The island of Australia is filled with diverse history and multifaceted human beings. I wrote about Australia many years ago. Now, we live in a new generation nearing 2030, and the younger generation have the subsequent right to know about Australia in a stronger level. Australia is a commonwealth that includes the island of Tasmania and other smaller islands too. It is the sixth largest country in the world and the largest nation in the Oceania region. It has a wide variety of landscapes and climates from deserts to tropical rainforests along the coast. That makes Australia a megadiverse country. There is no mention of Australia without acknowledging the Aboriginal people who came to Australia from southeast Asia. They speak about 250 distinct languages. The capital of Australia is found in the city of Canberra. Sydney and Melbourne are also very large urban locations in Australia too. Australia has a federal parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. It is made up of six states and ten territories. Australia is a highly developed economy and has one of the highest per capital incomes globally. Australia is a member of many international organizations like the United Nations; the G20; the OECD; the World Trade Organization; Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation; the Pacific Islands Forum; the Pacific Community; the Commonwealth of Nations; and the defense and security organizations ANZUS, AUKUS, and the Five Eyes. It is also a major non-NATO ally of the United States. We're grown here. Therefore, I will expose wicked people in Australia, and I will definitely praise heroic, righteous people in Australia who fought for human liberty and justice for all.
The history of Australia is long and extensive. The human ancestors of Aboriginal Australians moved into what is now the Australian continent about 50,000 to 65,000 years ago, during the last glacial period, arriving by land bridges and short sea crossings from what is now Southeast Asia. They continue to live in Australia today being part of its present-day multicultural democracy. Aboriginal Australians lived all over continental Australia and many nearby islands. They formed art, music, and spiritual traditions that are among the longest surviving in human history. The ancestors of today's ethnically and culturally distinct Torress Strait Islanders arrived at Papua New Guinea around 2,5000 years ago, and they settled in the islands on the northern tip of the Australian landmass. The Aboriginal people created advanced cultures and civilizations for thousands of years. The Madjedbebe rock shelter in Arnhem Land, in the north of the continent, is perhaps the oldest site of human occupation in Australia. From the north, the population spread into a range of very different environments. Devil's Lair in the extreme south-west of the continent was occupied around 47,000 years ago, and Tasmania by 39,000 years ago. The oldest human remains found are at Lake Mungo in New South Wales, which have been dated to around 41,000 years ago. The site suggests one of the world's oldest known cremations, indicating early evidence for religious ritual among humans. The spread of the population also altered the environment. From 46,000 years ago, fire-stick farming was used in many parts of Australia to clear vegetation, make travel easier, and create open grasslands rich in animal and vegetable food sources. Aboriginal Australian culture is one of the oldest continuous cultures on Earth. They had at least 250 different language groups. Some estimate that between 300,000 to 3 million Aboriginal Australian people lived in Australia before British settlements.
The Australian Aboriginals loved to promote stories of The Dreaming using oral tradition, songs, dance, and paintings. They used fire stick farming, fish farming and built semi-permanent shelters. Torres Strait Islander people (who are culturally different culturally from the Aboriginal people) came to their islands at least 2,500 years ago.
LeBron James started his career in the National Basketball Association in 2003 when he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2003 to 2010 during the first era of his career. He was part of the historic 2003 NBA Draft that had iconic basketball players of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, Mo Williams, Josh Howard, Kyle Korver, and other people. LeBron James was the first pick in the first round being the greatest player of his generation. During his first regular season game, James scored 25 points in a 106-92 loss to the Sacramento Kings, setting an NBA record for the most points scored by a prep to pro player in his debut performance. At the conclusion of the 2003–2004 season, James became the first Cavalier to receive the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. With final averages of 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, he also became the third player in league history to average at least 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game as a rookie (the other two NBA Players are Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson). Cleveland ultimately finished the season 35–47, failing to make the playoffs despite an 18-game improvement over the previous year. By 2004, he was a complete superstar, beyond just a great player. During the 2004-2005 season, James earned his first NBA All-Star Game selection, contributing 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in a winning effort for the Eastern Conference. Around the league, teams took note of his rapid development, and Denver Nuggets coach George Karl told Sports Illustrated: "It's weird talking about a 20-year-old kid being a great player, but he is a great player ... He's the exception to almost every rule." On March 20, James scored 56 points against the Toronto Raptors, setting Cleveland's new single-game points record. With final averages of 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, he was named to his first All-NBA Team. Despite a 30–20 record to start the year, the Cavaliers again failed to make the playoffs, finishing the season 42–40. At the 2006 All-Star Game, LeBron James led the East to victory with 29 points and was named the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. Behind final season averages of 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, he also finished second in overall NBA Most Valuable Player Award voting to Steve Nash. Under James' leadership, the Cavaliers qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1998. In his postseason debut, James recorded a triple-double in a winning effort over the Washington Wizards. In Game 3 of the series, he made the first game-winning shot of his career and made another in Game 5. Cleveland would go on to defeat the Wizards before being ousted by the Detroit Pistons in the second round.
By the 2006-2007 season, James finished the regular season with the average of 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. With a starting five featuring James, Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Aleksandar Pavlović, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the Cavaliers finished the season with 50 wins for the second consecutive year and entered the playoffs as the #2-seed in the Eastern Conference. In the first two rounds of the playoffs, LeBron led the team to wins over the Washington Wizards and New Jersey Nets. The Cavaliers then faced the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2007, he logged 48 points with nine rebounds and seven assists. His performance is considered one of the greatest playoff performances of all time as he scored 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points, including 25 straight, and the game-winning layup with two seconds left. The Cavaliers won 109–107 double-overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons. After the game, play-by-play announcer Marv Albert called the performance "one of the greatest moments in postseason history" and color commentator Steve Kerr described it as "[Michael] Jordan-esque." In 2012, ESPN ranked the performance the fourth greatest in modern NBA playoff history. The Cavaliers went on to win Game 6 and claim their first-ever Eastern Conference championship, earning them a matchup with the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals. The Spurs at the time were coached by Gregg Popovich and featured a prime Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginóbili, and Bruce Bowen. With no other significant scoring threats, the Spurs built its defense around stopping James from getting into the paint. As James did not have a reliable jump shot yet nor another offensive weapon on his team, he struggled against the Spurs' zone defense. He averaged 22 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game on just 35.6 percent shooting, as Cleveland was eliminated in a four-game sweep.
In February of the 2007–2008 season, James was named All-Star Game MVP for the second time behind a 27-point, eight-rebound, and nine-assist performance. On March 21, he moved past Brad Daugherty as the Cavaliers' all-time leading scorer in a game against the Toronto Raptors, doing so in over 100 fewer games than Daugherty. James' 30 points per game were also the highest in the league, marking his first scoring title. Despite his individual accomplishments, Cleveland's record fell from the year before to 45–37. Seeded fourth in the East entering the playoffs, the Cavaliers defeated the Wizards in the first round for the third consecutive season before being eliminated in seven games by the eventual-champion Boston Celtics in the next round. During the decisive seventh game in Boston, James scored 45 points and Paul Pierce scored 41 in a game the Associated Press described as a "shootout". The rivarly among the Cavaliers and Celtics will continue for years to come.
From 2008 to 2010, LeBron James saw his MVP seasons. At the end of the 2008–2009 season, James finished second in NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award voting and made his first NBA All-Defensive Team, posting 23 chase-down blocks and a career-high 93 total blocks. James also became only the fourth postmerger player to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in a single season. Behind his play and the acquisition of All-Star guard Mo Williams, Cleveland went a franchise record 66–16 and fell just one game short of matching the best home record in league history. With final averages of 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, James became the first Cavalier to win the MVP Award. Reflecting on James' performance for ESPN, John Hollinger later wrote: "He's having what is arguably the greatest individual season in history, and it's time we gave him his due for it."
In the playoffs, Cleveland swept the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks to earn a matchup with the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. In Game 1 of the series, James scored 49 points on 66 percent shooting in a losing effort for the Cavaliers. In Game 2, he hit a game-winner to tie the series at 1–1. Cleveland would lose the series in six games, and following the loss in Game 6, James immediately left the floor without shaking hands with his opponents, which was an act that many media members viewed as unsportsmanlike. For the series, James averaged 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game, finishing the postseason with a career playoff-high 35.3 points per game.
By the time of February of the 2009–10 season, James was forced into a temporary point guard role following a series of injuries to players in the Cavaliers' backcourt. Behind his leadership, Cleveland lost no momentum, finishing the year with the best record in the league for the second consecutive season. Despite only playing 39 minutes per game, James increased his statistical production, averaging 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.0 block per game on 50 percent shooting en route to another MVP Award. To open the playoffs, Cleveland advanced past the Chicago Bulls to earn a matchup with the Boston Celtics in the second round. James was heavily criticized for not playing well in Game 5 of the series, shooting only 20 percent on 14 shots and scoring 15 points. The team suffered its worst loss in franchise history, and at the conclusion of the game, James walked off the court to a smattering of boos from Cleveland's home crowd. The Cavaliers were officially eliminated from the postseason in Game 6, with James posting 27 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists in the losing effort.
LeBron James was an unrestricted free agent on 12:01 am. EDT on July 1, 2010. I remember this time like yesterday. I was in my late 20s back in 2010. James was contacted by many teams like the Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, and Cavaliers. On July 8, 2010, LeBron James announced a live EPSN special titled The Decision that he would sign to the Miami Heat. It was one of the most important events of basketball history. Many people loved the TV program showing his decision, and many old school people criticized LeBron James for the pomp and circumstance. Me personally, I didn't have a problem with it, because James is a grown man, and he has the right to make his own decision on his own accord. The Decision TV program was hosted on ESPN, and it had high ratings. The television program drew high ratings, with Nielsen announcing that an average of 9.948 million people watched the show in the United States, with 13.1 million watching at the time of James' announcement. Cleveland topped all markets with a 26.0 Nielsen rating and 39 share. The show's Nielsen ratings were 6.1 in households, and 4.1 in 18–49, making it the most watched cable show of the night. After his decision to go to Miami, many of his fans in Cleveland considered his choice a betrayal.
In Cleveland, fans considered James' departure a betrayal that ranks second to The Move (Art Modell's relocation of the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore). Associated Press wrote that The Decision joined The Move, The Drive, The Shot, and The Fumble in "Cleveland's sports hall of shame." Cleveland Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert wrote an open letter to fans published in Comic Sans typeface on the Cavs website, denouncing James' decision as a "selfish", "heartless", "callous", and "cowardly betrayal", while declaring that the Cavs would win an NBA title before the "self-declared former King." Obviously, Gilbert went over the line as LeBron made a legal career decision. William Rhoden of The New York Times defended James by stating that Gilbert's "venomous, face-saving personal attack", along with the ensuing "wrath of jersey-burning fans", only validated James' decision to leave Cleveland. Jesse Jackson, an American civil rights activist, said Gilbert's feelings "personify a slave master mentality", and he was treating James as "a runaway slave." Jackson added, "This is an owner employee relationship between business partners and LeBron honored his contract. On July 12, 2010, Stern fined Gilbert $100,000 for the letter's contents, while also criticizing the way James handled free agency.
Former NBA players criticized his decision to not stay with Cleveland and continuing to try to win a championship as "the guy." Michael Jordan stated that he would not have contacted his rivals from other teams like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird to play on one team together, as "I wanted to defeat those guys". Jordan added that "things are different [now]. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today." Johnson echoed Jordan's sentiments on teaming with rivals. On September 29, 2010, when asked by Soledad O'Brien of CNN if race was a factor in the fallout from The Decision, James said, "I think so, at times. There's always – you know, a race factor." James had previously stayed clear of racial issues. When an earlier racial controversy over his cover on Vogue became a national debate, James had no comment. The Decision done by LeBron James would prove to be one of the greatest basketball career moves of his career. He admitted that he would go through the trade in a different way.
The telecast was broadcast from the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich, Connecticut and raised $2.5 million for the charity. An additional $3.5 million was raised from advertising revenue, which was donated to other charities. The day before the special, fellow free agents Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade also announced that they would sign with Miami; reports later arose that back in 2006 the trio had discussed among themselves their upcoming 2010 free agencies. James decided to join with Bosh and Wade in part so that he could shoulder less of the offensive load; James thought that his improved teammates would give him a better chance of winning an NBA championship than had he stayed in Cleveland. Heat president Pat Riley played a major role in selling James on the idea of playing with Bosh and Wade. James would be relieved of the burden of scoring, and he thought he could be the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double in a season.
The Selma voting Rights movement started over a century before the Voting Rights Act was signed in 1865. During the 19th century, Southern state legislatures passed and maintained evil Jim Crow laws. These law disenfranchised the millions of African Americans in the South (and in some areas of the Midwest like Missouri) to advance racial segregation. By the turn of the 20th century, the Alabama state legislature passed a new constitution that totally disenfranchised most black people and many poor white people by requirements for payment of a poll tax and passing a literacy test and comprehension of the constitution. Many black people were forced out of political power with these laws passed. Selma was part of the Alabama Black Belt with a majority black population. In 1961, the population of Dallas County was 57% black, but of the 15,000 blacks old enough to vote, only 130 were registered (fewer than 1%). At that time, more than 80% of Dallas County blacks lived below the poverty line, most of them working as sharecroppers, farmhands, maids, janitors, and day laborers, but there were also teachers and business owners. With the literacy test administered subjectively by white registrars, even educated black people were prevented from registering or voting. The leaders of the Selma voting rights movement included the Boynton family (Amelia, Sam, and son Bruce), Rev. L. L. Anderson, J. L. Chestnut, and Marie Foster, the Dallas County Voters League (DCVL). They tried to register black citizens during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Their efforts were blocked by state and local officials, the White Citizens' Council, and the Ku Klux Klan. By the 1960s, county officials and the Citizens' Council used such tactics as restricted registration hours; economic pressure, including threatening people's jobs, firing them, evicting people from leased homes, and economic boycotts of black-owned businesses; and violence against black human beings who tried to register. The Society of Saint Edmund, an order of Catholics committed to alleviating poverty and promoting civil rights, were the only whites in Selma who openly supported the voting rights campaign. SNCC staff member Don Jelinek later described this order as "the unsung heroes of the Selma March ... who provided the only integrated Catholic church in Selma, and perhaps in the entire Deep South."
In early 1963, SNCC organizers Bernard Lafayette and Colia Liddel Lafayette arrived in Selma to begin a voter-registration project in cooperation with the DCVL. In mid-June, Bernard was beaten and almost killed by Klansmen determined to prevent black people from voting. When the Lafayettes returned to college in the fall, SNCC organizers Prathia Hall and Worth Long carried on the work despite arrests, beatings, and death threats. When 32 black school teachers applied at the county courthouse to register as voters, they were immediately fired by the all-white school board. After the Birmingham church bombing on September 15, 1963, which killed four black girls, black students in Selma began sit-ins at local lunch counters to protest segregation; they were physically attacked and arrested. More than 300 were arrested in two weeks of protests, including SNCC chairman John Lewis. On October 7, 1963, one of two days during the month when residents were allowed to go to the courthouse to apply to register to vote, SNCC's James Foreman and the DCVL mobilized more than 300 black people from Dallas County to line up at the voter registration office in what was called a "Freedom Day." Supporting them were national figures: author James Baldwin and his brother David, and comedian Dick Gregory and his wife Lillian (she was later arrested for picketing with SNCC activists and local supporters). SNCC members who tried to bring water to African Americans waiting in line were arrested, as were those who held signs saying "Register to Vote." Ironically , a voter suppression law today in one state bans giving water to a voter in line in 2025. After waiting all day in the hot sun, only a handful of the hundreds in the line were allowed to fill out the voter application, and most of those applications were denied by white county officials. United States Justice Department lawyers and FBI agents were present and observing the scene, but took no action against local officials.
On July 2, 1964, President Johnson signed the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, prohibiting segregation of public facilities. Some Jim Crow laws and customs remained in effect in Selma and other places for some time. When activists resumed efforts to integrate Selma's eating and entertainment venues, black people who tried to attend the Wilby Theatre or the Selmont Drive-in theater and eat at the 25¢ hamburger stand were both beaten and arrested. On July 6, 1964, one of the two registration days that month, John Lewis led 50 black citizens to the courthouse, but County Sheriff Jim Clark arrested them all instead of allowing them to apply to vote. On July 9, 1964, Judge James Hare issued an injunction forbidding any gathering of three or more people under the sponsorship of civil rights organizations or leaders. This injunction made it illegal for more than two people at a time to talk about civil rights or voter registration in Selma, suppressing public civil rights activity for the next six months.
Then, 1965 existed. With civil rights activity blocked by Judge Hare's injunction, Frederick Douglas Reese requested the assistance of King and the SCLC. Reese was president of the DCVL, but the group declined to invite the SCLC; the invitation instead came from a group of local activists who would become known as the Courageous Eight – Ulysses S. Blackmon Sr., Amelia Boynton, Ernest Doyle, Marie Foster, James Gildersleeve, J.D. Hunter Sr., Henry Shannon Sr., and Reese.
Three of SCLC's main organizers – James Bevel, Diane Nash, and James Orange – had already been working on Bevel's Alabama Voting Rights Project since late 1963. King and the executive board of SCLC had not joined it. When SCLC officially accepted the invitation from the "Courageous Eight", Bevel, Nash, Orange, and others in SCLC began working in Selma in December 1964. They also worked in the surrounding counties, along with the SNCC staff who had been active there since early 1963.
Since the rejection of voting status for the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party delegates by the regular delegates at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, major tensions between SCLC and SNCC had been brewing. SCLC ultimately remained neutral in the MFDP dispute to maintain its ties with the national Democratic coalition. Many SNCC members believed they were in an adversarial position with an American establishment which they thought had scorned grassroots democracy. SNCC's focus was on bottom-up organizing, establishing deep-rooted local power bases through community organizing. They had become distrustful of SCLC's spectacular mobilizations which were designed to appeal to the national media and Washington, DC, but which, most of SNCC believed, did not result in major improvements for the lives of African Americans on the ground. But, SNCC chairman John Lewis (also an SCLC board member), believed mass mobilizations to be invaluable, and he urged the group to participate. SNCC called in Fay Bellamy and Silas Norman to be full-time organizers in Selma.
The 2012 London Olympics was one of the greatest times in the track and field career of Carmelita Jeter. First, Carmelita Jeter had to win the June 2012 USA Olympic Trials in order to go into the Olympics. This came after Carmelita Jeter guided the USA Red team to win the New Penn Relays having the record of 42.19 seconds. She won the USA Olympic trials for the 100m in a great fashion. Carmelita Jeter was 32 years old being in the prime of her track and field career. Her time was 10.92 seconds. Tianna Madison had the time of 10.96 seconds, and Jeneba Tarmoh had the time of 11.07 seconds. For the USA Olympic Trials for the 200m, Allyson Felix had the time of 21.69 seconds, Carmelita Jeter had the time of 22.11 seconds, and Sanya Richards Ross had the time of 22.22 seconds. Now, she Carmelita Jeter traveled into London to have the Olympics in 2012. The 2012 London Olympics lasted from July 27, 2012 to August 12, 2012. There ceremony was opened by Queen Elizabeth and closed by IOC President Jacques Rogge. The first event, the group stage in women's football, began on 25 July at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, followed by the opening ceremony on July 27. There were 10,518 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) who participated in the 2012 Olympics. There were 5,863 men and 4,655 women have participated in the games. The caudlron was lit by Callum Airlie, Jordan Duckitt, Desiree Henry, Katie Kirk, Cameron MacRitchie, Aidan Reynolds, Adelle Tracey, and Austin Playfoot. Many events took place in the Olympic Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympics Park.
London became the first city to host the modern Olympics three times, having previously hosted the Summer Games in 1908 and 1948. Construction for the Games involved considerable redevelopment, with an emphasis on sustainability. The main focus was a new 200-hectare (490-acre) Olympic Park, constructed on a former industrial site in Stratford, East London. The Games also used venues that already existed before the bid. The United States topped the medal table, winning the most gold medals (48) and the highest number of medals overall (105). China finished second with a total of 91 medals (38 gold) and Great Britain came third with 65 medals overall (29 gold). Michael Phelps of the United States became the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, winning his 22nd medal. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei entered women athletes for the first time, meaning that every currently eligible country has now sent a female competitor to at least one Olympic Games. Women's boxing was included for the first time, and the 2012 Games became the first at which every sport had women competitors. The Games received considerable praise for their organisation, with the volunteers, the British military and public enthusiasm commended particularly highly. The Games were described as "happy and glorious." The opening ceremony, directed by Academy Award winner Danny Boyle, received widespread acclaim. These were the final Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Belgian Jacques Rogge, who was succeeded by German Thomas Bach the next year. During the London Olympics in 2012, I was 28 years old.
The women's 100m race had strong competition. In the preliminary round, Toea Wisil was the most impressive, winning with a relaxed 11.60 into a -1.6 mps wind, while Noor Hussain Al-Malki's Olympic experience lasted just the first steps out of the blocks before she pulled up. Qualifying into the next rounds, Wisil beat triple world champion Allyson Felix and the rest of her heat out of the blocks and came with in .05 of reaching the semi-final round, from the previously unqualified preliminary round. Carmelita Jeter ran hard for her second-best time of the season to lead the round. Her training partner Blessing Okagbare left an impression by outrunning Tianna Madison for the second best time. Defending champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce exerted minimal effort to secure the fourth best qualifying time. The semi-final round qualifiers was a virtual mirror image of the previous evening's heats, the same top athletes with Jeter again posting a 10.83 and 11.01, the number 8 time. Ezinne Okparaebo's Norwegian national record 11.10 left her two places out of qualifying. After many heats, Carmelita Jeter made the finals of the women's 100m race on August 4, 2012. That race has some of the greatest women track and field sprinters of all time.
In the final, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce led from the gun. She was quickest from the blocks with Jeter in close pursuit, and she ultimately leaned at the finish line for a narrow victory to defend her title. Veronica Campbell Brown added to her career medal haul with the bronze medal. Jeter's time was the fastest non-winning time in Olympic history. In fact, all non-winning places 2-4 were the fastest for that place. This was the second race in history to place 5 runners under 10.90 (the other being the 1992 Olympic final). Only the third in history to place two under 10.80 (the others being the 1999 World Championships and the 2009 World Championships 100m final).
Carmelita competed in the 200m race too. This was a powerful race. Carmelita won bronze, Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce won silver, and Allyson Felix won gold with a time of 21.88 seconds. This race was special for Allyson Felix as it was her first gold medal in the 200m. The relay race of the 4 X 100m was one of the greatest relay races in human history. On the first leg of the final, Tianna Madison was able to hold her own against the double 100-metre gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Allyson Felix put the USA into the lead, extended by Bianca Knight around the turn. At the final handoff to individual 100-metre silver medalist Carmelita Jeter, the team enjoyed a 3-metre lead. Secure in the handoffs, Jeter sped to the finish, noticing the time and pointing at the clock before the finish line. Carmelita Jeter at the end of the race helped the USA women's team to win gold in an Olympic world record time. Carmelita Jeter won her first Olympic gold medal in the 4X100m relay women's race. Her teammates were Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight, Jenba Tarmoh, and Lauryn Williams. They won the race on August 10, 2012. The team of Jamaica won silver and the team of Ukraine won bronze. The USA team had a time of 40.82 seconds. Carmelita Jeter celebrated with her beautiful black track athlete friends and said, "We did it." They did it by hard work. After the 2012 London Summer Olympics, Carmelita Jeter increased her prestige as one of the icons of track and field indeed.
This year is the 80th year anniversary of the Korean War. The Korean War is one of the most unsung, mysterious wars in human history, because many people don't know what the war was about. Yet, tons of heroic people fought in the war. The war technically never ended as both sides signed an armistice on July 27, 1953, at Panmunjeom, which sits on the heavily militarized border between North and South Korea. The agreement left Korea divided by the Demilitarized Zone or DMZ that stretches across the peninsula. The war started at the start of the Cold War. The Cold War was an ideological and military war between capitalism and communism. Many nations of color joined the Non-Aligned movement to try to be independent of America and the Soviet Union. After World War II, Western imperialists made an artificial division of Korea along the 38th parallel. Conflict happened after the 1949 Chinese Revolution. The Korean caused mass casualties and economic ruin in both Koreas, and 36,940 Americans were killed. About 520,000 Northern Koreans, 415,004 Southern Korean soldiers, and nearly 900,000 Chinese troops were killed too. To start, Korea was ruled by Japan as early as 1910 after Japan defeated the Tsarist Russia in the 1905 Russo-Japanese War. America and the Soviets wanted Korea to be part of a trusteeship by May 1945. Stalin and Truman agreed to divide Korea into North and South by the 38th parallel via the Potsdam Conference (which happened from July to August 1945). The problem is that much of South Korea's leadership after WWII had far-right factions headed by Syngman Rhee. Stalinists allowed the U.S. military occupation of South Korea (in refusing to recognize the provisional government of the PRK or the People's Republic of Korea). The PKK wanted social reforms like land distribution, protecting the rights of workers, etc. North Korea was influenced by Stalin. According to scholar I. F. Stone, the CIA said that American intelligence knew that conditions in Korea could cause an invasion soon. There were North and South Korea having clashes against each other as early as 1949 with armed incursions (with the South attacking the North and later the North attacking the South). There was a military buildup by North Korean military forces, and then North Korea invaded South Korean lands. The war lasted for about three years, and it changed the Cold War and world history forever.
By Timothy
