Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Australia and the Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement signed by over 170 countries in an effort to reduce greenhouse gases and ultimately, reduce the danger of global warming. Australia was late in ratifying the Protocol because it would affect Australian lives. Australia argued that signing the Portocol would cost the jobs of Australian people and claimed that it was already taking measures to stop greenhouse gas emission. The United States didn't ratify the Protocol because it would causes many changes to our country. The US is the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide (along with China) because it burns lots of fossil fuels. If the US signed the Protocol, it would have t cut back on fossil fuels, therefore cutting back on transportation for its people. The Kyoto Protocol is a good effort to stop global warming.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Ch.30 Homework

Section 1

1.Definitions:Urbanization: process of moving from the countryside to a city. (rural to urban)Primate City: a big city that has all the services that people need.

2. People migrated to the South-East Asia region because of trade. Non-native people from Europe and the Middle East came to the region to trade. As they were there, cultures were adopted, and Europeans and Arabs brought back South-Eastern Asia cultures to their homes.

3. Indonesia and other countries have slowed population growth to:
1) avoid depleting resources and
2) create more opportunities for the future generation. I think that China should join this movement because they have way too many people.

Section 2

4.Definitions:Maritime: a kingdom that got power through sea trade.Sphere of Influence: Areas that two countries must agree on before one country controls it.Buffer State: an area between two countries that is deemed neutral.

5. This region's first three empires are: Funan, Khmer and Srivijaya Empires. The Funan and Srivijaya Empires were alike because they were maritimes. The Khmer and Funan are alike because they had amazing agricultural systems. The empire that's different from the others is the Khmer, because it has the Angkor Wat.

6. The Sunda and Malacca Straits were important because they linked South-East Asia to Africa. Four cities that benefitted from this were: Malaaca, Penang, the Funan Empire, and the Srivijaya Empire.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Ch. 29 Homework

Section 1

1. Definitions:Cordillera: two mountain ranges that are parallel to each other.Archipelago: a chain of closely packed islands.Insular: a name for the island countries in South-East Asia.

2. In South Asia, people rely on rivers and waterways for transportation. If goods and materials can be transported, so can culture and people.

3. Most of South Asia's economy depends on the ocean. Since Laos has no access to the water, they are at a greater economical disadvantage. To solve this problem, Laos can develop a new source of economy, like timber or mining.

Section 2

4. Definitions:Endemic: a term for an organism that comes originally from a specific area.Deciduous: a type of tree that has broad leaves and loses its leaves in a certain season.

5. Areas with monsoons, take the Indochina Peninsula for example, have wet and dry cycles. The dry cycle, a period of arid weather, extends for about half the year and then the wet cycle, a period of massive rainfall, continues for the latter half. The people that live in this area constantly have to be prepared for the shift in weather.

6. During the Vietnam war, the VietCong would use guerilla warfare. They would hide in the dense tropical jungle and fire at the American soldiers passing by. Also, the VietCong would use the jungle itself as a trap.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Ch. 27 Homeork

Section 1

1.Definitions:Aborigine: people from the Pacific region that were the first to live inside Taiwan.Homogenous: a word used to describe a group of people in the same ethnic group.

2. High speed transportation affects Japan's daily life in a positive way. Due to Japan's high population density, it's almost impossible to move around by cars. Because of this, Japan decided to make the bullet train, which transports people overlooking the overcrowding factor.

3. When people in East Asia move from rural areas to urban, there won't be enough people to grow crops, therefore hurting the regions agricultural future.

Section 2

4.Definitions:Ideogram: words that are represented by a picture.Shamanism: belief that a human leader can have healing powers and can talk to the dead.Acupuncture: a medical practice where a person inserts needles into the patient, removing sickness and pain.

5. In East Asia, health care is provided for everyone. The communist governments pay for it. In the US, you have to buy your own health care, so this can prove a problem for poorer people. I think that the health care in East Asia is better because everyone is supplied health care.

6. In East Asia, art and architecture is inspired by religions such as Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism and Shintoism.