UNPFII

The UNPFII ( United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues) is an organization based out of the UN to target issues specific to Indigenous peoples. Many members of this organization are indigenous people themselves and unfortunately they spend most of their time talking about the issues instead of just dealing with them within their own nations. I do not get why Canada has anything to do with this program. The creation of this organization is only going to make the difference between indigenous peoples and other people in the country larger by make them more distinctly different. indigenous peoples should learn to adapt to their changing world instead of holding on to the past.
The UNPFII meets for two weeks out of the year, what are they doing with the rest of the year? not much obviously because the "Issues" only seem to get worse and worse according to them. It would seem pretty stupid that any government is paying people to discuss issues for a tiny fraction of the year and then do nothing about it. This money could be far better used to just solve the issues that are obvious. Canada has some grasp over this idea because they voted against the declaration of the rights of indigenous peoples.
It seems to me that the entire point of the UNPFII is to try and make indigenous peoples look better somehow and convince governments that they deserve special treatment somehow. This is ridiculous as all peoples should be treated equally. The indigenous people of many countries are simply not willing to change with the rest of the world believing that they don't need to change, and they don't really. If the whine enough about their problems governments will just give them what they want so they'll shut up. This is how it works in Canada at least.
Change is the word of our times, everything around us is changing at such a alarming rate that it's hard to keep up with it all. Many indigenous peoples are not used to this state of constant change and simply cannot keep up, this isn't their faults entirely. By putting them on reserves we've basically put them aside to fend for themselves, and that was just peachy 100 years ago, but now it is simply impossible for indigenous people to live the same lives they have been living in todays world, so they are expected to make 100 years of change up instantly. It cant be done, plain and simple. This is partly governments fault for in a way, holding indigenous cultures back by not allowing them to merge with other societies and cultures. It is also the peoples fault for not pushing for this until now, they've waited until it was to late to try and make nessacary changes and they expect it (the catch-up process) to be easy and pain-free because they want others to do it for them.
In summary the UNPFII isnt really doing anything for the world, I could not find one thing on their website that actually changed something in a nation or raised awareness, I hadnt even heard of the UNPFII until today.

The Silk Road

The Silk Road had a massive impact on the development of Europe, ranging from the Romans to the Renaissance. Culture and vital technology were shared by these routes that without, we may still have been living in a feudal society. Many goods were also traded obviously that enhanced the lives of both the Europeans and those they traded with. But with the sharing of these cultures and religions came conflict with led to wars such as the crusades.

While traders traversed the silk road (although very few went from one end to another) they passed by and stayed amongst cultures that were far different from their own, many of these traders that experienced these different traditions and ideas brought them back home with them. For example the Chinese were the first to effectively use gunpowder, and without the silk road this incredible advancement in warfare would have not been available to Europeans for hundreds of years. The printing press which allowed thinkers to get their radical new ideas about freedom and rebellion against the Catholic church was also first developed in Asia. The people of Europe took the idea and applied it to their own lives. Without either of these things, Europe could have very well been the same old society we read about in history books still.

Silk was not the only thing that was traded on the Silk Road. Many other valuable products made their way across the Route for the gain of all who were involved, although most of the benefit does go to Europe. Spices that allowed food that had been salted in order to preserve it to still have some taste to it, a big plus to the lives of those who could afford to have spices shipped half way around the world. Medicines were also traded which have very obvious value in that they extended the lives of those who could get a hold of them. Pottery was also traded by those in the middle east for products that both the Europeans and the Asians had, this allowed middle eastern nations to develop along side their neighbours and remain in control of their lands.

While some traders brought back the ideas and traditions that they had learned on the Silk Road, some opposed them and tried to force their ideas upon the natives of the land. This resulted in Major conflicts. Through the Silk Road, leaders of the Christians in Europe learned that the "Holy Land" or Israel was under control of the Arabs, They couldn't just let that sit could they? So they sent their great armies to go and reclaim it and thus the crusades began. If the silk road had not existed, how would they have learned of these things? Also, how did these armies get to the Holy Land? Most likely through the trade routes of the Silk Road. Even today, these same conflicts still exist, and it all started on the Silk Road.

As you can see The Silk Road has played not just any ordinary role in the development of Europe from its medieval Society to the modern place it is today, but a lead role that we couldn't have lived without. Now we have many other ways of transporting goods such as air travel and new sea routes, but we also have the ways needed to transport ideas across the land through the media. The effects of the Silk Road are still in effect today, the middle east is in chaos because some are still trying to force those same ideals upon the people, and the people will still not accept them.