Monday, 25 February 2013

When I was fourteen I used too babysit this adorable 6 year old named Khee.  His family lived down the street from me in a small red bungalo.  They had recenetly moved from South Korea.  So one day I was showing him my attempt to jugle with three oranges in the backyard.  I lasted not four secounds before the three bright spheres became too much and as my hand slipped on one of the oranges another hit my head.  The one in the air was forgotten as I watched the journey of the other orange, Glistening in the bright sun, rose up towards the sky and then began to fall.  I lost track of it for a second and heard a suden SLPASH and looked over to the neighbours pond where the orange lay half submerged.  I sighed, "i'll get it late" I said to no one. But why did it have to be the Browns? They hate me, I thought.   miserable and now tired I marched into the house with Khee beside me holding my hand.  To take my mind off the predicament I found myself in I begun making Ichiban for him when all of a sudden Khee exploded into a series of outrageous giggles.  When I ask him what was wrong he laughed even harder making it ring through the tiny house.  "You threw an orange into the Browns yard, you're gunna get in trouble!" With that he fell to the floor and begun rolling round and round making me smile and eventually laugh almost as hard as he was.  After a couple minutes more of silliness I began to slowly compose myself and while looking at Khee I said "Thanks I needed that" and he gave me a beaming smile with big brown eyes the size of hazel nuts.  "Do You still want some Ichiban? I asked.  He nodded his head and I stood up and began to bring the water too a boil.

Tuesday, 12 February 2013

League of Nations Established on January 10 1920
(when Ecuador joined) to 23 February 1935 (when Paraguay withdrew) with 58 members. At this time, only Costa Rica (22 January 1925), Brazil (14 June 1926), the Empire of Japan (27 March 1933) and Germany (19 September 1933) had withdrawn and only Egypt was left to join (on the 26 May 1937). The members (listed from earliest joining and alphabetically if they joined on the same day) at this time were Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, the British Empire, Canada, Chile, the Republic of China, Colombia, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, El Salvador, France, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Italy, Liberia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Persia/Iran, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Siam, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Union of South Africa, Uruguay, Yugoslavia, Venezuela, Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, Luxembourg, Albania, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Ireland, Ethiopia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Turkey, Iraq, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Afghanistan and Ecuador.
The League of Nations goals were disarmament, preventing war through collective security, settling disputes between countries through negotiations and improving global welfare. 
1921 The Aaland Islands, land dispute between Sweden and Finland
1921 Upper Silesia Land gave these people choice to be part of Germany or part of Poland close votes lead to riots LON decided to split them up
1923 Memel Land under control of League of Nations while the people there were Lithuanian this lead to strife ending with making Memel an international port and all other land forfeit to Lithuania
1923 Turkey Humanitarian mission to Turkey by sending doctors and money to the disease ridden lands
1925 Greece and Bulgaria Sharing a border had international conflict when a Greek boarder guard was killed this lead to Greek soldiers to invade Bulgaria. The LON then got involved Greek soldiers left Bulgaria and the LON made a ruling that it was Greece’s fault and made them pay a fine of 45,000 pounds
1919 Italian nationalists captured a Yugoslavian port and held it for fifteen months the LON did nothing even though this went against The Treaty of Versailles, except peace mandated missions. 
1919 Teschen a small town between Poland and Czechoslovakia with valuable coal mines that both sides wanted Czech and polish soldiers fought in the town a great battle was fought and The League was called in though an agreement couldn’t be made and the two sides fought over the land for the next twenty years. 
1920 Vilna the Lithuanian capital which had a majority polish population was invaded by Poles The League tried and failed to get Poles to leave
Russian and Poland war 1920-1921 Poles invaded Russian land surrendered 80 000 km to Poles Leauge did nothing because combating Communism
1923 Invasion of the Ruhr when Germans couldn’t pay reparations French and Belgium troops invaded German land the Ruhr against the orders of the League

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/leagueofnations.htm


Friday, 18 January 2013

Cristmas morning

My eyes spread in antisipation as I wake with the knowledge that this is Christmas Day.  I jump out of bed only to look at my clock and see that its 6: 30 no one will be up for two hours.  As I wait in my bed with the energy of a dozer raindeer I feel a pain from the pit of my stomach and an earth shaking roar.  All I have had in the last 12 hours is cookies and soda from our christmas eve holiday party the night before. My patients becomes more and more strained and reachs a paoint to which I cannot sit still looking around my ocean blue room looking for something to keep my attention.  My ear triches as i hear the growing sound of stomping feet coming closer and closer to my door.  A silence then, KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK, "Paul were opening presents." I rush to the living but slide to a stop from the hardwood floors with my socks and turn towards the kitchen.  We can't forget about homemade cinamon buns.  Some time later we are sitting down in the faimily room with the aroma of fresh orange juice, creamcheese frosting and pineneedles we begin with the unraping of presents.  I am the familys designated gift finder and as such I alone have the responsibily of harvesting a gift for everyone through the caves of colored boxes.  As the day goes on smiles, statments of graditude and joy are what is truly exchanged as this magical moment continues.  Then our family seperates breifly as me and my mother travel across the icy streets of calgary coming closer and closer to saint anthonys church.  After and hour and a half of sitting,singing, giving and greeting we return and begin the daunghting task of cooking the christmas dinner meal.  Setting places, lighting candels and basting turkeys are what take up some of the last precious hours of one of the greatest holidays on earth.  We finally have a moment to rest as we sit down eat, talk and yaugh.  Yawning, farwells and late night hot chocolate are the signs of the end of the holiday.  Till finally snuggeling into bed and slowly drifting off to sleep.