Please note: This is the blog for Mr. Parker's AC (gifted) social studies class. More information can be found at our online encyclopedia ParkerPedia.com. To access our general-ed social studies blog, please visit www.daniellsocialstudies.com.
The price of oil is on the rise again. This time, it is because of rising fears that the supply of oil will be distrupted if Iran is successful in blocking the Strait of Hormuz. Here, CNN explains some of the history of this strait that marks the exit and entry of the Persian Gulf.
You will remember that the Strait of Hormuz is the entry / exit point for the Persian Gulf (SS7CG5a) and that it's a choke point bounded on the north by Iran (SS7CG5b).
The Europeans are threatening to impose an embargo (SS7E6b) against Iran to encourage them to stop trying to make nuclear weapons. In response, Iran is threatening to block the Strait of Hormuz with their navy, thus cutting off a significant portion of the world's oil supply (SS7E7c).
The United States Navy is in that area, though, and has announced that it will not allow Iran to block the strait. This is a serious situation, but hopefully none of this will amount to more than strong words. Here is a CNN video on the topic.
Unit 5 is a geography unit which includes numerous political and physical features that we need to learn for the CRCT. We will be assessing your knowledge of these features with a quiz on Tuesday, December 20th.
The physical features include: Congo River, Niger River, Nile River, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, Atlas Mountains, and Kalahari Desert. The political features include the countries of: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan and South Sudan.
We have included a video to help you study for the quiz. Note that the clip is slightly outdated and does NOT include South Sudan.
Kim Jong Il, the brutal and eccentric dictator of communist North Korea has died. He is expected to be replaced by his son, Kim Jong Un. This CNN video discusses his life.
We have been studying different sources of conflict in Southwest Asia. One of the biggest and most divisive of these conflicts involves two groups: the Israelis and the Palestinians. Each group has a historic claim to the land of Israel / Palestine.
As it happens, the Israeli / Palestinian conflict is a major focus of international news this week. On Friday, the Palestinian President will be petitioning the United Nations to recognize Palestine as an independent country. This is expected to be a major diplomatic showdown and President Obama has already announced that the U.S. will veto this request. To learn more about this, I have provided some links to stories and videos from CNN.
Here are the standards for our first unit, People and Places of Southwest Asia. Remember that Southwest Asia is commonly referred to as the Middle East.
Georgia Performance Standard
SS7G5 The student will locate selected features in Southwestern Asia (Middle East).
a.Locate on a world and regional political-physical map: Euphrates River, Jordan River, Tigris River, Suez Canal, Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, and Gaza Strip.
b.Locate on a world and regional political-physical map the nations of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.
SS7G6 The student will discuss environmental issues across Southwest Asia (Middle East).
a.Explain how water pollution and the unequal distribution of water impacts irrigation and drinking water.
SS7G8 The student will describe the diverse cultures of the people who live in Southwest Asia (Middle East).
a.Explain the differences between an ethnic group and a religious group.
b.Explain the diversity of religions within the Arabs, Persians, and Kurds.
c.Compare and contrast the prominent religions in Southwest Asia (Middle East): Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
d.Explain the reason for the division between Sunni and Shia Muslims.
Wow, I just learned that the photographer who filmed the famous "Tank Man" footage from the Tianmen Square massacre works here in Atlanta for CNN. This interview of him was released today. Watch him explain the fear and confusion when as the Red Army moves into the square and the lone protester stops the tank column. Also pay attention to his description of how the news people feared for their lives and had to figure out a way to disguise themselves and their equipment and smuggle the video tape out of the country. Great stuff!
Late Sunday night, President Obama announced the death of Osama bin Laden, the leader of the Al-Qaeda terrorist responsible for the September 11th attacks.
This news piece summarizes the rise of Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda.
