Blog topic #4

The bindi in India is considered a sign of high power in women in India. A red dot on the forehead is a sign of marriage and guarantees the social status and sanctity in the union of marriage. The area between the eyebrows is considered the place of concealed wisdom. The red bindi is considered to harness and retain the energy in the human body and control the various levels of concentration that is used in through the body. It is also considered the central point of creation itself. There are many different shapes and styles of bindis that women choose to wear and some are used for fashion, but they are all used to show the status of marriage and are considered to harness the necessary energy that the body needs to use.

Blog topic #3

This video is about some of the interesting animals that live on the islands on Indonesia and how they have adapted to the terrain of the country and the way that they move is based on human interaction around the way of the country. In the video the way that the snakes have learned to move is that they fly through the air from tree to tree which is the most effective way of movement on a very crowded land mass of Indonesia. I selected this video because it intrigued me as to why there were flying snakes and leaping lizards in Indonesia, as well as to why they had to fly and or leap from tree to tree. The geography of Indonesia is very tropical and has a lot of rain forests for these animals to live on and to be able to use their leaping and jumping abilities.

Blog topic #2

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/australia-day-to-showcase-national-spirit-20110125-1a404.html
This article that the author has published in the Sydney Morning Herald is talking about how the people of Australia celebrate Australia Day, which is the day that the first ships of the "first fleet" arrived in Sydney Harbor, back in 1788. They celebrate with fireworks in every city just like the Fourth of July here in the United States. The Australian people will do so many activities from playing cricket to swimming across the harbor in order to celebrate the day. The first people to arrive on the "first fleet" were criminals from England because the British needed a new penal colony to which convicts could be exiled and not be able to cause any more trouble. Eventually the British government were paying people to move to Australia because of the ways that they could make money in Australia rather than in England. They would even pay for the transportation fare of those too poor to afford it themselves. (Pg. 640)


http://www.smh.com.au/business/immigration-not-a-sure-path-to-higher-incomes-20101219-191vz.html
This article written by Ross Gittens talks about how immigrants are moving to Australia to get better jobs and to get a better income to live a better life, but in the end it's not such a sure path and it's not as easy as most people think it will be to achieve what they want. Gittens says ''population growth and immigration can magnify existing policy problems and amplify pressures on 'unpriced' entities, such as the environment, and urban and social amenity''. I think that that statement makes a profound statement about how immigration can have a negative effect on a country. The book talks about how people are moving to Australia for better lives and better ways of life and that there are large amounts of Asians now living in Australia, and that there are places that are like China towns here in the United States. The result of Immigration is that now about 25% of the people who live in Australia are now immigrants. (Pg. 646)