Today's class 12/17/10

Today in class we had a Christmas party for our last day. We had a lot of fun! I hope you liked the cookies, Mr. Schick! Merry Christmas!

Today 's class 12/16/10

Today in human geography we wrapped up our round table discussion about India. In my opinion it was very successful and people did a great job contributing and making it very informative and interesting. Although Brad and the grave robber thing....that was kind of creepy. Tomorrow we are having a party to celebrate Christmas and just have a little fun.

Today's class 12/15/10

Today in human geography class we started our big round table discussion. It was very interesting and people brought up a lot of interesting points. I can't wait to see what people will contribute tomorrow to the discussion! It seems like we are actually discussing a way to help India rather than just being in school and discussing a certain topic.

Today's class 12/13/10

Today in class we worked on our presentations of India. I think our group got quite a bit accomplished today.

Today's class 12/10/10

Today in class we discussed some of the other major problems in India, and we watched some videos about the poverty in India. We were also given a project to work on over the weekend due wednesday.

India's Human Trafficking Problem Redux

India’s Human Trafficking Problem

            Human trafficking is considered modern slavery.  It is a problem where people are forced into bonded labor, sexually exploited, and forced into involuntary servitude.  India is unique in human trafficking because it is not only a source but a destination and transit area for the exploitation of people.  Also, unique to India is that it is large consumer of its human trafficking.  About 85% of the people trafficked in India are used domestically.  International forced labor may constitute India's largest trafficking problem.  Women and girls are trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage.  Children are forced into labor as factory workers, domestic servants, beggars, and agricultural workers.  They have also used them as armed combatants.  One of the largest growing recent trends is the sex tourism trade.  Men from other countries are coming into India to experience the prostituted children and women.  A critical challenge for India is the overall is the lack of punishment for traffickers.  Human Traffickers are able to commit their crimes with impunity and are not worried about the consequences.  Another critical challenge for India is addressing the root causes of human trafficking.  They are wide spread poverty, high unemployment, and the under development of communities.  India needs to address these social problems as well as enforce the laws against the traffickers.  India’s problem is bad enough that the U.S. has India on its Tier II watch list for the fifth consecutive year.  This is a list of countries that the government says are not in full compliance with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) but are making progress in solving the problem.  Also, India has not ratified the 2000 UN Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Protocol of 2008.  Although India is working on their problem they have a long way to go.

CIA Factbook:  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html

India Times – Human Trafficking a serious crime: CBI Chief:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Human-trafficking-a-serious-organised-crime-CBI-chief/articleshow/4511706.cms

India Times – Human Trafficking situation in India grim: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Human-trafficking-situation-in-India-grim-US/articleshow/1012186.cms

Todasy class 12/9/10

Today in class we finished the movie Slumdog Millionaire. It had a very unique ending, and I loved the dance scene at the end. I really liked some of the music in the movie especially Jai Ho. today was Mr. Schick's Birthday. Happy Birthday!!

Today in class 12/8/10

Today in class we watched a little more of the movie. Mr. Schick also went back and asked a few people to send him their coffee projects, seeing as they did not give them to him.

India's Problem's Essay - 12/06/10

Human Geography India Essay

            India has a diversity of problems within its country.  There is pervasive poverty, homelessness, human trafficking, and many more.  Many people often live in the slums of cities, such as in Mumbai.  These people are very poor and most do not even have jobs. Human trafficking is also another big issue.  Many children, women, and even men are sold into slavery. These people are sexually exploited, forced into servitude, or forced into labor.  Shockingly, about 85% of these exploited people are used domestically.  The problem has become bad enough that a growing industry has become sex tourism.   This is where men from other countries take vacations to India to experience the sex trade.  Many children in India have even been used as armed combatants in the military.  All of these things are a sad reality in India.

There are thousands of people living in poverty all over the world.  In India there are places that are extremely overcrowded and many people there are in terrible poverty. There is a place called Dharavi, or India’s Shadow City where about 18,000 people live in a single acre. Life in the slums of India is extremely difficult.  As many as 1 billion people live in shantytowns worldwide, and many of these shantytowns spread across India.  India uses a currency called Rupees, which hardly equals anything in American money. Many people are sold into slavery, or kidnapped and forced into labor. Children are sometimes forced to work as factory workers, for minimum wage.  They earn barely enough to feed themselves and sometimes they have family members to look out for as well. Many times after a horrible natural disaster or some other deadly consequence, children are left homeless.  These children are targeted and made beggars.  A lot of jobs in India’s slums consist of being a wallah, or someone who is associated with a particular service or job.  All these factors tie together through poverty and are an endless cycle.  The poor, the homeless, they are all the victims of poverty.

Slumdog Millionaire shows an excellent depiction of the slums of Mumbai.  Life does not always come with everything you could ever ask for.  Back when Mumbai was called Bombay, they had the Bombay Riots.  Theses riots were caused by communal tension in the city.  The main groups involved in the riots were the Hindus and the Muslims. Hundreds of lives were lost.  This was a terrible example of the cruelty people can inflict on one another.

India faces many problems with the welfare of their cities.  It is a struggle every day for many people.  India still has a long way to go before the problems are solved.  Things like human trafficking and poverty will take the longest to fix, and may never be fully be solved. The slums of Mumbai, and of all over India, are the result of poverty.  

Interestingly, I read an article about the U.S. having a problem with foreign students being lured to the U.S. on work visas with promises of a good job.  However, they are being exploited with jobs in strip clubs and earning very little money after huge fees for room and board. 

AP IMPACT: US Fails to Tackle Student Visa Abuses: (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/12/06/ap-impact-fails-tackle-student-visa-abuses/)

Bombay Riots: http://www.pucl.org/from-archives/Religion-communalism/bombay-riots.htm

CIA Factbook:  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html

India Times – Human Trafficking a serious crime: CBI Chief:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Human-trafficking-a-serious-organised-crime-CBI-chief/articleshow/4511706.cms

India Times – Human Trafficking situation in India grim: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Human-trafficking-situation-in-India-grim-US/articleshow/1012186.cms

Today's class period 12/6/20

Today in human geography class we had a substitute. We were assigned an essay about the life in India, and all of the different aspects of poverty and life in the slums. The word count should be 500 words. Also the Internet crashed during our class.  Hope you feel better Mr. Schick!

My paragraph on Human trafficking in India

India’s Human Trafficking Problem

            Human trafficking is considered modern slavery.  It is a problem where people are forced into bonded labor, sexually exploited, and forced into involuntary servitude.  India is unique in human trafficking because it is not only a source but a destination and transit area for the exploitation of people.  Also unique to India, is that it is large consumer of its human trafficking.  About 85% of the people trafficked in India are used domestically.  International forced labor may constitute India's largest trafficking problem.  Women and girls are trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage.  Children are forced into labor as factory workers, domestic servants, beggars, and agricultural workers.  They have also used them as armed combatants.  One of the largest growing recent trends is the sex tourism trade.  Men from other countries are coming into India to experience the prostituted children and women.  A critical challenge for India is the overall is the lack of punishment for traffickers.  Human Traffickers are able to commit their crimes with impunity and are not worried about the consequences.  Another critical challenge for India is addressing the root causes of human trafficking.  They are wide spread poverty, high unemployment, and the under development of communities.  India needs to address these social problems as well as enforce the laws against the traffickers.  India’s problem is bad enough that the U.S. has India on its Tier II watch list for the fifth consecutive year.  This is a list of countries that the government says are not in full compliance with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) but are making progress in solving the problem.  Also, India has not ratified the 2000 UN Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Protocol of 2008.  Although India is working on their problem they have a long way to go.

CIA Factbook:  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html

India Times – Human Trafficking a serious crime: CBI Chief:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Human-trafficking-a-serious-organised-crime-CBI-chief/articleshow/4511706.cms

India Times – Human Trafficking situation in India grim: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Human-trafficking-situation-in-India-grim-US/articleshow/1012186.cms

Today's class 12/3/10

Today in class we discussed our homework questions. Then we watched some more of Slumdog Millionaire. It truly is a great movie. We also recieved weekend homework, to write a paragraph on the trafficking and almost slavery of people in India.

My discovery

My mom was watching Access Holywood and i noticed there was a special report done on the war in Sudan. George Cloony was doing a documentary on it. I thought it would be nice to share that.

Homework Questions 12/2/10

4 Questions:

Compare the motion picture industry in India and the United States.

Answer: The United States has the oldest film industry in the world and largest in terms of revenue. India's film industry is the largest in the world. Many of the film directories are scattered across the US where in India, the main film industry is located in Mumbai. http://www.findadvise.com/about.jsp?topic=Motion_picture_industry

What are the names of the three main characters in Slumdog Millionaire?

Answer: The oldest, Salim and his brother Jamal. The girls name is Latika. (the movie...)

What is a chai wallah?

Answer: They are worker who make chai. You can find them all over India, from street corners to hidden alleys. http://chaipilgrimage.com/2008/11/28/what-is-a-chai-wallah/

Tell us 5 things we need to know about the Taj Mahal.

Answer: It is regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world. The building was built by the Mughals, the Muslim rulers of India. Built in honor of the king's,dead queen: Mumatz Mahal. It was constucted over 22 years. Employed 20 thousand workers. http://www.islamicity.com/Culture/Taj/default.htm

the Taj Mahal

The Bombay riots of 1992

4 essential facts about the riots (from - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombay_riots and the website below):

1. An estimated 2,000 people were injured that day
2. 575 Muslims and 275 Hindus died in the riots
3. They were started as a result of communal tension in the city
4.  Arson, killing, and the destruction of property occurred in many areas of Bombay

This is also a great website, in my opinion, that explains the riots: http://www.pucl.org/from-archives/Religion-communalism/bombay-riots.htm

Today in class we watched more of Slumdog millionaire. We also discussed the questions we were to answer.