humanities 8 alex

What is power?

2009-05-18T14:16:00.002+08:00

Power comes in many forms. The exact definition of power is hard to pin down, but a loose definition is the ability to control or manipulate others in any way shape or form. The more control you have over other people, and the more influential they are, the more power you have. In order to understand power, it is important to look at it in many contexts. Four good examples of power are the four central topics of the year.

The central topic of the first quarter was the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution was all about countries getting industrial power. This meant that they were racing to improve production in various industries. This would give them power over the customer. The revenue from making the products gives the companies power, since throughout history, money is always power.

In the second quarter, we studied imperialism. This was a stage in world history where the European countries were vying for power through control over parts of Africa. In imperialism, recourses were the main form of power, and Africa was full of untapped sources. Land, labor and capitol were

During third quarter, we studied conflict. Conflict is, simply, the struggle for power between people groups, or countries. Usually the struggles are centered on religion, political power, or social power. Conflict in Africa is mostly about which party controls the government of the country. Conflict in Europe during WWI and WWII, was about diverging ideas, Germany’s quest for power, and later, Germany’s hatred of the Jews. Conflict may have different combatants, but in the end, its all about power.

Quarter four was all about technology and globalization, aka how power will affect the future. In the future there will be different units of power, but most likely it will be technology. In the future, conflict will still have its roots in power.

quickwrite

2009-05-15T12:08:00.000+08:00

Control is one of the main themes in The House of the Scorpion. Control is one of el patron’s favorite things. He (before his ‘tragic’ demise) wanted everything to be under his control. He monitored the whole estate from a room filled with camera feeds, he created the eejits, and he took everything with him to the grave. Matt, at first, uses el patron’s control as his own to influence other people. Later in the story, when matt is captured by the keepers, he creates his own control underneath theirs. By refusing to confess, he gains power and uses it to control the other boys. Overall, el patron is in control throughout the book, wither it be directly thru him or thru matt.

net affects of globalization

2009-05-12T20:25:00.004+08:00

Globalization is the name for the gradual shrinking of the world due to increase global communications and multinational business. One example of globalization is a Korean company setting up operations in Delhi to manufacture brake pads designed in China and tested in Japan to be sold in the US. A second example is an Indonesian teenager who lives in Singapore taking on-line classes offered out of a university in London. These examples were not possible 25 years ago before globalization.

Some of the benefits of globalization include: increased free trade among nations, outsourcing (from a financial prospective), off-shoring, jobs gained by people in third world countries, and service efficiency. Some of the disadvantages of globalization include: flow of jobs (skilled and non-skilled) from developed nations to nations with cheap labor.

Image source:
http://webhome.idirect.com/~eyvnxeyq/images/globalization.jpg

population project debrief

2009-05-04T16:00:00.003+08:00

I learned several things during the population project. The three most important things I learned were:

How to write a five paragraph essay. Before the population project, I was afraid of the five paragraph essay. Now, I think I understand how it is structured and how to fit it together.
I learned some general information, including: what air pollution is, how air pollution is measured, how 2 stroke and 4 stroke engines work, how CNG works, how complicated vehicle emission standards are and how they are different country to country and even city to city.
I learned how to manage my time more effectively. I have always had some trouble, but I learned a lot about how I work during the project.

Technology and Schools

2009-04-20T15:12:00.003+08:00

Main visual elements of the cartoon are the dad the kid and the dinner table. The cartoonist is talking about technologies use in school today. I think the cartoonist thinks that technology is being overused in schools. I think this because the cartoon implies that the kid would rather have his parents check his blog than tell them how his school day was. This is ironic because you think that the parents are more likely to have blogs as a means of communication. This relates to our study of technology because technology is starting to take over our lives and we may not realize how much. The only thing I can think of to improve the cartoon is to have a line like "just because we're your parents, doesn't mean we'll be your facebook friend.

Population project timeline

2009-04-13T17:02:00.000+08:00

I already have a rough outline but it will need some revising. I have not created any note cards. I hope to at least get three out of five paragraphs done before the end of the week. I think the Intro and concluding paragraphs might be a little hard, but the pros, cons and alternatives paragraphs will be easy enough. I think I already have more than enough information and may have to trim it down a little.

technology

2009-03-23T17:07:00.000+08:00

1. technology is an invention or set of knowledge that is discovered for the purpose of convenience.
2. laptop, internet,USB drives, books, cars;;;alarm clocks, random electrical doodads, electric pogo stick, battery powered battery changer that's only good for changing it's own batteries, chi machine
3. I think aes has a lot of technology at the school. I like the laptop carts that allow students and teachers to take laptops for word processing in classes. i liked having two computer labs last year but one is fine. i think that the smartboards are not entirely necessary, but enable teachers to present without having to stay at their computers.

Kurt Vonnegut

2009-03-20T13:33:00.000+08:00

I think the quote by Kurt Vonnegut is partially right. I think that some technology is just a newfangled contraption, but there are some technologies (like the laptop i am currently writing on) that, if used correctly and in some moderation, can help people do things such as express their opinions to a wide audience. some examples of this are cell phones and the internet. i don't, by any means, assume for a single minute, that these technologies are anywhere near perfect. these technologies are easily misused or abused. my only point is that technology has the potential to help people become more successful. Kurt Vonnegut has a very strong opinion against technology and expresses himself in his writing by exaggerating technology to extremes .So overall, I think Kurt Vonnegut is both right and wrong.

third quarter goals

2009-03-16T16:52:00.002+08:00

My third quarter goals were: achieve at least an A- in humanities, To understand any assignment on the day it's given, and to turn in all my assignments. I didn't meet my first goal and I think i set the bar a little too high on that one. I think i met my second goal. i also met my third goal.

my new goals for fourth quarter are: to get at least a B+ in humanities, to get at least a B+ on the population project research paper, and to get at least an average of a B+ on all the Socratic seminars.

Holy war oxymoron

2009-03-09T13:09:00.000+08:00

I think that ‘Holy war’ is as much an oxymoron as ‘cafeteria food’. This is because of the definitions of the two words. The definition of holy is: having a spiritually pure quality/entitled to worship or veneration as or as if sacred, while the definition of war is: armed fighting, as a science, profession, activity, or art; methods or principles of waging armed conflict. These are very opposite definitions. The very idea of a war fought over religions is ludicrous is you look at the fact that most religions are strongly against violence. I think the whole point of holy war is either that the two opposing religions want to change something about the other religions because it’s different from theirs, or the two sides want to fight and are using religion as an excuse.

WWIII

2009-02-23T11:10:00.000+08:00

I think that WWIII will break out during my lifetime. I think this will happen because the only major thing preventing war is the UN. I think the UN will not be able to stop a world war if it does break out because I think the war will start similarly to WWI, when a moderately sized conflict gets support from one side and the other, and the UN hasn't been able to stop a lot of conflicts. I am not sure which conflict will start the war, but I think I will be somewhere in the Middle East since there is so much religious fervor and ethnic strife between the countries in that area. I think WWIII will consist of radically new tactics from the first two world wars. I'm not quite sure about what those tactics might be, but I think they will have something to do with machines fighting instead of humans. Also, the war will include a lot of new weaponry like smart bullets and more powerful bombs.

I think the main reason for other countries to join will be alliances and economic stability in the current crisis. Some countries will be drawn in by prior commitments while others will be drawn in for greed. Also, I think the side with Germany is going to lose since Germany tends to lose world wars. I think the net effects of WWIII will be light in human deaths but very heavy in costs. Also, the map of the world will be redrawn yet again and several new countries will form from the areas of the defeated countries.

letter from D-day

2009-02-18T19:51:00.000+08:00

Bravo Company
Normandy, France
June 21, 1945

Dear Jack,

I am so grateful for the chance to write this letter. So many others are no longer able to. Yesterday was the worst day of my life. I was so scared. It was worse than all of the paratrooper training I received in the US and my battle experience so far. I am part of the 23rd paratrooper division. Since my last letter, I have been in England. Yesterday at about midnight, we were awakened and loaded into C-47’s (our planes). At about 6:30am , we were over France. We were going to be dropped behind enemy lines. As we were flying, I saw hundreds and hundreds of planes and ships, each one fully loaded. The gear was heavy and I mean HEAVY, it weighed only fifty pounds less than I do. To pass the time while we were flying, we traded stories. One man said, the beach battle sites were chosen based on information from postcards sent to the army – we knew the French ports were too well defended and we didn’t have much information on the miles and miles of coast line. When I dropped, I was caught by a bad wind and was blown several miles off target. Our first objective was to make it to the ground alive, after that we were supposed to rondevu with our company. When I landed, I hadn’t a clue where I was and had no method of finding out.

No matter what I was told, I still think the only purpose of the paratroopers is to cause chaos. I stayed in the field where I landed for the night. In the morning, I saw a scout running down a road and used a clicker to signal him. When he signaled back, I knew he was a friend. He took me to his company, who were sheltering inside an abandoned barn. Sheltered me for the night and gave me food. Luckily, he knew where my company was. He gave me directions and I set off. When I got to my company, they were just carrying the wounded and dead from the last skirmish away. I hope you never see anything as horrible in your life.

We’ve been here for about two weeks now. I thought the food was bad back at base, the slop we’re eating now, makes standard meal-packs seem delicious. What I wouldn’t do for one of mom’s apple pies. I’m so glad you’re not old enough to be in this war. I think General Eisenhower is a good man and an excellent strategist, I just hope he has a good plan for getting us home. I wonder if he’ll ever run for president. Anyway, how are you, Mom, Fad, and Rover? Have you finished the tree house yet? Did dad finish repainting the house yet, or did he leave half the house one color and the other half another, again? Give Rover a scratch behind the ears for me. Hope you’re well,

Sincerely,
Alex

PS: here's a picture:

Image source: http://www.dday-overlord.com/photos/pus/p34.jpg

Anne frank questions

2009-02-17T16:25:00.000+08:00

Q. What would have influenced someone to become a collaborator in the holocaust? What factors would have encouraged someone to join the resistance? Do you think these factors were based on personal characteristics or political beliefs? How should accountability for wars be assigned? So many say they never understood what was happening. How likely could that have been?

A. I think major influences (to become a collaborator in the Holocaust) might have been fear and money. If people fear their own deaths or the deaths of people they care about, they might do things like turn in their neighbors or discriminate, even if they think it is the wrong thing to do. Also, some people have no personal code of ethics and might see being a collaborator as a way to make money. I think the biggest factor for someone to join the resistance would be a personal belief that discrimination is morally wrong regardless of the personal consequences of following that belief.
Accountability for wars needs to start with the decision makers and people in charge. Of course those who followed orders are also accountable, but in a different way. I think it is important to hold people accountable for their crimes, even if it doesn't happen for years later, like in
Rwanda.

Probably some people didn't want to know all the details of what was happening during the holocaust. It may have been easier not to know or pretend not to know. Also, even a person did know the details, there was not a lot that person could do to change the situation in a big way.

How to Make a World War

2009-02-12T11:27:00.000+08:00

How to Make a World War (Recipe Version - II):

Ingredients:

1 rotten, spoiled Treaty of Versailles

Several countries blended for no more than twenty years into a failed League of Nations

A handful of fascist leaders (Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Emperor Hirohito, and Benito Mussolini are recommended)

A loaf of Germany

A bowl of Britain

Two pounds of France

Ten teaspoons of Japan

A cup full of America

Two ounces of raw Russia

Instructions:

Start with Europe pre-shaped by WWI and an isolated America. Using the Treaty of Versailles, repeatedly pound the loaf of Germany until it is flattened. Then let a fascist leader rise to power (Adolf Hitler yields best results). Leave the League of Nations to muddle up its decisions and add a pinch of strife to keep it slowly simmering. Start to sprinkle powdered appeasements from France, Britain, and America onto the flattened Germany. The addition of the appeasement will allow Germany to expand into neighboring areas of Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, Czech Republic, and Switzerland. Secretly stir Germany and Russia away from the other ingredients. Let Greedy Germany bubble over too far into poor Poland. Now add Britain, France, and a bit of America might, but reserve some for later. Add Japan and Italy, and the other fanatical fascist leaders. Blunder Germany rapidly into Russia. Now mix Russia in with Britain. Push Japan into Pearl Harbor. Beware, this combination will be surprising explosive. Now stir in the full force and commitment of America . Mix well. Use tanks, blitzkriegs, air force, and telephones for extra flavor and destruction. Bake at high heat for six years. Warning - This recipe will take all of your attention and supplies so do not attempt other recipes at the same time.

The recipe was first attempted in 1939 and over 60 million people died from eating World War II when it was completed in 1945.

Animal Farm movie review

2009-02-09T20:51:00.000+08:00

Of the part of the movie that I saw, the movie was vastly different than the book. For instance, in the movie, farmer Jones is excluded from the battle of the windmill by the other farmers and wants on his own to destroy the windmill and apparently died in the explosion. In the book, the plot is nothing like this. Also at the end of the movie, the animals all revolt against the pigs. This shares no correlation to either the book or the Russian revolution. I think that this was added because it was an animated movie, but I also think it defeats the entire point of the movie. Overall, the movie was 'not bad but not great' whereas the book was quite good.

Animal farm comparison

2009-02-02T11:23:00.000+08:00

Of the animals in animal farm, I think I am most like old major. I think this because I often have ideas that other people either don't understand or misinterpret. Also I am reasonably well respected. I also sometimes discuss philosophy with other people. And finally, I plan to die naturally.

AF tyrany and injustice

2009-01-27T15:21:00.000+08:00

Tyranny is when one leader takes power and holds it using fear. Self-determination is the ability to choose your own future. Injustice means not fair.

In animal farm, according to old major, Mr. Jones is a bit of a tyrant. The animals want self-determination for themselves and think their lives are filled with injustices.

WWI Poem

2009-01-22T17:55:00.000+08:00

Just another day in class

Or so I thought

Actually a portal to the past

A portal into WWI

First the reasons

Then the players

Next the trenches

Last the treaty

These are the pieces

Not the experience

Just the facts

Not the horrors of war

Nothing about the feeling of gas

Or the victims caught without a mask

Nothing about the fire of guns

or the smell after a bomb blast

Nothing about the fear of death

or the screams and cries that come with loss

Nothing about the horrors of war

Or the monstrosities of war crimes

The trenches were terrible;

colapsable and fowl

The fields were fierce;

Open spaces of death

The battles were bad;

Neverending waves of slaughter

The war was worse;

The deaths of millions of faceless soldiers

This was not an ordinary class

This was an experience

An experience of WWI

An experience of the horrors of war

image citations:

http://www.vickersgun.com/images/vickersww1-2.jpg

http://scharch.org/Ray_Baer/Prtrt%20-Kaiser%20Wilhelm%20II.JPG

http://www.army.mil.nz/nr/rdonlyres/5d0f436d-ad66-49bb-af53-b0bdbc6ae291/0/aw0608046.jpg

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/unknown-wwi-loc02.jpg

http://cgi.ebay.com/WW1-ORIG-PHOTO---COVERING-DEAD-SOLDIERS-WITH-OVERCOATS_W0QQitemZ180321374603QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20090119?IMSfp=TL090119126005r6736

Possible millitary future

2009-01-19T16:57:00.000+08:00

The USA doesn't have compulsory military service. I am glad of this fact. I personally don't want to be in the military. My cousin joined the air force but had to go through basic training. He said it was hard. Also, if I joined the military, I would have to shave my head and keep it shaved, and I don't like the idea of shaving my head. Overall, while I don't mind the existence of the military, I wouldn't want to serve in it.

great powers game feedback

2009-01-12T17:31:00.002+08:00

the main visual elements are the artist's representations of Germany and Austro-hungry in the center, Italy below, UK in the top left corner and Russia in the top right. This cartoon isn't about any particular issue, but about historical methods of diplomacy. I think the author of this cartoon thinks that the countries that have the most alliances are the most powerful. The evidence that supports this is the fact that Germany and Austro-hungry both have the most arms and are in the center of the picture, and that the country in the lower left corner has no alliances and appears to be crying. I think the cartoonist could have made the cartoon more persuasive by having more countries making alliances with Germany and Austro-Hungry. I think this relates to the great powers game by replicating the web of alliances created during the game.

great powers game debrief

2009-01-10T19:42:00.000+08:00

I was the Austro-Hungarian empire. I started out with two economic power. The countries that had the advantage at the start of the game (I think) were USA, UK, (4 economic points) France, and Italy (3 economic power). The decision to buy armies or industries was based on if you thought a war was coming up or not. If everything was peaceful, it was smarter to buy industries instead of armies because next turn, you could buy two armies for every army you restrained from buying last turn. I think in general, buying half armies and half industries is the right move.
I think the one big blunder I made was attacking Germany. I immediately lost everything except for 1 industry. Till then I was one of the top few people. I didn't make many alliances but I wasn't ever attacked. There are several lessons that can be learned from the simulation: 1) great powers can fall (UK for example) 2) allies can turn on you (UK for example) 3) thinking short or long term is a bad move (thinking a war will happen can cause you to get more armies but not enough industries; thinking in the long term may give you industries, but they'll be unprotected). Overall, it was a fun way to spend two and a half classes.

goals for quarter 3

2009-01-06T13:13:00.000+08:00

My second quarter goals were: 1) Participate more in Socratic seminars 2) Get at least a B+ on all my writing assignments (even if it means rewriting them) 3) To understand any assignment on the day it's given. I think that I didn't have an opportunity to compete goals 1&2 as there were no Socratic seminars and my major writing assignment of the quarter was ungraded for other reasons. I think I at least accomplished the third goal.

My new goals for third quarter are: achieve at least an A- in humanities, To understand any assignment on the day it's given, and to turn in all my assignments.

pros and cons of imperialism in africa

2008-12-01T11:16:00.000+08:00

Pros about imperialism

Modernization
New crops introduced
Education
Europe gained resources from Africa
America gained a solid workforce
Boosted economy
Health care introduced
Stable government enforced
Sea ports
Improved transportation systems

cons about imperialism

Rwandan genocide
Slavery
If natives didn't agree, they were killed
Culture destroyed
People separated by slavery
Basic rights taken away
Cheated out of property
Whipped and chained
Natural resources taken away

news article #3

2008-11-20T22:32:00.000+08:00

East Africa has a current population of about 24 million people and it is one of the least urbanized (people living in cities) regions in the world. Major changes are expects. By the year 2030, not only will the population increase dramatically, but the about half the population will be living in cities. This is a huge change. This growth could be a huge opportunity for the countries of east Africa but it will require solid governing and strategic planning.

site

east africa today

2008-11-19T23:02:00.001+08:00

Africa today is very different than it was when it was colonized in the 1700's. For instance the economies of Tanzania and Kenya rely heavily on tourism, though Kenya also has some geothermal power to help it along. Two of the most densely populated countries (Rwanda and Burundi) have a violent history of genocide between the Tutsi and the Hutu. Sudan has a 40% population of Arab Muslims that have most of the political power and have control over the northern part of Sudan and its capitol. The group seized power though, by mass genocide of black Sudanese. Uganda is a majorly agricultural country with coffee as its major export. The countries on the horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Djibouti) have unique story too. Ethiopia was one of the two countries never colonized by a European power. Its mountains provided both shelter from attack and fertile volcanic soil for agriculture. Eritrea was part of Ethiopia until 1993 and now relies on tourism and cotton for economic support. Somalia is a dry land of chaos. There is no mayor government except for various tribes fighting over the capitol and port cities such as Mogadishu. Djibouti is a small desert country controlled by the French until 1977 causing the two official languages to be French and Arabian. There are two major ethnic groups: the Isa and the Afar. The Somali resembling Isa and the Ethiopia resembling Afar, finally made peace in 2001.

imperialism cartoon

2008-11-17T16:11:00.000+08:00

What are the main visual elements? The main visual elements are a map of Africa and a large footprint.

What issue is this political cartoon about? This cartoon is about imperialism. I believe the large footprint has been left by the European powers that occupied Africa.

What is the cartoonist’s opinion on this issue? I think the cartoonist thinks the Europeans have crushed Africa and really changed the country.

What evidence in the cartoon supports your opinion? The large size and the depth of the footprint left on the land support my opinion. Also the cracks show how damaging the impact is.

What other techniques could the cartoonist have used to make this cartoon more persuasive? The cartoonist could have somehow connected the footprint to Europe. Maybe a made in Europe imprint could have been left in the mud so you know it is from Europe. Also, the cartoonist could have shown a flattened person or people in the footprint. That would have made cartoon more dramatic.

east africa history

2008-11-17T15:44:00.000+08:00

Influences on East Africa included Christianity and Islam, the slave trade, the arrival of Europeans, ethnic conflict and independence.

Islam was the major religion in Egypt and Northern Africa by 700 AD. Missionaries from Egypt brought Christianity to Ethiopia. The Christian emperor, Lalibela, ruled Ethiopia in the early 1200's and built churches.

African were kidnapped, enslaved and ships by other Africans, Arabs and Europeans. Zanzibar island off east Africa became a hub of slave-trading.

By 1800's European countries had divided up most of Africa because instead of slaves they were focused on trade of goods ( gold, ivory, rubber) . Imperialism (a practice that tries to dominate other countries' government, trade, and culture) has had a large impact on east Africa. The European nations were the main users of imperialism in Africa. They forced both their language and their religion on the Africans. As a result of this, many countries' most common language and main religion are similar to the European power that controlled that area.

the scramble for africa debrief

2008-11-15T18:06:00.000+08:00

1) What strategy did you use to claim land? We just tries to roll high on the THREE dice we got.
2) What factors did you consider in claiming land? We looked for countries that were rich with money and oil.
3) Who won the Scramble for Africa? Either Great Britain or Germany. Germany had almost all of the south but Great Britain had a strong hold in the northern latitudes.
4) Who lost in the Scramble for Africa? Us and Netherlands and Belgium. None of us had any meaningful hold on Africa.

Side note: in the recreated map, Spain has no hold in northern Africa, wile in the original, we used almost a whole round to capture the territories under France Netherlands and Portugal.

news article #2

2008-11-13T20:54:00.000+08:00

Many children from the north-coast region of Kenya have stopped going to school because they don’t have enough food or water at home. The school timetables have changed to compensate for this. School no longer has classes in the afternoon. The government is trying to step in and implement a school feeding program and included three new districts.

I am surprised about the predicament they’re in, but understand that, in their current situation, school takes a lower priority than food and water.

east africa geography

2008-11-12T13:50:00.000+08:00

East Africa is a land covered in a variety of different terrains. there is the mountainous country of Kenya for instance, home of Mt. Kilimanjaro. There is the Serengeti planes of Tanzania. Another natural wonder is the great rift valley, stretching through Ethiopia and Tanzania. But east Africa isn't all desert, Africa's climate is varied by location and elevation. There are great fields of growing plants around almost all of Uganda's lakes. There is even the snow caped tops of the mountains for a change of pace. Overall, don't make any assumptions about a continent.

trusting julius lester

2008-11-11T11:20:00.000+08:00

I think we can trust at least some of Julius Lester's work. He used real interviews, he got his book published by a group of editors, he was the professor of African studies at a university, paragraphs are sighted, and he’s well known.

news article #1

2008-11-10T21:42:00.000+08:00

Summary:
According to UNICEF in Ethiopia, there are approximately 5.4 million orphans, and more than a million children have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS.
Of those millions of children without families, only a small number of Ethiopian orphans are adopted by foreigners every year. Most kids with any sort of problem will not be adopted.
For 30 years, Ethiopia has been an adoption center for foreigners and prior to 2005, between 500 and 700 orphans were adopted by outsiders. Now the numbers have almost tripled thanks to Angelina Jolie

The Ethiopian government wants to stop international adoptions. They think they should be raised in the Ethiopian culture. Other involved think international adoptions are a good solution.

My reaction:
I didn’t realize there so many orphans in Ethiopia. I understand why the Ethiopian government wants to stop international adoptions, but, in the long run, finding homes for these kids seems like a priority. There is a lot of poverty there and I guess there is not a lot Ethiopians can do for these kids. Many there are other ways kids adopted by foreigners and learn about their culture.

5 themes of geography

2008-11-09T21:53:00.000+08:00

This is the Eiffel tower. The five themes of geography are Location, Latitude: 48º 51' 32" North - Longitude: 002º 17' 45" East - La Tour Eiffel, Champs-De-Mars, Paris 75007, (7e) France - beside seine river, Place, good view, Human Environment Interaction, built by people - , Movement, people come to see it - materials used to build it were moved here, and Region, France.

http://www.opticianonline.net/blogs/big-optometry-blog/eiffel-tower-picture.jpg

Violence leads to more violence

2008-11-03T17:15:00.000+08:00

The quote "Violence leads to more violence" means, where there is violence, there is more violence. In Julius Caesar, the conspirators killed Caesar (first violence) and the roman citizens then killed the conspirators (more violence). This is human nature. If somebody does violence against you, you need to do violence back at them (to 'get even').

brutus's dilemma

2008-10-20T15:27:00.000+08:00

If I were Brutus, I don't think I would chose to kill Cesar. My reasoning is as follows:

He proved himself a good leader many times over.
He proved himself a good general by defeating Pompey.
When he was city counselor he hosted several public events.
He rose to power justly.
He was also 'my' friend.

leadership

2008-10-13T15:29:00.000+08:00

The qualities of a good leader are: experience, an ability to listen, the ability to say the right thing at the right time, sets a good example and cares about the group more than self. May good leaders have charisma or a certain quality that makes them stand out from the crowd.

In 8th grade, there are not many student leaders. Most of the leadership is from the adult faculty. I guess there is SLAMS as well as people who are active in clubs and may play a leadership role. There are some very popular people, but popularity is not the same as leadership (or it shouldn't be).

imperialism

2008-10-13T15:28:00.000+08:00

When a European country dominates another country, it usually does so by force (militarily, politically, culturally, or economically) . Some of the main reasons are, to obtain resources, land or markets, to control more territory than the other European powers and to convert the natives to their religion.

End of Quarter 1 Feedback

2008-10-07T13:33:00.000+08:00

I think that I successfully achieved my goals for first quarter. I have changed the background of my blog and have (I think) mastered the blogging software.

My goals for second quarter are: 1) Participate more in Socratic seminars 2) Get at least a B+ on all my writing assignments (even if it means rewriting them) 3) To understand any assignment on the day it's given.

fun game

2008-09-22T16:24:00.001+08:00

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Feedback

2008-09-22T15:45:00.000+08:00

The main visual element is capitalism personified as fat, greedy giant shaking money out of a worker into his money bags. The fat greed giant also represents those who benefit from capitalism. The work represents the exploited workers (child laborer, immigrants, factory workers). I think this cartoon was created to point out the evils of capitalism. The cartoonist obviously thinks capitalism is good for some people, but bad for the actual workers. I think I can safely assume the author is against this aspect of capitalism. The message of the cartoon is also depicted in the text found at the bottom of the cartoon. The cartoon is a parody of Jack and the Beanstock.

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

feedback - goals2

2008-09-08T13:10:00.000+08:00

My goals were: 1) Master the blogging software, and 2) Become more comfortable with posting assignments on my blog. I think I have met both goals and will be able to work with blogger comfortably for the rest of the year. The only thing i haven't learned yet, is how to customize the background.

You need to SPEND money to MAKE money

2008-09-04T21:19:00.000+08:00

You need to spend money to make money - There is a certain amount of risk with any venture to make money. For instance: you want to produce a Pez-Pod, you need money. You can get it from A. Your money (you have all the risk) B. Get a bank loan (you and the bank both have risks) C. You make limited partnerships (you and your partners all have risks) D. Sell stock to people (you and the stockholders have all the risk).
This risk is created by the possibility of the Pez-Pod failing to sell thus depriving you and anyone who gave you money of your investment. This works with any business. You need to have initial funds in order to do anything at all (except possibly for charity).

Net Effects of the Industrial Revolution

2008-09-02T17:13:00.000+08:00

Pros:

Products made cheaper and easier to manufacture.

Economic boom.

More jobs to go around (even if they were horrible).

Took America to the forefront of technological advances for the time period.

Cons:

People were paid little to do lots of work.

Entire families worked including children and only the father got paid.

Pollution increased exponentially.

People were forced to transition from mild farm life to hard factory life.

cottage industries vs factories

2008-08-24T15:15:00.000+08:00

When the class all made 'toys' separately, modeling cottage industries, they all worked quietly, and all made good quality 'toys'. Everyone made one, so together, so not that many were made, but all of them were high quality.
When we all worked in a ‘factory’, everyone was yelling at each other, people were doing various tasks, everyone hated the manager (Shri), Lucas and Nat got fired, several people had tape over their mouths to keep them from talking….Even though there was a state of general chaos, we go about twice as many ‘toys’ done as before, but several of them barely resembled the original. I can see why people interested in profits would chose a factory, and why no one would want to work there.
In comparison, several people making similar products in cottage industries could produce a small amount of high quality products, while the same number of people in a factory, could make several times as many, inferior products, make less money, and have worse working conditions for the same amount of time. The factory is good for investors who just focus on revenue. A cottage industry is better for a worker who wants fair wages, job satisfaction (OK working conditions), and reasonable work.

description of a messy room

2008-08-20T21:49:00.000+08:00

As I entered the room, I was almost throw back by the overwhelming wall of stench wafting from old gym socks left to ferment, the pungent odor of rotting food and random animal droppings from long dead pets. The first thins that hit my eyes like sledgehammers were empty pizza boxes in a stack to rival the empire state building, cloths on the floor that hadn't been worn in months, candy wrappers so old, they had evolved into new life forms, half completed puzzles under feet of dust, there was homework left from before the cold war, old dictionaries that lacked the words E-mail and Quiz, CDs scattered like UFOs trying to capture the wild frontier, and this was just the top layer.
Underneath all this, there were old action hero figures from previous decades, old awards (the Rochester High most organized student award), old magazines with articles about Paul Newman’s first hit movie, old ‘Pac-Man’ game cartridges, pens, pencils, and paper scattered like a hurricane had hit a stationary store and dumped the contents here, old pins saying “Vote Nixon”, graying photos of long forgotten trips to long forgotten places.
And under all the random topsoil of discarded objects rapidly deteriorating, was a knee-deep layer of mulch currently being infested with compost worms consisting of prehistoric snacks, various fossils of animals trapped in the tar pits below, insects in amber, a Viking ship or two incased in ice, and finally, my humanities project. I had been wondering where in my room I had left it.

The mother of invention

2008-08-19T13:31:00.000+08:00

I think that 'Nececity is the mother of invention' means: Needs bive birth to usefull inventions. for example, Alexander Gram Bell figured it was impractical to send a messenger fo all communications, he invened the telephone in order to fill the need. The same goes for the Wright brothers. the need is the ability to travle log distances quickly and the invention is the airplane. There are several other inventors/inventions that i'm not naming, but the story is the same: need - inventor - invention/soluton.

feedback

2008-08-18T11:17:00.000+08:00

I learn better auditorally. I can hear a lecture, not make any notes, and memorise the concept. that doesn't mean I can't learn something visually or kinetically. I learn well all three ways.
Strangely, I am a visual spacial person, meaning I can manipulate 3-d shapes in my head. I remember things better if I verbalise them to someone than if I write them down. One thing you can do to make class better, is don't always use my writing to judge how much I know. For example, I would much rather talk about this with you than have to write about it.

feedback

2008-08-13T22:01:00.000+08:00

What were two highlights from the first week of school: The highlights of my first week were: 1) Being back in school, and 2) Meeting the new students.

What was your first impression of Humanities: Mfirst impression of humanities is, that I am in for a hard but fun year.

What are two goals you have for this quarter in Humanities? Mgoals are: 1) Master the blogging software, and 2) Become more comfortable with posting assignments on my blog.

my gang

2008-08-12T17:13:00.000+08:00

My gang consists of:

Me: duh,
My dog: because he's fun to be with, highly gratifying, and easily forgiving
My brother: because i can never stay angry at him for long, and he's witty and nice
My mom: because she's nice, supportive, and helps me strive for excellence