Monthly Archives: February 2014

Two sites on climate change: annotated bibliography

Make an annotated bibliography for two websites. Write short summary (about 3 sentences) which explains how each site relates to climate change, how it may be useful to us.

6 points:

6 = name, annotated, academic language, hyperlinks, 2 sites, on topic of climate change

late -1

C BLOCK  due Mon. Feb 24

D BLOCK due Thur. Feb 25 (day of grace Fri. Feb 26)

Example:

Phaidra Ruck:

Tesla Motors. www.teslamotors.com/goelectric

Tesla motors features a “most frequently asked questions” page which answers specifications and provides an explanation of how the new electric car model works. It is useful as a resource by informing us on the vehicle basics to compare to the Toyota Prius hybrid or hydrogen car models.

Obstacle Course – Results

Click to download a Word doc of the Obstacle course based on the UN Millennium Development Goals

OBSTACLES

OBSTACLE 1 – END EXTREME POVERTY & HUNGER

  • Food donations/charity
  • Get a better job
  • Start a garden
  • Ask for help
  • Raise awareness
  • Soup kitchen
  • “Smaller plates”
  • Use barter system with your neighbour
  • “Show how you can eat then exercise”

 

OBSTACLE 2 – ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION

  • Teach literacy yourself (English)
  • Send teachers to teach local teachers
  • Bring them educational resources (know-how)
  • Donate books
  • $ for schools
  • Invest in schools
  • Raise awareness

 

OBSTACLE 3 – PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY

 

  • Poster to promote gender equality
  • More opportunities for women
  • Encourage people to be open-minded to other religions
  • Explain the truth
  • Don’t jump to conclusions
  • Don’t stereotype
  • Help immigrants to integrate into the society that they came to
  • “call their parents and arrange for bullies to wear the clothes and get parents and kids to talk about kindness”
  • Don’t be a racist
  • Tell the bullies to stop being racist
  • Stand up for them. Don’t be silent!
  • Get along with them. Be friendly
  • Tell your counselor
  • Raise awareness
  • Create a campaign about women
  • “create a group or something”

 

OBSTACLE 4 – REDUCE CHILD MORTALITY

  • Daycares and doctors
  • Campain / raise awarness
  • Ask doctors to check on the families once in a while
  • medication/money donation
  • free birth control supply
  • government subsidies (to birth control supply)
  • vaccinations
  • stable government support > welfare, shelter
  • “No raw dawggin’ “

 

 

OBSTACLE 5  – IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH

  • Therapy
  • Care packages
  • Underground bunkers
  • Rules against violence
  • Have people donate healthy supplies to pregnant women
  • “Don’t hate, appreciate”
  • Raise awareness
  • male a safe / community home for a single pregnant / new moms to live in
  • donate food/$ for them
  • give them pepper spray to keep them safe in emergencies
  • educate
  • make laws to protect citizens
  • provide for emergency pregnancy control pills
  • self-defense
  • psychological guidance
  • provide protection & security
  • create safe space for those in danger
  • provide assistance / human resources to new mothers in need

 

 

OBSTACLE 6 – COMBAT MALARIA, HIV AND DISEASES

 

  • Use protection
  • Educate!
  • Donate condoms
  • Birth control
  • Don’t have sex (18+)
  • Donate mosquito repellent
  • Donate food and water
  • Pepper spray
  • Give vaccines if available
  • Raise awareness (public presentation)
  • Work in the medical field (find cures)
  • Supply clean water
  • Provide or train doctors
  • Start a condom factory
  • Make advertisements to fundraise – show how serious the disease really is
    • Use celebrities
  • Make the video inspirational –stories of hope
  • Post signs – in public!

 

OBSTACLE 7 – ENVIRONMENT / SUSTAINABILITY

  • Ad campaign
  • Philanthropy
  • Educate!
  • Don’t buy it
  • Sign a petition
  • Make own clothes (knit)
  • Buy it and help country get more money “and appreciate their handiwork”
  • Tell the store manager to boycott clothes from there until human rights are fixed
  • “donate money towards creating actually good sweatshops”
  • Donate $ and clothes to Bangladesh (?)

 

OBSTACLE 8 – GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP / DEVELOPMENT

  • Give the country more tourist attractions to attract more money
  • Open donation banks
  • Invest in farms
  • “be a democratic country”
  • Use youtube advertisements to make $
  • donate money
  • supply resources & food
  • elect supporting MPs
  • improve education standards
  • help countries that are in debt to break poverty cycle
  • educate people so they can help
  • volunteer

UN Writing Assignments – due Mon. Feb. 17th

1. Rank the priority of the UN Millennium development goals in your research country. Which ones are at the top, and why? Write a short response. (~250 words)

2. Write a reflection on the UN Declaration of Human Rights or the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child. How do these documents influence foreign policy today? Do you think they are a ‘magna carta’ for the 21st century? (~2 pgs d.s.).

BLOCK D: Day of grace Tues. Feb. 18th.

Academic writing sample

 

EXAMPLE ESSAY BY WU EDITED BY RUCK

Though at first China’s one-child policy seems unfair in terms of limiting personal freedom, after further consideration there are some advantages we are well to note.

Historically, early adopters of the policy who opted to only have one child were given rewards in the form of enhanced medical care, improved access to education, and sometimes even cash.  In turn, this not only increased the longevity of their offspring, but also raised their standard of living, especially in comparison to contemporary families struggling to find resources for, say, a modest three children.

Despite the limitation on personal freedom which a one-child policy brings, China has a strong cultural identity which in turn supports a collective cultural bond – everyone feels a bit like family, in my experience.  Further, China’s selflessness in carrying out the demands of this policy may be understood as having value by furthering equality of the population as a whole. What is good for the individual family is also viewed as good for the collective nation as a whole family. Perhaps, one day, this family may encompass the whole world.