Chapter 12- Pastoral Peoples on the Global Stage

This blog will answer two questions:

1. In what ways did pastoral societies differ from their agricultural counterparts?
Pastoral societies as a whole were more often than not less productive economies. They didn't have the need to support large populations like agricultural societies which brings us to another difference, that the people lived in small encampments. These encampments were organized not by villages or towns but rather by kinship and in clans. Pastoral societies were also known to give women a higher status. Women were involved in the agricultural labor and had many domestic responsibilities, they were also given the right to remarry and file for a divorce without social out-casting. Finally the mobility of the pastoral societies was much greater than those of the agricultural societies. When the pastoral societies would be on the move they had a purpose and would bring their elaborate tent homes with them.

2. How did Chinggis Khan become so notorious so quickly?
His personal magnetism and courage allowed him to rise more quickly then most. Khan also relied on good friends and used traits such as loyalty rather than preference of kinship to gain friends and followers. He became chief shortly after winning a military battle and many people responded as followers. The more mobile he was the greater leader he became, eventually spreading his reign over The Great Mongol Nation which was now unified. Finally his expansion into China, Korea, Central Asia, Russia, Islamic Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe became a reality where people from all religions and backgrounds worshiped him.

Chapter 7

I wanted to answer the question, "How does the experience of the Niger Valley challenge conventional notions of "civilization""? (188).

Since we spent so much time talking about what made a civilization I figured this was a good question to answer, a bit of a distinction between what we have been studying. As far as the experience of the Niger Valley it differed in many ways from the civilizations we have looked at for the most part. The first striking difference was the lack of an imperial system. The Niger Valley, as far as historians have been able to tell were a series of "complex urban centers" which did not need the authority of some stately power. What I found most interesting however was the way the economy was organized (188). There was such a thing as a specialty where it ended up turning into a caste system where you could not marry outside of your specialization, such as rice cultivating or fishing. Another big difference for this civilization was the trade, how they traded and what they traded. Because there was scarcity among the land for certain resources it meant that the inhabitants had to travel further for what they needed, ultimately creating stronger relationships and a pattern of commerce.

Chapter 11 - The word Jihad

What caught my eye about this chapter was simple, a word. The word jihad seems to not be so foreign these days and I felt a certain familiarity reading the word. However upon reading the paragraph I realize that it is just another word I have heard and rather than have an understanding of it I simply link it to the first thing that came to mind. I am utterly embarrassed to say what I saw a connection with but I will try and explain. There is a show called NCIS and on this show a character named Zevva, of Hebrew descent works with many terrorism cases. While I know nothing about what it is I decided to do some research. The book says that jihad is sometimes called the sixth pillar and can refer to struggle. I while I continued reading I found "the understanding and use of the jihad concept varied widely within the history of Islam and remains a matter of controversy int he twenty-first century" (306).


I wanted to see what the first thing that popped up when I searched the word jihad on google and it was, without fail wikipedia, next was something called Jihad Watch. Jihadwatch.org states that:


"Jihad Watch is dedicated to bringing public attention to the role that jihad theology and ideology play in the modern world and to correcting popular misconceptions about the role of jihad and religion in modern-day conflicts. By shedding as much light as possible on these matters, we hope to alert people of good will to the true nature of the present global conflict."


What concerns me most however is that this website may not be spreading as fast as it should, for example if you switch your search to just images, I would say that easily 99% of the results are images of violence, in same cases grotesque pictures. I suppose I want to understand why this word jihad has not been dissected back to its true meaning? If so, there could be a greater chance that we would honor our neighbors for their beliefs instead of betraying their true character. 

Related article

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45044618/ns/business-personal_finance/t/income-top-percent-far-outgrew-others-report/

Gap Between Rich and Poor

I will write on this later but had to add the article now so I wouldn't forget it.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45052935/ns/us_news-life/

The SUPERior Man

The quote I felt held the most meaning and most possibility for success is XIV. 29 "The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions". This quote could inspire people all over, not just leaders to step up and portray what you preach. I can think of plenty examples which lead us to the same conclusion where people do not practice what they preach and therefore not only is their vision skewed but also all of the followers. The first thing that came to mind is the way the President of The United States lives; The huge white house, the chefs, the drivers, and all of the amenities. I am not saying that the President and his family shouldn't have them because they have worked hard to get there but what I do believe is while the President tries to end hunger, help people get off the streets and so forth it seems a bit ridiculous for him to come back to such lifestyle. I am in no ways asking for perfection yet simply asking for more of a conscious mindset as you lead people towards a better future.

Over processed food!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/17/exploding-watermelons-chinese-farming

Above is the link to the article which talks about the exploding watermelons I talked about in class. Instead of allowing chickens, fruits, veggies, and other produce to grow at a normal rate we try and push it to the limit. . .this is what will happen if we continue on this destructive path.....(article posted below)

Exploding watermelons put spotlight on Chinese farming practices

New food scandal as fields of watermelons are destroyed after farmers mistakenly apply growth accelerator

 

Farmers clear burst watermelons from plastic greenhouses in Danyang, eastern China. Photograph: AP

The flying pips, shattered shells and wet shrapnel still haunt farmer Liu Mingsuo after an effort to chemically boost his fruit crop went spectacularly wrong.

Fields of watermelons exploded when he and other agricultural workers in eastern China mistakenly applied forchlorfenuron, a growth accelerator. The incident has become a focus of a Chinese media drive to expose the lax farming practices, shortcuts and excessive use of fertiliser behind a rash of food safety scandals.

It follows discoveries of the heavy metal cadmium in rice, toxic melamine in milk, arsenic in soy sauce, bleach in mushrooms, and the detergent borax in pork, added to make it resemble beef.
Compared to such cases of dangerous contamination, Liu's transgression was minor, but it has gained notoriety after being picked up by the state broadcaster, CCTV. The broadcaster blamed the bursting of the fruit on the legal chemical forchlorfenuron, which stimulates cell separation but often leaves melons misshapen and turns the seeds white.
The report said the farmers sprayed the fruit too late in the season and during wet conditions, which caused the melons to explode like "landmines". After losing three hectares (eight acres), Liu said he was unable to sleep because he could not shake the image of the fruit bursting. "On 7 May, I came out and counted 80 [burst watermelons] but by the afternoon it was 100," he said. "Two days later I didn't bother to count any more." About 20 farmers and 45 hectares around Danyang were affected. The fruit could not be sold and was instead fed to fish and pigs.
Farmers claim forchlorfenuron can bring the harvest forward by two weeks and increase the size and price of the fruit by more than 20%. Agricultural experts say forchlorfenuron has been widely used in China since the 1980s. Some said it was unsuitable for this fruit, but there was probably little health risk.
"In general we don't suggest chemicals with plant hormones be used on watermelons, as they are very sensitive. They might end up looking very strange and people will not want to buy them," said Cui Jian, director of the vegetable research institute at Qingdao Academy of Agricultural Science. "The taste won't be as good and storage is more difficult, but it should not harm anyone's health."
Environment groups say the overuse of agricultural chemicals is a problem that goes beyond growth stimulants.
Pan Jing of Greenpeace said farmers depended on fertilisers because many doubled as migrant workers and had less time for their crops. This dependency was promoted by state subsidies keeping fertilisers cheap. "The government is aware of the environmental problems caused by chemical fertiliser, but they are also concerned about food output."
Many farmers grow their own food separately from the chemically-raised crops they sell. "I feel there is nothing safe I can eat now because people are in too much of a hurry to make money," said Huang Zhanliang, a farmer in Hebei.

Concerns about food safety have lingered despite government promises to deal with the problem after six babies died and thousands became ill because of melamine-tainted milk in 2008.

The authorities appear to have mixed feelings about the role of the media and public opinion in naming and shaming culprits. In the wake of the melamine scandal, police jailed one of the parents, Zhao Lianhai, who had set up a website to expose the problem and appeal for justice. Recently, however, officials have encouraged coverage of food safety issues.

Zhang Yong, head of a new cabinet-level food safety commission, praised the media's "important watchdog role".
In the past week, the People's Daily website has run stories of human birth control chemicals being used on cucumber plants in Xian, China Daily has reported Sichuan peppers releasing red dye in water, and the Sina news portal revealed that barite powder had been injected into chickens in Guizhou to increase their weight.
More alarming still was a study by researchers at Nanjing Agricultural University that estimated a tenth of China's rice may be tainted with the cadmium, a heavy metal that can affect the nervous system. This caused a stir when it was published earlier this year in the pioneering Caixin magazine.
Many wary consumers choose to buy foreign products, which are seen as safer. But this is also vulnerable to mislabelling. The Fruit Industry Association of Guangdong province told reporters this week that "most 'imported' fruit are grown in China".