Humanities 8 Jonathan

What is Power?

2009-05-17T23:25:00.000-07:00

“Power is the ability to do or act; the capability of doing or accomplishing something” is the definition stated by Dictionary.com. The list of definitions goes on and on but I really think this first definition really says it all. Putting the definition in my own words I would say that power is the ability to choose and control the life of oneself and or the lives of other people through many different aspects such as politics, economy, and personal life. As I said before the three main topics I am going to explain are power in politics, economy, and personal life.

First off politics, politics can be great and it can be horrible. Politics and high government jobs can give so much power to people it can be very dangerous. One example is the Second World War and their outcomes. So much power was given to Hitler that he was able to take an entire nation under his one control and do with it as he saw fit. Second politics lets people decide if o their country is going to take over a neighboring country and steal or help that country. I really put this point in here to help my next point of the ability to change lifestyles. When the British marched into India and many other countries they enforced their own lifestyle, religion, and many other aspects of life upon that nation. They changed the way people lived and made a living which leads to my next topic Economy.

Economy is a major player in dishing out lots of the worlds power. It can place a massive amount of power on one person one day and then take it away and distribute it somewhere else. My first point is the Industrial Revolution; this one event created many millionaires, countries, and businesses that have had some of the most power in the history of the world. One example is Carnegie Steel; this one company was the leading producer and supplier for most of the world’s steel in that time. The industrial revolution also as stated earlier created many of the world’s millionaires/ billionaires and with money usually comes some power along with it. Capitalism is my second example that economy gives large amounts of power but capitalism spreads the power a bit more equally but not perfectly. It allows people to try and gain as much power as they can get. But they can also crash and have nothing left. My last example communism has a very different affect it spreads all power so equally that in the end no one really has any power. This can both be good and bad. It can be good because no one can do anything to downgrade anyone else but it can be bad because no one can do anything if something very horrible happens and someone with a lot of power is supposed to deal with it.

My last point of power is the power over personal lives. Power is the main factor for someone to be able to run their own life. If no one had any power over themselves than we would be able to wake up in the morning and do anything someone else would have to tell us to do it. My second example is the kind of job someone gets. If someone has no power over their life then they could end up doing something completely worthless to themselves and or to society. Power is an essential that is needed in everyone’s life to have a normal life and to live the life that they want to live.

So overall I believe that power is the ability to choose and control your own life and or the lives of others. I proved this through showing the power given and taken by politics, economies, and life. Where would we be without power?

Control or Power?- The Giver

2009-05-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

I picked the theme of control because my book, The Giver, has many instances that relate to control. First the people don’t have memories and the community chooses and gives them everything that they need in their lives. The community has also been able to take all feelings that people have for other people even the family unit that they live with. The founders of the community even went as far as too control the landscape and weather. In the begging of the community there must have been some control but now it just seems to have slipped away. There are a group of elders that may decide the outcome on a couple of problems but for the most part not even they have any control over anything at all. In the novel it seems as though the whole idea of control or the concept has been taken away but control still lives on in the people’s lives. The only person in the entire novel that has any control what so ever is the giver and the receiver both of which at some times have memories and can choose to make decisions about their lives. Control is the main theme in this novel even though at times there doesn’t seem to be any control at all.

Population Project

2009-05-04T01:06:00.000-07:00

The three most important things i learned during POP are that saving your work to the last day before the paper is due is very risky and bad. Second i learned that the earlier you get something done especially research the better. And lastly, plan before you start to actually work or write a paper or project. And the value that i think i will take away from this project and use later in my life is the value of planning before i start to work.

Net Affect of Globolization

2009-05-02T06:28:00.000-07:00

"Globalization" is the growth integration of economies and societies around the world-The World Bank. Globalization is such a complex thing that you could look at so many aspects of it and still find something new to look at. So i am going to focus on the positives and negatives of globalization.

Their are quite a few positives to globalization and many of them have to do with the economy. First globalization creates new jobs in many newly formed and growing counties. It also helps with the production of goods at lower cost which then turns into lower costs for consumers in the world. It also helps by taking machines and ideas to new places to be used and improved upon by the people. But globalization doesn't just help the economy it also helps the over all world by bringing new ideas and ways of life to many countries and helps people to know more about the world as a whole.

Now even though globalization does many great things around the world that are almost too numerous to mention it can also cause great problems. Globalization has started to spread so rapidly that it would be very hard to control it. I said earlier that globalization helps the economy of countries and it does but the way it helps doesn’t always benefit the workers of the country. Many businesses will outsource and offshore many jobs that used to be in the country that the business was based in and many people of that country had jobs in that business. But as the businesses outsource and offshore many of those jobs start to disappear. The whole spread of ideas is great for the world but globalization has almost taken it too far. Some countries are starting to loss their own cultures because they try to hard to adapt to the western way of life. Globalization is starting to make it so you almost have to have a western way of life to fit in and that is not good.

Picture site:http://www.ykuusa.org/english/whycross/

Technology and School

2009-04-20T00:18:00.000-07:00

The main visual elements of this cartoon are the mom and dad and the small kids faces and the writing at the bottom. This cartoon i think is trying to say that technology is becoming to depended on for kids and maybe even schools. I think the cartoonist feels that kids use to much technology and don't trouble to take the time to talk to especially their parents about their lives. Some evidence that supports my theory is the way the parents look at the kid and that the word "tell" in the writing is underlined. This cartoon ironic because the younger kid is the person that is using technology and the older parents don't seem to want to even though most people would think that the parents would use more technology and the young kid wouldn't. The cartoon relates to our study because its showing how technology is being used by the newer generation and it shows the conflict between the two generations. I think that if the cartoonist could have shown that the kid was using technology maybe even at the table it could have enhanced the affect.

picture source:www.sandiegohomeblog.com

PoP Worktime Plan

2009-04-13T01:52:00.000-07:00

Monday 13- Talk to Mr.Coyle about my plan and where I am at and then do some more overall research for my project. Get more research at home and then start to put it all together.

Tuesday 14- Do a bit more research and then start to put my outline together. Finish my outline at home if not finished in class.

Wednesday 15- start to write my first draft of my research paper. Finish at home

Thursday 16- I will revise my first draft and start to make corrections for my second draft. Finish my second draft and revise at home.

Friday 17- Work on my data analysis

What is Technology?

2009-03-23T01:46:00.000-07:00

I believe that technology is the objects that we create to help us accomplish things much quicker and with more ease . The top five most important technologies that are used most often these days are computers, cell phones, internet, televisions, and cars. The five least important technologies used these days are automatic dog food dispenser, instant coffee, small electric water heaters, hair dryers, and electric shavers. I feel that in AES we use a lot of technology and i feel that we use just thr right amount of technology. I also feel that we use all technology that we have in AES justly and right. Although at rare times someone is caught using technology wrongly i think AES is very good at controlling all technology use in the school.

Vonnegut and Technology

2009-03-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

I agree and disagree with Vonnegut's statement about technology. First on the context of me agreeing with Vonnegut's i do agree that at times many people in this world rely to heavily on technology to get through every day life. But then I also think that lots of technology is very helpful in this day and time and i think that a lot of technology that has been created is very helpful as in the technology for health care. On the the exact quote said by Vonnegut about how the computer wont help you become but you are supposed to become by yourself, I think that the computer can help you become in some aspects of your life but not many. So overall i agree with Vonnegut's statement, but i don't feel so strongly against technology in general. I really like technology and feel that it is a good thing to have. So just recapping I feel that Vonnegut's statement about the computer is right but i disagree with the statement that technology is bad.

End of Quarter 3 Feedback

2009-03-16T01:54:00.000-07:00

I believe that I greatly achieved all of my goals for quarter 3. First i have seen that my spelling has improved because I rarely have to use spell check anymore and i am more confident writing on my own. My second goal was to get better grades on big projects and i believe that i met that goal because I got A's-B's on almost all my projects and I really feel i put more work into them. And lastly i believe that i have really been able to practice for basketball and still keep my grades up. An example is my dad and I used to go to the gym every Tuesday and Thursday mornings to practice basketball and i was still able to keep my grades in the A to B range.

My first goal for quarter 4 is to get done with UBD before the due date for every piece that is due before my individual portfolio is due. My second goal is to get my data analysis and expansion option for UBD done and to get a good start on my research paper done before spring break. My last goal is too get all my UBD stuff done and get a good grade in all my classes while doing middle school basketball.

Oxymoron "Holy War"

2009-03-08T22:09:00.000-07:00

"Holy War" I believe is an oxymoron because the word holy by many peoples beliefs means peaceful and calm and without stress or perfect. But war seems to be the complete opposite from that. War to me means pain, suffering, hardship, chaos, and many other bad things which have very different and sometimes opposite meanings then the words that describe holy. I also think the reason that there are so many conflicts around the world that have to do with religion is because the people that practice the religion find it to hard to accept that other people follow other religions. And so they go to very high lengths to try to convert or protect their religion. Another reason that religious wars are fought even though the religion tells against killing is people don't always take comments or actions as other people do so they may react in a way that triggers a war.

WWIII

2009-02-22T19:12:00.000-08:00

I don't believe that there will be a WWIII in my life time because many countries are working hard against lots of threats in the world. I also believe that their will not be a WWIII because of the United Nations, they would be a major obstacle to get by before a world war ever started. I believe that the UN could stop a world war from stopping because so many countries have joined it and they are working together. Also many countries in the world are at peace with one another with treaties together. Their are a few countries who seem to be against the world like N.Korea, Russia, and a couple others but other than that I believe the world operates quit peacefully.

Another big reason I feel that their wont be another world war is many countries are not at all ready to go into a massive war and loss catastrophic amounts of people in a war. An example is India they are going through a economic boost right now and if they were forced into a war all that progress may very well be lost. Nuclear weapons is another problem with a world war because once someone starts using a weapon that deadly the rest of the world has to think about if they want to start using weapons that if all of them are used the world will be left in ruins. And so all in all i do not believe their will be a third world war in my life time.

Anne Frank Descusion Response

2009-02-17T00:21:00.000-08:00

Question:In her diary Anne opined: “…if you’re wondering if it’s harder for the adults here than for the children, the answer is no…Older people have an opinion about everything and are sure of themselves and their actions. It’s twice as hard for us young people to hold on to our opinions at a time when ideals are being shattered…” (July 15, 1944.) Do you agree or disagree with this quote? When was the last time that you experienced the “shattering” of an ideal?

I agree strongly with Anne's thoughts and think that this is a very true point of view. I think that because many adults can easily make many decisions and stick to them without question because they are older and more mature. A kid may at times make up their mind but then go back upon that thought because of something that they saw or heard. I also believe that Anne was right because parents have the ability to make a decisions upon their strong beliefs that they have already made up in their minds. So overall i think Anne was very right and i strongly agree with her.

WWII Letter of War

2009-02-12T07:34:00.000-08:00

Normandy US Army Camp Regiment 65
6/20/1944

Dear Family,
Hey everyone, how are you all doing? I miss you all so much and can’t wait to see you all again. Well you probably have all heard that we broke through the Nazi front about twenty days ago. I am currently still on the beach in my camp and is waiting for reinforcements before my regiment moves on. There is much celebration and joy, but rations are low and times are hard. The weather has been okay not great but not horrible. Rain is so often in this part of the world. I am currently staying in a tent with all of my regiment. It is a bit cramped but I'll survive.

I remember little Joshe's question in your last letter about what war is like and I'm going to try my best to answer it. War isn't a game as I thought it was so many years ago. People really do die. I remember when our landing craft opened its door the two front row of men just fell down dead almost immediately. Getting to the shore was even harder. The water splashed into our faces over and over again blinding our vision. When you got to land you had to find cover quickly or you where a dead man, Nazi machine guns torn through rank after rank of men before my eyes. In about thirty minutes the beach was covered in bodies. The Nazis also used heavy and light artillery to keep any big help from reaching shore. It took a while but we finally pulled through. Thank god for the 13,000 paratroopers who had landed before us behind enemy lines to weaken the Nazis. Also the planes that dropped bomb after bomb to knock out the reinforcements and supplies were a large help. I don’t really think we would have won without them.

Some good news is the Allies have broken almost all the way to Paris now and the Nazis are retreating quickly. The soviets have them cornered and are pressing hard on them so I hope I will be home soon. Also many little bands of freedom fighters have starting to fight back as well. It’s a big help. We took over a concentration camp last week and the sight was just horrible. There were humans who did not even look to be living. It felt so good to help a fellow American out of that camp. I hope to be home soon and to tell you even more but for right now I love you and wish you the best of luck.

Love,
Jonathan

Picture cite:http://www.rjgeib.com/heroes/draper/german-point-of-view.html

WWII Recipe

2009-02-10T04:14:00.000-08:00

1 pound of failure of the treaty of Versailles
7 gallons of hatred
10 tablespoons of fascism and military
5 cups of Hitler
2 tablespoons of regret and appeasement
3 teaspoons of the failure of the league of nations
1 cup of treaties
3 quarts of backstabbing
4 tablespoons of ignorance
1 big heap of lust for power
Bake for 6 years and you've got your World War

Bowl 1.
First put the failure of the treaty of Versailles into a mixing bowl and let it thaw from its chunk of ice for five minuets. When you come back there will be seven cups of hatred in the bowl, mix thoroughly. Then sprinkle the five cups of Hitler evenly, as if you were putting the last sprinkles on a cake, and watch the reaction. Wait until the whole bowl has turned into the color of the Hitler then add the fascism and military as quick as a cheetah runs. Add half the treaties into this bowl and then add the backstabbing 5 minuets later. Lastly put int the lust quickly and let it sit for a while about five minuets then mix with second bowl.

Bowl 2.
In another bowl put in the regret and appeasement of the western nations and then add the failure of the league of nations without a second thought.Add the last half of the treaties into this bowl. Mix in the ignorance, like two paints combined to create a new color, and let it sit till you are ready with first bowl.

Final instructions:
Mix both bowls together and then place in a mixer and mix for 10 minuets or until the mixture starts to harden like a rock and then quickly place it in a cake tin and bake for six years. By the end the six years the cake will be done and finished.

AF Movie Critique

2009-02-09T01:34:00.000-08:00

I thought the movie was pretty good but I didn't quite get the sense that i got when i read the book. The book seemed to have things happen in a more relaxed pace while i thought the movie moved to quickly. Also the movie change parts of the book to adapt to what the movie wanted. A big thing was Mollie, in the movie their wasn't even a character for Mollie but in the book Mollie played a major part. She pretty much started the animals on thinking the new government might not be as good as they think its is.
Also when Napoleons dogs chased Snowball out of the farm in the book he was able to get away but in the movie the dogs killed him. Old major dies earlier in the movie and Moses didn't really have any impression at all. Another major difference is at the very end of the movie the animals rebelled against Napoleon and took back the farm but in the book that never happens. So overall I thought that this movie gets a thumbs up but not two.

AF Character

2009-02-01T19:26:00.000-08:00

I feel that I am like squealer for the most part but there is a part of Boxer in me. First for squealer i am like him because we are both cunning in the way we get people to do what we want. Also we are both social in the way that we both talk to people a lot, but why we talk to people is different. And last we are both smart. The part of me that is Boxer is the working part because we both work until we feel content and wont settle for anything less. Another part is we both work for the better of the people around us and try to make life better for the people we care for.

Tyranny, injustice, and self-determintation in Animal Farm

2009-01-26T23:30:00.000-08:00

Tyranny- The way someone or something rules a society usually by force and or power
Injustice- the opposite of right or something that is wrong usually committed through a action
Self-determination- the ability to shape ones own future without influence

I think that these words contribute to animal farm greatly because first the animals feel they are being ruled in a tyranny because farmer Jones always locked them up and made them do chores. Second the animals felt like they were being treated unjustly and were being forced to do what farmer Jones wanted to make them do even if they didn't want to do it. And last the animals wanted to be able to live there own life's without having to be told what to do and to appoint their own leader.

The Trench

2009-01-22T02:00:00.000-08:00

Life in the trenches was never easy,

Our first attack was hard

And the night after was even harder

We had guards up night and day

Waiting for that one moment when

All would turn to chaos like the sea when a hurricane hits

One day the captain told us to line up

We all knew it would come sooner or later

The over the top attack or as we called it “Running from the Devil”

My squad was lucky; we got to take a side trail,

It eventually leads up to no-man’s land, and was still dangerous

But hay it was better than having to hop up to hell

We fought and fought for what seemed like months,

I started to notice that the enemy was dropping back, yes what a relief

Then I turn around to witness what I had forgotten

We had lost men too, and were also moving back

“Would it always be like this, never ending like the sea of stars we look up at every night” I thought

And so with my last reserve of energy left I start the long walk back to the Trench

Cites:

www.firstaif.info/42/images-42/trench-warfare.jpg

http://personal.monm.edu/JDRENDEL/Trench%20Warfare.htm

http://www.harris-academy.com/departments/history/Trenches/Joanna/joanna1.htm

http://herstory07.wordpress.com/2008/05/25/more-like-a-monday/

http://history.howstuffworks.com/world-war-i/christmas-truce.htm

http://www.old-picture.com/civil-war/Warfare-Trench.htm

Miltary In My Life

2009-01-19T01:05:00.000-08:00

I come from the US so i dont have to serve but i can if I want to. I would join if the US joined in a war that i belived in and if it was the right thing to do. But if the US joined a war that was pointless and i didnt belive what they were doing was right then i probably wouldnt join. Another reason why I would join the army is if my country really needed me. I am thinking about doing a couple years in the army before college but that thought is still being decided. So over all I think the army may have a bit of influenc in my life but i am still not sure about it.

Great Powers Game Cartoon

2009-01-12T01:33:00.000-08:00

This cartoon has quite a few visual elements such as all the different people shaking hands that are wearing different clothes to represent different countries. Also it looks as though a lot of the people are holding on to a piece of paper i assume to be treaties. Some groups have more hands and are giving out more alliances then others. Although there is one group that are shaking hands and another not shaking hands with anyone. I think this cartoon represents the alliances that everyone makes with as many people as they can as to protect themselves. I cant seem to tell what the author thinks of this topic because he shows a girl crying which is negative but everyone else seems to be happy which is good. I think the cartoonist could have included more types of treaties and packs like one country that is firmly shaking someones had or two countries just kind of staring at one another to show weariness. I think this cartoon relates to the Great powers game because it shows how everyone was making alliances to protect themselves and to plan to take someone else out.

Great Powers Game Debrief

2009-01-09T02:56:00.000-08:00

1. I was the USA. It felt cool being in control of what one counrty does or buys. I think the larger countries had the advantige because they started with more economic points, and i was at the top because the US is quite large.
2. I think it is important to buy colonies and industries because they boost your econmic power which is the desicsion maker for the winner.
3. I think i really did well building up my economy and still buying enough armies to defend. Differently i would have bought more colonies at the begining of the game.
4.Most of my allies did well until myself and my strongest allie turned on them and won it all, so in the begging they help in the end they hurt. I dont really think you can trust allies untill the share alot with you and you do the same.
5. Conflict is not always the way to go, conflict can have big affects on your economy, and you can loose alot in warfare.

Feedback for Quarter 2- Quarter 3 Goals

2009-01-05T21:07:00.000-08:00

I believe that i did fairly well with my goals but i would like to still improve my spelling just a slight bit more. But for the other two goals i think i got them down. I am definitely a more confident writer and with the blog entries the writing seems to come more comfortably and i don't as often not be able to think of anything to write.

The goals i have for this quarter are first i want to be a greater speller. Second i would like to work a bit harder on big projects so i can get a better grade on bigger stuff and not just a bunch of little assignments. Third and last i would really like to become more active in preparation for fourth quarter middle school basketball but still keep my grades up at the same time.

Net Affect of Imperialism in Africa

2008-11-30T19:08:00.000-08:00

Overall I would have to say that Imperialism did not help Africa very much but it did help with some aspects of the African countries.
Positives:
Made railroads
Sea Ports
Telegraph lines
New ways to get power
Steam Engine
New Government
New Skills
Schools built Racism
Cleanness improved
New areas discovered

Negatives:
Lots of people killed
Slavery
Culture was destroyed
Old Economies destroyed
Resources stolen
Empires destroyed
Way of life was diminished
Racism

South Africa Current Event 3

2008-11-19T00:05:00.000-08:00

Link:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7723171.stm

Schools in South Africa are on a bad route. If they continue to decline at the rate they're going they will turn into very bad and crummy schools. Katlehong Technical High students are very hopeful to pass the end of the year passing exam. Last year a meas ling 16% actually passed the exam to move on last year. Many people blame the government for hiring foreign teachers who fled because of the Zimbabwe business. The Principle of the Katlehong High says the failure of the school has come because of the lack of special teachers. Lots of parents are starting to complain and get woried. The government is trying to fix this but ti is hard.

This story is news worhty because of the school crissis an entire geniration may be uneducated and that will have catastrofic affects apon the country.

Southern Africa Today

2008-11-18T23:39:00.000-08:00

South Africa has become a stable region with some good economies and governments. Some are still struggling thought but they are trying to fix their problems. A major problem that has hurt Southern Africa is apartheid. South Africa has put up sanctions to stop this but other countries don't like this very much and have retaliated harshly. Other countries such as Lesothe and Swaziland have to deal with enclave which means they are surrounded by hostile territory. Some of the main problems with Southern Africa right now are poverty, unemployment, disease mainly HIV aids, enviromental destruction. The AU or African Union is try all they can to help with stopping these problems. So over all Southern Africa has some problems but their booming economy and governments make up for those losses.

Imperializm Cartoon

2008-11-17T00:13:00.000-08:00

The main visual elements to this cartoon are there is a large foot print on the nation of Africa which seems to have made the ground under it like a desert or unusable and unwanted. I feel this cartoon is trying to tell us that what the European countries did in Africa was wrong and was unhelpful as if the foot print Europe made was devastating and wrong. I think the cartoonist views are they are against what Europe did.
I think he or she feels this way because the foot print seems to be doing something bad to the country. I also think the cartoonist could have shown the shoe that made the print leaving with a lot of resources stuck to the bottom of the shoe.

Culture and History in Southern Africa

2008-11-16T23:49:00.000-08:00

The cultures of southern Africa are very complex and interesting. Before the major European countries came into Africa and took over chunks of land, Africa was a thriving nation. In 1400s a tribe called the Shona was at its peak. It was a leading tribe and had many achievements, such as Great Zimbabwe. The Great Zimbabwe was made in 1100s and was the capital of the Shonas nation. It was a great trading post and city. It eventually fell in power in the 1500s when gold was not traded as much as it used to be and that was its main export. By the end of that time the dutch and moved in and taken over. When the dutch came so did new ideas. Many dutch ideas where taken and combined with the african ways to creat a new people the the Afrikaners and the Boers. These two groups lived peacfully until the british came and started to take land for themselves. A nother tribe the Zulus rose in power in this time period but were also defeated by the British. Slavery was introduced and many peoples lives were thrown into poverty. In the early 1900s The South Africa's government became very racist. There were laws put up against peopel of different cultures and the people were split up into these four groups whites, blacks, Coloureds, and Asians. The system went like this blacks on the bottom the coloureds and asians a little above and the whites on top. This all changed in 1960 when many colonies of people tried to and succeded in gaining independence. One group of people fought the british for ten years and finally won independence this area is now know as Zimbabwe. Other countries followed and finally the nation of Africa was made.

Scramble For Africa

2008-11-14T03:45:00.000-08:00

1. My strategy for taking land was take land in chunks don't just get a square here and a square there.

2. The main factor that I considered when taking land was did it have resources, did it have value to other teams, and was it one of our countries goals to get.

3. I would have to say that a lot of teams won per say but i cant really tell because each team had different goals but if its just who got the most land i would say a tie between Germany and Great Britain.

4. I dont think anyone lost because people had different main objectives but if by how much land they got well than Spain lost.

South Africa Current Event 2

2008-11-13T02:55:00.000-08:00

Linkhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7725548.stm

In this article the writer is talking about how in Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe is being pushed to start up a government. This issue was pressed to him on November 12. The original idea of a joint government that Mugabe is being pushed to start was made up by the regional group Sadc. Many people would like Mugabe to follow this plan because they think it is the best plan and every day that goes by without a government more people fall into chaos and get closer to death.

This story is news worthy because first the country that is in trouble is in my region so the other countries in the region have to deal with it. Second it has drawn some major groups such as the UN into this problem. Third if this problem in the article is not solved it could have some very large affects on the country of Zimbabwe.

Physical Geography of South Africa

2008-11-11T21:45:00.000-08:00

Southern Africa is a environmentally rich region with a great physical geography. If you visited this region you may see oozy swamps, grassy plains, rivers, waterfalls, great deserts, and steep mountains and plateaus. Many of the people who have based their lives in this region have found great shelter on these plateaus. Some of the many other physical features of these lands are the Drakensberg and Inyanga mountain ranges. There are also a few rivers including the Okavango and Limpopo rivers. It is here that many of the wild life of this region such as lions, elephants, zebras, hippos, and crocodiles come to live there lives. There are also large forests that contain numerouse species of lemur on the island madagsacar. Rivers spread across the region have made sertain areas lush and livly. Other rivers that have dried up in the past have left large amounts of minerals in the desrts that are now there. Also many gold and diamond mines are spread around the region helping the countries in these regions economies. So overall Southern Africa is a very rich enviroment and is a very nice place to visit.

Can we trust the book "To Be A Slave"

2008-11-10T19:19:00.000-08:00

Yes I think we can trust the book to be a slave. First the book has won a lot of awards for being a good book and has won a famous award called the Newbery Honor award. Second the book has many different sources of information which are listed at the end of every clipping of writing from that source. Third he had gotten hold of written interviews from slaves back before the slave trade was abolished so he was able to get many points of views. One reason we might not be able to trust him is because his ancestors were slaves so he might have a strong dislike of slavery and might over exaggerate. So over all i think we can trust this book.

African Current Event 1

2008-11-09T23:26:00.000-08:00

I am doing the news story of how Zimbabwe's two governmental parties have refused to work together on the disputed home affairs ministry.

In a meeting of governments of southern Africa a summit of southern African leaders told Zimbabwe's two governmental parties to share the disputed home affairs ministry. Mr. Morgan Tsvangiria rejected this plan strongly and said that there is no sharing, swapping, or rotation of ministries. He said that the situation was the government party that had won an election was being kind enough to let the losing party to even be part of thew government. He also said that himself and his party are still willing to "power share" control with the opposition. The South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, who also chaired at the summit agreed that "power sharing" was the only way to go. Many people are getting anxious about the political dead lock and Mr. Tsvangiria says that if it keeps up that possibly a million Zimbabweans could die.

This article is realated to Zimbabwe because it talks all about the plitical lock down of the country, what the problems are, and what the consequences could be. It also talks about what the two political parties have been doing to try to get a more effecinat government. Many other countries are trying to help Zimbabwe in any way they can, they are also trying to creat ways that the plans of the two governments could work together.

Link to artical:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7718989.stm

Violence leads to more violence

2008-11-09T05:01:00.001-08:00

I really fell what this quote is saying is exactly what it says. As people start to create or get involved in violence more violence will begin to happen due to the rising amount of people involved or this violence opens up a reason for more violence. A example form Julius Caesar is when the conspirators kill Caesar Antony and Octavius start a war with the conspirators. A now a days time example is Russia invading Georgia, Russia seemed to invade because people were stirred up about the war in Iraq.

5 Themes Of Geography

2008-11-06T21:57:00.000-08:00

I think this picture shows the 5 themes of geography.
First movement, all the people going to see the statue of liberty. Also the man in the picture has a Jesus shirt showing that religion has spread.
Region is that there are many trees in this area and that many people come too visit here.
Human environment interaction is people had to cut down many trees to put up the structures.
Location is 69 degrees west and 47 degrees north.
Place is the statue is on an island.

Brutus's Dilemma

2008-10-20T00:16:00.000-07:00

If I were Brutus and I had to choose between my friends and my country, I would have to choose my friends because I think I would like to see where my friend could take Rome and what he would do with the country. Even if Caesar started to hurt Rome I think I would have a close enough relationship with him to change his opinion like Cassius said in 1:2:329. But then there is my standing with the people that I have to keep up like in 2:1:47-60. I understand fully that my decision could be the wrong one, and there could be very bad consequences but I don't really think that if things got really out of hand I could not do something to stop them. So in the end I think I would have to side with Caesar.

Leader

2008-10-13T00:41:00.000-07:00

I say the qualities of a good leader are someone who has influence in other people and can make people do what they want in a non-violence way. They also usually have experience and have a good idea of what they are doing. Another good quality of someone who is a leader is they are friendly and make friends easily. They usually have a funny and outgoing personality. I really think Aysha is a leader in AES because she has a good personality and is very friendly. Another person is Sophia because she has this way of getting people to do just what she wants people to do. I think I am a leader because I am so outgoing.

Imperialism

2008-10-13T00:23:00.000-07:00

As the different spokes people were talking I realized that Britain seemed to do almost the almost same thing in every country they conquered. They conquered for land, resources, protection, glory, religious reasons, and because they could. The British usually came into power using the military and then shut off the countries economy. Once they did that they started to force the people to make them items they could send back to England to make into products and sell back at that country. they usually tolled the country they were just helping out and would leave soon but then never did. They usually left the country in turmoil and left them to fend for themselves. They also left with people starving and usually took slaves. But Britain did help India and the other countries as well. They usually built schools and taught many children how to read and wright in English. They also built dams, bridges, and canals helping the country. Usually the public health also greatly increased. So overall the British usually did the same thing everywhere they went.

End of Quarter 1 Feedback

2008-10-06T22:32:00.000-07:00

I really think I hit on to my first goal because I read about four books this quarter and i am very proud of that. I also became better friends with Casey and Alex which finishes my second goal and last but not least I greatly improved my vocabulary an d reading skills. I am very proud of myself and hope to become even more confident.

My goals for second quarter are, I would really like to help myself become a better speller, I want to become a more confident writer, and lastly I would like to write very meaningful and professional blog entries.

Political Cartoons

2008-09-22T00:47:00.000-07:00

This cartoon seems to have two people in it, one is a large dictator like person and the other is a small defenseless person who seems to be being harassed. The larger man is strangling the smaller man and money is falling off the small man. The large man is labeled capitalism and the smaller man is labeled labor. I think cartoon was made to show how the system of capitalism seem to be taking as much money as it possibly could out of its workers. I think the cartoonists opinion on the subject is that capitalism is bad and is cheating people out of there money. I think they feel this way about capitalism because they seem to make capitalism look large and scary but the labor looks small, helpless, and in need of help. The cartoonist could have added in another character, like the form of economy they think is right maybe helping the small person out or trying to make capitalism stop shaking the labor.

Image from:
http://depts.washington.edu/labhist/laborpress/images/Socialist Voice

Goals Feedback

2008-09-07T22:12:00.000-07:00

My goals for this quarter were to read more to increase reading skill and vocabulary and to make some new friends with people i didn't really know before. For the first goal I have just started to work on it by reading the book "The Amulet of Samarkand" by Jonathan Stroud so I fell I still have some work to do with that gaol. My second goal I think I've done a little bit better job because in classes I am starting to branch out and work with new people I am also starting to make friends in other grades. So for the most part I feel good about my goals.

Stock Market reflection

2008-09-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

I decided that I really liked and connected with the advice "Don't let your emotions get the best of you," so I decided that I would write about that phrase. I really felt that phrase connected with me because I really go with my emotions and usually do what they tell me to do. Now I know that this is not a good trait for the stock trade because people can get really rapped in their money and then not want to spend it. But to be successful in the stock trade you have to spend to make. Another reason you don't want your emotions to get the best of you is even if your stock yuo just bought suddenly drops it may go back up. But if you let your emotions get the best of you might get so mad you that you sell all your stock without waiting to see if it will go back up.

Industrial Revolution

2008-09-02T02:14:00.000-07:00

Positives things about the industrial revolution are, the economies of the two main countries that caught on to the industrial revolution their economies sky rocketed . People got stable incomes instead of hoping they will sell stuff when they go to the market. Companies were able to grow at faster rates. They were also able to become much better.

There were also some very bad things that came along with the industrial revolution. First child labor became more freak went among factories. The living conditions of workers were not very good and cities became over populated. Then the air conditions of factorized areas went from okay to really bad. Those are some goods and bads about the industrial revolution. Food mainly meat was not clean at all but was being sold on the us market. Working conditions for people became very poor.

Industrial Revolution Reflection 2

2008-08-22T03:56:00.000-07:00

I really liked the activity we did today because it gave me a sense of what maybe people back then went through every day. I also liked it because it was an out of the box way for use to learn something. The first activity we did doesn't even come close to what we did today. On the first activity we made a toy which was relaxing and peaceful. But on the second day we were really pushed around and yelled at t make a product as fast as we could. All in all I personally thought the second day was a lot more fun.

Industrial Revolution activity Response

2008-08-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

I thought that this first activity was a little different from what we have done in the year so far. I liked it because it made us think on our feet about making something realistic but still something a kid would be fascinated by. I liked the freedom we got in what we were able to create. So over all I thought it was a fun activity.

Roller Coaster

2008-08-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

Oh my stomach I thought as I was being pulled up the conveyer belt of the roller coaster. Too much soda and junk food mixed with pure anxiety and a hint of fear. As I rode to the top my heart started to thump in my ears. The conveyer belt came to a screeching halt. We were at the top! Then slowly and ever so slowly we started the great plunder. At first I thought I was going to throw up, but then it all went away. I was fine. The wind rushed past me as if I was only a piece of dust in the wind. The carts all clattered and shook violently as the decent stopped. Whoosh we went around the turn as if a car was about to hit a wall but just missed it. We flew violently from side to side as we rounded turns and flew up and down. Then came the looped da loop. I held on for my life. We started the climb but as we reached the top time seemed to stop. I waited and waited for use to go down. And we finally did. We swished out of the looped da loop and started to stop. As soon as it had started, it had ended. I got off and said to myself "lets do that again."

Necessity is the Mother of Inventions

2008-08-18T22:28:00.000-07:00

Necessity is the mother of inventions; I think this saying is trying to say that we invent things because someone in the world needs it. Some examples are the cotton gin made by Whitney; the cotton gin changed the life of America because it made it so one person could do what used to take one hundred people to do. Another is the airplane made by Orville and Wilber Wright. It changed the world because it connects people through flight. These are just some of the inventions that changed people’s lives there are many more.

Image from:www.usenvy.com

How I learn Best

2008-08-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

I usually learn best by visual learning and by auditory learning. With reading books I usually pick up main points but some times miss small little bits of information but there are occasions where I pick up everything said in the book. When I watch movies I pick up some but not all like reading. In auditory learning like lectures I usually get everything said and it sticks in my mind. I really like discussions because I like to learn about how other people think and thoughts they have.

Quarter 1 Goals

2008-08-13T06:58:00.000-07:00

1. The first highlight is I have Mr.Coyle for my humanities teacher and my second would probably be I have a close friend in almost all my classes.

2. My first impression of humanities was that it was going to be very fun.

3. One goal I have is to read a lot so my reading skills and vocabulary increase greatly. My second goal would be to make some new friends with people i don't really know very much.

My Gang

2008-08-12T02:14:00.000-07:00

My gang consists of mostly my best friends. Declan because he and I are very much alike. Hun gyu because he is very funny. Joe because he is even funnier than Hun gyu. Jug because hes really cool. John because hes the pet of the gang. Kartik because we both like video games and technology. Do Hyun and Kang Heun because i have alot of clases with them. Corey because he was my old best friend. Sophia because we really understand each other. Aysha because we both like the same things. Shri and Isabelle because we like to laugh. Morgann because we are good friends. Seb (sebastion) because he is just plain awsome.