Sudan

The term colonialism refers to governing influence of a nation over a dependent country, territory, or people. Colonialism happened in the country of Sudan in the late 1800's and early 1900's. 

In the past Britain an Egypt have played a huge roll in the history of Sudan. Late in the 1800's Britain colonized and ruled over Sudan. A few years later in 1899 Britain and Egypt joint in the ruling of Sudan. Together they came up with this policy "closed door". This policy was used to separate the cultures and people of the north and south from each other. When this happened the majority of the North was populated mainly by Arab decent, while the South was mainly populated with people from the African origin.  In 1965 Sudan finally regained their independence and they agreed to abandon the "closed door" policy. When this happened the two sides of the country were reunited and the power was handed over to the north, which means the Arab race has given the power. The Arabs then enforced their way of life and culture onto everyone else despite their personal beliefs. The people who did not agree with the Islamic way of life were denied many rights. These tension eventually led to a civil war, and even to this day the people of this country do not get along with one another, and they are unable to work as one.

I personally believe that instead of the constant battle between the northern and southern Sudan they should just become two separate countries, and end this strife. I think it wrong that the North was given all the power, and the south really had no influence in the decision making. I think it would be nice if these people could just get along and learn to function together. However, the tension between them is so strong that this is probably not a possibility, which is sad.

Potlatch

A potlatch is a festive ceremony that is practiced by the indigenous people of the Pacific North Coast, some areas of the United States, and in the Canadian province British Columbia. A potlatch is often held  to establish or uphold his status position in the society. Potlatches can be put on the mark an important event such as a birth of a new child, a birthday, or a marriage. These ceremonies are hosted by local or elite groups in a community. At a Potlatch a huge feast is held, performances such as singing and dancing take place, and gifts are given to the host of the Potlatch. Some gifts may include dried foods, sugar, flour, and sometimes money. The people providing these gifts may want to barter with one another so they can have the most valued gift. 

Some people or cultures that take place in a potlatch include Nuu-chah-nulth, Kwakiutl, Bella Coola, Haida, Nootka, Tsimshian, and Tlingit.  A potlatch is most commonly compared to our modern society wedding. At weddings feasts are provided, and gifts are given, and they are held to honor the acclomplishment. There are many similarities to a potlatch and wedding because they are both huge events that are put on with a lot of consideration and planning.

Haida Picture

Residential Schools

Early in 1900's many children were forced out of their homes by the Canadian government, and they were ordered to go to Residential Schools. In my opinion I think this was a very poor choice made on behalf of the government. The children that were forced to go to these schools grew up without the benefits of being raised by their family, they were forced to choose a religion they didn't believe in, and they were physically and sexually abused. Many of the children were damaged from being put into these schools, and I think that is unfortunate.

When you are growing up you need to have the influence of your family around you so you can learn as much as possible for when you are a parent. The children that were forced into these schools didn't have the chance to learn from their parents, and they were mainly looking out for themselves only, and didn't have any adults to rely on for help. They were only aloud to visit their family members a few weeks out of the year, so there was no time to form a relationship with them. In my life, my family is so important to me and I cannot imagine what it would have been like to be taken away from them and have no way of getting back to them. 

Religion is a very important part of your life and it can often times determine the kind of person you are, and where your standards are. When the children entered the schools they were told that they had to worship another religion. This would have been very difficult because you cannot change what you believe quickly. No one can tell you what to believe, it has to be what you feel inside. It would have been very hard on the kids, and I can assume that they would have been very confused and lost, and didn't know who to believe, or what was true. Religion is  a part of you, what you choose to believe is your right, and that should never get taken away.

The teachers at these were often times not very kind to the children, and they took pleasure out of physically, and even sexually abusing the students. When they were out of line the educators would beat them, and whip them with thick straps until their was serious pain or damage. I don't think any child deserves this kind of treatment, and if they were able to stay in their homes and be raised in a normal family this would not happen. As a result of this the children did not know who they could trust and who they could not trust. I feel pity for them because it would be so difficult growing up not knowing who really cared about you.

Overall residential schools were not good for the children. Because of them many children grew up not being able to trust anyone, and they were greatly damaged from their past. Not being able to grow up under the influence of your family, being forced to choose a religion, and being physically and sexually abused are all things that can change the person you are. I think it was highly unfair to put these families through this pain. I am sure the government did not intend to damage these children, but evidently they did, and it is a mistake that we can all learn from. Everyone deserves a good life, and because of these schools the children were not able to obtain that, and there was nothing they could do about it. 

National Sorry Days/ Lubicon Land Claims

1. In Australia 1997 an inquiry was held on the issue of weather or not to remove aboriginal children from their farmiles, known as the "stolen generations" .  After this happened, one year later  Nation Sorry Days became a holiday in Australia.  This holiday  is meant to acknowledge that wrong had been done to indigenous families in Australia, and they wanted to begin the healing process by saying they were sorry. 

As a result to national sorry day more people are aware of these serious issues, and events are being held to acknowledge these issues. At these events there are indigenous Australian citizens, and non-indigenous citizens speaking about this issue, and showing the people that they are cared for. Also, there is a day dedicated to this cause ever year, which helps people to remember. 

2. The problem with the Lubicon people is that they are very upset because the government is drilling for oil on their land, and so they are not getting any profit from this. In my opinion I don't think they have any right to complain about the government because they are being handed hundreds of dollars each year just because of their rase. I don't think anything should be done in the fix this because I think the people need to realize just how lucky they are, and they are already getting many benefits from the government that not all Canadian citizens have. I think it is rude of them to be so harsh on the government when they are being given so much. 

I don't think anything else needs to be done to make these people happy because they are already given so much. If they stopped and looked around them and noticed how many people are suffering from having no money, and they are handed money every month they would realize that there is no need to complain. They are already well off as it is!

Banking Crisis In America

Today the banks in America are suffering a great deal, and it is effecting many people and the economy. It is hard to tell who is entirely to blame for this issue, but there are many factors that contribute to this awful crisis. Toxic assets, debt, and leverage are all factors that contribute to the failure that banks in america are experiencing. This is scary, and the banks in America are crashing so fast that it frightens me!

A toxic asset is an asset that that has no value, and it is not worth selling on the market because it will be a loss. An example for this would be if someone bought a house and payed $200,000, and they planned on selling it for $300,000 so they could make a profit. However, the demand for housing went down, and they most they could sell their house for would be $100,00. This would be toxic asset because they would not be making a profit off this house, they would be losing money. This is happening all over America, and the people are suffering because of it.

Another contributing factor the this sudden recession in America is debt. In my opinion the banks are making it too easy for someone to take out a loan. Some of the people that are taking out these loans have no way of paying them back. For example, if  someone wanted to purchase a house they would go to the bank and take out a loan, and they would slowly pay it back. But, what happens when the people getting the loans run out of money? When this happens the bank also suffers because they are not taking the money from the people that is needed. In America right now this is happening to millions of people, and the bank is lending out more than they have, and if the people do not pay it back they are losing a great deal of money. 

Liability can be a great thing for people if it works out sucesfully. Liability is when someone takes a product that they paid $1000 for, and then they sell it for $1200, so they are making a great profit from this.  The problem with this is that it does not always sell like they would like it to. This is happening in America in the housing business today. Houses were on great demand, and because they were on such high demand they were selling for very expsensive prices. So many contractors were building houses thinking they could sell them and make a large sum of money. Suddenly the economy started to crash, and they houses were no longer on high demand, and the prices dropped. As a result of this many contractors lost money, and there are many new houses sitting empty because no one can afford to buy them. 

I think this crash of banking in the United States is really scary and real. Living in Canada I don't think we realize the effect that this has on us as Canadian citizens. I think it is important for us to be aware of this issue, and help deal with it because maybe some day in the future it could happen to us. Things like debt, liability, and toxic assets are all factors of why the banks of America are experiencing this devistating crisis. I hope that this will come to an end in the future, but I am sorry to say that honestly I don't think it is going to happen any time soon. America is so deep in debt that it will take a lot of work to big themselves out. I think it is important that we keep a positive attitude and hope for the best.