a silhouette of trees lit by warm colored lights (pink, red, purple etc.) This automatically sets a mood of mischief and mystery next there is an explosion of energy. This was done through sound effects and the first appearances of characters. Multiple girls ran on stage and began dancing around a pot. This was a good use of stage area because the audience was pulled in towards the center. The energy was also great because after that entrance attention was grasped and people kept there eyes wide open because they were interested in seeing what would occur. Just by the build up of music and through the extensive movement of each actor one knew that something big would happen. We were not let either when a drastic stop occurred in the first scene which shocked the audience. This was an amazing transition because it left you at the edge of your seat. The placing of items and furniture however was sloppy people were very aware when the room set up was moved around.

The next scene was an extreme change in mood it was much more quiet and normal then the scene before it. The stage set up was simple something they handled quite well nothing stook out too much and everything was in harmony with each other. They had now replaced the trees with a wall. The characters were very aural in this scene there was a lot of dialogue however every character spoke clearly so that it was easy to understand. The play was very realistic because of accents each actor used. Most actors remembered the lines completely even though there was the occasional slip up by certain people. Movement throughout the play was done well nobody was faced opposite of the audience and people kept moving to keep it interesting. Even in scenes like the bedroom one where not a lot of movement is required, just walking around kept the energy flowing and made it seem more natural.  The character change was interesting abigail fir instance was one of the most dynamic characters because she constantly changed her mood and how she acted around other characters. Sometimes she was sweet and other times she seemed almost insane. Her acting was one of the most convincing she was an extremely relatable character.

Some scenes were pulled out for too long and at times there were too many characters on stage so that the tinniest movement made you lose attention and look at someone else. It was difficult because there was a lot of dialogue and at some points I myself stopped listening. Make-up was great in the last scenes were they drew on cuff marks I really felt for the characters. Use of props was remarkable when they used real food the audience began paying attention again because it looked so realistic.The character change of John Procter was interesting because he went from mad to loving and scared. This showed how he developed throughout the plot.

The ending was somehow like the start it had an extreme build up that enticed the audience, although surprised that no actual hanging scene was done, the way they showed it was good with the noises and bells, it left it to the imagination. The play itself was a form of realism however they were creative in how they presented each scene and how characters interacted. Some characters were misplaced in there roles and might have been better off in smaller parts the voice or appearance was off in this case. The end was done well especially the passionate kiss between John and his wife. It was a fair well for the audience too.

1. The character Dana use informal language with Lee this obviously indicates that they are acquainted or at least that neither of them has more authority then the other i.e student teacher, mother child etc. This already gives us insight to characters relationships. The language used at the start is much more shy and held back this is probably because Dana is still trying to start a conversation and because the situation is awkaward. We know the situation is awkward because of how short and indirect Lee answers Dana’s questions and attempts to make contact. The way Dana approaches and speaks to him is also not like best friends because the conversation doesn’t flow.

2. The rhythm of a characters dialogue can also tell you a lot about them for example confidence, shyness and who they are speaking to. In this play at the beginning especially and throughout the play there are many pauses which emphasize the tension between the two. For example Lee:”I’m not studying. (Pause) I’m sort of busy. do you mind ? this shows Lees hesitance and that he has to think about what he says because this is an uncomfortable situation. Dana also has an extremely long pause after she is finished with yelling at Lee this shows us she realizes what she has just said and regrets it. The pace at which they talk also changes for example both of them get much faster and pause much less when they are mad. This emphasizes the emotions and what they are trying to bring over.

3. In terms of subtext I think there are many hints that Dana likes Lee. She gets closer and closer to him in ever scene and she never backs off no matter how upset Lee gets with her. I also think the fact that when Dana tried to leave a Lee just kept talking has a meaning because in a sense he pulled her back. At the start the audience also immediately understands through Dana’s actions that she is trying to make contact she doesn’t have to say Lee talk to me for the audience to understand what she is doing.

4. Sometimes the importance of pausing is overlooked. There are different forms of pauses, shorts I always find to mostly say that a character is taking a moment to debate something. It shows a form of resistance this way the audience knows something good is about to come. Long pauses usually have more meaning for example there was just a fight or something really depressing just happened like a death.

5. Sometimes one character is a foil to another meaning this character bring out different characteristics in the main protagonist. For example a daughter will act differently around her mom then she will in front of her friends. Same goes for on stage different characters have different influences on each other and it is one way to bring over a characteristic or trait successfully. If you want a character to show a weak side just put him next to another character with a lot of power.

6. I think that Lee and Dana knew each other from before possibly when they were younger. You can tell this by how they approach one another. We also know that something must have happened so that Lee doesn’t want to be approached by her. We know that Dana likes him simply by the fact that she invites him to the movies and that she is trying to help him through a difficult time. Dana: “Lee…” this may be a simple line but it shows the intimacy the two share especially when Lee comes back and answers.

Today is our last day at the flay room conference and I am very upset to be leaving. I have made so many new friends and I have had so many new experiences. I have also learnt so much from other people and I have learnt to consider many sides to a story. Today we will be deciding who’s video gets into the final stage and who gets eliminated. I think my group has a good chance of making it but then again all the others peoples ideas were really good to. Yesterday, we had to show our storyboard which is something I have never done before. To make it easier to see we took pictures of our promotion videos storyboard and put them on slides.

We were under extreme time pressure especially because we had been doing field strips in the morning instead of doing the storyboard. It was very difficult to get everything done in time but I think in the end we did alright. Me and Mithali were in charge of writing the script. We had 4 minutes to present but my group tried to make it fast and to the point I think that gave us an edge.

Now we will be finding out who gets to the final round DA DA DAAAAANNN……..

to be continued….

Yesterday, we had our first flat class room meeting. I Had the pleasure of meeting lots of new people including the group I would be working with. There are 5 people in my group 3 girls and 2 boys their all great people and we get along quit well.

Once we started brain storming our project the ideas just kept flowing our problem was that we actually had too many ideas and we didn’t know how to combine all of them into one large plan. What I found surprising is that we all wanted to do the same subject for opening learning, we all immediately agreed on widening education so that people world wide could get the education they were entitled to.

Our main idea was to use old laptops that people don’t need anymore and give them to people in low economically developed countries so that they could use it for education and development purposes. Through distributing these computers to places that need them children all around the word can connect to class rooms like ours and be part of our education. The computers will be set up in schools but local people will have access to them so that they can sell their products more globally.

What I like about flat class room is that these ideas have a chance of becoming something one day. I’m really happy I got to come here because i’ve learnt so much and I really believe we could change the world if we put enough effort into it. I’m also really glad I got to meet so many people with such good ideas and such passion for what we are trying to do here.

We also already looked at the technological side of the conference we didn’t have much time but to go with our idea we made a small slide show and now we are looking forward to adding on to it today.