Welcome to Dynamic History.com! This site houses information needed for Mr. Graziano's classes and is still a work in progress. It also provides numerous links and tools for students as well as parents who can view and use them for whatever they need. For the most recent information and news, please look below at "The Update." If you have any questions or need to ask me anything, please feel free to get a hold of me with the contact information that is provided below. Thank you!
August. 26th, 2010: Over the past few weeks some interesting current events have come about. Specifically the Sinking of the South Korean Frigate Cheonan, which is the name of a town in South Korea where a number of US prisoners from the Korean War were murdered. Currently there are different opinions on the report and its conclusion that the sinking was in fact caused by a torpedo from a North Korean mini-sub. More in the START IT UP section.
Mosque debate near Ground Zero from CBS: Click Here
Secondly there has been talk about the building of a Mosque near ground zero of the World Trade Center in New York City. It has caused a huge debate and a number of questions to be asked about how we as US citizens feel about Islam. Go to START IT UP for more.
July. 23rd, 2010: I've fixed some of my links and also managed to add some things to the "START IT UP," Civil Rights Lessons, That's Different, and the Resources section of the website. Within the Resources section, I was contacted by a Mr. Pierce Martin from the SR Education Group, he suggested to me the following link that focuses on accurate online resources. Check them out here: Click Here
When you get a chance check them out. The one about the forms of bowing to show an apology from Japan can be seen below. It is interesting to think about and understand the differences between the way Americans and Japanese apologies.
July. 7th, 2010: I hope everyone had a happy 4th of July! Sadly the US soccer team didn't considering they were beat 2-1 by Ghana in an overtime match a few days ago. Beyond that, I have recently updated the website with three powerpoints that I made for the Packwood House Museum in Lewisburg, PA.
I went through their collection of thousands of coins from all across the world and different time periods to produce these three powerpoints. They focus on the currency of the Civil War, World War II, and the Cold War. Here are the links: Civil War - Click Here, World War II - Click Here, and Cold War - Click Here.
June. 24th, 2010: College Humor on occation seems to have some very funny things regarding our peers and their point of views of the world, but this one is just hysterical. Now, I am a big fan of the World Cup because of the sport itself as well as how it effects the world as a whole. Yet at the same time sometimes I can't help but laugh when I see an American perspective of it. Click Here
June 23rd, 2010: The United States on June 18th and 23rd respectively tied Slovenia 2-2 and Beat Algeria 1-0 to advance to the semi-finals. They will be playing the 2nd seed from group D which includes Germany, Australia, Ghana, and Serbia.
There were two specific goals that the USA made that were ruled void. In the June 18th game against Slovenia the referee whistled the ball dead once the goal was made saying the USA striker was offside’s in the box. That was debatable.
However today’s game had the USA score another that by the FIFA rule book should have been a goal. Even in these good will games at the World Cup it is debatable that many countries are fans of the USA advancing their way to the Semi-Finals. Knock on wood we can win there as well to advance! GO USA!
June 15th, 2010: The United States played to a 1-1 draw against England in its first match on the 12th, Keep going USA! Highlights can be viewed here: Click Here.
Also as shown in the video above Kevin Costner the American movies actor shows off his multi-million dollar machine that separates oil from water. It is interesting to listen to considering our current predicament. While I was doing some research on the oil leak I ran into this link: Click Here. It is the website that has real-time updates on the oil leak as well as the liveBP underwater cameras.
June 11th, 2010: The Israeli Blockade of the Gaza strip which is controlled by the radical faction Hamas has now drawn worldwide attention for their actions days ago against what was said to be a humanitarian aid ship sent from the nearby country of Turkey. Facts are somewhat convoluted and the United States is in a hard spot to not upset both Israel and Turkey who are key allies of the US in the Middle East. However with Turkey, Iran, and other nations now putting more and more pressure on Israel, many countries are looking to see what the US and UN will do about it.
Beyond that the following link gives numerous audio accounts of both Israeli soldiers as well as passengers of the ship that was boarded. Listen and tell me what you think: Click Here
As they are saying down in South Africa today for the start of the 2010 World Cup... "It. Is. On!"
June 8th, 2010: Two things that continue to reach the headlines of the US today are undoubtedly the BP Oil spill, as well as the war in Afghanistan reaching a new milestone that isn't for the better. The video above gives a little insight about the more recent events of the last couple of days fighting the spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Below is a quote from a California representative and what he believes will be happening now that we have passed the 103 months of the Vietnam War, which previously was the US's longest war. The rest of the article can be found here: Click Here.
"That June 7, 2010, marks the 104th month of US military engagement in Afghanistan and, consequently, America's longest war in history (Vietnam lasted 103 months), would be less significant if we were not fumbling on all fronts in Afghanistan, from security to development to governance. The disconcerting indication of this mile-marker is not simply that Afghanistan trumps Vietnam as "longest war in history," but that there is no guarantee that by the 116th month, in July 2011, the bulk of US presence will leave as promised." - Rep. Mike Honda D-California.
May. 20th, 2010: Sorry everyone! I have been so busy with applications that I have been unable to get anything new on the boards for quite a while as you can clearly see. But now I have some time so let me throw up some of the things that have been missed!
The Eyjafjallajokull Volcano (Top Left), for the past month and a half has been a huge thorn in side of Europe since the airways can't be travelled due to the huge amount of ash as well as in some countries the ash is so bad that day seems like night.
The BP Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (Top Right), as you can see from the photo which was taken very early by a NASA satellite the oil spill is a huge problem not only for BP but also for President Obama who is pushing for offshore drilling.
The question is however, how do both of these events effect Europe and the United States?
March. 23rd 2010: An interesting video that gives some very good facts about the new Healthcare Bill that has just passed into law with its signing by President Obama today. The true question is, will this help or hurt the American people? And which people? Also included in this video is the battle between China and Google. Now Google is leaving, so what will happen next since this will effect American-Chinese relations?
Something else I found that I thought was really neat was the daily border closing between the nations of India and Pakistan. In 1965 a war broke out between the two nations and before the war until this day there is still clear tension between these two states. However the mutual respect and this daily ceremony show that perhaps both nations are on a better track diplomatically. Something else to consider in this video is the fact that both sides were at one point trained by the British military. It is quite obvious in the uniforms and "steps" that these soldiers take during the ceremony.
March. 5th 2010: Today the US House of Representatives Committee of Foreign Affairs (Link) passed a resolution confirming that the Turks' acts against the Armenians in World War I was in fact Genocide. This will most certainly damage US - Turkish relations and alienate one of our few Allies in the Middle East. At the same time this was something that was long overdue:
"Germany has accepted responsibility for the Holocaust. South Africa set up a Truth Commission to look at Apartheid. And here at home, we continue to grapple with the legacies of slavery and our horrendous treatment of Native Americans. It is now time for Turkey to accept the reality of the Armenian Genocide." - Howard L Berman: HFA Chair
The vote passed 23 to 22. Both Democrats and Republicans voted for and against it, yet this is the result. Now how will it effect us?"START IT UP"
February. 24th 2010: Toyota boss Akio Toyoda spoke with members of Congress today to try and ease the United States' worries about the car company and its massive recalls concerning the brake and acceleration issues that many car owners have been having. The American Congressmen stressed their wish that the American people remain safe in whatever car they drive. This is an interesting move by the United States and this could certainly hurt Japanese-American relations politically. Check it out in the new "START IT UP" section!
December. 28th, 2009: I was surfing around the web and I just ran into this video. While studying to be a teacher I always told myself I wanted to be a part of a school district which had strong community ties. When I say that I mean it in a way that shows how the students, the staff, and the administration come together to make something or in this case to show up their rival. By doing this, it shows just how strong of a connection there is between everyone over there at Shorewood High School in Washington State. Here is the link (trust me its worth seeing): Click Here
December. 22nd, 2009: A few days ago the sign above the entrance to the Auschwitz death camp which says in German: "Work makes you free," was stolen by five people for an international collector. Police are still working on finding that collector and now the sign which was cut off of the camp entrance into three pieces and missing a letter must now be repaired. I have to ask myself why there was only a single live feed camera watching Auschwitz instead of a security detail. Surely this will not happen again because of this event.
December. 9th, 2009: With recent troop surge of 30,000 US soldiers and about 5,000 Coalition forces to Afghanistan recent controversy has come up whether this surge will in fact help to end the war there and achieve victory or instead will only further compound the problem of the Taliban and other radical Islamic militant groups.
November. 18th, 2009: Two days ago NASA launched one of its last Shuttle missions, STS-129's mission is to travel to the International Space Station and give it spare parts as well as the equipment necessary to receive a new module which the space station shall receive in the up and coming missions. Space Shuttle Atlantis currently is docked with the ISS and is transferring equipment to its supply pod. To view the Launch of the Atlantis and the STS-129 mission: Click Here
November. 6th, 2009: Yesterday a psychiatrist in the United States army, a Major, shot 12 dead and wounded 31 at Fort Hood in Texas. This has been felt all across the United States. Stories can be found here along with video responses by President Obama and the commander of Fort Hood. God Bless our troops and the families of those who have lost in such a tragedy. Click Here
OCTOBER. 28th, 2009: NASA's new space vehicles are being tested in the next few months; starting with the launch of the "Ares 1-X" which is scheduled to fly whenever it can find a clear window. For the past two days they have been unable to launch due to bad weather. The other vehicle which will also be tested fairly soon is the "Orion," the new planetary orbital mini-station. To watch the launch live go to NASA's website here and follow the links: Click Here
EDIT: LAUNCH! The test was a success! At 11:30 Ares 1-X took flight. These tests will be immensly helpful for the next few missions NASA has planned! Also around November 16th NASA plans to launch another shuttle mission to the International Space Station: Click Here
OCTOBER. 6th, 2009: In light of recent events I dug up an old video from a few years ago about Iran's President: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. SNL decided to make a sarcastic digital short with Andy Samberg which picked fun at Ahmadinejad's policys and beliefs that the Holocast didn't happen; as well as his beliefs that there are no homosexuals in Iran: Click Here!
SEPTEMBER. 30th, 2009: President Obama later this week will travel to Coppenhagen to try and convince the Olympic council to hold the 2016 Summer Olympics in Chicago. Click Here
SEPTEMBER. 23rd, 2009: President Obama spoke today at the UN for the first time and clearly showed that he wishes to work with the world to try and help lower the weapons mass on our planet. Along with issues over Iran and terrorism. Click Here
SEPTEMBER. 8th-9th, 2009: Obama's speech to the students of the United States has caused a huge fuss amongst the Republicans and Democrats of the nation. Many feel that President Obama should not be speaking to the students of the nation, yet at the same time many feel that any speech from the President is an important one. What do you think?
Here's a quote: "As far as I am concerned, this is not civics education — it gives the appearance of creating a cult of personality," said Oklahoma Republican state Sen. Steve Russell. "This is something you'd expect to see in North Korea or in Saddam Hussein's Iraq." - Link Here
On the 9th the President was making a continued speech about healthcare. During the speech however something happened that has never happened before during a congress session: Link Here
SEPTEMBER. 1st- 2nd, 2009: Also I have uploaded a video that Dr. Starmack showed us when I was a Junior, one of the neatest videos I have ever seen; it really makes you think about things a tad deeper than you normally would: "Did You Know?"
Getting ready for the new year. While I was updating the website a little I found a neat website that I wanted to add. www.mapsofwar.com has numerous multimedia maps of wars, religious movements, and numerous other important events and puts them in a visiual representation. Very interesting!
JULY. 30th, 2009: I have added new projects and lessons to the website. Also I am prepping some new files that some of you should check out here! This article is something our education system needs to look into and that is why I posted it here for you all to see. With other news I am going on vacation and studying up on the book I will be helping to teach starting the next school year. See you all soon.
APRIL. 16th, 2009: I'm looking forward to working with Mr. J. Hippenstiel and his classes at Central Columbia High School for the PDS program! See you all in the fall of 09'.
MARCH. 24th, 2009: Check out these current events video's: The Rock Obama, Mel Gibson: The Colonel, and Jimmy Kimmel: Babies Be able to discuss the meaning behind these video's, why are they important to current events, and the media's spin.
