Asia Current Events
North Korea has tested six short-range missiles of the coast of their country in only three days, ending on Monday, May 20. South Korea and the U.S. are on alert in case of an attempted attack on either country and are willing to use force to respond. North Korea says they are practicing military exercises to strengthen their defensive capacity. Speculation of practicing offensive attacks has been stated, although not sure. North Korea is using these launches to signal willingness to negotiate, while saving face.
This event reminds me of when we studied Jerusalem and Pakistan, two countries of two different religions: Judaism and Islam. They quarreled many times, often signaling their aggression, or even attacking small posts. The two countries are still enemies and do not make much contact with each other. They sometimes fired mortar shots at each other, like North Korea has fired missiles toward South Korea as a warning shot.
http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/article.aspx?id=69591
This event reminds me of when we studied Jerusalem and Pakistan, two countries of two different religions: Judaism and Islam. They quarreled many times, often signaling their aggression, or even attacking small posts. The two countries are still enemies and do not make much contact with each other. They sometimes fired mortar shots at each other, like North Korea has fired missiles toward South Korea as a warning shot.
http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/article.aspx?id=69591
Crossing the Pop Culture Universe
Japanese Culture: Ruan Lute
The ruan lute is a Chinese plucked string instrument. It has been played for more than 2000 years. The strings were originally made of silk but are now made of steel. The instrument can be played using a plectrum, similar to the guitar pick, or with a set of two - five acrylic nails taped temporarily to the fingers. The instrument creates a mellow tone.
American Culture: Guitar
Guitars are defined as having "a long, fretted neck, flat wooden soundboard, ribs, and a flat back, most often with in-curved sides". The first instrument classified as a guitar was made during the 12th century. Modern day guitars descended from other various stringed instruments that date back 3,300 years ago. These two pop culture sources connect because they are both instruments widely used in pop music of either culture. The closely relate in design and origin, and have been played and enjoyed for hundreds of years.
Web Archeology
For my Chinese primary source, I chose The Tale of Genji, a story about a good-looking noble man who is tempted into many wives and affairs. The Tale of Genji is the first known chapter book, although there have already been many long books with one solid chapter. The tale was written by a Japanese noblewoman named Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century.
Different research subjects one could conduct with an article of scripture such as this tale could be Chinese writing styles or Chinese life during the early ages of the second millennium. Different characters or forms of writing could have been used. The story also depicts a nobleman of the time, retelling the life and stature of highly respected people and officials. If there is more detail, one could research matrimonial connections and effects of marriage at the time, such as the number of wives and kids a male might have.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tale_of_Genji
Different research subjects one could conduct with an article of scripture such as this tale could be Chinese writing styles or Chinese life during the early ages of the second millennium. Different characters or forms of writing could have been used. The story also depicts a nobleman of the time, retelling the life and stature of highly respected people and officials. If there is more detail, one could research matrimonial connections and effects of marriage at the time, such as the number of wives and kids a male might have.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tale_of_Genji