Mrs. Mitchell's Musings

Current Events and Information for Social Studies

[omniatlas]

Southern Asia 99 years ago today: Turkish War of Independence (27 Dec 1919) https://buff.ly/2Q0OWAK After occupying Constantinople, the Allies had proceeded to partition the Ottoman Empire, even including much of the Empire’s Anatolian heartland. This alarmed Turkish nationalists, who rallied behind the war hero Mustafa Kemal to assert Turkey’s independence. #southernasia #history #welovemaps #map #1910s #1919 #december #december27 #maps #britishempire #kemalataturk #ataturk #ottomanempire #turkishhistory #turkishindependence #worldwar1 #ww1 #worldwari #wwi #greatwar #firstworldwar #constantinople #todayinhistory #historytoday #historyteacher #historybuff #historygeek #historynerd #worldhistory #sykespicot (at Ankara, Turkey) https://www.instagram.com/p/Br4GEJZgCvS/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1bxgd84u0o943

[mapsontheweb]

Land Grant to the Hudson’s Bay Company, ~1670.

The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading into Hudson’s Bay was incorporated on 2 May 1670, with a royal charter from King Charles II. The charter granted the company a monopoly over the region drained by all rivers and streams flowing into Hudson Bay in northern Canada.

[gaschoos]

[mapsontheweb]

The Northern Sea Route

[markruffalo]

2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the UN General Assembly adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This is an important read for us all today #StandUp4HumanRights http://www.un.org/en/udhrbook/

[historical-nonfiction]

The Byzantine Princess Who (re)Wrote History

[news-queue]

Amazon indigenous groups propose Mexico-sized 'corridor of life'

World’s biggest protected area would stretch across borders from Andes to Atlantic.

Indigenous groups in the Amazon have proposed the creation of the world’s biggest protected area, a 200m-hectare sanctuary for people, wildlife and climate stability that would stretch across borders from the Andes to the Atlantic.

The plan, presented to the UN Conference on Biodiversity in Egypt on Wednesday, puts the alliance of Amazon communities in the middle of one of the world’s most important environmental and political disputes.

Colombia previously outlined a similar triple-A (Andes, Amazon and Atlantic) protection project that it planned to put forward with the support of Ecuador at next month’s climate talks. But the election of new rightwing leaders in Colombia and Brazil has thrown into doubt what would have been a major contribution by South American nations to reduce emissions.

The indigenous alliance, which represents 500 cultures in nine Amazonian countries, has now entered the fray with its own proposal for a “sacred corridor of life and culture” that would be the size of Mexico.

“We have come from the forest and we worry about what is happening ,” said Tuntiak Katan, the vice-president of Coica (Coordinator of the Indigenous Organisation of the Amazon River Basin). “This space is the world’s last great sanctuary for biodiversity. It is there because we are there. Other places have been destroyed.”

The organisation does not recognise national boundaries, which were put in place by colonial settlers and their descendants without the consent of indigenous people who have lived in the Amazon for millennia. Katan said the group was willing to talk to anyone who was ready to protect not just biodiversity but the territorial rights of forest communities.

Colombia’s initial proposal was smaller and focused only on biodiversity and climate. But government enthusiasm has waned since an election in June in which the rightwing populist Iván Duque took power. Brazil was more sceptical but had previously engaged in ministerial-level talks on the corridor-plan. Its opposition is likely to grow under its new rightwing president, Jair Bolsonaro, who will take power in January.

Last month Bolsonaro indicated he would only stay in the Paris climate agreement if he had guarantees ensuring Brazilian sovereignty over indigenous land and the “triple A” region.

“136 million hectares of land and the Solimões and Amazon rivers would not be in our jurisdiction because they would be considered essential for the survival of humanity. So I ask you, with that Paris agreement, would we take the risk of giving up the Amazon?” he said at a press conference.

Read More

[left-reminders]

[mapsontheweb]

The ever-changing borders of the Balkans.

[ancientorigins]

‘Fire and Brimstone’ that Destroyed Biblical Sodom Matches Findings of Cosmic Catastrophe 3,700 Years Ago

A few years ago a site in Jordan near the Dead Sea was identified as the biblical city of Sodom. Now, researchers have a scientific explanation for the catastrophe that hit the city and led to its abandonment 3,700 years ago.

[historical-nonfiction]

Who Are The Basques, and What Makes Their Language Special?

I was recently surprised to realize how many people are unaware of this group, a significant minority in Europe for many reasons. Here’s a brief introduction to who the Basques are, and why you should know about them.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Federal government 'failed' test of its humanity by turning away Jewish refugees in 1939, says Trudeau

PM delivers official apology for Canada's role in the fate of the passengers of the MS St. Louis

The Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler tested the limits of Canada’s humanity in the lead up to the Second World War and Canada’s government failed that test “miserably,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today.

The prime minister made the remarks as part of the apology he is now delivering in the House of Commons for the 1939 decision by the Canadian government to turn away a boatload of German Jews seeking refuge from the Nazis.

“In the years leading up to the war, Hitler tested the world’s resolve. He noted carefully as country after country proved itself indifferent to the plight of Jewish refugees,” Trudeau said.

“He watched on as we refused their visas, ignored their letters and denied them entry. With every decree, he challenged the political courage of our leaders and the empathy of those who elected them.

“With every pogrom, he tested the bounds of our humanity and the limits of our solidarity … Adolf Hitler’s test was one the Canadian government failed miserably.”

In 1939, the MS St. Louis left Germany carrying 907 Jewish passengers fleeing persecution by the Nazi regime. The ship was turned away from Cuba and the United States before a group of Canadians tried to convince Prime Minister King’s government to let it dock in Halifax.

The Canadian government heeded the anti-Semitic sentiment abroad at the time by severely restricting Jewish immigration. From 1933 to 1945, only about 5,000 Jewish refugees were accepted because of Canada’s discriminatory ‘none is too many’ immigration policy.

Continue Reading.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

It should be worth pointing out that not all parties in Canada in 1938-1939 opposed bringing in Jewish Refugees:

The CCF (the precursor to the NDP) supported bringing Jewish Refugees into Canada:

(x)

[worldhistoryfacts]

Inuit comb, ca. 1915, found in Nunavut by Danish researchers.

[historium]

A 1911 Industrial Worker publication advocating industrial unionism that shows the critique of capitalism.

[historical-nonfiction]

Why We Say "OK"

[mapsontheweb]

Claims to the Roman Succession.

[gahdamnpunk]

ALL 👏🏾 OF 👏🏾 THEM 👏🏾

[knitmeapony]

This post goes harder than any post has ever gone before.

[to-quinnfinity-and-beyond]

I wish we had the backstory to each pic.

[becauseweknewthem]

If you need some encouragement this weekend.

Also, @your-fave-ace-is-on-the-case…. in order from the top, with names, links, and whatever story I could chase down:

Santiago, Chile, 2016 An unidentified girl at a protest honoring the victims of the Pinochet regime that killed thousands. She’s standing up to a soldier, which matters because the Pinochet regime was a military coup, and Pinochet was never punished for his crimes.

Birmingham, England, 2017 Saffiyah Khan staring down an English Defence League protester during a demonstration by the far right group. EDL is a populist, nationalist, anti-islamic group that generally hates anyone that isn’t prototypically English looking and speaking.

Skopje, Macedonia, 2015 Jasmina Golubovska, who planted a kiss on a riot shield, says it is a civic duty to continue demonstrating against government. She was 30 at the time, demonstrating against the alleged cover-up of the killing of 22-year-old Martin Neskovski, who is said to have been beaten to death by an interior ministry policeman. More about Macedonia’s more recent politics here.

Cambridge, Maryland, US, 1963 Gloria Richardson and at the time of the photo she was a 41‐year‐old housewife‐turned‐activist fighting for civil rights in her town.

Tupelo, Mississippi, 2017 An unidentified woman standing up to klansmen. This wasn’t at some large protest as far as I can find. The Klan held a rally at the courthouse, and afterwards, this confrontation took place.

Little Rock, Arkansas,  US, 1957 Elizabeth Eckford on her first day of school, one of the LIttle Rock Nine, walking through a sea of screaming students that she’d see every day of class.

Borlänge, Sweden, 2016  Tess Asplund stood up to the three leaders of the 200 person march by the Nordic Resistance Movement, who are neo nazis.  She said that she did it because she was pissed off, and that, “Of course they shouldn’t be allowed to march in the first place. They are Nazis.”

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, US, 2016 Ieshia Evans was protesting with Black Lives Matter after the killing of Alton Sterling. She was arrested immediately after this photo, but became instantly iconic for the poise she maintained in the face of the excess of the riot police.

Brno, Czech Republic, 2017 Sixteen year old girl scout Lucie Myslikova was there as a counter protester against an ultra right group that opposes diversity and the Czech Republic being in the EU. The Interior Ministry had to take steps to protect her after these pictures of her speaking calmly went viral.

Tel Aviv, Israel, 2015 This is an unidentified Ethiopian Jewish woman at a protest against Police Brutality.

This next is from a movie called Cristo Rey, and the moment is to show a mother protecting her son.

West Bank, Israel, 2017 Ahed Tamimi, who was sixteen at the time, slapped two Israeli officers and was immediately arrested. She was protesting the occupation of abuse of the Palestinians by the Israeli military and government. Since it’s not unusual for palestinian protesters to be killed for showing any threat, or shot by snipers for throwing rocks, she is both lucky to be alive, and incredibly brave.

The last image, of a woman casually smoking, seems to be a photoshop job. It is still iconic of the attitude shown in many of the other pictures.