West Sumatra

ethnic group. They have been outstandingly successful in trade and politics throughout Southeast Asia. For instance, the first Indonesian vice-president and the first president of Singapore were both Minangkabau. Like the Bribri, daughters and sisters have traditionally inherited property, and the origin of this practice is contested. Some argue that Minangkabau men’s frequent voyages compelled families to pass their properties down to the women who stayed. Conversely, others argue that may started traveling to seek a fortune they were not entitled to. I will research the history of Minangkabau matrilineality from Bukittinggi, the Minangkabaus’s cultural capital, where the Rumah Gadang Baanjuang museum of Minang culture is located. In Padang, West Sumatra’s largest city, I will explore the contemporary reality of Minangkabau women. I am currently initiating contact with a young Minang woman living in Padang thanks to a common friend I met in…

forest fires are one of the main reasons of the pollution. These emissions could travel largely and affected the human’s health of respiration and visibility. The emissions include, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, atmospheric mercury, ozone-forming chemicals and volatile organic compounds (British Columbia,n.d.). According to Bahri, The spreading of the smog basically from the air condition in the upper layers of the atmosphere in the region tend to move down according to the very stable…

The book The Killing Sea by Richard Lewis is based on the terrible tsunami of 2004. The tsunami happened on December 25th and was caused by a very large earthquake in the Indian Sea. The theme was that in times of great trouble and tribulation people will change their ways and become more respectful and helpful. ¨Within 15 minutes, tsunami waves were crashing the coast of Sumatra. At the north end of the island was a heavily populated region known as Aceh. There, waves reached 80 feet high over…

over the border into the West. Using the border between the separate occupation zones to their favour, large numbers of GDR citizens averaging 180,000 per year until 1953 defected to the German Federal Republic. Prompted by the ever increasing oppressive nature of the Soviet Union and the paranoid measures taken by Joseph towards the occupied GDR, the emigration rate grew to a number of 335,000 in the year 1953 alone. Seeing this number as very damaging and unsustainable to the economy of the…

Living Legend? The first time I heard Kanye West rap was with his album 808’s and Heartbreaks. The first song I remember listening to was ‘Heartless’ by Kanye West. I was just a young boy, about 10 years old or so and I was relatively new to the to the music world and did not know much. I only really knew about the young pop stars that teenagers were all crazy about and the older music that my dad always listened to. But people at first told me not to listen to Kanye West because of his music…

The conflict began when Israel started implementing Jewish settlements in ex-Palestinian territory, which were the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. Critics of the settlements argue that “the continued growth and construction of Israeli settlements assert that under international law, all of Israel 's West Bank settlements are illegal” (“Israeli Settlements”.) Although, Israel claims it is not illegal because Palestine is not a legal state. These settlements created enormous resistance,…

Galileo Galilei once said, “Passion is the genesis of genius”. Passionate people can be found from across the globe; however, the passion of one young man who comes from the Southside of Chicago is unmatchable and unique from anyone else. Kanye Omari West grew up in the “Windy City” of Chicago. Kanye’s mother, Donda West, was an English Professor and the first African American Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University. Kanye’s father, Ray West, who was also a former black…

Berlin Wall: A World Divided 1961-1989 written in 2007, brings to the front an almost forgotten event in history. He writes an in depth novel of what precipitated the events before the wall was built, and after it was torn down. Taylor gives a thorough account of the happenings, and with the use of evidence, personal account, interviews, and opinion he gives a delightful and at time somewhat controversial account of the Berlin Wall. The author gives account of the role that the nation 's played…

Anna Funder’s literary journalist text Stasiland explores the lingering impact that the former German Democratic Republic had upon its citizens. Through investigating the struggles faced by individuals in rebuilding their lives within unified Germany, Funder acknowledges that the horrors of the GDR are still controlling those who once lived under its communist regime. Through the victims Funder interviews, she identifies that as East Germany is rebuilt, so too are its people, as they attempt to…

The Berlin Journal by Robert Darnton provides an account on the reunification of East and West Berlin. Throughout the journal, Darnton reveals how confronting the past is an important step in moving forward. Darnton also examines the different meanings the Berlin Wall symbolized for East and West Berliners. Finally, the effects of reunification on the economic system were a concern among East Berliners as they did not want to let go of socialism. The three major themes in Darnton’s Berlin…