Humanities 8 Niki

Mr. Coyle!

2009-08-26T01:57:00.000-07:00

MR. COYLE WE ALL MISS YOU COME BACK!!! (:

What is Power?

2009-05-17T23:21:00.000-07:00

Power can be broadly defined as the capacity to bring about change. It takes many forms, comes from many places, and is measured in many ways. Economic power, political power, and personal power are a few examples. Economic power can be broken down to communism, and capitalism. Capitalism is the system based on private ownership of capital. Communism is the system where private ownership is abolished.

During the Cold War, between 1945-1989 there was the shifting of power between USA and the USSR. The United States was a capitalist country, while the USSR was communist. Countries wanted to show that their system was better than the other. They both tried influencing other countries by spreading their ways, and preventing the spread of the opponent. Also present was the military competition. Whoever had more military armies and forces, were proven better. In addition, the Soviet Union had challenged and blocked sectors of the Berlin Wall. With the power of USA, they had withdrawn the blockade, and the sectors dividing the two had fallen with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Political power can be defined as a power held by a group in a society. During the years of the Russian Revolution, the ruler of the country was Tsar Nicholas. The Russian Revolution had the poorest living conditions, vast gaps in wealth, and was underdeveloped. Later during the years, Tsar Nicholas had established the Duma parliament, which he had given enough power to. Violence continues, and unrest was still growing in cities. After riots, and the assassination, Tsar Nicholas then steps down. The Duma now has power. Later on the Bolshiveks step in, and the Soviet Union is created and replaces the Russian Empire.

Personal power can be defined as each individual’s ability to bring out change. During the years of World War II, Hitler was a main part of power. Hitler had wanted to dominate Europe, and the world. He had the power to himself, but did not give the right for power to others. Today, globalization can be a form of individual power. The rapid change occurring is now because of each of us personally. The people have been helping in the creation of new technologies, and these have been affecting our lives. Today, we hold our own power whether or not we chose to do something, or not.

Today, personal power is present, but not everywhere.
Economic power, political power, and personal power are the main types. Economic power has brought change in places such as Russia. The use of political power gives a group the hold of power, and personal power gives each individual their own rights. Overall, power can be defined as the ability to change. All these types of power have been efficient in bring change to us, and our lives.

Control in The House of the Scorpion

2009-05-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

In the book The House of the Scorpion, I can see control used in many places. During the time that El Patron had been living, he had control over the state of Opium where all his control was so respected, he had turned those necessary into eejits. He had control over everyone, including the workers and his family in Opium. Everyone respected him fully, and always listened to him. On page 139, Tam Lin tells Matt of how much control he has.

“Once El Patron decides something belongs to him, he never lets it go.”

“Never?” said Matt. “

Never.”

This shows how strong El Patron has control over people. In addition, he had implanted chips into loads of people’s brains so they could only do a certain number of things, and that only. They didn’t have a brain to think for themselves, or feelings either. Whatever he told them to do, they had to follow, like robots. Also, the fact that El Patron can help save Matt from everyone else that hates him is a strong use of control. Since Matt is a clone, many others don’t view him as human. But El Patron, having all the control over everyone, made sure Matt was unharmed, and safe, until he could use him. After the story carries on, Matt starts to grow more control over the people just like El Patron

Later on in the book Matt tries to escape across the border to Alacran, when he knew why El Patron had given him so much. In Alacran, the control slipped from the state of Opium to the keepers who controlled the boys. There, Matt had lost most of his control and had to listen to the keepers. Page 280 describes Matt’s conversation with one of the keepers.

“What’s your name?” said a Keeper

“Matt Ortega,” Said Matt

“Ah. The aristocrat.”

News had spread around that Matt was an aristocrat, and the keepers had treated him even more harsh knowing he was smarter than others.

Feedback Population Project

2009-05-04T00:56:00.000-07:00

What are the three most valuable things you have learned during the Population Project process? How will they help you in the future?

One very valuable thing that i have learned while doing the population project is time management. I had to divide up time and plan ahead in order to hand in my portfolio on time, and create attractive contents. In the future when I move on to high school, there will be heavier projects that highly affect your final grades. In order to efficiently finish them, and have a good quality paper, learning time management now will help me succeed in high school, and college.

Secondly, I have learned new information on HIV/AIDS and how it is effecting the lives and possibly the economy of people in India. It has also helped me understand the disease better, and what people are doing to help. In the future this has the possibility of helping me with health projects, and other school related topics. Apart from this, I have always wanted to become a doctor in the future. Knowing more about the health issues will help me in my studies, and will give me a head start into a possible future job.

Lastly, it has helped me plan ahead and separate time out for each class so I would have done equal amount of work in each class. Having PoP to do had also increased my ability of searching on google. This has given me a chance to explore the websites, and search the library for informative books. This has exposed me to more various places in the librabry, and in the internet. This will help me in the future because I have understood the ways of how to get better search results faster. In high school, this will make my time faster and it will be easier to search on.

The Net Effect of Globalization

2009-05-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

"to extend to other or all parts of the globe and make worldwide' is the definition of globalization (dictionary.com) Overall, globalization has had both a negative and positive impact on us, and the world. The positive result of globalization are the increasing number of jobs to those who have been outsourced to. Places such as India has experienced this, and it has been helping the economy and money to the country. Globalization has also given a positive impact because it makes our lives easier and faster. The new developed computers and Ipods have made our life more entertaining, and websites such as hotmail and facebook have been efficient in connecting the world together. Not only that, but movies, and chats have made computers an essential in ones life.

Although globalization has had some positive impacts in our world, the negatives are slowly building up alongside it. for example, although India is getting new jobs by the day, jobs from America are being outsourced. Employees in the US are loosing jobs due to outsourcing to other cheaper countries that can do the same amount of work. If this continues to occur, then more people will start losing jobs. Globalization has also impacted the lives of every one of us. Due to the exposure of technology and latest entertainment, the culture of each country is slowly dying out. More people will be using the same technology, wearing similar clothing, eating same foods that no place will be unique. The effects of globalization has two possibilities. Leading the world towards full efficiency, or damaging it permanently.

Cite: http://www.languageinindia.com/april2005/globalcompartmentalization.gif

Feedback: Technology & Shools

2009-04-20T00:17:00.000-07:00

The main visual elements are the two parents discussing school with the son at the dinner table, and the son is very young. This issue is about how schools can use to much technology for not only middle schoolers, but for young elementary students to. Technology has become a way of teaching for children, and is a need. The opinion about this issue is the fact that the cartoonist is showing these days technology such as computers are used by people of many ages, and sometimes could have a negative impact. This is supported by the quote used beneath the picture. "Well yes, we could read your blog...or you could just tell us about your school day" The cartoonists opinion in a broader view is that technology is used by many, and can even get in ways of life.
This is an ironic picture because the child only looks to be about a young elementray schooler, yet he has a BLOG and knows about the new ways of technology. This relates to our study because technology is either a positive, or negative effect whichever balances out more to an individual. Technology has changed lives of humans for the better, yet some can say for the worse. The cartoonist could have drawn a picture of a high-tech computer in the background of the dinner table. That would support the authors opinion, and would give the viewer a more powerful image.

Image Cite: http://mrcoyle.edublogs.org/files/2008/03/blog-cartoon1.jpg

PoP Project Week

2009-04-13T01:59:00.000-07:00

Monday:
-Take notes on the effects of AIDS
-Take notes on the Possible solutions
-Possibly start on outline
Tuesday:
-Start writing body paragraphs and in text citation
Wednesday:
Citation Worksheet
-Write intro and conclusion paragraphs
Thursday:
-Edit paper
Friday:
-Finalize paper

What is Technology?

2009-03-23T01:53:00.000-07:00

The definition of technology is the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means such as industrial arts, engineering, and applied science. It is also used to help us accomplish things faster, and more efficiently. One very important technology used today would be the computer. Nearly everyone owns a computer because it is one of the fastest ways to spread information, and send information to others. Internet is now used among others as a way of entertainment, news, and knowledge. Another item that is widely used today are TV's, phone and i-pods. They are also used as a form of entertainment, and are used for enjoyment. Bombs are also very important these days in society. They are used these days to enhance war weapons to either defend, or attack other countries. From my perspective the least important technology would be like torch lights, hair dryers, vacuums cleaners, electrical toys , and maybe even bombs. Bombs can be used for good, but also bad therefor is falls under both least important, and very important. The amount of technological use in AES i feel is pretty well balanced. We use laptops, and the internet which is very important these days for people.

Vonnegut and Technology

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

Quote:

“Do you know what a Luddite is? That’s a person who doesn’t like newfangled contraptions. Contraptions like nuclear submarines armed with Poseidon missiles that have H-bombs in their warheads, and like computers that cheat you out of becoming. Bill Gates says, “Wait till you can see what your computer can become.” But it’s you who should be doing the becoming. What you can become is the miracle you were born to work—not the damn fool computer.”

- Kurt Vonnegut

I disagree with Kurt Vonnegut because he thinks that technology is blocking you from becoming what you can be. I think technology shows us our highest potential. The fact that we can create these things such as microwaves, TV's, radios, cell phones, and iPods show us what we can become. It shows what we can do as a person and our specialties. Technology has made contacting friends and family easier, and it has also improved the speed of sending letters. Although there are bad sides of technology such as guns, and missiles, but it has also improved our lives. With all this new technology it has improved our lives and enjoyment as a person, and possibly with this we can create some technogolies that can help reduce the war weapons. The more we increase technology, we can control the production of good and bad nuclear and war weapons. In 'Harrison Bergeon' Vonnegut shows us that he clearly hates technology. He is showing us it causes many problems and that its getting in the way of our livelihood. In conclusion, I have to disagree with Kurt Vonnegut

End of Quarter 3 Feedback

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

My first goal for last quarter was to be efficient in punctuation and writing. I think i have achieved part of my goal, but not to the most. As far as punctuation, working on the grammer worksheets have improved my sentence fluency, and writing techniques. My writing on the Recipe poem was pretty good, and i found that it really has improved over last quarter. My second goal was to keep up with classwork including homework. Overall i think i did a decent job keeping up with handing in homework on time and doing it correctly. Homework has been boosting up my grade, and i feel proud to have accomplished this goal. Lastly, my third goal was to participate in class more often. I strongly think that has improved compared to last quarter, but i could have participated more. Sometimes i know the answer, but dont have the guts to say it. That has improved, and i am participating more in class.
My goals for 4th quarter are:
1. To write a well written research paper for UBD.
2. To read on a daily basis and improve vocabulary for more writing coming up
3.Improve my powerpoint skills if any use of powerpoints is needed.

Feedback March 2-6

2009-03-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

The term 'Holy War' is an Oxymoron. This is because the two terms are very different from each other. The definition of Holy is specially recognized as or declared sacred by religious use or authority. As for the definition or war, its a conflict between countries, or ethnic groups that involves killing and violence. I believe that you couldn't possibly have a 'holy war' because all religions say that killing, and violence is not the answer, and yet, there are many wars in the world regarding religions.
In my opinion, we have wars over religions because people want to show that their religion is the best, and everyone should follow it. All religions are different, but they do have one strong similarity, where they claim no war. The reason why we have many these days are also because each religion doesn't approve other religions. They then argue about which one is better, by doing this other ethnic groups would join in order to get what they want. In the end, although even God claimed war was bad, they end up having one and fight for their religion.

WWIII?

2009-02-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

I think that there is a high chance of starting a WWIII. All countries still get into fights to attain natural resources that their countries are longing for. There are still many, and will be many, discrimination's against religion, etc. You won't be able to change the way mankind is built. We are built in a way where we want all luxury, and are going to do anything in order to get it, even if it means war. The United Nations may be keeping the wars down for now, but if it later gets out of hand then all countries will break out. There are many small wars going around in different parts of the world, which could lead to more breakouts. Also, if a country has so much power, and decides to turn its back and start a war, then all countries could be joining other countries in order to stop them.
I think the countries with the most power would want more, and they have the power to start a war. If WWIII breaks out, the net affect on where the war was would be higher in the negatvies. The wars will most likely not last as long as WWI, and WWII because new technologies are being built everyday, and armies are being properly trained, but more armies would die. If countries decide to start a war now, then I think that there will be an overall negative effect because with all the new weapons, it would be killing off lots of people. To summarize, I think there is a high chance of seeing a WWIII in our future.

Anne Frank's Diary

2009-02-17T07:47:00.000-08:00

In The New York Times the writer Anna Quindlen asked, “Would our understanding of the Holocaust be quite the same if Anne Frank had not taken a small plaid diary into hiding with her?”
My response would be if Anne Frank had not written the diary, our understanding would be quite different. We only had the basic information, and how bad the Holocaust was, but never a witness who actually experienced it. It brings us so much more information, and feelings towards how the Jews felt and lived. Anne Frank's diary had many important secrets that wouldn't have been told, if not for her. She shows us more than the broad Holocaust, but the depth of every detail. This has affected us greatly, and would make our view towards the Jews more serious. Her dairy has become very popular now, that its part of all children's education. To summarize, I think her diary does change our understanding from a wide range, towards the depth of the Holocaust, and how it affected many Jews at the time.

A letter from the Battlefront

2009-02-15T21:50:00.000-08:00

Old Street 7454, Berlin
September 1, 1939

Dearest Elizabeth,
A couple days ago after having the shortages of food, we launched the blitzkrieg into Poland, where they were defenseless against us. We had slaughtered many men like pigs, and many others wounded. With Prussia in the east, Germany in the north, and Silesia and Slovakia in the south, our units, with more than 2000 tanks and over 1000 planes broke through Polish defenses along the border. Our plan was to form a massive encirclement attack, in order for Poland to surrender. In the first couple of days during the war, we had completely wiped out the Polish air force. The Polish had tried to escape, but were always killed, and never made it. Planes were flying around everywhere, mysteriously releasing bombs. Explosions turned the blue sky into black, releasing carbon dioxide into our lungs. A step closer to suffocating each time.

I heard the bloody cries of woman, children, and men, all whom have done nothing to harm us, and yet, we still kill them. Our high usage of aircraft and bombing played a major death role in taking over Poland. Compared to the Polish army, we had nearly double the weapons, which made Poland look powerless against us. Several days later, the Polish army had surrendered, and on that same day, Russia had met with us as partners. The wars here are extremely bloody and vicious. Even though we celebrate our victories, I believe that even as a soldier, war isn’t right. We had won the war, proudly celebrate our victories. But in my heart, I have lost. Lost the trust of the Polish, and from everyone whom I have killed. Its a huge burden for me to carry, even as a soldier.

Otherwise, we do have some bad news. After all our efforts into serving our country, and taking over Poland, Britain has declared war on us. Don’t worry about me, this is what I want, to serve my country to the last, doing good or bad. If I don’t ever see you again, my dearest Elizabeth, I want you to know I had loved you and our children more than anything. I will see you soon that I promise, but this time, in a better place, and forever.

Your Husband,
Abe Levi

P.S. Please don’t tell our children yet about what might happen to me. If I do die fighting for my country, I want you to wait for them to get old enough, they will understand then. I’m very sorry dear Elizabeth. I want you to know that if I die, I die with victory. Not the victory of our country, but the victory in my heart. If this letter does reach before the day of the war, you will know I am still alive. I love you so dearly, and please, the children shall not know. Not just yet.

http://www.cyberlearning-world.com/lessons/ushistory/ww2/europeanthumb.jpg

A Recipe for World War II

2009-02-10T06:15:00.000-08:00

- 2 cups of the failure of Treaty of Versailles
- 6 cups of Fascism
- 1 tablespoon the League of Nations
- 4 cups of Hitler
- 1 sliced Rhineland or Czechoslovakia
- 2 fresh invasions from Japan
- 5 teaspoons of appeasement
- 2 heaps of hatred
- 2 teaspoons of power
- Bowl of revenge
- 1 cup of declaring war

Method:
Preheat the oven to very slow 150°C.
In a bowl of revenge, carefully pour 4 cups of Hitler, and stir till they combine.
Once blended, sprinkle 2 teaspoons of power and spread evenly among the bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat together the failed treaty of Versailles, and the powerless league of nations.
Leave to stand for 15 minutes.
Add Fascism and appeasement gradually, one at a time, beating constantly until the mixture is thick of Hitler.
Slice Rhineland or Czechoslovakia and add to the mixture.
Sprinkle 2 heaps of hatred across the top.
Pour both bowls into a brushed oven tray with melted hope.
Add 2 fresh invasions from Japan.
Shape level of declaring war into a ball and flatten completely.
Place it on top of the mixture and bake until it turns crisp and dull.
You now have your recipe to World War II.

Critique of Animal Farm

2009-02-09T03:50:00.000-08:00

The film overall did an ok job with outlining the video. Although the book had given more detailed information, the movie showed the main idea of the book. I personally think that the movie could have been better. Some events weren't in the correct order, and some character's whom are important to the story weren't present. Also, the cartoon doesn't make the issue seem that serious. I think it makes it more of a cute animal movie. Some parts of it gave more feeling than others, like when boxer had died, and the animals were weeping. I would prefer the movie to the book because it does summarize the story, but if I wanted a more detailed outline of the Russian Revolution, I would pick out the book.
Some parts in the movie were incorrect, or wasn't mentioned such as there being no presence Clover, and Mollie. Also, the movie had made it seem like a happy ending. The animals from many farms united, and defeated Napoleon. The book would had given it more serious issues about the Revolution, and the animals didn't unite together. Secondly, the van that Boxer was sent to in the book had slaughter house written on it, which gave it more emotion. The movie had left it out, so people whom haven't read the book wouldn't know where Boxer was headed to. Lastly, in the book when they first kicked out Jones, they had attacked them, But in the movie just scared him off. This didn't show how much anger the animals had, compared to the book. The movie leaves out the important details, and because of that, it doesn't give much of a serious attitude towards the Animals, and the Russian Revolution.

Which Animal Are You?

2009-02-01T19:21:00.000-08:00

I most likely represent Clover in the book Animal Farm because she is loyal to her friends. "They were unfailing at their attendance at the secret meetings in the barn, and led the singing of beasts of England, with which meetings always ended" Clover knows what is right, and she chooses on path to take, care for the farm. She doesn't give up hope. When boxer was hurt she decided to stay behind and take care of him. Although Clover knows something isn't right when Napoleon takes over, she can't quite figure out what to do. She wants to help, but she doesn't know how to. I am similar to her in many ways, I know something is wrong, but sometimes i don't have the guts to speak it out. Clover realizes that some of the commandments are I am loyal to my close friends, and would always help them when they need. To summarize, I represent Clover the most

http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/wda0443l.jpg

Tyranny, Injustice, and Self-Determination

2009-01-26T23:18:00.000-08:00

Tyranny is when there is someone that rules through the means of threatening, and violence and has the central power. Injustice is when someone is being treated unfairly, and unlike others. Self-Determination is when one person wants to take rule and take over. In the book 'Animal Farm' all these things are being shown. Their farmer, Jones, is being a tyrant because he is taking rule of the animals without them having any choice to do otherwise. He makes them work, and at times forgets to bring them food. The animals are treated harshly, and this resulted in their plans of taking him down. This book also shows Injustice because the animals need to work all day, and some days food is not provided. The animals need to be treated equally as humans. Have time to rest, good food, and not needing to work all day. Also, Self-Determination is shown because the animals on the farm want to take Jones down. They decide that its time for a new revolution, a new rule so they can have their freedom to do what they want most. Some animals think that over-ruling Jones would be horrible because no one would be providing them food, but the animals clarify that their lives would be better with the human gone. All this tyranny, and injustice had lead the animals to the wanting of self-determination.

Life, or Death?

2009-01-22T07:14:00.000-08:00

Another day
Of agonizing cries
Of pain, and loss
The smell of rotten bodies
The blood carved on the mud
Stained with hatred
And firing guns

A non-stop cry

Dare not stand up
For it is suicide

Ask your self
Shall I live, or die?
Though now limited choices
Shall I be with god?
Will he take me?
The fear in one others eyes
Stench of gas builds up
Sucking the life of him
Dare not stand up
For it is suicide

The beauty of nature
All burned down to dust
Smoke scatters the air
This is not what they came for
Not what they wanted
But the only direction
They have to face it
Dare not stand up
For it is suicide

Another day
Another life
They lie on the cold floor
Dead and gone
But enemies no more
Only human Like us, like them
Then it starts again
Dare not stand up
For it is suicide

This is war
World War I

Citations:
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA04/wood/mot/images/stills/arms_gravesWWi.jpg http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/ww1/images/34.jpg http://www3.eou.edu/hist06/images/soldierfighting.jpg http://www.army.mil/asianpacificsoldiers/Images/wwi.jpg http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/45/65945-004-1F0658DC.jpg

Military in Your Future?

2009-01-19T00:59:00.000-08:00

In Thailand, at the age of 18, all males are registered, but it is voluntary whether they chose to join or not. However, at the age of 21, it is compulsary that all males join the military service. Therefor, when i grow up i am not forced to join the army. I would try to restrain from joining the army at all costs, even if it means to defend your country. But, if i were to join the army, it would be either for training, or if i chose that path in college. I would be able to do the training, but if it means real war, i wouldn't be able to fight. Also, since i want to study medical sciences, and help wounded people, i could help the army in that way. If the army needs doctors, then i would help out. But if the army needs soldiers, i wouldn't want to go there.

Feedback Jan 5-9 Great Powers Game

2009-01-12T01:34:00.000-08:00

The visual elements that stand out in this cartoon are the hands that link each other, and one person who doesn't have any hands linking her. Also, some people have more than one hand, showing they are is greater power than others around them. The bear, who is also known as Russia, is also an element that stands out. I believe this issue is about certain countries having alliances with one another, and how some countries have more alliances than others. These alliances varies from more powerful countries having more alliances, and weaker countries having nothing. The cartoonist opinion in this cartoon is that the two in the middle, who are Germany, and Austria/Hungry are more powerful, and keep the war held together. They have more hands reaching out, meaning they have more alliances with others, making them more powerful than the weaker countries. The evidence i see is that Germany and Austria/Hungry are shaking hands with nearly everyone throughout this picture. The cartoonist could have shown more clearly the two main countries with the most alliances. This relates to the Great Powers game because more countries wanted to make alliances with the powerful countries instead of the weaker ones. Some countries were left with nothing, such as the Netherlands in this picture. The greater countries could have the advantage of making more alliances because of their power.

Great Powers Game Debrief

2009-01-09T06:01:00.000-08:00

My country was Japan. Building my empire was hard at first, but the more buying power i had, the more easier it became. The empire would gradually build up, and at first i felt that Japan was hopeless, and it wouldn't have much power as other countries, but later it felt that Japan had a chance. The countries with the higher buying powers such as US had more of an advantage because it could gain more power faster by buying many industries, and armies. My empire felt small against the large countries, and its power was small.

At the beginning of the game, it felt more important to buy industries because you could earn 1 more everytime you buy it, increasing your buying power so you can buy more. But further into the game, it felt more important to have the right amount of armies because eventually, you would be attacked.

I personally think i did well negotiating, and having definite allies who would for sure back me upwhen i needed help. what i would have done differently was changing my technique to buying lots to industries and colonies to increase the power, and then buy all armies to the end so i would have enough to defeat the other countries.

My alliances were successful, although some of them wanted to change, but didn't. I also ended up being alliances with Russia who had promised to give me the land i needed. I could trust Russia the most to have backed me up. She could help me because she got wiped out right before me. Not all allies could be trusted, such as Germany. Germany were my allies, but they wanted to join the winning side so they had a bit of confusion.

I learned that different countries wanted similar properties that other countries had, and they would fight, or even start a war in order to gain that money. Also, not all allies could have been trusted, you mostly had to be independent in making the choices.

End of Quarter 2 Feedback

2009-01-06T01:11:00.000-08:00

I have developed a clear and good understanding on imperialism. i have learned what it means, the positives affects, and the negative affects that occurred over those years. it has given me a new understanding of something i have never heard, or learned about before. i have developed a good understanding on imperialism. I have achieved my second goal, but no to the best. Spelling is good, i have done my best, and commas, periods, etc are better. Just sometimes i can miss out on one or two of them, but overall, i have tried to achieve this goal, and i'm getting there. My third goal was to do better in Socratic seminars. We haven't done much of that lately, instead we have done trails. It is a good way to bring out ideas, and i am trying to improve at that.
My new goals for this quarter are:
1) Be more efficient in writing final copies, and all punctuation are correct
2) Keep up with the class and classwork, including homework
3) Participate during class more often

Net Effect Of Imperialism

2008-11-30T19:12:00.000-08:00

Positives:

Helped the Africans into Education
Modernized it more by building railroads
Built hospitals
Grew lots of crops
found many natural resources

Negatives:

Forced natives to work
whipped them
chained them
diseases had spread across Africa
didn't get paid
Natural resources were taken away
small homes were provided for many people at once
got clothes once a year
sold to one another
wars and bloodshed in Africa
treated like property
not treated equally

SQ3R-Central Africa Today

2008-11-19T04:25:00.000-08:00

Countries in Central Africa has been very poor, and low in economy. Professionals such as doctors and teachers had leftthe country. The ethnic groups had fought each other, leaving the country high in poverty. In The Democratic Republic of Congo, people usually live in rural areas where they farm and trade for food. Although they have a lot of gold, diamonds, and cobalt, they are still a poor country. In Cameroon however, people have a high standard of living. Guinea and Sao Tome living conditions are still poor, even though they had a recent discovery of oil they need to import for food. In Gabon, people get provided a high standard of living. They were doing good in the economy, until the civil war hit, which impacted their economy in a very negative way. In Angola however, 85% of the people there do subsistence farming for a living. One of the reasons why these countries are poor is because the corrupt officials have taken large amounts of money from the countries. Zambia and Malawi have a slow growing economy. People whom had been injured, or hurt could no longer work. The main killer in Central Africa is Malaria. Every 30 seconds, a child dies from malaria. Another main killer is HIV AIDS. About 50% of the people below age 15 hads been affected by it. Food production, agricultural land, healthcare, and many others need to be improved in order to keep the country healthy, and low in poverty.

Africa Current Event (3)

2008-11-18T02:54:00.000-08:00

Forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo are fighting local militiamen in the rebel's territory. The Mai Mai militiamen were normally pro government, but they had been trying to take advantage of the army in order to get their weapons. This had taken place early Tuesday in the around Kanyabayonga. On Sunday, the government troops were forced to abandon the eastern Congolese town. The latest fighting smashed cease-fire between rebels. Fighting between government forces and rebels had displaced more than 250,000 people. They had had a meeting with Nkunda and the Congolese president. Fresh war broke out again on Sunday around Ndeko.

This article is newsworthy because it tells the people around where the war had broken out to be careful of it and not get close. It also shows conflict between the two, and how they are fighting. This article is a continue from other articles, and a follow up to what had happen before, and what had happened currently. This story has also happened not too long ago, and is good for those who need a heads up on what has been going on where they live.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/11/18/congo.ceasefire.rebels/index.html

Imperialism Cartoon

2008-11-17T00:07:00.000-08:00

The main visual elements that stand out in this cartoon the most is that there is a footprint on Africa. The people have put a foot mark on Africa, as if claiming people have been here, and it belongs to them.

This issue talks about how European countries have stepped on their land, and taken it. It shows that people had come into Africa, and stole whatever they needed without asking them. They had stamped their foot on whatever places they wanted. The cartoonist's opinion on this issue is that people are taking over land for their needs, and not caring about those living around them. The evidence that supports my opinion is because there is a huge footprint right across the whole part of Africa, which shows someone has been there, and are claiming it theirs.

http://mrcoyle.edublogs.org/files/2008/11/colonialism.jpg

SQ3R- History & Culture of Central Africa

2008-11-16T23:47:00.000-08:00

Central African countries had been influenced by European kingdoms, changing their way of life. People had begun to migrate to Central Africa, establishing several kingdoms. One of the most important kingdom was the Kongo Kingdom. This kingdom had grown rich of animals skins, shells, slaves, and ivory. The European used resources such as ivory, to make jewelery, statues, and piano keys. Some countries has become richer because of the Europeans, but later weakened by the European influence. They had divided Central Africa into colonies. They hadn't known that doing this would have changed the people. There were many Ethic groups, and many different beliefs. Putting them all together caused conflict because they had different customs, and languages. Central Africa had gained independence after world war 2. But later, this didn't solve the ethnic groups to stop conflict. They had continued to fight with one another within the borders.

Central Africa had been also greatly influenced about culture. There were a variety of languages being spoken, but because of the influence, they had started speaking many European languages. Europeans had also brought Christianity to Africa. It is also the home of Hindu's and Muslims. Central Africa had its own traditional cultures, such as sculpture, wooden masks, and cotton gowns. It is also popular because of its music. All these changes from European countries had brought a tremendous amount of change to Central Africa.

Scramble For Africa Debrief

2008-11-14T09:05:00.000-08:00

We used a strategy for taking over land by exchanging with the country we needed land from. We would also have a lot of countries that had a lot of resources we needed, so that if another country had taken over one of our spots, we would still have many others. We also tried to take as much as possible. When claiming land, we had to look over the maps and see which places had the resources we needed. We also looked at the places that had surrounded us to see if they would try and take over. I would have said that either Germany or Great Britain. Germany had taken over most of south Africa, which was where most of the resources had been. Great Britain had also taken a huge amount of the north, and east. It actually depended on which resources they had been aiming for, but overall, i think either Germany or Britain. I would say that Spain had lost. They hadn't taken over much land, and they only had a few resources.

Africa News Current Events (2)

2008-11-13T05:59:00.000-08:00

Angola had promised to send troops to Congo because they had claimed hat Congolese soldiers have raped women, torn down villages, and homes. Angola had last been seen in a conflict with Congo during the 1998-2003, which left 3 to 4 million people dead. Attacks were followed by nighttime with guns near the capital of Goma. It had represented one of the most intense fighting. Both sides have accused the other of violating the ceasefire, that both the U.N. and democratic Republic of Congo officials say they have killed hundreds of people. Also, Congolese troops began looting the village of Kanyabayonga, about 60 miles north of Goma, on a late Monday. They were shooting in the air, and houses. Fighting then broke out in Congo at the end of August over 1994. 250,000 people have been displaced by the conflict. There were about 17,000 U.N. troops in Congo. On Tuesday, U.N. Secretary called for an immediate ceasefire, saying as many as 100,000 refugees north of Goma have been cut off from relief workers. He has requested the U.N. Security Council to authorize an additional 3,000 troops to help control the fighting.
This is newsworthy because it involves conflict. there had been too much that they had to add additinal troops and it is important to the local people to know the danger that has been going around them. It is also a reference to something negative, which makes reader usually more interested, and it involved trying to end the violence. Fighting and stories that are negative, are more newsworthy. It is also like a follow up because they say in around 1994, Angola had also had a conflict between Congo, and then other places in Africa had joined. It is also full of killing and war, fighting against each other which makes it more newsworthy.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/11/12/congo.fighting/index.html

SQ3R Summary-Central Africa Geography

2008-11-11T21:47:00.000-08:00

Central Africa is bordered by the Atlantic ocean on the west, and a huge valley called the Western Rift Valley on the east. Passing through Central Africa you will see some of the highest mountains and biggest rivers in Africa. Some main landforms in Africa is called the Congo Basin. It is a flat region that is surrounded by higher land like the mountains and plateaus. There are also two lakes that lie along the rift called Lake Nyasa, and Lake Malawi. One of the main rivers in Africa is called the Congo rivers. It is a huge river that fed by hundreds of small rivers and drain into the Congo basin. Many rivers flows into Zambezi. It is also the route of a very famous waterfall named Victoria Falls. The climate there is a tropical Humid climate, since if lies between the equator. Many animals such as gorillas, elephants, wild boars, and okapis live in the forest lands of Central Africa. tropical environment in Central Africa is also good for growing crops. Common crops that farmers have grown are coffee, banana's, and corn. It has rich natural resources. Another big idea is that the governments have set up national park areas to protect the animals from being hunted. In rural ares people trade agricultural and other products in periodic markets. It means that it is an open air trading market that is set up once of twice a week. Some political problems that keep the region from being fully developed is the poor transportation.

TBAS - Can We Trust?

2008-11-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

Yes, I think we can Trust him. In the book TBAS, he had told us where he had gotten his information from. Everyone that had said what it had been like to be to be a slave had been named in this book. He had told us in which books he had the information from, and who had said what they said. He gave us the person's name, stating that this was true. His ancestors were also slaves, so he also had some background information on slavery. Therefor what he had written is possibly true.

Africa News Current Event (1)

2008-11-09T23:33:00.000-08:00

Fighting between rebel forces lead to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to evacuate about a dozen aid workers from from near Rutshuru, in eastern Congo. This had occurred on Tuesday when they had evacuated the aid workers. The fighting was taking place in the village of Kiwanja, less than two miles outside Rutshuru. They had needed evacuate the workers because there was fighting against the rebels and local Mai Mai fighters. The UN Peacekeeping mission had needed to take the aid workers outside the fighting border. The fighting rebels had been led by Gen, and as of 9:00pm Laurent Nkunda and Mai Mai fighters had not given up. The the rebels had launched heavy fighting last month displacing thousands of homes from villages.
This news has happend not so long ago, and had involved fighting between rebels and the Mai Mai, making workers and others from villages get evacuated so they dont get caught in the fight. It was a follow up of other stories that had happend between the rebels. They had last month, displaced villages, and had a lot of fighting. It shows the emotions that the rebels had against the others, and that they wanted to fight. It is also newsworthy because it brings out the negative and dangers that the villages had faced.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/11/04/congo.aid/index.html

5 Themes Of Geography

2008-11-06T21:49:00.000-08:00

This picture represents about four of the five themes of geography. The movement happening in this picture is the people. They moved continuously to sell fruits and vegetables, and they move every morning to go to sell them too. The region in this place is full of good soil, in order to plant all the food there. The region is suited for planting foods. The human environment interaction in this picture is how the people are interacting with the rivers, and also the environment because of the planting in soil. The location of this place is Damnoen Sanduak Floating Market, Ratchaburi Province, Southwest Bangkok, Thailand. The place in this picture is different because of the weather, it must be warm all year, and also its selling on boats.

http://www.jacekphoto.com/thailand/thailand_floating_market03.jpg

Violence & Caesar

2008-11-03T01:10:00.000-08:00

I highly agree that violence leads to more violence, because if there is a death of one person whom is very important, others who support him would want revenge to that person, causing more violence. This can be supported because in Act 3 scene 1 the conspirators had killed Caesar at the senate, and then trying to calm everyone down. Later in the book Octavius arrives in Rome, and Antony wants to seek revenge to the conspirators who had fled. In Act 3 scene 2, Antony gives his famous speech to the citizens of Rome, trying to tell them how bad Brutus and the others have stabbed him, and how they should seek revenge. Telling them this, makes more violence, not only to them, but also when Brutus and Cassius find out they want revenge, they are going to gather up their group to fight back, leading to more violence. Antony convinces everyone to get revenge on the conspirators by using whatever needed, especially to Brutus, who was Caesar's trustworthy friend. This is also true in the real world because people would want to get back at others and hurt them as much as they had hurt that person. For example, if you dropped a bomb at some very important place, killing millions, they would come back when you never know and bomb one of your places to get even with you. This leads to more violence, and more destruction. It also would hurt others whom have loved that person so much, who would also end up seeking revenge. So violence leading to more violence is highly agreed.

Brutus' Dilemma

2008-10-20T00:15:00.000-07:00

I would stay loyal to Caeser. He had defeated Pompey, without help, it shows that he has the power to rule. Many of the citizens have liked Caeser, even before he was going to become king. He had socialized with many others, and everyone wants for him to be king. Cassius isn't thinking about the good of Rome, he just doesnt want Caeser to rule because he sided with Pompey during the war. Cassius is choosing Brutus to try and kill Caeser because he and Caeser have been close friends, and if he had persuaded Brutus, Brutus would have agreed. Cassius uses the technique of making Caeser look bad by telling stories of how Caeser is so weak to Brutus. Cassuis says "Dar'st thou, Cassius, now leap in with me into this angry flood and swim to yonder point. Caeser had cried "Help me, Cassius, or i sink!" Cassius is trying to prove to Brutus that Caeser is a week person, and that it would be better for Rome if Brutus had killed him, and taken over instead. What Brutus doesnt know is that Cassius is trying to use him in order to get rid of Caeser so he can try and rule Rome. Caeser has done everything to prove that he is a good leader of Rome, but Cassius doesnt want Ceaser to be. so Overall, I would side with my friend Caeser. I beleive that he would become a good leader of Rome. Caeser has been a friend longer than Cassius has, so I would trust Caeser would be for the good of Rome.

Leadership

2008-10-13T00:30:00.000-07:00

A good leader can stand up for what they think is right, by also using other's thought and ideas. A good leader, takes responsibility for his/her actions, and speaks up. They have god ideas, and also cares about the others that follow them. listens to other's and shows the correct path that they think it not only healthy for them , but for everyone around them too. Another quality of a good leader is that they have had past experience, and knows what to do without hesitating.
I think that some good leaders in the 8th grade are Aysha, and Jonathon. They bring up new ideas to our school, and also have fun. They make ideas fair, and listens to others thoughts. They take control, but in a good way. In Socratic seminars , they speak a lot, and bring others into the conversation.

Imperialism

2008-10-13T00:20:00.000-07:00

Europeans wanted to expand and conquer other countries such as Africa, India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. They needed the natural resources and laborers that other countries had. The European countries needed the most were the raw materials, and all those different countries had different raw materials, causing Europe to try and take over the countries. The Europeans wanted the glory, and people giving them respect. Each country in the Europe tried to take over different parts of the world. Mostly all the god reasons were to change the native people into Christians, like their own. The methods they mostly used was militarily and economically. The changes resulted were modern life of technology and religion were brought to these countries. Farmers had scarce amount of food to eat even though they were growing all the food to give to the Europeans, Changes also occurred economically. These were the methods and motives Europeans used to try and take over other countries.

End of Quarter 1 Feedback

2008-10-06T22:28:00.000-07:00

One of my first quarter's goal was to be efficient in finishing and handing in my homework. I have been able to achieve this goal for the quarter. I have been able to finish my homework and turning them in on time without slacking behind. My second goal for the first quarter was to use better descriptive words in my writing. I have tried my best, and have been able to use a few new words. we have done a lot of work in the beginning of the year to help show our writing instead of telling. That helped me improve on my writing as well. I am still trying to make my stories more descriptive, but otherwise, i am about to reach this goal.
One of my three goals in humanities second quarter is to get a good understanding about imperialism, and what had occurred during those times. I have never heard of the word imperialism, so one of goals is to get a good understanding on imperialism
My second goal for quarter two is to improve in my spelling and grammar. I have not been doing to well on correcting my grammar, such as commas, periods, etc. I will need to improve on rereading my rough drafts to get all corrections.
My last goal for this quarter is to do better in Socratic Seminars. It has been bringing my grade down, and it affects my overall grade. I need to improve on talking more, and bringing out more ideas.

Political Cartoons

2008-09-22T00:43:00.000-07:00

The main visual elements in this political cartoon is the man holding the worker in his hands, making the money from him fall out of his pockets into the "profits from child labor" bag below him. The man has a badge that says capitalism, and the worker has one that says labor. This cartoon is about how managers take the people and make them the laborers to do his work. The labor doesn't earn much money, just enough to help out the family, and the money that they earn sometimes gets taken away. The man holding the worker is rich, and he owns the company. He can take the money out of the workers, and giving them only a little bit for their hard work. The cartoonist's opinion in this picture is that capitalism wasn't very good for the workers because they worked the long hours, but they didn't earn enough money. The money was being taken away from them into the managers bags of money.
The evidence is how the worker is being held and the money falling out of his pockets into the bag below him that belongs to the boss. The man holding the worker is rich and is dressed well, unlike the worker in his hands. The cartoonist used writing to represent capitalism, and labor which made the cartoon more clear to the reader about what the cartoon meant, and it gave more detail.

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

Feedback September 1-5 Mid Quarter Already

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

My first goal in humanities was to become a better writer. So far, I think I am meeting the goal for using various kinds of words. I am still working on showing my writing instead of telling. I have improved on it quite a bit, but as a writer I will need to put more work and effort into becoming better at showing. We haven't been paragraphing much so I haven't met that goal, but I try to whenever I get the chance. I also try to use various kinds of words when needed so my writing doesn't bore people as much, but I could work on that a little but more. My second goal in humanities was to finish all my homework and hand them in on time. So far, I have been keeping up with the pace of homework and have turned in all homework on time. I also have been finishing all homework throughly and handed them in completed. I am doing pretty good in achieving my goals for this quarter. :]

1870's Stock Market Reflection

2008-09-04T05:18:00.000-07:00

One of Mr. Coyle's Tips was "You must spend money to make money." This experience relates to me during the game because what this tip means is in order to make your money, you have to spend your money to buy the materials, then you can make money. During the game, if you wanted to earn profit you had to take your chances to buy the company's material even though the charge could have increased or decreased. By buying the materials you took chances because you never knew when the price would have fallen. If the price had fallen then you would be loosing money. You had to buy the materials, and then sell them for more money. Without spending your money to buy it, you wouldn't have earned your money. At first I bought a couple of the company's products, then I didn't buy any. But as the years went on some of the company's decreased the price, making me sell the price at a lower rate. So in order to have earned the money back, I had to sell some, and then buy some more which increased as time went on.

URL: http://www.lantanewspaper.com/pics/thai_money.jpg

Positives and Negatives of The IR

2008-09-02T02:10:00.000-07:00

Positives:

Factories were built for increasing manufacturing things
Transportation (Railroads, Boats...)
Many inventions like cotton mills, spinning Jenny
People had a longer life span

Negatives:

Increase in pollution
Population increase
Child labor
Low payment

URL: http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/NGSPOD04/108127~Smoke-Rises-from-Factories-in-Sydney-Posters.jpg

Factory Game Reflection 2

2008-08-22T23:43:00.000-07:00

This game I found as the cutter and gluer more stressful. People would keep yelling at us telling us that we were too slow, and that we had to do it faster. Each time the model came out, it looked nothing like the original, some of them had its nose too high, some had bunny ears, and some were just horrible. If we had more time, it would have made the model look more better than the one we made in a rush. We should have planned it out better as an assembly line, because it wasn't very organized at all. But overall I found the game extremly fun working with everyone and giving each other laughs.

Factory Game Reflection

2008-08-21T06:20:00.000-07:00

I found making a present out of little supplies was not that hard, but as a gift it wouldn't be as attractive. We had only color pencils, glue, and scissors to make a nice gift for a younger sibling. In those days it was hard, and you had limited supplies to play with. These days if you wanted a to buy a present, you would simply go to a shop and buy it. It was also hard to work with because the paper wasn't the best quality, and when you glued things on at the back it was still seethrough. This experiance was fun though, but with little supplies you couldn't decorate it to make it more attractive.

Rollar Coaster Ride!

2008-08-21T05:42:00.000-07:00

It was the biggest out of all, standing there calling my name. So tall you could barely see the the top, but I was here, and I was ready. My heart pounded inside my chest as I aproched the rollar coaster excited about my new experiance. The railings leading up top were cold and hard and the steps kept going on forever. Once I reached the top I could see the long black coaster rolling in, making squeaky noises as it arrived. I grabbed the front seat, and held tight to my belt. It was rough, but kept me from danger. Then the rollar coaster started to move, going higher and higher. I could smell the fries and hamburgers below me, and the wind was hard against my face. Then suddenly, it felt as if I were flying, a free fall from high above. The breeze was cool against my skin and it made my hair go shooting in many directions. Before I knew it. the ride slowly came to a stop, and I back where I started.

Necessity Is The Mother Of Invention

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

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Necessity means needs that a person wants. Invention means a creation that someone has created to fulfill our needs. For example the phone, created by Alexander Graham Bell, he created the phone to make our life easier instead of walking to deliver a message. These days, we don’t ride on horses to deliver messages like they did in the olden days, we use phones. It makes it faster to contact one another, and a lot easier.

Another example of invention is the airplane, created by Wilbur and Orville Wright. The creation of planes have made it faster to travel to far distance places, and because of them it has made it easier to travel to different countries, and even continents. We call it the mother of invention because the mother is the one that gives birth to a person, not the father. So this line says in other words that when we need something, we can invent it out of scratch.

URL: http://www.planeticketsnow.com/airlines/img-thai-airbus-a340-large.jpg

Feedback - How Do You Learn Best?

2008-08-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

I learn best visually because by watching videos, and reading, I can get more of a characters personality, and how they act. Reading describes the characters traits well, so you can easily remember which character, and by watching videos, you can see how the character acts, and reacts to different situations. I also learn best by listening to lectures and others opinions on the topic so I get a sense on what others think about it. I don't really like discussions, but just listening to discussions is fine with me.

Quarter 1 Goals

2008-08-13T04:05:00.000-07:00

1. What were 2 highlights from the first week of school?
-Meeting my old friends and making new ones
-Being in Chorus for the 3rd year

2. What was your first impression of Humanities?
My first impression of humanities was, "this is going to be a hard year, and lots of homework too" I 'm not sure why but that was the first thing that popped into my head when we first started class.
It felt like we were going to have a lot more homework to do, and more projects too.

3. What are 2 goals you have for this quarter in humanities?
My first goal is to become a better writer by using various word choices and paragraphing correctly.
My second goal for this quarter is to finish my homework and give it in on time.

My Gang

2008-08-12T02:13:00.000-07:00

My gang consists of 3 people, my very close cousins. The name of the members in my gang are, Ornicha, Sorana, and Me. I would consider Ornicha in my gang because she is very close to me since we were little kids. We shared many similarities with each other,but when her family moved to Canada we were apart for a few years. During those years we never emailed each other. But then after a long time of no communication, we finally met each other. Ever since, we told each other everything we couldn't even tell anyone else. She and I love to go shopping, joke around, and party all night! We can rely on each other, and tell each other everything about whats on our mind. Even though we see each other once a year in our home country, Thailand, we still email each other everyday.
I also consider Sorana in my gang because as I said before we share many similarities. She and I enjoy going to amusement parks, and sightseeing around different places together. We have been buddies though her sister, Ornicha. Ever since, we have been closer than ever. Even though she rarely checks her emails because she says she is too lazy, we still are best buddies. She is also considered in my gang because she is the same age, and she has been through about the same things as I have.
Those are the reasons why I consider them in my gang.