Kristallnacht - The Night of the Shattered Glass

Kristallnacht (crystal night) was a turning pointing in world history. Kristallnacht happened on the 9th to 10th of november in 1938 in Germany. The nazis were becoming more and more powerfulas they gained new members to continue their plan. The nazi's took stones and threw them at all jewish shops in Germany. They ransacked 1,668 synagogues and 267 were burnt.

I personally am ashamed of this event, for I am German. But I must live with the past and learn from my country's mistakes. I feel that when Germany was first humiliated, many Germans didn't know what to do. If I were in that position, I would be angry that someone could humiliate Germans like that and walk away. I, like other people, would want someone to blame for this problem I for one would want to show people that not all Germans are bad and that Germany is a awesome country (In my opinion).

At this time I think that the nazis were using propaganda as a tool to make people of Germany believ that they were doing what was best for Germany. Naturaly everyone wanted to blame someone and so they listened to Hitler when he said " Es ist die Judens schuld" (its the jews fault). Most people that where in the middle class voted for Hitler because he had a good reason and wasn't threatning them in any way.

When Kristallnacht accured, many jews had to make a choice; First, they could have made the choice to leave the country and flee. Another choice is to resign from the nazi party and to stand up for your religon. Most people left the country because of all the soldiers and the concentration camps.

If I would have been alive back then I wouldn't be in danger because I am a 100% German. although my parents would have to make choices and vote and my brothers would be forced to join the Hitler Youth Movement if they didn't join because they wanted to. If I would be a jewish person at that time I would be terrified and run and flee. I am not a brave little soldier like my brothers would have become.

Luckily nothing like this can ever happen again because we know how something like this will start and we know that we must act quickly.

Picture: I chose this picture because I wanted people to see how horrible the Nazis were to the jews. They burnt there place of worship.

N, Learning Profiles

Everyone has a learning profile, and in my case, I have learning profile letter N. I am an Auditory and a kinestetic learner. This means that I learn best when the teacher is talking or when I do something active. I can't work very well when I am looking at the board. I don't like taking notes. I would rather have someone read out the notes that we are supposed to learn and I will remeber most of it (Not at once but one word would trigger my memory).

The best way to make my learning stronger is if I do lazy eights. I need to move my fingers and occupy my hand. I always wear a watch to school, so I keep taking my watch on and off which iis how I have lost my previous 4 watches. The one I have right now is the last one I will have, unless I pay for the next one.

There are a few strategies that could help me learen are, I would love it when people read books to me. when ever we listen and write, I am much better at writing than when we must read and write for ourselves. I would love it if we do more active things in class like skits and head to head groups where we interact with our classmates.

I think that my teachers should know that when I don't understand something, it is best to check my face and then you can tell if I am having problems with the assignment. In the morning I always have a smile on my face or I at least talk to my teachers. When I don't smile that means that I have friend problems, I have just been through something terrible, or I am just not feeling well.

That is my Profile, N, thats what I am like and what you should know about, ME!!

Thank You for reading

Empty space is nothing - Liu Xiabo

Recently, Liu Xiabo was awarded with the nobel peace prize for standing up against the chinese military. Sadly he was arraated for 11 years. The prize was put on an empty chair, for Xiabo nor his family could leave the county to accept the prize. Xiabo was put into jail to be silenced by the chinese military, but instead the empty chair has symbolized the human rights abuse in China

I think that Xiabo was right to stand up against the military, but I think that things went better for him than he planned. Anyway now that the world knows about the abuses that are happening in China, the chinese military is struggling with the unwanted attention. I think that they have two options. First, they should improve the conditions and make the world happy, or they could, cover up better and riskbeing caught and get into BIG trouble.

Some people think that Liu Xiabo was foolish to do such a risky thing, he could have gotten killed! But with his progress people see what is happening in China, we can help to make sure that nothing like this happens ever again.

What Do We Do With Variation?

What do we do with a difference?
Do we stand and discuss its oddity
or do we ignore it?
Do we shut our eyes to it
or poke it with a stick?

Do we clobber it to death?
Do we move around it in rage
and enlist the rage of others?
Do we will it to go away?
Do we look at it in awe
or purely in wonderment?
Do we work for it to disappear?
Do we pass it stealthily
Or change route away from it?
Do we will it to become like ourselves?
What do we do with a difference?
Do we communicate to it,
let application acknowledge it
for barriers to fall down?
James Berry

The poem 'What do we do with Variation' by James Berry mainly means, what do we do when someone differenet ( skin color, language, and even clothes) comes into our lives. Do we stand around and give that person 'the look'? Do we laugh as they make one mistake? Do we bully them because they are not like us? Do we force them to be like us? Or, do we stay by them through their tough times and treat them like any other human being?

This poem reminds me of when I first came to my new school in Qatar. I was only 4 and I was one of the only people that had white skin. People just stared at me and some talked behind my back. When I was small I didn't understand why they were doing that, but now I do. Most don't know what else to do. Others follow the lead of the 'cool' people. And the rest just were raised that way. All I wanted was for everyone to accept me.

This poem also reminds me of the story 'The Blokes' by Alan Gibbins. This story is about a british school in the UK and a group of British kids that bully everyone. You see, new refugees come in from Kosovo because they can't live in their villages any more. Anyway, The Blokes bully the Refugees, I think, because they don't know what else to do. they are confused and think that they can do anything to the young refugees.

So next time you walk by a person that is 'different', say hi and be friendly. Because all they want is to fit in.

Freedom Calls! - Aung San Suu Kyi

Yes, it has finally happened, Aung San Suu Kyi has been freed from house arrest. She is free to talk about the rights of Burma (south east asia). Out of the 21 years, she has been let out 6 years early. I personally am thrilled that she has been freed. It is like Daedalus and Icarus. They got out of jail earlier than they were supposed to.

Aung San Suu Kyi has left a huge impression on many people. She is just like Hashim in the story 'The Blokes', a story about british bullies that won't except the refugees into their school. She is like him because he has found out how to escape the harsh words that the Blokes always say to him, like 'piggy' was one of his nicknames. Aung San Suu Kyi has physically escaped the house arrest.

She also reminds me of the story 'The Island' by Armin Greder is a really nice picture book but has a great moral. The island reminds me of Aung San Suu Kyi because the man that goes to the island is different than the ones that inhabit it. He is treated with no care and as a different speices, some people thinlk this is wrong but can't help much against the others. Aung San Suu Kyi has been treated different because she has decided that is important for the people in Burma to have rights, also many people stay on her side, though few still remain.

I still am worried about her. If she says one thing wrong, she can be put right back to house arrest. I know that I am not the only one that cares about this happening to her, but the big question is... Do you?

Mankind is no island (Video)

This video moves me. I love everything about it. The music, the idea, and even the way the person has set up this video. I also believe that this music is composed by the person who made this, not copied off a website.

Anyway, this video is mainly about how great cities still have flaws. Mainly showing us that everyone has flaws, it is the one of the only things that make us human. This video connects to me personally by experience. When I was 5 I saw a man on the street and he had a problem with his head. It was all deformed and strange. I asked my mom if we could give some money to the guy so he could get proper medical attention.

This was a very important moment in my life when I learned that we are all equal. I helped that man because he had a pleading look in his eye. He was just as scared as I was from him. Now I can remember this moment but I can't remmber what I did on that day and where I was. This is very strange for a person to remember childhood, but sometimes, it comes natural. :)

There are many ways I could connect to this video but sadly I can't explain them very well because my memory isn't the best from my youger ages. Also everything that was cool always happened when I was young.

Mankind is no island (Poem)

No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as any manner of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

The Poem 'No man is an island' is set in the 1640's. I think that this poem represents loss. I think this because when it says 'any man's death diminishes me' In my words means, when ever someone dies, a little part of my heart crumbles. This poem reminds me of a story I once heard when I was 10. It was called 'my heart falls down' The book is about a little girl that sees her father being killed. SHe has dreams and thoughts of her father falling and falling, then, at the end on the book there is a picture of a heart that is crumbled into little pieces.

Another thing that this poem reminds me of is the myth 'Deadalus and Icarus'. this poem is very much like this myth. Deadalus is crushed, when he drops his nephew and when his only son falls from the sky. Deadalus whats to run away from all of his worries and shame. Also I think that Icarus is also very crushed. In the story Icarus's father doesn't seem to like him so much, this is very hurtful for a child.

That is all that I can think that this poem represents.