Iron Curtain: This Term Refers

Iron Curtain: This term refers to an imaginary "curtain" that fell across Eastern Europe after World War II and which eventually led to the construction of the Berlin Wall, separating East from West Germany. It is most closely associated with the Cold War which began after World War II in 1945, a time when the U.S. And the Soviet Union were in a nuclear stalemate regarding the threat from the use of nuclear weapons.

alluvial fan: This refers to a geological feature which is shaped like a fan and deposited at the mouth a large river or stream. The fan is composed of soil, rock and other materials and usually forms at the point where the water enters a sea or an ocean. Two good examples of this type of feature is the Nile delta and the Mississippi delta.

diaspora: This tern usually refers to the Jewish people who currently reside outside of the state of Israel, such as those living in Europe or the U.S. It also refers to the expulsion of the Jews from Palestine and the city of Jerusalem, circa 587 B.C.E., after being conquered by the Babylonians, centered in Mesopotamia or modern-day Iraq and Iran (formerly Persia). 4. laissez-faire: This is a French term concerning an economic system that is free of regulations set by a government related to commerce and economic independence.

This is also referred to as a free enterprise system. A good example is Wall Street which has remained relatively free of governmental interference and regulations since the Presidency of Ronald Reagan. 5. GDP: This stands for Gross Domestic Product, defined as the total market value of all products and services created in a nation on an annual basis. This would include all spending by consumers, the government (local, state and federal) and all returns on investments.

In the U.S., the GDP is quite lower than in the past, due to the elimination of many manufacturing bases and the importing of goods from foreign countries. 6. Pidgin English: This refers to a form of broken English spoken between people who do not speak fluent English as a second language. It is usually used by those who do not share a common language, such as people from China and Japan.

When two disparate groups of people come together, they use Pidgin English as a way to communicate in very simple terms, sometimes using English-like sounds and expressions which both groups understand. CH. 8: Europe: Launched as the official banknote/currency of the European Union in January of 1999, the Euro is now the main currency for more than 300 million people in Europe and replaced all of the national currencies, such as the German mark and the French franc, in January of 2002.

According to the European Central Bank website, the Euro is "the legal tender in 16 of the 27 Member States of the European Union" and is also used in Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City via a formal arrangement; it is also used in Andorra, Montenegro and Kosovo but without formal arrangement ("Introduction," Internet).

The support for the use of the Euro is mostly based on the popularity of tourism in Europe, business travel and cross-border shopping which makes it easier related to not having to get other currencies exchanged, such as the franc for the lira and visa-versa. This also eliminates the need to worry about currency values, as with one currency being worth more than another.

In contrast, some are firmly against the Euro, due to its power to decrease national identity and fears related to runaway recession, meaning that by adopting the Euro, such as in Great Britain, the "boom-bust cycle of 2008" might have been made worse (Elliott, Internet), not to mention increasing economic competition. Also, when comparing the Euro to other national paper currencies, the Euro is rather generic in appearance and does not equate with any type of nationalism.

Overall, it would be difficult to envision the English pound (and the Canadian dollar) with the image of Queen Elizabeth II being replaced with redundant, generic images of Europe and without any indication of national origin or phrases of national identity in a country's native language. SOURCES Elliott, Larry. "Should Britain Join the Euro?" Guardian.co.uk. Internet. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/oct/26/should-britain-join-euro. "Introduction." European Central Bank. Internet. 2009. http://www.ecb.int/euro/intro / html/index.en.html. PLEASE PUT YOUR TEXTBOOK INFO HERE! CH.

9: Russian Domain: According to Fred Weir, the population of the Russian Domain, formerly the Soviet Union (USSR), "is facing a demographic crisis so dire that its population could shrink" by more than 50% by the year 2050. This situation is due to several factors. First, the birthrate in the Russian Domain has decreased "below levels that would sustain the population" while Russian death rates, especially among working-age males, "have skyrocketed due to post-Soviet poverty, substance abuse (particularly alcoholism), disease, stress" and other negative traits (2002, Internet).

Demographically, the population of the Russian Domain has decreased substantially with just over 144 million today which considering Russia's immense geographical area is extremely small. Also, life expectancy "now stands at 59 years for men, while the average Russian woman lives 72 years.".