July

JULY

We lay down in the cemetery, joined there.

This can be seen as being a reference to death, what happens when an individual dies, how the individual lays “down in the cemetery ” and is later joined by...

Emerald moss growing thickly in the chiseled letters.

Kazim Ali's reference to the quick growing of “Emerald Moss” can be seen as being a continuation of the first line. “Emerald Moss” is a type of grass usually found on stones, especially tomb stones thus explaining the reference to chiseled letters.

You’re explaining how trees (angels) actually breathe.

In the line above, Kazim Ali's reference to “trees breathing” can be related to angels moving.

Green in the names and trees went up to join gray in the sky.

Kazim Ali's reference to “Green” can be seen as being a reference to humans that are alive and living on earth , hence going about their daily lives and activities. His reference to Tress on the other can be seen as being a reference to dead humans that have turned into angels and have moved on, hence they live in the sky or in heaven and are with the gods in the skies. His reference to “green” joining “gray” in the sky can be related to the death of humans as, it is believed that when a human dies, the human moves on and lives in the sky. Hence the green going to join grey in the sky can be seen as being the death of “green”.

Then the gray-green sky came down in breaths to my lips and sipped me.

Gray- green can be seen as being a religious revolution, as there is a religious stereotype that insinuates a religious revolution, the coming of the son of God. Hence his insinuation on being sipped away also has a religious connotation as it is believed that when the son of God comes, he would take his followers with him, hence he is addressing himself as being a follower of God.

There is a possibility that he named the poem “July" because of the numerous references to grass and the sky, as July is always beautiful and filed with the blooming of flowers and green grass

KAZIM ALI

Israel and Iran Bombings

The notion of pre-emptive strike is very problematic due to our past experiences of military strikes which proves that insinuates its inefficiency. For instance, the Iraq assumed connotation that Iraq has NBC weapon which seems to be untrue. It is imperative to give diplomacy a change in regards to various past experiences of attacks.That is, even though some attacks may have been operationally successful in the sense of destroying specific targets, the spread of NBC weapons was not significantly delayed by the attack because, even in the absence of the attack, the target state was not close to acquiring NBC weapons. In short, the costs of preventive attacks were borne without reaping the benefits of reducing NBC threats.

Another fundamental problem underlying these episodes is poor intelligence about the status of a target state’s NBC programs. Collecting quality intelligence about other states’ NBC programs is extremely difficult, since such states obviously place very high priority on keeping the existence and progress of these programs secret. Indeed, beyond the examples mentioned above, the United States has an underwhelming track record in assessing the NBC programs of other states, sometimes underestimating and sometimes overestimating a state’s progress towards acquiring NBC weapons; therefore, I fail to see what moral effect it can have if Israel attacks Iran. The UN nuclear watchdog chief has warned that any military strike on Iran could turn the Middle East into a “ball of fire,” according to New York daily news.

I agree with the UN watchdog because what is happening in the middle east regarding the Arab spring, the international community has not be able to control; therefore, the world does not need another 'fire ball.' like what president Obama said 'there is a room for diplomacy' so Israel must excise patient because the international community will never allow another Holocaust in middle east.

Response to the article "More married women opt for foreign stints"

When looking for an article in Times of India, the article of married when working abroad caught my eye. Gender equality can be seen as being a characteristic of development, hence India has started to encourage its women who were usually isolated and segregated in the private realm. In the article “More married women opt for foreign stints” by Samidha Sharma & Mini Joseph Tejaswi, they explained that more married Indian women are leaving the private realm and aiming for jobs in countries other than India.

I though it was quite interesting to see that India is encouraging their women to seek foreign jobs so as to be to contribute and help support their families, i also think it is quite interesting how the article said it is becoming more common in India for women to have careers just like men. Thus, women do not have to depend on men anymore because they are becoming financially stable to work and live on their own.

This captures my imagination because women in developing and third world countries are still unprivileged and treated as though they are not equal, hence their rights are often violated and disrespected. When I see strong power hungry, strong willed women talking and expressing themselves hence, taking control of their lives and their surroundings, makes me wonder how different the world would be if from the upset women were allowed to contribute and participate in the society. 

Maybe the world wars would not have been (as the women might have stopped it being so understanding), poverty might have never been either, (close your eyes for a few minutes and think about it). If other countries both developing and third world countries would understand and see the importance of gender equality in the society and encourage it.

I feel other people would be interested in this article because it shows women in particular have the ability to work abroad rather than marrying someone and depend on the person for the rest of their lives. As the encouragement and support of women to work outside the private realm would help give women a sense of hope as well as a chance to change their lifestyle.

Bibliography-

• http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/More-married-women-opt-for-foreign-stints/articleshow/12182377.cms

Monsoon Wedding

Monsoon Wedding.

The movie Monsoon Wedding was quite interesting as it had a series of themes and subject matters. The movie started from being just about planning and organizing a wedding to discussing and questioning the institution of marriage and the possible drama involved in the preparation, planning and execution of a wedding in New Delhi, the movie also had a series of comedic and traditional connotations. Although the movie might seem offensive to people that do not understand the importance and value of tradition, there is mounting evidence that the movie addressed the significance of culture, tradition and family.

The movie Monsoon Wedding was perhaps one of the most brilliant films I have ever seen, a lot of the film's success was in the acting as the actors and actresses were amazing, as they all got into character and played the roles like it was their actual lie. Hence the actors and actresses of the movie helped made the movie production a success. Although the movie and the way life of the characters might have seemed like it had a lot of western influence, in numerous ways, some of which includes the use of cars, cell phones, and the talk show, in contrast to this, the movie also implied the importance and significance of the indian culture, as the issue of arranged marriage was addressed, the use and significance of flowers in the indian culture was also explained and implemented.

Clash of Cultures

In less extreme forms, such clashes can be seen in immigrant parents enforcing their codes of behaviour – in such things as arranged marriages - on children who have grown up in Canada, and thus are been far more exposed to Canada’s core beliefs. As I have suggested in class, with a very large immigrant population in Edmonton, from a wide variety of cultures, such clashes are perhaps far more common here than most Albertans realize.

Any person who comes to Canada from another country will always face different cultures and religions. Canada is constantly growing in population with different cultures too. Because of this children will change how they act to fit in or because of what they are surrounded by.

It definitely is a huge change for the 3 girl’s parents to come to a new place but they cannot expect their children to live exactly the way they want when they are surrounded by so many different cultures.

These days in society, schools are mixed with all colours and that is normal for Canadians. People have grown to learn about other religions and other lifestyles. This makes it hard for parents to try and make their own children understand that this is supposed to be what’s best.

Although Mohammed Shafia was strong about what he believed for his culture he forgot about his family and what they meant to him. In every family there are problems and some children will not follow what their parents want. This is common for family households and Shafia should not have taken it this far. Nobody knows what comes after this life and he was wrong to take the lives of his 3 children as well as his wife. Culture is one thing but family is another and at the end of the day the people one should trust the most is their family.

What do you think? Obviously any kind of murder or killing is wrong, but what about lesser cultural clashes (such as only allowing daughters to marry men from the same ethnic group). Should sub-cultures in our society be encouraged to fit more into the main core of Canadian social values and behaviours (if so, how?). Or should minority cultures be allowed to continue practices most Canadians find contrary to those core values and beliefs. If so, where does one draw the line?

Oil Sands

Global warming is often associated with climatic changes. Today, the debate on global warming is one of the most controversial and arguable debates all over the world, as the worlds climate has continued to change. Canada being one of the most active researches on global warming has continued to support and educate its citizens on the importance of recycling, saving of plants and animals as a lot of canadians believe that in a couple of years, most of these natural resources might not be at the disposal of humans anymore. In recent years, the construction of the Keystone Pipeline has continued to be controversial, as a lot of canadians believe that the construction of the pipeline contradicts the Canadian ideology of the importance of saving the planet.

The Keystone pipeline is an anticipated pipeline system is that is expected to transport synthetic crude oil and diluted bitumen from the Athabasca Oil Sands in northeastern Alberta, Canada to multiple destinations in the United States. Some of which includes the Illinois refinery, the Cushing oil distribution hub in Oklahoma, as well as the Gulf Coast of Texas. As a result of the assertable environmental hazard, numerous Canadian environmentalists have opposed the construction of the oil sands, in contrast to this, there is mounting evidence that the construction of the Keystone pipeline would not just create stronger ties between Canada and the United states, it would also have affect both countries economically.

Oil is in deed needed all over the world, according to the TransCanada website, the construction of the Keystone pipeline would cost the government of the United States an estimate of $7 billion and help create jobs for over 15,000 United states workers, most importantly, the construction of the Key stone pipeline would help increase energy security and reduce its dependence on foreign oil thus stabilizing the Economy of the United States.

According to the consumer energy report website, the United States produces 42% of the amount of oil needed, and imports the other 58% from numerous countries, some of which includes Canada (18.2%), Mexico (11.4%), Saudi Arabia (11.0%), Venezuela (10.1%) and Nigeria (8.4%) hence the Keystone pipeline would cost the United States less money and create a stronger bond between the United States and Canada since the pipeline would be built in Canada. The rejection of the Keystone pipeline means that the United States would be missing out on a great opportunity, as it is most likely that Canada would begin to export oil to the Asian markets as the demand for oil has continued to increase over the years.

Although, the construction of the keystone pipeline would affect the environment in numerous ways, there is sufficient evidence that a major leak in the keystone pipeline could ruin the drinking water and devastate the mid-western U.S. Economy as its original route crosses one of the worlds largest reserves for fresh water. As a result of the affirmable environmental hazard on the mid-western United States if the extension of the keystone pipeline is approved, TransCanada today, has agreed to change the route and skip the Sand Hills so as to reduce the amount of environmental damage in the region as the environmental hazard could is inevitable regardless of where the oil is being extracted. Like a lot of other natural resources that have different effects on the environment, the extraction of oil from the ground also has its environmental hazard, even at this, Oil is still one of the most demanded, sought-after and one of the most expensive petroleum products in the world today.

Bibliography

• http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/01/18/pol-keystone-xl-pipeline.html
• http://www.consumerenergyreport.com/research/crude-oil/where-the-us-gets-its-oil-from/

India

Until a few years ago, I did not know a lot about the Indian people, their personal lives, their views, ideologies, their history or anything. Coming to Canada, I have learnt quite a bit from my indian friends who are either first, second or third generation Indians. Having friends from India and coming from a country just like India in numerous ways, I have learnt the importance of culture and family. Back in the day, when any discussion comes up that concerns india, I think of Culture, music, dance, happy, loving and caring people.

India being one of the countries in south asia, is right by Pakistan and Thailand and China. Bollywood, being the most popular Indian movie produce is the Indian version of Hollywood, hence it is just as popular as Hollywood movies in Nigeria where I grew up. Growing up in Nigeria, I was exposed to a lot of the Indian culture, the people, and their way of life as a lot of Nigerian cultures can be related to the Indian culture, today the Nigerian movie industry is called Nollywood after Hollywood and Bollywood. Bollywood being the largest producer of Indian movies is often regarded the second largest movie producer in the world after Hollywood as they tend to produce about the same amount of movie as their Hollywood counterpart.

Having seen a lot of Bollywood movies, and the help of the few indian friends i have mode over the years, It is quite obvious that the Indian people hold strongly to their religion, culture and heritage. Indian is know to be one of the most populated nations in the world, hence resulting to a high rate of poverty on a lot of Indian’s. Despite the population of India, its people still believe strongly in marriage as it is the best way for them to keep their family trees alive for generations. The issue of marriage in the Indian culture is not as simple as i stated earlier, as a lot of indian marriages are arranged, with or without the consent of the people being married hence making it one of the most controversial and debatable topics affecting Indian societies home and abroad. The issue of arrange marriages in india is often seen as a gap between the younger generation and the older generation, as the younger generation are tying to westernize, hence marry in the name of love and the older generation obviously do not believe in love before marriage, it can be argued that they believe that after marriage and over the years, of the marriage, the couple would grow to cherish, respect and maybe love one another in the future. This is often seen as the cause of dispute between families as parents and grandparents often try to carry on their traditional values. Despite this dispute between family members, the indian people are quite peaceful respectful and traditional.

India being a very cultural country also has strong regards for religion as its regions are states divided in accordance to religious believes of the people living in the region Islam, Buddhism, and hinduism are the dominant religions in India. As a result of the religious and regional segregations as well as the British influence on the people of india, India happened to be bilingual making English and Hindi, the official languages. Being a political science student, I have studied the life of Mohamed Gandhi, India's most popular human rights activists and revolutionist. According to Ghandi, the only reason why the British colonized India was because the Indians traded with them, hence establishing some sort of relationship with the government officials and the locals.