Blog Post #19.

• 19. 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?

This course has allowed me to further my understanding on major events in the world. The three that I mastered are "The Arab- Israeli Conflict", "The Syrian Civil War" and "The Human Rights Violations in North Korea". All three of these issues, I found myself extremely interested in the factors that have caused them. This course has taught me how to research an issue properly. I have learned how to extract important points from news articles and how to create a proper presentation and position paper. These skills will be put to great use next year in University. Two of the courses I am interested in next year include current events and I feel prepared to state my opinion on these issues. 

Blog Post #18.

18. What was the central theme for this course? Why? How does your choice relate to...(insert one issue as an example)...

The central theme of this course was "current events". This created the basis for the course and allowed us to branch off into different sub- subjects. For example, the Arab- Israeli conflict. Not only did we hear and read about the event in the news, but we also created our own simulation to help us better understand the issue and its history. Many of the issues that we discussed, also had a lot of history behind them. For example, the Syrian Civil War. There has been conflict between President Bashar Al-Assad and Syrian citizens for many years, but we recently were exposed to the conflict between the President and the rebel group. This course exposed me to the issues and I was able to learn about them in more depth. 

Blog Post #17.

17. If you lived in America today, where would you be on the gun issue? Consider the 5th Amendment right to carry arms and discuss why you think there should or should not be restrictions placed on gun ownership in America.

If I were an American citizen, I myself would own a self defense gun. I am not "pro guns", but with all of the devastating events that have taken place in the past year, I feel as if i would need to protect myself. Of course, the right to own arms is clearly states in the 5th Amendment, but I believe that the US government needs to monitor and control the use of arms more carefully. Anyone can buy a gun in the US whether they have a license to carry one or not. There are many black markets where you can purchase arms. This poses a problem. The US government needs to not only monitor those who are purchasing them, but also the stores that are selling them. The reason why I believe  there should be restrictions is because without and order, the guns will be misused and many innocent lives will be lost in the process.  

Blog Post #15.

15. Does religion, or religious principles/ethics/morals, have any place in government? Should government create laws based on these norms?

I believe that ethnic groups do no have any place in government, for example, Aboriginals in Canada. They have two parties that represent their ethnic group in Canadian government, but do not have a say in any government decisions. Government creates laws that will benefit the majority of its citizens. Canada is a multi- cultural nation with many different ethnic groups and religions.  It is difficult for a nation to create laws that will satisfy every citizen and or ethnic group. I do believe that the government should create general laws that can cater to religion and ethnic groups so that their needs are being met.

Blog Post #14.

14. One way that developed countries 'help' the less fortunate nations of the world is by offering aid in the form of food. This approach to aid has been criticized by some as ineffective at best, and criminal at worst. Read through the material posted here, then answer the question: "What is food dumping, and how does it contribute to the cycle of poverty and dependence among the world's poorest people?" Also, offer a solution to the problem.

"Food dumping" is the term that refers to the developed nations who are aiding under developed countries with food aid. The local farmers in under developed nations are suffering from this aid due to the little demand for their products. This affects the farmers and their businesses which can plummet and affect the countries economy. This contributes to the cycle of poverty because the under developed countries that are dependent on the food aid, also cause problems for the developed nations. There are hundreds of impoverished countries around the world. This also creates a problem for the developed countries in terms of who they decide to distribute their food aid to. In my opinion, there are pros and cons to this issue. Although under developed countries are able to receive food aid and feed most of their citizens, there are more cons connected when weighing this issue on a larger scale. When the developed countries provide the aid, it does not motivate the under developed countries to plan a way to provide for themselves. In my opinion, instead of the developed countries simply shipping food, they should send in representatives who can aid these countries in creating their own plan of action in solving the issue of poverty. These representatives can aid in terms of agricultural and economical needs. I believe that this would be a cheaper and more effective solution than food dumping. 

Blog Post #13.

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?

This issue affects not only myself but my friends and family as well. This issue affects myself directly because I will be attending the University of Toronto next year and was previously planning on taking the train back home. I also have many friends and family that live in Toronto and use the train as their mode of transportation. The fact that this issue has migrated from the US up to Canadian soil concerns me. The devastation that the Boston marathon bombing brought to not only Americans, but citizens from all across the world terrifies me if it were to take place in my own community. If something were to happen close to my home, I myself would be emotionally scarred over the event. Islamic citizens are now looked at differently after these two events. Innocent Islamic-Canadian's and or American's are receiving scrutiny following the events. I believe that it is directly impacting their culture as they continue to protect their religion and their "brothers". I cannot think of a mens rea that could connect to Canadian terrorism. What I do know is that the Boston marathon bombing has become a gateway event for other terrorist to commit their actus reus's against targeted nation. 

Blog Post #12.

What long term impact will the terror attacks at the Boston Marathon have on western civilization?

The Boston Marathon attack has not only gained the attention of Canadian provinces, but of nations around the World. This attack will affect public events for many years to come. For example, other marathons, sporting events and concerts. I believe that the affects of this event will also change the way in which Canada organizes their security and safety procedures. There will be a Toronto marathon in the next month or so and I have heard news of Toronto's security re-planning their course of action on case of any attacks. This event has also devastated the citizens of Boston. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this attack.